Alec

A Guide for the Seasoned and the Not-So-Plot Savvy

This is a subject that a lot of writers tend to struggle with. They have ideas, great ideas, but are uncertain how to string them together into a solid plot. There are many methods that have been devised to do so, and most seem to be based on something you might remember:

The 5 Point Method

This is your basic plot diagram:

Exposition – This is the beginning of your story. This is where you introduce your character (s), establish a setting, and also present your main conflict.

Rising Action – Your story now begins to build. There are often multiple key events that occur where your main character may be faced with a new problem he has to solve or an unexpected event is thrust at him.

Climax – Everything you’ve been writing has been leading up to this moment. This is going to be the most exciting part of your story where your main character faces the main conflict and overcomes it.

Falling Action – This is mostly tying up loose ends after your main conflict is resolved. They are minor things that weren’t nearly as important as the main conflict, but still needed to be dealt with.

Resolution –The end of the story.

This is probably the easiest way to remember how to string together a single (or multiple) plots. It may be easier for some to define the main plot as the central conflict, or the thing that’s causing your main character a huge problem/is his goal.

The 8 Point Method

This method is used to write both novels and film scripts, and further breaks down the 5 Point Method. From the book Write a Novel and Get It Published: A Teach Yourself Guide by Nigel Watts:

Stasis – The opening where the story takes place. Here you introduce your main character and establish a setting (Watts defines it as an “everyday” setting, something normal, but it can be whatever you want).

Trigger or Inciting Incident – The event that changes your character’s life an propels your story forward. This is where you introduce the main conflict.

The Quest – The result of the event. What does your character do? How does he react?

Surprise – This section takes of the middle of the story and involves all of the little setbacks and unexpected events that occur to the main character as he tries to fix the problems he’s faced with and/or achieve his goal. This is where you as an author get to throw complication, both horrible and wonderful, at your protagonist and see what happens.

Critical Choice –At some point your character is going to be faced with making a decision that’s not only going to test him as individual, but reveal who he truly is to the audience. This cannot be something that happens by chance. The character must make a choice.

Climax – This is the result of the main character’s critical choice, and should be the highest point of tension in the story.

Reversal – The consequence of the choice and climax that changes the status of your protagonist, whatever that may be. It could make him a king, a murderer, or whatever else you like but it has to make sense with the rest of the story.

Resolution – The end of the story where loose ends are tied up. You’re allowed to leave things unresolved if you intend to write a sequel, but the story itself should be stand alone.

Three Act Structure

While this method is usually for screenplays, it is also used in writing novels (for instance The Hunger Games novels are split up into three acts). From the The Screen Writer’s Workbook by Syd Field: Acts 1 and 3 should be about the same length while Act 2 should be double. For instance if you were writing a screenplay for a two hour film Acts 1 and 3 would be 30 minutes each while Act 2 would be 60 minutes.

Act 1, Set Up – This contains the inciting incident and a major plot point towards the end. The plot point here leads into the second act and is when the protagonist decides to take on the problem he’s faced with.

Act 2, Confrontation – This contains the midpoint of the story, all of the little things that go wrong for the protagonist, and a major plot point towards the end that propels the story into the third act. This is the critical choice the character must make.

Act 3, Resolution – This is where the climax occurs as well as the events that tie up the end of the story.

Another way to look at this method is that there are actually three major plot points, or disasters, that move the plot forward. The first is at the end of Act 1, the second is in the middle of Act 2, and the third is at the end of Act 2.

The Snowflake Method

A “top-down” method by Randy Ingermanson that breaks novel writing down into basic parts, building upon each one. You can find his page on the method here. His ten steps:

Write a single sentence to summarize your novel.

Write a paragraph that expands upon that sentence, including the story set up, the major conflicts, and the ending.

Define your major characters and write a summary sheet corresponding to each one that includes: the character’s name, their story arc, their motivation and goal, their conflict, and their epiphany (what they will learn).

Expand each sentence of your summary paragraph in Step 2 into its own paragraph.

Write a one page description of your major characters and a half page description of less important characters.

Expand each paragraph in Step 4 into a page each.

Expand each character description into full-fledged character charts telling everything there is to know about the characters.

Make a spreadsheet of all of the scenes you want to include in the novel.

Begin writing the narrative description of the story, taking each line from the spreadsheet and expanding the scenes with more details.

Begin writing your first draft.

Wing It

This is what I do. I tend to keep in mind the basic structure of the 5 Point Method and just roll with whatever ideas come my way. I’ve never been a fan of outlines, or any other type of organization. According to George R.R. Martin, I’ve always been a gardener, not an architect when it comes to writing. I don’t plan, I just come up with ideas and let them grow. Of course, this may not work for some of you, so here are some methods of organization:

Outlines

Notecards

Spreadsheets

Lists

Character Sheets

And if all else fails, you can fall on the advice of the great Chuck Wendig: 25 Ways to Plot and Prep Your Story.

Remember, none of the methods above are set in stone. They are only guidelines to help you finally write that novel.

(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. 

Hey all! Another tip from the editor’s desk. This one is about verbs that end in -ing.

In fiction, -ing verbs can be accurately used to:

(1) Indicate that two actions are happening simultaneously.

Example: While running to catch the bus, Jake dropped his keys.

(2) Show that an action is ongoing or still in progress.

Example: Ingrid wanted to use the oven for her pot roast, but the muffins were still baking.

Jason had been attending college for three years.

But when you misuse or overuse -ing verbs, it quickly becomes tedious and awkward for readers.

As an editor, here are the most common mistakes I see beginning fiction writers make with -ing verbs:

10 Keys to a Writing a Good YA Romance

1) Romance vs Romance Novel - First, it’s important to clarify that there are two different ways to include romance in a novel, including YA novels. In a “romance novel,” the romance is central to the story. The story is about the romance. In any other kind of novel, the romance is not central to the story, so it should compliment the story but not overwhelm it.

2) You Still Need a Plot - Perhaps the biggest misconception about writing a love story is that there doesn’t need to be anything else going on--that it’s just a string of scenes showing the couple being together and falling in love. Even in a romance novel, that’s not enough. There needs to be conflict. What else is your story about? What would serve as a good framework upon which to build this romance? It could be a survival situation, travel shenanigans, fighting an illness or injury, standing up to an oppressor or corrupt entity, a quest or mission, solving a crime or mystery, tackling a big life change–really, anything.

3) Great Characterization - Another overlooked element of a good YA romance is solid, well-developed characters with believable flaws that compliment the story, internal and external conflict, and well-developed relationships with others. If your reader knows who these characters are, where they’ve been, what they want, and why they want it, they’ll care more about them falling in love. 

4) Avoid “InstaLove” at All Cost - While it’s fine for your characters to notice each other and have that little “spark” of connection/attraction, young adult characters in particular should not be confessing their undying love for one another three days after meeting, especially when they’ve spent a sum total of 9 hours together over those three days. Love needs to develop naturally through a series of interactions and time spent together. During these interactions, the characters find common ground and shared goals, they get to know each other and learn what makes the other one tick. They learn to rely on each other and build up trust, they figure out how best to support each other and learn to be vulnerable in each other’s presence. That doesn’t happen in three days. It might happen in a week if you have two people who spend every second together trying to survive a harrowing situation, but you really need to “show the math” to the reader. Infatuation > flirtation > friendship > commitment > love.

5) It’s All About Chemistry - Good romances are about good chemistry. You have to make their attraction believable to the reader. While the initial attraction can be physical, and physical attraction can play a very minor role as the relationship develops, you shouldn’t put physical attraction front and center of this relationship. Don’t make the relationship about “he was the hottest guy in school...” Wanting to be with someone because they’re “hot” isn’t falling in love, it’s being in lust. Chemistry is when two people move beyond the physical stuff and compliment each other emotionally. It’s personalities that, for whatever reason, work great together.

6) Explore Other Relationships, Too - One of the best ways to highlight a developing relationship between young adults is to explore their other relationships, too. Their other friends, their teachers and mentors, their family members... not just in terms of each love interest’s relationship with these people individually, but how these people cross-relate to the other love interest and to the relationship in general. Make sure to avoid the best friend whose jealous of the relationship, though.

7) Avoid Cliché YA Language - Sometimes you read a phrase in a book, and then you see it in ten other books, and then you decide to use it, too. Don’t decide to use it, too. Just skip it or find a way to make it fresh. Now, you can let out that breath you didn’t realize you were holding...

8) Don’t Center Love Story Around Sex - Sex can be explored in YA fiction in ways that are appropriate for the YA target audience. One way that’s not appropriate to include sex n a YA story is to make the relationship about sex. They shouldn’t be thinking about sex all the time, constantly making plans to get together to have sex, talking to others about how great their sex life is, etc. This is just not appropriate for YA.

9) Relationship Should Be Healthy - Romance in general has a long history of romanticizing abuse, and YA is no different. Your couple should love spending time together, but should also enjoy spending time apart. They should have shared interests, but also have their own interests. They should trust each other enough to not panic when the other spends time with other friends, including ones they’re capable of being attracted to. Jealousy is gross. Being protective does not mean being overprotective. Placing self between loved one and an approaching dangerous threat is protective. Slashing their tires so they don’t spend time with a potentially dangerous friend is abuse. Offering to be a phone call away as an escape hatch from a friends night out is protective. Stalking them from the shadows “just in case” something goes wrong is abusive. Offering to stay the night so they don’t have to be alone after a hard day is protective. Climbing through their window to secretly watch them sleep is abusive. Healthy relationships are about trust, mutual respect, and being there for each other when needed. It doesn’t mean they never fight or always have a perfect relationship. There’s lots more info out there if needed.

10) Happy For Now, Not Happily Ever After - Characters in YA stories shouldn’t be engaged to be married unless it’s part of an unwanted betrothal/arranged marriage which is common in fantasy stories and stories that take place in cultures that are still holding onto ancient traditions. Otherwise, in the average YA story, no engagements. Why? Because Young Adult fiction is geared toward readers between the ages of 12 and 18, and the elements of YA fiction need to be in line with the young adult experience. That’s why the popular themes in YA are things like belonging, identity, first relationships, peer issues, changing responsibilities, etc. Engagement and marriage are not part of the average young adult’s experience, so unless you’re tackling one of those unusual situations like in fantasy or a cultural exploration, leave it out. YA characters don’t need to get engaged or married at the end, they don’t need to look ahead to a future where they’ll be married and have a family. YA romances should end with couples who are “happy for now.”

I hope that answers your question! ♥

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Morning routine that is mundane TO THE READER. Nobody cares how long your main character showers or what their favorite kind of cereal is. Only start your novel with your main character’s morning routine if it is something that isn’t routine to your reader. Does your MC have to steal their breakfast? Include that! Does your MC feed their dragon at the crack of dawn? That’s interesting! Do they spend way to long deciding what to wear? Nobody cares. That’s boring.

A dream. Readers will feel cheated when they read a bunch of interesting stuff only to find out none of it was real.

Excessive world building. Fantasy novels are especially prone to falling into this trap. Little bits of world building that are naturally woven into the narrative are fine. Info dumps are not. Remember, the purpose of the first chapter is to introduce the MC and get the reader invested in what will happen to them, not to give the reader a history lesson about a world they have no reason to care about yet.

Too long before the main conflict. While you don’t necessarily need to dive straight into the main conflict, you shouldn’t keep the reader waiting for it to start for too long. I suggest laying the groundwork for the main conflict in the first chapter and maybe hinting at it directly. That will help the plot get going at a good pace.

Without anything to ground the reader in what’s going on. The reader needs some time to get invested in the main character. While starting in medias res can work, you need to help your reader why they should care about what’s happening to the MC. Otherwise, you might as well be jingling keys in the reader’s face. Be especially careful about starting your novel with a chase scene or a battle since those can be disorienting and might not make it clear why the reader should be rooting for your MC specifically.

(P.S.A. Before We Begin: While the above GIF is from Captain America: Civil War, I won’t be including any superhero factors in this post. I just really love the movie and this scene specifically :P Enjoy!)

Hello friends, Abby here with another writing post! I’ve noticed that the concept of war tends to play a large role in many of the novels I’ve read in the past. Due to this and the fact that my own series (Smoke Shadows) will include its own war of sorts, I was inspired to make this post. Without further ado, let’s get started!

What could cause a war?

There are, of course, many causes that can lead to a war, and it would probably be a little strange if one occurred in your story for a single reason. Let’s go through a couple of general causes that have played major roles, starting with the M.A.I.N.:

Militarism. Some countries take excessive pride in their militaries and continue building and displaying them, even during peacetime. Often nations that would perceive an action like this as a threat find these acts of militarism unsettling; this can worsen relations between the two nations or can lead the threatened nation to make a preemptive strike of sorts.

Alliances. These can be dangerous, especially secret alliances. A small country might have made secret alliances with several larger nations in secret; someone picks a fight with them and suddenly there are six other nations on their case about it. Alliances made like these are the ones that can and probably will lead to conflicts involving more countries.

Imperialism. Simply put, imperialism is the process of “stronger” nations taking over “weaker” ones for control of some sort, and usually without the consent of the country they’re taking over. (Imperialistic nations don’t seem to care much about that last part, though.) Imperialism could lead to conflict in the form of a “turf war” of sorts between imperialistic nations or to a fight for independence by the nation that’s been taken over.

Nationalism. This one is dangerous, because it often comes from a feeling of unity in a nation. This pride can range anywhere from slight to intense and can be created in whatever way you want, but a historically proven way to use this method is through things like propaganda and yellow journalism.

At least one of these four reasons play some sort of role in the starting of a war, though of course there are many other causes you could choose from. Some of these possibilities can include completely unprecedented attacks, economic/territorial gain, religion, revenge of some sort, and (intense) internal disagreements.

How to “Structure” a War

Wars are usually won not through brute force alone, but by strategy. You’ll want to keep this in mind when you think of how your war plays out; whoever is the better strategies will have a higher chance of coming out of this whole thing victorious. It will probably help tremendously for you to draw a map of your world and include every place that will be affected, then get some different colored markers to represent the different sides.

It’s especially helpful if you can make two maps, or one that you can edit easily. On one you’ll want to create a plan for each side. If you were planning out something like this, what would you plan for? Include things like:

Attack points and any (possibly) ensured victories

Retreat plans

Key areas that this side will need to win

Other people that will be travelling with the troops

Amount of troops sent to each place

Methods of communication and transportation

Weaponry used

Any rules going on (ex. don’t go after civilians, leave injured soldiers to be healed since they are no longer a threat, etc.)

There are, of course, other things to consider, but if you’re just looking for the basic information then all this should be a good starting point for you. Next up comes the results, where you take the time to figure out how each battle/conflict/whatever you’d like to call it turned out. Think of things like:

Casualties

Injuries

Prisoners of war or any M.I.A.s

Total resources used

Damage done to the surrounding area

Whether each group should completely invade, draw back, or stay where they are

Essentially, whether the conflict was a victory, defeat, or stalemate for each side

From there, you’ll want to figure out how each side will adapt to this result. The best strategizers respond to the events of this conflict will often assess their side and the other side, and change their plans a little to try and help their side regain (or keep) the advantage.

Rinse and repeat until you’ve created a war.

The Home Front

What is everyone doing at home to help this effort, if anything at all? How are people responding to the war? Consider things like governmental actions and the civilian response, and what people at home might be asked to do to aid the cause. From a governmental perspective, think of things like:

The possibility of a draft

How they would get their funding

How much control (if any) it would take over everyday life

Any new laws that might be passed

The changing of alliances

Deciding on whether or not to declare war (additionally, admitting defeat or making an attempt to find peace)

The need to prevent something like an economic depression afterwards

Trading with countries they’re not actively fighting against

You’ll also want to consider things like propaganda. It’s often a “strategy” used to increase morale at home and to help unify the nation during wartime. This can be used for a lot of purposes, but it’s often to 1) encourage those who would be able to enlist to do so or 2) encourage those who can’t enlist to still find ways to help the country.

Some other things that might change in the home life include:

Work and education standards

Anything that goes into and out of a person’s bank account (or the equivalent); things like taxes and pay grades might change

The possibility of rationing, if needed

People spending more free time helping out in the effort

How people would react to family being sent away to fight (and the possibility of bad news being brought back)

The demand for different jobs and how this demand might be met

Any major changes in priority for the people as a whole

Ending the War

And finally, we’ve made it to the end! One way or another, things are going to come to a close on this conflict. It might have been a month, a year, or a decade since the initial declaration of war, but we’ve made it. What comes with the end of a war can vary in essentially every way you can imagine. You’ll want to consider things like:

Treaties (including things like alliances that might have been formed or come to an end, war reparations, punishments, etc.)

Any measures meant to prevent another war of this nature

Things being done to help any countries on which the war was fought, if anything at all

Lasting feelings that might lead to future conflicts or developments

(P.S.A. Before We Begin: While the above GIF is from Captain America: Civil War, I won’t be including any superhero factors in this post. I just really love the movie and this scene specifically :P Enjoy!)

Hello friends, Abby here with another writing post! I’ve noticed that the concept of war tends to play a large role in many of the novels I’ve read in the past. Due to this and the fact that my own series (Smoke Shadows) will include its own war of sorts, I was inspired to make this post. Without further ado, let’s get started!

What could cause a war?

There are, of course, many causes that can lead to a war, and it would probably be a little strange if one occurred in your story for a single reason. Let’s go through a couple of general causes that have played major roles, starting with the M.A.I.N.:

Militarism. Some countries take excessive pride in their militaries and continue building and displaying them, even during peacetime. Often nations that would perceive an action like this as a threat find these acts of militarism unsettling; this can worsen relations between the two nations or can lead the threatened nation to make a preemptive strike of sorts.

Alliances. These can be dangerous, especially secret alliances. A small country might have made secret alliances with several larger nations in secret; someone picks a fight with them and suddenly there are six other nations on their case about it. Alliances made like these are the ones that can and probably will lead to conflicts involving more countries.

Imperialism. Simply put, imperialism is the process of “stronger” nations taking over “weaker” ones for control of some sort, and usually without the consent of the country they’re taking over. (Imperialistic nations don’t seem to care much about that last part, though.) Imperialism could lead to conflict in the form of a “turf war” of sorts between imperialistic nations or to a fight for independence by the nation that’s been taken over.

Nationalism. This one is dangerous, because it often comes from a feeling of unity in a nation. This pride can range anywhere from slight to intense and can be created in whatever way you want, but a historically proven way to use this method is through things like propaganda and yellow journalism.

At least one of these four reasons play some sort of role in the starting of a war, though of course there are many other causes you could choose from. Some of these possibilities can include completely unprecedented attacks, economic/territorial gain, religion, revenge of some sort, and (intense) internal disagreements.

How to “Structure” a War

Wars are usually won not through brute force alone, but by strategy. You’ll want to keep this in mind when you think of how your war plays out; whoever is the better strategies will have a higher chance of coming out of this whole thing victorious. It will probably help tremendously for you to draw a map of your world and include every place that will be affected, then get some different colored markers to represent the different sides.

It’s especially helpful if you can make two maps, or one that you can edit easily. On one you’ll want to create a plan for each side. If you were planning out something like this, what would you plan for? Include things like:

Attack points and any (possibly) ensured victories

Retreat plans

Key areas that this side will need to win

Other people that will be travelling with the troops

Amount of troops sent to each place

Methods of communication and transportation

Weaponry used

Any rules going on (ex. don’t go after civilians, leave injured soldiers to be healed since they are no longer a threat, etc.)

There are, of course, other things to consider, but if you’re just looking for the basic information then all this should be a good starting point for you. Next up comes the results, where you take the time to figure out how each battle/conflict/whatever you’d like to call it turned out. Think of things like:

Casualties

Injuries

Prisoners of war or any M.I.A.s

Total resources used

Damage done to the surrounding area

Whether each group should completely invade, draw back, or stay where they are

Essentially, whether the conflict was a victory, defeat, or stalemate for each side

From there, you’ll want to figure out how each side will adapt to this result. The best strategizers respond to the events of this conflict will often assess their side and the other side, and change their plans a little to try and help their side regain (or keep) the advantage.

Rinse and repeat until you’ve created a war.

The Home Front

What is everyone doing at home to help this effort, if anything at all? How are people responding to the war? Consider things like governmental actions and the civilian response, and what people at home might be asked to do to aid the cause. From a governmental perspective, think of things like:

The possibility of a draft

How they would get their funding

How much control (if any) it would take over everyday life

Any new laws that might be passed

The changing of alliances

Deciding on whether or not to declare war (additionally, admitting defeat or making an attempt to find peace)

The need to prevent something like an economic depression afterwards

Trading with countries they’re not actively fighting against

You’ll also want to consider things like propaganda. It’s often a “strategy” used to increase morale at home and to help unify the nation during wartime. This can be used for a lot of purposes, but it’s often to 1) encourage those who would be able to enlist to do so or 2) encourage those who can’t enlist to still find ways to help the country.

Some other things that might change in the home life include:

Work and education standards

Anything that goes into and out of a person’s bank account (or the equivalent); things like taxes and pay grades might change

The possibility of rationing, if needed

People spending more free time helping out in the effort

How people would react to family being sent away to fight (and the possibility of bad news being brought back)

The demand for different jobs and how this demand might be met

Any major changes in priority for the people as a whole

Ending the War

And finally, we’ve made it to the end! One way or another, things are going to come to a close on this conflict. It might have been a month, a year, or a decade since the initial declaration of war, but we’ve made it. What comes with the end of a war can vary in essentially every way you can imagine. You’ll want to consider things like:

Treaties (including things like alliances that might have been formed or come to an end, war reparations, punishments, etc.)

Any measures meant to prevent another war of this nature

Things being done to help any countries on which the war was fought, if anything at all

Lasting feelings that might lead to future conflicts or developments

Anon asked:

Hello. I love this site. There are several questions regarding this topic for women but not for men, so here goes:

First off, I am of Asian & native descent. I can “pass”, so often people just assume I am white, which doesn’t bother me much. I am fairly removed from my heritage (They died young, so I barely remember one and the other died before I was born) and though I would like to learn more, I have just been busy living life I suppose! 

I am writing a multi-cultural fantasy. My main character’s love interest is Japanese… if a character can be Japanese when it’s a world without Japan, but you know what I mean. Anyway, I feel that Asian men never get the lead in books and film and it frustrates me that women seem to deem them ‘unsexy’ in hetero romances. There are some seriously hot Asian men out there!

However, I have suddenly started to wonder if there are any particular things I should avoid so that it doesn’t seem I am fetishizing them. I know they are often fetishized in gay romances, though, so do you have tips on things to avoid? Am I over thinking this? 

I feel like, even though I am a part of this people group, I am on the outside looking in.

Thanks!

Basics

Quick note: yes, a character can be coded Japanese in a world w/o Earth cultures; the word you’re looking for is coding :) 

It is a good question, and I’m surprised that there’s nothing on the oversexualization of East Asian men on here, because while the dominant media trope is de-sexualization, the opposite totally happens. Some of the stuff about physical features that we’ve covered on this blog (even if it centers around East Asian women) counts, so that’s a good starting point for research, if you haven’t already done this. Bad eye descriptions, mentions of “yellow fever,” all that stuff that you already shouldn’t do. Make your MC describe the love interest’s attractiveness in terms of features that aren’t fetishized or narrowly focused on. 

East Asian Man Fetish in history, modern media

You may be surprised, but there was a brief history of fetishizing East Asian men in the silent era of Hollywood. When Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa took to the stage in the 1910s and 20s, white women went nuts over his “brooding” persona and the taboo appeal of the interracial romances he was cast into. While he became less of a sex symbol and more of a villain in the 40s (you can thank WWII for that), throughout his career he was casted to perpetuate an exotic, dangerous image (something he personally despised and actively spoke out against). The idea of the Japanese bad boy is no longer pop culturally relevant, but it’s something to keep in the back of your mind. 

In terms of modern media, just avoid the kind of garbage that happens in Eleanor and Park, if you’re looking for a what-not-to-do. Don’t do things like comparing your character (either in the narrative or in dialogue) to other East Asian icons like Bruce Lee when they look nothing alike. Physical comparisons tend to be iffy for East Asians specifically because of “you all look alike,” which is why I would also discourage even accurate comparisons. 

Fetishization and K-Pop

The newest threat to East Asian men when it comes to fetishization is K-pop. Now, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit of a (casual) stan myself, but fanbases for idols can be very, very gross. You’re right about fetishization in gay media, which applies here with the dizzying amount of real life shipping (*GAK*) that many fans partake in. It’s essentially the evolved form of “yaoi fangirl” media that makes assumptions about the sexuality of male idols and turns the stereotype of emasculation into its own form of fetishization. This negatively affects the real-life experiences of queer Asian men, especially those who adopt more feminine gender presentation, gender performance, or hobbies. To say nothing of the idols themselves, most of whom I’m sure are very straight. 

Takeaway

What we can take away from this is that the fetishization of East Asian men is often founded on existing stereotypes. It takes a thorough understanding of the racist depictions of East Asians in media to unpack the ways in which they intersect with de-sexualization and hyper-sexualization. 

i really love all the work this blog does, but was the comment about most idols being straight really necessary here? it comes off like youre saying it’s as bad as or worse for people to call a straight person gay than it is for people “ship” them.

Hi, thanks for your concerns! I added that line after the sentence on how fetishization affects queer Asian men to show that it can affect straight Asian men too! I believe that making assumptions about anyone’s sexuality is an invalidating experience, so I wanted to make that clear that this kind of behaviour also affects straight idols. Fan rumors about an idol’s sexuality can absolutely impact their job security, on top of how the idols might feel about it. While shipping real life people is ALREADY bad, it’s even worse to ship real life people without regard to their orientation, because that’s a blatant rejection of their autonomy; this involves making assumptions one way or another. We’ve also seen that assuming queer people as straight can have consequences, like the forced outing of Becky Albertalli. So yes, assuming people’s sexualities is also a very bad thing to do, and I wanted to clarify that.

@puffybouquet said:

@intersustainability Maybe I’ve misunderstood you but the most of ships I saw in kpop were same sex and were done in a romantic way. Were they not alluding to them being gay (also they’d literally call them gay too)? Like, I’d see many, many videos and posts ‘proving’ why they were in 'love’ and such. I mean, it seems shipping is 'pretending’ they’re gay but since most shippers never clarify (some I suspect aren’t pretending) they might as well call them gay?

I’d agree; there’s a sort of desire to control the narrative of these idols’ lives and an over-investment in them that I see in shipping media that can make it particularly toxic. This is why I maintain that it’s a form of making assumptions about a real life person’s identity where it really is inappropriate! Thanks for your response :) 

(And why hinges rock.)

Please excuse me while I assign already well-loved terms new meanings for my own benefit. (This is to say, writing terminology means something slightly different or goes by slightly different terms depending on who you ask. Two of the definitions I use here are based ones that stuck with me, while the third is something I pulled right out of my backside because it didn’t quite fit with my acquired definitions of the other two. Other terms and definitions are equally valid; I’m just using these ones until I figure out how to telepathically funnel wordless concepts.)

First let’s get basic: What’s a plot anyway? Tis a bunch of things that happen to move your character toward something. Usually this something is a goal. Win the war. Find the killer. Survive the winter. Get through the wedding. Kill the dragon.

Plots (should) have important scenes within them which propel them along. A full book that’s just a knight walking on a path for twenty-five chapters thinking about killing a dragon and then finally reaching the dragon to do so it boring. A book about a knight facing random trials that have nothing to do with the dragon she’s set out to kill is more interesting then walking. But the most engaging version of this plot would be if each trial she faced was connected to the dragon killing in some way.

We could, if we wanted to, label each of these trials with terms like plot point, a plot twist, or a plot hinge, depending on how they interact with the story as a whole. (Now I have to define what each of these terms mean to me. I set myself up here, didn’t I?)

We probably all know what a plot twist is. A big reveal. A shocking conclusion. A revelation that puts the whole story into a new light. (Luke, I am your father!)

Struggling with Motivations and Internal Goals

When you have a story with an external conflict, such as in a plot-driven story or a story that is both plot and character-driven, your character’s internal conflict isn’t going to be the primary driving force of the story. It works in tandem with the external conflict, so it’s not doing all the heavy lifting on its own.

Your character’s internal conflict is ultimately going to influence the decisions your character makes in relation to the external conflict. So, if your character’s internal conflict is that they feel responsible for taking care of their family but the external conflict requires them to kill people–something they’re very opposed to doing–that sense of duty vs aversion to violence is going to impact the decisions they make. Whereas a character who doesn’t have that aversion to violence might not bat an eyelash at killing someone to protect their family, a character who does have that version to violence is going to hesitate or look for alternatives, and that hesitation or that invention of alternatives is what will help drive the story forward. 

So…

External Conflict: Dangerous people posing a threat to family.Internal Conflict: Feels duty to protect family/has aversion to violence

External Conflict Plot Point: An armed group tries to get into house.

Necessary Action: Protect family by shooting intruders.

Internal Conflict Impact: Hesitates to shoot intruders.

External Conflict Impact: Intruders get in and hurt family member.

External Conflict Result: Character’s hand is forced; shoots other threats

Plot Effect: Story moves forward as one threat is isolated, family can move on

Internal Conflict Result: Character must grapple with violent acts

See? Everything works together. :)

I hope that helps!!!

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Writing a Male Character

What should a male character “sound like?” Ask that question to a thousand different males and they’d give you a thousand different answers.Like any other group of people, “males” aren’t a monolith who all think, behave, speak, and feel one way. Females aren’t either, for that matter. There is no realistic or unrealistic way to portray a male character. You obviously don’t want them to “sound” like any other character in your story, but that has nothing to do with gender. That has everything to do with creating characters with unique personalities, situations, and voice.

Here are some posts from my masterlist that will hopefully help:

Creating a Realistic Male CharacterWriting Another Gender“No Boy Would React Like That”

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I’m serious. It doesn’t. Go ahead. Your characters can find true love in just a second. They can knock down a thousand henchmen before reaching the Big Boss. They can wield unlimited powers. They can turn out the be The One.

Is it unrealistic? Probably. Is it fun? Yes.

It’s fiction. It doesn’t need to be realistic.

But.

Writing doesn’t have to be realistic, but it needs to be consistent.

Realistic = compared to the rules of the reality outside your story, the reality you and I live in (most of the time).

Consistent = compared to the rules of the reality inside your story.

What I mean when I use the word “rules”

I don’t mean “You’re not supposed to do X in this society.” I mean rules that describe reality, not prescribe it. Rules that are as inescapably tied to your story’s reality as gravity is tied to ours.

Examples:

Why do we accept that Disney princesses live happily ever after with someone they just met? It may be unrealistic, but it’s consistent.

Why do we accept that one set of superheroes in one universe can wield unlimited powers without facing consequences (Superman etc.) and another set of superheroes can’t (The Incredibles)? Because the writers of each universe have made it clear to us that these are the rules.

“But, Bookish Diplodocus… My character is The One!”

“My character is the One who breaks all the rules nobody ever thought could be broken.”

“I’m not breaking the rules, my character is an exception to the rules!”

“Their arrival has been foretold by Legends! They are Special!”

That may very well be. I enjoy reading the The One trope just as much as the next person. But just know that if you break your own rules, your reader may feel cheated.

So you need to do it well.

If you have established certain rules and you create an exception, you have to make it believable that the rule has an exception.

A well-executed exception

Well, take The Matrix for example. (Spoilers ahead, obviously.)

Neo is the exception. What is the rule? The rule isn’t that the Matrix exists. All the rebels know that. The rule is that no-one can manipulate reality. Jesus. Obviously no-one can manipulate reality. Do you take us for idiots? And then one guy shows up who can.

Why do we accept the existence of this one individual? Along with Neo, we are gradually led to realize it. Trinity believes he is the One. But what does she know anyway? Morpheus believes it too. Morpheus, as a mentor figure, has more authority, so we start to believe it. Neo doesn’t, not entirely, not yet. And then we start to see it, slowly, with ups and downs. There is a training session, a breakthrough moment, a failure, people around him start to doubt, but some keep faith. The Oracle says Neo may become the One, but isn’t the One yet. It’s only during the finale of the movie that Neo truly becomes the One.

The character arc from Thomas Andersen to Neo to the One is the whole story arc of the movie. It’s done slowly and well-executed.

A badly executed exception

I’m gonna make one up, because I’m a kind person, I don’t want to drag other people down. But we’ve all read books with heroes like the one I’m going to describe.

The hero is a teen or just a regular guy. Nothing special. They come into their powers, or start training, or… Within a few months/years/chapters they surpass the level of their mentor/teacher/champion/authority figure, who’s been doing this for at least 112 years. No need to think this is weird, reader. This character is the One, remember? I showed you the Legend that foretells his arrival in chapter 2.

While the character arc in the Matrix is done slowly, this fictitious bad example is done within the scope of a few chapters. Quickly level-up the character, so that we can get to “the real story”. And that’s the mistake.

So, next time a reader tells you something is unrealistic, they mean it’s unbelievable within the reality of your story. You don’t necessarily need to cut it. Go back and fix it.

I hope this was helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, and happy writing!

Follow me for more writing advice, or check out my other writing tips here. New topics to write advice about are also always appreciated.

Tag list below the cut. If you like to be added to or removed from the list, let me know.

Black Girls & Women: Representation We Want

As a Black woman reader, I definitely want to see more soft Black girls and women in literature. Girls with their own self-interests (caring about oneself isn’t necessarily selfish) and not always someone else’s caregiver is great too.

Here’s my list!

More Black girls…

In love

With close family bonds and healthy relationships and support systems (that don’t require enduring abuse, fixing their partner, or overall emotional labor to earn domestic happiness)

Being protected

As main characters, heroines and anti-heroes

On adventures

In fantasy and magical settings

In historical settings as peasants, upper-class society, and royalty

Descriptions of Black Afro hair, skin, features as a normal thing in books (see this compilation) and not in an Othering way

On the other hand, vibrant, sometimes hyped up descriptions that allude to their beauty (see this ask. Or this one). Not Othering, just appreciating! 

Put us in fancy dresses and give us a sword and let us dance at the balls and have admirers!

Experiencing complex emotions not necessarily in reaction to racism or racist violence

On the book cover! And with an accurate, not light or white-washed model

~Mod Colette

Responses:

@madamef-er

Soft black girls and nerd girls who like cute things. 

Shy black girls not just in situations with boys. 

More lgbtqia+ black girls. Studs! Femmes! 

Gender fluid and non conforming constantly changing their style because they like it!

Spies and not just as the ‘sexy bait’ or ‘weapons master’ let us sit behind the computer for once and be hackers and stuff

@tanlefan

Black girls who are just…people.

I want a fantasy escapism adventure that isn’t a thinly veiled discussion on slavery or racism or any other aspect of The Struggle. I am tired. 

Can I just have a happy Black girl who believes in fairies or something?

@esmeraldanacho-1776More autistic Black women/girls! I don’t care what genre really; just have them in there!

@briarsthicketAnd enby black people!

@mattiekins

Def soft black girls. 

Energetic and playful. 

Or shy and quiet.

I want to see more black girls who are nerds and not just mommy mommying or nanny nannying everyone. 

I want black girls who want to be a ballerina, or a talk show host, or a game designer etc. 

I want a black girl who gets to be happy. 

Who doesn’t have to act older than she is and be the shoulder for everyone, always.

@xiiishadesofgrey

I want more black lady nerds, if we’re talking modern settings!  

More black ladies who have a sporty/playful nature! 

Who aren’t afraid to get dirty and make chaos, without being dirty or frowned upon!

Strange as it sounds coming from me, more black princesses! Brandy as Cinderella in the 90s was my first Cinderella, and I LOVE that.

Please, god, more black wlws.

@daintythoughtswritersblock

I want to see tropes exercised 

Black women of all shades and tones

@hazelnut4370

Tbh just fellow black people being happy, like I rarely see that,

Or enjoying hobbies

rivergoddessdream

Happily childless black women

Black women traveling the world

Fat black women in happy, healthy, poly relationships

Black cis and trans women having a true sisterhood

Autistic black women

Black women in period pieces that aren’t about slavery and don’t take place in the US

Black women thespians

Black women painters

Black women revolutionaries

Black women front and center in the narrative

Black women healers and storytellers

Non christian Black women stories

Black women rockers

#complicated black women characters #tell those stories

@missnancywrites

More Black Girls…

With diverse cultural and social backgrounds!

That are nerdy, girly, intelligent, ditzy, all the personality types that white girls in literature get!

That are fragile, shy or anxious. Almost every single black woman I’ve seen in media or otherwise are wise and adult. Let us be an absolute wreck, or an anxious mess!

In science! Characters like Shuri, Moon Girl and Iron Heart in Marvel revitalized me, cuz young black girls only get two types. Both these girls are in intellectual and in science, but have bery different personalities.

In interracial relationships, and not because they hate black men or something along those lines. They just happen to be dating outside their race, black women get hate for that in real life and it’s unfair. Let us have relationships outside our race! That said…

In platonic relationships with black men! I think that’s important, cuz I don’t often seen black solidarity unless it’s for the purpose of showing how diverse the writing is. Let them share interests, daily frustrations that they would only understand, but don’t force a romance.

In solid friendships with other black girls! For some reason, we’re pitted against in each other inside and outside of writing! Write some sweet wholesome friendship!

With different sexualities! Let there be some that are ace, others are gay, bi or pan! Just be sure you don’t sexualize them, or turn em into a robot.

•Who are dark-skinned! This can be seen a lot in tv or movies, but when you want a black girl in your stuff don’t just hire a light-skinned black girl or a biracial black girl. It’s not the same.

Who get to act their age! Black women have a long standing history of being adultified, starting from a very young age, and it’s extremely harmful. Little black girls can wear what they please, the problem is people sexualizing them. Let the teen black girl be a teenager, she can look out for her siblings but she isn’t the keepern the house or their lives. Young adult black girls are not ideal housewives or capable working machines, they mess up and mess around just as much as any young adult.

With mental/physical disabilities or illnesses. Alongside with being forced to be more mature than they are, disabilities/illnesses are never taken seriously and we’re forced to just deal with it. Having black girls who happen to have these issues, but also have a healthy support group is always good!

@ink-and-roses

Seen as beautiful and desirable and NOT in a hypersexualized way

Interracial relationships are wonderful because black girls are beautiful and lbr everybody sees it

Sensitive and allowed to feel something other than righteous anger

Some black girls are skinny! Some are big! Some are slim and some are curvy! There’s no mold!

Dark skinned!

A YA protagonist out to save the world from something other than racism

Superpowers or magic that doesn’t come from generational trauma or slavery

Black characters who support other black characters. None of this token crabs in a barrel business.

Black girl nerds and punks and goths exist. I promise.

And this may be a personal preference but I’m not against the idea of a damsel in distress. We are always being strong. Let her be soft and delicate and cared for. Let her be princess carried and rescued from the tower and the dragon.

[Note from Mod: It’s not just you! I love a Black damsel being saved and protected. What is progressive for one woman varies due to historical and present depictions and is why intersectionality in feminism is so important! -Colette]

@nightlyswordswoman

As a writer, I write a lot of my black female characters like this because I rarely ever see black women being represented in these ways! ESPECIALLY on the covers of books, unless the author themselves is a black woman and even then its rare. 

Too often black women are stereotyped as strong protector types that are always rough, tough, and don’t need anybody in books (and real life), when that’s honestly just dumb and inaccurate–black women are as vulnerable as anyone else (in some cases, even more vulnerable, but that’s another topic). 

So yeah, this list is 100% accurate and I encourage those who are interested in writing black female characters (whether you’re a black woman or not) to consider writing them like this, because the stereotype needs to die lol.

But wait, there’s more!

@just-a-swsh-fangirl As an anime fan I kinda want to see a white male protagonist be paired up (romantically) with a black female at the end of the series. It would make my black self happy to see a girl like me in an important role like that.

@tgingwe

Black girls in STEM, pleaaase

Black girls with ADHD, depression, and other mental health conditions! 

Black girls with supportive families! 

Pan black girls! 

African black girls, with cultures that impact their lives and with complex relationships between their specific identities/cultures and the idea of being perceived as just black outside of Africa! 

Happy Trans Black girls!

@starcrossedrose

Love triangles where a black character gets to be with the guy or girl in the end.

Love triangles revolving around a black character.

Black retellings of fairy tales

Black characters in royal positions (King, Queen, Princes, Princesses, etc.)

@superviza

soft,reserved,emotional,shy, spirited, spunky, bubbly, corny, weird black women

a black woman in a healthy relationship with a black man who has a healthy obsession with her

little black girls

modest black women

black women without a criminal to success backstory

black women they were raised in a healthy family with both black parents who are still living

black women in interracial relationships that aren’t necessarily white

no tokens, several black women together with no beef

black women in fantasy

black women in friendship with ppl of other races and ethnicities

black women who get to feel and express emotion with it being a threat

@sappho-of-etheria

Black girls who don’t live in the US

black girls who are daughters of immigrants and have complex relationships with both their homeland and the land their family is from

Black girls with healthy relationships with their parents

black girls who are indecisive about their lives and struggling to find their place in the world and the reason not being racism

LGBTQ+ black girls with families that accept them and celebrate them

More black witches/magic users who don’t fall in the magical negro type.

Quirky black girls who have endearing and unusual interests

Black girls who both love sterotypical and non-stereotypical black things

Black girls having supportive friendship groups and not being the one who constantly needs to support the others

Black girls saving the world

Black girls having a love interest who loves them and cherishes them not because they think they are weak but because they want them to be safe and happy

Black girls being the cherished love interest

Black girls being thought of the most gorgeous girl and not being overly sexualized

Black girls and their siblings/friends going to another world a la Chronicles of Narnia

Black girls being the chosen ones and saving the world

Black girls in medieval fantasy stories and not just being a slave or the handmaiden of the white princess

Black girs with different and complex relationships with their womanhood and how they express it

Black girls with different hair textures

But above all else I just want black girls to be able to have the same range in character as their white counterparts. I am tired of never being able to relate to characters that look like me

a fan who gets really excited over every new chapter and can’t wait to read more.

a fan who draws fanart and makes moodboards and playlists to share their passion with the world.

a fan who speculates endlessly about what might happen until they are able to predict the best possible direction the story could take

a fan who writers pages of meta on all the little details, symbolism and foreshadowing they can find.

a fan who sees the potential in the work, but can also acknowledge the flaws and the ways they can be fixed.