The Writing Support Thread

[GrizzlyEatsKids]

While growing facial hair is natural, not shaving, or shaving, can be used to symbolize a number of things, depending on where it's at in the story. I was just using that as an example, as I haven't gotten to that many areas in the book that require a physical change, but they are sort of stretched out throughout the series, not just the first book. I do have a very specific case in mind, but it is very spoilery, and I refuse to spoil anything about the plot. It's just used as a form of symbolism, a literary device, if you will.

[Tickles]

Well, Humen has a half point there. Having a lot of facial hair can symbolize hard times for a character, whether it's depression, poverty, increased work load, etc. This can represent an emotional state over time for them, in a way that the reader will say "Wow, he has been dealing with this a while. I mean, look at him, he looks a mess." You see what I'm saying?

[The-Blades-slave]

True, but I think Fenror was going for more of a token.  Like giving away your favorite item to a friend, it means something.

[GrizzlyEatsKids]

Both are true, actually. I think what Blades is saying is actually like the big spoiler point I mentioned, but Wha Xetroc is referencing happens has well, but it is a little more subtle, and isn't dwelled on quite like the other.

[Humen]

So its like if a guy lost his job feel into an alcoholic depression then the next tone you see him he's got a scruffy beard wearing nothing but a dirty robe and sweatpants in his messy apartment staring at the static on TV.( thanks TV for the scenario.)

[GrizzlyEatsKids]

Yeah, that's at least part of it. Now, in all of your opinions, what makes a truly unique world? What makes the environment of a story interesting to you?

[Tickles]

Well, I think the landmarks would actually make a world unique. They are central to the story, and give you a goal for your characters to achieve.

Let me give an example, let's say I am writing a sci-fi novel. I am thinking flyung cars, lasers, and futuristic weapons. Now, I can place it in a futuristic city, but that's the obvious path. Instead, I am going to place it into the natural world with tons of forests and trees. Now, that is pretty general, and doesn't allow for much story development. So, I create a landmark, something the entire world would recognize. This landmark is called the Tower of Fom. It is said to be a a place where reality doesn't exist, and hides the secrets of the universe in its never ending insanity. Only a select few dare to crawl through this dungeon to find the one item that could save their planet, but they risk going insane themselves. Now, I have a plot point, I build from there. Are there towns located here? Is there a small secret area nearby? Is it a vast amount of land that are miles away from anything? Landmarks can basically have their own profile since they offer so much.

So, to make a unique world, make a landmark, figure out what it is supposed to represent, and then build on from there.

[GrizzlyEatsKids]

Thanks Xetroc, that actually helps a lot. I actually had a couple major landmarks/important locations written in, but I could stand to add in a few more. Now that I think about it, that actually does seem to greatly improve the environment and setting, and I think that it's just the thing I needed to really make the setting of the books I'm writing, which I do think is already fairly unique and has a lot of potential, truly come alive and sort of set itself apart from seeming somewhat generalized.

Although no one else has really been asking questions, I do have another. How do you go about constantly and consisttently expressing a character's emotion without plainly stating "He feels this way"? As far as my writing technique goes, I find this to be possibly my biggest flaw, for when I write I tend to express my characters' emotions in sort of short bursts, but usually not on a consistent basis.

[The-Blades-slave]

Habits. State once that so and so bites their nails when they are nervous, and next time you say they bite their nails the reader knows they are nervous. One thing that really helps to write emotions is look at your friends and yourself, which of them are most like which character Once you've figured that out, ask yourself what they/you would do in that situation. A mistake a lot of newer authors make is assuming their readers are stupid, and being very obvious about everything. A bit of subtlety goes a long way.

That's just my opinion though, I suck.

[Tickles]

Well, there are many mannerisms that people do when they express emotion, and each person is different. For instance, whenever I get mad, I tend to stay quiet, and completely block out what made me mad, while effectively hiding the fact that I am angry. If someone were to write that, it would go:

"Xetroc ignored his friend's question, and instead changed his focus to a bee flying around. He was in no mood to deal with stupidity, but saying that outright is wrong in itself."

When I'm sad, I have a hard time hiding it, and it can be easily seen in my eyes.

"Xetroc seemed beaten down, though his body language said everything was ok, his eyes said otherwise."

It's all about identifying the different reactions a person has to their own emotions. Everyone expresses emotion differently. So, imagine how people do that, and apply it to your characters. Then, make them come to life. See if you can identify what emotion Dagen is feeling:

After an hour or so, Dagen was not even halfway through the stone panel. He had been hacking and slashing with little effect. He found heavy stones and bashed them against the door, but it proved futile as well. He was running out of ideas, and out of time. He could feel the fresh air in his prison become stale, and his breathing became labored. "I have.. to get out of here." His life flashed before his eyes, and he didn't feel ready. Dagen was going to die.

[The-Blades-slave]

After the few months I took off from writing, I've been having a lot of trouble with describing appearances. In your opinion, what are details that need to be there, and what are ones that should be left out? I recently started filling out fenror's template for Ash, because I do need to work on his character, and I'm stuck on appearance. I have it partially done/done, but there's a few things I could add. The thing is they can be told about in he RP for more information about his past, because it's things like scars. Should I add them or no? I have this:

"Ashton has a solid build, with a nonchalant look about him. His brown eyes shelter behind his unkempt black hair, shadowed by his red and white cap, always turned forwards. His skin is tanned from years under the sun, and an energetic smile always takes up the majority of his face."

People generally say my descriptions are too long,s o tried to shorten it.

[GrizzlyEatsKids]

I think what you have down for appearance there is excellent, not too much, not too little, and it paints a nice picture. The scars could briefly be included, but what you have is a good introduction point to how the character looks. If needed, if this type of thing would be used for a book or story, you could further elaborate a bit later in the story on his appearance in subtle ways, like mentioning the shade/tone of his eyes when looking into a mirror, the shape of his lip when you want to draw the attention to a specific facial expression, and so on.

EDIT: Aside from my novel series, which is still heavy in the planning stage, I've decided to also work on another writing project that is along the lines of something I've been wanting to do. It will be limited to the main character's perspective, and I can use it to really help iron out and develop my writing style before I actually write the novels. It will be an emotional tale, it is my goal to have it non-linear, and in likely won't plan it so much ahead of time like my novels, but I'll rather just jump into it. Does anyone have any tips or thoughts on writing a story that isn't layer out in exact order? I've never written anything non-linear before, but I've always wanted to try it, and this is a good chance for me to use it while challenging myself and developing my abilities. Any tips are greatly appreciated.

[Tickles]

How can you use the Changing of facial hair to show emotional change. Not trying to be an ass or anything I'm genuinely curious.

Basically, it can convey depression, progress, or any change in reality. A character who trains hard every day might not make it a priority to look their best, in this case, a man would grow a beard without realizing he hasn't shaved in a long time. The same goes for depression, there is lack of motivation to do anything, including looking your best. That's why most shows that have a character that goes through either of these events has them clean shaven at one point, but months later, they have a full lumberjack beard, and generally look awesome or sad. Pretty much any physical change can represent emotional change. A scar can represent a traumatic event the character is still reminded of, a change in weight can show what is going on in the characters life more that explaining it. Even waking up in a drunken stupor naked in the middle of nowhere can show that. It's even funnier when they realize they wasted for months. But I digress, these are writing elements that hit more plot points in a few words. You can even form a plot around one simple change in appearance.

[GrizzlyEatsKids]

I think Xetroc nailed it completely. Appearance can do more than just help the reader visualize what a character looks like.

Now, I know the difference between parentheses, dashes, and commas, and in some situations one or two of them can be used interchangeably with one another. I think it could just be due to the fact that I've played with and reworded the paragraph, and this sentence in particular, that I'm currently working on in my novel a ton of times, and so now I'm not quite sure what looks/sounds better in this situation. Here's the sentence:

Still, the party pressed onward, and after several minutes—which to Jack felt more like several hours—of ducking and dodging through the trees, the dense undergrowth began to thin out. Soon enough, the group arrived to the edge of the treescape, and all but the leading wolf scattered away into the shadows.

What I'm mulling over is whether to keep the dashes where I have them, or to put commas there instead. The thing is, due to the way that I've kind of developed and changed my writing style, I now use a lot of details and sensory words in my writing, which naturally leads to a few more commas and pauses in my sentences than I used to use. The number of commas/pauses, while not excessive, are a bit more numerous in the sentences directly surrounding this one, and this sentence has several phrases set off by commas in it already. Addtionally, I do want to draw just a slight bit more attention here to the fact that the minutes felt so drawn out to Jack, as it highlights the impatience that is now a part of his personality. That's quite a lot of thought for something so simple as punctuation like this, but again, my indecision here could be in large part caused by the number of times I've re-written this small section of my novel. So, dashes or commas?