lapsusophobia

[lapsusophobia]

you know you’re a writer when…

you spend 30 minutes choosing the perfect synonym for “said” only to change it back to “said.”

you google “how long does it take to bleed out” at 3 a.m. and now the FBI is probably watching you.

you write one sentence, stare at it, rewrite it 14 times, and somehow end up back at the original version.

“this scene is so important” but you have no idea what the scene actually is or why it’s important.

you come up with the best story ideas… in the shower… with no way to write them down.

your characters feel like real people but also you’re like “who are these guys and what do they want from me?”

your brain says “start writing!” but instead you reorganize your desk, reread your notes, and spend two hours naming a side character who shows up once.

you’ve cried over your WIP exactly 67 times and will do it again because the pain is the point.

you reread something you wrote and think, “wow, did i peak as a writer three months ago?”

every writing session begins with the sacred ritual of scrolling social media, opening unnecessary tabs, and procrastinating until panic sets in.

you have no idea how long a chapter should be, so you just… vibe.

you can’t watch tv or movies without mentally critiquing the plot, dialogue, and pacing.

your writing playlist is 98% vibes, 2% songs you’ll actually listen to while writing.

you keep a “murder notebook” but swear it’s not suspicious because it’s for your novel (probably).

the phrase “just one more draft” is your eternal mantra, even though you’ve rewritten this thing more times than you can count.

[lapsusophobia]

how to spot a writer:

unhinged google search history

crying over fake people

owns 200 notebooks (they're all empty)

[lapsusophobia]

More writers should consider just not telling their readers all of shit. Just don’t tell them stuff. What’s that monster? Fuck if you’ll find out. How did that weird as hell landscape marker come to be? Wouldn’t you like to know. How does the magic work? Just believe it does, motherfucker.

Readers don’t need to know everything. In fact, I absolutely advocate for not telling them certain stuff. If the characters don’t know, neither do they. If the narrator is omniscient? Lol no they aren’t.

Is this necessary for every story? Probably not. There’s plenty of good stories you could write while explaining all of it. But leaving those gaps, leaving those holes, can bring a story to life. Sometimes things happen in life that just… happen. Fucked if anyone knows why. Sometimes information gets lost. Sometimes information is hidden. But even beyond that, it expands the narrative.

If you explain when and why and how the murder monster became a murder monster, well… that’s forever set in stone now. Now they know. But if you leave it blank, absent of explanation, any explanation… it becomes an unknown. It forces your audience to wonder. Makes them think. That, more than you might think, makes a story get into your audience’s head, and once you’re there, you can make some real impacts.

So yeah, tell a story. But sometimes? Don’t tell your readers something. Make them fill in the blanks themselves.

[lapsusophobia]

it has been years and this still remains the most meaningful advice i have ever read. every time i'm editing my own writing and getting really fed up with it, i stop bashing my face in and just think about this. "You hate the most valuable thing about your art." my writing is supposed to read like i wrote it! because i did! i should be happy to have my own voice and style! ugh thank you forever to this tweet fr

[lapsusophobia]

[lapsusophobia]

[lapsusophobia]

Fantasy drugs 👀

-A stimulant that enhances every sensation. Every touch, no matter how gentle, feel like sandpaper on your skin. What would be mild pain becomes agony, pleasure becomes overwhelming to the point of pain

-Ever heard of locked in syndrome? Make it a drug. The body is paralyzed, unable to move. But every sensation remains, and the mind? The mind is fully aware. Whumpee hears, sees and feels everything. They're all too aware, and they will remember. Unwanted touches, excruciating pain, they're aware of it all, completely, totally helpless. They can't even scream.

-a drug that temporarily mutes all your senses. You're still very much aware, you're fully conscious, and it differs from locked-in drug in that you're not paralysed. You're just deafened, blinded, you can't smell or taste or feel anything. You won't even feel the pain until it wears off. It probably wears of gradually too - maybe you smell the blood before anything else. Maybe you see the horrific wounds before you feel them. Or hear cruel taunts as they tell you what they've done to you before you can see or feel it for yourself.

-Enthralling drug. With a mix of whumpers DNA, they render you an empty shell, existing only to serve them. You take orders only from Whumper, who has to order you to sleep, eat, do ANYTHING. You feel nothing. You're aware of nothing. You're barely even alive. It'll wear off... eventually. Better hope Whumper doesn't find a way to make it permanent.

Feel free to add on with more ideas

[lapsusophobia]

being a writer is wild

like there are some days where all the words click into place and the sentences flow like silk and then there are other days where your plot is undergoing radioactive decay and you're about to punch through your laptop screen in frustration

[lapsusophobia]

Being on tiktok directly is too much exposure to garbage. I prefer having tiktoks filtered down through the rocky substrate of tumblr and the fine sand of my mutuals

[lapsusophobia]

if this post reaches your dashboard, it’s a sign for you to close tumblr and go write that fic in your drafts

[lapsusophobia]

me as a writer

[lapsusophobia]

hei @angel-with-paper-wings this made me think of you

Bruh did I just get clocked wtf

[lapsusophobia]

Yes, I am writing a deeply vulnerable exploration of the psyche and the human condition.

Yes, I am writing about blorbo getting railed nasty style.

They are the same work. This is not a contradiction.

[lapsusophobia]

“do you think you’ll still be writing fanfic when you’re 90?” yes, I do, and I hope AO3 is still here with me when I’m a 90 year old childless fanfic writer who writes slow burn dead dove do not eat dubcon gay sex enemies to lovers. next

[lapsusophobia]

"Would anyone want to read --" Listen, imma stop you right there. Yes. YES, someone would want to read that. You write that weird little fucked up story. Or that domestic little slice of life story. That drabble or that 300k monster.

I promise someone wants to read it.

[lapsusophobia]

Tumblr is weird because sometimes you go to a mutual's page and like/reblog half their content like you just broke in their house and imediately ate a little piece of all their food, tried out some of their clothes, sat on their sofa, and then just left.

And sometimes the mutual notices and does the same to your house.

And that's encouraged here. I love it.