The Girl Who Would be an Author

Fashion in Fiction

Crossword stockings were a craze in America in 1925. Not before, not after. Fashion’s a funny thing; nowadays, it changes fast.

Why do I bring it up? Because, except in rare cases, your world probably has fashion. If it’s a historical world, then you know by now you’ve got to do your research. If, however, it’s a world you made up, then you’ve got some thinking to do.

For starters, what do the people in this world value? What is their general mindset? In the 1920’s, the war was over, and people wanted to forget it had ever happened; this is when the idea of right and wrong began to be more questioned in America, when moral issues began to be probed by the common man. The old was something they wanted to do away with, as it represented war and death. This lead to exciting clothing, newly high hemlines, brilliant colors, fringes, beads, and the like.

Another important point is, who is important in the society? For instance, again in the 1920’s, leather aviator jackets came into fashion when Charles Lindbergh  made the first sole transatlantic flight. He inspired a whole style of clothing for men.

Colors are also important; green stood for pacifism in the 1920’s, an increasingly popular movement. White was sometimes associated with the KKK at this point in time; black with fascists. Your colors could stand for anything, from red for the blood of those killed by war (a protest), to white for purity (a classic), to brown for the power of the working class (a party or group).

And again, most fashion is designed for a particular body type; in Victorian times, one was expected to have a waspish shape, if one was a woman, and to be able to look good in very fitted garments. At some point in Victorian times, the style for men was to have an inverted triangle sort of shape in the upper body.

Fashion also follows necessity; the length of girls’ dresses shortened during the 1940’s following the lack of cloth. 

So, just a few thoughts on deciding what’s fashionable in your world and what’s not, to get you thinking. I hope you come up with marvelous things!

I’ll fix that. Sorry. DX

Thanks, btw.

Writer’s Guide to Massage Therapy

First off, Massage Therapist is the preferred term, not masseuse or masseur. The latter names have negative connotations. I’ll explain why in a minute.

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Do you have to learn a new language for a story?

This question has recently cropped up in my own writing; how much of a language do you need to know to write a culture, or a culture based off of a culture with a different language from your own, as in fantasy or sci-fi?

Let’s take my example. I’ve got a group of people who have very Norse names, and elements of Norse culture. Calling everything they have and their landmarks and their customs in English names seems kind of silly, especially since another culture has markedly Latin-based names for things in the same story.

What’s my solution? Get a basic understanding of Old Norse, as well as Viking culture. Know as much as possible, research and recite and repeat. Know things like the fact that Vikings didn’t have horns on their helmets, and that Viking men didn’t go into their wives’ weaving rooms for the sake of their own manliness. 

Yes, the old ‘research, research, research’ comes up once again. If you’re going to portray a culture you don’t belong to, it’s your responsibility to portray it correctly. 

But it takes too long, you might say. I just wanted to write this story, and I don’t want to spend forever researching and learning languages!

Unfortunately, that sort of comes with the territory of being a good writer. Would you rather whip out dime a dozen, low quality stories that people are going to criticize vehemently for all its cultural and historical mistakes, or would you rather have a story that has been thoroughly researched and represents its characters accurately? Is it better to have quantity or quality?

In the writing world, generally quality will win out over quantity any day. There are too many writers for something truly bad to get in the press (even Twilight has its good points).

So, in short, learn enough of the language to conjugate well, and at least converse in baby speak; or, as I’ve done with Latin, get someone who speaks the language to collaborate with you.

Good luck!

slightlycrookedletters:

teresapalmer1x1:

So, in response to a shockingly poor, and frankly offensive, ‘how to’ that’s been circulating my dash, here’s my take on playing a character with bipolar disorder.

We all know I’m not an expert, what I am is a third year med student with experience in working with people with a number of physical and mental health problems, and my mother also happens to have bipolar disorder.

Please like or reblog if this is at all useful, and please help pass around an accurate representation of this disorder and hopefully retract some of the negative and stereotypical nonsense that’s been flying around as of late.

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So true. I’ve known a few bipolar people, including my grandpa. Take the time to read this if you ever have the slightest thought of making a character who has bipolar disorder.

Racial slurs for the whole family, impress your friends with your vast knowledge of hate!

So, yeah, might be helpful for writing, depending on your audience and all. Also, now you’ll know if someone is calling you something offensive! :)

lexofrp:

First of all, Ireland covers a lot of regions with hundreds of dialects  I'm generally focusing on the one I reside at which is ran socially by a very traditional, central system. Not everyone is going to say these words but here's a handful that might be useful while writing or playing a character from Ireland.

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(via aquestionofcharacter)

Colour Psychology: What is Your Character’s Favourite Colour?

ronerayette:

 

I was doing a bit of research on colours so I can find some favourite colours for my characters and since I gathered a bit, I thought I’d share some of what I found. They’re just brief summaries of a few major colours here. If you want more info you can follow the links.

 

Red meaning:

Red is one of the most highly charged colours on the colour wheel. Whenever it’s used it usually denotes extreme emotions. This is why red is a popular colour for warning signals and is seen as the go to colour for romance and passion. Those people who like red are seen as people who are grounded in the physical world, i.e the extraverts of society. They tend to follow their gut instinct and need completion because they love to win. They are hard workers who follow their dreams unapologetically which results in a lower procrastination rate in red lovers. However they are quite stubborn and impulsive, refusing to wait once they put their mind to something. Their confidence in themselves can go straight to their head, causing an over inflated ego.

Shades:

·         Magenta- These people are decisive and patient; though they may appear shy to others.

·         Crimson- People who love Crimson embody the strength and determination found in the colour red.

·         Scarlet- Scarlet lovers tend to live life to their own rules. They rebel against rules imposed on them and have little tolerance for tradition.

·         Pink- Lovers of Pink tend to have a more gentle nature. They are open individuals with child-like emotions.

 

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This is pretty cool! It’s been accurate for the most part for my characters, so certainly worth a look!

Thanks y’all for the congratulations! Now to let this baby stew…(It is almost literally my baby; it took me nine months to bang it out on the keyboard.)

Treating Broken Bones

howdoesmewrite:

The first thing to do is look for complications. They include but are not limited to: severe bleeding, a bone that has pierced the skin (called a compound fracture, and has its own set of complications, the least of which is contagion), symptoms of shock (pale skin, cold sweat, confusion), or a joint/bone that looks out of place. In a perfect world, you would call an ambulance. Your character isn’t in a perfect world. They need to tend to the bone themselves.

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