stellaincognita

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A (Non-Exhaustive) List of (Red-ish) Flags In Writing

Particularly when writing people with a marginalized identity that you don't hold, it can be hard to tell what is an issue if you're not familiar with it. Research should be your main reference point, but sometimes you need to go with your instincts.

Here is a very non-exhaustive list of things that should flag to you that you need to take another look at it and do some more research:

Is a person/culture/group presented as "backwards", irrational, un-modern, or uniformly aggressive?

Am I using coded language (e.g. thug, slut, slow) to describe a character?

Am I associating sexual habits or preferences with a certain race, religion, gender, or class?

Am I dismissing or making light of devestating historical events that appear or are referenced in the story?

Am I prioritizing the rehabilitation of individuals or groups who commited violence, particularly at the expense of those who experienced that violence?

Are my characters, particularly my marginalized characters, embodying stereotypes with no other characteristics?

Do my marginalized characters exist simply so I can say I have included marginalized characters?

Am I applying every marginalization to one character so that I don't have to "deal with it" in other characters?

Do marginalizations, particularly disabilities, only appear when convenient?

Do marginalized characters, particularly Characters of Color, exist only to guide or care for white characters?

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How to Write Rescue Scenes

In pretty much any genre, but especially in fantasy, sci-fi, and action stories, there are going to be scenes when one or several characters are trapped in a sticky situation. This can be solved in one of two ways: either the character(s) find a way out themselves, or someone else comes and rescues them. The former is a whole other issue to deal with, but I’m going to talk about tips on writing a good rescue scene!

Figure Out the Problem and Stakes

Of course, if you are creating a rescue scene, you need to figure out what exactly is happening. Who are the characters and what do they need to be rescued from? How urgent is this and what happens if the characters aren’t rescued? Who is the rescuer and what do they stand to gain from rescuing the characters? It’s important to map out these parts because you want to be planning the rescue along with your rescuer character. Then, you can see the logic and motivations, and write an effective scene that advances the plot, character development, and/or themes.

Why Can’t the Character Save Themselves?

This is the key question you should frame the rescue around. Is it a physical impairment (i.e. a character is tied up or broke their leg) or a mental impairment (i.e. not smart enough to escape or not willing to escape)? It’s important to answer this question first or you will risk creating a massive plot hole. It also can help shape the rescue mission itself (i.e a character is bleeding out and has limited time, or a character is unwilling to be rescued and is hostile to the rescuer).

What Are the Risks/Rewards of a Rescue?

This is delving deeper into the motivations of the rescuer. It’s crucial to address why the rescue is even being carried out, especially if it poses a great risk to a rescuer, or you might end up having a huge plot hole. For example, if you are sending a top general who is critical to a war effort out to save a couple of common soldiers, it could be questioned why the general would be put in harm’s way. This leads to the rewards question: what are the benefits of rescue? Remember, it doesn’t always have to be “it’s the right thing to do.” Maybe the victim knows a key piece of information, they are promising a large monetary prize for their rescue, or the rescuer needs to capture and interrogate the victim themself.

What Goes Wrong?

Here’s the classic question. Most rescues have some sort of plan, and most of the time that plan should go wrong. It’s not entertaining in most circumstances to have a plan be carried out perfectly: it ends up feeling repetitive in a lot of instances. Pick what goes wrong and decide if that will ruin the rescue mission or if the rescuer can find a way to still complete their job. Usually, the more that goes wrong, the better, but make sure to keep it within reasonability. For example, if there is a simple hostage rescue and then the plan is ruined by a freak alien invasion, this would be unrealistic and disappointing for a reader.

Avoid Deus Ex Machina

Rescue scenes are a key area that can fall victim to Deus Ex Machina, which basically means that a problem is solved out of nowhere with a random new solution/character that’s usually overpowered. This ends up disappointing a reader and doesn’t create the good plot twist a lot of writers might initially think it does. The best way to avoid Deus Ex Machina is to plan out characters and create ways for a plan to go wrong, therefore avoiding the introduction of a new overpowered character who can rescue the victim out of nowhere.

Hope this helps and good luck writing!

[stellaincognita]

Very interesting to me that T. S. Eliot is often quoted as saying "Good poets borrow. Great poets steal." When in fact what he actually said was "One of the surest of tests is the way in which a poet borrows. Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different. The good poet welds his theft into a whole of feeling which is unique, utterly different from that from which it was torn; the bad poet throws it into something which has no cohesion. A good poet will usually borrow from authors remote in time, or alien in language, or diverse in interest." Which of course has a completely different meaning, less "All the greats plagiarize," and more "Completely original ideas are a fantasy; the originality lies in how you weave an idea that has been previously woven differently."

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so fond of characters who haunt their stories, who exist without actually existing at all. when a character is long gone, but persists in the actions and words of all the characters they have left behind. when everything to come unfolds because of them. when they are both dead and the beating heart at the very center of the narrative... that’s the stuff 💗__💗

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“One man’s cringe is another man’s epic” and “a flawed story is still a thousand times better than a story never told” are two pieces of advice that a lot of people aspiring to be writers really need to take to heart. Stop tearing yourself up over getting every little insignificant thing right.

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My only real and valid writing tip is that you google every word you make up for your fantasy stories. That's It

[stellaincognita]

My only real and valid writing tip is that you google every word you make up for your fantasy stories. That's It

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The narrative is sentient and it is coming to GET you

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having writer friends is being like in the world’s tiniest fandom except to get new content you have to beat it out of the author with a stick

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“There’s a legend about a Chinese painter who was asked by the emperor to paint a landscape so pristine that the emperor can enter it. He didn’t do a good job, so the emperor was preparing to assassinate him. But because it was his painting, legend goes, he stepped inside and vanished, saving himself. I always loved that little allegory as an artist. Even when it is not enough for others, if it is enough for you, you can live inside it.”

— Ocean Vuong, from an interview with Zoë Hitzig in Prac Crit

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one of the great joys of writing is to suddenly happen upon an amazing epic plot twist that is so perfectly foreshadowed by everything you wrote before that no one will ever suspect that it came as much of a surprise to you as to them

[stellaincognita]

“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”

—

[stellaincognita]

I saw a post talking about how Terry Pratchett only wrote 400 words a day, how that goal helped him write literally dozens of books before he died. So I reduced my own daily word goal. I went down from 1,000 to 200. With that 800-word wall taken down, I’ve been writing more. “I won’t get on tumblr/watch TV/draw/read until I hit my word goal” used to be something I said as self-restraint. And when I inevitably couldn’t cough up four pages in one sitting, I felt like garbage, and the pleasurable hobbies I had planned on felt like I was cheating myself when I just gave up. Now it’s something I say because I just have to finish this scene, just have to round out this conversation, can’t stop now, because I’m enjoying myself, I’m having an amazing time writing. Something that hasn’t been true of my original works since middle school. 

And sometimes I think, “Well, two hundred is technically less than four hundred.” And I have to stop myself, because - I am writing half as much as Terry Pratchett. Terry fucking Pratchett, who not only published regularly up until his death, but published books that were consistently good. 

And this has also been an immense help as a writer with ADHD, because I don’t feel bad when I take a break from writing - two hundred words works up quick, after all. If I take a break at 150, I have a whole day to write 50 more words, and I’ve rarely written less than 200 words and not felt the need to keep writing because I need to tie up a loose end anyways. 

Yes, sometimes, I do not produce a single thing worth keeping in those two hundred words. But it’s much easier to edit two hundred words of bad writing than it is to edit no writing at all.

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why does no one know how to rec things at all LOL

[stellaincognita]

How to write a D/deaf or HOH character without being a bitch

Written by me, someone who has been HOH my entire life and had a hearing aid for half of it.

Okay so you are wanting to write a character that is HOH or D/deaf but you are neither and rightfully don't want to offend people in our community. Well lucky for you here is a guide to writing those characters.

All D/deaf and HOH characters:

- Not everyone who is in the community was born with it. Many people lose their hearing later in life. And this leads onto

- Not every D/deaf and HOH person has the 'deaf accent'. This is because as stated above some loose their hearing later in life and others, such as myself, can hear decently well without an aid in.

- Also not everyone who lost their hearing later in life lost it in some major accident, many simply lose it just due to genetics or prolonged exposure to loud sounds without giving the ears a chance to heal.

- The best way I can put this is every D/deaf person is HOH but not every HOH person is D/deaf. Part of this is up to peoples personal preference and part is up to the fact that many HOH people have decent hearing without an aid in.

- People can go years without themselves or others realising they have hearing loss. I myself for example have had hearing loss since birth but it didn't get picked up on till I was around about 4.

- If hearing loss is discovered in someone the doctors are going to want to find out why you have hearing loss and this leads to tests. Most of the time it'll just be an MRI. This also means that the character and/or characters guardian will know why they have hearing loss

- There are levels of hearing loss and all of them are: mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe and profound. Sources on these are found all over the internet.

- You also have multiple types of hearing loss. You have, I guess people who aren't D/deaf or HOH would call it the 'normal' type of hearing loss, which is hearing loss across the board, you don't hear some frequencies easier than others; then theres low frequency and high frequency hearing loss and this is when you can't hear a frequency as well as another. I for example have low frequency hearing loss meaning I can't hear sounds that are low pitched sounds as well as I can hear high pitched sounds and for people with high frequency hearing loss it's the other way around. The last two aren't like your hearing is fine with other frequencies you still have difficulty hearing that one but it's easier to hear than the other one.

- There are also other types but these depend on where the hearing loss is situated within the ear. Theres absolutely loads on these already online but a quick summery of them is: sensorineural hearing loss, the most common and affects the inner ear, can't be treated but many with it find hearing aids helpful; conductive hearing loss, not as common as sensorineural but quite common in kids, affects the outer or middle ear, caused by sound waves being blocked in the ear canal; and finally mixed hearing loss which is as you can probably a guess a mix between sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.

- If your character is going to get an hearing test they go to an audiologist. Hearing tests usually happen every 6 months and audiologists are located in hospitals or any NHS centre.

- Not every D/deaf and HOH person knows sign language

- Not every D/deaf and HOH person can lipread

- And most people who are D/deaf aren't completely D/deaf, they still have some level of hearing however it is by no means enough to hear the volume most sounds are in day to day life

- There are some people who have hearing loss as a child but as they get older it clears up, there are several reasons this can happen but the most common is glue ear which can also happen in adults.

- D/deaf and HOH people aren't completely hopeless without an aid like some people think. This is so important. If that person doesn't have an aid then they know what they're doing, if it obvious that they are struggling then you ask to help and only help if they then give you permission to. If they say no to your help, don't help them, simple as. If a person has an aid then we're prepared for if we forget it on an off chance or if it breaks. We don't need an able bodied person there for everything.

- This goes for every disability where a sense is lost but a persons other senses aren't enhanced because they can't hear as well as others. In fact most people I know in real life with hearing loss need glasses.

- Not every D/deaf or HOH person has an aid. There are types of hearing loss where an aid will not help and many people either can't afford an aid or haven't gotten it diagnosed.

Characters with an aid:

- Hearing aids don't magically fix a person hearing. We still struggle, we still need people to repeat things, our hearing doesn't become perfect.

- Hearing aids aren't the only type of aid you can get for hearing

- Kids will sometimes get grommets which are these little donut shaped things which are put in the ear via surgery and then they fall out after a bit

- Also kids with a hearing aid will usually have one with an in ear mould. And let me tell you there are so many designs you can get. From the ages fo 7 to 12 I had a red sparkly one, a black and white marble one and a silver sparkly one, my cousin has a the Manchester City logo on his mould and my best friend in primary had a lion on his.

- You can also get in ear mould ones when you older and also have cool moulds so let your characters have these crazy cool moulds.

- Hearing aids also supposed to be cleaned regularly (not with alcohol or liquids or it'll break the aid) but my audiologist never told me that so in all the 7 years I've had an hearing aid so I've never cleaned either one I've had, so it is recommended that you clean them but not necessary. I think. Don't hold me on that.

- Hearing aids are cleaned in this little tub where you put this little circular thing which is supposed to removed all the liquid in the container and hearing aid when the tub is shut. Hearing aids with moulds have there tubes cleaned with a pump and hearing aids with domes are cleaned using these thin red strips.

- There are many different types of hearing aids: behind the ear (BTE), mini BTE, in the ear (ITE), middle ear implants, in the canal and completely in the canal aids. All of these are unique and wouldn't fit on a post but there are many resources online for your research.

- If you are giving your character a specific brand and/or type of hearing aid, I am begging you to do research on what features it has, for instance don't have the character carry around batteries if the named hearing aid they have is one that is charged.

- Hearing aids cannot get wet. This is so simple, so if your character is going to be involved in a scene where it is raining or they are going to go swimming, have them take out their hearing aids cause otherwise they will break.

- If your characters a young child and they're getting an hearing aid for the first time please note that it will irritate their ears and they're a kid they'll complain.

- Glasses can be worn with hearing aids.

- Hearing aid jewellery. Like this shit is so cool, just look up deaf metal and you'll see. I want to see more characters with hearing aid jewellery.

- Hearing is tiring. Like we gotta take breaks from our hearing aids at times.

- Loud noises and environments = static when your hearing aid is in.

- Hearing aids don't just suddenly die, about 10 minutes before they do they start beeping periodically.

- Before a hearing aid turns on after being turned on it has this little funky jingle and I just think it's neat.

- Hearing aids come in these little boxes where they're stored.

- I have no clue how it when you get hearing aids as an adult or when you don't have an oticon hearing aid but if your character is a child or teen with oticon hearing aids you get this bag and they give you stickers that can be put on the hearing aid.

- The bag also includes, aforementioned pump and tub, a tube thing used to check the hearing aid is working, a battery power checker and a little booklet.

- Hearing aids have to be taken out for sport, PE at school is usually okay to keep them in for but out of school sports are always taken more seriously and therefore you can't risk leaving hearing aids in and damaging them by falling over or going down in a tackle.

- Hearing aids aren't left in when someone goes to sleep

- Cochlear implants aren't hearing aids permanently on and attached to the head. The actual hearing aid part of the implant is separate and can be turned off, it's taken off regularly for washing and sleep.

- Cochlear implants are implanted via surgery and can't be used immediately, they need time to heal.

Final notes:

- A lot of what you need can be found online don't rely on a post made by a teenager to write a D/deaf or HOH character

- This is all based on my own experiences, I am a white, queer, british teenager, my experiences of growing up HOH are not universal and they shouldn't be treated as such

- If any of my points contradict what another D/deaf or HOH creator says also listen to them, there's not "I encourage you to" about that, you listen to them because as I said my experiences are not universal

- And finally, I encourage and welcome other D/deaf and HOH creators to add on their experiences, everyone deserves to be listened to