by Andreas Rocha

There are a few other common ones that you probably know of, but I’ll go ahead and list out:

The Villainous Gay/Murderous Trans Person/Violent Bisexual - This all stems from the same idea - there is something inherently wrong with being queer, and that will manifest in terrible ways. It’s also taking advantage of ‘gay panic’ and the fear of gay people being attracted to straight people by translating that fear into murder and violent actions.

Curing the Lesbian  - This is one thing that only, only happens to women who like women - the idea that lesbians can be ‘cured’  of only liking women by that one special guy’s dick, always through sex, always changing them to like men instead of realizing they are bisexual. It goes hand-in-hand with the narrative that women who are lesbians just have something against men, that their attraction isn’t legitimate.

The Gay Best Friend/Sidekick - The GBF you know - he’s the one who knows all about fashion and is a great listener to his straight girl friends, and that’s the only role he serves. There’s a whole movie about this. The Sidekick is more common in books that are trying to do better, but to me they still have a lot of the same problems - they are a secondary character who is the single person not straight, and that takes up much of their personality and purpose.

While there are more (and people are welcome to add their own), your basic safety net is ensuring that your characters are people first, and their sexuality does not drive all of their actions, motivations, or personality. See Also:

The Worst Depictions of LGBT Characters on Film

It’s Time to Out Gay Stereotyping in Films

The Celluliod Closet

writeintherain said: How many subplots are too many? In my book I’ve got this city guard who is working to quell rebellion, break up riots and fights amongst the civilians. At the same time her friend is a wanted criminal and she has to decide whether or not to turn him in and at the same time her other friend is struggling with alcoholism and someone else is grief-stricken from the death of his GF and at least four other things. How many subplots can I include before it all becomes too confusing for the reader?

Let’s start with the definition of subplot:

Subplot (n): An additional story line to the main plot of a fictional story

There are no laws dictating how many subplots are to be allowed in a single piece of writing. You’re only really limited by your own ability to handle multiple subplots, and honing that ability takes practice. And practicing means you might fail.

Don’t be afraid of failure. Writing is a process. Failing is part of that process. The important part is that you try and keep trying.

Sometimes it takes a whole lot of effort to gain your confidence. You might have to work at crafting your subplots for a long time before you feel like you’ve truly braided them into your story with expert deftness.

Asking us for a number isn’t really going to help you because, as it turns out, we don’t know. We don’t know you as a writer, and we don’t know your story. You’ve got to figure out what works. In the end, only you can decide what’s best for your story.

So, how many subplots can you include before it all becomes too confusing? It depends on your story, your style, your skill. And it depends on how many times you are willing to try and fail before you succeed. 

Some things to keep in mind about subplots: 

Subplots should (almost) always relate to the main plot. Don’t just throw in a load of subplots that have nothing to do with the main one, even if they all center around the main character. Everything you write needs to aid in telling your story. Everything is interconnected. 

Stay Organized. Make a plan for your plot and subplots. Write notes to yourself when you make changes, and refer to your plan often to keep yourself on the right track.

Write to your own standards, but get feedback. If you want to have a story chocked-full of subplots, go ahead, but use your own gauge of plot fluidity. If it is a jumbled, unorganized mess and confuses even you, the author, it will most likely confuse your readers as well. Similarly, even if you think your plot and your subplots are moving along swimmingly, have others read your story to double check.

Don’t Give Up. If you notice or your beta or best friend or grandma notifies you that the story is confusing, that doesn’t mean you ought to scrap the project. There’s always room to improve. Rework the plots. Ask what specifically was confusing, and then return to the work and reassess based on their feedback.

LINKS!

Adding Subplots to a Novel

Filler Scenes, Subplots, Fluff Scenes, and Tension

All About Subplots

Hit Me With Your Best Subplot

Subplots by All Write - Fiction Advice

7 Ways to Add Great Subplots

Connecting Subplots with Each Other and the Main Story Arc: How Can This Work?

Weave Subplots into Your Novel

Top 10 Tips to Create Subplots for Your Story

How to Add Meaningful Subplots to Your Novel

How many subplots in a novel are acceptable?

25 Turns (Chuck Wendig)

Thanks for your question!

When you decide to take writing seriously, you’re making a lifestyle choice as much as you are making a career choice. As a writer, you may have to change up your living conditions. If you haven’t made any sells yet, that might mean stretching your $20 or leaving your work only to come home and work some more. It might mean staying up late to get a chapter in or waking up early to fit in an hour of editing before your day job. Frankly, you’ll probably have to cut back on time with friends and family and hobbies, because to be a great writer, you have to not only write, but read, and study, and it helps to network and have an online presence as well. I’ve been living a writing lifestyle for over a two years now. This post will cover some things I’ve learned that have helped me be most productive.

Finding (Making) Time

The most important thing about being a writer is to write! This is your priority. This means you need to put in the time and effort. Talking or daydreaming about it, or staring at the keyboard isn’t enough. If you’re a parent or work at another job, like I mentioned above, this might mean fitting time in at night or in the early morning, or during nap time. 

If you have a more flexible schedule, try finding out what time of the day you write best, and schedule your life around it. I’ve heard that most writers work best right before or after sleeping, because that’s usually when the creative side of the brain is active. It’s true for me. So I wake up extra early and get in some writing before I go to work. If I have trouble getting back into my story in the afternoon, I take a power nap, and magically, writing becomes easier.  I was a little skeptical of this idea before, but now I know how it really can play a role in my productivity.

Getting the Most out of Your Writing Session

You’ve made the time, now, make the most out of your time. This doesn’t mean writing as fast as you can. What’s the point of writing at all if you’re going to write crap? I mean do everything to get in your writing zone and stay there.

This might mean finding your own quiet space where you can work without being bothered. For me, it’s more than that. It means watching what I do when I’m not writing, because that influences my productivity. Hunger, fatigue, brain fogs can all effect my fiction session. So I watch what I eat. Nothing can slow you down like poor health (physical, mental, or spiritual).

Your Work Space

It’s worth investing in items that will make your writing session more comfortable. When I first started this journey, I didn’t care much about my work space. Months into it, I found out what a difference a good chair, the right table height, and posture can make--it helped me write longer. I have an ergonomic keyboard and a trackball (that I can use with either hand) instead of a mouse so I can type more. I keep my laptop screen’s brightness at the lowest level to reduce the strain on my eyes. I also take eye vitamins now (and yes, they work.) I found I was more comfortable with a foot rest. Back in college, I started having severe pain in my hands. Luckily the doctors didn’t find anything serious, but now I take primrose and fish oils to help prevent the aches, so I can be more productive.If you want to write for many years to come, don’t skimp out on your health and work space. You can also make the most of your time by working out story problems while in the shower, eating lunch, or brushing your teeth, so that when your writing session starts, you’re ready. And of course, make the most out of your session by actually putting in the effort. Treat it like a job. Do whatever you need to stay focused.

Prioritize

If you work too hard, too long, you’ll crash. Breaks aren’t overrated. But you’ll get the most out of your time if you prioritize.

Ensemble

1800-1937

Mexico

Here’s a thing I’ve had around in my head for a while!

Okay, so I’m pretty sure that by now everyone at least is aware of Steampunk, with it’s completely awesome Victorian sci-fi aesthetic. But what I want to see is Solarpunk – a plausible near-future sci-fi genre, which I like to imagine as based on updated Art Nouveau, Victorian, and Edwardian aesthetics, combined with a green and renewable energy movement to create a world in which children grow up being taught about building electronic tech as well as food gardening and other skills, and people have come back around to appreciating artisans and craftspeople, from stonemasons and smithies, to dress makers and jewelers, and everyone in between. A balance of sustainable energy-powered tech, environmental cities, and wicked cool aesthetics. 

A lot of people seem to share a vision of futuristic tech and architecture that looks a lot like an ipod – smooth and geometrical and white. Which imo is a little boring and sterile, which is why I picked out an Art Nouveau aesthetic for this.

With energy costs at a low, I like to imagine people being more inclined to focus their expendable income on the arts!

Aesthetically my vision of solarpunk is very similar to steampunk, but with electronic technology, and an Art Nouveau veneer.

So here are some buzz words~

Natural colors! Art Nouveau! Handcrafted wares! Tailors and dressmakers! Streetcars! Airships! Stained glass window solar panels!!! Education in tech and food growing! Less corporate capitalism, and more small businesses! Solar rooftops and roadways! Communal greenhouses on top of apartments! Electric cars with old-fashioned looks! No-cars-allowed walkways lined with independent shops! Renewable energy-powered Art Nouveau-styled tech life!

Can you imagine how pretty it would be to have stained glass windows everywhere that are actually solar panels? The tech is already headed in that direction!  Or how about wide-brim hats, or parasols that are topped with discreet solar panel tech incorporated into the design, with ports you can stick your phone charger in to?

All writing advice is subjective, but there are some mistakes in writing that WILL ensure your novel’s failure, not only to your readers but to those who might be your potential agent or publisher. I’ve never really come across these mistakes when I used to review short stories for my literary magazine (I might have, I just don’t remember), but as a self-employed editor, I most certainly have come across them—and have made one or two myself.

Happy Beginnings. Many first chapters must start out with some sort of tension. In the first two books of The Stars Trilogy, they start out with heavy tension. Amelia from When Stars Die is terrified of the impending trials that will determine her readiness to be professed as a nun, and she is also seeing shadows no one else sees. That is when this book begins. In the sequel, Alice is slated to be executed for being a witch. In the most recent book I’m writing, the chapter starts out with my teen protagonist trying to get drunk: he is a recovering alcoholic, too. These are not happy beginnings. You don’t want your story to start out with your protagonist having a perfect life. Something that essentially upsets your character must occur.

Fearless Story. Something needs to threaten the character throughout the book, whether this is the threat of death, the threat of psychologically coming undone, the threat of losing things the character love, and so on and so forth. A story without fear is not a story at all. Throughout When Stars Die, Amelia’s primary threat is the threat of death: her death and her younger brother’s death. Think about your favorite books and what threatened the characters in these books the most.

Loaded Dialogue. In real life dialogue is loaded, but readers want to read a more concise version of that dialogue. I didn’t have too many issues with loaded dialogue in When Stars Die, but I did in its sequel. Let me give you a few examples of loaded dialogue, and then how to fix that dialogue.

“Gene, can’t you stop drinking just for one freaking night?”

“No, Josh. You just don’t understand me. You don’t understand what this does for me.’

“I might not understand, but I do know this isn’t the best way to deal with your problems.”

“Then obviously you’ve never had problems before.”

“Obviously you can’t handle your own problems!”

Here is a more concise version:

Josh glares at the shot glass. “Shit. Just stop already.”

“Give me a reason.”

“Do you really need one?”

I look beyond Josh, swirling the vodka. ”Your life’s perfect.”

Josh digs his nails into the palms of his hands, the knuckles whitening. “Screw you, Gene. Screw you.”

Predictability. Sometimes there are some very astute readers who can already tell what is going to happen. For example, I am an astute reader. I already knew who the culprit was in Cheryl Rainfield’s Stained, but that didn’t make the book any less enjoyable. I also had one reader who adored When Stars Die, even though some of the twists were not twists for her; however, many other readers of mine did not see the twists coming. These twists keep your book from being predictable. Knowing what’s coming can kill the tension.

If you’re struggling with making something unexpected happen, come up with a list of outcomes that could occur in certain situations. Concentrate on description, dialogue, and action. Write what could occur with your description. With Amelia’s character, she often describes things rather negatively because of her surroundings, so when she comes across something positive, the surprise lies in the negative she is still going to find. You can create a twist using your dialogue to shock the other character. Refer to my dialogue example above. Josh is put off by Gene’s ambivalent attitude about his drinking problem. As for action, there needs to be unexpected outcomes that occur. For example, in When Stars Die, you think Amelia is supposed to kill a certain antagonist, but she’s not the one who does it.

Ambivalence. You love the book when you draft; however, when you begin to revise it, you hold a certain amount of ambivalence toward it. You already wrote the book, so you lose your excitement because you think nothing new can happen. But a lot of new things can happen. Delve deeper into your characters. Flesh them out. Find better ways to tell your story. Look at all characters, including your antagonists, and see how you can make them better. Look at sub-plots and find ways to make them stronger. Revisions are essentially about cutting the fat, about making the book much better than its draft, about trying to make the second draft different from the first. I love the process of revisions, because I already know what revising a draft means.

This is a hairstyle timeline that is meant to cover the Taishō era (1912-1926). However the dates for many reference photographs were rather vague, so some might actually fall into Shōwa era (1926-1989). Regrettably I couldn’t cover EVERY single hairstyle from this period so please consider this to be a brief overview. There are no Geisha, Maiko, etc featured here; they will be covered in another fashion timeline someday.

Some interesting notes about Meiji-Taisho era from Liza Crihfield Dalby’s Kimono: Fashioning Culture (1993)

·         “Men and women of Meiji had gulped up Western culture with all the indiscriminate enthusiasm of new converts. By Taishō, Japanese sensibilities vis-à-vis the West were much smoother. This was Japan’s political equivalent of the … social scene of the American Roaring Twenties. Japanese born during Taishō would enter adolescence as modern boys and girls. Significantly, women opened their closets to Western clothing during this decade. Kimono has lost space ever since.” (pg. 124)

·         “By 1915 Japan was beginning to feel itself a world-class nation, more confident of its military strength and social development. Ordinary Japanese were inclined to look at their society in light of how life might be bettered by adapting foreign ideas, or made more interesting by acquiring foreign fashions. Borrowing from the West was of course not new, but it had now become a more reciprocal and respectable process.” (pg. 124)

WOMEN’s HAIR:

·         In the Meiji era “a few women cropped their hair, but these courageous souls were simply regarded as weird” and indecent (pg. 75)

Painted Eyebrow Trends in Tang Dynasty

It could just be their personality. A lot of people are grumpy jerks on the outside (hi!) but OK on the inside - and that’s just the way they are.

The character is attempting to look aloof and self-serving because they think it makes them cool.

The character needs to act like a jerk to front their own (good) intentions.

The character could have some hidden tragedy in their past, but this is very overdone.

The character doesn’t relate well to other people and has trouble expressing themselves properly.

The character is brutally honest and turns people away with their often cynical and offensive comments.