littlemissmaladaptive

[littlemissmaladaptive]

i swear my writing process is just me laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking "what if they kissed and it ruined their lives?"

[littlemissmaladaptive]

sometimes you’re not writing to tell a story; you’re writing to find the story buried in the wreckage of your thoughts. there’s something beautiful in there, you just have to dig it out.

[littlemissmaladaptive]

I always get super sad when I realize I can’t fit all the stuff I want in my story. Like yes, I KNOW you’ve gotta kill your darlings and if you give in every time it’ll turn into unorganized fan service mush but also have you ever considered-

GIMMMEEEE. You actually DO need my random cute scenario that doesn’t move the plot forward and acts as pure brain candy. It can’t just be a headcannon. It doesn’t hit the sameeee. I need more time with my characters. I don’t care if this book is as long as the damn BIBLE. Yes, you WILL sit through eight chapters of my main love interests figuring out how to make banana bread as stupid silly teenagers AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

[littlemissmaladaptive]

women! be difficult! be mean! they’re gonna hate you either way!

[littlemissmaladaptive]

lol at America being so messed up the Chinese don’t even have to make up propaganda.

[littlemissmaladaptive]

People who write romantic plots, do you ALSO have a desire to have a 1 month free trial to fall in love with someone just so you have some inspo or am I a psycho? Like I can’t even go on a date without thinking,

“Damn that was a sick move bro. Writing that in my notes app later”

[littlemissmaladaptive]

One of my favorite tips for other writers is to JOURNAL. If you can’t manage to fill a whole page, try writing just a short little blurb every day. You can write about anything—your current feelings, your crush, your boring day, your favorite (or least favorite) things, your trauma, or even just your love for tarot cards. Just write about yourself!

As writers, we don’t just tell stories about characters—we write TO pieces of our psyche. Many of us start writing because we discover it’s therapeutic, with the power to heal just as much as to entertain. You speak THROUGH your story, sharing your life philosophy and everything you are. That’s why so many of us view our work like our children. When you practice journaling for yourself, you won’t just speak through your stories—your stories will begin to speak through you.

Some of my best lines have come straight from my journals, inspired by something as random as not having enough time to read because of capitalism or reflecting on a recent trip to the park. This is exactly why everyone says you can’t create anything worthwhile if you’re not also living a life outside your work. If you don’t live, you can’t discover or think deeply about new parts of yourself. It’s in that introspection that inspiration is born. Journal, and your characters will reveal themselves to you.

Your dreams, aspirations, values, hang-ups, neuroses, traumas, personality traits, preferences, emotions, lifestyle choices, flaws, and memories all shape your work. You are the sum of your characters. So, if you ever feel stuck or face writer’s block, write about yourself. Because, in a strange way, all of your work is about you.

[littlemissmaladaptive]

Sure sure romantic pairings are fine and all. But more people should perhaps consider two characters loving each other to the point of incomprehensibility. To the point that there is no simpler way in english to define or describe it than just to say those characters’ names together, joined eternally by the vague conjunction ‘and’. There’s so many types of love and dependencies and emotions in general thrown in there that you can’t tell what colors they are anymore, they’ve just joined into a giant blobby mess that’s almost black, but when you look closer glistens with more colors than there are names for. Just a thought

[littlemissmaladaptive]

hyperfixation please stay with me long enough to complete the project. hyperfixation do not fade. hyperfixation finish what you started for the love of god

[littlemissmaladaptive]

HEY! YOU THERE!!

Yes, YOU! Guess what? You did it!

You survived another year on this crazy, beautiful, unpredictable planet we call Earth. Take a moment; pause, breathe, and soak that in.

I am so proud of you!

I know life can be tough. Sometimes up feels like down, left feels like right, and the road ahead seems like it's constantly shifting beneath your feet. But here’s the thing: you made it through.

You are strong. You are resilient. You are powerful.

You are a being made of stardust, woven together by cosmic miracles and boundless potential. Every breath you take, every step forward, is a testament to your courage and your will to keep going.

So as this year ends and a new one begins, remember this:

You are enough. You are worthy. And you are loved.

Here’s to you! The survivors, the fighters, the dreamers. Keep shining, keep creating, and keep being unapologetically YOU!

And to my amazing moots:

I love each and every one of you. You have filled my days with endless light and warmth, even when things felt dark. You encourage me to keep moving forward, creating, writing, and sharing my insane ideas without fear. Each of you is a blessing in my life. Your creativity, kindness, and magic inspire me every single day.

I can’t wait to see what trouble we’ll get up to next year, what new worlds we’ll dream up, what stories we’ll tell, and how we’ll continue to grow together. Thank you for being part of my journey and for letting me be part of yours.

Happy New Year. Let’s make this one count.

[littlemissmaladaptive]

im moving toward publishing my work traditionally, is it still best practice to network with agents on twitter or has that moved to bluesky?

A lot of the publishing industry has moved to Bluesky, yeah, but honestly it is not necessary to network on social media with agents. Just focus on writing the best book you can, getting it polished up, making sure your beginning is really strong, and DON'T FUCK UP YOUR QUERY LETTER.

There are a lot of great resources online about querying (the Queryshark blog closed down submissions earlier this year but there is a WEALTH of wisdom on there, definitely go check it out). Read those resources and etiquette guides, internalize them, obey the rules, and always always always always follow the submission guidelines on an agent's website! Remember that the query letter is much the same as a job interview, so treat it with all the same seriousness and professionalism.

Finally, I hope you don't get too many rejections, but... hey, rejections are real and normal, and everyone gets them sometimes! I got one myself just last week! It is sad when it happens, but don't let it destroy you, ok? The great thing about publishing is that the game is never over until YOU decide it's over. You've ALWAYS got another chance to roll the dice. :)

GOOD LUCK!!!!!! You've got this!!

[littlemissmaladaptive]

A really great device that they use in Hamilton is in the beginning of Room Where it Happens. Hamilton isn’t paying attention at all to what Burr is saying about the general. Even the word “legacy” isn’t what makes him jump up and pay attention to what Burr is saying. It’s the word “die” that snaps him out of his head and gets him interacting with the conversation. It perfectly captures his intense fear of death or the fear of death WITHOUT a legacy. It also tells us his focus on a legacy is completely overshadowed by his personal obsession with death. DEATH is the REASON he wants to build a legacy. That sort of end goal is the only thing that could be more important to him than a legacy. That very line of thinking is not only what eventually kills him, but also the legacy he wanted. Everyone in this show thinks Hamilton is obsessed with his legacy but the thing REALLY pulling the strings here is the phantom of death. Lines and details like that add such a skillful level of subtext to any form of storytelling. You get so much from so little

[littlemissmaladaptive]

Don’t be afraid to utilize subtle misunderstandings, especially based on small actions or things the characters say. It doesn’t need to be a huge conflict or plot defining thing either. However, in romance or character driven stories, it can be an amazing tool for why the characters think the other character isn’t into them in the way they are or views them. Confusing small actions for something significant or insignificant is an amazing way to also highlight a characters personal insecurities too. This is IMPERATIVE if you give your characters the trait of being judgy. Everything is evidence to confirm what they think they know. It’s also great if you want a subtle buildup to a moment that requires some kind of twist. Make it fun. Make it messy

[littlemissmaladaptive]

it is what it is.

[littlemissmaladaptive]

[littlemissmaladaptive]

[littlemissmaladaptive]

How I feel after finally finishing that long-ass chapter...