houseofyork-info

[houseofyork-info]

worth repeating:

Ultimately, a number of fanfiction tropes and tendencies are fanfictionish because they spring from fanfiction, not because they're inherently lesser building blocks for writing that only amateurs who don't care about quality would use. There is no reason to be ashamed of having written fanfiction or of having people guess that you've written it.

I think I'd add that writing and reading a lot of fanfiction in addition to original fiction soothed my nerves about "nothing new under the sun." It's okay to re-use tropes and settings and concepts because that is all storytelling ever is. Writing is unique because of the voice of the writer.

I know most writers of my age got their skills from fanfiction, but if I ever let that fanfic shit slip onto my real ass, serious ass writing...if you could read my shit and go "oh yeah they read homestuck or watched Sherlock" or whatever ... id jump

[houseofyork-info]

via the Arkansas Advocate

it’s official: in Arkansas, library staff may now be charged with a Class D felony for providing books to their communities that are deemed “obscene”.

in Florida, school librarians and teachers can be criminally charged for checking out books to kids that dare to touch on LGBTQ topics & gender identity, thanks to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

book censorship in the US is at such an all-time high, book sanctuaries are popping up all over the country.

library staff aren’t physically safe, either. just over the past couple months, threats against libraries and their staff resulted in the temporary closure of “five public library systems due to bomb and shooting threats," ALA. active shooter trainings have become the new norm for me.

the censorship myself and my colleagues have been watching unfold over the last several years has felt like watching a slow-motion car crash.

but this bill? this feels like a death knell for my profession.

via Teen Vogue

when I was a confused queer kid growing up in an ultra-religious household, the library was my refuge. when I asked hard questions, librarians listened and gave me the tools I needed to answer them. in many ways, libraries saved my life. it's why I became a librarian.

I can't believe I'm living in times where future generations of kids may not have access to the same refuge I did, but it's happening.

if you live in the US and you care about protecting open, equitable access to information, please check out the American Library Association for anti-censorship resources in your state, info on contacting your representatives, etc.

you can also report censorship you see in your community and ALA will investigate (1-800-545-2433, ext. 4266; oif@ala.org).

I know this isn't my usual content, but libraries are standing on the edge of a horrifying precipice- one we can't escape on our own.

libraries are free society's canary in the coal mine, and all the alarms are singing. when libraries fall, nations usually aren't far behind.

this matters- and we need help.

[houseofyork-info]

via the Arkansas Advocate

it’s official: in Arkansas, library staff may now be charged with a Class D felony for providing books to their communities that are deemed “obscene”.

in Florida, school librarians and teachers can be criminally charged for checking out books to kids that dare to touch on LGBTQ topics & gender identity, thanks to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

book censorship in the US is at such an all-time high, book sanctuaries are popping up all over the country.

library staff aren’t physically safe, either. just over the past couple months, threats against libraries and their staff resulted in the temporary closure of “five public library systems due to bomb and shooting threats," ALA. active shooter trainings have become the new norm for me.

the censorship myself and my colleagues have been watching unfold over the last several years has felt like watching a slow-motion car crash.

but this bill? this feels like a death knell for my profession.

via Teen Vogue

when I was a confused queer kid growing up in an ultra-religious household, the library was my refuge. when I asked hard questions, librarians listened and gave me the tools I needed to answer them. in many ways, libraries saved my life. it's why I became a librarian.

I can't believe I'm living in times where future generations of kids may not have access to the same refuge I did, but it's happening.

if you live in the US and you care about protecting open, equitable access to information, please check out the American Library Association for anti-censorship resources in your state, info on contacting your representatives, etc.

you can also report censorship you see in your community and ALA will investigate (1-800-545-2433, ext. 4266; oif@ala.org).

I know this isn't my usual content, but libraries are standing on the edge of a horrifying precipice- one we can't escape on our own.

libraries are free society's canary in the coal mine, and all the alarms are singing. when libraries fall, nations usually aren't far behind.

this matters- and we need help.

[houseofyork-info]

When she had first proposed to be a spy against her husband, she had meant it in exchange for the lives of her parents. Her mother had died unexpectedly from an illness not long after, and sometimes Agadart wondered about that; her mother had grown to dislike Agadart’s husband, and had just enough clout with Queen Theaedra to cause him trouble. But whatever the case might be, it left her father in a precarious position.

FREE READ! CHAPTER 24 IS UP ON AO3!

Story is updated weekly with free chapters.

If you want more-faster, I post early access chapters for members of my author plaform on Ream: House of York!

[houseofyork-info]

“Our own selves make us most unhappy, and that’s why we’re so anxious to lose them, don’t you think?”

– The Secret History

[houseofyork-info]

Check out my latest project update! Includes a sneak peak and answers the big question: "Why would someone WANT to be a pantser????"

[houseofyork-info]

When she had first proposed to be a spy against her husband, she had meant it in exchange for the lives of her parents. Her mother had died unexpectedly from an illness not long after, and sometimes Agadart wondered about that; her mother had grown to dislike Agadart’s husband, and had just enough clout with Queen Theaedra to cause him trouble. But whatever the case might be, it left her father in a precarious position.

CHAPTER 23 IS UP ON AO3!

Story is updated weekly with free chapters.

If you want more-faster, I post early access chapters for members of my author plaform on Ream: House of York!

[houseofyork-info]

Another deep dive into the history of text technology! I admit the title is terrible, I seriously could not think of a better one, woe

[houseofyork-info]

DID YOU KNOW????

My entire back-catalogue of Cooper West novels is FREE to read for followers on Ream! Yes, you have to sign in with an account, but on the upside, that also gets you access to a lot of other writers on the platform too!

I would love it if you joined House of York as a supporter, which helps keep me writing full time and gets you early access to new stories when they start!

(Or you could buy them, if you want, I certainly won't stop you!)

[houseofyork-info]

I started this story over on Substack as a daily writing challenge, but now it's much further along and I am posting completed installments on Ream!

Teri Graves, a nearly-50 year old bitter “office lady” who has not led a happy life, gets in a massive car accident after being sent home on the first day of COVID lockdown in 2020. She (and her mother's dog) wake up in a strange new world that is also strangely familiar…that’s right, she’s been transmigrated into the world of her favorite 1990s fantasy novel series, the massively popular, critically disdained, and incredibly tropetastic Allisar Fireborn Chronicles, written by the infamous Chadwick Jarvaldson (aka “Fuckin’ Chad” to all his very annoyed fans who are still waiting for the final book to be published). The real problem? She's been given the body of minor character who gets killed in the second book, a woman who is loathed and detested both in-universe and in fandom: the evil step-mother, Lady Bonarae Greyrage, the Venomous Whip of Luttiron!

Updates will not be regular that this point, but will be happening at least twice a month. They are early access for paying subscribers at this point, but will become available publicly eventually.

I will keep you posted!

[houseofyork-info]

Eye on Events: WWX & LQR Friendship Week

Another Fandom Event Dropped!

~*~

WWX & LQR Friendship Week 2023

It's time for Wei Wuxian & Lan Qiren Friendship Week 2023! It takes place from August 13 - August 19 and you can find the AO3 collection here! For more information and the specific prompts, make sure to check out the event's Twitter profile linked above.

~*~

*** REBLOG so everyone enjoy! ***

Wangxianficrecs doesn’t coordinate anything in our Eye on Events segment, we’re just letting everyone know about them.  If you have an event you want the fandom to participate in or know about, let us know, and we’ll make a post about it.

[houseofyork-info]

How to Become an Unstoppable Storyteller

Learn to write serials that draw readers in and never let go! 

I have written a book! It is book for authors all about how to create, structure, and write a long running serial story. It's a bit of history, a bit of advice, and a lot of information you can use to help you build a story that can go on...and on...and on...

If you love writing epics and have always wondered how you can make your stories even more monumental, this book can help you make that happen!

[houseofyork-info]

How to Become an Unstoppable Storyteller

Learn to write serials that draw readers in and never let go! 

I have written a book! It is book for authors all about how to create, structure, and write a long running serial story. It's a bit of history, a bit of advice, and a lot of information you can use to help you build a story that can go on...and on...and on...

If you love writing epics and have always wondered how you can make your stories even more monumental, this book can help you make that happen!

[houseofyork-info]

When she had first proposed to be a spy against her husband, she had meant it in exchange for the lives of her parents. Her mother had died unexpectedly from an illness not long after, and sometimes Agadart wondered about that; her mother had grown to dislike Agadart’s husband, and had just enough clout with Queen Theaedra to cause him trouble. But whatever the case might be, it left her father in a precarious position.

CHAPTER 15 IS UP ON AO3!

Story is updated weekly with free chapters.

If you want more-faster, I post early access chapters for members of my author plaform on Ream: House of York!

[houseofyork-info]

Oh, the horror...

a fellow author asked me the other day if I too am a lover of the horror genre as he is and my first instinctive reply was "hell NO!"

But before I typed that out, I actually thought about it for a moment and realized that horror is one of my fave genres!

I'm just, like, SUPER FINICKY ABOUT IT.

I don't like slasher stories. I'm not keen on serial killer stories. I do not enjoy gore, body horror, or evil creatures being evil because they're evil.

But oh, how I loved the original Alien movie. The Thing. JAWS. (Showing my age, here.)

I do not watch true crime vids on yt for the gruesome killings; I watch for the Missing 411 stories, the "disappeared into thin air" and the "odd series of coincidences" and the "unexplainable clues."

I do not enjoy cryptid conspiracy theories because I think there is a Big Bad out there being big and bad. Those stories get to me because we don't know what is going on and we can never know what really happened.

I love the psychological horror of helplessness and ignorance.

I enjoy the stories of mystery, of the unknown, of the terror of the abyss.

While it's not a horror movie, one of my favorite aspects about Pacific Rim is that we aren't given any pat reason for WHY those monsters where coming through the rift.

What I like about the myth of sirens is that there is that we cannot fathom WHY the sirens sing men to their deaths.

That's the real horror, because we can't conquer what we don't understand.

The monster is killed but it remains undefeated. The mystery remains, and it will return, and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

That, right there, is HORROR.

[houseofyork-info]

Mistress Seraphinite grimaced. “I do not mean this as rank flattery. It is an explanation of why you have been singled out. We get enough fallen scullery maids and cobblers’ widows, who are hardworking but ignorant. They have their place. Let me be clear, Maid Aegirine: the society of dragons is no less convoluted and filled with intrigue than the Queen’s Court.” She watched Agadart closely for a reaction. “I am familiar with that particular beast,” Agadart offered, trying to keep her voice neutral.

CHAPTER 12 IS UP ON AO3!

Story is updated weekly with free chapters.

If you want more-faster, I post early access chapters on my author platform on Ream: House of York!

[houseofyork-info]