Victorious at Last

Well, folks, I guess this is it.
If we were in an episode of Looney Tunes, Porky Pig would stick his head through those weird hoop things and stutter his way through those three final words.
Thankfully, we aren't. Instead, I'm here trying to avoid studying for an exam, and you're somewhere in the future, wherever you want to be, doing whatever it is you do, reading this blog post.

I thought I'd wrap up this entire assignment talking about endings. It seems suiting, don'tcha think?This is the end of an era. In a few days time, high school will be done for me. I'll head off to university, as will many of my classmates, and we'll all slip into lives that don't involve English class and lunches in the cafeteria.
We'll all get together one last time to celebrate these four years together, and then they will be done. We will all walk out of that graduation and into the next chapter of the great novel we're all creating for ourselves. It's saddening, but hopeful. Maybe we'll see each other again, and maybe we won't.

So, let's talk about endings. Some of them are storybook, with our two leads sauntering off into the sunset. Sometimes it's even the sunrise.
As my final bit of trope-related advice, I must remind you that there are many ways to end a story.
A shy smile across a crowded room from the man who's finally willing to take a chance on love again.
A deep breath and the first step into an interview for a dream job she's not sure she deserves but knows she wants.
A teary kiss on the altar between two individuals too hopelessly in love to realize they got their vows wrong.
A victory cry that signals the end of a war between wizards and goblins.
A single hand placed on the grave of a long lost love.

All of our stories tell different tales of love, of woe, of happiness and of adventure. Sometimes these stories intertwine momentarily. Sometimes they don't. Your story is still being written, and you deserve an ending that suits your tale. Don't settle for someone else's "happily-ever-after", and make sure your characters don't either.

Write a story we all want to read. Script a movie or a play we all want to see. Most importantly, make something you can be proud of. If all else fails, that story can be your life-raft. It can carry you through tragedy and through hope. Build up a world you'd want to live in, and give it someone who deserves a second chance.

Keep it groovy, people, and remember to write something good. Something great. Something you.

Racial Monopoly

Hello again! How've you been? It's been a while, hasn't it?
Things have been going well with m- no? You don't care? You just want another blog post? Okay. I guess I can make that happen...

This is a "bonus" post, if you will. Truthfully, this assignment mandated only 10 blog posts. One intro, eight "legitimate" blogs and a conclusion. This is the extra fluff in the middle.
Why am I doing this? Well, extra points, for one. And two? I've got a surprising amount of half-finished blog posts sitting around and they're getting restless. I fear they may revolt.

So put your seat-belt on and keep all hands and feet inside of the proverbially moving vehicle at all times.

Every once in a while in a work of fiction, we come across a "Token ______" character. No, these are not guest appearances by the author of The Lord of the Rings. It's more along the lines of "Token Hippie", or "Token Feminist", "Token Effeminate Gay Male Friend", etc. Many times, this can also be a "Token [racial minority]", or in sci-fi, "Token Humans". The _____ in "Token ______" is meant to represent a minority. This can be either racial or non-racial. These characters tend to be included just for the sake of being included.
While these characters may be fun in their own right, many times they're used as a sort of "Get out of jail free" card to saying the creators are diverse in their casting or their character conceptions, and that "everyone's equal, y'all!" Despite this honourable sentiment, it must be said that if that was truly the case, we'd have a (relatively) equal amount of [insert token type] characters as [standard] characters or an equal repartition in character importance. Many times, Token Characters rarely contribute to the plot. They sit and look pretty, but they rarely make any plot-altering decisions, or interact on a more meaningful level with anyone.
Does that mean that every story you write/create has to include a Power Ranger-type group? Well, no. It's simply more important to flesh out all of your characters, and not to include a minority simply for the sake of having one.
Don't waste your words, or your characters. We all deserve better than that.


Unless it's a satire.

This Mortal Coil

Hello, all.
I'm finally back from, well... everywhere, truthfully. I've neglected this blog for far too long, and I'd say it makes my soul feel lighter to write this thing, but in all honesty, the deadline is coming up and as much as I love to procrastinate, such a feat is much harder come the end of senior year.
So, I'll go ahead and apologize in advance for this blog post. It isn't happy. It isn't funny. It isn't particularly cheerful. I wrote the first draft of it a few months ago, when I heard through the grapevine that my family-tree had been... "self-pruned", if you will. I've let it collect dust in my draft pile because I wasn't sure if I was ready to publish it or not. I'm still not sure, but I think it needs to be said.

Here goes, everyone. Buckle up, and remember that you aren't alone.

This trope in particular doesn't bug me, so much as it saddens me and leaves me a wee bit angrier than I should admit to. Maybe it's different for you - it probably is. For me, it's entirely personal. If you haven't figured it out already by my arboreal-theme euphemisms, this trope is that of "light-hearted suicide". Is that the actual name? Probably not. We're going with it, though. It's when authors or creators of creative content use suicide as comedy, or something to be laughed at; made fun of; belittled.
Now, I've often agreed with the school of thought that laughter is a great medicine and can often be used to initiate free discussion. It's what I'm trying to do with this particular blog post. I could berate you about how suicide isn't funny and how anyone who makes jokes about it should be ashamed, but 1) that wouldn't be fun to read, 2) it wouldn't be fun to write, and 3) it really isn't my place to judge.
For those of us left behind, laughter and jokes can be a way to cope. It can make things just a little bit easier.
To them, I say nothing. I respect it, and trust me, I understand. I've been there.
For those who make jokes out of a place of ignorance? I ask you to reconsider. Suicide isn't "lol-worthy". Don't imply that suicide is a laughing matter, and that depression is "just a phase". Don't trivialize it. Don't turn it into a running gag. If you decide that, as a creator, suicide would advance your plot and allow for a further depth of character in those left alive, I can only beg of you to do it justice. Make sure your audience understands the severity of what's happened. Yes, yes, they're just imaginary people living in a world made of words and ideas. Unfortunately, they aren't the only ones capable of "shuffling off this mortal coil". Be respectful. Be cognizant. Be aware. Be understanding.

I find it necessary to remind everyone, anyone, who's reading, whether they be classmates or random Interweb prowlers, that suicide shouldn't just be giggled at. It shouldn't be dismissed, and if you've got any suicidal tendencies, or you feel depressed, or you're even toying around with the thought, then please, please, talk to someone. Visit the suicide prevention page. You aren't alone, and it isn't your fault. 

Take Me to Your Leader

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a huge nerd. A geek of the highest order. I fangirl over sci-fi and fiction and fantasize about fantasy stories. "Become companion to the Doctor" is on my bucket list. "Get a real lightsaber" is my life goal.
Okay, okay, one of those two examples is untrue.¹
Jokes aside, I love a good sci-fi story. Trans-galactic war? Why not! Extra-terrestrial sightings? Go for it! Star Wars parodies? Yes, please! Alien invasions? Well, maybe not in the way you're thinking of.
The problem with alien invasions is that most of the time, they aren't really... innovative.

"What're you talking about, Internet blogger with no credentials? We made them purple instead of grey and they're six feet tall!"

Well, yes. They are. Physically they may be different, but that's about it. Many an alien invasion looks incredibly similar. The human race gets a few warnings, a political figurehead says "no, we will not surrender!", the aliens get angry and start blowing up famous monuments, humans fight back, aliens seem to get the upper hand, humans shoot giant gun, aliens explode, humans rejoice, and rinse and repeat until we all get bored.
Whatever happened to a smart alien? Canadian poet Shane Koyczan once said that "[...] if aliens are so smart, why don't they start making their spaceships look like airplanes?" ²Why not? Why are these aliens so caught up in being obvious? In being caught? In being vanquished?
Yes, yes, the humans need to win so that this plot line sells. I understand that logic, truly, I do! What's wrong with a bit more struggle, though? A harder time winning? We should earn our victories. Humans have, time and time again, proven themselves to be resourceful and cunning and downright brilliant. Let's live up to that legacy! Instead of just finding the biggest laser possible and blowing them out of the sky, why don't we tell stories about aliens who've slipped through the cracks; about invasions that fell through our peripheral and managed to land smack-dab in the middle of power? Or leagues of extraterrestrial beings who are capable of finding our weak-spot and jabbing a needle into them? What about scientists who could make themselves great and find the chemical agent required to save the human race? The lone hero capable of standing up to this great army? The general who devises a plan so cunning and dastardly it actually works?

If you're going to write about an alien invasion, make sure it's a new breed. Make sure it's alien to us³ - something we've never seen before. If I wanted to read about the Gray Aliens and Area 51, I'd pick up another book. If I cared to watch yet another wave of bug-eyed monster come down from their frisbee-shaped spaceship, I'd find another movie. Be creative! These are aliens! Let your imagination roam free for once and create something truly spectacular. We will applaud you for it.

---

1 You'll never know which one.^↩
2 This is from his spoken word poem "Atlantis". ^↩
3 Aren't I clever?^↩

Final Countdown

Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.

It's the final countdown! [cue music]

This particular trope tends to make its home in thrillers.
From the bomb in the London Underground in BBC's Sherlock, to the faulty timer in Galaxy Quest, the ticking time-bomb is an easy trope. It's a simple way to build tension quite quickly. Sometimes, it's subtle and sans obvious tension and stakes, like in "Bad News" from How I Met Your Mother. The episode slowly counts down from 50 until there's nothing left but the realization that Marshall's world will never be the same.

Popular cult-classic dramedy "Chuck" had its titular character disarm many a primed-to-blow bomb. Sometimes it was with a computer virus sent from the site of a famous adult actress, or with something as simple and asinine as fruit juice.
When it's done well, it's done very well. We the audience can only hold our breaths, bite our nails, and try to keep our butts on the edges of our seats. We wince when the characters mess up and when we get to that final 5-4-3-2... We gasp. We laugh. We let out a sigh of relief. Our heroes managed to save the day yet again!

As you may have deduced by my references this time around, this particular trope works best in more visual medias. I've yet to find a short story or novel that captures the potential paradigm shift of the countdown.

Sometimes, though, it's done cheaply. Time seems to skip and freeze as our beloved directors see fit. Twenty seconds left on the clock? Pfft. More like 120. 5 minutes left? Wait, no... Hold on; the hero spent too much time staring longingly at his sidekick and now we've only got 54 seconds left!
If you're going to use a timer, please, please obey the laws of physics!¹ Furthermore, don't forget that we as the audience need to care about the stakes. If you stick a countdown in a story filled with horrible characters and a lackluster plot line, it won't matter. You can even stick four, three, or two countdowns² in there and it won't change a thing. Use the countdown well and you can strengthen your plot and the audiences' bond to the characters. Use it badly, and it won't change a thing. Be aware of how to use a countdown, and do it well. Your audience will thank you for it.

I feel the need to add a side note. Timebombs don't always have timers... Sometimes it's nothing more than a catchy beat...

---

1 Unless it's Doctor Who, in which case you are free to do as you wish. Lord knows Steven Moffat does all the time. Also; if you could introduce me to Matt Smith, I'd be ever so thankful^↩
2 See what I did there?^↩

For more information, feel free to consult http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TimeBomb ^↩

The Lady Doth Protest

Let's talk about heroin heroines.

You know... female leads? What did you think I was going to talk about? Drugs? For shame!
All jokes aside, however, I find that as a female reader, I tend to have difficulty finding heroines I can relate to. Heroines I can admire, or empathize with. Ones whose actions and mental processes don't make me want to roll my eyes. This post is nothing but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to female lead faux-pas constantly made by many a YA writer. However, because I don't want to bore you all, I'm limiting myself to four characteristics that could, with a bit of pronoun changes, apply to both male and female leads.

Numero uno.
There is such a thing as "too perfect". This one certainly applies to both genders, but it comes in different shades.
This leading lady is lovely. Absolutely perfect. To quote Rudy Francisco; "When God made [her], He cussed for the very first time. He turned to an angel [...] and said 'Goddamn, I'm good'."¹ She is everything anyone could ever want. She's beautiful, even if she doesn't believe it, and men everywhere kiss the ground she walks on.
The problem with this is that it forces us, as the audience, to believe her self-worth is dependent on her physical attributes. Now, there's nothing wrong with appreciating someone's beauty, but it shouldn't be the only thing. You can make your heroine pretty, but only so long as that's not all she is.²

Numero dos.
She's got a tragic backstory.
Whatever happened to a loving family? A father who was there for his little girl? A mother who isn't willing to sell her daughter for meth? Where did family values go?
I'm all for tragic happenings if it means that your character will learn from it. When it seems like she won the Bad Luck Lottery, though, I tend to cringe.
A divorced set of parents? Sure. A sibling dying of cancer? Sure. An uncle who may or may not have been a less than savoury individual? Sure. Everything and more? Maybe not.
Show your characters some sympathy!

Numero three.
She hasn't got a backstory.
Contrary to popular belief, characters don't just pop up randomly, ready to run around and fight dragons. Well, technically they do. A good, "human" character, however, is just as, well... human as you or I. They've been through trials and tribulations. Something has happened. You don't need to spend twenty chapters telling us about the ins and outs of every little moment in her life, but keep in mind that even Bella Swan had a backstory. Was it a good one? No. At least she had one, though.
Flesh out your characters!³

Numero quatro.
She's got a brain, but oh, wait, nope... Maybe not? She claims to be intelligent but she never actually shows it. Bella from Twilight, for example, is apparently a fantastic student.⁴. Despite her tastes and apparent mental capacities, she's eager to jump off a cliff for attention. Seems like a pretty stupid idea for someone said to be so smart, don'tchathink?
Hermione Granger, however, is brilliant. "The brightest witch of [our] age!"⁵, in fact. Does she show it? Constantly. Is she any lesser of a person for it? Not at all.
Don't pretend your heroine is smart if you don't show it. Put your money where your mouth is and make heroines for those of us who prefer books over Barbies.⁶

So, let's resume, shall we?
This is the part where, if it's TL;DR, I'll sum it up and stick a bow on it.
Make your hero(ines) flawed. Give them just enough backstory to make them interesting. When you give them a characteristic, you'd best make sure you show it, too.
Don't forget we're all looking for someone we can admire. Make them realistic. They can be flawed, affable, loveable, lovely, imperfect, irritating, interesting, intelligent, naive, brave, cowardly, trusting, skeptical... It doesn't matter! Just give them some substance and make sure you build them out of more than transparent ideals and second-rate writing. Once you've got that covered, you might be en route to making a decent story.

---

1 This is quoted from his "Love Poem Medley". Feel free to check it out on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpVURliPtB0

^↩
2 By that same token, don't make your male leads handsome and nothing else. He can be pretty, but make sure he's more than that. Does he have to be a member of MENSA? Not necessarily, but if he's only a pretty face, I might as well read a tabloid, right? ^↩
3 On the topic of backstories, I find it useful to quote the fantastic Stephen King; "The most important things to remember about back story are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting.” Give them something to make them relatable and go from there.^↩
4 As much as I'd like to spend a full blog explaining the flaws of Twilight, I feel as if that might become dull and preachy. Instead, I'll just say that Bella Swan isn't someone you want your daughters, younger siblings, cousins or friends to emulate. Show them that there are some strong heroines out there, and some properly intelligent ones. ^↩
5 This is from book 3 of the Harry Potter series "The Prisoner of Azkaban". The page number depends entirely on which edition you're reading. ^↩
6 For male leads, the same thing applies, but with more masculine pronouns, of course.^↩

Cupid's Crosshairs

Today, we're stepping away from heroes and super-villains and taking a nice jaunt into the world of romance and Hallmark-style relationships.

There is much to be said about fiction. Sometimes, the relationships are so painfully real it's hard to read or hear. Sometimes, they're so cloyingly adorable and sweet that a trip to the dentist is required. And sometimes, they're just plain unrealistic. Sometimes, they create false standards. Sometimes, they just aren't healthy. 

Today's field trip into the land of tropes includes a visit to something I like to call "insta-love".

You know, the one where a female lead happens to be in some artsy-fartsy cafe and she looks up and sees her perfect man staring at her from across the room. Their eyes meet, fireworks explode, Cupid shoots and audiences everywhere "aww". 

I have two problems with this situation. One; artsy-fartsy cafes tend to smell funny and are as such strenuously avoided. Two; is the heroine a mind-reader? As far as I can tell, most of us aren't blessed with the ability to read someone on sight. Even Cal Lightman¹, based on real-life Dr. Paul Ekman, isn't that good. 

Oh, Bella. Why, oh why?

Instant-attraction? Sure. Instant connection over the book they both happen to be reading? Sure. But insta-love? Maybe not. It's impossible to know the subtleties of character a person has without first talking to them. It's even harder to know if two people are compatible if the most interaction they've had is a shared glance.

There's a reason the "best-friends who fall in love" trope works - it's because at the very least, they've taken the time to actually to get to know one another. Sure, it's cliched and played out and usually involves griping about how "they'll never see you like I do", but at the very least, there can be a modicrum of reality.
That's not to say you, as the creator of the next great romance, can't have your characters share glances across a crowded room. They can be attracted to one another, and maybe even trade hopeful smiles. Just be cognisant that love isn't instant. It takes work and time. Don't force your characters into relationships just for the sake of having relationships.

Your characters should be flawed, imperfect and most of all, relatable. Not every relationship will end with two souls harmonizing. Some break and fall
apart. What appears lovely at first glance might turn out to be horrendous - don't limit yourself to happily-ever-afters.
Even your characters need to learn how to be alone and to deal with heartbreak - it's what allows them to be even more real.

And most of all; realize that Cupid doesn't always have the best aim.

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1 Dr Cal Lightman is played by Tim Roth in the wonderful TV show "Lie to Me". Lightman plays a fictionalized version of Dr. Ekman, a man capable of reading micro-expressions. It's a solid piece of television, if you're looking for a new Netflix show to binge on. 


For an alternate perspective, feel free to check out http://www.amyplumbooks.com/2011/11/lets-talk-about-insta-love/