dogdayss

[dogdayss]

G R A P H I C  G I V E A W A Y : 400 FOLLOWER CELEBRATION

— i cannot believe the speed at which this blog took off, it wasn’t even a month and a half ago i was celebrating my last milestone. this time, i’ve decided to do a small graphic giveaway as my thank you! it really means the world to me that people are interested in my stories and projects, my dream of turning this into my career feels like it finally has some solid footing. c:

THE RULES:

this is for my followers, so please be following [me] new followers are welcome!

only reblogs will be counted, reblog as many times as you like!

maybe take a peak at my beloved [WIP]

if you are able to, please consider becoming my [patron]

THE GIFTS:

2 winners - a character aesthetic sheet [x] 

2 winners - a 9x9 moodboard for their wip or character [x]

1 winner - a glitter gifset with a quote for their wip or character [x] 

GIVEAWAY ENDS: MONDAY FEBRUARY 18TH — winners will be chosen via random number generator the next day!

— i would like to extend a special thank you to those individuals on my [tag list], and as my thank you, i have decided to automatically include you on the list for the giveaway! (if you don’t have a WIP and happen to win, i will make an edit for whatever story/media/etc you would like). please feel free to reblog for additional chances to win, or just to share!

TAGLIST:

@allisonilluminated @aidenjaxwrites @blackbearmagic @cararune @carumens @cogesque @drowsy-quill @esoteric-eclectic-eccentric @eternalflameprincess  @eveningrelics @hazeywrites @idreamonpaper  @inkwellprincess @imindhowwelayinjune @incandescent-creativity @katabasiss @katerinarevel @klywrites @luxettenebris @lux-scriptum @maabonwrites @montevena  @mrgammakay @myscrivere  @no-url-ideas-tho @pilipalea @relevy @sec-lude @seventypercentvodka @thetragediies  @the-violet-writer @witchking-jr  

[dogdayss]

For any of you who are writing ‘across the pond’-here is a little guide I put together of some common differences between British and American English!

[dogdayss]

wip introduction: gone sinner. ˎˊ˗

⦗ INTRODUCTION ⦘  “ blotted in the pages of police records and library books was the truth. scraped into the concrete pavement with knives was the truth. torn in the tatters of bleached sheets blowing in the wind was the truth. a dark thing, a thing to hide, to forget, to banish. to cast into the fire and to scrape off and to wash away. the truth spoke of one word, of one reality, that would damn all, and leave no one unharmed. “ 

⦗ SYNOPSIS ⦘  years into the future in LONDON there is a whisper of a monster. a monster without a name and a face. they say he moves from employer to employer, searching for killing contracts. and once he is paid, once his contract is over, his victim in their grave, he kills the people who owned him for a fragment of his life. 

ASPEN ACRES refuses to call himself a MONSTER. he refuses to label himself anything at all, besides on word: DEATH. nothing more than a rumour and a fleeting figure in the criminal network of london, he’s remained anonymous from both rivals and authorities. he fights alone, and he lives alone. nobody knows him. not his name nor his face. until he’s introduced to another murderer as well as a rich man who holds something very valuable to ACRES, using it as leverage. 

BO GARRICK was anything but a murderer. the best sprinter of london, a more-than-adept baseballer, a violinist, and video-gamer, he has his whole life ahead of him. but when he finds himself in an alley with blood on his knuckles, his best friend and a boy he barely knows beside him, his life is turned to chaos. on the run from the authorities, the boy takes him to a MONSTER who agrees to help them.  

the boys find themselves hidden in the headquarters of a GIRL GANG, who at first seems like a side-project to commit petty crimes like theft and disorderly conduct. until the LEADER of the gang orders the boys to ambush a van smuggling illegal weapons. when the heist goes wrong, the secrets of the government AND the rich employer of ACRES are revealed, sending the boys spiraling into a place they cannot escape.

it’s SINNER against SINNER for in this world, there are no good people, there are only humans. and human was only ever another word for MONSTER. 

⦗ CHARACTERS ⦘  ASPEN ACRES, the MONSTER and the boy who has had something stolen from him. BO GARRICK, the accidental murderer, the boy who has too large a heart and too short a fuse. JASPAR LYRIC-MOORE who appears as still waters but has something dark lurking beneath. AMITY TEKIR, riddled with fears and anxiety, he follows his best friend into the shifting world of criminals. ARRO KYNGBROOKES, born and raised alone he’s nothing but a shell of pain and melancholy, with a connection to the government. DEVONTE CASANUEVA, the MAN who stole from the MONSTER and tried to steal the city the MONSTER calls home. KOSAME MORIKAWA a girl with much to give and much to lose, the leader of the girl gang. BLEITHE MALLORY, the ghost from the MONSTER’S past and the lone, and insane, survivor of a murderous fire. 

⦗ SETTING ⦘  half the world had died in the predicted apocalypse, rendering it uninhabitable. but the other half stands strong, the centre of the remains being the filthy mega-city called LONDON. it’s separated into different sectors. the city: the central area of businesses and skyscrapers. the high suburbs: where mansions and spacious properties are. the suburbs: where the middleclass live in manicured lawns and gorgeous houses. downtown: brick and wood buildings falling to pieces, alleys connecting anywhere to everywhere, the perfect place for criminals to hide. the outskirts: where the poorest of the poor live in bad air-conditions and shacks you could barely call a building, let alone a house. the borderlands: great plains of dust, toxic air and sparse buildings that if touched will eat your flesh. a few farms scattered through that thrive in selling their produce in the markets of london. 

⦗ OTHER INFO ⦘

this wip was started in 2O17 and is on it’s second draft.

this was the first first draft i’ve ever completed. 

it has a lot of trigger warnings for things like violence, blood, death, suicide, mentions of mental illnesses, etc. 

the whole manuscript is morally grey and is also very cynical. 

there is definitely going to be a second book, but past that, we’re not sure. 

it’s written in multiples povs and is in past tense, third person. 

                           “ death returns us from where we once came “     

[dogdayss]

breaking news: ur actually gonna make it through and everything will turn out just fine

[dogdayss]

*Writes a whole scene in my head*

*Opens doc to actually write it*

*Writes a single word*

[dogdayss]

Writing a book is great because the readers never know what’s going to happen next and neither do you

[dogdayss]

inspirational crows

[dogdayss]

Let’s Talk About Plot

So this has been a highly requested post as of late, so I thought I’d spend a little extra time talking about plot. What is it? How does it work? What constitutes plot? I get these questions a lot and the more I think about it the more insanely philosophic the conversation starts to get, but I’m too pragmatic to get into that here. Let’s get to the root of it.

Keep reading

[dogdayss]

[dogdayss]

i think it’s really cute how on some level we all kind of believe in magic. you can practically wish upon anything whether it’s a shooting star, a fallen eyelash, or even a dandelion. somehow kissing your true love is bound to save the day. cool rocks and flowers can be used for different kinds of magic. even just the concept of people who can conduct magic is adorable. the belief in magic is literally apart of everyday life whether you choose to see it or not and if that’s not the cutest shit idek what is

[dogdayss]

Winter reading 

[dogdayss]

The War of Gods and Men series ⟶ Leading Ladies 

Rhaeya Valdor  — First Daughter, Second born of Rhyland Valdor and Nasira Darrow Ayara Valdor  — Second Daughter, Third born of Rhyland Valdor and Nasira Darrow Thala Mornstar  — Second Daughter, Second born of Vera Mornstar and Nya Rosmir 

[dogdayss]

r.elationship introduction: lireyle/ilya

❝ I’m sorry, ❞ he said at last.  ❝ You were right. ❞

tag list (ask to be added or removed): @maabonwrites ; @omgbrekkerkaz ; @maskedlady ; @seamusings

[dogdayss]

Writing advice I don’t agree with

DISCLAIMER: This is my opinion

1. Passive voice is always bad

There are so many tests/checkers for identifying passive voice in your writing and it has become a rule to change every instance of its occurrence.

Why?

Yes, I get that it isn’t as exciting and makes your plot/characters seem passive rather than active. Maybe it doesn’t make for great prose.

But it does have its place.

I think that one/two/five passive voice sentences in a book are fine. Will you really get burned at the stake if you have the sentence “Her heart had been broken” in your manuscript?

Maybe I’m just missing something.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying every second sentence should be passive voice. I’m just saying that you don’t have to change every single passive sentence in your work.

2. Real writers write every day

Listen, I’ve been writing for thirteen years. I’m always working on a project and I take my writing very seriously. I AM a writer. But I don’t think there’s ever been a period in my life where I wrote every single day.

Yes, if you schedule time to write every day and you manage to stick to it, you’re amazing. And you’ll probably be published quicker.

But that doesn’t mean that other writers aren’t serious about their writing or aren’t “real” writers.

Sometimes, life gets in the way. Sometimes, your creative muscles are really tired and all your words come out crappy. It’s normal.

It depends on your energy cycle/other responsibilities/goals. If you are working on your WIP and making progress, you’re a writer.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Jeez.

3. Only include what is relevant to the plot

I confess: I am an overwriter. My current WIP is looking to be 150k words, so I’m gonna have to do a LOT of cutting in the editing phase. So yeah, maybe I should take this advice.

But objectively, I don’t believe in the strict application of this rule.

If JK Rowling/J.R.R Tolkien only included what would move the plot forward, we wouldn’t have the amazing fleshed-out worlds of HP and LotR. The extra, interesting stuff is what makes those stories so amazing.

So, I think a much better way to think about this is: Only include what is relevant to your CHARACTERS’ LIVES.

If there is something awesome that your characters do/see that people don’t get to experience in the real world, tell the reader about it. If there’s some fantastical element about your world that the character would definitely notice, describe how the character experiences it. Live through your characters in the world you’ve created.

4.  Every chapter should end on a cliffhanger

There’s this idea that each chapter should follow a formula: End with a tense reveal/cliffhanger > the next chapter opens with the character’s reaction to said reveal > the middle of the chapter is the mini resolution > the chapter ends with another tense reveal.

This is a great way to structure a chapter. But it gets tedious and overdone if every single chapter follows the same basic steps.

Ending EVERY chapter on a tense cliffhanger will drain your readers emotionally and numb them to the tense points in the rest of the novel. So, give your readers time to breathe and enjoy the less intense parts of your story too.

Have a few chapters that don’t end in absolute suspense.

5. Real writers don’t see writing as a business

“Real” writers are in it for the art. They live apart from the world of mortals and only care about fairy tales and castles in the sky. They are too pure and dainty and creative to concern themselves with something as mundane as money.

You are going to die of hunger.

If you agree with these pieces of advice, good for you. I just don’t. 

Reblog if you agree. Comment with the writing advice you can’t endorse. Follow me for similar content.

[dogdayss]

━━━━ post something nice in the tags about the blog you reblogged this from!

[dogdayss]

    ➺ julien de vere; a character edit for @merrow-writes

the people’s prince, they call me. 

keep reading for some things i wanted to say ↴

Keep reading

[dogdayss]

Believe even when it seems like things aren’t going in your favor. Don’t let what appears to be happening shake your faith. Feed your vision with hope and positive energy. Keep telling yourself that things are going to work out for you even if you don’t know how right now.