thehobblefootalchemist

[thehobblefootalchemist]

I think some people forget that some literature and some media is meant to be deeply uncomfortable and unsettling. It's meant to make you have a very visceral reaction to it. If you genuinely can't handle these stories then you are under no obligation to consume them but acting as if they have no purpose or as if people don't have a right to tell these stories, stories that often relate to the darkest or most disturbing parts of life, then you should do some introspection.

[thehobblefootalchemist]

I think one of my favorite creative joys is seeing how many different things people can do with the same concept. give ten writers the same starting point, or basic plot, or set of tropes to use and you're still going to get wildly different end results

the details you focus on, the ones you omit, turns of phrase, tone, and framing, the cadence and tempo of the sentences themselves, all the little fingerprints you've left littered across the prose — how you tell the story matters, and your personal voice is what makes it unique

[thehobblefootalchemist]

my friends all have such cool fucking OCs like waow…. blorbo from YOUR brain…….

[thehobblefootalchemist]

*NOTE: in this case, phobia refers to a very strong irrational fear, not being a little scared of something. if you can handle snakes but they make you nervous, that's not a phobia.

#thalassophobia is my common one #I can't even conceptualize the deep end of a pool without being unnerved #and I don't know the word for it but I have strong negativity in the direction of horses #they simply spook the hell out of me full stop

[thehobblefootalchemist]

Liking actors enough to get into their work has me having strong opinions about the silliest movies known to man

[thehobblefootalchemist]

hey boss i can't come in today it's a sunny day and there's a lovely breeze coming in through my window, yeah it's rustling the branches of the tree outside that's finally bloomed so it's pretty serious

[thehobblefootalchemist]

In writing, epithets ("the taller man"/"the blonde"/etc) are inherently dehumanizing, in that they remove a character's name and identity, and instead focus on this other quality.

Which can be an extremely effective device within narration!

They can work very well for characters whose names the narrator doesn't know yet (especially to differentiate between two or more). How specific the epithet is can signal to the reader how important the character is going to be later on, and whether they should dedicate bandwidth to remembering them for later ("the bearded man" is much less likely to show up again than "the man with the angel tattoo")

They can indicate when characters stop being as an individual and instead embody their Role, like a detective choosing to think of their lover simply as The Thief when arresting them, or a royal character being referred to as The Queen when she's acting on behalf of the state

They can reveal the narrator's biases by repeatedly drawing attention to a particular quality that singles them out in the narrator's mind

But these only work if the epithet used is how the narrator primarily identifies that character. Which is why it's so jarring to see a lot of common epithets in intimate moments-- because it conveys that the main character is primarily thinking of their lover/best friend/etc in terms of their height or age or hair color.

[thehobblefootalchemist]

I'm going to be posting WRITING today, the sun is shining the tank is clean

#finally grappled my writer's block into the dirt and emerged from the fallow period

[thehobblefootalchemist]

worried that thing you put in your art or writing or game or music is too self-indulgent, too self-referential, too niche for anyone but yourself? fear not! you can do whatever you want forever. and you should.

[thehobblefootalchemist]

Reblog to curse your followers and mutuals.

#monthly werewolf transformations #anyone who knows me knows there is no other answer

[thehobblefootalchemist]

I am totally willing to accept unexplained light sources in movies if that means those movies won't be dark as fuck for the 90+ minutes they run

[thehobblefootalchemist]

me, squinting at a wip I'm proofreading: is this ACTUALLY disjointed or does it just seem like it because I've had this in my drafts for a year

#in all likelihood it's fine but The Uncertainties persist #I shall have dinner and come back to it

[thehobblefootalchemist]

remember to cry for help without guilt-tripping. i know it feels like you’ve been abandoned and betrayed, but it’s probably not true, and it’s not okay to accuse the people around you of something they might not have done.

“i guess none of you like me” could be better phrased as “i feel unloved right now”

“but nobody cares anyway” could be better phrased as “i feel insignificant and i need reassurance”

rather than assuming others’ feelings, give them time to explain them. you’ll usually get a much better answer.

[thehobblefootalchemist]

I've heard of "they would not fucking say that" but I also sometimes feel like. Not only would they not say that, they specifically said the opposite of that and I know you all know it

[thehobblefootalchemist]

List of Questions to Ask Yourself When a Story Feels Stuck

Basic Human Needs

When was the last time you took a break?

Are you mentally/emotionally/physically exhausted?

Have you recently had anything substantial to eat/drink?

Basic Writer Needs

How are you feeling? Examine any negatives. Self-doubt, jealousy, anxiety, etc. Why are you feeling this way? Did something prompt it? Reach out to others if you can.

Have you been writing in the same place for too long? Using the same playlist? Try changing it up.

When was the last time you took in creative media from someone else? Books, podcasts, movies, tv? Seek out stories other than your own. 

Are you falling into the trap of expecting perfection when there is no such thing?

Focus on the trouble spot

Do you know where you want your characters to be after the part you’re stuck on? 

Can something new be introduced? A ticking time bomb, a surprise attack, a betrayal, a murder, a confession? 

Do you like the constraints you’ve set up for yourself? That is, the setting, the characters present, the ‘props’ at their disposal? Anything you can add, change, or take away?

Reread the last couple of scenes before your trouble spot. Is there a way you could rewrite/detour the trajectory in a new, not stuck direction? 

The bigger picture

Do you know how the story ends?

Does your outline need to change? Would it help you to make an outline?

How do you want the events of this ‘stuck scene’ to affect the rest of the plot? Is there a different way to create the same results?

Are the characters acting in a way that doesn’t work with the plot? Which are you willing to change, the characters or the plot?

[thehobblefootalchemist]

She took the pages.

[thehobblefootalchemist]

Got tagged by my friend @actingwithportals for the Last Line Challenge, where you post the last sentence you wrote for a current wip! This is from the upcoming final chapter of my Cranechel fic An Irregular Regimen:

Satisfaction swam through his veins like it was on an IV drip.

#hobble writes things #I'm using this as motivation to work on said draft lmao #no current spoons to tag anyone in turn but if you have a wip of your own consider this an encouragement beam your way