Writing Tips - Banter

writing tips - banter

I LOVE BANTER WE ALL LOVE BANTER HIP HIP HOORAYYYY!!

Banter is a lovely addition to dialogue between characters. It means a lot of different things - sass, genuine insults, flirting....all sorts of options.

But overusing banter can make conversations sound circular. It's a fun 'fluffy' piece of dialogue, but doesn't do the best job conveying plot.

Pedantry vs teasing

Pedantic speech is basically nit-picking. Somebody who can't bear to let anything slide, no matter how small. This is an interesting character trait and one that adds depth, but if it's unintentional it sounds frustrating. Sassy characters are fun, especially when they go off in an inner monologue.

If a character has a quip for everything, it adds a layer of whiny-ness. Sarcasm is a fun way to tease and complain. Constant complaining gets on a reader's nerves after a while. Soon there becomes so much commentary it's hard to dissect what is actually being described.

Unless your OC has no sense of social boundaries, there's usually a break in between jokes to read the room.

How do I know when enough is enough?

Think about the character. If they have that wonderfully sardonic rapport with their peers, that's great! Why do they act like that? Is it a sense of humor? Is there a running joke? When you incorporate the banter, keep it in the confines of those parameters. It'll still enrich the conversation without overwhelming it.

It's a learning curve!!!!!

I like to do it this way:

write the dialogue as banter-y and indulgent as possible. When the scene is finished, I reread and pick out the really funny bits and discard the rest or move it to a different scene.

Sometimes those indulgent character moments help the really good stuff push to the front of your mind. Go for it! You know your story better than anybody else; if it's telling your story the way you want, that's all that matters.

My top three rules for world building:

How are these bitches eating?

How do these bitches stay warm at night?

Who is paying for all of this bullshit?

why do we dislike the gacha community sm?

(rant!)

okay so if you've been around for a while you've probably heard of the gacha community. unless you've actually been exposed to the community, then it's likely you've strayed away because of the people who create you-know-what with a children's game. I feel like people see the "gacha heat" content more often than not, and most judge the community as a whole based off of the few creators who make "gacha heat".

but actually, there's a lot more to the community then those disgusting people. behind all of that, there's talent. the mini-movie creators are amazing with their ability to tell original stories. those who make edits can animate + edit incredibly well.

there's so much creativity within the community, and if people would be willing to look deeper than just the "gacha heat" content, then they'd see it.

that's mostly it but feel free to give these creators some love!

-redblazer: amazing series and a ton of lgbtq+ rep (transfem character, asexual character in a romantic relationship, polyam rep)

-palecatlover: go check out his series "humaniacs"! it's incredible and and he doesn't get enough love for it :3

-rosyclozy: "the music freaks" creator!

how do I remove this pesky reblog I DIDN'T MEAN TO

I NEED TO DRAW MORE EJEN ALI STUFFF RAHHHHHHHH😭😭😭😭missing my sillies rn 😔😔feel free to drop (very specific) requests cause idk what to draw

Alsoooo very hyped for eatm2!!! :D WE WILL BE SEATEDD can't wait to watch it in the cinemas like the first movie this is gonna be a total banger

a million times happier in a million years if those people (but worse) stopped existing

"I don't like the fandom content this person posts!"

Then unfollow them.

"I'm not following them, but they're in all the tags!"

Then block them.

"I blocked them but all the people I follow reblog their posts!"

Then unfollow those people.

"But I like their other content!"

Then add the person's username to your blocklist.

"But—"

No. Stop. Listen. You cannot control what other people post or how they interpret your favorite characters or what ships they like. All you can control is your own actions and your public responses. Block them, filter out their username, then post your own stuff to carve out a space for yourself and people like you in your fandom. You will be a million times happier if you focus on what you're doing and what you enjoy instead of on the people you don't like.