#((currently preparing a shop update but idk if I can make it this weekend))

[tejennnn]

I got some Turkish sweets! Decided to take a photo with the APH Türkiye keychain right before devouring both of them :d

[saintobio]

hi saint you absolute bodacious goddess, thank you for another beautiful chapter

i have some questions pertaining to your writing habits and whatnot, idk if you’ve ever answered an ask about this but if you did then disregard lmao

as a fellow writer myself, i have trouble finding time and motivation to update my stories and i noticed that you literally update sn/sy chapters in what could be like 7 chapters worth in a short amount of time

so i’m curious what your writing schedule looks like, for instance if you go to school, have a job, other priorities, then how do you balance out everything since i know writing/editing takes a huge chunk of time

and oh my god what motivates you to write ‘cause i try to come back to a chapter to edit and after a paragraph i ditch the app HAHA, anyway thank you luv

- 🍟

the intro pls 😭 yes, i did answer something like this before but i’ve searched through my whole blog and still couldn’t find it, so i guess i’ll just redo.

but before that, i’m just gonna say that sy currently has 25k words with only 2 chapters out and i was actually so shocked when i added the revised chapter to my docs lmao it’s basically half the total wc for wastelands! i think the reason why i can write this much is bc i also have many side stories for sn/sy, so i wanted to capture as much of those backstories as i can.

anyway, here’s what my daily schedule looks like (i’m not proud of this schedule though, very unhealthy and mentally draining). i do have a 9-5 corporate job, but i only go to the office like twice a week, then the rest of my days i work at home.

a day in saint’s life !

weekdays

5:00 AM-7:00 AM — i wake up and spend some time in bed scrolling through tumblr, answering asks, etc

7:00 AM-9:00 AM — i prepare for my day, eat breakfast, check emails, go to work (or start work at home)

9:00 AM-3:00 PM — work, work, work i usually am not online around this time

3:00 PM-5:00 PM — around this time work gets less hectic, i chat with my colleagues, go to a nearby café, walk around, sometimes i go online on tumblr, basically anything to kill time

5:00 PM-7:00 PM — i go home, relax and take a nap, or i usually spend this time catching up on my fav manhwas, watching movies, etc. it’s my personal time

8:00 PM-12:00 AM — i write 2-3k words for my current series, research data, edit

weekends

FULL DAY — self care lol i go shopping, do some errands, go to my appointments if i have one, then for the rest of the evening i either go home to write the fic or meet up with my friends to have a drink

to be honest, i don’t know how i can manage to squeeze a 10-14k word chapter with this schedule but it’s kinda what drained me the hell out for the duration of sn 😭 on the other hand, i just naturally crave writing and i don’t feel fulfilled if i don’t at least get to write like 300 words a day.

how to stay motivated — well, first of all, ask yourself: how willing are you to commit yourself in writing this series? if your answer is something between 60-80% then i’ll be frank and say that you’re not gonna manage finishing this series consistently, if at all. you should have a full 100% when it comes to both ‘dedication and inspiration’ in order to have that motivation to update regularly. because otherwise, having little motivation will make writing feel like a job and it’s eventually gonna make you lose interest in accomplishing a chapter or two.

find all the right inspos that make you wanna write — watch movies related to ur series, read stories related to ur series, listen to a playlist that remind you of ur series (ie. reading tre was half the reason why i’d been so inspired to finish sn). find what brings that spark of inspiration in you. maybe read ur old chapters and get inspired to do better than the last. also, just wanna share that a writing habit of mine is to take a nap before i actually start writing. i don’t write without enough rest, bc once i do wake up from a nap and then i open my laptop, that’s when i feel the most inspired to write. my brain’s usually full of ideas after a good nap (kinda like recharging 😹) i’m sorry if my advice won’t work on you, but this is basically how i find the motivation to write + dealing with a hectic schedule :)

wish u the best, my love! you can do this. don’t give up on writing but don’t force yourself either. if you really don’t feel motivated, then that’s okay. take enough time gathering your energy into something else first, then try coming back a few hours or even a day later and see if you feel like writing again. the quality of ur writing will be affected if you force yourself. so instead, take the time to have that momentum back by indulging urself on various forms of media. we all work in different ways so don’t feel pressured to have the same work ethic as another writer <3

[faejilly]

i am for you (7/?)

holy shit you guys, it’s Friday? When did that happen. Like. I finished and then almost forgot to post. It’s been. idk. a week. the working title of this chapter was “my fic needs more ladies” and is also a return to epistolary. (hopefully second-hand brunch is still entertaining. I love Cat.) 

series tag / ao3

[cat]: you two have the worst timing

[dot]: what? are you? IT'S TOO EARLY

[tessa]: why are you yelling at us? Shouldn't you be on your way to brunch?

[cat]: I need reinforcements! Company!

[tessa]: well you can talk to the ALA about their conference schedules then, not us

[cat]: but some sanity would be nice

[dot]: are the boys being especially *boys* at you?

[cat]: yes [cat]: also Magnus is overly infatuated with someone, even for him [cat]: and he only met the guy last night! Sort of? I think [cat]: I'm freaking out, but Ragnor is being very calm about it all, which is weird and not helping

[tessa]: Ragnor's always been a hopeless romantic, of course he's happy for Magnus.

[cat]: but he USUALLY thinks Magnus has terrible taste and no self-preservation instinct

[dot]: I am almost personally offended by that first part considering how I met the rest of you, but he's not wrong on that second part so I suppose I'll let it be

[cat]: Magnus was so nervous I went with him to get a mani/pedi to help him calm down and he was practically vibrating in his chair, they had the hardest time getting his nails finished.

[tessa]: Magnus was nervous before he met the guy? That's... unusual.

[cat]: they'd been chatting via email, and it was their first in person thing. I have no idea what I should expect, or what I should say at brunch [cat]: because I'm going to have to ask, right?

[tessa]: you won't have to ask, you'll know how it went as soon as you see him

[cat]: you would think that, but Raphael's already preparing to murder the guy just in case, and Ragnor's being *mysterious* and I need back-up and you two are in the wrong time zone

[tessa]: sorry?

[cat]: are you though?

[dot]: I am, I want to watch! It will either be horrifyingly entertaining, or it'll be actual good news and Magnus being happy

[tessa]: which is always nice to see

[cat]: maybe I'll bring some extra asti. Either for celebrating or commiserating?

[dot]: now I really wish I was there

[tessa]: so do I. Keep us updated.

[dot]: take pictures! Lots of pictures.

*** ***

[cat]: I hope they get married [cat]: possibly tomorrow [cat]: no wait, we have to wait for you to get back [cat]: next weekend?

[dot]: wtf cat

[tessa]: kl;'/.

[dot]: I'll have you know Tessa just choked on her tea and is a really improbable shade of red right now

[cat]: sorry [cat]: not about that, but I don't have any pictures [cat]: Magnus' boy was embarrassed enough when we got there because they'd clearly lost track of time and he had to find his shirt after we walked in and he blushed half way down his chest

[dot]: oh my 😅 [dot]: where was his shirt?

[cat]: half off the footstool by the couch, pretty sure it got thrown over someone's shoulder last night

[dot]: did Magnus look sad when he put it back on?

[cat]: I was too sad when he put it back on to tell

[dot]: Tessa just choked again. I think you broke her. She doesn't know how to drink anymore.

[cat]: Raphael responded to the shirt fiasco via That Glare™

[dot]: I am so glad I don't get That Glare™ anymore

[cat]: I could tell he was thinking this guy was just using Magnus for a good time last night and trying to decide how thoroughly to murder him. [cat]: But the boy glared back, and I think they had some sort of secret conversation via scowling eyebrows and rolled eyes? Because afterwards they were perfectly civil to each other.

[dot]: what. how.

[tessa]: stop I can't breathe

[dot]: don't stop I wanna see if she turns any other silly colors

[cat]: oh, I can't stop. I am nowhere near being able to stop

[dot]: yay!

[cat]: Ragnor said "it was nice to see him again" and didn't tease him about the shirt thing and actually engaged in small talk about someone they both knew for like five minutes

[tessa]: Ragnor can be nice for Magnus' sake. Occasionally. With a little prodding.

[cat]: He did it on his own! He started the conversation!

[tessa]: no

[cat]: apparently a friend of Alec's (that's the boy, sorry, I am going all out of order aren't I? Magnus calls him *Alexander* but he introduced himself to us as Alec so I'm pretty sure no one else is ever going to get to call him that) [cat]: where was I?

[dot]: I have no idea but don't ever stop

[tessa]: there's a panel starting in fifteen minutes so you'll have to stop eventually but not quite yet

[dot]: whatever, this is better than a panel

[tessa]: not when I'm IN IT

[dot]: I suppose?

[tessa]: not all of us are just here for the shopping and networking

[cat]: ANYWAY [cat]: Friend! Of Alec's! Who apparently needed a leave of absence for a semester but she was past the cut-off date and Alec was personally going to all her professors to get exceptions for her? And Ragnor helped? So he was asking Alec how she was doing now. He remembered her name and everything, he didn't just go by her hair color or a paper she wrote, he used her NAME. Bri? Brand—no. Something with a B at least.

[tessa]: sounds like the friend's pretty remarkable too if Ragnor remembered them both

[cat]: and he's apparently hired Alec for the summer work-study the Classics department does FOUR YEARS IN A ROW, even though he's not even an undergrad anymore so Ragnor had to fill out extra paperwork FROM THE DEAN'S OFFICE

[tessa]: Ragnor voluntarily subjected himself to more Aldertree? Isn't the summer program mostly for putting a student between him and the Dean so he has *less* Aldertree?

[dot]: I know you're generally very honest, and if for some reason you aren't, you're a better liar than this [dot]: but I'm still having trouble believing you

[cat]: I was there and I almost don't believe me

[tessa]: So Ragnor already liked him. And has known him for over four years. At some point Magnus is going to be very upset that he never introduced them.

[cat]: Magnus started to do that wide-eyed hiss thing that he does right before he verbally eviscerates you, you know the thing

[dot]: ouch.

[tessa]: How much blood was shed?

[cat]: None. [cat]: Alec leaned in and said something stupidly sappy like, *but we've met now* and Magnus just... smiled and leaned against his shoulder? That was it.

[dot]: he's a Magnus-Whisperer!

[tessa]: how much did you all drink for Magnus to be that relaxed at a meet-the-boyfriend thing?

[cat]: not a drop. We were all too busy being shocked to even open anything

[dot]: but. Brunch! Mimosas!

[cat]: Gorgeous boy over six feet tall who blushes!

[tessa]: wow [tessa]: I am really really sad about the lack of pictures now. Not as sad as Dot, but still sad

[cat]: And then! He left before we did because he had to go home and change before a thing at a bookstore this afternoon [cat]: like a volunteering thing, not even getting paid, he's just *helping*

[dot]: which bookstore?

[cat]: uh. The one with the name that's actually some names rather than a book pun of some sort, makes it sound all classy? Starts with ffff... fuck it I can't remember.

[dot]: Fray & Garroway? That makes sense... they hire a lot of short-term students and have like twenty children who all show up at events

[cat]: Magnus did mention something about an improbable number of siblings

[dot]: probably one of them, then

[tessa]: how do you know so much about a random bookstore?

[dot]: Elliot used to go to estate sales with Jocelyn Fray before she died. [dot]: He's got a couple pictures of them in his office, grinning over some find or another. He said she had a knack, you know? Always spotted the best stuff. She was mostly going for stuff for herself or fixtures rather than stuff to sell, but they clearly had a good time hunting together. [dot]: He still refers people over there if they're looking for books beyond what we've currently got in stock, or if they're fine with later editions, since we usually just keep firsts or seconds. Luke sends people our way periodically too.

[tessa]: Jocelyn, I haven't thought about her in ages, that must have been what, over ten years ago?

[dot]: must be. Hell, her daughter Clary's probably old enough to drink now. That's a weird thought.

[tessa]: because we're so ancient in comparison? 🙄 [tessa]: regardless, I do have to get going, and put my phone in silent. Don't go too crazy without me

[dot]: too late!

[cat]: nah, I think that's most of it [cat]: for now, at least. I cannot wait until you two meet him next week

[dot]: if you think I'm going to wait until next week to find out more you do not know me as well as I thought you did

[cat]: good luck 😉

[dot]: I don't need luck, kitty cat, you know that

[cat]: you're much more impetuously curious than I am, why am I the kitty cat?

[dot]: you have a much nicer purr?

[cat]: you are ridiculous

[dot]: and proud of it. If you find anything else out, do let us know.

[cat]: I think I'm afraid of what you'd do with it... you could always try Ragnor?

[dot]: you know that's useless, he enjoys knowing shit no one else does WAY too much to share [dot]: he's going to be lording his Alec knowledge over us for ages

[cat]: not too long. He enjoys sharing exasperated looks about Magnus even more

[dot]: ha. True. [dot]: But that won't help me before I get back

[cat]: you're back TOMORROW

[dot]: late tomorrow! That's two whole days! At least!

[cat]: you're exhausting

[dot]: 😘

[cat]: well it's not like I could slow you down, much less stop you. Have fun investigating?

[dot]: will do.