Luna Rose's Actually Useful Mary Sue Litmus Test by MissLunaRose, literature
Literature
Luna Rose's Actually Useful Mary Sue Litmus Test
Reposted from my blog
"Dear Miss Luna Rose,
I’m worried that my character is a Mary Sue. She has dyed purple hair and pretty blue eyes. She witnessed her dad’s murder at age 7 and it left her with some issues. She’s also bad at dancing and sometimes her anger flares up and she does things she regrets. Is she a Mary Sue?"
—Concerned writer #472
I get questions like this all the time. And I never can tell them a “yes” or “no.”
Why not? Because
I can’t possibly tell from a short description, andthis misunderstands what it means to be a Mary Sue.Honestly, I blame litmus tests.
What’
So you want to be a writer by LipsterLeo, literature
Literature
So you want to be a writer
As administrator of a group here on DA and contributor on several others, I read through dozens of literary submissions a day, both prose and poetry. There is a lot of interest in producing written art today, and the market is wide open like never before. There are some very good works showcased on DA, in various galleries. Some will publish one day. Some have already published.
Unfortunately, and this even applies to some college students, most of what I try to read is unreadable. I have been reading and writing for more than sixty years, by the way. The writer either hasn’t taken the time to edit, or has no pride in their wo
10 Techniques to Writing a More Interesting Piece by bloedzuigerbloed, journal
10 Techniques to Writing a More Interesting Piece
10 Techniques to Writing a More Interesting PieceOr: “How to Capture the Attention of Your Audience”
Hey, it's me, bloedzuigerbloed! Some of you may be familiar with my
"Improve Your Writing! Tips and Techniques" and
"Characters: Using them, making them, voicing them" journals. While that (excessively long) journal covered many topics, it's time to add a bit more onto each of those by giving the important ones their own tutorial.
Ever have that experience where you’ve finished a vignette or story you’re quite proud of, only to re-read it and find it rather… well… boring? Or find yourself with a gre
Show It, Don't Tell It by GoldenNocturna, literature
Literature
Show It, Don't Tell It
One of the many things that make me hit the back button, put down the short story, or return the book to the library is "telling". The minute the author decides to state that "X was angry" or "Y was bored", I get angry or I get bored. I've seen this issue for years--heck, I used to have this issue myself--in both fanfiction and original fiction alike, and while many reviewers/commenters often call out the author on it, they never really explain the concept. Thus, the poor beleaguered newbie gets hate over something he/she may not fully grasp.
After years of seeing this unfold, I've decided to make a writing resource about it for :iconWrit
Showing Vs. Telling: Demonstrating the Difference by bloedzuigerbloed, literature
Literature
Showing Vs. Telling: Demonstrating the Difference
Showing Vs. Telling
Demonstrating the Difference
Hey, it's me, bloedzuigerbloed (https://www.deviantart.com/bloedzuigerbloed)! Some of you may be familiar with my
"Improve Your Writing! Tips and Techniques" and
"Characters: Using them, making them, voicing them" journals. While those (excessively long) journals covered many topics, it's time to add a bit more onto each of those by giving the important ideas their own tutorial.
Table of Contents
Click each item to jump down to it!
Introduction to Showing Vs. Telling
Why Show?
How to Show Instead of Tell
When It's Better to Tell Instead of Show
TL;DR
Introduction to Showing Vs. Telling
You’ve probably experienced for
A Fresh Start: 19 Cliches You May Want to Avoid by WonHitWonder, literature
Literature
A Fresh Start: 19 Cliches You May Want to Avoid
First of all, I freely admit that what I say isn't gospel. I am a total amateur at art and writing. I've learned everything that I know via the internet and a few drawing books. It's just that I appreciate all of the tutorials here on dA that have helped me out, and I want to put a little bit of my own methods back in.
-zzzzzt-
“Greetings, human writers. It has come to the attention of Planet Zorgaborg that you humans have been abusing terrible clichés and tropes for far too long. We pirate your Earth TV shows, movies, books, and more for entertainment, and we demand better from you! Therefore, we have abducted one of your d
This is going to be the most meta thing I have ever written. I'm engaging my special interests by writing about special interests!
What even is a special interest?
You'll probably understand my excitement a little better if you actually know what I'm talking about.
Special interests are an aspect of autism that are pathologized as "narrow, obsessive" interests, but if you step away from the autism-is-a-disease mentality for a moment, you can consider the idea of them being pretty awesome. Special interests are sort of like a favorite subject or hobby, only they are way more passionate than anything a regular person would experience.
Specia
I can tell you this with near-certainty: Everything you think you know about autism and empathy is a lie.
"Lacking empathy" oversimplifies and distorts the truth. Autistic people have a much more complicated relationship with empathy than a simple two-word phrase can describe. Some of us claim that we have too much empathy. Others say that no, we truly are deficient in empathy. Who is right?
Both sides!
Let's look at empathy deficiency first. It doesn't mean what you think it means.
When Audrey integrates a conversation function with respect to pizza, you know things just got complicated.
When empathy is hard
Empathy is hard for me. So
My feet slap the rug again and again as I bounce. Jump, jump, jump. My hands wave up and down in loose fists. Jump, jump, jump. My left arm starts swinging in big circles, around, around, around. My breathing comes heavy and rhythmic. I slow down, pacing counterclockwise. My fingers tap against my thumbs: pointer fingers, middle fingers, ring fingers, little fingers. Little fingers, ring fingers, middle fingers, pointer fingers.What is this? Just a typical 5-minute writing break.
Stimming is short for self-stimulatory behavior, or behavior designed to stimulate one of your senses. When you rub your forehead, tap your feet, or pace in circles,