a-ray-of-moonshine

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

In theory, I want to have an active writeblr. I want to be a part of this beautiful thing here where everyone's talking about writing, sharing worldbuilding bits and OC profiles and writing snippets, asking and answering questions about their WIPs, being there for each other on these writing journeys.

In practice, I try, but when I'm really caught up in a WIP, it quickly gets hard for me to think of things to share about it, because I'm so busy writing it, and I could probably share snippets or something, but I feel weird about doing it with no context about the characters or the world or anything, and also, I'm so self-conscious about my writing, it's like.. often hard to share it outside of groups I already feel a part of? With first drafts especially? And I also often get so caught up in my own stories that it's hard to stay on top of what others are sharing about theirs.

And when I'm not writing, I'm often low-key depressed about not writing, and my head is empty, and interacting with other people's writing can sometimes make me feel like, "Wow, there are all these talented people... and then there's me, a hack." (Bad, I know). Ooooor it can inspire me to get new ideas on my own, and then, see paragraph above.

So I show up, and then I stop showing up for a while, and then the longer I stay away, the more self-conscious and weird I feel about showing up again only probably to disappear again for weeks/months soon after. And because I keep flickering in and out of everyone's vision here, like the ghost I secretly am, I never make lasting connections that would help me feel like part of the community and stick around even when I don't know what to talk about, writing-wise.

asdfghjkl what's wrong with me, why am I always so complicated 😰🤦‍♀️😕

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

How do people keep writing/creating through the current events? Seriously, how? Because I’d sure like to fill my days with writing, but I can hardly concentrate for long enough to write one sentence in-between all the panic attacks, invasive thoughts, and overall anxiety.

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

…you know the vibe

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 I really just collect tropes that spark joy and make them into a story, that’s it

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

Random Bit of Worldbuilding for Winter Witchcraft

In this land, that still has no name because I always name places last, each noble house has a special position: a person whose sole purpose is telling the nobles’ kids “no” whenever they notice the kids want something. The purpose of it is twofold. 

The privileged children learn that the world isn’t going to always be on their side and that not all people are going to bend to their whims; that sometimes it makes sense and other times it doesn’t. They learn to take a step back and evaluate whether they need to put their desires on hold, or whether they need to come up with a way to fight for what they want. 

And as they learn these things, their relationships with their parents and loved ones usually don’t get strained, because the random barely explained“no’s” don’t come from people they rightfully expect to be loved and accepted by.

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

I’m currently focused on a very queer fantasy romance novella that just might be a part of a series. New adult rather than adult, two parts romance, one part “disgraced noble has to move to a small town on the outskirts of a fantasy empire,” one part missing person mystery with magic. I also have a handful of other fantasy WIPs on the backburner, but as I’m coming back to writing after a break I’m focused on this one alone for a while. It’s very new, very much “still under construction,” and it’s sometimes very hard not to scream about it because of how much I love it. 😅

Fantasy Writeblrs where y’all at

I took a long break from tumblr a while back and I���ve been slow to re-engage and catch up with everything so naturally, I’m going to make one of those “looking to follow/learn about people’s wips” posts. Like this one. 

I prioritize queer/POC adult fantasy but if there ever was an excuse to scream at someone about your work this is it please take it. 

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

         𝟜. 𝕣𝕚𝕓𝕤.

            ~a drabble for white teeth and red pacts

i’m writing a series of drabbles, each loosely based off a song from the album Pure Heroine by Lorde, as a way for me to learn more about my characters and their lives. most of these will be flashbacks to when they were in high school, before or after the incident in which they developed superpowers. view the entire series here.

(also: keep in mind that these are being posted in order of the album tracklist, and NOT in chronological order.)

pov: marie-claude. way before becoming rivals, marie-claude and nicole were once… best friends.

words: 695

Marie-Claude gasped for air, lungs burning. Doubled over, she clutched her sore stomach, managed to take a deep breath—and immediately erupted into uncontrollable giggles all over again.

Next to her on the bed, Nicole gripped the pink plush cushion, tears streaming down her dark cheeks, her face also contorted with laughter. “Stop,” she managed. “Stop it. My sides hurt so much.”

“I can’t,” Marie-Claude wheezed. In an attempt to sober up, she tried to think about how annoyed her mom would be when she saw the stain from the can of soda Nicole had spilled all over the rug, but remembering how silly Nicole looked while balancing the can atop her black curls set her off again.

It was crazy how something so dumb could make her laugh so much. If there was anything Marie-Claude was good at, it was remaining composed—she knew to sit with her legs crossed and hands folded on her lap when her mother brought home an important guest; to flash a polite smile and give a proper handshake when her father introduced her to his latest girlfriend. She knew that running was undignified and laughing caused wrinkles. 

But all of that conveniently flew out the window whenever it was just her and Nicole.

Keep reading

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

I was thinking about possible titles for my new WIP, and Winter Witchcraft popped into my head. Which is cheesy and probably already done, but I suddenly liked it so much that now I want to turn this WIP into a series of novellas, with the following installments being called Spring Spells, Summer Sorcery, and Autumn Augury.

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

5 frustrating workshop rules that made me a better writer

Throughout the 15 workshops I joined in college and grad school, I encountered two types of writing rules.

First, there were the best-practice guidelines we’ve all heard, like “show don’t tell.” And then there were workshop rules, which the professor put in place not because they’re universal, but because they help you grow within the context of the workshop.

My college’s intro writing course had 5 such rules:

No fantasy, supernatural, or sci-fi elements.

No guns.

No characters crying.

No conflict resolution through deus ex machina.

No deaths.

When I first saw the rules, I was baffled. They felt weirdly specific, and a bit unfair. But when our professor, Vinny, explained their purpose (and assured us he only wanted us to follow the rules during this intro workshop, not the others to come), I realized what I could learn from them.

1. No fantasy, supernatural, or sci-fi elements.

Writers need to be able to craft round characters, with clear arcs. While you can hone those skills writing any type of story, it can be more difficult when juggling fantastical elements, because it’s easy to get caught up in the world, or the magic, or the technology, and to make that the focus instead of the characters. So Vinny encouraged us to exclude such elements for the time being, to keep us fully focused on developing strong, dynamic characters.

2. No guns.

Weapons have a place in many stories, but when writers include a gun, they often use it to escalate the plot outside of the realm of personal experience and into what Vinny called “Hollywood experience.” He wanted us to learn how to draw from our own observations and perceptions of life, rather than the unrealistic action, violence, and drama we’d seen in movies, so he made this rule to keep us better grounded in our own experiences.

3. No characters crying.

When trying to depict sadness, writers often default to making characters cry. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, tears are just one way to show grief, and they aren’t always the most subtle or emotionally compelling. That’s why Vinny challenged us to find other ways to convey sadness — through little gestures, strained words, fragile interactions, and more. It was difficult, but opened us up to depicting whole new gradients of grief and pain.

4. No conflict resolution through deus ex machina.

This is the only one of the rules I’d say is generally universal. Meaning “God from the machine,” deus ex machina is a plot device where a character’s seemingly insurmountable problem is abruptly resolved by an outside force, rather than their own efforts. These endings are bad for various reasons, but Vinny discouraged them because he wanted us to understand how important it was for our characters to confront their struggle and its consequences.

5. No deaths.

Death is inherently dramatic and can be used to good effect, but many writers use death as crutch to create drama and impact. Writers should be able to craft engaging, meaningful stories, even without killing off their characters, so this rule challenged us to find other methods of giving weight to our stories (such as through internal conflict).

How these rules helped me grow as a writer

First things first, I’ll say it again: apart from #4 (deus ex machina), these rules were never meant to be universally applied. Instead, their purpose was to create temporary barriers and challenges to help us develop key skills and write in new, unfamiliar ways.

For me, the experience was invaluable. I liked the way the rules challenged and stretched my abilities, driving me to write stories I’d have never otherwise attempted. They made me more flexible as a writer, and while I don’t follow the rules anymore (I LOVE me some fantasy), I’ll always be thankful for how they shaped my writing.

My recommendation to you?

Give some of these rules a shot! Follow them temporarily while writing 2-4 stories — but remember to always keep their purpose in mind, because the rules themselves will only help if you understand what they’re trying to achieve.

Write with purpose, and you’ll always be growing.

— — —

For more tips on how to craft meaning, build character-driven plots, and grow as a writer, follow my blog.

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

Please please please add me!!

they knew they would all see each other again someday. with a secret like the one they shared, an experience like the one they had been through, the things they could do–there was no doubt they were bound for life, whether they liked it or not.

they just never expected their high school reunion would be at the funeral for one of their own.

         𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕙 & 𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤 

                 ~ a WIP by ditzysworld

✦ genre: NA mystery thriller with superpowers

✦ featuring: prestigious high school alumni, a girl clique, superpowers, a murder, a shady organization, found family, drama, a weird amount of references to Lorde’s Pure Heroine

✦ synopsis: 

when six high school girls broke into the closed off wing of the prestigious Annesley Booth Academy on a dare, the last thing they expected was to develop superpowers. for a while, they were inseparable, bonding over their little secret. but soon the drama and stresses of high school got in the way and by the time graduation rolled around, drifting apart was inevitable.

until seven years later, when one of them, Vanessa, is found dead in her apartment, killed in an apparent home invasion gone wrong.

but her old friends know better: from the clues Vanessa left behind before she died, it’s clear that someone is after them for their powers. now, they must put aside past animosities and present tribulations to work together and figure out who killed Vanessa–before one of them is next.

✦ characters:

Nicole, the jock. teleportation. half-heartedly trying to reorient her career path after an incident with her powers put an end to her dreams of being a professional tennis player.

Marie-Claude, the beauty queen. invisibility. an instagram influencer hiding her crippling loneliness from the world.

Amina, the clique clown. empathy powers. received a mysterious text from Vanessa before she died.

Mila, the peacemaker. super strength. struggling to meet her parents’ high expectations and pretending her powers don’t exist.

Shannon, the ray of sunshine. super speed. reconnecting with the others opens up old wounds from a toxic friendship.

Vanessa, the quiet one. shapeshifter. might have found answers to the mystery behind their powers.

✦ links: comic sans intro | character intros | memes | more to come!

        let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

Advice for getting back to writing:

Use the pomodoro technique to focus when you write.

Choose a prompt and write flash fiction about your favorite ships, characters or TV shows.

If you already know how many scenes/chapters you're gonna write in your wip, keep track of it every time you complete one by writing 3/15, then 4/15 and so on.

Before writing, make a small summary of what you're gonna write and keep your resources at hand.

Write with prettiest font you've ever seen or handwrite too, that's great.

Write poetry about your favorite ships, characters or TV shows.

Watch/scroll through your documents to see everything you've already written, be proud of all the progress you've made!

Challenge yourself to reach certain amount of words and to fill in the next page, the next paragraph, the next word...

Post your fanfic on your favorite platform, especially if it's for a small fandom. It'll make you feel accomplished and it's always good to share, especially when your fandom is starving... Really, please, just give it to me.

Get a writing buddy and talk with them about your original works. It's nice to have someone who shares the same interests as you.

Read a lot about the writing craft. Read books in the genre and length you're currently writing.

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

~reblog if I can send you a question about your wip~

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

writer's block is bad™ but i beat it and so can you (probably)

Writer's block can stem from a few different issues. Getting to the root and ridding yourself of it is great, but often it's difficult to tell what exactly the root is. Anyway, I find that whatever it stems from, there's one thing that makes it infinitely worse: the sheer scope of whatever I'm trying to write. Whether it's a 1,000-word assignment or a 50,000 word NaNoWriMo project doesn't matter. When writer's block hits, even a single page can look insurmountable.

But never fear, for a Generic Writing Tip is here! *suspenseful drumming sound effect*

Write one sentence.

Just one.

Make it 5 words or 30, the length doesn't matter. All that matters is you write that one sentence, and only that one sentence.

Forget what came before it, forget what will come after it. Forget about whether it's a good finish to that paragraph, or whether it looks choppy compared to the rest of your draft, and write the damned sentence.

Good job, you've written a thing! Your previous daily word count was 0 and now it's not!

Do you think you can do it again?

...maybe one more time?

Just one more?

Look at you! An absolute champion. You wrote four sentences. That's an entire paragraph to add to all your previous paragraphs. Did you know an entire page needs roughly five paragraphs? An entire page! That's 1/5 page you've just written, and you did it while suffering from writer's block.

Now do it again.

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

Back from Hiatus / Re-Intro!

Hi, Writeblr! I’ve been away for a while, taking a break both from social networks and writing to take care of my mental health. It’s hard to be social or creative when depression hits. Right now, I’m happy to report I’m mostly out of that black hole and I can’t wait to delve back into my writing and to catch up with all your amazing WIPs.

Since my activity here had been dwindling down for some time before the hiatus, I thought I should do a small Re-Intro to remind people who the hell I even am. So here goes!

Who am I?

My name is Rachel, although I prefer going by Ray. 

I’m 23, she/them pronouns, nonbinary, pansexual, and poly.

Depression and anxiety are my lifelong enemies.

I live on a farm with my mom, my step-dad, and my girlfriend, spending a lot of time around horses every day.

Stories are my passion. I love writing, I love reading, I love watching movies and tv, I love playing roleplaying games, and listening to the records of other people doing the same, and also to audiodramas and other types of podcasts, etc, etc, etc.

I also love videogames, but right now I don’t have the means to play most of them so I watch a lot of letsplays on Youtube instead.

My favorite genres are fantasy, romance, and soft horror.

My other hobbies include cross-stitch, cooking, long walks, people-watching, and watching aesthetic sports like figure skating and rhythmic gymnastics. Also, sometimes I can spend hours searching for pretty pictures that match my stories and making aesthetic boards.

I used to do ballet as a kid. I had to stop because of a chronic spine condition, but I still feel a big passion for this art and try to attend at least a couple ballet performances a year. In my next life, I’m going to be a dancer, and that’s final.

What am I working on?

I’ve got a bunch of WIPs that are Big and Important for me, but for now I’ve put them on hold. To get back into writing, I’ve decided to write something short and sweet and probably put it on Wattpad pretty soon to get some feedback. 

So I’ve started a fantasy m/m romance that’s likely going to be more a novella than a novel. 

It’s set in a small quaint town, so far nameless, located on the outskirts of a fantasy kingdom. The resident Witch has recently passed away under some very mysterious circumstances. Was it a murder? Did she get lost in the winter woods? Was she taken away by faeries? There’s a lot of speculation and rumor, but not enough facts.

The Witch’s nineteen-year-old apprentice, Alephis, is probably the one most shaken by this event. Phertha, the lost Witch, was like a mother to him. Also, she went missing days before she was supposed to conduct his Initiation. So he can’t even use magic to search for her. His Gift is still dormant. He’s got a lot of knowledge about various spells and rites, but no way to use them. All he’s got going for him in terms of magic are occasional vague prophetic dreams and being sometimes able to light a candle with his eyes (although using matches takes a lot less effort, to be honest).

At twenty-one, Mirwed has just graduated from the Royal Academy of Natural Witchcraft in the kingdom’s capital. As a son of an important noble, he was looking into a bright future as one of the Witches employed by the Royal Court. But his family has dreadfully fallen from grace with the royals because of his father’s machinations. Instead of being a magic-practicing courtier and politician, Mirwed is sent to a small town in the middle replacement as the replacement for the Witch who got mysteriously lost. From the very start, he dreads the prospect of spending the best years of his life brewing boring farming potions and setting peasants’ bones. But the townsfolk are friendly and welcoming, and there’s a strange mystery going on. Not to mention that there’s Alephis, being equal parts annoying and annoyingly cute.

This story is incredibly new, and I’m mostly pantsing it, so there’s still no title to speak of, even a working one, and there are plenty of details to work out. But I absolutely adore my main characters, and I’m so excited about writing about their journey. Stay tuned for more posts about it all! :)

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

Hiatus, kinda

Hey guys, I know I haven't been around much and a lot of you probably hardly recognize me whenever my posts pop up on your dashes, but I kinda wanted to explain myself. This writeblr isn't abandoned, and at some point I'm going to be back, reblogging cool stuff from y'all and jotting down my own thoughts about writing and posting random things about whatever WIPs I'll be working on most actively at that point.

It's just that I'm going through a rough patch now in terms of mental health and I'm kinda... withdrawing from peopling? I'd show up and chat to someone when I feel stable-ish, and then I'd neglect showing up for days and weeks, and then I see I have some new message and I'm afraid to open it because doing so might lead to having to explain why I disappeared. Which is because I'm really depressed and really anxious all the time, and I constantly feel like a total waste of space without an ounce of energy for anything other than crying over how something terrible is surely about to happen.

So. Um. If I haven't answered a message from you or haven't reacted to you tagging me somewhere, see above. It's not you, it's me, and I'm really sorry. I don't mean to make you feel ignored or upset you, I'm just. Not really okay tbh.

I'm getting some medical help right now, and I'm hoping that the meds I've begun to take are going to help soon. I'll be back then to post randomly and catch up on all your awesome wips. Meanwhile, I'm an occasional silent lurker at most, but I do hope it's not for long.

I hope y'all are having a great holiday season, and I hope to be back soon.💙❤️️🧡

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

Tarot Writing Tip

Protip: if you're stuck and can't decide what happens next in your story, do a tarot for your characters and/or the situation they're in. You don't have to know lots (or anything) about tarot to do that, you don't have to even own a deck. There are free websites where you can get a free spread with a few clicks, with meanings for each card given to you. Such as:

http://www.master-horoscope.com/tarot-10.php https://www.free-tarot-reading.net/readings https://www.nexttarot.com/celtic-cross-tarot-reading.aspx https://www.trustedtarot.com/free-reading/ https://www.evatarot.net/

Use the readings you get as prompts to get you thinking. Ask a lot of "what if" questions, both to yourself and to the cards and to yourself again, and make sure you write down all the creative ideas taht come to mind. This can really get you think about your plot and characters in unexpected ways.

[a-ray-of-moonshine]

“… have you ever been so close to heaven, you could taste it?”

All Our Diversions Dipped in Gold: a WIP Intro

Format: Feature screenplay (for animation!) Status: Second draft Genres: High Fantasy, Retelling, Thai Folklore Mythpunk Themes: Duty/Distraction, Inheritance, Silence/Expression, Breathing/Drowning

In a city of myth and magic halfway between heaven and earth, a stubborn flightless avian and a curious shapeshifting animal wrangler must uncover the true motives of the enigmatic crocodile queen before her submerged underworld is lost forever.

Characters:

Naree, 17, Avian, Spirit guide. While her friends took to the skies, Naree remained earthbound. Ever the optimist, she never let the past get to her. She just never expected to cross paths with her wings and tail again in the last place she thought they’d be: locked deep in the grand palace of the submerged underworld. Naree is based on Manorah and Krai Thong.

Akirah, 18, Shifter - white-handed gibbon, Animal wrangler. Armed with her mother’s trident, the ability to switch between forms in the blink of an eye, and insatiable curiosity, this chatterbox is a force to be reckoned with. She’s always been there for Naree, and always will be. Akirah is based on Chantakorop, Mora, and Hanuman.

Chala, 19, Shifter - crocodile, Queen of Krung Taibadan and the submerged underworld. Chala more than earned her rightful place on the throne, from proving herself to be more worthy than her spiteful elder brother to single-handedly taming the fearsome crested serpent folk. However, her secrets run deep, stretching back to her father, the late king. Chala is based on Chalawan and Totsakan.

Matcha, 18, Mermaid, Royal botanist. Though her official role entails little more than maintaining the royal gardens and the mystical starlight emulate, she’s the closest thing Chala had to a friend growing up. She longs to be more than the magical prodigy everyone – even Chala – expects her to be. Matcha is based on Suppanamatcha and Sang Thong.

Some more reasons to follow this wip:

Keep reading