Why Writers Should Consider Giving Blind Characters Canes, Guide Animals, or Other Mobility Aids + How To Choose One

(Note: This post is admittedly long and full of information. Make use of the headings to read the parts you are interested in. I have provided many links, which you can read as you go or save for later. I suggest saving this post and taking your time with it. I am also willing to answer any questions for people who have difficulty reading long posts. While I considered breaking this post into parts, I decided to keep all the information in one place for ease of sharing and reference, especially because multiple sections of the post refer to other sections contained within it.)

When I read for blind characters, my most common suggestion for writers is to give their character a cane, guide animal, or utilize another mobility aid. Most stories I beta read feature totally blind characters or people with very little vision, such as only seeing colors. Despite this, it is extremely common for me to suggest giving them a cane or guide animal because they are rarely portrayed using mobility devices. Because this is such a common suggestion, I wanted to create a post about it.

Most of this will be about mobility aids for people who aren’t familiar with them or are still deciding what tools are best for their character. It will also be mostly for modern, realistic, or semi-realistic stories. I will create a separate post for fantasy and science fiction mobility aids, use of magic or magical items, and writing stories set in or inspired by times before formal mobility tools existed. However, I believe this post can benefit anyone who is writing a blind character or anyone who wants to learn more about blindness. Mobility tools are a big part of blind culture, blind communities, diversity of blind experiences, and accessibility.

Learn About Mobility Aids

Here is a comprehensive post by visually impaired fiction writer and blogger @mimzy-writing-online which contains information about canes, O&M, guide animals, etc. If you are not familiar with canes, start there. It contains helpful information for body language, use of canes, and resources for descriptions that any writer will find valuable. The post also has a section on guide animals and sighted guide.

Here is a post I made about crafting fictional guide animals, although I have no experience as a guide animal handler myself. I made sure to research and include links, so it should still be a good starting point. It also has information about differences between service animals and emotional support animals.

Sighted Guide / Human Guide

First, terminology discussion. Sighted guide is a more common term and more examples come up when I search this term. Sighted guide refers to when a person with vision helps guide a blind person. The guide can be abled or also blind themselves. I have guided my friends before and they have guided me. I have often said that, in a way, sighted guide is a misnomer because someone who has less vision or no vision can also guide someone with more vision just as well.

The term human guide makes up for this misnomer by being more accurate. A TikTok by AskABlindPerson or @askablindperson on tumblr, explains this well. Here is a link to the video. The video states the following:

“I’m blind and I definitely prefer to say human guide rather than sighted guide because you don’t inherently need vision to guide and a blind person can do it too. And it doesn’t have to be that the blind person who’s guiding has more vision than the other person either. It can just be that they know the area better than the person they’re guiding, or it could be that they just have better cane skills or independent travel skills than the other person. Because not everybody has equal access to the same exact opportunities for training. So a blind person can also guide, which is why I like to say human guide because it’s more inclusive.”

Not everyone minds which term is used, however. Some people also only use one term because it was taught to them first, rather than because of any particular meaning.

Below are some examples of sighted / human guide and when it is often used.

Here is an article titled How to be a Sighted Guide

Here is another helpful page with information on certain situations such as narrow spaces.

Here is a video by London Vision.

While human guide can be someone’s main mobility aid, it is often used according to the situation.

Situations in which your character might want to use sighted guide include:

-crowds, where a cane might be difficult to use or someone has a companion they would like to avoid being separated from

-while in lines, mostly to provide descriptions of what happens around them or to let them know when to move forward in the line

-ground that is uneven or steep may cause someone to want to use sighted guide rather than a cane, although this will depend on the person. Using a guide and a cane is also possible. A guide animal may go around the obstacle

-when going inside an unfamiliar house or indoor location, usually for locating a specific room

-navigating unfamiliar areas

-public transport

-guide animal handlers may choose to either do traditional sighted / human guide while using the guide animal or give the command for their animal to follow the person without holding onto them

Guides allow the blind person to gain additional information about their surroundings through conversation with the guide. Human guides can also aid in navigation by providing helpful directions or landmarks. Human guides can be used with a white cane or guide animal. They can also be used without any other mobility aid.

People from cultures who place high value on interdependence, especially on family, may wish to use more human guides. People who have anxiety or disorientation may prefer to use human guides or simply travel with someone else for security. Other people who might tend to use more human guides include: people who have moved to an unfamiliar area, people who are losing vision, people who have recently become blind, people with other disabilities or health concerns, or people who prefer the company of others.

In stories, human guides can portray character relationships, establishing trust and respect. Perhaps a character already knows how to guide, showing familiarity with blindness. This mobility tool can display the helpfulness of a stranger or be the start of a meet-cute. Additionally, showing how good or bad a character is at guiding can show compatibility between characters. I also believe that writing guides into a story can allow for detailed visual descriptions or conversation between your characters.

Imagine character A slowly learning to trust character B, culminating in letting that character be a human guide.

Sonar Devices

I wanted to include a section for these because they aren’t often discussed.

Sonar devices are intended as a supplement for use of a cane or guide animal. Unless the sonar and cane are paired together, such as with the WeWalk cane. While they could be used by themselves, this should probably only be with the addition of a guide and in non-crowded, familiar area.

Here is a video review of the Sunu Band by TheBlindLife.

Here is another review comparing two devices: the Sunu Band and the Buzz Clip.

Note how the devices are used, especially with a cane. The cane is used to detect objects from the waist below, whereas the sonar device is used to detect objects above the waist. This includes objects like tree branches.

Sonar devices work by detecting objects in front of the user and giving a tactile alert, such as a vibration. Vibrations increase the closer one gets to the object, giving a continuous vibration when right in front of it. Moving away from the object, such as stepping to the side, will stop the vibration.

This device could allow blind characters to be more active an create interesting opportunities for descriptions.

Why Does My Character Need a Cane, Guide Animal, or Human Guide?

A few reasons include:

1. It will be more relatable for blind audiences if characters move through the world like they do

2. It is more realistic for stories set in our world or worlds meant to be realistic save for a few elements

3. It allows audiences who aren’t blind to understand how blind people move through the world. In the case of sighted guide, it also offers depictions of politely and efficiently offering help to a blind person, which may include not offering help at all.

4. Canes and guide animals give your blind character some visibility, as the cane, and to some extent the guide animal and harness, signify to others that a character is blind or otherwise disabled in some way. As for sighted / human guide, it offers an extra voice for advocacy purposes or the added visibility that someone is being helped.

5. Mobility tools allow blind people to participate more in a world that is rarely accessible for them at a basic level. I almost always find this is true in books as well unless the writer makes a point to include universal design.

6. Mobility aids improve navigation, increase safety, and increase interaction with the world.

Why Would Anyone Need To Know My Character is Blind?

Safety is a big factor.

In this video titled Using A White Cane While Legally Blind by Cayla With a C, Cayla discusses some of the benefits of using a white cane. One of these is that the cane works as an identifier, letting people know the person using it can’t see so other people need to watch out for them. She mentions it is also important for cars and bikers to know cane users can’t see them well or at all, meaning they don’t expect a cane user to move out of the way.

Both Cayla and Molly Burke share in their videos that people are more likely to offer help when they use a cane.

How Do Mobility Aids Help Blind People Navigate?

It depends on what mobility aid is used.

Canes offer more tactile information and direct contact with the environment. Canes allow someone to feel changes in the ground, such as going from carpet to tile. They make it easier to feel steps or broken sidewalk. They allow blind people to be aware of obstacles, such as a chair, rather than simply going around them they way they might with a guide dog. They help blind people locate landmarks they need in order to be oriented in their environment and navigate their way to different places. For example, they may search for a bench, knowing a drinking fountain is across from it.

As for guide animals, because I am not a guide animal handler myself, I wanted to include quotes from a few sources.

The Guide Dog Foundation says the following in a very useful Q&A:

“In short, guide dogs are taught how to find and follow a clear path, maneuver around obstacles, and stop at curbs. They follow their teammate's directions, and they know that they can disobey only in the face of danger.”

And according to International Guide Dog Federation:

“A guide dog is trained to guide its owner in a straight line unless ordered otherwise. The dog will avoid any obstacles en route, above or around you. It will stop at stairs, doors and kerbs. The dog will not decide where to go; it is up to the vision impaired person to instruct the dog on the direction for the dog to go and the dog will safely guide the person as instructed. The vision impaired person will already be familiar with regularly travelled routes and the dog will quickly become familiar with these too.”

And International Association of Assistance Dog Partnership has a page that explains the categories of tasks performed by guide dogs, as well as other types of assistance dogs.

Sighted / human guide can be used with a family member, friend, or helpful stranger. It can be a primary mode of O&M or used when needed, meaning it be used even if someone already has a cane or a guide animal.

Usually, human guide involves contact with the guide. It can also include the guide orienting the person they are leading by describing surroundings such as “there is a bench to the right” or “we’re near the door” or it can involve telling someone where steps are.

How Do I Know What My Character Should Use?

What your character chooses will depend on their lifestyle, level of vision, age, where they live, culture, religion, and their needs as a blind person.

In the post on guide animals, I went over a few reasons someone might choose a guide dog or a guide horse.

Here are some articles about canes vs guide animals. Although the ones I found focus on dogs, I believe many points made about guide animals can be applied to miniature horses as well.

Guide Dogs vs White Canes: The Comprehensive Comparison

The link above includes the following:

“One of the biggest and most obvious differences between a guide dog and white cane is that a guide dog is trained to avoid obstacles along their pathway. A white cane helps locate impediments so that the blind person can decide how best to maneuver around them.”

Another article that may help:

White Cane vs Guide Dog: Why or Why Not?

White Canes and Guide Dogs - What’s Actually the Difference?

Here are some videos:

Guide Dog vs Canes - Pros and Cons by Molly Burke

White Canes vs Guide Dogs by Challenge Solutions

White Canes vs Guide Dogs - Which is Better? 21 Pros and Cons by Unsightly Opinions

Guide Dog vs Cane, Which is better? by Ashley’s Advice

I also wanted to discuss a few more points.

1. Multiple disabilities

People with multiple disabilities may prefer different methods. For example, those who use a stabilizing cane may have different reasons for choosing their mobility aid. I went into that more in this post here.

It would be difficult to cover all other disabilities here, but I will attempt to include some things to consider.

Consider any pain, weakness, or other difficulties your character may have around their hands, wrists, arms. Canes require repetitive use of these areas.

Consider any sensory issues your character has. Sensory issues may come into play with cane vibration and the tactile information given by canes, especially as it differs between surfaces. The video by Challenge Solutions listed above discusses pain caused by vibration and repetitive movement, for someone who already deals with this. It goes into more detail, mentioning that a dog may lessen this difficulty compared to cane use.

Consider phobias or traumas that may make service animals, especially dogs, a bad choice for the character, their loved ones, or community. In contrast, consider how a service animal may help provide comfort to characters with traumas unrelated to animals

I hope that provides a starting point for thinking about how other disabilities may impact someone’s choice when deciding what mobility aid is right for them. I hope this is helpful is choosing a mobility aid for your character.

2. Financial Considerations

Consider financial difficulties. While guide dog schools often provide highly trained dogs, weeks of training, a harness, and some essentials for free, it depends on the school. Some schools may cover the dog’s veterinary care, while others may not. Some may provide one bag of food. Some may cover costs of transportation to the training school, but may not cover the cost of missed work. Challenge Solutions lists several costly areas that go with having a dog, such as grooming or toys.

The amount the training schools cover is so varied that one cannot assume anything about how the blind person keeps up with care of their dog. They may have trained with a school that covers the most costly things, leaving them to buy the occasional treats and toys, while other schools may not cover much after the dogs and handler leave the school, causing financial difficulties that may or may not have been fully anticipated. Financial situations of blind people with guide animals cannot be reliably assumed.

Canes, on the other hand, are a one-time payment per cane, if they aren’t already free. While canes do require replacement tips and while people do go through canes quickly, the cost is not comparable to that of caring for a guide animal.

For writers, it may make sense to have your fictional world contain schools that continue to cover costs over the guide animal’s life. Or perhaps veterinary care is free in that world. Either way, this may be something to consider. The character’s financial situation can show a lot about them and the world in which they live.

3. Additional thoughts about safety and discrimination

Safety has many different connotations in blind communities. Some people consider safety to mean social safety, as alerting others to blindness may explain any behavior that would be considered strange or rude.

Some consider safety to mean physical safety from tripping, falling, running into objects or people, or having them run into you. This is especially important with vehicles.

Still others consider safety to mean being able to navigate and orient oneself, such as when traveling alone.

Some people consider safety to mean interpersonal safety and the fear of being harmed due to being perceived as vulnerable.

Molly Burke mentions this particular subject at around 19:22 to 20:47 in her video here. To paraphrase, she says that having a big dog with her makes her feel safer as a blind person. Molly states that the white cane may increase her vulnerability as it identifies her as a potential target due to her blindness.

I mentioned that it is helpful for people to be identified as blind, such as with a cane and, to a lesser extent, a guide dog. That is still true. This may provide protection by alerting others that they may need to look out for a blind person instead of expecting that person to avoid them or their vehicle.

On the other side, a cane may alert others to vulnerability in a way that is harmful to the blind person. Due to this factor, blind people may feel safer with a guide dog because the presence of a dog may make others hesitate before doing them harm. I am not sure if the same can be said for those with horses, but it is possible horses may still act as a deterrent. In the video by Challenge Solutions, Caitlyn says that while guide dogs are not trained to be guard dogs and should not be aggressive by nature, it can feel safer to travel with a guide dog. Caitlyn says the following: “They are dogs and I would like to think that they would have a protective instinct if a situation arose where that was needed.” She adds, “I think there is more of a protective aspect to guide dog usage than white cane usage. At least I always felt a lot safer with my dog than I do with my cane.”

I also wanted to include thoughts about discrimination.

Some blind people may worry they will experience more discrimination using one mobility aid over another. This may influence their decision. To give brief examples, people with service animals may be turned away from places they are allowed to go. They may need to advocate for themselves more because of this. Another example might be feeling like people judge them or stare at them more when they use a white cane. They may be grabbed or shouted at more often when using a white cane, as described by Challenge Solutions, or they may be ignored or go unnoticed in other cases. In fact, some blind people are only spoken to in public because of guide dogs acting as a conversation starter.

However, feeling invisible in society seems to be a common issue for many disabled people. Some people also talk about being invisible in some areas and uncomfortably visible in other areas. While a blind person’s choice of mobility aid may influence this, the common disabled experience of both invisibility and hyper-visibility might still follow them.

Additionally, myths about blindness, which I wrote about in this post here, may also cause people to accuse cane users of faking if they have residual vision, which can lead to them feeling unsafe or like they cannot use their residual vision without receiving negative attention. This may cause some people to want a service animal, as in the case of a guide dog, some people may assume they are simply walking their dog or training a guide dog. This may be a way some blind people try to avoid being accused of faking blindness. However, blind people with guide animals may also be accused of having a fake service animal or be accused of not really needing their service animal. Additional barriers may include general public ignorance about laws around service animals or differing laws around access per country.

All of the above can put a lot of strain on people who are just trying to get from point A to point B.

Sighted guide may come with some issues as well. Finding someone who is willing to guide and a helpful guide may be challenging unless a blind person is already using a trusted friend or family member. In social situations, other people may misunderstand use of human guide, believing that they should address the guide rather than the blind person. Use of this mobility aid may also come with judgment from others about the blind person being incapable, lazy, or a burden on others. None of these are true, but they can be judgments people make.

Sighted / human guide may be a preferred form of O&M for people who have recently gone blind or are in unfamiliar areas. Additionally, blind people who come from cultures where interdependence is valued may prefer to use a human guide with or without another mobility aid. It is also important to note that the nature of the blind community also celebrates both interdependence and dependence, and these may not always mean the same thing as they do to people who aren’t blind. This is also true when it comes to using mobility tools and techniques.

What Should My Low Vision Character Use?

The majority of blind people have some residual vision, including low vision. Which is part of why most of the blind community doesn’t use canes, along with lack of training. Unfortunately, many people with residual vision are, however subtly, turned away from using canes or other mobility aids. Based on stories from friends, suggestions in this post by @mimzy-writing-online, my own experience, and information online, I will suggest a few reasons this might be the case.

A big reason has to do with believing they have too much vision to require a mobility aid. The idea of not being disabled enough is both an internal an external issue for people with residual vision. This is because people often claim that if a person can see some, they must not require mobility aid. Mobility aids are seen as a last resort, rather than a way to make life easier. This can lead to self-doubt, confusion, or guilt for a blind person. They might feel as if they are ungrateful because they believe other people have it worse. Conversely, some people may have been taught that relying on a mobility tool is shameful, giving up, or reveals a lack of independence. And sadly, some blind people with residual vision may be afraid of rejection or standing out from others.

This leads me into another reason, which is: believing they will experience more discrimination or social exclusion when using a cane. Unfortunately, this can be true. However, it is also true to that not using a cane can cause others to judge someone for things they do or don’t do as a blind person.

Disclosure is an option that works for many. However, blind people cannot always disclose to everyone they interact with, such as to strangers spotting them outside. Disclosure of blindness can also be fraught with accusations of not really being blind, not looking blind, or not being blind enough to count as blind. These accusations sometimes happen when using canes as well. Denial of help, denial of accommodations, and accusations of faking are common.

In some circumstances, the opposite can happen. Instead of being accused of faking, the choice to use a mobility aid might bring about helpfulness from strangers or concern from loved ones. There may be concern that the vision loss has progressed or that something is wrong. After all, suddenly using a mobility tool can inspire alarm in people who aren’t used to them, because the prevailing thought is that mobility tools are only for totally blind people. And the incorrect message behind this is that being totally blind is negative.

Characters choosing to start using a mobility tool could ease themselves and loved ones into it by being open about their plans. They could experiment with cane use, marginally increasing use over time. Or they could simply use a cane as often as they need to, addressing concerns as they are brought up. Portrayal of communication about mobility aids between a blind character and their family could be a lovely addition to a story.

Lastly, blind people are expected to rely on residual vision for as long as possible, in as many situations as possible. Even if it causes pain, disorientation, or anxiety. Even if seeing is exhausting or frustrating. Even if it isn’t safe. However, the other side of this is that many blind people with residual vision enjoy seeing colors or shapes. They may enjoy being able to describe things to friends with less vision.

But their sight may not always be enough to forgo using a mobility tool safely.

It is my opinion that anyone on the blind spectrum or with declining vision can benefit from use of accessibility tools, whether it be learning Braille or training with a cane.

People with low vision can use canes when they feel it is necessary. Examples may include times where they may need extra visibility or extra contact with the ground as they walk. They may choose to use a cane when crossing the street for added safety. Same applies to using stairs. They may bring their cane only to unfamiliar environments or out with them at night. They might feel like using it one day or in one place and not the next. They may have a condition that is not stable from day to day. Overcast weather or dim lighting could make it necessary to pull out a cane. They could simply want to use their cane or decide to leave it at home because they felt like it.

A blind person does not need to a full-time cane-user to be allowed to use one. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If they need it, they need it. It is that simple. It will be the same with your low vision character.

Characters may also switch up mobility tools depending on what is best for where they’re going and what is accessible to them. For example, someone may use a human guide for extra safety while in a new city.

Why I Want More Mobility Aids in Media

This is just my opinion, but I would like to see more characters using mobility aids blind people use in real life. This helps to normalize use of these tools for people who are not familiar with blindness. This allows blind people representation that is more true to life. It also adds more detail to stories that wouldn’t otherwise be there.

There is also something off about blind characters who don’t use anything, specifically because most portrayals of blindness involve characters who are totally blind. Why are these characters walking around absolutely everywhere with no familiar way to navigate? Why are tools used by the blind community rejected when it comes to stories about blind characters?

I suspect it is because of a few factors:

1. Not knowing how mobility aids work. Another deterrent could be the difficulties of research and, in live-action media, wanting to avoid training usually sighted actors in use of these mobility tools.

2. Not wanting the blind character to seem too hindered

3. Wanting the mobility aid to be cooler or more interesting if it does exist. This varies by genre and the period in which the piece of media is set.

I find it strange that most stories about blind people do not feature blind characters using tools or techniques blind people use in real life. It sometimes feels as if blindness is a decoration writers add to their story without thinking about how it would impact their character.

My suggestion is to consider the amount of vision your character has, along with their lifestyle, and choose a mobility tool that works for them. I know that some of you are writing characters who can technically move through life without using a mobility aid full time. In these cases, it would be fun to see characters who are transient mobility aid users.

Closing - Not Everything About Blindness is Difficult

I hope this post was informative. I know that some of it may feel contradictory in nature, but that seems to be part of diversity of experience people have with mobility aids. Not everything has to be true for your character or will be true to their experience. Additionally, don’t feel pressure to portray the difficult aspects of mobility aids or being blind in public spaces; it is good to have stories where blind characters are treated well by everyone. There are days when blind people have nothing but lovely interactions with others and when safety is not a concern.

While I mentioned some negative aspects of being blind in this post, there are many positives as well. This can include opportunities to meet new people and have conversations. This can mean getting the chance to use cool gadgets other people don’t get to use. It can also mean being able to experience the world in unique and fun ways, such as noticing little details about the world. It can mean appreciating colors, lights, smells, sounds, or sensations. It can also mean cool navigation tools and techniques.

I will post a part 2 soon. It will include information for writers of science fiction, fantasy, and stories set in historical times. As always, if anyone has anything feel free to share. I will add any responses here as edits to this post.

If you found this post helpful, my pinned post has many more links. I accept asks or messages with questions. I also offer beta reading for blind characters.

-BlindBeta

Writing Protagonists Without Strong Wants or Goals

Often in the writing world, we are told to make sure our protagonists have strong wants. After all, the protagonist’s want usually leads to a goal, and goals allow audiences to measure progress or setbacks in a story (which also helps with pacing). The protagonist’s pursuit of the goal often makes up most of the plot.

For change-arc protagonists, often what they want will be at odds with what they need. For most flat-arc protagonists, they often want the need, though sometimes they have to deal with a competing want or even lose sight of the need. (For more information on wants and needs, check out “Character’s Want vs. Need”) But if you aren’t familiar with the want vs. need approach, no worries. Suffice it to say that the protagonist’s want is almost always a key component of character arc, plot, and even theme.

So, must every protagonist absolutely have a powerful want driving them through the plot? Of course not. All “rules” are really more like guidelines. It’s just that if you break that rule, it will likely come at a steep cost, since it influences so many parts.

Because of the nature of story itself, it’s nearly impossible to have a protagonist who doesn’t want something significant by the end. Pretty much always the protagonist will have a want by the end of Act I. If not then, she will at least have a want or goal by the midpoint, at the latest–but that’s often pushing it. Rarely do protagonists make it through a whole story without having a clear significant want, though I won’t go so far as to say it’s impossible. And in some types of stories, you may be dealing with one significant want per section of the story.

Let’s talk about some situations where the protagonist doesn’t start with a driving want, goal, or hobby.

The Protagonist Already Has What He Wants

While in many stories the protagonist will start with a burning desire, in others, the protagonist already has everything he wants–or at least, is already on track for soon getting what he wants. There are a couple of ways this can play out.

1. His Lifestyle is Threatened

If the protagonist already has what he wants, one of the easiest ways to get the story rolling is to threaten what he already has. The threat may come as the inciting incident. In Shrek, Shrek already enjoys his life of solitude in the swamp, scaring off humans and bathing in mud. The inciting incident appears as a problem that threatens this: Other fairytale creatures are invading his home. For him, this stake is too high, and he must do something about it.

Alternatively, the lifestyle may not be threatened until near the end of Act I. For example, the inciting incident might be an opportunity that the protagonist declines–he already has everything he wants. However, something big threatens–or maybe even destroys–what he has, and he responds by taking the opportunity.

There are a few ways this can play out really, but the basic idea is that the protagonist loses, or is at risk of losing, what he already has. Often the goal is to get it back somehow–which means stopping or thwarting whatever the threat is. (However, with that said, it’s not impossible to give the character a new goal either.)

2. She Discovers a New Want

It might be that the protagonist already has everything she wants, but soon discovers something new she wants as well. Maybe she didn’t even know the wanted thing existed or was possible, until the inciting incident, or even a later point in the story. She thought her life was complete, but now realizes what she has isn’t enough.

I feel like this is something we see more with villains and anti-heroes–especially those depicted as spoiled, selfish, or entitled. But it doesn’t have to be. It could just be that the character is satisfied with life, but now yearns for more.

In The Hobbit, Bilbo is largely satisfied with his life–he has his creature comforts in his hobbit hole, and that’s all fine and well. But it isn’t until Gandalf arrives with the opportunity for adventure (and strives to persuade Bilbo into it) that Bilbo eventually embraces the fact that, in reality, he wants adventure (which, in some sense, is also what he needs).

The Protagonist is Wanting, but Lacks Vision (a Goal)

Sometimes a protagonist isn’t driven by a strong passion or goal, because he lacks vision. His life may be dissatisfying, but he can’t imagine any way to change that. It’s just the life he’s been dealt. It feels like something is lacking, but he doesn’t know what. Eventually, the character encounters something new that broadens his vision and leads to a concrete goal. The goal promises (at least to the protagonist) to fulfill what is lacking.

In Luca, Luca appears dissatisfied with his daily life, which seems to be made up of boring and repetitious chores, but he doesn’t really know of any other lifestyle. He later meets Alberto, who shows him an entirely new way of living. Soon Luca is filled with the same passions as Alberto and adopts the same goals.

Helpful Techniques

Having a story where the protagonist isn’t driven by a strong want, goal, or passion can have steep costs. There often isn’t a lot of tension, conflict, or driving force prior to the character gaining a want or goal. This is, again, in part because the goal helps give the plot context–if there is no goal, then what happens doesn’t really matter that much. The protagonist isn’t trying to get anywhere specific, and isn’t having to struggle to get there. This threatens to kill pacing and lose the audience.

Luckily, there are a few workarounds to help.

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Highly reccomend checking her out. She’s the best. If I had any money to throw I’d throw it at her for providing such a big help in my life.

This hero doesn’t wear capes, she instead wears (and looks utterly flawless) in tank tops(?)

Interrupting my regular Star Wars BS to reblog this because @senshistock is amazing and beyond worth the follow and support!  I first started using her refs gosh I want to say back in maybe 2008, and I’m happy to be a supporter of her over on Patreon.  If you’re an artist please go find her stuff on all the platforms, you will not regret it!

Yessss, she is so awesome! Been following her for years. My favorite stock artist is jademacalla, who is, incidentally, in the last two images above. He has a lot of great angles, costumes, gear, etc! I love his hands, too.

rb to save an artists life

Just so everyone knows, she recently stopped using the name SenshiStock and switched to AdorkaStock! All her links and socials have switched to that. Also she has a TikTok of her doing the poses live, which is stupid useful because you can pause it at any point in the pose for just the right reference.

An aye-write Guide to Unreliable Narrators!

Unreliable Narrators are a storytelling staple, and they make for deeply compelling characters and narratives, but how exactly do we go about crafting an unreliable narrator - and an effective one at that?

This guide will hopefully go some way to helping you figure that out. But first, some basics? 

.-.-.

What is an unreliable narrator? 

An unreliable narrator is an untrustworthy storyteller, most commonly seen in first-person narratives. They can be either intentionally deceptive, or unintentionally, but unreliable narrators usually force the reader to question if the narrator is credible.

.-.-.

Why use one? 

There are loads of reasons to use an unreliable narrator! Here are just a few: 

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Is EVERY narrator an unreliable narrator? 

There is a lot of debate if you can ever have a truly reliable narrator, and a lot of it will come down to what kind of narrator you choose to have. Third person POV is much more likely to be reliable - but you could argue a close third can be more unreliable than an omniscient third. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll be looking more in-depth at first person POVs as they’re where unreliable narrators can really shine!

We could spend hours debating the idea that every narrator is unreliable. Everyone has been guilty of misremembering how a situation went down, of twisting an account of an event to make yourself seem better, and the same can be said for narrators. Ultimately, everyone has been moulded by their own personal experiences and circumstances. Everyone looks at life through their own personal lens. So how likely is it really that you’re going to get an objective view of something, especially when so much of the story is coloured by the character’s own take? 

These are good questions to ask yourself when you’re considering an unreliable narrator. Think about something like a break-up - both people involved in the relationship may have a different opinion about why they broke up. 

Partner 1: We broke up because they never did their fair share of the household chores and I was tired of picking up the slack. 

Partner 2: We broke up because they were wound too tightly, nagged too much, and could never relax. I felt controlled. 

So who’s telling the truth? Well, both these characters feel they are telling the truth and both sides of the story might be valid for different reasons. But the real truth is most likely somewhere in the middle. 

If nothing else, remember this:

There are three sides to every story - yours, mine, and the truth. 

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Pitfalls of Unreliable Narrators

It’s important to remember that while an unreliable narrator can be a fantastic tool for your story, they must be handled with care. The fact of the matter is that not every reader is going to like an unreliable narrator. 

Here are some things to consider if you do choose to write one: 

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How can I mitigate these risks? 

.-.-.

Types of Unreliable Narrators (And Examples!)

Unreliable narrators will generally fall into two categories: intentional or unintentional: narrators who are aware of their deception, and narrators who unconsciously alter the truth. 

There is also an argument for a third category - narrators who are honest but lack important details. This kind of narrator is not unreliable on purpose, but simply lacks a greater understanding of what is going on. They may simply be naïve or have a unique/unorthodox outlook on the world. 

Let’s look a little deeper at this. We have our two (or three) categories, but we can break those down further. Let’s look at them, and some examples of them, now!

1. Children A narrator of a young age, their perspective of an adult situation will be different as it is filtered through their limited understanding/experience

Examples: Jack from Room, Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, Huckleberry Finn from Huckleberry Finn

2. Outsiders A narrator that is, essentially, different from other characters. Perhaps a misfit, someone who is alienated, or a person from a different social standing, race, class, culture, or gender. 

Keep in mind that the way someone is raised will affect their perspective - their version of events will be skewed according to their culture.

Examples: Alex from A Clockwork Orange, Chief Bromden from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nelly from Wuthering Heights, Invisible Man from Invisible Man

3. Characters with Conditions (Part 1) A narrator who may have a lower than average intelligence, an inability to deal with reality, or a learning disability, etc. 

It’s really important to remember that not every character who falls into this category will be unreliable purely because of this fact. Please do research, be sensitive, and consider using a sensitivity reader to be certain.

Examples: Forrest Gump from Forrest Gump, Christopher Boone from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Charlie Gordon from Flowers for Algernon

4. Characters with Conditions (Part 2) Someone who is having difficulties with their physical or mental health, or who may be suffering from a condition that otherwise impairs their cognitive function. Think: dementia, alcoholism, drugs, eating disorders, hallucinations, personality disorders, etc. 

Not ALL sufferers of a mental or physical condition will experience symptoms that may cause them to be unreliable - so please, do your research and be respectful if you go down this route. Consider using a sensitivity reader too.

Examples: Teddy Daniels from Shutter Island, Rachel from The Girl on the Train, Eleanor Oliphant from Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Maud from Elizabeth is Missing, the narrator from Fight Club, Eva from We Need to Talk About Kevin

5, Criminals A narrator who has done wrong in some description. They may be lying to save themselves, trying to persuade the reader/another character that what they’ve done is not wrong, or attempting to blame another character for revenge.

Examples: Nick and Amy Dunne from Gone Girl, John Dowell in The Good Soldier, Nina and Isobel from Talking to the Dead

6. Ghosts An otherworldly narrator whose experiences are not of earth.

Examples: Dr Malcolm Crowe from The Sixth Sense, the ghost from The Turn of the Screw, Lucifer in I, Lucifer

7. Liars A narrator who wilfully and deliberately lies to the reader. A word of caution - this type of unreliable narrator is hardest to pull off and needs careful attention so that the reveal they are lying doesn’t come off as “And then I woke up and it was all a dream”-esque.

Examples: Dr James Sheppard from The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Pandora from Big Brother, Briony Tallis in Atonement.

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How to Write an Unreliable Narrator This has been a long one, but we’re nearly there! Here are my top tips for getting down to the nitty-gritty of the writing of an unreliable narrator: 

Make them a liar - either deliberate or by omission Lying is one of the fundamental elements of an unreliable narrator - whether intentional or unintentional. In the end, an unreliable narrator is someone who can’t be trusted to be truthful. One way or another, the reader has to be deceived. But how can we avoid that sudden reveal of “It was a lie all along!” that may upset or deceive some readers? Well, the simple solution is to make lying a part of the character’s identity. 

In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, one of the most well-known examples of unreliable narrators admits there are things he doesn’t want to talk about in the very first paragraph of the book. He also refers to himself as “the most terrific liar you ever saw”. So maybe try something like that! Maybe your character is caught out in a lie early on, maybe another character remarks on a history with lying, maybe they out-and-out admit they have a problem with the truth? The possibilities are endless. 

Keep your reader in the dark Readers are used to having more information than the characters. If you’re writing an unreliable narrator, try flipping that on its head. Have the narrator withhold certain information from your reader and see how it impacts the story. 

Be unreliable from the start As we touched upon before, people are inherently unreliable when they recount a story as their point of view is filtered through their own experiences and beliefs. Your narrator shouldn’t suddenly or randomly become unreliable, they should be unreliable from the start - even if it isn’t immediately obvious. To help with this, hint at plot points, qualities or personality traits that might compromise them - and their story - later on!

Leave clues Following on from our previous point, if you‘re planning a devastating plot twist that’s linked to your unreliable narration, your best bet is to sprinkle some breadcrumbs as you go along the story. For example, if your character is concealing important information, drop hints that they may be untrustworthy so that when your reader thinks back, they realise the clues were there all along.

Reality Bites If readers are experiencing the story from deep inside your MC’s point of view, it can be quite difficult for them to orient themselves to the truth. A way to get around this is to use other characters to provide a dose of reality. 

So, for example, if you have a character who suffers from drinking-induced blackouts, or has memory lapses, have the blanks filled in by other characters. You may also choose or have another character contradict your character’s whereabouts, perspective, or account of an event.  This is especially useful if you have multiple POVs!

Providing a dose of reality will help anchor your reader’s experience, allowing them to identify - or at least tip them off to - the difference between the unreliable narrator’s perspective and what’s really going on. 

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide and/or found it useful! 

If you’d like to request a particular guide, please pop into my inbox and leave a request! I might be opening up a Kofi account, so please do consider supporting me if you’d like to see more of these guides or if you’ve found them useful! 

So, so many works I’ve read could be vastly improved with tightening and shaving of superfluous words. Wordiness is an easy stumbling block, as we’re used to how we talk. We’re used to how others (long ago) wrote. But times change, my friend, and so do expectations of the writer. We don’t get paid by the word in fiction. So show your smarts and say as much as you can with as much power as you can in as few words as possible.

Here are a few things you can cut without reserve to help shorten your story right now. And as you catch yourself using these words in your next draft, hit that backspace before you finish the sentence! It’s okay if you already have. You can go delete them now. No one will ever know.

Moment/Second/Minute

It’s so tempting. I am guilty of using this word like fertilizer in my first drafts. But most of the time, these words aren’t needed at all. They add nothing.

But he only did it for a moment, you say!

I know, this is about making your writing more concise and my “right” example has more words than the first example. But what’s the difference? The words used in the second sentence are more tangible. They give a visual that “a second later” and “for a moment” don’t. And you could leave that part out, of course, if you’re really going for trimming word count. It doesn’t paint quite the same image, but “The door opened and he shot to his feet.” is a perfectly good sentence.

Suddenly/All of a sudden

You’ve heard this one, before, surely. These words are used…when? When you’re trying to portray suddenness. Surprise, perhaps. So why are you adding in extra words to slow down the pace?

That sense of immediacy is felt when stuff just happens. So let it happen. If it’s rhythm you’re worried about, then find more useful words to create the rhythm. Notice that I didn’t just cut “All of a sudden” out of the sentence and leave it. I reworded it a bit to make it stronger.

Finally

It can be a useful word, but more often than not, it’s just taking up space.

Really/Very

Just…delete them.

To alter a Mark Twain quote:

“Substitute ’[fucking]’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

But seriously, if you’re saying, “She was breathing very hard.” You could just cut the “very” and say, “She was breathing hard.” Or, even better, “She was panting.” Or, EVEN BETTER: “She panted.”

Himself/herself/myself/themselves

Reflexive nouns have a specific purpose, though they can still often be avoided. They fall into the category of “use only when it’s confusing otherwise.”

Intensive pronouns add emphasis, but that emphasis is negligible and often negated by the power of tightening your narrative.

That

You can likely cut 60% of your “that"s and your story will be unaffected. Sometimes, you do need to add a "that” here and there for clarification, but not always. And sometimes it’s just plain incorrect.

In other cases, you might do well to substitute “that” with “which.” Though, if you’re doing this, make sure you do it properly. That change can often alter the meaning of your sentence. That can be for the better, though.

Do you see the difference? In the first sentence, the words are what make Rose nervous. In the second, the vandalism itself makes Rose nervous, and it happens to say “Bad Wolf.” In this case, if you’ve watched Doctor Who, then you know the first example is the correct one.

So when you’re sharing details using “that” or “which,” contemplate how important they are to meaning of the sentence to determine which type of clause you need to use.

Then

Or worse, “And then.”

It makes your writing sound a bit juvenile. Either cut it entirely, or substitute “and.”

Even

Sometime “even” can help emphasize a situation or behavior, but when it’s used in narrative improperly, it sounds childish and silly.

Just

Just…Delete it.

Breathe/breath/exhale/inhale/sigh/nod/shrug

Another one I’m so guilty of. In my first drafts, I tend to talk about how a character is breathing, or when they’re sighing like nobody’s business. I know a lot of writers who are guilty of this, too. It’s a great tool to use scarcely. In intense moments, you can let your character take a final deep breath to calm themselves. When a character almost drowns, those first few sweet breaths are important. But you readers know that people breath all the time. And just because you need a beat in your dialogue doesn’t mean you need to remind your reader that the character is still breathing or moving.

Rather/quite/somewhat

She was rather tall. She was tall. He was quite idiotic. He was idiotic. They were somewhat snazzy. They were snazzy. Why do you need those words? Kill 'em.

Start/begin

This is a great example of fluff.

There are obviously uses for this word, like anything. He started the car. Begin your tests! But when you’re using it to slow the action and the pace of your narrative, then consider heavily if you need it. You probably don’t.

In order to/in an attempt to

Phrases that add unneeded complications, cumbersome wording…kill 'em!

Was able to

This is one that isn’t inherently bad, but it can easily be overused and cutting it will help simplify your narrative.

Due to

Ugh. Are you trying to sound proper and stuffy? Because that’s a reason, I guess, to use this phrase…and yet it sounds like doodoo. (Yes. I’m an adult.) Rephrase. Use “Because of” or just avoid the need altogether.

Visibly/obviously/apparently/audibly

These are a sign of telling in your narrative when you should probably be showing.

Don’t tell your readers what emotion a character is feeling. Instead, give a few clues that they can see/hear/feel the emotion too.

While

This word has lots of legitimate uses. However, if you’re using it poorly, then your narrative reads like an Early Reader’s book, and you (unless that’s what you’re writing) probably don’t want that.

Turned

One of the classics. So overused, my friends. It’s needed on occasion, but not nearly as often as we use it. Just cut it out.

Saw/looked/regarded

UGH. Regarded:Looked::Mentioned:Said

And, like “said,” many, many instances of these words can be nixed.

This can be tricky, I know, when you’re writing in limited-third or first POV. It’s tempting to put every action directly through your POV character’s filter. But resist that temptation! There are times when it’s appropriate, occasionally, but it can be overdone so easily.

This example sides with the breathing and the turning. It’s often an unneeded update on the tiny movements of the characters. And, again, sometimes you need that beat or that little detail in an intense moment, but not often.

Said/replied/stated/spoke/mentioned/asked/commented/yelled/cried/shouted

I’m not here to tell you to cut all your dialogue tags (please don’t). I’m also going to the last person who insists you get rid of “said.” In fact, I’m in the “said is invisible” party of writing nerds and I think, if you’re going to use a standard tag, it should be “said” 90% of the time. 

But aside from that, using as few dialogue tags as possible is a good thing. I’ll do a full post on this soon, but for now, be aware of how often you rely on these words in your dialogue and do your best not to overuse them. Use surrounding action and context to take some of the reliance off of these words. 

To-Be in all its conjugated forms

If you’re using any of this list:

am, is, are, was, were, be, being, had been

Then check yo'self. Some tenses call for an auxiliary verb. Some types of sentence do, too, not doubt about it. But many don’t, and cutting to-be verbs when you can will help tighten your writing.

To-be verbs can also be an indicator of passive voice, though they aren’t always.

Last but not least, check all of your adverbs.

Chances are, if you’re using an adverb, you could be using a single strong verb instead and giving each sentence more punch.

So what am I supposed to do about this?

Take it to heart. Try not to let these words take over your brain as you write. Once your manuscript is finished, try this method:

Use Find and Replace. Replace any and all of the aforementioned words in ALL-CAPS. Now, if you’ve paid attention to my advice in using emphasis, then those all-caps will really stick out as you’re reading over your work and you can decide at each instance whether your usage is appropriate, or if it needs to be rewritten. As I did to this very old draft of mine from my first NaNoWriMo (in which I used every single word on this list, I’m sure).

When I used this method with my most recent WIP, I was able to cut my word count from 105k to 93k without cutting any content whatsoever. It takes a lot of work and it’s pretty tedious but the results are amazing!

It wouldn’t be the English language without exceptions, would it?

Now, there is actually an important time for intentionally using any or all of the words on this list. You know when that is?

When it fits the character’s voice. - More on this in my next post!

If you try and figure out the rules about creative writing, you’re going to find that established authors and editors often disagree about nuances of the craft. There are, of course, some hard-and-fast rules about punctuation and grammar, but so many rules vary from genre to genre, generation to generation, audience to audience. Sometimes there are rules that boil down, simply, to consistency. 

So you might even say that you have your own set of writing rules. Each and every author’s rules are slightly unique. That unique set of “rules” is part of what makes up your author’s voice.

So when are the appropriate times to break those rules, your own rules? They happen, don’t they? In my last post, I gave a list of filler words and overused words that you can consider cutting out of your writing to help sharpen it. But everything–even mediocre vocabulary, poor grammar, and repetitive structure–has a place in writing. 

Breaking Your Mold to Write Character Voice

Jordan is an author (hypothetically). She has been writing for years, gotten an English degree, read a zillion books, and written several novel drafts of her own. Over her years of writing, she has finally come into her own voice. When she writes, she no longer feels derivative or inexperienced. It’s freeing and wonderful! 

But there’s one thing that Jordan hasn’t figured out yet…and that’s character voice. Her authorial voice, while wonderful and unique, seeps into the voice of all of her characters. The result is that all of her characters, whether speaking or narrating, sound exactly the same: they sound like her.

Part of what makes a multi-POV novel come to life is variation in character voice. Part of what makes an author’s portfolio stand out is the vast scope of voices their characters use across their works. Part of what sets apart side characters as characters instead of tools for the protagonist or plot devices for the narrative is a unique and compelling voice. 

So how does one accomplish such a thing? 

Well, there are many ways. But today I’m focusing on language and syntax, particularly in the rule-breaking department. 

The first exercise you can do is take a piece of dialogue, preferably just a back and forth between two characters, and write it one way, then switch roles. Have the characters say basically the same thing, but in their own voices. 

Author Voice Conversation

There’s nothing wrong with this conversation at all. But I’m just writing as if I, personally, was speaking. I know what the personality of these characters are, but that isn’t necessarily enough. I’m going to inject a little bit of their own tics, their own backgrounds, into their speech.

Character Voice Conversations

And now, roles switched:

What sort of things influence the diction of your characters? In example 1, R says, “You’re really quite cute when you’re worried,” whereas in example 2, she says “kinda,” instead. In both of the latter examples, R is more prone to using “fuck” and “hell.”

In one of my novels, I have two narrators: K and B. K is well-read, well-spoken and a little snobbish. B isn’t an idiot, but he dropped out of school in (what amounts to) the fifth grade. He’s spent a large portion of his life outside of society and largely lived his life how he wanted. So when they say basically the same thing, K might say,

Where B would say,

In general, as I write their dialogue, B uses more contractions, shorter sentences, and doesn’t use many words beyond the 1000 most commonly used. He makes grammatical mistakes (Saying “me” when he should say “I”) He has more verbal tics, “Um…” “Er–” “Well, it’s just that…” etc. K speaks with much more flowery language and tends to elaborate beyond what is necessary. This means unneeded adverbs, “moment,” “rather/quite/somewhat,” superfluous reflexive pronouns, etc. I have one character who tends to speak in run-on sentences whenever she uses the word “because.” I have one character who compulsively addresses the people he’s speaking to, so much so that other characters make fun of him for it.

These are all things that, in general, I avoid doing. But using them purposefully helps to set character voices apart. 

Narrator Voice

To some extent, narrator voice can use these same tactics. If you’re using multi-pov, especially, these kinds of nuances will help your reader really feel like they’re reading the words of multiple characters, rather than just being told they are. If you’re writing an intimate third-person or first person, these same principles can help bring your narrative voice to life, just like the words written in quotes. 

Think about these two opening lines and how the voice of the narrator gives you two very different impressions about the same event:

So think about it! There are tons of factors that could go into how your characters speaks…and thus, what “rules” you break in their dialogue.

Don’t be afraid to use any and every word to give your characters their own voices. As I always say, to anyone in basically any situation: I don’t mind if you break any rule at all…as long as you broke it with deliberated intent. 

Happy revising!

DO NOT SUPPORT SALVATION ARMY 

I can back this up. It isn’t only their shelters.

I have a family friend who worked at our local Salvation Army headquarters as a a secretary. This particular office took all the Christmas donations for children in need, put them in a warehouse, and on a designated day the staff and their friends picked through them all, taking whatever they wanted. She saw people hauling away bikes donated for specific families. Some local children had hundreds of dollars of gifts donated in their name, and on Christmas they received three cheap things, items likely not even from the person who sponsored them.

My friend quit, and I’ve not given them a dime of my money since then.

Do not give to the Salvation Army.

Do Not. Give. To. Salvation. Army

My turn.

I’m a wildfire and disaster logistics specialist.

I deal with a lot of agencies who provide disaster relief.

I used to say the Salvation Army’s disaster services were the one (literally the ONE) good thing they did.

They would come in, set up a canteen trailer, make and pass out hot coffee and donated food in a disaster, usually being one of the first agencies to get there and the last to leave.

Then I found out.

Every time they did this, regardless of if they were actually invited or deployed by the agency in charge (usually FEMA, sometimes others) they would SELF-DEPLOY. Meanjng they would just show up. Ok. That’s not TOO bad, sometimes agencies have to take initiative and get there before the red tape is sorted out. BUT. They, after they left at the end of the incident, they would send FEMA or the host agency a BILL. They used one or two paid employees (usually the driver of the truck and a supervisor); and many VOLUNTEERS, but they would bill for EVERYONE’s Labor at standard federal rates. They would bill for the food they distributed even though it was all donated by another agency or private parties. They would bill for the coffee they made and the supplies. Except they would use electricity from the shelter location, water from donations or from the shelter, and in many cases, they would get the coffee and industrial filters DONATED, but bill for them at retail prices.

Don’t FUCKING give to the Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army is also ass to the workers. A good number of people join it, naively thinking that it’s doing good, and end up leaving cynical and beaten down. The management is hostile, if not outright abusive, and demand some ridiculous hours of it lower to mid-level staff. Don’t support these people.

Unsettling update

Find better local charities and shelters and give to them instead!

Also just for even more horrific context on the original twitter thread?

Salvation Army reached out to Milknmuffins and asked what shelter she’s at with the promise to address the abuse in it. She…ended up saying where she was. She was thrown out onto the street. It’s also all on Twitter.

They invited her to a personal talk so she could explain the situation in person.

And then they threatened her with a screenshot of a rape-threat made supposedly by her:

And then threw her out into the street while claiming she broke house rules that

So yeah, the Salvation Army is a bunch of entitled assholes that will treat the most vulnerable like shit if they dare try to do anything that makes them look bad

The “Fuck Salvation Army” posts are making the rounds again, so conisder this your reminder: Do. Not. Give. These. Assholes. A. Single. Fucking. Penny.

Do not support them in any way, shape, or form.

‘Tis the season to say FUCK the Salvation Army.

I’m a social worker. You will not believe the amount of times the salvation army has tried to screw over our clients, in particular ones with disabilities. We’ve had multiple instances of clients not being allowed in because they have service animals, which is a violation of the Americans with disabilities act.

Plot This: Structure Guide

Alright so if you’re a writer then you’ve probably familiarized yourself with plot…and the structure it provides to a novel. There are countless articles online on “how to plot a novel” or the like. Which is fantastic for you writers because it’s at a fingers reach from us. Not so great when there’s about…a billion ways one can go about plotting a novel. It can seem daunting and overwhelming and more important confusing! 

I want to break down this massive task bit by bit. Starting with the very bare bones and working into more detailed parts. Making it more manageable.

 Now, I know some of you might roll your eyes and say I know all there is to know about plot. I was you. I went into every workshop and craft class thinking the same thing. And yet, when I started plotting my recent WIP ( The Cost of Defeat ) I realized I didn’t know jack. I thought every story I ever wrote would adhere to my system of structure because of sheer will and blunt force. Yeah wrong.

It wasn’t until just recently I started diving into the structure ( because I like pretty diagrams and being organized way more than I should) that I discovered there are a lot of different Plot Structures out there. No one bothered to ever teach me let alone discuss these things. My mind was blown. 

Some worked better for me than others. Some mesh better together than others. It’s all about experimenting and figuring out what works for you. And I’m hoping that this will also help others, or at least give a jumping off point. Now it’s not a whole list ( there’s a lot of elements that I could probably talk about by themselves) but it’s a good overview of the popular ones that reoccur a lot.

1) Freytag’s Pyramid

Freytag’s pyramid is the most basic plot structure I know. It’s the one we’ve all seen in school when we start learning about story structure and analysis.

This bad boy is the simplest plot structure used to dissect and understand Greek and Shakespearean Plays. 

Pros     x Simplistic. Makes it easy to understand      x Great for those just starting ( or those who want to understand film and literature analysis.     x Great for AP Literature/Comp papers

Cons     x It creates simple stories     x Not super awesome for modern novels or anything longer than about 25K words

Uses     x Children’s Literature. Picture books mostly. Children are still learning to understand things like conflict effect on characters and having such a long falling action allows for that.     x Short Stories. Since short stories are compact for punch, this structure allows you to get the most done without boring the reader in 25K words or less.   x Analysis. This structure is the easiest and most common to apply to plays, film, tv and even in classic literature. It’s a great way to dissect plot and events in order to better understand the pieces working parts 

Examples: Shakespeare's Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet                    Sophocles’s  Antigone                    Henrik Ibsen  A Doll House

2) Three-Act Structure

The Three-Act Structure is probably the most known. We all know this intuitively as storytellers. Everything needs a beginning middle and end, after all.

This structure is very similar to Freytag’s Pyramid but adds elements that beef up and create points of interest. Obstacles, for example, add conflict and build up suspense for the climax. It’s also important to note that the falling action and resolution is much more compact.

Pros    x  basic building block for all good stories    x  Roadmap-like so you can be systematic about things    x  Good “big-picture” visual

Cons    x  Pacing is super important for this    x  Bit rigid and formulaic

Uses     x  Literally anything. Because it’s versatile it works on  a plethera of stuff, let your imagineation run wild.     x Film analysis. This struccture is like the holy grail in almost any film class ( sometimes they call it the four act structure)

Examples:  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes                    Alfred Hitchcock’s  Vertigo                    Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice

3) The Fichtean Curve

The Fichten Curve Is really unique in that it starts right with the rising action. There ain’t no time to build up or nice slow introductions, you’re dumping the readers right where it hurts. But you make up that lost time with the small bits of exposition

This is one of the most popular plot structures for modern novels.

Pros     x  A lot of opportunities to ramp up the stakes, bit after bit     x Good for pacing     x  Great for Overcoming Monster & Quest stories     x Translate over almost any genre

Cons     x Not a lot of time to slow down, breathe     x Not suited for Voyage and Return, Comedy or Rebirth stories

Uses    x Thrillers/Mystery novels. You need something to keep readers in the story, chomping at the bit. here’s the plot structure for you.    

Examples: Max Brooks’s World War Z                  

4) Plot Embryo/Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey is also super common in the literature (namely western literature) With this plot the protagonist ( the hero of hero’s journey) undergoes a literal or figurative death-like transformation that changes him. 

The protagonist must venture from one state into another. To take it a step further there’s a variation called the Ploy Embyro. Dan Harmon takes the hero’s journey a bit deeper and modernizes. [ here’a great video on it by youtuber Rachel Stephen x] 

As you can see, the Hero’s Journey and Ploy Embyro are both cyclical. This baby comes full circle in both plot and character. They have similar plot points. But if I were to gush about this the post would be waaay longer than it already is. This is one of my preferred methods because it just makes sense for me and allows me to have some freedom and wiggle room while still adhering to the 3 acts.

Pros     x Character development holla, cause this is where it’s at.     x Visually appealing     x  Simple 8 point outline ( for those who might not enjoy long-winded outlines)     x  Works alongside A beat sheet ( if you use that sort of thing)     x  The holy grail for myths.

Cons     x Overdone ( but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing)     x Not suited for those who really detailed outlines

Uses     x Adventure Stories. It is all about the adventure and journey with this     x Myth Retellings. I mean it’s based on the myth structure of the Odyssey and the like so it makes sense

Examples: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird                    Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief                   J. R R. Tolktien’s The Hobbit

5) In Media Res

A literal translation to “In the Middle”. This plot structure dumps you right in the middle of the story.  Think if you were to open a story on the second of third crisis/pinch point. there’s still a lot of upward trajectory to go before the climax.

Don’t confuse this with simply opening a story mid fight/action. Media Res starts well deep into the story itself, close to the climax but with enough room you can still build up to it.

Pros     x High Actions     x Simple and fun to play with     x A good use for flashbacks     x Hell of a hook for readers

Cons     x  Can be confusing for reader’s if not done right     x  No build up     x takes some finessing to get just right

Uses      x Mysteries. This is a great plot if you want to start a story perhaps where the killer has already committed the murder.    x Epic Poems. Maybe you wanna write the next epic poem, this is great for that.       Examples  John Milton’s Paradise Lost                    Homer’s Illiad                    George Lucas’s  Star Wars 

Now I could go on and on but this monster of a post has carried on long enough. If there’s a certain structure you’d like me to go into more detail about feel free to leave a comment on this post and I’ll be sure to add it to my line up!! As always happy writing/creating!

        XO Morgan

Or how to write believable bar and nightclub scenes. I often find myself helping friends with their WIPs and often it as a bartender, I find myself having to correct them on bar and mixology terminology. So here's my quick guide to keeping your lingo on the straight and narrow.

Terminology

Equipment

Alcoholic Drinks

Cocktails and Drinks

My Top 10 Bartending Rules and Responsibilities

All About Image Descriptions

TL;DR- A post all about writing image descriptions on Tumblr.

Introduction Text

Why are image descriptions important?

What are image descriptions and how do you make them?

Image descriptions are plain text (Generally, text you can copy and paste) descriptions of images, gifs, videos, and other media. On Tumblr, there are several kinds of image descriptions. 

For example:

This is a picture of me. An image description for this picture might go something like:

[Image Description: A picture of a person sitting on a brown couch. The image is cut off at their chest. They are looking straight at the camera, and are smiling slightly. Their hair is brown and asymmetrical and falls to the right side of their face. They are wearing glasses and a white tank top with a ruffled edge. Behind them is the back of the couch. On top of the couch is a long, light brown pillow with dark brown jagged patterns on it. Behind the couch is a white wall and the edge of a windowsill.]

How descriptive you are will depend on how much time (And spoons) you have. 

In general, I like to bold text in brackets. This is because it helps it stand out to people who aren’t using screen readers. Organizing your image description so that people who -can- see it, can read it, is another part of accessibility.

For pictures and gifs with words, you would start out with a normal image description that would also include a “with text that reads…” somewhere in it.

For example:

source

[Image Description: A black and white gif of Emily Osment in the film Cyberbully. She is standing on the right side of the screen. She, and the person on the left side of the screen, are facing each other. Her hair is either short, or pulled back into a ponytail, and appears blonde.She is wearing a short sleeve shirt with flowers down the front. Her left bra strap is showing and she has a bag over her right shoulder. Her words are subtitled at the bottom of the image, saying, “You should know that your words actually hurt.”]

I also have the tendency to italicize quotes to make them stand out from the rest of the image description.

For example:

source

[Image Description: A slightly blurry gif of comedian Bo Burnham making a visual pun. He is wearing a short sleeve gray shirt with a light gray object on it. He is sitting on a green couch. Behind him is a white wallpaper with green birds on it. Captioned under him in yellow says “My puns aren’t just bad…” He pulls up a white piece of paper that says ‘My puns’ on it. He rips the paper, smiling through the tear as he says “They’re tear-able”]

So that’s how captioning works when a gif is longer. But how do you write a description when two people are talking?

Like so:

source

[Image Description: Two people as simple light gray silhouettes on a light blue and tan wavy background. One person is reaching out toward the other and is captioned saying “Let me help you!” and the other replies “Thank you.”]

The more complicated the picture, the more you have to combine these elements. But, usually, pictures and gifs don’t contain more than a few lines, which helps to keep image descriptions small.

So that’s how you do single images and gifs. But what about comics, which have lots of words with their pictures, or infographs which are word heavy pictures with lots of smaller charts, diagrams and other images?

For example:

source

[Image Description: A black and white three panel comic. There is a robot with one, black eyes stands to the right of a man wearing a tee shirt, pants, and a hat. Behind them is a white background with part of it shaded gray using pixels. The robot introduces the man,

Robot, pointing to Chad: “This is my roommate Chad”

Chad, waving: “Hi there.”

Robot, making a thumbs up: “He’s a cartoonist and the best buddy a robot lie me could ask for.”

Chad smiles and holds his hands on his hips.

Chad, frowning and looking down at the Robot: “By the way, your part of the rent is due.”

Robot, looking annoyed: “He’s also slightly annoying.”]

For more complicated comics, or at least ones that change their view, perspective, etc, the new setting also should be described.

For example:

source

[Image Description:  A person sitting in front of a desk for an interview. They have short brown hair and are wearing a tie. The person behind the desk is wearing glasses and is holding a paper. The person behind the desk, presumably a manager, asks the other person, an applicant for a job position a question.

Manager, holding onto the edge of their glasses in one hand, and a paper with the other: “Mr.Idangam, please describe yourself at the present moment.”

The next panel zooms in on the applicant’s face.

Applicant, smiling with eyes closed: “I am a man who is describing himself at the present moment.”

The panel under that focuses on the manager’s face.

Manager, taking their glasses off: “Welcome aboard!”

The door of the office is show open. Above the door is a sign that reads ‘Grelling & Nelson Incorporated.’ The applicant and the manager are shaking hands across the desk.]

The easiest way to put in a change of setting is to describe it immediately before the dialogue in that scene.

For example:

source

[Image Description: An infograph about what happens in an internet minute. There is a clock in the upper left corner with boxes coming out of it. Each box has the name of a website, and each is tagged with a fact about the website.]

In a minute on the internet here’s what happens:

And future growth is staggering:

Today the number of networked devices are equal to the population [A picture of a black stick figure standing on the planet with the symbol for wireless coming out of their head. The symbol is five curved, yellow lines.]

By 2015, the number of networked devices will be double the population. [The previous picture now has two wireless symbols coming out of their head, and a 2X over them.]

In 2015, it would take you five years [A red arrow with the word ‘IP’ on it is shown linking up this information to the next] to view all video crossing IP networks each second.

So that’s what an infographic might look like with an image description.

Like so:

[Video description: A video of a cat that visits the person who is taping the video. The cat’s name is VeeSee, or Visitor cat. The cat is gray and and brown, with the brown striped slightly on their body. The cat’s tail is long and their eyes appear green. In the video the person taping follows the cat into the kitchen.] 

Video Taper: “Mreow, mreow”

[VeeSee meows back and then turns around from the camera and begins to walk into the kitchen. The video taper follows VeeSee as they brush up against a chair in the kitchen and walk to a door leading out of the house.]

Video Taper: “Mreow.”

[VeeSee meows as they rub against a cabinet.]

Video Taper: “Mreow. VeeSee, tss tss. Visitor cat, pff pff.”

[VeeSee looks back at the camera and meows.]

Video Taper: “Mreow.”

[VeeSee meows in response and walks towards the camera. The video taper meows at VeeSee as they walk to a waterbowl]

Video Taper: “Mreow…Mreow…Mreow.” 

[VeeSee meows back and sniffs the water bowl.]

Video Taper: “Mreow… D’aww, it looks like he’s preoccupied.”

[VeeSee drinks some water.]

A few helpful hints:

So this is everything I’ve learned about writing image descriptions! I hope you’ve enjoyed.

Love this post. Showed it to a friend on twitter who uses screenreaders, they said “ if everyone described images like that poster did, the internet would be a richer place, but they don’t.” Please signal boost.

OKAY I have been meaning to do this for MONTHS but hey, there’s no better time than the present so buckle up, here we go! THESE BOOKS ARE A GODSEND. I am ALWAYS on the lookout for writing aids that ACTUALLY HELP. If you’re like me, and occasionally venture out to buy books on, let’s say, showing vs telling - you will always get the same rehearsed speeches on what that means. -summons pretentious writer’s voice- You’ve got to shoooooow what’s happening in the scene, not teeeeeeell~~ BAH! What you NEVER get, however, is how to do it, or how do it better.

THESE BOOKS ARE THE STUFF OF DREAMS

Each of these is so freaking helpful, I can’t even convey. They all follow the same format as the pictures I’ve shown above, so you get one detailed page of descriptions followed by tons of more in-depth, thought provoking concepts. I’ll do my best to lay out the five that I have and if you are interested, hop on over to Amazon and buy these suckers up because they are AMAZING; I have NEVER used a writing resource more than I use these. Negative Trait Thesaurus & Positive Trait Thesaurus -gives you a definition of said negative trait -gives you similar flaws also found in the book -gives you possible causes of WHY the character might have this trait -gives you a list of other behaviors the chara might have -gives you examples of the chara’s thought process -gives associated emotions -gives positive aspects of the trait, as well as negative -gives examples of well known chara’s that have this trait -talks about how the chara might overcome it -gives traits that, when combined with this one, might cause conflict How I use this information: Chara building, or when I get stuck on what I want a character to do. Man, I just can’t decide what they WOULD do. Well, awesome, I have a little guide to help me think through the character’s possible motivations. Also, I get help building a potential backstory because I get a framework of which to think, why is the character this way? Urban Setting Thesaurus & Rural Setting Thesaurus -gives a whole lot of examples of sights, smells, tastes, and sounds -gives examples of textures and sensations (ie at an ‘antique shop’ you may encounter chipped paint, distressed wood, etc) -gives you possible sources of conflict (ie at a ‘hotel’ you might have noisy neighbors) -gives list of people you might expect to find at said location -gives related settings -gives tips on this type of setting -gives a setting description example How I use this information: IMAGERY IMAGERY IMAGERY Emotion Thesaurus (aka MY FAVORITE) -gives a definition of the emotion -gives physical signs and signals (ie chara may look pale, might fidget, etc) -gives internal sensations (aka, blood pounding in the ears, dry throat, adrenaline rush) -gives mental responses (ie fight or flight) -gives cues of acute or long-term impacts of the emotion -gives ‘may escalate to _______’ and directs you to other emotions -gives cues of suppression (ie cues of suppressed rage) -gives writer tips How I use this information: I love this book so hardcore, it’s so helpful with internalizing. It’s great because I get to step outside of that box of using the same five responses to a certain emotion and start really thinking about, what can a character do instead to show that they are feeling this, rather than me using adverbs or his adrenaline pumped fifty gazillion times. These books are all co-written by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi (bless their souls) and if this sounds of interest LOOK INTO IT!! I get such buyer’s regret after buying writing guides but these are legit the best ones I have found and I reference them so, so, so much. Hope this helps anyone out there looking for something life-changing!!

check these out!

I got all of these and they are AMAZING. Very, very worth it.

I so need to get me a copy of these…

I took some historical sword-fighting lessons to make the fights in my novel more realistic - here’s what I learned.

To make the fighting scenes in my low fantasy novel more realistic, I went to see a trainer for historical sword-fighting last week, both to barrage her with questions and to develop realistic choreographies for the fight scenes in the novel. Since I figured some of what she told me might be useful for you too, I put together a small list for you. Big thanks to Gladiatores Munich and Jeanne for making time! (Here are some more pictures if you’re interested.)

Caveat: I’m by no means a sword-fighting expert myself, so take these nuggets with a grain of salt – I might have misremembered or misinterpreted some of the things Jeanne told me. If I did, feel free to tell me.

1.) Weapon choices need to make sense

Let’s start with a truism: always ensure your character’s weapons make sense for a.) their profession, b.) their cultural background and c.) the environment they’re going to fight in. A farmer probably couldn’t afford a sword and might use a knife or threshing flail instead, and someone who doesn’t want to be noticed probably wouldn’t be milling about sporting a glaive or another large weapon. Also, soldiers native to a country with wide open plains would be more likely to carry long-range melee weapons such as spears or large swords, than those from a country consisting of mostly jungle or dense forests. The same applies to situations: if your character is going to be fighting in close quarters (even just a normal house), he’d get little value out of a spear or even a longsword, as there’d be no space to swing it effectively.

2.) Boldness often beats skill

In real swordfights, recklessness was often more important than technique. The fighter less afraid of getting injured would often push harder, allowing them to overpower even opponents with better technique.

3.) Even a skilled fighter rarely stands a chance when outnumbered

While a skilled (or lucky) fighter might win a two-versus-one, it’d be extremely unlikely for even a single master swordsman to win against superior numbers, even just three and if they’re below his skill level. The only way to plausibly pull this off would be to split the opponents up, perhaps by luring them into a confined space where you could take them on one by one. The moment you’re surrounded, you’re probably done for – because, unlike in Hollywood, they wouldn’t take turns attacking but come at you all at once.

4.) Dual-wielding was a thing

… at least in some cultures. I often heard people say that people using a weapon in each hand is an invention of fiction. And while my instructor confirmed that she knew of no European schools doing this—if they did, it’s not well-documented—she said it was a thing in other cultures. Example of this include the dual wakizashi in Japan or tomahawk and knife in North America. However, one of the biggest problems with the depiction of dual wielding in novels/movies/games are the “windmill”-type attacks where the fighter swings their weapons independently, hitting in succession rather than simultaneously. Normally you’d always try hitting with both weapons at once, as you’d otherwise lose your advantage.

5.) Longswords were amazing

Longswords might seem boring in comparison to other weapons, but they were incredibly effective, especially in combat situations outside the battlefield. The crossguard allowed for effective blocking of almost any kind of attack (well, maybe not an overhead strike of a Mordaxt, but still), the pommel was also used as a powerful “blunt” weapon of its own that could crack skulls. Though they were somewhat less effective against armored opponents, the long, two-handed hilt allowed for precise thrusts at uncovered body parts that made up for it.

6.)  “Zweihänder” were only used for very specific combat situations

Zweihänder—massive two-handed swords—were only used for specific purposes and usually not in one-on-one combat as is often seen in movies or games. One of these purposes was using their reach to break up enemy formations. In fact, one type of two-handed sword even owed its name to that purpose: Gassenhauer (German, Gasse = alley, Hauer = striker)—the fighters literally used it to strike “alleys” into an enemy formation with wide, powerful swings.

7.) It’s all about distance

While I was subconsciously aware of this, it might be helpful to remember that distance was an incredibly important element in fights. The moment your opponent got past your weapons ideal range, it was common to either switch to a different weapon or just drop your weapon and resort to punching/choking. A good example of this are spears or polearms—very powerful as long as you maintain a certain range between you and your opponent, but the moment they get too close, your weapon is practically useless. That’s also why combatants almost always brought a second weapon into battle to fall back one.

8.) Real fights rarely lasted over a minute

Another truism, but still useful to remember: real fights didn’t last long. Usually, they were over within less than a minute, sometimes only seconds – the moment your opponent landed a hit (or your weapon broke or you were disarmed), you were done for. This is especially true for combatants wearing no or only light armor.

9.) Stop the pirouettes

Unfortunately, the spinning around and pirouetting that makes many fight scenes so enjoyable to watch (or read) is completely asinine. Unless it’s a showfight, fighters would never expose their backs to their opponent or even turn their weapon away from them.

10.)  It still looks amazing

If your concern is that making your fight scenes realistic will make them less aesthetic, don’t worry. Apart from the fact that the blocks, swings and thrusts still look impressive when executed correctly, I personally felt that my fights get a lot more gripping and visceral if I respect the rules. To a certain extent, unrealistic and flashy combat is plot armor. If your characters can spin and somersault to their heart’s content and no one ever shoves a spear into their backs as they would have in real life, who survives and who doesn’t noticeably becomes arbitrary. If, on the other hand, even one slip-up can result in a combatant’s death, the stakes become palpable.

That’s about it! I hope this post is as helpful to some of you as the lessons were to me. Again, if anything I wrote here is bollocks, it’s probably my fault and not Jeanne’s.  I’ll try to post more stuff like this in the future.

Cheers,

Nicolas

Spent a long time on this art resource/reference masterpost! Finally starting to edit to add more. This will be REGULARLY updated so it’s gonna get huge. If you have a request for resources for me to find OR have a resource you want me to add, just send me an ask :D

General Anatomy/Human stuff:

Poses:

Hands:

Diversity:

Animals/Creatures:

Furry/Anthro:

Perspective:

Coloring:

Expressions/ Meme / style:

Pixel Art:

Clothing / Accessories:

Misc:

Brushes:

here's a hot take: the fact that whether trans men are as oppressed as trans women is even a talking point at all is a sign that something is Wrong.

people have argued for years that asexuals don't belong in the lgbt+ community because they're less oppressed, and push back against that idea is framed as aggression or outright homophobia.

people who other m-specs from the community or even are just openly bigoted towards them cite things like "passing privilege" to prove that they have it better, that they're lesser within the community

panphobes paint pan people as biphobes and biphobes paint bi people as transphobes while m-spec people are pitted against each other by people who hate them as a whole

transmeds and truscum argue that people who don't transition aren't Really trans, they create images of hypersexualized stereotypically feminine people and argue that all tucutes are read as (and really Are) cis women and don't have to face real discrimination because of it

and they all take notes from terfs who've perfected the art of painting marginalized groups as privileged invaders and aggressors

over and over and over again intracommunity violence is bred, spread, and justified with the insistence that the group being spoken of is actually privileged and therefore Deserves it. silencing, othering, exclusion, and sometimes outright violence and harassment are justified on the basis of those people being painted as privileged invaders who either don't belong at all or who exist as lessers who should sit down, shut up, and take what people give them.

and the fact that the insistence that trans men be treated as Equals within their Own Communities is presented as Violence on their part is as absurd as it always is frankly. the fact that trans men have to Openly Testify themselves as lesser in order to be taken in good faith At All is fucked up.

and it's two parts really. the first is that as a community we don't treat all members this way. if you believe that gay men are a valuable part of the community then you don't argue that they're lesser than lesbians because they don't face the same kind of misogyny. you accept them as Different but Valuable parts of the community. you listen to them when they talk about their experiences. you don't even Consider if they're lesser, it doesn't cross your mind. just like people who aren't aphobic don't wonder if aspec on the whole are less oppressed before they boost the voices of aro/aces.

the second is that for Years I've seen and been actively Pressed to "admit" that trans men Baseline face less violence than trans women, when statistically that just isn't true. trans men often aren't reported on to the same extent that trans women are because of a lack of visibility and misreporting as cis women, but when they are the statistics are Comparable. and it just makes me wonder Why.

why I see the same things coming from exclusionists in every stripe and yet again and again and again people fall for it and normalize it until we're forced to take half measures in denying our own oppression and lived experiences just to be heard at all.

I feel like part of this is the idea that the second trans men transition they are able to get access to male privilege. Which is simply not true.

Hell, even trans men who pass don't have access to all aspects of male privilege. A lot of it absolutely! But not all.

NO aspects of male privilege. stop feeding into this bullshit that we get little a male privilege, as a treat.

obviously individual situations vary but as a whole? absolutely fucking not.

even transmasc folks who ""pass"" 90% of the time still do not fucking get male privilege. shut up Please

I'm a trans man who passes (except over the phone for some weird reason). Please don't tell me to be quiet when I'm discussing my own experiences with gender and sexism (or lack of).

I absolutely do have access to male privilege. Since I started passing consistently...

The above are giant advantages in my field of work. So much so that I haven't had to work as hard as I used to (pre-T) for the same, or better, results.

Before I passed, I could not have said anything in this list without lying out of my ass. If these aren't privileges that I have gained because people started perceiving me as male, then what else are they?

And these are not just me either. Like one guy i know, once said that strangers stopped negatively judging him for his tattoos and started complimenting them instead. Tho people have also started giving him shit about his flower socks, but that's kinda beside the point

@notusuallyprepared tagged: "geez louise. "Male privilege as a treat," naw that's not how that works in my experience. Its not a treat it's an accident or a by product of transition. And it's a responsibility to use that privilege to raise the voices of people who don't have it ( they don't have a voice because people don't listen when they talk I mean). I should note that I am white and that combines with male privilege. Like e.g. Aboriginal men aren't treated like experts even if they are, and the whole anger thing too and probably others I'm not realising right this moment (because it's 1am and I should be asleep). There are many aspects of male privilege I don't have because of being trans but on balance I think there are more that I do." [End transcription]

I understand what you're saying, but what's being described is "passing privilege." which is highly situational and largely dependent on the person in question being closeted or not outed.

if you pass and are gender conforming your coworker might take you more seriously because they're interpreting you as a cis man. if that same coworker is transphobic then you Very Likely won't get that same privilege if you're outed to them, if they pick up on aspects of toxic masculinity that you don't perform to their liking, or if you aren't gender conforming. and in fact you can very easily face active harm from this person.

this is of course, as you mentioned, heightened by other aspects of oppression.

it's not a privilege to be terrified of being outed. it's not a privilege to walk on eggshells because you know your career, your social life, or your Life could be at risk if you don't. it's not a privilege to have to choose between your presentation and your safety.

what you've just described is the equivalent of insisting that m-spec people have privilege over gay people because they can be in relationships with people of a different gender.

yes it's true that your boss can see a picture of your wife and kids and assume that you're a straight man. yes it's true that your boss can look at someone with a masculine presentation, flat chest, deep voice, and masculine name and assume that he's a cis man. that doesn't change the fact that whatever social advantage that gives you can be taken away under the right circumstances, which isn't inherent privilege.

I'm a gnc trans masc person living in alabama. right now I'm pre-t which means that when I wear dresses and skirts and makeup people don't bat an eye. in fact I get much more positive attention when I do because they read me as a cis woman successfully performing femininity (when at other times I'm read as a gnc woman). that doesn't make being pre-t a privilege or gender non-conformity in trans mascs a privilege, it means that I have an advantage in a certain social situation because of a highly specific set factors being met. and when I do eventually go on t those factors will be different. I Will have to choose between my presentation or my safety because of where I live and who I am.

Thanks for your thoughtful explanation and correction (I especially appreciate because the person who came to my post from like, a week ago, to tell me to shut my face, responded again and then blocked me before I could read it. I like knowing what my mistake actually was so I don't make it again, rather than being told off but not told why)

I had totally forgotten about passing privilege being a thing so was conflating it with male privilege. Though passing results as a trans man is rather different than it is for trans women (E.g. They tend to get more stranger harassment and trans men less), which is the angle I was approaching the argument from but didn't say so outright.

I do think that it's important for trans men, at least those who pass and have other privileges, to be really aware of it. Like it would be easy for me to use the advantages I've gained to talk over women, be intimidating on purpose to get my way and so on. People listen to me now and I need to at least try to use that to have them listen to the people they normally don't listen to

of course ! that person was certainly, Upset lets put it.

I think mostly it just came off as a little tone deaf because of the context of the post itself (expressing frustration with people insisting that certain marginalized groups are more privileged than others as a baseline and using that assumption to influence how they treat them within queer and activist spaces). certainly not to the degree that reacting like That was necessary, but you know.

that said, I think it's also worth noting that it's an intersectional issue! all marginalized people can have situational advantages depending on a variety of conditional factors. a cis woman can have a social advantage over a trans man depending on the situation just the same as a trans man can have a social advantage over a cis woman depending on the situation. that doesn't make either group privileged for their marginalized status, that's just how the cookie crumbles.

(or, as I mentioned in another thread on this post, there are pre-e trans women who can be interpreted as cis men by someone they aren't out to. they can experience the exact same kind of situational social advantage that you're describing, but that doesn't translate to privilege.)

what it comes down to is not pinning certain marginalized groups as privileged, but asking everyone to recognize how the people around them are being treated and to try to lift them up when possible (or at least watching their own behavior when interacting with them).

I think there’s also this tendency to see male privilege as an individual thing, rather than a systemic thing, and to let our own experiences with individual benefits from passing crowd out the actual systemic circumstances of trans men. This is partly due to how pop-feminism focusses on individual ways that cis men have male privilege in an attempt to get them to change their behaviour, but a side effect is that it sets the frame for discussions of privilege in general.

Like, you got a raise at your job after transitioning? Good for you! All the research we have on trans income says that trans men generally don’t get an improvement in their income from transitioning, and that on average we make half the annual income of cis people.

You’re not afraid to walk down the street at night any more? Awesome! A much greater percentage of trans men report being victims of rape than cis women.

People take you more seriously now? That’s great! 30% of trans men have avoided getting a driver’s license and 27% avoid using banks due to discrimination.

There are no transmasc politicians in my country. There are no transmasc judges, CEOs, heads of government services, heads of universities or anyone with any kind of institutional power. Being treated well on an individual level because you pass has very little bearing on whether trans men as a group have male privilege at the systemic level, especially male privilege compared to cis women.

exactly !! people get so caught up in whether or not trans men can have social advantages in specific situations that their systemic oppression gets swept under the rug with the assumption that they face a lesser form of transphobia.

it's easy for someone in a privileged position (a financially stable white person with access to transition and the medical care that they needed, for instance) to look at social improvements they've faced and say that they have it better now than they did before. but that shouldn't trick people into assuming that that translates to privilege for trans mascs as a whole Or that that represents the norm.

Beware the Weasel Word!

What is a weasel word or filler word?

Filler words add bulk to your writing without adding meaning. For example, if you’re writing in a rigid first or third person PoV, there’s rarely any need to write, “He saw that the light was on.” You can just write, “The light was on.” You lose zero meaning by cutting out the “he saw that.” The reader already know who is looking at the light because we know whose head we are observing events from. Another common form of weasel word is an interjection in the midst of a sentence - the friend who first introduced me to the concept explained it as, “our brains don’t know exactly what comes next so it just puts a word in as the mental equivalent of a pause or ‘um.’” And that explanation contained (at least) two such words - “exactly” and “just,” both of which could be cut from that sentence without impacting the meaning. Time words are also often filler words - there are few times where you actually need to say “in a moment;” context usually communicates the sequence of events clearly.

Also be on the lookout for long phrases that can be replaced by a single word - for example, “cut down on” and “reduced” are synonyms. Using a single specific word, provided it’s not too obscure a word, is often a better choice.

Cutting out weasel/filler words gives your writing more punch and immediacy; bulky, unnecessary extra words form a filter between your reader’s experience of your writing and the visceral experiences that you, as a writer, are trying to communicate. Reducing their usage really strengthens a story.

Different authors have different filler words they are prone to. What counts as a filler word will also depend on context, writing style, personal preference, etc. This is especially true when writing dialog - one character’s weasel word is another’s regular way of talking. Still, there are many words that if I see them in my writing, I pause and think, “okay, do I really need that word there?”

I’ve seen a lot of posts that list specific types of weasel words (ie, filler nouns versus nonsense adverbs) but I’ve never just seen a comprehensive list of words to look out for - words that, while they won’t always be filler words, are often unnecessary and should be scrutinized when writing. 

General things to remember:

Here’s a list of some common weasel words and phrases. If an entry is in bold it means I have provided a further explanation below the list. (having explanations integrated in the list made it clunky and hard to read)

A: about; absolutely; accordingly; actually; additionally; again; all; already; also; always; and; “as a matter of fact;” “as far as I’m concerned;” at least; at most; “at the present time/at the end of the day;” audible

B: back; basically; to be ~ing; to begin; “being ~”; to believe; both; briefly; but

C: certainly; clearly; closely; completely; “cut down on”

D: definitely; down

E: each; either; entirety; even; exactly; extremely

F: fact; fairly; to feel; finally; “for all intents and purposes;” “for the most part”

G: “going to do ~”

H: to hear; hence; herself/himself/themselves/myself; his/her/their/my own

I: ignored; “in a moment/second;” in addition; increasingly

J: just

K: kind of; to know

L: like; literally; to look

M: maybe; momentarily; mostly; much

N: nearly; no; “not long after;” now

O: obvious; of; often; once more; only

P: pretty; probably

Q: quite

R: rather; to realize; really; right

S: to see; seriously; silently; slightly; so; some; somehow; somewhat; “soon after;” sort of; to start; still; suddenly; surely

T: that; then; to think; though; thus; together; totally

U: to understand; up

V: very; virtually

W: to wonder

Y: yes

Explanations:

audible: eg, “the door closed with an audible click” versus “the door closed with a click.” if your character heard the noise, it’s already audible. Using both is redundant.

to be ~ing: eg, “I’ll be going to prom” versus “I’m going to prom.”

to begin: eg, “They began to sing” versus “They sang.”

“being ~”: eg, “they were being active” versus “they were active.”

to believe: eg, “I believed I’d found the perfect dress” versus “I’d found the perfect dress.”

to feel: eg, “She felt the pain as the needle pricked her” versus “The prick of the needle was painful.”

“going to do ~”: eg, “we’re going to try to go to the park” versus “we planned to go to the park” versus “we went to the park”

to hear: eg, “He heard her say his name” versus “She said his name.”

herself/himself/themselves/myself: can often be cut if it’s clear that the action being done applies to the PoV character.

ignored: eg, “he was annoying, so I ignored him.” “To ignore” means “refuse to notice or acknowledge.” Having a character say they ignore something is to have them explicitly notice or acknowledge the thing in question. While it can work contextually, it often reads weirdly. 

to know: eg, “I know we talked about this” versus “We talked about this.”

to look: eg, “They looked and saw the sunrise” versus “They watched the sunrise.”

no: see “yes,” below.

of: eg, “I jumped off of the ledge” versus “I jumped off the ledge.”

once more: that an action or behavior is repeated is usually obvious from context, and language explicitly indicating a repeat is best used to lampshade that the repeat was intentional by the author instead of accidental

pretty: eg, in the sense of “the sky was pretty clear,” not in the sense of “she was pretty.”

to realize: eg, “I realized there was no solution” versus “There was no solution.”

said nothing: there are a lot of similar constructions to this (eg, “didn’t reply,” “couldn’t answer”) and they’re almost all unnecessary. Unless you’re aiming to lampshade the silence, it’s better to indicate that someone said nothing…by simply not having them say something.

to see: eg, “I saw the man jump over the fence” versus “The man jumped over the fence.”

silently: eg, “she padded silently across the room” versus “the padded across the room.” If something is silent, it’s best communicated by simply not having the thing make a sound.

to start: see “to begin,” above.

that: in many contexts “that” adds no meaning. For example, “She wanted to know that he cared” versus “She wanted to know he cared.”

to think: eg, “She thought he looked cool” versus “He looked cool.”

to understand: eg, “He understood the water was wet” versus “The water was wet.”

very: there are some excellent lists of synonyms for “very + ~word,” single words you can use, eg, “very big” versus “enormous.” Here’s one such list.

to wonder: see “to think,” above.

yes: this is a strange one, but frequently in dialog it’s not necessary to have a character explicitly say yes or no - it’s often clear from context - and including the yes/no reply and then giving an explanation that reiterates that is often clunky and unnecessary

References and Further Reading:

Remember, this is not meant as a hard and fast list of “words to not use.” Writing is about context; in some contexts these will be the correct words to use, and in others, they will be inappropriate. The key to dealing with weasel words is to make sure you use them at times they add meaning to what you’re writing and to cut them when they do not add meaning. Learning to recognize the difference is difficult and takes time, but gets easier with practice and is well worth getting good at. One of the quickest ways to really improve your writing is to read it with a critical eye, learn to recognize which of the above you over use most (everyone has different ones they tend towards…mine are “though” and “just.”) So go to it - read those sentences, figure out which words add meaning and which don’t, and pull out the red pen!

Good luck, fellow toilers!

FAQ - What are the stereotypes of asexual and aromantic characters?

These are just a few of the most harmful and common ones. Longer lists can be found here and here, and a list of asexual characters in popular fiction can be found here! 

If you want to include any of these in your story, please send in an ask so we can assist you in doing it properly, or research on the stereotype! Whether or not a portrayal is harmful is up to authors, and we are happy to to help you create unique, accurate asexual/aromantic representation in fiction!

Want to do more research? Check out this article on ace characters, this article on ace and aro characters, and this guide on writing aro/ace characters!

Here is a post specific to writing ace POC. We recommend doing more research with material and narratives created and lead by ace POC on these topics. This post does not include enough information on that, as we are still learning ourselves. (And we welcome any info from racialized ace folks who want to add/recommend anything on this subject!)