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A gentle reminder (with many thanks to Tricia Hersey).

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April 21, 2025

The trees want me dead again.

It seems that some of us must act as yearly sacrifices to the weather gods for warm weather to enter once they are pleased through our torture. This is going to be a long month.

(my pollen allergies flared up starting this weekend)

In other news. This is getting interesting now, actually. Because largely apolitical institutions (and we know, of course, that "apolitical" simply represents the privilege to not have to care, resulting in passive support for the current system) are being targeted rather than the rights of individual people. For some of these universities to do what they're doing... I did not expect this. I expected them to collectively roll over much like those big law firms did. To do what is best for their bottom line. To wait it out. And I would have been disappointed, but this is surprising. And good. For some of the most educated people in the world to decide to fight... this is good. Perhaps momentarily painful, of course. I can't imagine how billions of dollars in cut funding will impact research. And salaries for students and postdocs. And the threats of international students losing their visas (this may well be the most impactful, I feel). These are terrifying things. But. I still do think it is a good thing that premier institutions are leading the charge. If others fall in, we could very well see the kind of collective actions we're looking for. And backed by serious cash.

I try not to think about it too much, though. Being anxious about this is above my pay grade. That's what I tell myself, at least.

Today I'm thankful that I had gatherings to attend this weekend. I think I would've stewed in my room otherwise. They were both quite fun.

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Ephemeral rain

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by Olga Potapova

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you will keep making art. you will keep making art!!!! you will keep making art and it will keep making people happy!!!!!!!!!!

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Vincent Van Gogh - Paysage marin près des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, 1888 (digital art from Andrey Surotdinov)

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If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.

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van gogh green | monet violet | salman toor green | van gogh yellow

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Here’s a video so you can hear the water and the thrushes. I took it for you because you couldn’t be there. <3

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Appreciation post for all the beginner artists who work hard despite the AI ​​looming over us. You are fabulous. You are precious. Keep up the hard work, you are needed.

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Rescued Writing Links!

When cleaning out the HEY, Writers! Pinterest I moved some links here. The internet has changed a LOT since I started collecting these, so some links may include outdated info. All were still active when I made this, but it's been in my drafts for a hot minute.

Protip! In Firefox, check to toggle reader view when reading these (mobile: the page icon in the url bar; desktop: same icon or hit F9). This removes popups, ads, screen clutter, and often has an audio option.

Survivors of Internet Decay Award!

These active sites featured most often in my collections so they get the top of the list.

Helping Writers Become Authors

Mythcreants

Bryn Donovan

Getting Started (Ideas & Intros)

How to Start Writing a Book: Learn One Writer’s Process | Marian Schembari

How to Start a Story: 30 Opening Scene Examples | Bryn Donovan

Don’t Panic! What to Do When You Have Too Many Story Ideas | Faye Kirwin

How to Write a Killer First Chapter | Rae Elliot

How To Write A Captivating Opening Sentence

Outlining

How to Create a Flexible Outline for Your Novel | Faye Kirwin

Protagonists

How to Write Believable Characters | Bridget McNulty

4 Ways to Write a Likable Protag at the Start of the Character Arc | KM Weiland

5 Tips for Writing a Likable "Righteous" Character | KM Weiland

I Hate Your Protagonist! Want to Know Why? | KM Weiland

The Secret to Writing Dynamic Characters: It's Always Their Fault | KM Weiland

A Protagonist’s Moment of Realisation

Antagonists

Blurring the Lines: What Are Anti-Heroes and Anti-Villains?

Antagonists: Inner & Outer Demons | Kristen Lamb

How to Write Multiple Antagonists | KM Weiland

Character Building

The Epic Guide to Character Creation, Part 1 | Kylie Day

Pick Up A Bad Habit | Maggie Maxwell

How To Write Characters from the Opposite Gender | Rachel Poli

Top 4 Tips for Using Backstory in Your Novel | Diana Anderson-Tyler

Depicting Background Characters | Chris Winkle

Scene Building

The 5 Elements Of A Good Scene | Amanda Patterson

A New Way to Think About Scene Structure | KM Weiland

2 Ways to Make the Most of Your Story’s Climactic Setting | KM Weiland

8 Things Writers Forget When Writing Fight Scenes | Lisa Voisin

Descriptions

Master List of Facial Expressions | Bryn Donovan

Master List of Words to Describe Voices | Bryn Donovan

Master List of Physical Description for Writers | Bryn Donovan

Writer’s Guide to Serious Injuries and Calamities | Bryn Donovan

How to Ground Your Reader (in the setting) | Rachel Craft

The Forgotten Fifth Sense | Writer's Relief

Never Name an Emotion in Your Story | KM Weiland

Show, Don't Tell: How to Write the Stages of Grief | Ruthanne Reid

100 Words for Facial Expressions

Dialogue

How To Write Good Dialogue: Ten Tips | Irving Weinman

Seven Dialogue Don’ts | Jason Bougger

10 Keys to Writing Dialogue in Fiction | Katherine Cowley

Points-Of-View (POV)

What Every Writer Ought to Know About the Omniscient POV | KM Weiland

Motivation & Support

What New Writers Need To Know About Fear | Bryan Collins

How to Discover Your Writing Process with Gabriela Pereira | Kirsten Oliphant

Editing & Revising

18 Overused Words to Replace When Writing | Oxford Tutoring

An Easy Way to Immediately Improve Your Character’s Action Beats | KM Weiland

Want More Depth to Your Writing? | Sacha Black

How Much is Too Much Backstory? | Ellen Brock

Why Your Writing Sounds Weird (And What You Can Do About It) | Joe Brock

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers | Jenny Bravo

Favorite Revision and Editing Tricks

Short Stories & Flashfic

How to Write a Story a Week: A Day-by-Day Guide | Emily Wenstrom

How Flash Fiction / Microfiction Can Help With Your Writing | Rhianne Williams

Worksheets & Downloads

Writing Worksheet Archive

If anyone out there loves making lists and wants to transport this to another site, you have every right to do so! Just let me know in a reblog so I can share it here again :)

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HEY! Writers' Links

Tip Jar! If you enjoy my blog and advice, support me on Ko-fi!🤗

Follow me on AO3 for fanfiction

Visit my Pinterest & Unsplash for visual inspiration

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How to create an atmosphere: Forest

Sight

tall trees with thick canopies of leaves

alternating light coming in through the moving leafs of the trees

ground covered with a mix of grass, ferns, and fallen leaves

wildflowers adding splashes of colour

animals like deer, boars, squirrels, birds

insects like butterflies and bees add movement and life to the scene

Hearing

the air is filled with the melodious songs of birds

gentle rustling of leaves as the wind moves through the trees

constant hum and buzz of insects

the soft crunch of leaves, twigs, and soil while walking through the forest

Touch

the spongy feel and the soft coolness of moss

the rough texture of tree bark

the cooler temperature in the forest

with a gentle breeze that can be felt on your skin

Smell

the smell of fresh grass

the rich, earthy smell of soil and decaying leaves

the scent of fresh leaves, pine needles, and blooming flowers

the smell of the clean, slightly damp scent of water and wet earth from a nearby stream or pond

Taste

the clean taste of fresh air

the taste of sweet and tangy wildberries

the taste of self-picked mushrooms

the taste of edible wildflowers

the taste of a variety of nuts

the taste of wild greens

More: How to create an atmosphere

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don’t forget to be very very silly today. it’s essential

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My new neighbourhood! ♡