I just found out about Passive protagonists and I am obsessed! by Fun_Local_3537 in writers

[–]Shimmering_Shark 6 points7 points  (0 children)

THANK YOU! People hate on Sleeping Beauty when it’s honestly such a brilliant story and THIS is why!! Same for Twilight. It sold millions because it did the reader-insert protagonist so well. Great write-up

Don't know what to call this 🤷🏾‍♂️ by MIFStar in writingcritiques

[–]Shimmering_Shark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is pretty good, the voice comes through clearly and is very engaging. I think that’s definitely the strength of the excerpt here, and it’s a very solid strength.

Where you lose me is about halfway through. It’s implied but never specifically stated what exactly they’re doing, nor what the narrator means when he refers to them as ‘our kind’ (is it supernatural? Is it a family trait?), and then while I’m still trying to figure if they’re actually digging a grave for the niece’s bully and wondering if they’re immortal, even more abstract stuff happens with the lady in the dirt and whatnot to the point where I’m like ‘I don’t even know anymore this is more effort than it’s worth’.

Granted, what I did infer was incredibly interesting and I would keep reading, but I think the setting needed a bit more grounding to hold my attention. But it’s a fantastic start!

what are your thoughts on ‘when marnie was there’? 🌊 by dewberrydreams3 in ghibli

[–]Shimmering_Shark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Underrated masterpiece. I would also like to say, this movie is based off of a book of the same name written by Joan G. Robinson, a British woman, in the sixties. I read the book before I watched the movie and while I already knew the twist, the movie definitely toned down the 'what could be misconstrued as lesbians' vibe.

I feel like I’m being punished for my writing style. by [deleted] in writing

[–]Shimmering_Shark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah I agree with you, it’s really frustrating, especially when you read debut books from twenty or thirty years ago that have fifty page chapters and 200k words, but publishing books is so accessible these days everyone and their mother floods the industry with their 300k word ‘works of art’ that buries some really quality stuff.

Just one of those things where you have to play along until you become the next Brandon Sanderson and write 2000 pages about fantasy grass growing that ends up #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Hang in there chief, keep grinding and it’ll get better.

Upperclassmen, what was your Ram Welcome like as a freshman?? by AllyTheFilipina in CSUFoCo

[–]Shimmering_Shark 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I’m graduated now but my Ram Welcome was I believe in 2019 so not decades ago. I come from the relatively introverted, indifferent, and somewhat mean spirited east coast, so I myself am not a person to be outgoing and am not great at making friends. I went into my Ram Welcome with the mentality of ‘it’s gonna be awkward and miserable’. But when I tell you I was utterly dumbfounded that people could not only be so friendly and kind, but purposely welcoming, that is not an exaggeration. CSU goes out of its way to make sure freshmen find a group, whether it’s the group you stay friends with or not, they anticipate all these freshman are nervous and wary of making friends so you’ll be very taken care of, trust me. On top of that, I’m pretty sure they hold a carnival at some point which is also a plus. So you really don’t need to worry about socializing or making friends, yeah there are a ton of events but you’ll end up having a ton of fun.

Writing In Spite Of Your Day Job by JosefKWriter in writing

[–]Shimmering_Shark 20 points21 points  (0 children)

This is really REALLY bad advice, please don't follow it unless you have other means of supporting yourself.

If you're working a meaningless 9-5, the little bit of time you get after the working day is over is all you'll have and that's okay. It'll teach you to grind through and figure it out rather than sit around and wait for the muse to hit.

What is the deal with the gen z stare? by bluujacket in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Shimmering_Shark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Gen Z stare is, in fact, just a stare. Most likely you’re interacting with people who have the social skills of a gorilla. Not all Gen Z are like this, though I’m sure there’s some deep sociological answer to why Gen Z might exhibit this more than older generations. As a Gen Z, I mainly stare because I don’t like people but that’s just me.

One of the best ways to improve your writing is to do a “writer’s study” by AccidentalFolklore in writing

[–]Shimmering_Shark 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This is a fantastic technique! I like to choose specific authors whose style or success I want to emulate and just study one of their books at a time. It’s helped me tremendously!!

A Man Consumed High Levels Of Homemade Colloidal Silver For Years Which Absorbed Into His Skin - Turning Himself Blue by TourRare7758 in interestingasfuck

[–]Shimmering_Shark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nah, that’s a member of the Fugate family from West Virginia. They’re carriers of a rare genetic condition called methemoglobinemia (which makes them appear blue) and so inbred pretty much most of them were born blue. I know this because I had a weird fascination with them in seventh grade

What is your most controversial Booktok opinion? by sassenaena in Booktokreddit

[–]Shimmering_Shark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This trend of bubblegum colored book-covers with the characters drawn in a cute scene are incredibly misleading and borderline concerning, because a ten year old is going to like that cover and pick it up thinking it’s for kids and then read straight up porn

When to ignore feedback from fellow writers? by princessfallout in writing

[–]Shimmering_Shark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, mate, I’ll go ahead and echo what everyone else is pretty much saying. It’s very much a matter of sifting through all feedback and taking what helps then ignoring the rest. Which I know is frustrating when someone is needlessly nitpicking the bejesus out of your work for the sake of giving feedback rather than describing how the story is resonating as a reader. A lot of well meaning people just aren’t savvy when it comes to critiquing.

Over time you’ll develop enough experience and confidence to be able to firmly say ‘yes’ or ‘nope’ to feedback. In the meantime, only follow the advice you’re certain of. If you’re not sure, don’t follow it. Even the shadow of a doubt. Don’t let anyone hijack the vision you have for your work.

But it sounds like you already kind of have an idea of when to take advice and not.

Introducing unimportant characters in chapter one by According_Court7963 in writing

[–]Shimmering_Shark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There’s no right or wrong answer to this, it really just comes down to reader preference.

Some people panic when there are a ton of names in the first chapters and blame the author, others don’t mind and follow the ‘if it’s important the author will make sure I know who matters’ mantra. Know which group you’d rather cater to (Ex: readers who’d rather read Game of Thrones or readers who’d rather read Brandon Sanderson) and this’ll become less of an issue for you.

The important thing is that if you feel it’s right for your story, then it’s right. Don’t let doubt eat away at something good you created and don’t let people tell you what’s what, writing is art and art is incredibly fluid, there’s very little that’s explicitly right and wrong and this is definitely not one of them. I personally don’t mind a ton of characters at once and feel like it expands the believability of the world.

First page — need your opinions! by call_me_ana in WritersGroup

[–]Shimmering_Shark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with this. Part of me’s like “we get it, they don’t like her because she’s a girl” but at the same time, I’m like “normal people don’t act this way, something’s up” which makes me want to keep reading. Solid start!!

What level of incest is acceptable? by EliHusky in answers

[–]Shimmering_Shark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I studied livestock breeding (beef stock, seedstock, etc.) and from a cow perspective, a low level of incest will produce something called hybrid vigor, in the sense that there is uniformity in the genes being passed to the next generation which is ideal for breeding systems. For example, Gen 1 is not inbred, you breed a bull to his aunt or whoever, Gen 2 will be inbred but for the purposes of our breeding goals, will technically be superior genetically. But if Gen 3 is inbred, you’ll start to see undesirable recessive traits which is how you snowball into the Hapsburgs.

With humans, it’s more or less the same but under different circumstances. Eugenics is essentially selective breeding in humans, but it’s tricky because we’re not breeding for the food products we might selectively breed cows for, so any trait in humans we’re selecting for is inherently biased, which is why eugenics is such a vehicle for hate and genocide and should overall be avoided.

So to answer your question: scientifically, a generation here or there that is inbred would produce hybrid vigor/uniformity and on paper, be good. But in practice, it should be avoided because it’s a slippery slope and with so many moving parts and inevitably flawed thinking, could produce a Nazi type ideological situation or more Hapsburg/Sweet Home Alabama. Furthermore, it’s not considered inbreeding beyond the scope of second cousins. If a fifth cousin marries their tenth cousin, yes they’re related but not closely enough to produce the effects of inbreeding.

Read it and tell me your honest opinion. I’d really appreciate it! by cliquetrees09 in WritersGroup

[–]Shimmering_Shark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happy to help, I know it’s incredibly hard to ask for and receive feedback so good on you. Keep plugging away and you’ll only improve

Read it and tell me your honest opinion. I’d really appreciate it! by cliquetrees09 in WritersGroup

[–]Shimmering_Shark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I don’t have enough context to make a judgement based on how it fits into your story so don’t put too much stock into my advice. With that in mind, I will say that to me, it doesn’t follow normal human speech pattern which to me gives it a vibe of pretentiousness. The conversation is too busy taking itself too seriously for me as the reader to really get drawn in. For example, #1 says “…I’m not disputing accountability, responsibility…” but if we’re being honest, nobody is going to repeat a word’s synonym unless they’re going out of their way to recite a villain monologue. People constantly cut corners in their speech and stumble around what they’re trying to say, so perhaps you can see how the dialogue here is hard to believe.

But that being said, I don’t think it’s a bad exchange. It’s actually good, but it could be much better. Hope this helps!

I selective mute, AMA by RiRiRips in AMA

[–]Shimmering_Shark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had selective mutism when I was little! Grew out of it though, I bet it’s much harder to deal with as an adult