If there was, I don’t think any of us can write anything 
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Yep, that’s what they said.
And not just Reynard. Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Yes, and I trust my editor! She didn’t have any problem with my blue bipedal feline. I’ve never heard that saying before. I shall store it in my Interesting Things memory box now…
I wouldn’t want that either (although, believe it or not, I’ve read far worse things than describing period blood that have to do with a period). The context in my book was this: MC stumbles into a fantasy world and thinks “Thank goodness I’m not on my period” and a female writer just went off on that in all caps.
Don’t know why to this day.
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That’s a good quote. I’m going to quote that quote that you quoted.
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I snorted XD
I think there’s a delicate balance when writing an unlikable character. You have to have just the right amount of likable to have readers like an unlikable character. Like Ove from A Man Called Ove starts off sounding super unlikable. I honestly thought I made a mistake buying the book, but then again, it was kind of funny how it began.
And you also quickly find out some endearing things about him.
It’s been mentioned by several people, but it seems there’s a balance to be had between the two most of the time although there are exceptions done well.
Right? I thought so, too.
I come across pictures of Khajiit all the time when looking for feline anthro inspo pics. They look so human it’s weird to me. What is it with people obsessed about giving anthros very human bodies? What kind of animal has human proportions? Especially with the slim fingers and the chest area.
To make sure no one can ever see the similarities, I decided Kattaluna have manes. I also decided to do this because they have bangs that are a different color from their fur and I thought it should connect to something.
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Exactly! You can have a totally AWFUL character, but so long as they’re interesting or redeemable, it’s fine imo.
Ah, well… this is where you might get confused. Khajiit vary in looks depending on their birth (as in, what phase the moon is in). Khajiit come in all types, from tiny little house cats to basically human, all the way through to really, REALLY bulky Senche-Rahts. Chances are what you’ve found were Skyrim screenshots, which is one specific type of Khajiit.
The games don’t really give you too much lore upfront unless you actively go looking for it, although Elder Scrolls Online features plenty of Senche-Rahts, Alfiq, and a ton of others. Below is a screenshot of Khajiit species (I genuinely cannot track down who originally made this artwork, so I apologise for not being able to credit them), all the way from tiny Alfiq to massive Senche-Raht. This is why I mentioned the lore aspect - you can do whatever you want with feline characters, but try and stick away from the TES lore (which includes the lunar birth chart). Not a single one is blue, though.
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At this point in time, everything has been done at least once. Anything considered “original” today is just a bunch of other ideas all mooshed together
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I am disturbed XD Did they have to make them look so… those look like werecats or something. But that’s just my opinion.
What’s a lunar birth chart?
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- Ha.
- Trainwreck stories are often read not because the character is likeable, but because you want to watch them fall .
- Telling is when you want one sentence and not a whole chapter, but yes, more showing should be done. Had to acrap hakf a cbaoter for that, especailly ehen it was keeping me from continuing.
- Most should be in the era if its historical. You csn choose names that PREDATE the era, too. Fantasy? Sling 5 letters together in rendom order, who cares?
- Closer to when Avatar came out it would be easier for your story to get lost as a fanfic, but all the stories imitating something else tells me that people don’t give a damn. Avatar faded from our consciousness–I never connected your blue character to that.
- There are adult stories rhat are abiut 12 year olds. Isnt Lolita one? Generally speaking YA shiuld be contemporary to high-school, which is 14, but not necessary.
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Onenof the memorable werewolf storiss on wattpad out ofnthe more genric ones was becaue it had a poo scene at the front of it. Id recognize it fi I read it again pretty immediately.
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Dogs wouls get caught up with Ghostbusters and True Blood.
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Oh, this cant get detailed enough.
New Orleans is a French Colonial port. Its also a SPANISH Colonial port.
So we have Caballeros out the backside.
Here’s the problem: colonial era Cabbaleros are Cab-uh-ler-o, while the recently immigrated to the US are usually closer to Cab-e-yehr-o.
And what about Castrillos? The word teanslates into English as Castrate. Gues what this is? Jews that lived in Spain who were given the surname that fit what they did: circumcision. The man I knew who had this last name was Colonial Spanish: with L, not Y, was really dark (likely Moorish ancestry).
So his genetics were likely Jewish/Spanish/North African from one side, and Cajun French or Creole (French/Spanish/Black, maybe Ivory Coast?) from the other.
Stories really don’t get specific enough into how names come about. Just “Oh, Spanish? Plop a Spanish Surname on him!”
I mean, my ancestral Surname (so not my maiden) is Adams. That makes us sound English. No, the S was added to anglicize our name when they started hitting my great grandmother’s hands in school for speaking French.
And dont get me started on any surname with Gold in this nation. There’s a lot of Jewish history stripped with such names. And if I was sensitive to what people thought of Jews and banking, I’d be outraged.
There’s a world of depth that derails a story in surnames.
- No, that’s a stupid rule.
- The people who call characters unlikable, or at the very least use that critique indiscriminately, lack the creativity to empathize with people different from them.
- What a silly rule.
- TBH this is fair: your Ancient Greek tragedy isn’t the best place for us to meet Meiling and Rohit. Complete precision doesn’t matter, but if no effort is made it’s quite jarring.
- TIL the Na’Vi are feline
- I can’t think of an immediate counterexample, but that’s not how genres work. I’m not a YA writer.
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I wonder what they would think of this guy
this seems a little misogynistic on the surface but it’s kinda just following the same logic we use for other regular bodily functions. Like we don’t need to see every single time a character uses the bathroom or shaves, we just need to see when it’s relevant.
i’ve read plenty of books where periods were brought up so idk where this advice came from.
it’s not about the likeability of the character it’s about whether we have a reason to root for them. Or at least stay interested enough to read what happens to them.
that’s an exaggeration, but show don’t tell is generally good advice. I think people have started to conflate this with “use more descriptive/flowery/purple language” which isn’t what it means. You can “show” with direct, simple language.
it’s “she gnawed the side of her thumbnail” (show) rather than “she felt nervous” (tell).
telling has it’s place, like most things in writing. showing 100% would make your writing awkward and wordy. but i think it’s a good idea to aim for more show than tell.
speculative fiction gives you a bit more leeway but if you’re aiming for a particular vibe then I would say there should at least be consistency. Like if all your characters have Victorian names but your MC is named Mckenzleigh, that’s going to be jarring for your readers.
But y’know, it’s fantasy not historical, so, you don’t have to stick to real Victorian naming conventions.
boo hiss 
MC ages are often used as a quick reference point for intended audiences but it’s not really reliable. Defining a target audience has more to do with the content and writing style than the ages of the characters. Middle grade books tend to talk about things that are relevant to children, like identity within the community, beginning to challenge authority, unstable emotional health, ect. and YA tends to talk about things that are relevant to teens, like individual identity, gaining independence, relationships, ect.
YA also usually uses more complex and mature language than MG.
Those are more reliable ways to determine target audience.
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I might be alone in this, but this is the first I’ve connected blue bipedal felines to Avatar after all the times I’ve heard you talk about your book. Not anything to worry about. Plus, different medias can have 1 thing in common.! So, overall, not a huge fan of that advice–write what you want to : )
The intended audience depends on the tone of the story, and the language used to write it.
There’s a difference between characters who aren’t good people / aren’t likable in-universe and characters that are unenjoyable to read. At least, I hope there is [nervously glancing at my unlikable MC]
It’s a normal part of life, and it’s fine if it’s mentioned in a story.
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If they don’t make fun of other people for peeing their pants, then they are in a good place
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That is true, but what if it’s not even Earth? And not even historical fiction?
Does it surprised you, I wonder, if I said this advice came from a female writer who also does editing as her job?
The characters were, Henry, Valerie, and Mordecai. The writer pointed out Valerie isn’t a real Victorian Era name and that I should change it. But…it’s fantasy, so I didn’t 
That’s good to know 
I never connected them with Avatar either, because when I first came up with the species, it was before Avatar existed.
And the Navii (or however you spell it) seem more…humanoid-alien than my Kattaluna. And Kattaluna are cuter
A Man Called Ove definitely showed there can be unlikeable characters who have endearing or likeable or relatable qualities. If those qualities are shown early on, then I think unlikeable characters can work.
My character in question does sound like a mean girl in the beginning, but I quickly show she’s only trying to be like her popular friend and feeling yucky about it.
Really strong personal opinion:
Feeling guilt while bullying should be relateable. The idea that some form of bullying has never stained a person is asinine. The whole of cbildhood is testing boundaries and learning them. And taking out your frustration on other peiple is the natural trait of a toddler, and so bullying is natural behaviors that we have to learn to overcome. Many people who don’t see this still bully to this day without being aware that they are that person. The number of people who fit “never bullied”, genuinely, should statistically match hormonally low ACEs in the overall population.
So since its relatable and is a big part of people who don’t like themselves, its something that should be seriously looked at more. The only reeason to hide this is because it shines light on the cockroaches.