Oh really? I forgot about that thread.
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Thank you! I’ll do third person then
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You’re welcome!
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Any writing questions that you need help with?
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#51
How do I write a good prophecy?
Prophecies can be challenging to write because sometimes you have to add a poetic element to make them sound different. I kind of took my element from Lord of the Rings by going by the One Ring to blank prophecy but instead of rings they are triplets. I mainly took the setup of the prophecy but I mean to clean it up later on. I’ll link some articles below for you to check them out.
https://www.mythosink.com/how-to-write-a-poetic-prophecy/
Anymore advice needed for writing?
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#52
There is a group in my story that their culture/the way they worship the gods in my story is Muslim coded and I wanted to ask how do I show that they are "Muslim coded" without falling into stereotypes
Alright, so this is something i have actually ran into. The best way to stick to the code without it becoming stereotypical will be read articles about this. We do have a thread here that goes over how to make Muslim characters but it is closed. You can still go through the thread for information though which I think will help you out. I would definitely check out the threads below on top of the blog post that Shannii made on her blog. I will post the link below as well. I hope these links help you out. If you still have questions just post another question in the form for this thread.
There is another thread where you post your POC characters but I can’t find it for some reason. If you do find it then I would check it out.
- https://forum.shanniiwrites.com/t/how-to-guide-making-muslim-characters/1532
- https://forum.shanniiwrites.com/t/how-to-guide-creating-arab-characters/8835
- https://forum.shanniiwrites.com/t/how-to-guide-making-muslim-characters/1532
#53
So, like in my story there is a goddess (she’s the goddess of vegetation and agriculture) who is what you might describe as "fat" and my inspiration for her is Danielle brooks, I am wondering how do I describe her without coming out as fatphobic/rude.
This is a great question since it can be hard to do so. It mainly comes from using descriptive words instead of words that could make people feel fat-shamed. Synonyms become your friend when it comes to writing diverse body types. Just make sure the story flows together with the words you choose. I’m going to post a link to some articles that will help you out. I will also put the link for a thesaurus website that can help you out in the long run.
https://sarahhollowell.com/2015/09/18/a-guide-for-skinny-writers-who-want-to-write-fat-characters/
https://allthekissing.com/2019/05/8-dos-and-donts-of-writing-plus-sized-characters/
https://www.writerspace.com/how-writing-plus-size-characters-has-helped-me-embrace-my-body/
Any more questions?
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I have a Muslim friend, I can talk to her.
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That will be helpful as well!
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I’ll get in contact with her, then.
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Okay, sounds good to me!
#54
I’m sorry wolfgamergirl, but that didn’t really help me in my question on how to show a character is Muslim coded.
I feel like I misunderstood your question. Is this for episode? Are you asking about how to dress the character? Or are you asking about how write the culture correctly? Sorry, for the confusion. You can send another message as a response or pm me directly.
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Just added the tags for the post above.
If you want, pm me and I can talk to my Muslim friend for you.
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#55
Is this for episode? No
Are you asking about how to dress the character?
Or are you asking about how write the culture correctly? a little
In my story it takes place in two worlds, Earth and another (the other one more, only the first scene is on earth actually) and in the other word there isn’t Christianity, Islam or Jewism as they have gods and patrons and there is a tribe that worships/pray to the gods that on earth people will equivalent it to Muslims/Islam and so I am asking how do I make it more noticeable that they (the tribe of those people) are Muslim coded. They don’t take blood is already one of it to make my muslim coding of that tribe more noticeable.
Ah okay! Let me see what I can find then. I know for sure that ham is no go I think. I’m going to tag some people I know that can help. I don’t know much about the Islamic religion and culture to give you concrete advice. @liyahsdiamond, @ShanniiWrites, @Ouijaloveletters Can ask her friend for you, @anon93806337 do you have any advice? I’m not sure who else to tag. Just let me know if you need more help.
Understanding Muslim Fasting Practices)%2C%20blood%2C
http://sharonpluralism.org/cultural-protocols/muslim-culture/#:~:text=Muslims%20believe%20that%20the%20Creator,pray%20five%20times%20a%20day.
https://stagingomi.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/docs/librariesprovider2/culture-and-religion/islam.pdf?sfvrsn=6a2c7372_2
I don’t quite get how it’s Muslim “coded” right now? Do people wear hijabs? Do they prey on special prayer mats towards Mecca? Do they speak Arabic? They don’t eat pig meat maybe? Or they only eat halal? Elaborate a little more about the religion so I can help.
It sounds like it’s a polytheist religion — that there are multiple gods that people can choose to be their patrons. That’s already very different from Islam, which is monotheist. I think you need to worry more about coding your religion like a polytheist religion such as Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism or Shinto
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Please remember that the Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — aren’t the only religions out there.
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On a story I worked on with @SenchaStories, I had the character use common Arabic phrases that Muslim people often say.
Please excuse the bad spelling, as I’m on my phone, but things like “bismillah” “inshallah” and “masha’allah”
I didn’t actually use bismillah, but “inshallah” is similar to how people say “fingers crossed”, but means “if god wills it”. You say it when you’ve hoped for something in the future.
Masha’allah, on the other hand is basically praising God. You say it when something good has happened to protect people from the evil eye. I’ve been told on occasion by a Muslim man “you’re very beautiful, masha’allah”.
My character said inshallah once in the first chapter, I think. She’s a Muslim girl who doesn’t wear a hijab, so that helped to establish her religion. Well, that along with the fact that she fasted on Ramadan, didn’t eat pork and prayed to Mecca every day. Some Muslims pray 5 times a day, I think.
Choose a nice Arabic name for your character, too. Instead of Mary, why not Miriam? Zara? Or Aaliyah or Aisha? Maybe Ibrahim? Hamza?
I’m not Muslim, though. I just have LOADS of Muslim friends and it’s very easy to absorb their habits, speaking patterns and mannerisms when that’s the case. The perks of being in a very South Asian community! I’m surrounded by Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus most of the time 
So don’t rely on me! Ask some people who practice Islam or grew up in an Islamic family. I can think of a few people, so forgive me for tagging you. Forgive me if I remembered wrong, too.
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Hey!!
No worries about the tagging. I grew up in an Islamic family but I’m not religious.
Anyway, I can confirm that these are accurate when you want to write about a Muslim character.
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I’m not religous so I also don’t personally use any of those mannerisms - but you’ve got them pretty spot on with how my family uses them.
Bismillah is a much rarer in my 2.5th gen experience (would likely be similar for other 3rd gen families, maybe 2nd gen families too that moved to Britain closer to the '80s). One instance where it could be used is before a test: “make sure you say bismillah before starting your test today”.
So where inshallah (or insha’allah) is similar to fingers crossed - if God wills (hopefully) it will happen, bismillah is more like for God to be with you (and help you) when you’re about to do something like an exam
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