As a society we have always had a fascination with the filthy rich that only gets amplified with queens, kings and the novelty class.
Who didn’t grow up wanting to be called ‘your majesty’? Therefore it is not unusual that a fair share of our period dramas focused around the crown, and the fact that they were more likely to receive the education to go down in history than their working class counterparts. Viewers also favor stories about royals because for us period dramas are about escapism and stunning outfits however, we do not consume media solely for its escapist qualities and the same goes for dramas set in the past.
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While I was writing my last article—Writing in Past Tenses for the Tense-Switching Writer—I realized that there was something missing from it, and it’s this: writers don’t accidentally switch between past tenses. No, tense-switching happens between the present and the past tenses. But why is this? And can we learn something about the writing brain from it? Read on to find. out
Harry Potter. Percy Jackson. Books like these are beloved by many as a result of their role of making children and teenagers feel validated and seen, especially with the added context of finding familiarity in another world. This form of escapism has been a vital tool for them to get through trivial aspects in their lives, like the prospect of growing up, for example.
Some may argue that fictional institutions like Hogwarts and Camp Half-Blood romanticize growing up in the strict education systems we live in, however what matters is the purpose and intentions behind this work - as this is what fuels it to be what it is today. An example of this is Rick Riordan’s Camp Half-Blood. CHB is a thriving environment for demi-gods to train and reside in, a safe place free from the monsters that plague the world outside the Long Island Sound, and one of the main settings we see throughout the series. Within the song ‘The Last Day of Summer’ in The Lightning Thief Musical, a particular line in Luke’s verse is as follows: “Chiron always says our parents made camp as this safe magic space, the truth is they don’t have to see us, they won’t bother to show their face”. Your character enters the room, beautifully attired. They walk down the stairs, almost in slow-motion. The room becomes blurry, only focusing on them. They might hold their worst enemy’s eye, they might feel the weight of a dagger strapped to their leg. And so the ballroom scene begins.
An intriguing scene, it will keep your readers invested in the details and the feelings of your characters. But what would be a ballroom scene without dancing? Dancing is one of the most personal, tender, and beautiful forms of expression for human beings. I would love to read more ballroom scenes, so I have put together a guide to describing and choosing dance styles. There’s a whole bunch of concepts out there named after dead people: Schrodinger's Cat, Occam’s Razor, Cole’s Law, and so on. Chekhov’s Gun comes into play in a lot of literary works, and understanding its function can turn it into a useful tool for your own writing.
Anton Chekhov, an author and playwright from the late 19th century, published hundreds of short stories and penned 17 different plays. With theatrical works such as The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, and The Cherry Orchard, Chekhov helped define the modernist movement. His plays often don’t focus on complicated plot lines – normally, the characters just try their best to figure out life. They’re grounded in realism, yet still come to life on the stage, and theaters continue putting on his plays over a century later. The term “Chekhov’s Gun” comes from a piece of writing advice from the playwright himself. The rule states: “If in Act One you hang a pistol on the wall, then the pistol must fire in the final act.” It’s a tool for suspense – if you set up a potential catalyst, use that catalyst to escalate (or even resolve) the conflict. Spoilers for encanto and mention of political violence.
“The marvelous begins to be unmistakably marvelous when it arises from an unexpected alteration of reality (the miracle), from a privileged revelation of reality, [...] perceived with particular intensity by virtue of an exaltation of the spirit that leads it to a kind of extreme state [estado limite]. To begin with, the phenomenon of the marvelous presupposes faith.” Alejo Carpentier. When Jared Bush & Co. decided to set the next Disney hit in Colombia they met with Alejandra Espinosa; principal consultant of history and culture of the country. Amongst all the things she shared with them so that this movie wouldn’t be the disaster that was Raya and The Last Dragon (watch: How Disney Commodifies Culture), there was the subject of magical realism. She told them, “Stop,” when they started talking about the genre, “Magical Realism isn’t taking free magic and putting it in a wild context”. Instead she asked them to look at the Marvelous Real of Alejo Carpentier, “Understanding our identity from our hispanic, indigenous and african roots”. Writing Autistic Characters4/2/2022 April 2nd is Autism Awareness Day. In honor of that, I wanted to find some books that I knew with excellent autistic representation, as an autistic person, but I found that I was coming up short. I know a few books with decent representation, but I definitely didn’t have enough to make a full article (I’m open to recommendations if anyone has any).
When I was thinking about autistic representation in the media, what I came to find was that I was picking up on more pet peeves and harmful stereotypes. I wanted to write this article on some tips and tricks/things to avoid when writing autistic characters so that hopefully less writing ends up falling into these stereotypes. I am simply one autistic person, and I don’t speak for the entire autistic community, but I am sharing my own opinions in hopes of spreading awareness. Oh, the past tense. How easy it is to write. Ironically, most of this article is going to be written in the present tense. Except for that last sentence—it was future tense. And the last one was past tense. Ha hA!! Isn’t writing fun?
I’ve observed that there tend to be two kinds of writers, at least when it comes to the tenses. 1) tends to easily stick to one tense 2) switches tenses all the time If you’re in the lucky first category, then you might know some of what’s coming, but I’m here to offer a lesson in the different types of past tense. Knowledge is power, and perhaps knowing the difference between the two past tenses will help keep your prose sharp and in the tense you want. Don’t worry, this isn’t a grammar lesson (mostly). Categories
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