asmallbirdinmayy

[asmallbirdinmayy]

please be patient with yourself. you’re trying and that’s the most important thing. it’s okay if something takes you longer than you thought. recovery is a long road and there will be bumps, but you’ll get there.

[asmallbirdinmayy]

[asmallbirdinmayy]

[asmallbirdinmayy]

Let's talk about misdirection.

(Requested by @voiceless9000. Hope this is helpful!)

Misdirection in storytelling, through foreshadowing and other techniques, is a powerful tool that can enhance suspense, surprise, and engagement in your narrative and make plot twists more unexpected.

Remember to maintain coherence and avoid contrivances that may undermine the integrity of your storytelling.

Here are some techniques you can use to effectively misdirect readers:

Red Herrings: Introduce elements or clues that suggest a certain outcome or plot direction, only to later reveal that they were misleading. These false leads can divert readers' attention away from the true resolution.

Selective Detailing: Highlight certain details or events in a way that implies their significance, while downplaying or omitting others that might be more relevant to the actual outcome. By controlling what information readers focus on, you can steer their expectations.

Character Misdirection: Use characterisation to mislead readers about characters' true intentions, motivations, or identities. Create multi-dimensional characters who may behave ambiguously or inconsistently, leaving readers unsure of their true allegiances, motivations, or goals.

Foreshadowing: Employ foreshadowing to hint at future events or outcomes, but do so in a way that misleads interpretation. Provide clues that could be interpreted in multiple ways or that lead readers to expect one outcome while delivering another. (See my previous post about foreshadowing for more!)

Misleading Narration: Utilise an unreliable narrator or perspective to present events in a biased or distorted manner. Readers may trust the narrator's account implicitly, only to discover later that their perceptions were flawed or intentionally deceptive.

Subverting Tropes: Set up situations or scenarios that seem to follow familiar narrative tropes or conventions, only to subvert them in unexpected ways. This can keep readers guessing and prevent them from accurately predicting the story's trajectory.

Parallel Storylines: Introduce secondary storylines or subplots that appear unrelated to the main narrative but eventually intersect or influence the primary plot in unexpected ways. This can distract readers from anticipating the main storyline's developments.

Setting: Manipulate the setting or environment to create false impressions about the direction of the plot. For example, presenting a seemingly idyllic setting that harbors dark secrets or dangers.

Timing and Pacing: Control the pacing of your story to strategically reveal information or developments at opportune moments, leading readers to draw premature conclusions or overlook important details. (See my post on pacing for more tips!)

Twists and Reversals: Incorporate sudden plot twists or reversals that upend readers' expectations and challenge their assumptions about the story's direction. Ensure that these twists are logically consistent but sufficiently surprising to catch readers off guard.

Happy writing!

[asmallbirdinmayy]

5 things your character can't do while speaking

Choke. Just think about it, seriously. Think about what choking is and imagine speaking while it’s happening. That would fuckin’ hurt, man.

Hiss. Look, it’s just not possible, okay? No matter how “evil” you want your character to seem.

Snarl. Animals snarls. The Beast from Beauty and the Beast snarls. The Hulk snarls. You know who doesn’t snarl? PEOPLE WHEN THEY’RE SPEAKING.

Shriek. Come on, 99% of the time, “shriek” is not the word you want.Let’s face it: if you put an exclamation point at the end of the sentence, your reader gets the picture. Don’t bring to mind banshees and screaming toddlers.

Sneer. I’m not even going to bother explaining this one. “SNEER” ISN’T EVEN A SOUND.

[asmallbirdinmayy]

temporary tea time

[asmallbirdinmayy]

[asmallbirdinmayy]

An ode to my weird recurring dream in which an unnaturally tall wave towers over me.

[asmallbirdinmayy]

[asmallbirdinmayy]

Why do I want to write?

But don't want to write?

[asmallbirdinmayy]

#me #myself #and #i #again

[asmallbirdinmayy]

[asmallbirdinmayy]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) dir. Tim Burton

[asmallbirdinmayy]

Reasons someone may not have replied that aren’t the bad reasons your brain suggests to you (they’re mad, stopped caring, you aren’t important, etc).

They’re asleep/resting.

They have no service.

They want to take time to form their reply.

They don’t have the energy to reply right now.

They’re working / don’t have access to their phone.

They accidentally opened the notification and meant to reply and got distracted (this doesn’t mean they don’t care either! I do this a lot and I love my loved ones dearly. My brain is just chaotic sometimes.)

They’re in a really bad place.

They’re in a situation where it’s rude to use their phone.

They really just want a break from talking to people.

They are enjoying a movie, game, activity, etc.

Something came up they had to deal with asap.

A lot of the time, to challenge irrational thoughts we need alternative explanations to combat them. Here are some for a situation when a loved one hasn’t replied to you. I encourage you to plan for other situations that come up for you as well.

[asmallbirdinmayy]

Being overstimulated is such a weird thing to explain to people. Like "hey sorry, I'm not mad at you and this is nobody's fault and I'm not blaming anyone for it happening, I am aware this is a part of regular everyday life but I am mentally crumbling because There Have Been Things Happening nonstop for 5 hours straight back to back with no breaks, and I really need to sit down in complete silence for like 15-25 minutes, after which I will be completely fine and can proceed as normal. But if I'm not allowed to have that, I will resort to violence."

[asmallbirdinmayy]

Jessica Chastain for Vogue Ukraine

[asmallbirdinmayy]

Half-Elf Cleric