bitethebard

[bitethebard]

november; by my blade

Happy November! This month's prompt for the Suck Your TBR Dry Reading Challenge is by my blade!

Do it yourself, hours of training and grueling practice, an assassin in the night to complete a job, an enemy who sees themselves in you. When do we take matters into our own hands? Ideas: fantasy, space fantasy, craft book, character has a sword, beta read, self-help, enemies-to-lovers 

Reminder; you can follow the challenge via storygraph here.

Happy Reading!

[bitethebard]

hello beautiful people in my laptop does anyone have any recommendation for adult (no YA pls!) shakespeare retellings?

[bitethebard]

WTW PRESENTS OUR 43RD EVENT!

We live...again! WelcomeToWriteblr invites you to attend our fabulous Feast of Fright. Counting down the days until Halloween night, we have chosen themes and prompts designed to help you flesh out your WIP, from the characters and relationships to the setting and magic system. The calendar can be completed in any order and you’re free to do as much or as little as you want. This event will run for the LAST TWO WEEKS OF OCTOBER.  Unlike our previous two preptober events, this one will be a slightly shorter variant where we encourage posts to be as long or as in-depth as you'd like!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Tag your posts as #WTWEVENT and #WTWCOMMUNITY

Format your posts like this: WTW FEAST OF FRIGHT - DAY #: THEME

Wait for your post to be added to the queue. 

NSFW content will not be posted to the blog. 

OPTIONAL: Join our discord server if you would like to ensure your post makes it onto the blog! Tumblr’s tagging system can be unreliable and we want to make sure everyone’s creations are shared! Please note, you must be 15 OR OLDER to enter our server! 

PROMPT LIST

Jack o' Lantern - Write a 250-500 word character study for your protagonist

Scarecrow - Introduce the main relationship(s) in your WIP

Ghoul - Talk about recurring themes & tropes in your WIP

Full Moon - Discuss your biggest sources of inspiration

Poison Apple - Write about a fairytale, folktale, or urban legend in your WIP

Tombstone - Your protagonist has to give something up: What do they choose?

Haunted Hayride - Describe the main setting

Cauldron - Write about an important historical event in your WIP

Poltergeist - Discuss the main conflict of your WIP

Cursed Relic - Plan the climax

Grim Reaper - Brainstorm the Point of no return

Cobwebs - Write a bad synopsis of your WIP

Pumpkin Pie - How did you choose which POV(s) to write?

Headless Horseman - Write an in-universe letter from your protagonist

Banshee - Plan out your magic system: Tell us how it works!

Feast of Fright - Discuss your top five favorite scenes

CREEP IT REAL, JOIN OUR SERVER HERE! (discord.gg/earlgrey)

[bitethebard]

october; creature feature

Happy October! This month's prompt for the Suck Your TBR Dry Reading Challenge is creature feature!

The grotesque, the what-ifs hidden in shadows, sharp teeth glistening in the light, the monsters we make ourselves to be. What of ourselves can we see in the creatures? Ideas: fantasy, science-fiction, gothic fiction, classics, animal cover art, inhuman protagonist, vampires 

Something atmospheric for Halloween this year....I have a few ideas for what I will be reading, such as Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho or finally finishing my Frankenstein re-read. There are a lot of fun options in SFF for this one!

Reminder; you can follow the challenge via storygraph here.

Happy Reading! For everyone following along, how is your yearly goal looking? I'm ahead by two books out of my admittedly very small goal.

[bitethebard]

bisexual loser 4 bisexual loser

[bitethebard]

september; like it's school again

Happy September! This month's prompt for the Suck Your TBR Dry Reading Challenge is like it's school again!

Coffee stains, late-night essays, studying for hours, losing the sun absorbed in thought, meticulous research, scouring the library in hopes of the one book. What can we learn?  Ideas: textbooks, craft books, rereads, shakespeare, classics, second-hand book, non-fiction, literary fiction

Although I've been done with school for over a year, it's the time of year for many going back to school. Some of you can maybe use a proper school-assigned reading for this (wink), but for some of us, it's about nostalgia (or stress dreams). A book I've been eyeing on my shelves is Desert Passions: Orientalism and Romance Novels by Hsu-Ming Teo. But any non-fiction, classic, or just major-related reading works!

Reminder; you can follow the challenge via storygraph here.

Happy Reading! Share how your reading progress for the year is going!

[bitethebard]

My novelette "BRIDE / BUTCHER / DOE" is in this week's issue of Strange Horizons with a beautiful illustration by Max Banshees. If you like gore, body horror, and toxic lesbians, you'll probably find a lot to love in this one!

Please consider supporting Strange Horizons if you've enjoyed reading anything in this issue : )

[bitethebard]

:) here you go

[bitethebard]

words to use instead of running?

Running—to go faster than a walk

Barreling - to move at a high speed or without hesitation

Blazing - of outstanding power, speed, heat, or intensity

Bounding - to move by leaping

Cantering - to move at or as if at a canter (i.e., a 3-beat gait resembling but smoother and slower than the gallop); loping

Careening - to proceed or move quickly

Coursing - to proceed or move quickly

Dashing - to go at a pace faster than a walk

Galloping - progressing, developing, or increasing rapidly

Hastening - to move or act quickly

Hieing - to go quickly; hasten

Hurtling - to move rapidly or forcefully

Hurrying - to carry or cause to go with haste

Hustling - hasten, hurry

Jogging - to run or ride at a slow trot

Loping - an easy usually bounding gait capable of being sustained for a long time

Racing - to proceed or move quickly

Ripping - to proceed or move quickly

Rushing - to cause to move or proceed fast or faster

Scampering - to run nimbly and usually playfully about

Scooting - to move swiftly

Scurrying - to move in or as if in a brisk pace; scampering

Scuttling - scurry; a short swift run

Skipping - to move or proceed with leaps and bounds or with a skip

Speeding - to make haste

Springing - to make a leap or series of leaps

Sprinting - to run or go at top speed especially for a short distance

Tearing - to proceed or move quickly

Tripping - to go at a pace faster than a walk

Trotting - to proceed briskly; hurrying

Zipping - to move, act, or function with speed and vigor

Hope this helps with your writing. Do tag me, or send me a link. I'd love to read your work!

More: Word Lists

[bitethebard]

One of my favourite questions for figuring out a character’s motivations is which qualities they most fear being assigned to them. Are they afraid (consciously or unconsciously) of being seen as stupid? Ungrateful? Weak? Incompetent? Lazy? Cowardly? Intimidating? Like they actually care? etc.

It’s such a fun way to explore into who they are, why they do what they do, what they don’t do out of fear, and how they might be affected by the events of the story. And I love when characters have negative motivations—trying to avoid something (in this case, being seen a particular way) as much as they’re trying to achieve a goal.

[bitethebard]

Sort of relatedly, outside of historical or "hard" fantasy, I'm not sure why realism or historical accuracy should be the standards. I think books are art or whatever & should be allowed to include elements that are symbolic and not meant to be taken at face value... I think treating fantasy world building as a competition to see who can more accurately capture medieval Europe probably precludes some potentially interesting storytelling...

[bitethebard]

thanks for trusting me to work on this :) I had a blast

The amazing cover for The Saint of Heartbreak by @bitethebard!

***

"Finally we have a lovely, melancholic, sensual romance between two of the Bible's greatest villains—Judas Iscariot and the Devil. Between lush, decadent prose, Morgan Dante weaves together a queer love story, a gorgeous homage to The Divine Comedy, and thoughts on finding love in the damned shadow of God. A hellish, sacrilegious must-read." — rafael nicolás, author of Angels Before Man

"Morgan Dante has done it again: THE SAINT OF HEARTBREAK is sensuous, provocative, and heart-wrenching in equal measure. Painting a picture of lonely, cyclical damnation, Dante turns 'Hell is other people' on its head. Masterful and salacious, this gothic romance is sure to make your heart full." — Tyler Battaglia, author of Pray for Him

Two of the Bible's greatest villains...

After his betrayal with a kiss, Judas Iscariot dies in despair and goes to Hell. When Christ saves other souls during the Harrowing of Hell, he leaves Judas behind—but not alone in the ninth circle, where the most detestable traitors go. Callous, resigned, and abandoned by God long ago, the Devil sees Judas as a pathetic wretch, but he soon finds a kindred spirit. As the centuries pass, they struggle to find even a sliver of happiness in Hell.

Doomed by the narrative, will they find happiness, or will their story continue to be a tragedy?

[bitethebard]

literally what the fuck is going on with @/rosepehtels

this was originally supposed to be a tumblr post before things got out of hand and i hit image limit. below is a call out document for tumblr user @/rosepehtels for repeated cases of lifted/plagiarized content.

writeblrs personally victimized by ashley:

@veneritia

@bebewrites

@lord-fallen

@mjjune

@space-writes

@memento-morri-writes

[bitethebard]

august; bite-sized

Happy August! It's my birthday month!!! This month's prompt for the Suck Your TBR Dry Reading Challenge is bite-sized!

In coat pockets, made to travel, to see the world, concise words meticulously picked over, a presentation condensed into two minutes. What can we say in the least amount of words?  Ideas: vampires, novellas, mass market paperback, dogs, poetry, art

A short one to "end" the summer, depending on the part of the world you're in. I'll be hot for a bit longer where I am though (sad). I love a novella because I think some of the most interesting things can be said in brief ways. Some favorites of mine are The Employees by Olga Ravn, The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández, and Unholy with Eyes Like Wolves by Morgan Dante. What novellas have you enjoyed?

Reminder; you can follow the challenge via storygraph here.

Happy Reading!

[bitethebard]

it sucks so bad that 'lightning magic' in every media is just some pathetic little strands of electricity. i wanna see some LIGHTNING. show me a magic setting where lightning magic lights up a room like the sun, and the bolt is only visible as an afterimage burned into your vision. I wanna see someone cast lightning and have the thunder rattling the room and shaking everyone to their core. i want lightning magic to be a split second blast of so much power it leaves everyone's senses reeling. c'mon guys don't you know what real lightning looks like? we can be doing so much better than this.

[bitethebard]

words to use instead of ________

"Mad"

aggravated, angry, annoyed, boiling, cross, enraged, exasperated, fuming, furious, heated, incensed, indignant, irate, irritable, livid, offended, outraged, riled, steamed, storming, upset

"Nice"

amiable, charming, cordial, courteous, delightful, favorable, friendly, genial, gentle, gracious, helpful. inviting, kind, lovely, obliging, peaceful, peachy, pleasant, polite, swell, sympathetic, tender, welcoming, well-mannered, winning

"Pretty"

alluring, appealing, attractive, beautiful, charming, cute, delightful, desirable, elegant, eye-catching, fair, fascinating, gorgeous, graceful, intriguing, lovely, pleasing, striking, stunning, sweet

"Said"

alleged, argued, asked, asserted, babbled, bellowed, bragged, commented, complained, cried, declined, demanded, denied, encouraged, expressed, giggled, growled, inquired, moaned, nagged, rebuked, rebutted, replied, rejected, retorted, roared, scolded, shrieked, shrugged, stated, taunted, vowed, warned, whined, whispered, yelled

"Went"

avoid, bolt, bound, depart, exit, escape, flee, fly, hike, hop, jaunt, jolt, journey, leap, leave, lurch, march, mosey, move, pace, parade, pass, progress, retreat, saunter, scoot, skip, split, step, stride, stroll, tour, travel, vanish

more words to use instead other words to use instead another list of words to use instead

[bitethebard]

my debut horror novel about gay people and possession horror is out October 1, 2024!

The unofficial description: a priest who is totally 100% not gay at all (he is gay) realizes his "dear friend" who he absolutely does not have a crush on (he has a crush) who happens to be a DILF is probably possessed. meditations on love and faith and grief follow.

The official description:

A psychic priest is thrown headfirst into a battle of faith and love against the forces of Hell when his dearest friend becomes possessed. Father Isaias Flores may not have much, but he has his faith—and his dear friend Hector to keep him anchored when he is mired in self-doubt. But when Hector’s daughter, Violet, comes to Isaias with concerns that her father is acting strangely, Isaias’s doubts only increase, now with no one to keep him steadfast. For Hector seems to be possessed by something darker than even the traumas of the past, and Violet has nowhere else to turn to save her only family. This is a problem that may require divine intervention—the rites of exorcism. Unsure of his place in the church, doubting his gifts from God, and struggling to make sense of his feelings for the man he had thought was only a friend, Isaias isn’t sure if he is strong enough to save anyone’s soul from damnation. For what can one man do against the torments of Hell?

It's going to be Zon exclusive for at least a bit (for KU reasons) but if you're interested, the ebook can be pre-ordered here or added to goodreads here. ARC sign ups are also available for the next few weeks!