wit4writ

[wit4writ]

The crew of 9-1-1. I'll be in a dangerously impossible situation that basically REQUIRES shenanigans to get rescued. I'll also be grievously wounded, with a sudden deterioration in the second act. After getting to the hospital, I'll then have to suffer under the hospitality of the American medical system, where I'll be in debt for the rest of my life.

This post is kinda like my other one but a bit better lmao. I might make variations of this with other pieces of media but it depends onnn how well this is received

[wit4writ]

for childhood nostalgia

(also known as 郑老师会刮目相看吗?) 

Birth and death dates of poets sourced from Baidu, 08 Feb 2021.

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Thoughts in the Quiet Night 静夜思 by 李白 (Li Bai, 701 - 762)

床前明月光 chuáng qián míng yuè guāng Before the well, the bright moonlight

疑是地上霜 yí shì dìshàng shuāng seems like frost on the ground.

举头望明月 jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè Lifting the head to gaze at the moon above,

低头思故乡 dī tóu sī gù xiāng and bowing it with longing for the old hometown.

I remember this one the best out of the five, I think. You can say the first two words, and I - also possibly anyone who’s been through some form of chinese school or class - will scream the rest at the top of out voices! It’s so ingrained in my soul. LOL.  A good one to teach to little kids even if they may not understand yet.

A little side note here on how I chose to interpret the 床 | chuáng in the first line: The baidu page points to the entry in kangxi’s dictionary which mentions that it can be used to refer to the extended stone surface of the well from above the ground. Some articles and essays (from those who would know better then I) challenge this and lay out uses from other poems to point out that this may refer to the contraption used to retrieve the water instead.

My reason for reason for ‘well’ instead of ‘bed’ is a little less considered… I’ve never heard of frost forming on the floor of a house! Though I suppose if you were poor, and had no means of keeping your room a little warmer… but that’s a sad situation to place our homesick poet in, isn’t it? I’m not so mean. There’s also that 背井离乡 idiom that vaguely influences me a little. However, I’d like to make it clear here that the 井 here actually refers to the Well-field system and not an actual well.

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Ascending the Sparrow-Stork Tower 登鹳雀楼 by 王之涣 (Wang Zhihuan, 688 - 742)

白日依山尽 bái rì yī shān jǐn Daylight silhouetting the mountains ends.

黄河入海流 huáng hé rù hǎi liú The Yellow River joins the surging sea.

欲穷千里目 Yù qióng qiān lǐ mù Fancy witnessing the farthest reach of sight?

更上一层楼 gèng shàng yī céng lóu Then do ascend another level.

I forgot nearly every line in this poem, including what it’s all about, but retained a vague impression of the final one on going up one more level. And let me tell you, even though it’s so well known, this was impossible to find with a mangled ‘再上一楼’. I thought I was imagining things!

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Singing of Geese 咏鹅 by 骆宾王 (Luo Binwang, 626 - 687)

鹅，鹅，鹅 é, é, é gEEse, gEEse, gEEse 曲项向天歌 qū xiàng xiàng tiān gē necks arched, singing to the sky; 白毛浮绿水 bái máo fú lǜ feathers white, floating on jade water, 红掌拨清波 hóng zhǎng bō qīng bō red paddles stirring light ripples.

Many things would slip my mind, before this é, é, é ever will. It was said to be written by the poet as a child, and really, his excitement and delight shines so brightly.

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In Seven Steps 七步诗 by 曹植 (Cao Zhi, 192 - 232)

煮豆燃豆萁 zhǔ dòu rán dòu qí To cook the beans, ignite the beanstalk.

豆在釜中泣 dòu zài fǔ zhōng qì In the pot, the beans sobbed:

本是同根生 běn shì tóng gēn shēng “We were born of the same root,

相煎何太急 xiāng jiān hé tài jí what cause is there for this mutual torment?”

The story for this was never presented to us in full, and it was such a missed opportunity to introduce the little kiddies to rotk. It was shocking to hear it in Three Kingdoms, the 2010 drama (no subs though, sorry).

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A Spring Dawn 春晓 by 孟浩然 (Meng Haoran, 689 - 740)

春眠不觉晓 chūn mián bù jué xiǎo It is Spring; dawn catches the sleeper unawares.

处处闻啼鸟 chù chù wén tí niǎo Absolutely everywhere, chirping birds are heard.

夜来风雨声 yè lái fēng yǔ shēng Last night there came the sound of wind, rain;

花落知多少 huā luò zhī duō shǎo and the flowers fell - how many? unknown.

THIS ONE. This is the reason why I thought Li Qingzhao’s 知否 was so familiar. The vibe is entirely different, but the imagery similar.

[wit4writ]

hey there crimes of passion creators! here's a list of writing resources:

a while ago i wanted to put together like a list of resources, stuff I come across - mostly writing for mystery, private-detective-inclined stories and I'd love to share them w you:

research:

what do private investigators do? tumblr masterpost

debunking private investigator myths

how do PIs source their information? reddit thread

reddit AMA

common cases private eyes take on

how do you become a private investigator?

some more examples of common pi cases

purpose of detective agencies

depiction in media and stereotypes to watch out for

responsibilities, rules and laws bounding a private eye

private detective lingo , glossary of terms

a private eye's handbook pdf

writing prompts/tips:

20 detective writing prompts

writing tips: how to write a contemporary pi thriller

writing tips: clues

crimeread's essays section

prompts filted by sub-genres

how to get ideas for mystery plots

ill keep updating this as I come across more stuff <3 and please rb' if you come across any interesting resources that might be of help!

[wit4writ]

WEAPON COMMISIONS OPEN

Weapon design commissions by a martial artist and engineer! I make blueprints and weapon designs to arm you and your OCs respectively. Ever wanted to hold a sword of your own? If you live in the Philippines, I can also help you connect with local blacksmiths who can help bring your ideas to life. If you live elsewhere, you can commision me for a blueprint that you can bring to a forge near you. From the deepest reaches of untouched seas,

To the searing light of burning skies,

To the muted glow of stars beyond,

And- perhaps-

To the palm of your hand?

Your next legendary weapon awaits.

Contact me for samples and terms of service at kathang.tawen@gmail.com

[wit4writ]

Things almost every author needs to research

How bodies decompose

Wilderness survival skills

Mob mentality

Other cultures

What it takes for a human to die in a given situation

Common tropes in your genre

Average weather for your setting

[wit4writ]

I somehow do this instinctively, but it's nice to see it put to words with a clear explanation. Now I have a reference to explain why people need to rearrange their sentences. Of course, then they'll find out I'm on tumblr...

some of the best writing advice I’ve ever received: always put the punch line at the end of the sentence.

it doesn’t have to be a “punch line” as in the end of a joke. It could be the part that punches you in the gut. The most exciting, juicy, shocking info goes at the end of the sentence. Two different examples that show the difference it makes:

doing it wrong:

She saw her brother’s dead body when she caught the smell of something rotting, thought it was coming from the fridge, and followed it into the kitchen.

doing it right:

Catching the smell of something rotten wafting from the kitchen—probably from the fridge, she thought—she followed the smell into the kitchen, and saw her brother’s dead body.

Periods are where you stop to process the sentence. Put the dead body at the start of the sentence and by the time you reach the end of the sentence, you’ve piled a whole kitchen and a weird fridge smell on top of it, and THEN you have to process the body, and it’s buried so much it barely has an impact. Put the dead body at the end, and it’s like an emotional exclamation point. Everything’s normal and then BAM, her brother’s dead.

This rule doesn’t just apply to sentences: structuring lists or paragraphs like this, by putting the important info at the end, increases their punch too. It’s why in tropes like Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking or Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick, the odd item out comes at the end of the list.

Subverting this rule can also be used to manipulate reader’s emotional reactions or tell them how shocking they SHOULD find a piece of information in the context of a story. For example, a more conventional sentence that follows this rule:

She opened the pantry door, looking for a jar of grape jelly, but the view of the shelves was blocked by a ghost.

Oh! There’s a ghost! That’s shocking! Probably the character in our sentence doesn’t even care about the jelly anymore because the spirit of a dead person has suddenly appeared inside her pantry, and that’s obviously a much higher priority. But, subvert the rule:

She opened the pantry door, found a ghost blocking her view of the shelves, and couldn’t see past it to where the grape jelly was supposed to be.

Because the ghost is in the middle of the sentence, it’s presented like it’s a mere shelf-blocking pest, and thus less important than the REAL goal of this sentence: the grape jelly. The ghost is diminished, and now you get the impression that the character is probably not too surprised by ghosts in her pantry. Maybe it lives there. Maybe she sees a dozen ghosts a day. In any case, it’s not a big deal. Even though both sentences convey the exact same information, they set up the reader to regard the presence of ghosts very differently in this story.

[wit4writ]

Is it something you accept and seek to understand, bathing yourself in discomfort to process it, or is it a tsunami of self-condemnation that cracks the foundation of your being to the core?

and is your shame helpful? is it inspiring goodness and change? or is it keeping you frozen in time unable to move on and be everything you have expanded to be?

[wit4writ]

@lladida YA. WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME OUT LIKE THIS.

(x)

[wit4writ]

Words for the End of Summer

[wit4writ]

words to use instead of ________

"Mad"

aggravated, angry, annoyed, boiling, cross, enraged, exasperated, fuming, furious, heated, incensed, indignant, irate, irritable, livid, offended, outraged, riled, steamed, storming, upset

"Nice"

amiable, charming, cordial, courteous, delightful, favorable, friendly, genial, gentle, gracious, helpful, inviting, kind, lovely, obliging, peaceful, peachy, pleasant, polite, swell, sympathetic, tender, welcoming, well-mannered, winning

"Pretty"

alluring, appealing, attractive, beautiful, charming, cute, delightful, desirable, elegant, eye-catching, fair, fascinating, gorgeous, graceful, intriguing, lovely, pleasing, striking, stunning, sweet

"Said"

alleged, argued, asked, asserted, babbled, bellowed, bragged, commented, complained, cried, declined, demanded, denied, encouraged, expressed, giggled, growled, inquired, moaned, nagged, rebuked, rebutted, replied, rejected, retorted, roared, scolded, shrieked, shrugged, stated, taunted, vowed, warned, whined, whispered, yelled

"Went"

avoid, bolt, bound, depart, exit, escape, flee, fly, hike, hop, jaunt, jolt, journey, leap, leave, lurch, march, mosey, move, pace, parade, pass, progress, retreat, saunter, scoot, skip, split, step, stride, stroll, tour, travel, vanish

more words to use instead other words to use instead another list of words to use instead

[wit4writ]

When fans miss Galavant so much they create their own fan musical synopsis of the first two seasons-

[wit4writ]

The queen has spoken.

GUYS

Here’s the link to the article

[wit4writ]

Adobe is going to spy on your projects. This is insane.

[wit4writ]

[wit4writ]

“Sire, Sire, Grave news, The Princess has been kidnapped”, “Oh has she?”, “Sire… should you not be more concerned?”. The king looked up from his reports, studying the guard’s face before laughing “Ah, you must be new here, don’t worry, she’s more than capable of handling herself”

[wit4writ]

Mumbling, the King looked away from his knight and muttered, “I need you to save the dragon… from my princess.”

[wit4writ]

The Chosen One is dead, killed while facing the Dark Lord. Grief and hatred together give rise to an unlikely pair of heroes who come together to defeat the evil now taking over the world unchecked. The Chosen One’s parents are out for revenge, and there is no room for mercy anymore.