kats-storygraveyard

[kats-storygraveyard]

Queen of St. James Academy

“Mallory! Get down to the Dining Hall now!” Michelle yelled at me from the other side of the bathroom door.

“Michelle, you can’t keep telling me to do something when I’m showering!” I yelled back, stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around my body.

There was more pounding on the door. I sighed, mentally cursing at her; it seems like being here for her last year means nothing when I have two years left. She may be one of the Queens here and I was typically unlucky to have her as a roommate, but you know life is life. I finally finish getting dressed; opening the door to a well dressed Michelle.

“Um, what are you wearing Mal, we’re leaving,” Michelle scolded.

I gave her a questioning look before answering, “Who said we were allowed to leave?”

She gave me her evil smirk, “The entire senior class is going, and I being one of the main senior going to the party I get to bring someone who’s going to take my place. That one person is you,”

I was surprised, where the hell is all this coming from. Michelle has hated me ever since I became her roommate. It wasn’t the first time she had tried to prank me like this before, but something about that evil smirk makes me want to believe it’s true.

“Michelle! C’mon we’re going to be late! We got our girls, do you have yours!” Someone yelled from outside the dorm door.

“Yeah, just a sec she needs to get changed!” Michelle yelled back, handing me a pair of clothes.

I looked at her like she was crazy but she gave me a smile, it looked really genuine, “Listen, I know that I have been mean to you a lot and all but this is my year and I wanted it to be known that the Queens are everything. The Kings here even know that, although no one has met the Kings quite yet, but you will tonight,”

“Oh, and you’ll be assigned a King. You and your King will go through a bit of training for the rest of the year and throughout the next year. The juniors are waiting to go and take our spots. Just please don’t mess any of this up, it’s really important here in James Academy that we keep this tradition going,” She explained more.

I looked at the clothes she dropped into my hands. It was a really red dress with a blue ribbon around it. It was generally cute, but something I wouldn’t wear out often. It was strapless but looked as if it would fit me anyway. I quickly stripped out of my sweats and slipped on the dress. I was surprised that it fit me; I didn’t even know I fit into a dress until now.

“C’mon so I can quickly do your makeup and get going,” Michelle called.

“Y-yeah, um are you sure you want me?” I asked, stuttering a bit.

“I wouldn’t have picked you as my roommate last year if I wasn’t sure. Trust me, when you find the right person you know and that’s why I acted the way I did,” She confirmed.

I opened the door to see Michelle holding up her makeup bag. Well it wouldn’t hurt to try and be cute once in a while right?

When she finished putting my makeup on she held up a mirror. I gasped at the sight, I never wore much makeup but I never really tried to impress anyone before now. Michelle grinned, “See, now you look like an honorary Princess of James Academy.”

She was right, if she wanted me to be a queen I have to act like one. I may not like the idea of it but if I want to make it to my last years of high school I may have to do this. Michelle got up from her spot and was handing me flats, “You’re not ready for heels yet. When school starts again next fall, you are going to be given heels from the Queens for next year. I won’t promise that they’ll be any meaner then my generation of Queens, but I will promise they won’t hurt you,” she explained as I was sliding the flats on.

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Queens to your thrones!” Michelle said into the microphone as the queens were heading to their thrones, almost whimpering.

“Now Juniors, when the academy gets out next month you will all be known as the Queens. You also know that the girls that we brought in will take your place after you. I being the main one will bring mine up first, after meeting our kings of course, as promised. No one must know who your King is unless asked to go out together, that is one major rule, but also the Queen and King who has assigned you to your partners. Now will the Kings please come and take their thrones next to their Queens,” Michelle added.

It was awkward, being here I mean. I never would have thought I had potential to be Queen. There were ten girls each from my grade, ten from Juniors and of course the ten up on the stage. Michelle wasn’t kidding when she said the entire senior class was going to be here, and they’re all dressed up. To be honest I haven’t seen one senior guy here besides the ten we had talked to before entering the dining hall.  All the senior girls were also complaining how only the Kings were only allowed during the first half of the party. As soon as all the Kings had made it on stage everyone applauded them. I knew every single one of those boys, because I had one in at least every class I had. Michelle’s King kissed her on her cheek, and she smiled.

“Okay as you all know the Queen before me, Anna, picked out her Princess who will become Queen of division one. But before she comes up I want my Princess to come up. Mallory Slivers come up here,” She continued her speech.

Everyone began looking around trying to figure out who I was. I was getting nervous now, not wanting to stand up.

“Mallory, we don’t have all night,” Michelle finally announced, getting slightly annoyed.

 I finally stood up and slowly made my way to the stage, Michelle smiling just a bit to see the reactions of every girl in the room, even the ones from the junior table. Is this why she picked me? The murmuring was getting louder and I could hear everyone shouting something to each other or some sort of profane word being thrown at me, when I reached the stage.

“See that wasn’t so bad was it now Mal?” Michelle asked me, not speaking into the microphone. “Now that everyone knows and has Mallory stuck in their minds, there is to be no harm to her, not even from the Queen for division one,” She spoke into the microphone.

I could hear a slight huff from the table in the front with the ten juniors. Maybe she’s the one who’s taking over for Michelle. For some reason a part of me already didn’t like her, and wouldn’t be able to get along with her next year. She caught my stare and glared at me, and I quickly looked away.

“Mallory, you can get off the stage now, everyone is waiting,” Michelle said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Oh, yeah… Sorry,” I replied, getting down from the stage.

“She’s probably going to end up a whore just like Michelle,” Someone snickered.

I wanted to say I was going to be anything but, but I didn’t respond just ignored the immaturity of the girls who said that. I could still hear them laughing just a little bit when I came back to the table.

“Jessica, why don’t you come up since you’re going to be division one’s new Queen,” Michelle said with disgust present in her voice.

The girl, Jessica, walked up on stage holding a firm smug when she stood next to Michelle. All the Queens have a mixture of disgust and annoyance on their faces. Something about her makes me want to watch my back and not confront her. Jessica snatched the microphone from Michelle’s hand, and everyone gasped.

“What? It’s my turn to speak, the whore was done talking anyway,” Jessica spoke into the microphone.

“What makes you think you’re worthy now?” Samantha Letter, the division two Queen spoke.

“Because I’m taking her spot after you all leave. Anna picked me, she picked someone who is fit to run a school,” Jessica laughed in her face.

“Watch your mouth you aren’t Queen yet! Michelle can still pick a different junior to take your place! Anna doesn’t need to be here, it’s not her choice anymore after she graduated!” Jonathon, Samantha’s king, yelled at Jessica.

This whole party for the seniors was turning into a mess. The Queens were now all furious with the way Jessica was acting. Michelle hadn’t done anything yet, but then again she was being held back by Jason, her boyfriend and king.

“You can’t find someone in a matter of a month that’s going to take my place, after all, who is going to take my place?” Jessica laughed some more.

Something made me think about my older sister and our step mother, before my sister had disappeared. She was the same age as Michelle, but was a red head like our mother. I took most of my father’s genes, but I had my mother’s girly figures. Our mom had died shortly after I had turned 7 years old. My sister was devastated and so was our father. It was only about three years after her death that our dad found someone new, and four years for them to get married. My sister and step mom never got along so when freshman year came along my sister said she couldn’t take any more of this and left without a trace. I couldn’t take any more of it either so I told my dad about this academy, he thought it was a bit sketchy and that the only time we were allowed to leave campus was on weekends and holidays. I picked it for just that reason; I didn’t want to deal with the bullying of our step mom just like my sister.

“That’s enough! I’m still Queen here until I graduate! Jessica, the only reason that Anna picked you was because you bribed her! She wasn’t going to pick you in the first place, she overlooked you! Anna told me that if you acted the way you’re acting now I could chose someone different! Get out of the dining hall!” Michelle screamed, making everyone shut up.

Jessica looked at her with utter shock, shocked that Michelle would say any of that out loud.

Jessica growled, “How did you even get that information! Anna’s just a lying bitch!”

All the girls in the room was silent, no one tried to stop it. Not even the Queen’s, but they were too amused at Jessica’s face to do anything. No one ever tried to even prove the opposite of Anna either.

“Oh, but that’s what you want everyone to think. You had to threaten her to take the money. Is that why your King transferred schools after a month?” Michelle kept going. “The way the teachers switched you out of all their classes? Or why your only friends act exactly like you because no one wanted to even talk to you? Who would want to listen to a Queen everyone hates?”

Jessica couldn’t even back herself up now. The junior table was now up out of their seats ready to charge to the stage. I don’t know what it was that made me decide to speak against the older crowd, or maybe it was the fact that everyone wasn’t going to say anything to stop the fighting.

“ENOUGH OF THIS FIGHTING! THIS ISN’T WHAT QUEENS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING!” It didn’t sound like me. It sounded more like a mother scolding their children.

Everyone turned to me, even the seniors on stage. Jason, Michelle’s boyfriend, was clapping as if I did something right. Everyone was clapping along now, well not the girls on stage, but there Kings were. 

“She’s right Mimi; this really wasn’t supposed to happen even if she was rude. But Mallory there is a reason something like this is made a rule, we can’t have someone as corrupted as Jessica as Queen, she’ll ruin everything every generation has worked on,” Sylvia Dalton explained, recognizing the seriousness in all of this.

“Well there isn’t much you can do, unless you can find someone?” I replied, uncertain about the situation.

Michelle looked at each of the queens, and then looked at Jason whispering into his ear. Jason nodded, walking off stage, and walking towards the exit. Everything got quiet now, wondering why Jason had just left the dining hall.

“What did you tell him whore?” Jessica sneered.

Michelle smirked just as Jason walked back into the dining hall with APs. Jason was telling them how Jessica had interrupted their ceremony and needed to be escorted out. While she was being escorted out, she yelled out, “You’re not going to find anybody to take my place in time for graduation!”

The Queens laughed while she just kept yelling. The only one who wasn’t laughing was Michelle, because she was looking straight at me.

“Okay, since we don’t know how corrupted the Junior Queens are we have to dismiss them all,” Michelle announced.

The girls all gasped and began yelling profanities at Michelle. Michelle didn’t reply to them, but the Senior class snickered and forced them out.

“Well then I guess this will be the first ever class to have these sophomores as Queens. Two years of being Queens, will probably do this good. As this changes everything now, I am proud to announce that the sophomores will be taking over for us,” She proudly announced.

Everyone at the sophomore table squealed, talking about how much fun it’s going to be. But me, I was thinking how much pressure we all have to endure. Knowing Michelle has showed how much trouble she had while she was queen; trying to set up events, keeping her grades up, and going out to have fun herself. These girls have never had to share a room with a senior, seeing as they all joined before I had and new rooms had been made. The hardships I’ve seen aren’t going to be what everyone thought it was going to be when they’re queens when they realize it.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Right now the princesses were waiting in the foyer of the academy.  The party for the seniors had started about an hour ago and we were kicked out, but had to wait for Michelle and the other queens. The girls were talking amongst themselves while I sat at the other end, wanting to get over with this queen business.

“Hey Mallory you did great out there, stopping that horrific scene,” One of the girls commented.

“Yeah, no one knew what to do, but you stepped up and handled it. I guess that’s why you’re the division one princess,” Another girl added to the conversation.

I blushed, getting slightly embarrassed with all the praise these girls were giving me. Honestly I was terrified too, but someone had to handle it too.

[kats-storygraveyard]

What would your advice for just-starting-out young authors be?

I love new writers! I’ve never known a better way to escape my reality and live a thousand different lives.

I started writing when I was young, maybe 12 or 13 years old. I am now 25, and very much consider myself to be a child, but still, in my 10+ years of personal writing and classes, here are some of the best tips I can give anyone who is new to writing, regardless of age.

Read. Read. Read. Then read some more. The easiest and fastest way to learn how to write is by reading and studying how other people have written their stories. Study their balance of dialogue vs description vs action. Study the words they use and what they’re choosing to describe. Study the scenes that make you feel something, or pull you to the story even more, and dissect it until you understand how to do it.

Daydream. At night, in the morning, before and after school, during school, during work. When people are trying to talk to you, just daydream. Image worlds with populated moons. Imagine worlds with multiple human-like species all living in the same area. Image a boy who goes home and cries to his adoptive family parents, and girls who practices knife throwing every night to prepare for the apocalypse that no one sees coming. Dream of everything and anything because that’s how you keep and improve your creativity. Eventually you may even write something with it.

Write for yourself. Always start by writing what you enjoy, and love your characters and your stories. Everything about your first draft should be because you love the story, not what other people like. You will never please everyone, so start with yourself, and build a community with the ones who love your story as much as you do.

Do it on your own timeline. If you want to write a book in a month, edit the next and publish right after, do it. If you want to write the first five chapters of 8 books without finishing, do it. If, like me, you want to write your first novel at 18 years old, and 7 years later still not feel ready to publish, that’s ok! You are not falling behind anyone else, you are exactly where you should be on your own path.

Practice. Your writing will improve with practice, that’s how it works, it’s how it always works. No way to skip right to publishing a first draft and becoming famous for it. Practice and just keep writing, you will improve.

Challenge yourself. While you may love fantasy or romance, or maybe all your story ideas are too big for only one book and they all end up being series’, you need to try new things. Write a mystery short story. Write poetry on how you feel. Write one page on how you could survive a zombie apocalypse as long as you have your coffee in the morning, it doesn’t matter, just try new things. Trying new things is how I wrote this haiku: Take a deep inhale, Breathe fresh air into my lungs, I savorfreedom. Is it the greatest haiku ever? No, but it makes me happy, and reminds me that I can write, good or bad, and still be proud of myself.

Keep all your projects. Good or bad. Look back on them years later and think, yeah that was terrible, at least I’m better now. Or maybe think, this wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. It’s a progressive journey. You can take your time. DONT EVER SHAME YOUR YOUNGER SELF FOR THEIR WORK. THEY TRIED THEIR HARDEST AND WROTE AS BEST THEY COULD. WE ARE PROUD OF OURSELVES, NOT EMBARRASSED OR SHAMED. Whether the work is from years ago or days go. Be kind to yourself, no one else owes you that.

Compare. Compare to popular novels, compare to your friends stories or to people online. Compare and see if your character are developed enough, or if your story makes sense, or if it’s relatable. When comparing however, keep in mind that your written style will be different than all others writers. Your first novel will not be the same as an author’s 10th book that just went viral on TikTok. It takes practice and time. Compare for style, technique, structure and plot. Not for popularity, worth, importance, and don’t feel down thinking that someone writing at a higher grade level makes them better, it doesn’t.

Share your work. If you are embarrassed, use a pen name. That’s perfectly fine. Put your work out there and get feedback. Having one person saying your story is (negative criticism here) is going to happen, don’t freak out. It doesn’t mean your story is flawed and should be tossed. If most people are saying that, then maybe it’s time to revisit the story and plot. Getting feedback from people reading your story is important, you want to ask specific questions so you don’t get generic answers. Get real reviews from real people, the mean voice in your head doesn’t get a say.

Learn the difference between perfect and done. I know, I know. Perfectionists around the world just scoffed and thought ‘I would if I could’. Here’s the thing, it’ll never be perfect. A word won’t be right, you can’t find the right way to convey an emotion, your choice of vocabulary isn’t up to your standards, I get it. You want your work to be absolute perfection so that everyone loves it and no one can say a bad thing about it, but it doesn’t work that way. Instead make it to ‘complete’, then nitpick some details, then it’s done. Done is good, it’s where you want to be.

Self-publishing? Pay for a professional editor and a graphic designer. It makes a difference, I promise.

There’s lots of others, but I would say as a writer-starter-pack, these should get you started, then you will learn lessons all on your own, or find them as you’re writing later on. Truly, just have fun, and the rest will come with time.

Happy Writing!

Willow

[kats-storygraveyard]

Resources For Describing Characters

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[kats-storygraveyard]

ok this probably sounds weird and a bit dumb BUT i want to write a lighthearted romance where character A is semifamous for something and character B is a fan of them, yknow? so i guess what im wondering is ,, do you have any fanxceleb prompts??

Hi :)

Not weird or dumb at all! Here are some prompts:

Fan x Celebrity Prompts

Person A's aunt knows about A's fan crush on Person B. What A doesn't know is that their aunt knows B's aunt and she just invited them as a special guest for A's graduation party.

Person A was always a big fan of Person B and their dreams come true, when they get to interview them for their new project.

Over the years, Person A turned from a kid just doing their thing into a minor celebrity, who can easily live off of their hobby now. As a special thank you, they try to find the person online who was their first fan and supported them from the beginning.

The company Person A works for, wants to collaborate with Person B. A's boss finds out that A is a big fan of B and think that this could help bring B on board.

Person A wants to be taken more seriously in their career and when they meet their fan Person B, who is just so utterly normal, they think that rumors about a completely normal and scandal-free relationship with B is just what they need.

Person A thinks that Person B didn’t recognize them as a celebrity and they kind of like that, but B definitely recognized them and just didn’t want to be rude.

Person A has a Kickstarter campaign for their next big project and the special prize is a dinner date with A, which gets raffled for every fan who donated. Person B is the lucky winner.

Person A used to be a big star and Person B used to be a big fan. Now when they meet each other years later, they’re both neither of those things anymore.

Have fun with them!

- Jana

[kats-storygraveyard]

hi! do you have any romance royalty prompts but fem x fem? maybe something with princess and her "loyal companion" vibes. thank you so much!!

Hi :)

Sure, here they are!

Royalty Prompts

Loyal companion/princess romance

Taking her loyal companion as a chaperone to picnic dates with princes wanting to court her, so they can enjoy the food and nice weather while the noble keeps talking about his latest hunting trip in the background

Spending the night in the stables, laying in the hay and talking

Embroidering flowers into each other’s handkerchiefs to show their affection

Bribing the stable hand so they can go for a ride, just the two of them

Successfully scaring away anyone who comes to court them

Making each other flower crowns

Being each other’s partner while learning how to do ballroom dances

Sneaking away together from boring duties to hide in the stables with the horses

Loving the fact that the companion is the one who gets to help the princess dress in the morning and even better undress at night

Spending a lot of their free time in the kitchen, because it’s warm, there is always something delicious to eat and the women there don’t judge

Doing each other’s hair and braiding intricate patterns in it

The princess is gifting her companion expensive dresses, saying it is to show the wealth of the kingdom, but she definitely has an ulterior motive

 Dialogue Prompts:

“Maybe one day, they can accept a woman on the throne.” “Maybe one day, they can even accept two.”

“Sometimes I wish we could just run away together. Far away, living in a small village in a tiny house with a nice garden and some animals.” “And you would let me do all the work, right, my love?” “Well, I was raised to manage a household, everyone should do what their good at.”

“Why did you make me this flower crown?” “Because you deserve a crown on that beautiful head of yours, just as I do.”

“That dress looks very nice on you, my lady.” “But it’s awfully hard to get out of. May you please help me with it?”

“You don’t need to worry about the prince. He is good-looking, but a dreadful conversationalist. You have much more interesting things to say and I wish I could listen to you all day.”

Bonus (other people noticing):

“My lord, your daughter and that chamber maid of hers are looking awfully close to each other. If I were to marry the princess this would have to stop.” “Well, they seem to come as a pair and I’ve long accepted that.”

I had fun coming up with them, I hope you enjoy them!

- Jana

[kats-storygraveyard]

Writing Theory: Chekov's Gun

"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."— Anton Chekhov. This simply means, if you include a detail in a story it should have some meaning to the plot or the overall story.

Why Chekov's Gun is Important

Over the years, Chekov's Gun has become an important rule where foreshadowing is involved and often gives your readers some idea of what is to come without giving it away. It can be a fun element for writers to pepper in as well as set up a plot point or an oncoming event. Chekov's Gun keeps writers on track with their details and can be used to put your readers into an unconscious state of knowledge about the following story.

How Can Writers effectively write Chekov's Gun

The main thing about Chekov's Gun, is utilising your details within the story and showcasing them in a way that is notice-drawing but not so much as to be provacative with it. In simple terms, you want people to notice it but you don't want to wave it in their faces.

The details that you add (and I'm not talking about details as in the colour of the walls, I mean details such as an item that is focused on) should impact the story in some way. These details are often elaborated on with the narrative and are given a little bit of exposition. For example, consider:

In a Prisoner of Azkaban, Cornelius Fudge recounts a meeting with Sirius Black in the prison. He makes a point of noting that Sirius had asked for his newspaper, chalking it down to Sirius's inhumanity. However, that paper is the catalyst of the story in this book. Sirius sees a picture of the Weasley's on holiday in the paper, spotting Peter Pettigrew, a traitor and agent of Voldemort. The paper acts as Sirius's inciting event to act.

In Greek Myth, Perseus and his mother Danae were exiled from her father's kingdom after a phophecy stated that the King would be killed by his grandson. Years later after Perseus went on his quest, married a Princess and won himself a new kingdom, he attended a sports event where all the Kings of Greece attended. Perseus threw a discus accidentally killing an old man in the crowd. The old man? His grandfather.

Or perhaps the most famous literal example, in the film Shaun of the Dead, Ed points to a shotgun above the bar at the Winchester. He goes on a big long yarn about how the gun is real. During the action packed climax of the film, Shaun tells him that the gun couldn't possibly be real because... Then the gun goes off and is used to save Liz and Shaun while the others are consumed by zombies.

The Do's and Don'ts of Chekov's Gun

Do consider Chekov's Gun to be anything, not just an item or a thing. It can be the name of a person (Marwyn the Mage) or even a certain skill a character has (Mary Ravenwood can drink grown men under the table, a skill she uses against the Nazi).

When lampshading the item/person/detail, do not embellish it too much. Afford the detail enough attention so the reader can remember it but not so much that they notice it.

Do remember that Chekov's Gun must at some point be fired. The person/thing/detail must have some impact. (the locket Harry attempts to throw out at Grimmauld Place ends up being a Horcrux)

Don't think the reader won't remember the gun. Most readers with experience will clock a Chekov's gun from a mile off.

Do make sure that the gun is in the minds of the reader. Whether you have characters mention it flippantly or you show it over the course of the narrative (the famous lemons of "Braavos'' in ASOIAF).

The gun does not have to fire immediately but it does have to fire at some point.

[kats-storygraveyard]

Hi! I'm so sorry for bother you but actually I didn't really know who else to ask. Right now I'm struggling to find ideas because my prompt is enemies to siblings, literally, but I only find enemies to lovers ideas. I know they definitely won't like when their parents say "we are dating, now get yourself together" or something like that but like I want them to be comfortable with each other, at least at the end. It's clear? I mean I'm so bad with these things. Sorry if my English or I bother you

Hi :)

Your English is perfectly fine and definitely not bothering me! And actually, two of my favourite TV shows when I was a kid where about enemies to siblings (to... lovers...?). (For anyone wanting to improve their German, check out Türkisch für Anfänger!)

So here are some prompts for you:

Enemies to siblings

When their parents tell them that they want to move in together, they need to get over their squabbling and work together, because this cannot happen.

The fights and the pranks were fun in the beginning, but it's starting to get old pretty soon.

The family vacation was supposed to bring peace to the family, not more drama.

They may be enemies at home, but if someone at school is coming after their sibling, then it's on.

After seeing their parents fight because of them, they realize that they have to get their act together, if they want to see them happy.

They really like their new step-parent. They just wished they wouldn't come with annoying relatives.

Their parents thought it was a good idea to enter a competition, where families fight with each other in different challenges to win the title of "The best family". They hope this finally gets their kids to become a team.

I hope you like them and have fun!

- Jana

[kats-storygraveyard]

When I say “Fanfiction is free” part of what I’m saying is yes, you did not pay for the thing.

But I saw a comment from someone that made me realize the rest of the intention behind these words is being lost.

Fanfiction is provided for free, but it is not produced for free.

Authors pay their effort, including physical and emotional and mental. Authors pay their time, in planning the story (mental time) and writing the story (physical time). Sometimes it’s less than an hour for something quick and dirty, like askbox prompts. Sometimes it’s years of their lives in epic fic hundreds of thousands of words long. Authors pay additional time to alpha read their own stories, trying to make sure that they’re free of SPAG errors and make sense and sound good. Beta readers pay their time and effort alongside the authors for editing the stories. Authors pay for posting their stories with all of the anxieties that come from allowing their work - which to this point they have invested all of the above - into the public eye because while it has certainly cost them a good amount to produce the story, fandom history has proved that many other people out there enjoy fanfiction, and authors believe that at least someone else will enjoy their story, too.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is that it costs the writers a lot of something in order to produce it. A lot has already been paid into a piece of fanfiction by the time it is available for readers to read. The expense of fanfiction creation is, by and large, resting squarely atop the shoulders of writers.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is that readers don’t have to pay the cost of creating fanfiction.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is that readers don’t have to pay in anything - not time, not money, not effort, not anything - in order for fanfiction to be created. It’s a donation. It’s a gift. It’s available for you to take or leave, at the expense of someone else.

Writers have, for a very long time, requested donations of one thing as remuneration for everything they put into making fanfiction: comments. Authors have asked, in so many different iterations: “If you have consumed what I have labored and invested in to create and if you have found any enjoyment in it, please tell me, so that I can recharge enough to do this again.” Some of them may recharge on critical comments, but most of us don’t because we’ve already paid everything we want to pay to create the story.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” isn’t just that it doesn’t cost you any money. I am saying “Please respect the time and effort you didn’t have to pay into creating this thing you enjoyed, by respecting the individual creator’s requests.”

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “be kind to authors, they have paid a lot for this gift they’re sharing with all of us, and they deserve to feel like it was worth it.”

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “please don’t charge authors more time and emotional effort than what they’ve already provided you at no absolute cost.”

I’m not saying any of this to argue. It’s a fact that authors pay into providing fanfiction. They do it for fun. They do it out of love. They do it because they enjoy writing. No one is making them do it. No one is paying them to start or finish the story. That doesn’t mean it’s not WORK. And the only return they get on what they put into the story is the kindness of strangers that invest a little bit back by leaving a nice comment. That is why they stay, that is why they do it again, that is why we have fanfiction.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “please don’t be the one charging authors so much more that they leave.”

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “please keep it that way.”

[kats-storygraveyard]

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.

[kats-storygraveyard]

If you write a strong character, let them fail.

If you write a selfless hero, let them get mad at people.

If you write a cold-heated villain, let them cry.

If you write a brokenhearted victim, let them smile again.

If you write a bold leader, let them seek guidance.

If you write a confident genius, let them be wrong, or get stumped once in a while.

If you write a fighter or a warrior, let them lose a battle, but let them win the war.

If you write a character who loses everything, let them find something.

If you write a reluctant hero, give them a reason to join the fight.

If you write a gentle-hearted character who never stops smiling, let that smile fade and tears fall in shadows.

If you write a no one, make them a someone.

If you write a sibling, let them fight and bicker, but know that at the end of the day they’ll always have each other’s back.

If you write a character, make them more than just a character; give them depth, give them flaws and secrets, and give them life.

[kats-storygraveyard]

How Long Your Stories Should Be (And What Publishers Want)

First of all, thank you so much for over 8,000 followers!!

Short Story

-Under 500 Words is described as flash fiction. It’s one scene

-Between 1,000 and 8,000 Words is a short story

-Between 5,000 and 10,000 Words is as long as a short story should ever be

Novella

-A story between 10,000 and 40,000 Words

Novel

-Anything over 40,000 Words is considered a novel, but 50,000 should be the minimum amount of words you should have (If you’re trying to get published)

-Most novels are between 60,000 and 100,000 Words

-Publishers generally don’t like more than 110,000 words, unless you’re already established

Adult fiction

-Between 80,000 and 100,000 Words

Science and Fantasy

-Generally Between 90,000 and 120,000. Not abnormal to reach the 150,000 range. (It takes time to build a whole new world)

Romance Novels

-Between 50,000 and 100,000

Crime, Mysteries and Thrillers

-Between 70,000 and 90,000

Young Adult

-Between 50,000 and 80,000

Children’s Novel

-Between 25,000 to 50,000

[kats-storygraveyard]

Pros of writing gay relationships: 

- gay

Cons of writing gay relationships:

- they both have THE SAME FCKIN PRONOUNS SO I CONSTANTLY HAVE TO NAME BOTH CHARACTERS BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHO’S DOING WHAT OR WHO’S SPEAKING WHO WILL SAVE ME FROM THIS HELL

[kats-storygraveyard]

John Mulany quotes prompt list

Inspired by the wonderful and incredibly talented @ragnarokdad

1. “I’ll keep all my emotions right here, and then one day i’ll die”

2. “You have the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair”

3.“In terms of like, instant relief, canceling plans is like heroin.”

4. “Anyone who’s seen my d*ck and met my parents needs to die; I can’t have them roaming around.”

5. “We started chanting, McDonald’s, McDonald’s, McDonald’s! And my dad pulled into the drive thru, and we started cheering and then he ordered one black coffee for himself and kept driving.”

6. “I’ll just pepper in the fact that im gay”

7. “I smell robot! Prooooove! Prooooove! Prove youre not a robot”

8. “My wife is a b*tch and i love her so much”

9. “Whoa! You just killed an old, old man!”

10. “You could poor soup in my lap and i’ll probably apologize to you”

11. “You know those days when you’re like “this might as well happen”

12. “I thought i was going to be murdered my entire childhood”

13. “Im so horny and angry all the time”

14. “Thats exactly what i thought you’d say you dumb f*cking horse”

15. “I’ve never talked to my dad about that, but I figured i’d tell you.”

16. “Eat *ss, suck a d*ck, sell drugs”

17. “And we were all fine with it”

18. “Hey! Remember when we met in the science building?”

19. “Thanks for asking! You know how i’m filled with rage?”

20. “No! Thats the thing i’m sensitive about!”

21. “I quit drinking cause I used to drink, then i’d black out and ‘ruin parties’”

22. “Everyone get out of my way! I just want to sit here and feed birds!”

23. “I am very small and I have no money, so you can imagine the stress i’m under”

24. “I always thought that quicksand was going to be a much bigger problem than it turned out to be”

25. “And i know now that im definitely never gonna be president”

26. “And apparently i grabbed it and drank all of it”

27. “College was like a four year game show called ‘Do my friends hate me or do I just need to go to sleep”

28. “Adult life is already so godd*mn weird”

29. “Hey! Is this whiskey or perfume?”

30. “I was going to put this bottle rocket into this carton of eggs, so when I lit of the bottle rockets the eggs would explode everywhere.”

feel free to add more :)

[kats-storygraveyard]

[kats-storygraveyard]

So let's say, hypothetically, an ignorant american was writing a story that included a story that includes a character from the UK, and lets say hypothetically, this american was basing this character on a character with an accent like yours. What kind of slang this character use, without seeming it to be too obvious that the author is an ignorant american using google too much.

So my accent is a mix between SE London and a Kentish accent, because I grew up/live in both of those areas. So already my accent is kind of a mishmash but I will endeavour to help you with some common sayings, anon! Remember that I am but a lowly commoner, so a lot of this slang wouldn’t be used by an “Upper Class” character.

Bloody Hell: Is a very “media” phrase. You’ll probably hear it a lot when American writers write English people. But the phrase actually isn’t all that common! That is, I don’t really hear people say it anymore. However! If we are cursing but don’t actually want to curse, we will use “bloody” as a replacement. E.G, instead of saying “AGH! The F***ING BUS WAS LATE!” it would be “ARGH! THE BLOODY BUS WAS LATE!”

You Alright?: Is a greeting. So is “Alright?” Usually accompanied by a friendly head nod. Or a “Heya, y’alright?”

Fancy: Means “Like.” or “Want” This can be used in a romantic way, for example “so-and-so fancies her” meaning “So-and-so has a crush on her/ likes her.” However, the much more common use these days is. “You fancy a pint?” “You fancy some chocolate?” “You fancy going for a walk after dinner?” etc. Those questions simply mean “Do you want a pint?” “Do you want some chocolate?” etc.

Absolutely/Absolute: Often used to exaggerate or put emphasis on something. When using absolute, it’s used for prominence e.g “That teacher is an absolute legend” “an absolute dickhead” etc, it can be used to emphasise good or bad things. It’s kind of the English equivalent of Americans using “Totally!” So you can have something that’s “mad” or “totally mad!” in English you’d have “mad” or “absolutely mad!” 

Taking the Piss/ Piss Take: Taking the piss can be both lighthearted or harmful and this phrase is all about the tone. So if you’re taking the piss- you could be making fun of someone, being silly, but in a jokey way. Maybe having some banter with your friend via silly teasing. E.g “nice hat mate, you trying to look like you’ve got a pumpkin for a head?” “hahah sod off!” “hahaha no worries mate, was just taking the piss, it’s actually a nice hat!”

However if someone is *serious tone* taking the piss, that can mean someone who is taking liberties and not caring about the consequences. e.g a noisy neighbour who plays their music well past midnight, you’ve spoken to them and they’ve agreed to keep it down, and then they start playing loud music to spite you. Yeah thats massively taking the piss.

Alternatively, here’s a snippet from a conversation I had with my friend earlier when we found out that the special edition of the new Tomb Raider cost £80!!!!!

(I also could have said “absolute piss take” here lololol)

and as you can see, my friend used the term “pissed off” which means angry.

Cock-up: A screw up, but you wouldn’t say it in front of your mother XD

Sorted: Means something is done/something has been finalised. You could say “what time should we meet up?” “around 10ish?” “Sorted!” 

Tenner/Fiver: a tenner is £10 and a fiver is £5! ^O^

Sweets: what we call candy. Sweets and chocolate are different too. Chocolate is just chocolate.

Pop: to go somewhere quickly, the journey won’t last very long. “I’m just popping to the shops, be back in ten!”

Nip: Same thing as pop. “I’ll just nip to the loo.” (we don’t really ever say toilet, because that’s  considered rude here).

Shops: Instead of store!

DISCLAIMER: Please do not over-use these phrases, particularly bloody. If you overdo it, you’re characters might end up sounding like  Bart Simpson doing a cockney accent lmao. 

Hope this helps, anon!

[kats-storygraveyard]

Your Character’s Personality

Personality is the most important thing about your character.

So, whenever I see character sheets, most people just put a little paragraph for that section. If you’re struggling and don’t know what your character should say or do, what decisions they should make, I guarantee you that this is the problem.

You know your character’s name, age, race, sexuality, height, weight, eye color, hair color, their parents’ and siblings’ names. But these are not the things that truly matter about them.

Traits: 

pick traits that don’t necessarily go together. For example, someone who is controlling, aggressive and vain can also be generous, sensitive and soft-spoken. Characters need to have at least one flaw that really impacts how they interact with others. Positive traits can work as flaws, too. It is advised that you pick at least ten traits

people are complex, full of contradictions, and please forgive me if this makes anyone uncomfortable, but even bullies can be “nice” people. Anyone can be a “bad” person, even someone who is polite, kind, helpful or timid can also be narcissistic, annoying, inconsiderate and a liar. People are not just “evil” or “good”

Beliefs:

ideas or thoughts that your character has or thinks about the world, society, others or themselves, even without proof or evidence, or which may or may not be true. Beliefs can contradict their values, motives, self-image, etc. For example, the belief that they are an awesome and responsible person when their traits are lazy, irresponsible and shallow. Their self-image and any beliefs they have about themselves may or may not be similar/the same. They might have a poor self-image, but still believe they’re better than everybody else

Values:

what your character thinks is important. Usually influenced by beliefs, their self-image, their history, etc. Some values may contradict their beliefs, wants, traits, or even other values. For example, your character may value being respect, but one of their traits is disrespectful. It is advised you list at least two values, and know which one they value more. For example, your character values justice and family. Their sister tells them she just stole $200 from her teacher’s wallet. Do they tell on her, or do they let her keep the money: justice, or family? Either way, your character probably has some negative feelings, guilt, anger, etc., over betraying their other value

Motives:

what your character wants. It can be abstract or something tangible. For example, wanting to be adored or wanting that job to pay for their father’s medication. Motives can contradict their beliefs, traits, values, behavior, or even other motives. For example, your character may want to be a good person, but their traits are selfish, manipulative, and narcissistic. Motives can be long term or short term. Everyone has wants, whether they realize it or not. You can write “they don’t know what they want,” but you should know. It is advised that you list at least one abstract want

Recurring Feelings:

feelings that they have throughout most of their life. If you put them down as a trait, it is likely they are also recurring feelings. For example, depressed, lonely, happy, etc.

Self Image:

what the character thinks of themselves: their self-esteem. Some character are proud of themselves, others are ashamed of themselves, etc. They may think they are not good enough, or think they are the smartest person in the world. Their self-image can contradict their beliefs, traits, values, behavior, motives, etc. For example, if their self-image is poor, they can still be a cheerful or optimistic person. If they have a positive self-image, they can still be a depressed or negative person. How they picture themselves may or may not be true: maybe they think they’re a horrible person, when they are, in fact, very considerate, helpful, kind, generous, patient, etc. They still have flaws, but flaws don’t necessarily make you a terrible person

Behavior:

how the character’s traits, values, beliefs, self-image, etc., are outwardly displayed: how they act. For example, two characters may have the trait “angry” but they all probably express it differently. One character may be quiet and want to be left alone when they are angry, the other could become verbally aggressive. If your character is a liar, do they pause before lying, or do they suddenly speak very carefully when they normally don’t? Someone who is inconsiderate may have issues with boundaries or eat the last piece of pizza in the fridge when they knew it wasn’t theirs. Behavior is extremely important and it is advised you think long and hard about your character’s actions and what exactly it shows about them

Demeanor:

their general mood and disposition. Maybe they’re usually quiet, cheerful, moody, or irritable, etc.

Posture:

a secondary part of your character’s personality: not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Posture is how the character carries themselves. For example, perhaps they swing their arms and keep their shoulders back while they walk, which seems to be the posture of a confident person, so when they sit, their legs are probably open. Another character may slump and have their arms folded when they’re sitting, and when they’re walking, perhaps they drag their feet and look at the ground

Speech Pattern:

a secondary part of your character’s personality: not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Speech patterns can be words that your character uses frequently, if they speak clearly, what sort of grammar they use, if they have a wide vocabulary, a small vocabulary, if it’s sophisticated, crude, stammering, repeating themselves, etc. I personally don’t have a very wide vocabulary, if you could tell

Hobbies:

a secondary part of your character’s personality: not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Hobbies can include things like drawing, writing, playing an instrument, collecting rocks, collecting tea cups, etc.

Quirks:

a secondary part of your character’s personality, not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Quirks are behaviors that are unique to your character. For example, I personally always put my socks on inside out and check the ceiling for spiders a few times a day

Likes:

a secondary part of your character’s personality, not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Likes and dislikes are usually connected to the rest of their personality, but not necessarily. For example, if your character likes to do other people’s homework, maybe it’s because they want to be appreciated

Dislikes:

a secondary part of your character’s personality, not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Likes and dislikes can also contradict the rest of their personality. For example, maybe one of your character’s traits is dishonest, but they dislike liars

History:

your character’s past that has key events that influence and shape their beliefs, values, behavior, wants, self-image, etc. Events written down should imply or explain why they are the way they are. For example, if your character is distrustful, maybe they were lied to a lot by their parents when they were a child. Maybe they were in a relationship for twenty years and found out their partner was cheating on them the whole time. If their motive/want is to have positive attention, maybe their parents just didn’t praise them enough and focused too much on the negative

On Mental and Physical Disabilities or Illnesses

if your character experienced a trauma, it needs to have an affect on your character. Maybe they became more angry or impatient or critical of others. Maybe their beliefs on people changed to become “even bullies can be ‘nice’ people: anyone can be a ‘bad’ person”

people are not their illness or disability: it should not be their defining trait. I have health anxiety, but I’m still idealistic, lazy, considerate, impatient and occasionally spiteful; I still want to become an author; I still believe that people are generally good; I still value doing what make me feel comfortable; I still have a positive self-image; I’m still a person. You should fill out your character’s personality at least half-way before you even touch on the possibility of your character having a disability or illness

Generally everything about your character should connect, but hey, even twins that grew up in the same exact household have different personalities; they value different things, have different beliefs. Maybe one of them watched a movie that had a huge impact on them.

Not everything needs to be explained. Someone can be picky or fussy ever since they were little for no reason at all. Someone can be a negative person even if they grew up in a happy home.

I believe this is a thought out layout for making well-rounded OCs, antagonists and protagonists, whether they’re being created for a roleplay or for a book. This layout is also helpful for studying Canon Characters if you’re looking to accurately roleplay as them or write them in fanfiction or whatever.

I’m really excited to post this, so hopefully I didn’t miss anything important…

If you have any questions, feel free to send a message.

- Chick

[kats-storygraveyard]

Okay guys hear me out.

A soulmate AU where you have a black stain where your soulmate is supposed to touch you for the first time and it turns to millions of colors once they do.

Like, so many people with their right palms all black, waiting for that one handshake.

People who have black knuckles who are scared for years that they end up punching their soulmate or something and end up coming home with their knuckles turned all shades of red and blue and purple without them noticing because sometimes your hands just brush together.

Someone having a very visible black palm on their cheek that they try to cover up because people will just know they will be slapped one day.

Just

consider the possibilities.