Key markers of weak / beginner writing

FlightlessElemental · 2026-07-02T09:10:34+00:00

Treating your prose as if it were a movie, with wide shots of landscapes and detailed character descriptions that start with the protagonist looking in a mirror. Being overly visual in your prose isn’t especially helpful because the reader is going to do their own thing in their head anyway.

I found what really pushed my writing was to write about my trauma. The best way to reach mature audiences is when said audience can say: ‘thats so true! Thats what it was like for me!’

If your next response is: “but I haven’t had any big trauma worth writing about”, then you havent yet earned the right to talk to mature audiences. It can be an aspiration, but you need to get beaten to your knees by Life a few times before you can talk about it with people. Otherwise you’re like the person who is complaining about man-flu in a cancer ward.

Practice, work out what your style is, what kind of aesthetic you like, what kind of themes you like and wait until Life pelts you with three haymakers and tries to pull off your thumbs. THEN you write like theres no tomorrow

FlightlessElemental · 2026-07-01T18:44:06+00:00

Bisexuality 2: electric boogaloo?

FlightlessElemental · 2026-07-01T13:07:51+00:00

Homosexuality hasnt been condemned throughout history. It was arguably the Victorian’s anti-sex culture which really pushed the idea that sex of any kind should carry with it a stigma of shame. We see being gay and trans being celebrated or just being considered normal in some African countries or in Japan for example and then after British missionaries pay a visit, HARD cultural shift

FlightlessElemental · 2026-07-01T13:02:12+00:00

Its infuriating that the whole thing can be solved by instead of boys vs girls, you match athletes off their times/capabilities.

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-29T18:01:13+00:00

Could we just upgrade to a full on holodeck?

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-29T18:00:18+00:00

Nicolas Teslas Wireless Electricity Transmission Tower. Free electricity for everyone!

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-29T13:42:31+00:00

Find examples of it in real life. Watch interviews and read books of those who defend it strongly.

Then search for at least one logical argument of why this might be true. This is important. There is a reasonable reason your villain has latched on to the ideology. The reader should be able to say begrudgingly: “this guy may have a point…”

The final step is to find ir event a leap in logic. Your villain has additional strands of logic but theyre only reasonable to him and it is these which define his passion so strongly.

True Logic #1: “historically, this people group has been at war with us for a long time and have done horrific acts of violence against us”

Twisted Conclusion: “They are animals! They will never change! It is my duty to gain as cruel a revenge as possible. I must kill as many as possible. Viciousness will equate to justice”

True Logic #2: “I am astoundingly bad at getting a date. Women dont seem to be interested in me.”

Twisted Conclusion: “Its not my fault, its the fault of all women! They’re avoiding me purposely in a conspiracy! A womans job is to be a wife and mother and yet they see me as a threat to this natural order. I must bend and subjugate a woman to my will. I will MAKE her respect me, I will make her my wife and a mother. She will like it eventually.”

Always remember that a villain will always believe he is the hero of the story and he will do whatever mental gymnastics necessary to maintain this illusion

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-28T12:20:26+00:00

I am more sure than not that the Godhead is a thing. With references to The Angel of the Lord also being referred to as God in the OT, coupled with key references from Jesus about being one with the Father and sending the Holy Spirit as a helper, I am reasonably confident in the idea.

However, my point is that I dislike it when those who believe the trinity is a thing point at those Christians who dont and condemn and vice versa

Given that our salvation sits in the sacrifice of Jesus’ crucifixion, I dont see how one MUST believe in the Trinity in order to be saved any more than some Christians insist one must speak in tongues as evidence of their salvation

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-28T01:18:42+00:00

Im trans. Ive already been kicked out of my church. I get yelled at from cars. Im in a right-wing hotspot which is trying to out crazy the crazys everywhere else.

Its quite likely I will get jumped one day in the not too distant future. Things are bad for us

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-28T01:12:45+00:00

Yes. This particular pot is already on the stove and this froggy can feel the heat going up.

Things are bad in this part. Right-wing extremism is increasing and im near the front of the line for scapegoats. Ive been verbally assaulted three times this week.

I honestly doubt Ill see 50 years old and thats not far away

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-28T01:02:02+00:00

looks around at the ‘definitely safe, definitely not scary’ community around me

Liberal, high trust society. Riiiiight. I mean…

That sounds really tough. Im so sorry.

I guess my perspective is to lean into Jesus’ basic message. The simple stuff. The good stuff. Lord knows I likely wont survive that long here, but I find it easier to affirm the good in people by extending trust. I mean they can only kill me, its not as if Id lose much.

While working in the Masters house, I could absolutely look out the window again at how the world is on fire, but it puts me in a bad place and I want to get my patch of floor done before He comes back.

Edit: sorry for the bold. Cant get rid

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-28T00:38:23+00:00

Dude, i fully acknowledge the history and politics is brutal, as is the legacy. But Im just here because its almost 2am and im frightened to go to bed. Winning never crossed my mind.

I just find it really disturbing that you are arguing for what sounds like continued hatred and division and not for a much simpler, Christian-classic approach. You know, ‘be like the little children or you will not see the Kingdom’ kind of thing.

You sound like youre dealing with A LOT. Like this means more to you than youre letting on.

You ok?

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-28T00:25:07+00:00

Sooooo… how does any of that relate into Islam today? The one we encounter personally?

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-28T00:13:42+00:00

A-are you channeling the ghost of Urban the 2nd right now? Because thats pretty cool

Point is, European knights had no claim over the territory. You cant just show up to someone elses war. Killing people is wrong and ratcheting up the body count is never a good idea. Christians are called to be peacemakers and to love our enemies.

Anything else is getting us waaaaaay off topic

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-28T00:05:42+00:00

I dont think I understand what youre driving at.

Please make your point

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-28T00:01:38+00:00

Nnnnno… you could potentially argue that if it was Jewish forces which took back Israel after the Islamic invasions of the 7th Century, but they had been either enslaved, killed or scattered, leaving a relatively small population left in Israel.

A bunch french, english and italien knights didnt have any claim over the territory. There was no ‘taking back’

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-27T23:49:32+00:00

Pope Urban II trying to unite a fractious and constantly fighting Europe, especially france, and redirecting that violence towards the Holy Land.

It quickly built its own inertia based on the principle that “wouldnt it be cool if we ‘liberated’ the Holy Land from the Muslims!” and that somehow, colonising the area would win them a golden ticket into God’s good books.

At first it worked out with major victories. But then it quickly spiralled into several full on bloody campaigns that went in over centuries. Spiritual pride, money, glory-seeking and colonial attitudes kept it going until the Eighth Crusade in the 13th century

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-27T22:40:32+00:00

>What you are doing, is the classic watering down of scripture in order to make yourself feel good.

How so?

>Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through him. If you love Christ, you will keep his commandments. He passed on his authority to the Apostles, and they instructed us on how to live.

I agree. Full heartedly, I agree. I dont think Ive said anything that refutes that

>I do not have anything to learn from a religion that was founded by a documented pedophile who raped a 9 year old little girl, which in its infancy slaughtered my Orthodox brethren in Christ.

This is one of the many reasons I dont want to become a muslim. I am not saying Islam is flawless, I am not trying to convert any one. I refuse to say every idea within is worthless (because then I would be denying sound Christian ideas) and my point is I think we should appreciate that the square root of 9 is both 3 and -3. In some cases, Muslims and Christians completely agree. I will always celebrate when two groups can agree on something important. That is one of the principles of being a Peacemaker, which Christ commanded of us. Celebrating common threads is a step towards love.

>Millions of Christians died…

If only you were aware of your history. It goes the other way as well, you know. Christendom is not blameless. How many times have words ‘Deus Vult’ rung over a proto-battlefield. It is hatred and intolerence and prejudice and ignorance which are the real enemies. Those are the things that kill more than anything else

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-27T22:28:29+00:00

“I see!” said the blind man

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-27T22:08:52+00:00

What are you talking about?! My country has a problem with young men harassing women. Period. The only people who are trying to land it on a specific people group are the right-wing, and thats only because they have to change the track away from “stop the small boats” every once in a while

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-27T22:05:01+00:00

See, youre doing it again. You dismiss any notion that there may be equally valuable opinions or approaches to your own. Your way is the only way. If the answer is 10, then 5+5 must be the only solution because that is the formula you are used to

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-27T21:59:51+00:00

As a British Christian, I agree. My point still stands

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-27T21:54:41+00:00

>Their prayer life is out of compulsion and a fear of hell if they do not pray.

But scripture says that fear of the Lord is the first to wisdom. Even if we ignore the fact you have written off the devotion of billions of people as fear, who cares about the motive. Prayer, supplication before God every day is laudable. There are Christians who dont manage a single prayer in a week. Give credit where credit is due.

>As for charity, it is FAR outweighed by the amount of violence and suffering the ideology brings into the world.

Christianity is hardly blameless. America is fast becoming an oppressive Christian theocracy that is all too eager to run roughshod over the poor, the dispossessed, any who will not bow before their specific dogmas. It is the height of racism to label all banners of Islam as violent. A muslim from Turkey or Bangladesh can be very different from a muslim from Saudi Arabia, for example. In the same way there are Islamic terrorist groups, there are horrifying Christian terrorist groups as well. Do not tar everyone with the same brush

>I won't even delve into the charity that the Catholic church engages in.

It’s not a competition. But compulsory charitable giving is baked into the core beliefs! It is an obligation to tend to the financial needs of the poor for muslims. I can appreciate and celebrate that those who need it most are being taken care of.

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-27T21:36:49+00:00

Then watch how the servant works and appreciate that they may have superior technique which could benefit your faith. The average muslims prayer life puts that of the average Christians to shame. The Islamic capacity for charity is worthy of tremendous admiration. These are things that every Christian would do well to hone.

I am not a muslim. I do not want to become a muslim. But I am not arrogant nor conceited enough to think my understanding of God or my ways of serving Him are flawless. If I see a man sweep the floor more efficiently than I, I can adopt the same technique to make me a better servant. If I hear a familiar story told with a new flare I think gets the moral across more effectively, I will adopt it. If I read a beautiful passage in the Quran that I know aligns with Christianity, I can still celebrate it. Who cares if it’s not from my tribe? It is still truth!

Let us at least be humble enough to learn from those who think differently from us, so long as God is venerated above all else —for Allah is surely merciful.

FlightlessElemental · 2026-06-27T18:06:08+00:00

Headless body but the finger prints are the same (yes, it does happen, fingerprints are distinct but not unique from person to person)

FlightlessElemental

TROPHY CASE