Writing! Tips!
Based on observations of habits and preferences in my own writing recently. I SUPPOSE that what I consider the pinnacle of great writing isn’t necessary EVERYONE’S perfect writing style. So if you want to take a pragmatic view, then you might want to think of this as “how to write like Debi.” But really, it’s more “how to write, by Debi.”
Aaaand as some of these things are currently ‘unpublished’ (i.e. designed for anonymous exchanges) I can’t share examples. Oh well! Ask anyone who’s ever read my stuff, really.
1. If your protagonist’s name lends itself to puns, it is your responsibility to make those puns as often as possible.
(1b. If your protagonist’s name does not lend itself to puns, then you’ve named your protagonist poorly. Change it.)
2. All romances must involve at least some element of one party finding the other ridiculous. The truest form of love, according to Debi, is founded in mockery and mutual condescension.
3. You can always add more lesbians. The trick is knowing when to stop adding lesbians.
4. If writing a story set in a point of Earth’s history, or on an analogy of a point in Earth’s history, it is sometimes acceptable to make anachronistic choices regarding technology of the time. It is NEVER acceptable to be anything other than 100% historically accurate when using slang terms for genitalia.
5. Shipper on deck. Always with the shippers on deck. Every character ships everyone!
6. Try and insult Batman. Sometimes (for example, writing historical fiction set during the French Revolution) it might seem difficult to work in a dig at Batman. I believe in you, you can do it.
This post can also be found at Thagomizer.net. Feel free to join in the conversation wherever you feel most comfortable.