Im So Tired Of Stories That Want To Beepic Andinterestingso Bad That They Think Turning Friend Against

im so tired of stories that want to be epic and interesting so bad that they think turning friend against friend is the only way.

you know what i find epic? you know what i find really interesting?

stories where friends love each other so much that they search for a way to work together despite disparate beliefs—even though it’s fucking hard.

stories where the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood and found families are so strong that they fight for each other rather than against each other.

stories where an idealist and a pragmatist recognize and take advantage of the fact that they complement what the other is lacking, instead of getting into a pissing match about which way is better. stories where that partnership fucks villains up and makes the world a better place.

stories where shared history and knowing each other gets the weight it deserves rather than being used to elevate a character’s manpain or to emotionally manipulate a reader into caring about a story arc that is transparently about blockbuster panels rather than any real adherence to characterization and actually, sort of reeks of Patriot Act apologism in places

stories where moral complexity doesn’t mean being a fucking asshole to people who have been your best friends and family for decades jfc

stories where trust matters and stealing someone’s memories or agency isn’t seen as a the lesser of two evils because it’s not used as the only other option when faced with worldwide annihilation IN THE FIRST PLACE

sorry

sorry, i got off topic

stories where characters can be gritty and real and multifaceted because they act out of loyalty, faith, and friendship even when the odds are against them, even when it’s easier to do something else. 

JUST GIVE ME THIS: STORIES THAT GLORIFY FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE NOT THE EVIL THAT MEN DO IN THE NAME OF THE GREATER GOOD. SUPERHEROES WHO FIGHT BACK TO BACK. PARTNERSHIPS. TEAMS. FAMILY.

i’m so so tired of the circle jerk of betrayal and angst coming from WITHIN rather than ACTUAL SUPER VILLAINS damn

consider the following

"please for the love of god help you’re the only one here who speaks English" AU

"i go to this restaurant every week and sit at the same table and suddenly you’re my new server" AU

"i’ve been breaking my phone on purpose just because you work at the help desk" AU

"i saw you taking selfies and i wondered if i could take one with you" AU

"i’m the sarcastic techie who got dragged into running your stupid presentation" AU

"we somehow ended up in charge of senior prank" AU

"i’ve walked into your classroom four times by mistake can you please help me learn my way around this stupid school" AU

"your music’s way too loud bUT THAT’S MY FAVORITE SONG" AU

"bored single parents at a OneDirection concert" AU

"mutual drunk friend called BOTH of us to pick them up from a party well this is awkward" AU

"for the last time we do not sell hydrochloric acid I’M CALLING THE COPS" AU

"your email address is one letter different from my friend’s so i keep emailing you by mistake" AU

"you accidentally added me to this group chat and i don’t know how to take myself off" AU

10 ways to hit your readers in the gut

One of the strongest bonds that link us to our favorite stories is the emotional tie, or books that sink a fist right into our guts. When you finished a book where you couldn’t let go of after the last page, chances are, the author successfully punched you in the spleen. If you’ve ever wondered how to do just that, here are some of my favorite methods:

Make your reader root for your main character(s). Make your character stretch out their arm toward their goal, as far as they can to reach, until their fingertips barely brush it. Make your character want something so much that your reader wants it, too.

When your character trips and stumbles and stops to question themselves, the readers will hold their breath.

Push your character to their very limit, and then a little further.

When your character hits the bottom, they should scrape themselves back together and get back up. Give readers a reason to believe in your character.

If your character is challenging your plot, your plot should challenge your character.

Leave a trail of intrigue, of questions, of “what if?” and “what next?”

If a character loses something (a battle, an important memento, part of themselves), they must eventually gain something in equal exchange, whether for good or bad.

Raise the stakes. Then raise them higher.

Don’t feel pressured to kill a character (especially simply to generate emotional appeal). A character death should serve the plot, not the shock factor. Like anything else in your story, only do it if it must be done and there’s no other way around it.

What’s the worst that can happen? Make it happen. Just make sure that the reader never loses hope.

FightWrite: Your Killers Need to Kill

Killers need to kill. It’s surprising how many writers ignore this very specific and important piece of the ones they claim are killers, heartless or not. Sometimes, there’s a difference between the character we describe in the text and the actions the character takes. An author can tell me over and over that a character is a deadly and dangerous person who strikes ruthlessly without mercy, but if they don’t behave that way in the actual story then I’m not going to buy it.

Show versus tell: the difference between who the author says the character is and the actions the character takes in the story. Especially if the actions counteract the description. Now, you do have characters who lie, characters who misrepresent themselves, characters who say one thing and do another, but these are not the characters we’re talking about. This is about ensuring that you, the author, know the character you are writing. Unless you’re hiding their habits, let us glimpse the worst they’re capable of.

Monster. I could tell Jackson I was a monster, but he wouldn’t believe me. He saw a strawberry blonde, five feet eleven inches. A waitress, a Pilates nut, not a murderer. The nasty scar across my slim waist that I’d earned when I was ten? He thought I’d gotten it from a mugging at twenty one. Just as a natural layer of womanly fat hid away years of physical conditioning, I hid myself behind long hair, perky makeup, and a closet full of costumes bought from Macy’s and Forever 21. To him, I was Grace Johnson. The woman who cuddled beside him in bed, the woman who hogged the sheets, who screamed during horror movie jump scares, the woman who forgot to change the toilet paper, who baked cookies every Saturday morning, the woman who sometimes wore the same underwear three days in a row. The woman he loved.

No, I thought as I studied his eyes. Even with a useless arm hanging at my side, elbow crushed; my nose smashed, blood coursing down from the open gash in my forehead, a bullet wound in my shoulder, Sixteen’s gun in my hand, the dining room table shattered, and his grandmother’s China scattered across the floor. He’d never believe Grace Johnson was a lie. Not until I showed him, possibly not even then. Not for many more years to come. Probably, I caught my mental shrug, if he lives.

“Grace,” Jackson said. “Please…” The phone clattered the floor, his blue eyes wide, color draining from his lips. “This isn’t you.”

Gaze locking his, I levered Sixteen’s pistol at her knee.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Morrison will take you in, he’ll fix this.” Her voice cracked, almost a sob. For us, a destroyed limb was a death sentence. Once, we swore we’d die together. Now, she can mean it. “Thirteen, if you run then there’s no going back.”

My upper lip curled. “You don’t know me.” I had no idea which one I was talking to. “You never did.”

My finger squeezed the trigger.

Sixteen grunted, blood slipping down her lip. In the doorway, Jackson screamed.

Do it and mean it. Let it be part of their character development, regardless of if which way you intend to go. In the above example, there’s a dichotomy present between the character of Thirteen and her cover Grace Johnson. There’s some question, even for the character, about which of them they are. It sets up a beginning of growth for the character as she runs, but it also fails to answer what will be the central question in the story: who am I? Which way will I jump?

If Thirteen doesn’t kill Sixteen, if the scene answers the question at the beginning then why would you need to read the story?

Below the cut, we’ll talk about some ways to show their struggles.

-Michi

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list of aus that aren’t themed at all:

we’re both third seventh wheels in our groups au

you’re an actor in a haunted house and i accidentally punched you in the face when you scared me au

i do stupid shit and you’re my doctor au

accidentally called your number while drunk asking for a ride and you actually came au

we both didn’t want to be at this party but look where we are au

our pets banged and now one of them is expecting guess i should know your name au

i live in your old house and i keep getting your mail au

we’re both stuck in this airport cause of a storm and i’m afraid of thunder au

you’re a reaper escorting me to the afterlife and the road there is surprisingly long au

you saved me from a fire au

i work at the lost and found and does this thing seriously belong to you au

we’re both lost in the woods au

meeting in a nude spa au

i’m a florist and you keep buying flowers from me and what do you mean it was my fault we didn’t get together earlier you were buying flowers i assumed you had a lover au

you’re an immortal who keeps making history and guess what my best subject is au

we’re on the debates team yet we can’t argue about something without yelling au

how the hell do i keep managing to get you as my cab driver au

you’re a brass player why do you live in an apartment building au

you’re my friend/doctor and you’re the one who tells me i’m terminal au

How surface texture affects bloodstain patterns. (Video)