If your plot feels flat, STUDY it! Your story might be lacking…
Stakes - What would happen if the protagonist failed? Would it really be such a bad thing if it happened?
Thematic relevance - Do the events of the story speak to a greater emotional or moral message? Is the conflict resolved in a way that befits the theme?
Urgency - How much time does the protagonist have to complete their goal? Are there multiple factors complicating the situation?
Drive - What motivates the protagonist? Are they an active player in the story, or are they repeatedly getting pushed around by external forces? Could you swap them out for a different character with no impact on the plot? On the flip side, do the other characters have sensible motivations of their own?
Yield - Is there foreshadowing? Do the protagonist’s choices have unforeseen consequences down the road? Do they use knowledge or clues from the beginning, to help them in the end? Do they learn things about the other characters that weren’t immediately obvious?
this post permanently became a fixture in my brain and i cannot get it out. the other day i was looking out the window to see the streets were damp from rain and thought âgod has pet them wethands styleâ
[ID: an edited Calvin and Hobbes panel where Calvin sits, smiling, at a lemonade stand with a sign taped to the front of the table. It reads: Itâs time to retire that other meme and replace it with this template. Change my mind. Next image is the same meme but the sign reads: Steven Crowder does not deserve a meme format. Change my mind. /end]
See this just feels so much better. Iâve read enough of those comics to know that Calvin has some really deep insights rattling around in his head. And look how happy and attentive he looks. You could absolutely have a polite, intelligent, and enriching conversation with this kid. Meanwhile Steven Crowder is so financially incentivized to always look like the smartest guy in any given room that the only way to change his mind is with a 2x4 to the side of the head. Which, I admit, would be enriching in its own way.
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Attaching the blank because the imgur link was being temperamental for me. Saved you a click.
Crucial context: this is being put on the ballot specifically to stop abortion protections. Enshrining abortion rights in the constitution will be on the November ballot. Support for abortion protection in Ohio is about 59%. This is a highly calculated attack on bodily autonomy.
Do Not Let HR do this to you. It is not illegal to talk about wages in the work place. I did and got a 12% raise!
True info. Now let me add something: The power of documentation. (I was a long time steward in a nurses union.)
Remember: The ââEâ in email stands for evidence.
That cuts both ways. Be careful what you put into an email. It never really goes away and can be used against you.
But can also be a powerful tool for workplace fairness.
Case 1: Your supervisor asks you to do something you know is either illegal or against company policy. A verbal request. If things go wrong, you can count on them denying that they ever told you to do that. You go back to your desk, or wherever and you send them an email: âI just want to make sure that I understood correctly that you want me to do xxxxxâ Quite often, once they see it in writing, they will change their mind about having you do it. If not, you have documentation.
Case 2: You have a schedule you like, youâve had that schedule for a while, it works for you. Your supervisor comes to you and says âWeâre really short-handed now and I need you to change your schedule just for a month until we can get someone else hired. Itâs just temporary and you can have your old schedule back after a month.â A month goes by and they forget entirely that they made that promise to you. So, once again, when they make the initial request, you send them an email âIâm happy to help out temporarily, but just want to make sure I understand correctly that I will get my old schedule back after a month as you promised.â Documentation.
[Image ID: Text reading: In the middle of a busy clinic at our practice, I got pulled in by my manager to speak to HR, who must have made a special trip because she lives several states away, and told I was being 'investigatedâ for discussing wages with my other employees. She told me it was against company policy to discuss wages.
Me; Thatâs illegal.
Them: (start italics) three slow, long seconds of staring at me blankly (end italics) UhâŚ
Me: Thatâs an illegal policy to have. The right to discuss wages is a right protected by the National Labor Relations board. I used to be in a union. I know this.
HR: Oh, this is news to me! I have been working HR for 18 years and I never knew that. Haha. Well try not do do it anyway, it makes people upset, haha.
Me: people are entitled to their opinions about what their work is worth. Bye.
I then left, and sent her several texts and emails saying I would like a copy of their company policy to see where this wage discussion policy was kept. She quickly called me back in to her office.
HR: You know what, there is no policy like that in the handbook! I double check. Sorry about the confusion, my apologies.
Me: You still havenât given me the paper saying that we had this discussion. I am going to need some protection against retaliation.
HR: Oh haha yes here you go.
I just received a paper with legal letterhead and an apology saying there was no verbal warning or write up. Donât even take their shit you guys. Keep talking about wages. Know your worth. /End ID]
At one of my old (shit) jobs my boss would continually come have these verbal discussions with me and would never put anything in writing I took to summarizing every discussion we had in email. Like âjust to confirm that you asked me to do X by Y date and you understand that means I wonât be able to complete the previous task you gave me until Z date - 2 weeks later than originally scheduled - because you want me to prioritize this new project.
The woman would then storm back into my office screaming at me for putting the discussion in writing and arguing about pushing back the other project or whatever. At which point I would summarize that conversation in email as well. Which would bring her storming back in, rinse and repeat ad nauseum.
Anyway I cannot imagine how badly that job would have gone if I hadnât put all her wildly unreasonable demands in writing. Bitch still hated me but she could never hang me for âmissing deadlinesâ because I always had in writing that sheâd pushed the project back because she wanted something else done first.
Paper your asses babes. Do not let them get away with shit. If they wonât put what theyâre asking you to do in writing then write it up yourself and email it to them.
If you donât have this kind of job but someday youâd might: start practicing.
After a casual conversation with friends, write up a brief synopsis of what you discussed & agreed to. (âŚDo not email this to friends unless you have their agreement that this would be a fun group project.) Get practice with,
âA, B, and C had a brief meeting about food options after the big game. We decided on pizza, with A&B agreeing to contribute X dollars each, and C agreeing to contribute Y dollars and also bring soda. A will call for pizza on the day of the game and schedule it for delivery at 8:30 pm.â
âA, B & C discussed movie options. A wanted something lite and fun; B wanted something scifi; C was fine with anything but horror. Nobody wanted superheroes. Decided on Lost Space Wanderers which opened last weekend; C agreed to research theatre options and report tomorrow.â
âŚand so on. Practice describing the results of âmeetingsâ with friends and youâll be ready to sum up âboss told me to set aside Project A to focus on Project B for the next two weeksâ - because whatâs likely is that boss didnât say anything that clear; boss talked about how important Project B is and how the company needs parts X and Y done asap and you have the best skills for that, and when you mentioned how much time Project A was taking, boss said âeh donât worry about that right now; marketing is breathing down my neck so we really need part X by Friday, okay?â
âŚat no point did you get a direct instruction.
Which is why anyone who is not the screaming-drama boss mentioned above would think it was perfectly reasonable for you to say, âI want to clarify the discussion we had earlier - you told me to focus on Project B to the exclusion of Project A for the next two weeks, even if that means Project A will miss its deadline; is that correct?â
Genuine question: what do I do when the boss in question doesnât reply to my confirmation email, then says that he never approved the project delay?
In person or over the phone you say âthat doesnât match with my memory of the project but let me check my records and Iâll get back to you about what happened on this project.â Then go back to your desk and write the pettiest email in the world.
To: Boss
From: you
Cc: work group, team lead, project partner, direct supervisor, etc.
(Depending on severity of problem) Bcc: your personal email
âHi Boss, Iâm trying to resolve some confusion here. After our conversation about priority projects on [date] I reached out to you for confirmation of these details (see attached outlook item) and didnât receive an update to the timeline since that communication. I have been working from the agenda we discussed (summarized in attached outlook item from [date]) in absence of further direction. Do you have a copy of your response updating the changes or correcting mistakes in my summary? Itâs possible that I didnât see your email and Iâd like to identify where a communication was missed so that we can avoid issues like this in future projects.
Best,
[Name]â
For this to work you have to be militant about sending summary emails and firm with coworkers and supervisors that you will be documenting project plans via email, but once theyâre used to your MO itâs worth the work.
Itâs worth noting that the good bosses and coworkers you have will either a) know where this reflex comes from bc theyâve been there themselves and gladly support it or b) actively appreciate it bc they are (like me) doing about 6 jobs at any one time and having someone else write up summaries of meetings is a huge weight off of their shoulders and gives them something to refer back to.
My wifeâs current boss really really loves the fact that she keeps notes on every meeting for her own records and emails them to everyone after the meeting.
This habit protects you from shit bosses and makes you look gold-plated to good ones.
Actually Captain Jack Harkness is SO important. During a time when we couldn’t get a single queer on screen in most shows and even those few we did get ended up dead 90% of the time, he was not only openly bisexual, he was openly bisexual and LITERALLY unable to die.
thr funniest part of therapy to me is when you first come in and you’re exchanging niceties and they say “hello! how are you” and you say “im fine how are you :)” and then 30 seconds later they put on their therapist voice and say “so how are you doing?” and you go well lisa. believe it or not im doing Bad
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