eastcitywritersworkshop

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

OKAY I have been meaning to do this for MONTHS but hey, there’s no better time than the present so buckle up, here we go! THESE BOOKS ARE A GODSEND. I am ALWAYS on the lookout for writing aids that ACTUALLY HELP. If you’re like me, and occasionally venture out to buy books on, let’s say, showing vs telling - you will always get the same rehearsed speeches on what that means. -summons pretentious writer’s voice- You’ve got to shoooooow what’s happening in the scene, not teeeeeeell~~ BAH! What you NEVER get, however, is how to do it, or how do it better.

THESE BOOKS ARE THE STUFF OF DREAMS

Each of these is so freaking helpful, I can’t even convey. They all follow the same format as the pictures I’ve shown above, so you get one detailed page of descriptions followed by tons of more in-depth, thought provoking concepts. I’ll do my best to lay out the five that I have and if you are interested, hop on over to Amazon and buy these suckers up because they are AMAZING; I have NEVER used a writing resource more than I use these. Negative Trait Thesaurus & Positive Trait Thesaurus -gives you a definition of said negative trait -gives you similar flaws also found in the book -gives you possible causes of WHY the character might have this trait -gives you a list of other behaviors the chara might have -gives you examples of the chara’s thought process -gives associated emotions -gives positive aspects of the trait, as well as negative -gives examples of well known chara’s that have this trait -talks about how the chara might overcome it -gives traits that, when combined with this one, might cause conflict How I use this information: Chara building, or when I get stuck on what I want a character to do. Man, I just can’t decide what they WOULD do. Well, awesome, I have a little guide to help me think through the character’s possible motivations. Also, I get help building a potential backstory because I get a framework of which to think, why is the character this way? Urban Setting Thesaurus & Rural Setting Thesaurus -gives a whole lot of examples of sights, smells, tastes, and sounds -gives examples of textures and sensations (ie at an ‘antique shop’ you may encounter chipped paint, distressed wood, etc) -gives you possible sources of conflict (ie at a ‘hotel’ you might have noisy neighbors) -gives list of people you might expect to find at said location -gives related settings -gives tips on this type of setting -gives a setting description example How I use this information: IMAGERY IMAGERY IMAGERY Emotion Thesaurus (aka MY FAVORITE) -gives a definition of the emotion -gives physical signs and signals (ie chara may look pale, might fidget, etc) -gives internal sensations (aka, blood pounding in the ears, dry throat, adrenaline rush) -gives mental responses (ie fight or flight) -gives cues of acute or long-term impacts of the emotion -gives ‘may escalate to _______’ and directs you to other emotions -gives cues of suppression (ie cues of suppressed rage) -gives writer tips How I use this information: I love this book so hardcore, it’s so helpful with internalizing. It’s great because I get to step outside of that box of using the same five responses to a certain emotion and start really thinking about, what can a character do instead to show that they are feeling this, rather than me using adverbs or his adrenaline pumped fifty gazillion times. These books are all co-written by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi (bless their souls) and if this sounds of interest LOOK INTO IT!! I get such buyer’s regret after buying writing guides but these are legit the best ones I have found and I reference them so, so, so much. Hope this helps anyone out there looking for something life-changing!!

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

A boost! We also help connect people to betas, or for general worldbuilding and idea advice through our discord! it's always open and always friendly so feel free to drop in any time!

Beta Needed

Hi y'all, so as I mentioned a few times, I’m working on a royai multichap fic about a roy/riza kid.

Essentially the story is that when Riza gets pregnant while fraternization laws are still in place, Al and Mei offer to adopt the child and raise it in Xing, keeping her real parents a secret. Elizabeth (their daughter) grows up, knowing little to nothing about her parents, and at age 15 decides to run away to find them. She winds up in Central where she is taken in by Madame Christmas, neither knowing their relationship to each other. Meanwhile those in on the secret look desperately for the missing girl.

I have avoided talking about it or finding a beta yet because I still had yet to start writing, but now that things are more formulated and I have started, it would be great if 1-3 of you guys could beta some stuff from time to time. Until I have more written (I’m about 2500 words in) it probably won’t be a ton of actual reading, rather answering questions about and giving opinions on different plot points.

Go ahead and DM me or comment if you would be interested. If you have some experience with writing or beta-ing that would be best, but I’d love feedback even if you haven’t.

Thanks!

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

August 21st is Fanfic Writer’s Appreciation Day  💕

Let’s be honest - we all forget to leave a comment sometimes. We don’t always go out of our way to click the “come talk to me on tumblr” link on AO3 to scream about the fic in the author’s inbox. On August 21st I encourage you to take a moment and show fanfic writers that you appreciate them!

How can you do it?

leave a comment and kudos on every fic you finish reading. Doesn’t matter how short. Doesn’t matter if you’re just repeating what other people have already said. Just be kind! Keysmashing, Caps Lock, and live commenting appreciated! (Bonus points if you leave a comment on every chapter)

ideas for what to put in a comment: one | two

floaty review box for ao3 (super useful for commenting as you read + it has a ‘review tips’ button if you feel stuck)

reblog ficlets, drabbles, fics, fic rec posts, etc. Put a nice comment in the tags. Remember that likes, while appreciated, don’t give the writer any exposure, meaning the posts don’t reach more people

go to your local fanfic writer’s inbox and talk to them about their fic of your choice. Let them know how long ago you’ve read it and what story point/sentence/scene still makes you smile when you think about it

send thank you messages to fic writers. In a world where you have to pay for almost everything, they’re supplying you with countless hours of free entertainment. It can get quite lonely without getting messages acknowledging the hours they spend writing stories - let them know their time and effort is appreciated

make fic rec posts and @ the authors whose fics you’re recommending! (believe me, fic writers love to see their stories in these posts)

create something inspired by a fic! You can draw fanart, make a moodboard or aesthetic post, or even write a song for the fic you love. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro doesn’t matter - the thought alone is what counts more than anything <3

buy the writer a coffee if they have a ko-fi page and you have some change lying around c: Caffeine keeps most fic writers awake when they struggle with a particularly slow draft or a difficult scene. More coffee, more content.

These are only some ideas out of the sea of possible ways to appreciate fanfic writers. On August 21st show the writers in your fandom(s) some love <3

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

Is the discord still open ?

Yes!! It is very much open and active, and we encourage people to check it out!You can join us here: https://discord.gg/GFaY7AU

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

Weekly Challenge!

This weeks prompt is courtesy of @hlwim, over on our Discord!

Write a fic using a different tense or POV type than you usually use (i.e. use present tense if you prefer past tense or first person if you’re usually writing in third person).

We can’t wait to see what you do!

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

Need a beta? We can help! we've got a network of writers here who may be able to help! Or, you can submit for our workshop! We love reading stuff!

Hi, I'm new to writing fanfics so I wanted to ask where do you find a beta for your fic? Because I really need one :)

I personally found mine via putting out a tumblr post with the tags ‘beta wanted’, but you can also find then via reddit. 

I have a similar post already here where I answered a similar question: http://ambientwriting.tumblr.com/post/160070155528/i-want-to-find-some-people-to-be-beta-readers-how

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

let riza say fuck

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

@eastcitywritersworkshop

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

From the @eastcitywritersworkshop discord in which Father’s entire plot is just one big “Hohenheim is no longer my BFF meme”

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

Dudes, just write. Stop asking me if you should start/continue/finish what you’re writing despite having x, y, or z problem. If you want to write I am in NO WAY authorized to tell you when to stop/start. That’s up to you and always will be.

If you think “no one will ever genuinely like this” you are 100% wrong. 100%. Think about all the trash out there that has fans. I wrote stuff when I was twelve that had more genuine fans among my family/classmates than ANYTHING I never shared with another living soul. It’s impossible to write something no one will like.

If you think “I’ll never finish it so why even bother?” you’re only depriving yourself, man. That’s like saying, “I like this cookie, but I can’t eat the whole bag. Guess I won’t even try one.” ????? Just write the story, to hell with endings. Some of the best works in the world went unfinished by the author/composer/architect, yet we admire the heck out of them. Maybe, instead of thinking you’ll never finish something, tell yourself this is the one you will finish (and repeat it until you do).

If you feel “this hurts to write, I’m too close to the subject material” either set it aside or full speed ahead. You MUST know how many classics, prize winners, and life changers came from someone’s very real pain and experience. Addicts, traumatized persons, victims, quite often they find solace and healing in writing about their experiences. Most importantly, so do their readers.

If you want to write, write. Otherwise only you are standing in the way of what you want.

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

Deadline Extension!

To encourage writers who just need a little more time to get a piece ready, we’re extending the workshop application deadline to  Wednesday, July 18.

Again, that’s Wednesday, July 18!

To apply, just email a mod with your piece, and join our discord! We’re looking forward to it!

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

Deadline Extension!

To encourage writers who just need a little more time to get a piece ready, we’re extending the workshop application deadline to  Wednesday, July 18.

Again, that’s Wednesday, July 18!

To apply, just email a mod with your piece, and join our discord! We’re looking forward to it!

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

I'd love to to join your discord. Great thing you're doing encouraging writers in the fandom!

Our discord can be found here! https://discord.gg/kr55WHC

Thank you! We sincerely believe in our goals, and are already thrilled to see what’s come out of this!

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

Deadline Extension!

To encourage writers who just need a little more time to get a piece ready, we’re extending the workshop application deadline to  Wednesday, July 18.

Again, that’s Wednesday, July 18!

To apply, just email a mod with your piece, and join our discord! We’re looking forward to it!

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

I saw this post by @astropixie about how it’d be nice to review fics on AO3 as you read. A little while back, because I was so in awe of the Clexa fic writers, I made this userscript (can install on Firefox by using Greasemonkey and on Chrome by using Tampermonkey) so that I could do just that. It doesn’t have the wattpad or soundcloud functionality, it’s just a little thing added on to a page, not something supported by the site itself, but it’s better than nothing.��

The userscript is available here: http://pastebin.com/vYBCYWu4

[eastcitywritersworkshop]

I don’t care if you write as a hobby or a career. You’re a writer. You’re valid. You deserve support

[eastcitywritersworkshop]