Writing Advice Blog: Lavender Unicorn Syndrome and how to avoid it. · 4:33pm Jan 8th, 2016
Lavender Unicorn Syndrome.
Much like the chicken pox, we've all had it at one point or another.
For those unfamiliar with the term, "Lavender Unicorn Syndrome" is a condition in which writers feel the need to use a descriptor in lieu of a name or pronoun. Which is all well and good when a character has not yet been introduced by name:
The rainbow-haired pegasus ruffled her wings, tossed her mane, and smirked. "The name's Rainbow Dash," she said.
But veers into, ahem, purple prose when used with a character the reader is already familiar with:
Pinkie Pie giggled. "Hooray! I get to be in an example of what not to do!" The pink earth pony mare hopped around, blowing a vuvuzela and waving a boffyball pennant.
Lavender Unicorn Syndrome is a peculiar disease in that most writers don't notice they have it until someone points it out to them, at which point good writers--writers who are capable of learning from constructive criticism and advice--will notice they're infected with this particular disease, and do one of the following:
1. Ignore it, because it doesn't feel wrong to keep doing it.
2. Decide that it's a disease worth keeping, which usually makes it even worse.
3. Become acutely aware of the infection and struggle to rid themselves of it.
Option one is always the wrong answer.
Option two is usually also wrong, because it's essentially the same thing as option one, but it can work if you're doing it on purpose to make a story as cheesy and hammy as it can possibly be.
Option three is the ideal answer. You really don't need to remind your readers constantly that Twilight Sparkle is lavender and either a unicorn or an alicorn. They know already. You don't need to tell people over and over again that Sunset Shimmer is a bacon-haired girl. They know already.
Proper names and pronouns exist for a reason, and it is not a sin to use them.
I've suffered from Lavender Unicorn Syndrome myself. A lot of my fics on this very site are plagued with it. One of these days, I'm going to go back and eradicate it from everything I've ever written, but that's a time-consuming process.
The most important thing to do, to promote your own growth as a writer, is to acknowledge Lavender Unicorn Syndrome as a condition you may be affected with, and pay attention to the words coming out of you when you write.
While not a writer myself, I have seen professional writers do what you are describing. I can only assume that this is a writing tool used to keep from repeating something over and over, which is sloppy writing from what I hear.
I like to think of it as not so much an infection as it is a commensal bacterium: you don't want to kill it with antibiotics, but you don't want it to cramp your style, either.
You can try to abstain yourself from using colourful descriptors, but like most forms of abstinence, it's really only good in moderation.
Yeah, I actually prided myself on thinking of ever more clever and elaborate ways to avoid using a character's name when I was writing my earlier work. Yet another reason I should go back and clean it up at some point. At least I know better now.
I think this problem stems from the fact that a lot of early grade English classes (I'm talking like 4th-6th) say that it's bad writing to only ever refer to a character in one way, but they fail to mention it's even worse to refer to a character in a different way every time.
I personally believe that if the narration is in 1st Person, the names characters are called by the narrator should stick, seeing as how people usually don't randomly swing on what they call people (they may call them different nicknames when they talk, but from my own experience, I usually use only one when I think of them).
But yeah, it gets irritating when authors flip-flop uncontrollably on what they want to call their characters.
I typically try to avoid LUS like the plague, but I've noticed myself doing it recently. Thanks for the reminder, Moth. I appreciate it.
3672531
Writing does have rules. There may not be many universal rules (aside from grammar rules, of course), but there are rules nonetheless. Even freestyle poetry has rules. Confusing rules, but rules all the same.
It's a tough one to get around, I'm seeing too many things like this creep into my fledgling stories and I beat my head on the keyboard trying to not do stuff like this then getting a real block when I can't.
Oh my undefined-deity. I just had a bad flash back to my many failed attempts at becoming a RR.
3672531 The difference is that published authors know what they're doing and can replace those pronouns tastefully. Your average fanfiction writer just starting out is going to screw that up to the point of near unreadablility. There are plenty of other things pro authors do that noobs should avoid, like OCs, strange writing perspectives, multiple perspective characters, and many others. Just like any other art, you don't want to start the noob with the oil paint, because they're going to make a mess. Keep it simple and take it slow, it almost always works better when you're starting out, and most of us writing fanfiction are just starting out. After all, if we were pro wouldn't we be making our own worlds right now?
It helps to use male characters.
I'd like to echo many other commenters and point out that alternating just between a name and a pronoun (or using only one of those the entire bloody time) tends to read as really, really repetitive, and turns the story into a slog. One out of every three being descriptive is fine -- it breaks up the monotony. Just use it in moderation and try to make it context-relevant. If the pegasus is flying and that differentiates her from others present in a more relevant way than her coat color, call her a friggin pegasus one in three times (the other two being pronoun and actual name).
3674514
You seem to assume that none of us are doing just that on the side.
What if you have a character who's name the main character doesn't know yet? What do you do?