So, Do You Like Girls Or Do You Like Boys? (Ha-ah, Ha-ah)

ohhhkay i just read the power of five series and came to tumblr expecting a positively HUGE fanbase but??? what??? why is this fandom so smallll wahhh

but god do i love richard

on tragedy, fate, and inevitability.

oresteia, robert icke // theatre of the oppressed, augusto boal // song of achilles, madeline miller // the book thief, markus zusak // antigone, jean anouilh // revisiting mockingjay ahead of the hunger games prequel, entertainment weekly // romeo and juliet, shakespeare // h of h playbook, anne carson // war of the foxes, richard siken // the road to hell (reprise), hadestown // planet of love, richard siken // they both die at the end, adam silvera

Matsuda: let’s all agree that going up the stairs on all fours is actually the best experience on earth.

L, on thirty-five cups of coffee with eight sugar cubes in each cup: conversely, going down the stairs on all fours is actually the most terrifying experience on earth.

Percy and Annabeth convincing Charon that they died in a bathtub at age 12, vs. Percy and Annabeth convincing Nyx they are tourists at age 17. They come up with the best excuses. 10/10, no notes

WRITING EXERCISE: Going macro

Sometimes you’re so concerned with the overarching concept of your story that you forget about the small stuff that makes your writing unique. So let’s use a bit of mindfulness and focus on the teeny tiny miniscule details for a mo, shall we? Let’s go MACRO, kids.

Because as tempting as it is to go for the BIG themes and HUGE life experiences and SIGNIFICANT moments and ALL THE DRAMA ALL THE TIME, good writing is really about the stuff we DON’T notice.

Observing the little things.

Taking note of the seemingly day to day stuff and bringing it into focus.

Highlighting the human.

Being mindful of everything you do, everything that’s going on around you.

And using it as writing-fodder.

So. Today (or not necessarily today – but a day when you’re able to try this exercise out) try keeping a little diary of observations. Keep a notebook to hand, or use a notes app on your phone, or send yourself a bunch of random little emails – whatever works for you.

Really tap into everything you do, no matter how mundane, and see if you can note down as many interesting observations as you can.

Observe all your little routines, tics, habits and foibles:

Do you always brush your teeth in the same way?

Do you have a silly little conversation with your dog when you let them out to pee in the morning?

Do you see the same yellow car pass by every day on your way to work?

Do you get antsy if someone else makes your coffee because they never get it the way you like it?

Pay attention to all those mindless tasks you do without thinking:

Look for patterns in the bubble bath

Listen for a beat in the thump of the washing machine

Catalogue the smells, sights and sounds of your commute

Separate out the steps of cooking your dinner

Map your emotions and physical senses throughout the day:

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed with a cracking headache? Can you describe the feeling?

When did you feel most chilled out?

Most stressed?

What made you laugh and what sound does your laugh make?

What was on your to-do list and how did you feel about it?

Remember: we’re not necessarily looking for Big Meaningful Truths here (though they may emerge). We’re simply making a series of mini observations, any of which could be transferred into your writing as little details that will bring an extra dose of realism to your work.

You may find that some sneaky bit of fundamental human truth will come sashaying in to turn the most innocuous observation into a great big metaphor, and that’s all well and good, but there’s no pressure to make connections, or consider the universe and what it is to be human.

Today, we simply observe. Take notes. Be mindful (ugh). Create a list of senses and moments and potential new ideas. Wallow in the bottomless sinkhole of human existence and the multitudinous amazing, mundane, varied, ridiculous, touching, scary, weird things all around us…

Taking a moment to be mindful and harvest little nuggets of life for your writing is a GREAT habit to get into. You don’t have to note EVERYTHING down, obviously – just get used to pausing, observing, and making note of all the little things that other people might skim over.

Because THAT’S what makes fiction so wonderful – seeing something tiny and innocuous but oh so familiar suddenly pop out of the page. It might be a gesture or a tone of voice or an object or a reaction or a sensory detail. It doesn’t matter how commonplace it may be.

The trick is to discover your own unique way of seeing the world and translating that into words. And like all writing, it takes practice. So start today. Keep an observation diary and see what you notice – and just how many details we miss on a regular basis.

Psst. More writing exercises over here...

The 12 Days of Christmas

In TEN WHOLE DAYS, the first event that we're running is starting! It's called the twelve days of nicercy christmas and is based on the Christmas classic The Twelve Days of Christmas.

PROMPT LIST:

Dec 14: Pears | First Dec 15: Doves | Two Dec 16: France | Hens Dec 17: Calling | Four Dec 18: Gold | Rings Dec 19: Eggs | Geese Dec 20: Swans | Grace Dec 21: Milk | Eggnog Dec 22: Dancing | Mistletoe Dec 23: Jumping | Lordship Dec 24: Flutes | Eleven Dec 25: Drums | Ending

Tag us ( @percico-nicercy-events ) and tag your creation #12daysofperciconicercy and #percico-nicercy events so that we can reblog your work!

Misa: WHAT’S YOUR TYPE

Light: L

Misa, desperately, as Light bleeds out: YOUR BLOOD TYPE

Light: Oh! B positive.

Misa: DON'T TRY TO CHEER ME UP JUST TELL ME YOUR BLOOD TYPE

Light:

Body Language

When someone is...

Sad

Face/Body:

Avoidant/reduced eye contact

Drooping eyelids

Downcast eyes

Frowning

Raised inner ends of eyebrows

Dropped or furrowed eyebrows

Quivering lip/biting lip

Wrinkled nose

Voice:

Soft pitch

Low lone

Pauses/hesitant speech

Quiet/breathy

Slow speech

Voice cracks/breaking voice

Gestures/Posture:

Slouching/lowered head

Rigid/tense posture

Half formed/slow movement

Fidgeting or clasped hands

Sniffing or heavy swallows

Self soothing gestures (running hands over the arms, hand over heart, holding face in palms, etc)

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”