D. B. Bond

“This book should be taken off of shelves for featuring–” you are an anti-intellectual and functionally a conservative

“Schools shouldn’t teach this book in class because–” you are an anti-intellectual and functionally a conservative

“Nobody actually likes or wants to read classics because they’re–” you are an anti-intellectual and an idiot

Literally right after I saw this post, I saw another post in a discord chat for BOOK EDITORS in which an outspokenly liberal editor talked about how Nabokov should have never been published because he wrote about p*dophiles and described women's bodies in ways that made her uncomfortable. She described his writing as "objectively terrible" and said she wanted to burn his books. And other editors were bringing up classics they didn't like and talking about how they wanted to throw them in the trash. This wasn't like a light "unpopular opinion!" conversation. This was actual book editors talking about how books should be destroyed and censored.

There is something so scary and toxic in global culture right now. The revival of fascism is influencing everyone's mindset and approach to art, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum.

I see far more books being censored today than when I was a kid. Librarians handed me The Catcher in the Rye, The Sexual Politics of Meat, and Animal Farm when I was literally 8-11. My mom would never have taken a book away from me. I read everything from the Tao Te Ching to the Qur'an to atheist texts under my desk at school. Teachers thought nothing of it or encouraged it. Books seemed universally acknowledged as sacrosanct to me.

Now I can't find any adults who don't hesitate or want to make exceptions when it comes to censorship. Even the most liberal social activist librarians I know go, "well except for book X..."

“This makes me uncomfortable” is NOT a valid reason for censorship

And to be clear, when I say this, I’m talking about shit like To Train Up A Child and The Protocols of Zion. One is a text responsible for the deaths of multiple children because it’s an abuse how-to, and the other is entirely fabricated “protocols” from a group that never actually existed but is claimed to represent all Jews, and it’s basically one long antisemitic screed.

Exploring good traits gone bad in a novel can add depth and complexity to your characters. Here are a few examples of good traits that can take a negative turn:

1. Empathy turning into manipulation: A character with a strong sense of empathy may use it to manipulate others' emotions and gain an advantage.

2. Confidence becoming arrogance: Excessive confidence can lead to arrogance, where a character belittles others and dismisses their opinions.

3. Ambition turning into obsession: A character's ambition can transform into an unhealthy obsession, causing them to prioritize success at any cost, including sacrificing relationships and moral values.

4. Loyalty becoming blind devotion: Initially loyal, a character may become blindly devoted to a cause or person, disregarding their own well-being and critical thinking.

5. Courage turning into recklessness: A character's courage can morph into reckless behavior, endangering themselves and others due to an overestimation of their abilities.

6. Determination becoming stubbornness: Excessive determination can lead to stubbornness, where a character refuses to consider alternative perspectives or change their course of action, even when it's detrimental.

7. Optimism becoming naivety: Unwavering optimism can transform into naivety, causing a character to overlook dangers or be easily deceived.

8. Protectiveness turning into possessiveness: A character's protective nature can evolve into possessiveness, where they become overly controlling and jealous in relationships.

9. Altruism becoming self-neglect: A character's selflessness may lead to neglecting their own needs and well-being, to the point of self-sacrifice and burnout.

10. Honesty becoming brutal bluntness: A character's commitment to honesty can turn into brutal bluntness, hurting others with harsh and tactless remarks.

These examples demonstrate how even admirable traits can have negative consequences when taken to extremes or used improperly. By exploring the complexities of these traits, you can create compelling and multi-dimensional characters in your novel.

A bully character who has 'adopted' a protagonist for whatever reason(choice, fate, obligation) and is a stunningly effective defender of said protagonist.

A prideful character who is also the morale for the group because they literally *will not quit* it's not pluck, it's not hope, it's willful inability to accept loss as an option.

A slothful character who is actually well prepared for events others are not, because they DO spend a lot of time thinking about what might be needed, they just hate actually getting past the planning stages.

Great question! Honestly, there are hundreds, but here are a few to get you started.

Words You Can (Usually) Safely Cut from Your Writing

That

Then

Start

Begin

Suddenly

Down

Up

Kind of

Really

Just

Basically

In general, look out for adverbs (actually, really), “hedging” words (kind of, sometimes), and ambiguous words (nothing, everything, someone). Some can be cut; others will need to be revised or swapped out. “That” is a classic offender. “Then” can usually be changed to “and.” It’s only necessary to qualify that an action was “started” if the action gets interrupted, otherwise it can be cut. (”She started to cry” becomes “She cried”).

I have a detailed, exhaustive list of words like this (with explanations!) in my book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, which will be done soon :)

give

she gave a yelp of surprise

she yelped in surprise

feel

he felt an overwhelming feeling of euphoria*

he was overwhelmed by euphoria / euphoria overwhelmed him

sound (of)

they could hear the sound of footsteps

they could hear footsteps

over (to)

I walked over to the bed

I walked to the bed

looked/appeared

it looked like they were out of milk

they were out of milk

DO NOT just delete these words en masse from your draft. Sometimes they really do need to be there. Beginning writers or writers who undervalue quality tend to overuse these words, and it makes the reading stuffy and hard to get through.

The goal is to improve reading comprehension for the reader and sound like you’re great at this writing thing. Train your eye for useless stuffing words and you’ll eventually be able to pick apart your drafts without the help of lists like this.

treats can be images of candy from your country! or something nice, such as a wholesome or funny meme!! doesn’t have to be high effort! (high effort stuff is of course cool though!)

tricks could be vaguely cursed images (such as the ballpit) or cursed facts- all in good fun! nothing harmful (that’s something i’ll ask everyone to stick to- no actual harmful stuff!)

[Image ID: a red banner streaked with lightning, and the words "Niv and the Neverwhere" in glowing red letters across the bottom. End ID.]

Please pardon my dust! This introduction is under construction due to a plotter attempting to discovery write!

Title: Niv and the Neverwhere Genre: NA Portal Fantasy Themes: Family and duty, promises kept and broken, caution and curiosity, other worlds, exploration and excitement, love and loyalty

Setting: Below a tiny village at the edge of the ocean lies a secret cave, hewn into the rocks by strangers long forgotten. And in that cave, a glassy red stone floats above the tides, shadows moving in its depths. A crack in reality, a split between existence, where the Neverwhere leaks into the world.

Story: A young woman with a strange secret jumps between worlds to protect her home

The Characters:

Nivya “Niv” Nizani - Niv promised to protect a secret, and she is prepared to lose almost everything to keep her word. It wouldn’t be her problem, but she’s the one who was reckless enough to climb around on the cliffs and discover the weird red rock, so here she is.

Nezzit “Nez” Nizani - Niv’s brother, who will teach her the scientific method if he has to drag her through it kicking and screaming. Also maybe if he wasn’t equal parts brillaint and stupid his sister wouldn’t have literally thrown him into a new world.

Enzo of Eranthus - middle-aged gentleman who gave up on being the grumpy old man a while ago, but isn't quite ready to admit he's happy to be here.

Sym of Eranthus - the walking definition of “that’s so cool!” *gets glared at. “I mean, horrible!” She came out to do awesome stuff and is honestly having such a good time right now.

Are there more characters? Yes! Do I know anything about them yet? No!

Plot and Kettle: A young woman hiding a secret she doesn’t understand “accidentally” kills one of the most important people in the world, discovers she can jump between worlds with a weird magic stone, and completely upsets the political landscape of her entire continent. The three great kingdoms, with their three great crowns and their thrice-cursed curiosity, are coming. Even the deepest secrets can’t hide in shadowed stones forever, and Niv was never meant to stop them. The Schism of Salt waits, and the Neverwhere will not be contained.

Stuff That Is Nifty:

The Neverwhere is a magical dimension brimming with power, where pockets of existence are separated by the Void Sea, an untraversable expanse of void and raw magic. The planetary world formed as the Neverwhere leaked into this reality through cracks, called schisms. Earth became the way for creatures to move between pockets of existence in the Neverwhere, and eventually humans as well.

Magic on earth is all drawn from the power that leaks from the Neverwhere through schisms. It is strongest near a schism, making them points of power and importance. The farther from a schism you get, the harder it is to do magic.

Status Check: First draft in progress (as my July Camp NaNo project!) I am discovery writing this and editing as I go - the exact opposite of everything in my usual process - so we’ll see how this goes, lol

Note - I have snagged the wip intro template from @sleepyowlwrites, because she already did the work to make a good one!

Tag list: @thelaughingstag, @enchanted-lightning-aes, @sleepyowlwrites, @akindofmagictoo, @yumiraaa, @tryingtimi

A WRITEBLR (RE)INTRODUCTION.

Hello! I started a writeblr over a year ago (under a different username) and then never used it, so I’m starting over!

I’m Kit, and I’m a writer and journalism student from Scotland. I like scented candles, classic films, curling up with a good book and a hot chocolate (with vegetarian marshmallows!), and actually finding the time to sit down and write.

I love historical fiction and tales of crime and the macabre, but what’s most important to me in a story is a rich atmosphere, a memorable setting that adds as much to the story as the characters that live in it, and a good mystery, no matter how small, that ties everything together. I’ll be using this little corner of the internet to post my writing updates and other writer related nonsense – I’m super shy and awkward, but I’d love to make some writer friends!

CURRENT WIPS.

WHEN HOPE IS BRIGHTEST.

— proper intro post incoming, stay tuned!

Genre: historical / crime / mystery

Status: drafting

In a nutshell: Edinburgh, 1811. When his lover is found murdered, Robert Reith feels compelled to uncover her killer, but, to save his own reputation as much as hers, wants to keep their affair a secret from her husband and the government officials assigned to investigate the case. But when another death, seemingly unrelated at first, occurs backstage at the Theatre Royal, Reith’s place of work, Reith finds himself wrapped up in a mystery that encompasses much more than he bargained for.

SHORT STORIES.

Genre: literary with a dash of surrealism, light horror, and some crime elements

Status: drafting