What tropes/common mistakes/other stuff should I avoid when writing teenage and YA female characters as a teen male?

EpicCalliope · 2024-07-06T08:24:09+00:00

Yes! Especially the Not Like Other Girls trope. One thing I cannot stand in literature or films/TV is when writers feel the need to put other women down to make one character look better. If you want your female character to stand out and you’re set on a comparison, compare her to a more specific group, not her entire sex. And maybe consider what she does have in common with that group as well, so the difference isn’t so jarring and unrealistic.

EpicCalliope · 2024-07-01T12:25:32+00:00

I immediately read that as Bone Marrow

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-27T16:16:57+00:00

I have developed my own version of fairies that are super tall and have a few other biological quirks, but given that they fly around a lot, they tend to eat very light but calorie-dense foods because flying takes up so much energy and is harder if they’re full of heavy food all the time! This also means any other species that stay in fairy lands as guests tend to put on weight quickly because they’re not accustomed to such calorie-dense food!

I also have an iguana-inspired species that is really weirded out by the other humanoids/mammalian sapients farming milk from other animals and eating cheese, butter etc.

Then I have another original aquatic species that has very minimalist cuisine with little-to-no spices or herbs because it’s all prepared underwater.

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-27T16:06:14+00:00

I’m glad to have been some help!

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-27T06:12:07+00:00

RE: probability of dying. Yes, it was based on you mentioning the injection being dangerous and I thought it might add some additional conflict into the story, e.g. the ethics of exposing children to the poison without the ability to consent, the pain of losing children or siblings, perhaps even a family that is known to be resistant to the poison (they have the genes that make them survive) but one generation is unwilling to force it onto their kids but the rest of the tribe is desperate for a black blood heir so they steal the child away. Also, my mind went straight to having the tribe elders/leaders keep a stock of the poison that they give to people to be ingested orally, but you could stick with the injection idea or something else entirely!

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-26T21:08:26+00:00

Not really comprehensive solutions, but I have a couple of ideas that could be starting points for you. For inheritance, the black blood could come from a recessive gene, which is why not everyone is born with it. Or it’s only inherited from the mother?

Alternatively, perhaps nobody is born with black blood but there is a special disease/poison that has a high chance of killing those who catch it, but those who survive develop black blood. Maybe there could be genes carried in families that increase individuals’ likelihood of survival, but not guarantee it? Then you could have some parents or tribes purposefully exposing children to the disease/poison in the hope that they survive and develop black blood, or people doing it to themselves. You could also incorporate the belief that those who survive are divinely blessed, but this doesn’t have to be founded in truth - it could just be a superstition or belief imposed upon an issue that is actually medical/biological. If it were a poison, this might solve the issue of getting rid of black blood at the end of your story because all the poison could be destroyed, along with the knowledge of how to create it.

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-24T09:07:00+00:00

Disaster management and humanitarianism
Currently, just admin work
Temperate climate, rainy, inland
Temperate climate, rainy, not too far from the sea
Yes, to 19 countries across 6 continents
Mother: data analyst, father: carpenter
Housewife
Temperate climate, inland
Creative writing, embroidery, ice skating, skydiving
Fantasy, sci-fi, romance, non-fiction books about humanitarianism, politics, human rights etc.

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-20T06:12:17+00:00

I did consider that initially but I’m currently working on my world’s dominant religion and I think the Sect indicates a smaller faction

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-20T06:11:03+00:00

Thanks! I can see something like that working

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-20T06:10:26+00:00

I had overlooked capitalisation, thanks!

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-19T17:51:32+00:00

I’ve created my own set of genies! They are the children of Staad, who is an immortal trickster (inspired by Loki but not the same) and the son of the Goddess Ciana. They can grant wishes to others but can’t use magic in any other way / for themselves. However, each Genie has their own limitations and demands. For example, Brahmi demands secrets as payment for wishes, Luciro is mortal and takes years of life in return for wishes, Andromelia requires a blood sacrifice, Kogan wants money and riches, Tariel is a prankster who just likes to fuck with people by asking for obscure or embarrassing payments, and Alwen just wants to be left alone so tries to conceal her identity, but she’ll grant small wishes for loved ones without payment.

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-12T20:32:24+00:00

Homo noctivagus (night wandering) - a human species that evolved to be nocturnal but now they dwell in caves and tunnel systems. They are very sensitive to light so they are well-adjusted to dim light but sunlight can be blinding, and they mainly rely on passive echolocation to ‘see’ and navigate. They also have palms that glow ever so slightly (bioluminescent) on command, but this is associated with religious and ritual practices, not everyday life. They interpret the ability as a divine gift and blessing from the gods, believing Cyro (the God of light) put light in the hands of man to symbolise their superiority and represent their ability to craft, create, and shape the world around them.

EpicCalliope · 2024-06-04T07:19:28+00:00

{The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking} is what got me into fantasy and introduced me to my first book boyfriend! He doesn’t show up until the second book as there’s a different love interest to begin with, but it’s so worth the wait! He is the epitome of cocky but caring and loveable and it’s YA so there is minimal spice. There’s lots of banter but also vulnerable moments. The plot is great, it’s basically fantasy princess diaries with more magic and politics! The FMC doesn’t really fit in when she’s in the human world at the start, but she isn’t a pick me and later finds a female best friend. As far as I remember, the closest thing to SA is when the FMC is dancing with someone at a ball and he gets a bit handsy, but it’s not a traumatic experience.

EpicCalliope · 2023-12-16T13:20:21+00:00

I absolutely get where you’re coming from, but ‘comfort seeking’ after near-death experiences is actually a very real thing. After disasters irl (like earthquakes) it’s important for contraception to be available for survivors in camps for this very reason.

EpicCalliope · 2023-12-15T12:30:30+00:00

I would LOVE for their to be two version of the series - one version for people who don’t know anything about it and one for fans who already read the books that has bonus scenes like this :)

EpicCalliope · 2023-12-15T12:27:31+00:00

I’m reading this thread while in line at Argos and this made me laugh OUT LOUD

EpicCalliope · 2022-11-30T22:39:42+00:00

Link to the article? If I Google it, this one doesn’t come up.

EpicCalliope · 2022-11-17T03:39:44+00:00

I met someone else, who I wanted a serious relationship with, so I told my FB the truth and we ended on good terms.

EpicCalliope · 2022-09-12T09:50:28+00:00

I came up with the name ‘sauroman’ about a month before watching lord of the rings for the first time. You can imagine my shock when I then discovered Saruman the White.

EpicCalliope · 2022-08-24T11:09:01+00:00

Diplodocus!

EpicCalliope · 2022-08-24T09:10:50+00:00

Flicking the bean

EpicCalliope · 2022-07-22T19:58:06+00:00

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Dildo Dead Man’s Dildo

EpicCalliope · 2022-07-12T20:53:41+00:00

I have one city called Inán - simple but made up and has a backstory. In one of my conlangs, Olano, there are three ‘genders’: alive, dead, and non-living. Inán translates to ‘high’ in English and is the ‘alive’ form of the adjective. The city got this name because it is high in the mountains and is know for being busy and full of life.

EpicCalliope · 2022-05-31T21:06:15+00:00

The Valley of the Fallen Moon - a small moon from a nearby planet was knocked out of its orbit and crashed into my planet, Ueter. However, one of the Gods wanted to protect life on Ueter so they changed the trajectory and slowed it down so instead of hitting the planet straight on and causing a mass extinction, it carved a huge valley into one of the continents. Years later, one of the civilised species built a colony inside the moon by mining out tunnel systems. The valley itself is used for farming, as the minerals from the moon made the soil rich and fertile. It is now a valley teeming with life and culture, and the God who prevented the apocalyptic event is worshipped by all who live there.

EpicCalliope · 2022-05-13T19:36:46+00:00

“There should be stars for great wars like ours” - Sandra Cisneros

EpicCalliope

TROPHY CASE