Shit's changing

authoresskika —> krousewrites

krousewrites —> authoresskika

It’s not easy for anyone, but it’s particularly trying for those prone to envy. Probably best to mind your own writing.

Your story is 50% reader. It’s that mixture of reader and writer that makes the magic.

Which means your story needs to have holes for the reader to fill in. You need that negative space for the puzzle pieces to fit.

I’m not talking about plot holes, I’m talking about giving one sentence the power of two. A book that means what it says is a mediocre book. A book that means more than what it says is a great book.

Don’t over-develop your characters, having them analyze every feeling, or spelling out what every character in a scene is thinking. Don’t follow up a powerful line with an explanation with what makes that line powerful.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, I’m making these quote cards with quotes from books by women that I love. If you want me to make a card with your favorite quote, post it with your reblog!

Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything

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Girl teams, all girl teams.

Female characters of color who actually represent their culture.

Less self-sacrificing, martyr girls more girls and women who do things for themselves without feeling bad about it or people judging them for it.

Mothers who do things other than parent and cook.

Mother and daughter characters who don’t hate each others guts.

No more “I’m not like the other girls”.

Girl characters who are good at math and science.

More poor female characters, who come from nothing, and exploring how that effects their heroism. And I don’t mean like middle-class poor, I mean, like having to chose between food and paying bills poor.

Girls who don’t like each other, but can still respect each other.

No more girl heroes/villains whose tragic backstory is getting raped.

No more female characters of color dying or sacrificing themselves for white female characters.

More fat girl characters in fantasy and other genre fiction who are the ones kicking-ass and taking names and being haled the hero. That are defined by something other than their weight.

More girls of various body-types other than “lean.”

More disabled characters in stories that aren’t necessarily about their disability.

More unattractive girl characters.

Girls that are not looking for relationships or losing their virginity.

More non-binary female characters.

More LGBTAQ+ female characters.

“Strong” female characters who actually do things other than fight all the time and have a personality.

More “strong” female characters whose “strength” is something other than fighting.

No more stories sold as “feminist” in which only the leading character is female and everyone else is man, and only other female characters are minor or antagonists.

No more using “like a girl” or being a girl as an insult.

Stop making female characters be “bitches” just because. Unlikable characters are still supposed to be likable, meaning: love to hate, hate to love. Just look at Scarlett O’Hara, she’s a godawful awful person, but she’s a fantastic character.