queer as in fuck you

completely double spaced version on google docs here – this post is more blocky for the sake of people’s dashboards, but still long so people will be less likely to glaze over it. my apologies if that makes it hard to read

things to look for and avoid in an autistic character

• symptoms only manifesting as “nonverbal and rocking” • super smart / living calculator • super dumb / doesn’t understand anything • all the symptoms you can come up with for them are “awkward” and “has special interest(s)” (please do more research) • trains, technology, and/or math as special interests • acting like a child • getting treated like a baby • unreasonably cruel and uncaring about others’ reactions to them being cruel • if they’re comparable to sheldon from the big bang theory, start over • animal comparisons • a lack of feelings • please no stories about what it’s like to be autistic told by allistics

the right way to write an autistic person

• lots of symptoms, including secondary ones not included on a general diagnosis requirement list (here’s a list i rather like that was made by an autistic person – their blog is also a good resource) • having a good amount of general knowledge and actually talking about it (i cannot believe that i have to say this) • talking about things outside of special interests (again…. come on……….) (special interests are usually the default things our brains go to when theres no stimulation or we want to entertain ourselves – it isn’t literally all we think or talk about ever. if a conversation has no connections to a special interest, reconsider having your autistic character bring it up in a context that is not an introduction.) • explicitly expressed to be capable of attraction and romantic feelings – if your character is an adult, add sexual feelings to this point • capable of general functioning, just with a disability that makes it more difficult – not a walking disability (….sigh) • a wide amount of feelings and emotional turmoil (but perhaps only being able to express it in limited ways) • we’re people • just people whose brains are wired differently

things to avoid in research for an autistic character

• autism moms / autism blogs and websites not run by autistic people • any affiliation with autism $peaks means you should walk away and never look back • a scientist trying to create explanations for what autistic people do without actually asking / not mentioning asking autistic people • anything about a cure for autism • a person that “worked with autistic kids” phrased in the same way as “worked with animals” • talking about autistic people as if they are mysteries, are like animals, or are otherwise othered weirdos instead of people

things to look for in research for an autistic character

• actual autistic people talking about their experiences and symptoms • just stick to that and you’re good but it’s hard to find sometimes ngl. just look for the above red flags

things i would personally like to see in an autistic character

• less easy to swallow sadness and more destructive anger. i would love to see a canonically autistic character who was frustrated easily by small things and had trouble communicating why • not a story about being autistic, a story that happens to have a character or characters who are autistic – it isn’t pointed out or questioned, they’re right at home with the rest of the cast and not othered (a la symmetra from overwatch) • intensive sensory issues / small sounds making large reactions • clear communications about not liking x sensory thing (for example being touched) • poor motor skills / clumsiness and not being laughed at for it • walking funny (body bent downwards, walking very fast, walking slowly, big strides, shuffling, stiffness, etc)  – no one treats it as if it’s funny or something totally strange • a big personality that has a presence so they can’t be cast aside (but feel free to have quiet characters too) – if this was along with being nonverbal they would probably leap to being one of my favorite characters ever • a fear of asking for clarification on sarcasm or jokes because of past experiences and an arc about the character becoming more comfortable asking questions

>> if any fellow autistic people want to add something, feel free <<

 Let’s say you’ve got a city where there’s tame white doves everywhere. They’re not pests, they’re regarded as sacred, holy protectors of the city, and the whole city cares for them and feeds them like they’re pets. They’re so tame because it’s a social taboo to hurt or scare one. Nice pretty doves :)

 Then someone points out that even if they’re not seen as pests, doesn’t having a completely unchecked feral pigeon population - that not only isn’t being culled, but actively fed and cared for - mean that there would be bird shit absolutely all over the place?

 A part of you wants to say no, because these are your nice, pretty doves. To explain that there’s a reason why they’re not shitting all over the place, maybe they’re super-intelligent and specifically bred and trained to not shit all over the place. The logistics of how, exactly, could anyone breed and train a flock of feral birds go unaddressed.

 An even worse solution would be to not have those birds, editing them out of the world. No, they spark joy, you can’t just toss them out!

 Now, consider: Yes, yes they would, but the city also has an extensive public sanitation service that’s occupied 90% of the time by cleaning bird shit off of everything. One of the most common last names in the area actually translates to “one who scrapes off dove shit”, and it’s a highly respected occupation. And thanks to the sheer necessity of constantly regularly cleaning everything, the city enjoys a much higher standard of cleanliness, and less public health issues caused by poor public sanitation.

Regular version:

A solid 7. Doc Holiday is heavily queer coded. His relationship to Wyatt is queer coded, the devotion, the danger, “he’s my friend.” His relationship to Johnny is queer coded, the argument in Latin when “he speaks Latin” used to be slang for gay, “I’m your huckbleberry” when that was slang for “We belong together” used by lovers in the 1800s. My father called it “the brokeback mountain that existed before brokeback mountain.” 

Extended Edition:

9! It’s all that but there’s an extra scene where Doc sets off to join Wyatt’s rampage. Kate runs out and the two of them argue. Kate says Doc always choses Wyatt and never choses her. Doc says that Kate would never understand why he has to help Wyatt. It’s really reeeaeaaalllly gay.

he said, “you have to stop doing that.”

“i know, i know,” because it’s even more embarrassing to be embarrassed about writing fanfic, considering how many posts i’ve reblogged in its defense.

but i misunderstood his original question: “fanfic is just the genre. i asked what you’re writing about.” 

i did the conversational equivalent of a spinning wheel cursor for at least a minute. i started peeling back the setting and the characters, the fic challenge and the specific episode the story jumps off from, and it was one of those slow-dawning light bulb moments. “i’m writing about loneliness, and who we are in the absence of purpose.”

as, i imagine, are a lot of people right now, who probably also don’t realize they’re writing an existential diary in the guise of getting television characters to fuck. 

“that’s what you’re writing. the rest is just how you get there, and how you get it out into the world. was richard iii really about richard the third? would shakespeare have gotten as many people to see it if it wasn’t a story they knew?”

Hey guys! Here’s some more advice for you when writing your novel! I was introduced to this idea when I interned at a literary agency, though my boss never gave it a name. Because the “rule of threes” already exists, I decided to call it the “triplet rule” because that also has to do with three.

What am I talking about? There are three things your novel needs to have: narration, description, and dialogue. This may sound like a no brainer, but trust me—I’ve read so many manuscripts that were lacking in one part or another, and it guaranteed a rejection letter. I know that sounds harsh, but agents have to be very selective because they can get some-odd hundred queries a day (give or take, depending on the experience and “prestige” of the agent). 

So, let me elaborate:

Narration is the thoughts and feelings of the POV character. It is how they are processing everything, what they feel about everything, their internal monologue. This is what brings us closer to the main character/POV character. This puts us in their head, helps us sympathize with them, root for them, and follow their growth. 

Description is the atmosphere, the scene. You have to set the scene. I’ve seen some advice that if a character is unobservant, you don’t have to describe things. Which makes sense in theory, but in practice, it creates what is called “white room syndrome”. If you don’t set the scene or give any characteristics to a room or area, your readers will simply imagine a white room. My solution to this would be to do a little description, but not tons. I’ll go into balancing the three things based on characters in a bit. Just remember that description will help set the tone and ~vibe~ of your book, and is bland without it!

Dialogue is characters speaking. This can be multiple characters conversing, two characters having a conversation, or even a character talking to themselves! It includes texting, telepathy, etc. Some people say that dialogue is boring, but I have to disagree. Yes, some dialogue can be boring, but dialogue done well is a pleasure to read. It can be snappy, thoughtful, informative, and even incredibly moving. You simply can’t have a story that’s severely lacking in dialogue! I think of this post by @writeouswriter​:

Dialogue is necessary. If done well, it is not boring. That is to say, if you have too much dialogue at once, readers’ eyes will glaze over. There is a balance.

Speaking of a balance, there’s a little more about the Triplet Rule that you should know. 

You don’t have to approach the story by dedicating 1/3 of your writing to each category. Usually, dialogue will make up a smaller portion of your writing. I won’t say not to split them evenly, but consider this: different characters will prioritize each of these differently. 

One of my OCs, Cecily from Eye for an Eye, is very observant and kind of quiet. So her chapters will be slightly more description heavy, as opposed to dialogue and narration. Key word: slightly. There is lots of description of places, people, and sensations. She uses all five senses when she describes things. She uses metaphors, similes, jokes, you name it. There’s narration included in this as well, but she definitely has a good bit of description in her POV chapters. Compare this to another one of my OCs, Cam from Hollow. She isn’t nearly as observant as Cecily is, so when I write from Cam’s POV, it tends to be a lot more narration. Cam also talks to herself when she’s thinking, so she has more dialogue than some of my other OCs’ POV chapters.

It’s an ebb and flow. Consider who your character is. If they are very emotional or sensitive, they might have more narration than other characters. Very observant characters will be description-heavy. Quick-thinking talkative characters might have more dialogue in their chapter, if they don’t stop to think about much. But you do have to have all of them. 

I know, I know. Saying “have to” sounds so absolute. I also tend to steer away from “must”s and “have to”s or “never”s on writeblr advice posts. So, of course, use your judgement. But I think this will help you. Read through your stuff, make sure you have all 3 things proportionately. Look at where paragraphs sag with too much description, or where things feel too sappy from the narration. Look where passages speed because you have pages of dialogue. Utilize the proportions for pacing (faster scenes = more dialogue, usually). Change the ratio for tone; suspenseful passages may have more description.

Another note: there aren’t any hard and fast boundary lines between these categories. Dialogue can reveal a lot about a character, and dialogue tags can contain description or narration. Using certain words in description can convey a character’s feelings. Narration can also describe. The lines are blurred, and that’s okay! That’s cool! It may make it more difficult to analyze your writing and see what you’re missing, but honestly? Combining them into one sentence or paragraph makes for stronger passages and stronger writing.

I hope this helps you! It was one of the biggest issues I saw while interning. A story would be great, but the sheer mass of description made it hard to get through. There could be some awesome characters, but if all they did was talk I had trouble focusing on the story.

naming characters can be hard, but thankfully your favorite name expert is here to give you some advice on naming characters! keep in mind these are just the things that work for me, so you may have other methods that work for you and that’s totally fine too! if you would like to share them in the comments, this is a place to do so. we’re all here to help each other out!

1. mash up two names together just stick two or more names (common or otherwise) together almost like you’re making a ship name. this is also possible to do with words instead of names. for example, i have a character called Brenneth who’s name came to be when i put Brandon and Kenneth together. what started as two regular names became a cool fantasy name super quick. 

2. spell words backwards this one is a little harder to make work, but if you can find a good one, it’s worth the extra trouble. for example, i have a character called Avon, which is nova (as in supernova) backwards. 

3. look at street names this one works especially well for naming places. you never know what street names you’ll come across, so it’s always worth it to check them out while you’re in the car (or you can explore on a gps). i’ve found this works especially well in residential areas. for example, i have a city in my world called Evonvale, named after a street in my hometown. 

4. keep a list of names i keep a list in the notes app on my phone of names i like. i have a lot so i keep multiple lists separated by meaning and gender in one folder. i make note of the exact meaning and pronunciation of each name i write down, just to stay organized. we here at @oc-name-database have a ton of names for you to add to your list and are constantly adding more, so check us out to see what names you can find! 

5. use nicknames! characters always feel more real and genuine when they have nicknames. you can either shorten a name you already have for a character, or if you feel your character’s name is too short or informal, you can expand upon it to create a longer name. for example, the name Seraphim could be shortened to Sera. conversely, a name like Ana could be lengthened to something like Illiana. 

6. look up names on baby naming websites there are plenty of baby naming websites that have search functions and filters to allow you to search for names with specific meanings, genders, and origins. this is very useful for writers who want names with significant meanings or names from a certain region or ethnicity. 

7. keep it simple it can be very tempting to choose an interesting and complex name, but usually this makes it difficult for others (or even yourself) to pronounce. try to stick with names that roll of the tongue easy and make sense when seen in written form. a great way to check this is to say the name aloud yourself to see how it feels or to ask a friend or two to read the name aloud without first telling them how. this will give you an idea of the difficulty of the name.

8. add/change prefixes/suffixes on names by adding or changing the beginning or ending of an already existing name, you can create something unique for your character. for example, i have a character called Tirally, which is the name Ally plus three letters at the beginning. 

9. change certain letters of names similar to tip 8, changing letters of preexisting names can make a unique and special name while maintaining the familiarity of the original name. this tip works best for changing only consonants or only vowels, and not the two together. for example, i have a character called Katariva, which is the name Katarina with one letter changed. 

if a scene isn’t working, change the weather.