The Skellingcorner

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See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t wanna
weneeddiversebooks
rtconvention.com

Path to Responsible Representation | RT Booklovers Convention

Our event at RT Booklover’s Convention 2017: Path to Responsible Representation

The goal of more inclusive representation starts even before the manuscripts creation. But when writing outside of your community, how do you ensure you are respectful of that representation? Do you use sensitivity/beta readers, does your publisher encourage more reviews? What are some best practices for writers and publishers to be aware of when acquiring titles?

Speaker(s):

Event Date:Friday, May 5, 2017 10am – 11am Location: LL3/Conference/Industry Level

Room: Fairlie

its-a-writer-thing fixyourwritinghabits
timemachineyeah

What if by alien standards we are really cute?

And I don’t mean like attractive cute, I mean like baby otter cute. What if the stumble upon us and go “ohhhhh my god!!! Oh my god!!!! I’m dying this is- look at it! Look at them!!! Oh my god!!!”

We usually imagine having to come up with some Devils trade or unholy arrangement to get tech and trade with aliens, but the instant they see us the aliens immediately set out into conservation efforts. They’re like “their habitat is becoming harsh and unlivable for them! We have to save them!” And everyone just puts a picture of us next to this information and they all agree “Look at them! We have to save them!!” We become like the panda mascots of intergalactic conservation efforts.

Simultaneously, our main export is just streams, videos, holograms, and photos of us. Aliens lose their composure completely over videos of us sneezing or yawning or eating pop tarts or playing video games or taking care of our kids.

There are lines of aliens who would LOVE to have a human in their home or on their ship. It’s a little condescending (we’re not sure if we’re guests or well treated exotic pets) but still a good opportunity, and any human who wants can go to space at any time basically for free or even for profit, and the aliens will go out of their way to give you anything you ask for.

There are obvious downsides. We struggle to be taken seriously. While it’s usually shut down pretty quickly, every once in a while some alien group sees the demand for us and tries to start an illegal trade. But at the same time, it’s neat that somewhere out there is an alien (or usually a LOT of aliens) that would love you unconditionally, find every flaw and idiosyncrasy endearing, be worried about you and do anything they could to make you safe and happy. They work hard to make our planet and our personal lives better and don’t ask for anything in return. They just do it because they decided we are important and worth saving just for existing. It’s an odd relationship, and we’re not always sure what to make of it, but honestly it goes a lot better than we worried alien contact would.

anightvaleintern

I’m down to be a spoiled pampered alien pet.

morebadbookcovers

It would be a lot easier to get “fixed.”

tkingfisher

We’re all a bit confused by the cute human memes, which are usually just pictures of some random human with a phrase in alien cuneiform next to it, but which many of the aliens think are hysterical. Photos of the Lincoln Memorial are particularly popular for this for some reason, and it’s a little unsettling to see the alien spaceships with pictures of Lincoln plastered across their forcefields, saying “g+gnor’gax!” and the humor just doesn’t translate at all.

I mean, it’s not bad, exactly. Just…odd. And fortunately alien music is mostly outside our hearing range, so the sad commercials with the interstellar equivalent of Sarah McLachlan broadcasting over them, explaining how the humans are suffering at this time of rotation just look like a rather puzzling montage of normal people. It’s just the aliens get so sad when they see it and their temporal glands leak and it’s…well, a little messy.

joasakura

I love the idea that we are SIMULTANEOUSLY batshit-bonkers space orcs and the alien equivalent of Red Pandas or kittens.

Like,  “Oh they’re adorable!” “Yes, but for the love of zornax, don’t let one bite you! My pod-cousin lost a hand that way!” “Do you think they evolved this way to surivive the terrifying fauna on their world?” “I saw a holovid of one riding one of the so-called “moose” one time!”

thepraxianweasleygeek

#wait #we’re big cats #giant murder cuteness

Oh my god that’s exactly it! :D

homeland-snooping

But imagine that last bit as two different groups. Okay, so to one species of alien we’re adorable, right? And to another we’re orcs. Imagine the conflict of those two cultures. Team Orc is talking to Team Cuddles about how useful we are on dangerous field missions and Team Cuddles LOSES THEIR SHIT.

“You sent my cuddle-fwumpkin WHERE?!? to do WHAT!?!”

“They’re uniquely qualified to explore dangerous territories that are uninhabitable to most lifeforms … ”

“I don’t caaaaaare! Hfjfjfj HD bf!!!”

Like, foreign policy issued specifically for the proper utilization of human laborers. How would human cultures engage differently in these circumstances? Like, in the US would people look down on the humans that hang out with Team Cuddles as looking for alien handouts? Would they be blamed when Team Orc humans don’t get taken seriously on expeditions?

Like, there’s so muuuuuch more to explore here.

galen066

Cue unscrupulous or ironic human merchant selling “Save the humans! (Collect the entire set)” stickers in various alien scripts and fonts.

Source: timemachineyeah
plots aliens aliens and humans writer reference
sweetlittlevampire
I didn´t update you on the last two days of my internship. The reason for this is that I simply was too tired to type something up. XD But I want to do this, it somehow helps me to calm down. Up there you see me editing an audio file I recorded (my...

I didn´t update you on the last two days of my internship. The reason for this is that I simply was too tired to type something up. XD But I want to do this, it somehow helps me to calm down. Up there you see me editing an audio file I recorded (my teacher asked for internship selfies to put on our course´s facebook page).

So I went to two more press conferences, one about biological agriculture in my homecountry, and this morning one with Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders about the situation of refugees in Europe. 

What I like about this kind of job is that I´m never sure what my day´s gonna be like. To some people this might seem stressful, but I am someone who gets easily bored, so this is just the thing for me. Also we do have moments on which it´s not as hectic. And I do meet a lot of really cool people!

My internship will end on May 9th. My classes will restart on May 15th.

Sweet is rambling my face Student Life Internship Radio Station
its-a-writer-thing fixyourwritinghabits

Basic Plot Tropes

linaugustineart

These basic plot tropes describe the overall goal/conflict of the story, which means that everything that happens in the story is for the sake of the trope. It is the protagonist’s main goal/desire. These are helpful for when you have a setting and/or character but no plot. You can use a trope that seems fitting to structure your story.

Notes: Sorry if my examples are not well-known. I just used what I’ve seen, but I’ve provided links if you want to know more about the examples. Also, the list is incomplete. I plan on adding more as I figure out more tropes.

Powerful Object

Protection: Someone has a powerful object or skill which they must keep safe from enemies who want to abuse it and/or they must get rid of it. It’s usually something that is bestowed upon them and they don’t have much say in the matter.

Searching: Someone is trying to find a powerful object or person before others who want to use it or destroy it (sometimes because it is the key to taking them down). They are searching out of their own free will but in a way are forced to because they need the object.

Finding Oneself

A character is on a journey (whether intentional or not) to figure out their identity and their place in the world. They usually are the loner type who doesn’t fit in (sometimes a delinquent) and someone reaches out to them, which causes them to open up and make friends. Sometimes it’s a troubled character who heals from their traumatic past via interactions with other characters who accept them for who they are. They may have a secret they are keeping from the others.

  • All for the Game trilogy: Neil keeps his identity a secret while healing from his traumatic past by getting close to his teammates.
  • Girls of the Wild’s: Jaegu gets over his fear of women by going to a previously all-girls school and interacting with many girls.
  • Kids on the Slope: Kaoru figures out that he likes playing jazz and makes friends in the process.

Revenge

A wronged character will do anything to get revenge. The wronged is usually an underdog and the wrongdoer is usually a powerful person. Sometimes the wronged doesn’t know who the wrongdoer is so a lot of the plot is the search for the wrongdoer. Often the wronged is torn between punishing or sparing the wrongdoer because they end up having a connection to the wronged (sometimes they are family).

  • City Hunter: Revenge on the politicians for abandoning the soldiers they sent on a secret mission in North Korea, which caused them to get killed.
  • The Time Between Dog and Wolf: Revenge on the leader of a gang for killing his parents.
  • Iljimae: Revenge on the noble who killed his father and disgraced his family by framing them as traitors.

Mystery

The character is solving a mystery, which is usually a death/murder. Solving this mystery often brings corruption to light. This can be a police-type mystery (like Law & Order), but this trope becomes deeper and more interesting when paired with unveiling the corruption of people in power by underdogs.

  • Signal: Solving cold cases which reveals how they were covered up by the police.
  • Arang and the Magistrate: Arang solves why/how she died, which brings to light nobles’ corruption and evil deeds.
  • City Hunter and Iljimae also fit. The mystery is who the wrongdoer is and solving this brings corruption to light and allows them to finally get revenge.

Deadly Game

A game is deadly or dangerous (or it starts out innocent and becomes dangerous). Only certain people know about and/or participate in this game. Sometimes they can choose to participate (in the beginning when it was harmless) but they always have no choice once it becomes dangerous (i.e. they can’t pull out unless they die). They usually have randomly chosen special abilities or weapons. The last person standing sometimes has the ability to control the game (they become the new game master).

  • Battle Royale: Students are stranded on an island and have to kill each other. The last person is allowed to leave the island.
  • Future Diary: Select people playing a game where they must kill each other.
  • Dice: People do anything to get dice, which can change a person’s stats.
Source: linwrites
plot tropes writer reference
writerswritecompany
Happy Birthday, Diane Johnson, born 28 April 1934 Five Quotes • Women have the feeling that since they didn’t make the rules, the rules have nothing to do with them. • A novel’s whole pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at...

Happy Birthday, Diane Johnson, born 28 April 1934

Five Quotes

  1. Women have the feeling that since they didn’t make the rules, the rules have nothing to do with them.
  2. A novel’s whole pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at the end; that is when the writer finds out what a novel is about, and the job becomes one of understanding and deepening or sharpening what is already written. That is finding the theme.
  3. It didn’t seem fair that you could not prevent being the object of other people’s emotions, you were not safe from their hate–or from their love, for that matter.
  4. The Novelist, afraid his ideas may be foolish, slyly puts them in the mouth of some other fool and reserves the right to disavow them.
  5. Laughter is the jam on the toast of life. It adds flavour, keeps it from being too dry, and makes it easier to swallow.

Johnson is an American novelist and essayist. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Persian Nights in 1988. Other books include L’Affaire , Le Mariage, and Le Divorce for which she was a National Book Award finalist and the winner of the California Book Awards gold medal for fiction.

Source: writerswrite.co.za
Diane johnson Literary Birthday