#Editors ✍️ ✍️ ✍️

[xtruss]

How Old Are Taxes? Older Than You Think

For Thousands of Years, Human Civilizations Have Been Collecting Taxes, in One Form or Another. From Grain to Beards to Rubber Balls, Governments Always Found New Ways to Collect Their Due.

— By Editors of National Geographic | April 11, 2024

Thanks to the detailed records in the Matricula de Tributos, historians know exactly how the Aztec paid their taxes in the early 16th century. Photograph By History and Art Collection, Alamy Stock Photo

Every April in the United States, predictable signs of spring appear: budding flowers, chirping birds, and … taxes. They may be as certain as death, but taxes aren’t a recent phenomenon; they date back thousands of years.

Over the centuries, different governments all over the world have levied taxes on everything from urine to facial hair—and officials accepted payments of beers, beds, and even broomsticks. These payments went to fund government projects and services—from the pyramids of Giza to the legions of Rome.

First Taxes

Taxation has existed for so long, it even predates coin money. Taxes could be applied to almost everything and might be paid with almost anything. In ancient Mesopotamia, this flexibility led to some rather bizarre ways to pay. For instance, the tax on burying a body in a grave was “seven kegs of beer, 420 loaves, two bushels of barley, a wool cloak, a goat, and a bed, presumably for the corpse,” according to Oklahoma State historian Tonia Sharlach. “Circa 2000-1800 B.C., there is a record of a guy who paid with 18,880 brooms and six logs,” Sharlach adds.

“Circa 2000-1800 B.C., There Is A Record of A Guy Who Paid [His Taxes] with 18,880 Brooms And Six Logs.”

Creative accounting of in-kind payments helped some cheat the tax man as well. “In another case, a man claimed he had no possessions whatsoever except extremely heavy millstones. So he made the tax man carry them off as his tax payment.”

Pharaohs' Tax Preparation

Ancient Egypt was one of the first civilizations to have an organized tax system. It was developed around 3000 B.C., soon after Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt were unified by Narmer, Egypt’s first pharaoh.

Egypt’s early rulers took a very personal interest in taxes. They would travel around the country with an entourage to assess their subjects’ possessions—oil, beer, ceramics, cattle, and crops—and then collect the taxes on them. The annual event became known as the Shemsu Hor, or Following of Horus. During the Old Kingdom, taxes raised enough revenue to build grand civic projects, like the pyramids at Giza.

Ancient Egypt’s taxation system evolved over its 3,000-year history, becoming more sophisticated with time. In the New Kingdom (1539-1075 B.C.), government officials figured out a way to tax people on what they had earned before they’d even earned it, thanks to an invention called the nilometer. This device was used to calculate the water level of the Nile during its annual flood. Taxes would be less if the water level was too low, foretelling a drought and dying crops. Healthy water levels meant a healthy harvest, which meant higher taxes.

Tax Amnesty In Ancient India

In India's Mauryan Empire (ca 321-185 B.C.) an annual competition of ideas was held—with the winner receiving tax amnesty. “The government solicited ideas from citizens on how to solve government problems,” Sharlach explains. “If your solution was chosen and implemented, you received a tax exemption for the rest of your life.” The Greek traveler and writer Megasthenes (ca 350-290 B.C.) gave an astonished account of the practice in his book Indica.

Like most tax reform efforts, the system was far from perfect, Sharlach notes. “The problem is that nobody would have any incentive to ever solve more than one problem.”

A statue of Emperor Vespasian, who notoriously taxed Rome's urine trade, oversees the Roman Baths complex in Bath, England. Photograph By Travelbild, Alamy

Render Urine Unto Caesar

The Roman emperor Vespasian (r. A.D. 69-79) may not be a household name like Augustus or Marcus Aurelius, but he brought stability to the empire during a turbulent time—partly through an innovative tax on people’s pee.

Ammonia was a valuable commodity in ancient Rome. It could clean dirt and grease from clothing. Tanners used it to make leather. Farmers used it as fertilizer. And people even used it to whiten their teeth. All this ammonia was derived from human urine, much of it gathered from Rome’s public restrooms. And like all valuable products, the government figured out how to tax it.

Some wealthy Romans, including Vespasian’s own son Titus, objected to the urine tax. According to historian Suetonius (writing around A.D. 120), Titus told his father he found the tax revolting, to which Vespasian replied, “Pecunia non olet,” or “Money does not stink.”

Itemizations For Aztecs

At its height in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Aztec Empire was wealthy and powerful, thanks to taxation. Historian Michael E. Smith has studied its tax collection system and found it to be remarkably complex, with different kinds of items collected at different levels of government.

All taxes made their way to the Aztec central governing body, the Triple Alliance. There they kept meticulous records of who had sent what. Many of these records survive today. The most famous are found in the Matrícula de Tributos, a colorful illustrated registry filled with pictographs showing exactly how many jaguar skins, precious stones, corn, cocoa, rubber balls, gold bars, honey, salt, and textiles the government collected each tax season.

Tsar Peter I tried to make Russia more "modern" by making men shave their beards or pay a tax. If they didn't pay, the police could forcibly shave them, as shown in this 18th-century Russian cartoon. Photograph By Ann Ronan Pictures, Print Collector, Getty Images

Russia’s Fashion Tax

Widespread use of coins and currency had a leveling effect on taxation systems, but rulers were not above applying some taxation muscle to achieve their ends. In 1698, Russian reformer Peter the Great sought to make Russia resemble “modern” nations in western Europe whose clean, close shaves Peter equated with modernization. After he returned to Russia, the tsar instituted a beard tax on his citizens, who favored beards.

Any Russian man who wished to grow a beard had to pay a tax—peasants paid a small fee while nobles and merchants could pay as much as a hundred rubles. Men who had paid the tax were also required to carry beard tokens wherever they went to prove that they'd paid their taxes for the privilege. Peter the Great’s beard tax did not last. Catherine the Great repealed it in 1772.

[erielake]

CALLING ALL WRITERS 💗🤓✍️📕📝✏️

Hello! My name is KC Malik and I’m a published writer, indie game developer and editor with over eight years of experience in the writing field. While most of my editing experience has been completely pro-bono, I’d like to offer up my experience to the #writeblr and tumblr interactive fiction communities!

As of right now, I’m working as a game developer on my text-based game Larkin while pursuing a master’s degree in English Education and working as a professional writing tutor. As well as editing my own writing, I’ve worked with editors before and I know what an absolute beast it can be to face such a wall of text. I’ve edited academic work, fiction, fanfics, poems, resumes and cover letters (and of course, interactive fiction 😉) and I would love to help you make your work the best it can be :) With this I offer a variety of packages for editing (all payments through PayPal!)

Please reach out if you’d like to see samples of my work!

RATES:

Under 1k words - $25 + five day turn around

1k-5k words - $40 + 1 week turn around

5k-15k words - $100 + 2 week turn around

Additional Words exceeding 15k - $0.01/word

Faster turnaround - $15/day

[foxglovegames]

DEV LOG: APRIL 2024

April was a big month for us here at Foxglove Games. We finally released the Bonus Stories DLC!

We wanted to give Trouble Comes Twice a proper goodbye with this DLC so we couldn't be more grateful for the positive reception and all the cute asks people have sent us! It took us longer than expected, which is why it means a lot to to us (and indie devs like ourselves) to know that there was people looking forward to what we're working on. Hopefully, we can count on your support for our future projects as well! But even if our next game isn't your cup of tea, it's been amazing to have shared our debut game with you so thank you. <3

What's next for Foxglove Games?

If you've been keeping up with our monthly dev logs, you probably know we've been working on our next visual novel since the end of last year-ish.

For anyone new to this project: It's a supernatural mystery romance visual novel starring dual protagonists like in our previous game. It's set in the eighties, in a world where supernatural beings live among humans in secret, and you play as either: Circe, a 'femme fatale' vampire or Dante, a half-demon cop. There's six love interests and they're not shared this time, meaning there's three romance routes per protagonist... and that's as much information as we've revealed so far!

Right now, our priority is working on the demo and prepping things to properly announce the game. We're super, super excited to share more one day but for now it's mostly just going to be little sneak peeks here and there for those who read our monthly dev logs! ;)

Demo Progress

It's been another productive month for our art team. We nearly have all the mandatory assets needed for the demo now. When the basic assets are done, we'll review our demo script and check where we might be able to add more art (e.g. cgs, additional backgrounds).

Speaking of the script, we started drafting the common routes for both protagonists in April and we're already at 26k+ words! At our current pace, the first drafts should be done before the end of the month and we will start looking for an editor to join us.

We're not looking to hire anyone just yet, but please keep an eye out for a recruitment post in the near future if you have editing experience and think you might enjoy working on a project like this!

GOALS FOR MAY

Finish first drafts for the demo script✍️

Recruit an editor for Burn the Midnight Oil's demo script

Work on some other rewards we promised KS backers for TCT

[lonelystarbuckslover13]

Hey!

So I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance to post about hitting 1000 followers! Ahh thankyouuu! When I first made this account over 4 years ago now I remember really wanting to hit 1000 followers but feeling like that was so far fetched, so it feels very special to have finally reached this many of you.

I love the follower milestone celebrations that editors do in this fandom where they make little ask games that are usually related to edit requests, and I wanted to do something similar. Unfortunately I do not have the skillset to make edits so this is gonna be way less cool lol, but here’s my little ask game to celebrate 1k:

Send me one of the these as an ask and I will respond as follows:

🍄: I will take a look at your blog and tell you which Taylor Swift song or lyric I feel matches the vibe of your blog

🌸: I will shuffle my liked songs on Spotify and give you a song recommendation based on the first song that plays in the shuffle

✍️ + your favourite taylor swift song: I will tell you my favourite lyric from your favourite taylor song (I’m also open to people sending in their fave songs from other artists that I will likely know - I listen to Phoebe Bridgers, lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, mitski, boygenius, frank ocean etc - just all the sad girl artists you get the gist)

Gonna tag some mutuals below (sorry to any mutuals I forget!) but anyone is welcome to join in and send an ask so please reblog to share the fun! Thanks so much for 1k, this really is a little milestone for me and I’m excited to have finally completed this goal ❤️

@buildingacastlewithswift @barbie2023 @addressingtheletters @self-made-cages @andtosaturn @ts1989fanatic @locketnote @imhereonthekitchenfloor @iwantsweetrevenge @tisthedamnseasns @yourheartbeatonthehighline @loveisbraveandwild @w0nderland @lightpinksky @hozierswift @keeps-you-guessing @sweeterxfiction @camelotsbi @icanseeuslostinthememory @rhaegalsblog @iftye @peakatseven @littleoblivions @fearlesstaylorsversion @tshifty @pharmaswift @fatisapositiveword @loveaffairmaimyou @changinforthebetter @chiara-swiftiedreamer13 @sidewalkschalk @taylorftparamore @wildestdream @soscarlet-itwasmaroon @sadbeautifutragic @lovewithoutresin @sophisticatedswifts @hygtgtaylorsversion @mirroball @egyptianswifty @just-rogi @singlethread

[supernovadragoncat]

My SanSan Year In Review (2023)

Another year of amazing SanSan shipping! This year was a very productive writing year on a lot of fronts, so I wanted to share my progress and give a sneak-peak of what's to come...

Previous Year In Reviews: 2020 | 2021 | 2022

⚡️ 2023 Highlights ⚡️

I hit my ten year anniversary of writing for SanSan in February. Here's to another decade of writing for this ship!

I finished Moonchild and Origins, two WIPs that'd been sitting unfinished for quite awhile.

I conceptualized, drafted, edited, and posted a multi-chapter fic, Devil Inside, within the span of nine months. A first for me!

✍️2023 Word Counts ✍️

Devil Inside: 117,765

Origins: 40,170

Moonchild: 21,619

Folktales: Limerence: 11,031

Total: 189,985 words

🔮 What’s on tap for 2024? 🔮

As I'm sure most of your know, I've turned Gods and Monsters into an original work, Bloodlines. The first novel is done and going through the last round of beta feedback before it's off to editors. In the meantime, I'm pulling together cover art concepts, back jacket copy, and all the requisite pieces for publication. I'm also working on the second book in the series.

My author website will go live once I set up my newsletter, which will provide monthly updates on progress, a sneak-peak of what's between the covers, cover art reveal, and so much more. I am getting my socials set-up under my pen name and will flag those soon. You'll be able to follow me on tumblr, instagram, and BlueSky.

🤞My biggest (writing) priority in 2024🤞

Probably goes without saying that Bloodlines is the top priority. I'm planning an early 2025 release date, but more to come on that. I may dabble in SanSan throughout the year and would love to make some progress on Spellbound, but we shall see how the year plays out.

In the meantime, you can keep up with me and so many other amazing SanSan shippers in the SanSan Writers Guild Discord server! It's a blast over there, so feel free to join us!

✨ Onwards ever, backwards never ✨

[criminalcase-confessions]

Another shoutout, but to the Criminal Case writers and editors! I love reading or seeing your content also on the Criminal Case tag, please write more! Much love to you!

✍️

[maingh0st]

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

✍️ What’s your ideal writing setup?

✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

hi!!! from this ask game

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

editor ellen brock has this great video about types of novel writers, and I am 100% what she calls a "methodological pantser." I outline a bit first, then write, then revisit the outline and make adjustments, then tweak what I just wrote & use that momentum to write the next chunk, repeat and repeat ad nauseam. it's a very circular writing process, and it took me a long time to realize that wasn't a bad thing.

a lot of writing advice online seems oriented toward people who plan everything ahead of time and then draft it all in one linear go, so I always felt bad about myself when I tried that and would inevitably run out of momentum 30% through my project. like the nanowrimo ethic is "just charge forward; don't delete anything/revise what you've written because that'll slow you down," but every time I've finished nanowrimo, I've ended up with a pile of hot garbage because I was fighting against my own creative process! anyway, if you suspect you have a writing process like mine, give yourself space to work with it and cultivate it!! it makes writing so much more fun for me

✍️ What’s your ideal writing setup?

comfy on my couch, sipping a gin & tonic (glass of red wine also acceptable, or a cortado on the rare occasion I have time to write during the day), power thesaurus tab open, scrivener doc fullscreen, classical lofi playing in the background :)

✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

I love and am so thankful for all comments (people read my work! that's crazy!) but a few things are always extra special to me:

readers talking about their emotional resonance with the fic - someone said head on my heart left them breathless, which 😭

people pointing out specific lines that really struck them - you left a comment like this on chapter 9 of mniwyd that highlighted a line which I hadn't thought much of—it's so cool to see unexpected things really stick out to readers :)

comments on the craft!! @sheepfulsheepyard left the sweetest comment when I was in a lull complimenting my prose & characterization and it singularly motivated me to keep revising 🖤

I am so so lucky to have a handful of readers who comment regularly on mniwyd. if I haven't mentioned you here, know that I'm thinking of you & that every time I see your name in my inbox, I am kissing you on the mouth

[upismediacenter]

#paalaMClara MCTV Episode 3

Hindi noh! Hindi kaya ako umiiyak! 🤧

At heto na nga… 👋🥺 Final na talaga! Bago tayo magwakas, taos-puso kaming nagpapasalamat sa inyong suporta! 💖 Hindi magpapatuloy ang MC kung hindi dahil sa patuloy na pagtangkilik ng komunidad ng UPIS sa aming mga literary works, articles, bidyo, at iba pa (At syempre hindi mabubuo ang MC kung hindi dahil sa mga manunulat ✍️, artists 🎨, editors 💻 , at LCs 🖊✨️ )

Kaya para sa Episode 3 at panghuling episode ng MCTV #paalaMClara edition 😔, tunghayan natin ang makabagbag-damdaming montage ng aming mga alaala 🩷💜

Sa huling pagkakataon, kami ang UPIS Media Center 2024. Hanggang sa muli! 🎀

[hollowboobtheory]

🎢😈✍️

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

again i gotta say tpg. it really is my magnum opus (i'm gonna finish it i prommy) (stop telling everyone i'm dead)

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

that tampon thing in ggm

✍ Do you have a beta reader?

not really. i mean i bounce a lotta stuff off @sentimentalslut but she's Not an editor

[1mikel2]

«Nazca de donde nazca la historia, lo primero que un editor suele discutir con el autor es lo que podríamos llamar el “ángulo”: quién narra qué, por qué y por qué desde ese punto de vista».

Editores. ¿Un oficio necesario o maldito? ✍️ @andrewholes rb.gy/eib38

[veradragonjedi]

✍️ - What is your favourite line or scene from the project? for BBB?

WAAAAAA NOOOO THERE ARE SO MANY TO COUNT 😭

I'm gonna bring my top five I think so far (I know this asks for just one, but ugh I just have so many thoughts in my head)

(Edit: this gets more and more insane as I go down the list. Just. FYI..) OH. And. BBB spoilers under the cut! Please... enjoy <3

*Game Theory voice* NUMBER FIIIIVE

5. Everything about Luke changed, but him. He was solid, rigid, reliable.

UGH I'm a SUCKER for moments when Luke's ever-shifting demeanour, ever-changing self, shape and form, are expressed as they are. Luke is the Force, Luke is a corner of the universe folded, origami-style, into the shape of a human. I'd like to believe that you see the Gaussian blur of motion in his body when he moves. Like he is travelling at supersonic speeds through time and space all day every day and we're all just witnessing him at his slowest.

This works EVEN BETTER when you remember that in BBB Luke is totally covered head to toe, with no part of his skin showing. He is Everything. He is always moving. His cloak is always flowing. His eyes are always shifting.

But, despite all that, the thing that is actually Luke Skywalker, that kindness, that strength, remains the same.

He is rigid, solid, in his compassion, but, physically, spiritually, he is ever changing.

4. A sunless, wicked, beauty.

Din's first thought when he sees Luke for the first time, and WHO can BLAME him!? This is in Chapter 1, The Darkness Brings A Shadow, and it's my blog title over at @blood-blindfolds-and-butterflies :3

I'm obsessed with the imagery of it. Just... in awe. I need to eat it. For a very long era in this fic, Din has no idea what Luke looks like, and every word that he first ever describes Luke as is considered wrong.

Luke is not sunless, though he tries to be. Luke hides behind his veil, behind his cloak, behind the locked doors of his temple, and STILL the sunlight peaks through the cracks of his withered body and overcomes everything around it. (This actually reminds me of another quote I love, see 2. !!!) Luke is also, despite the hardships he's suffered, not wicked. He is kind and selfless, but he doesn't believe it himself. And, lastly, Luke would never in a million years call himself a beauty. Him? Scarred? Torn? A vampire?? Luke has not allowed anyone in the galaxy to call him beautiful in a very long time (that's... the essence of bbb. Being loved for who you are, and finding beauty in the ugly and mundane. So obviously this sentence drives me kriffing nuts.)

Luke can't be beautiful, so Din must be wrong about him from the start. And Luke TRIES desperately to get him to understand that he is WRONG about him, but Din has his heart set on learning about and understanding Luke beyond the first image he caught of him, and it's perfect.

3. ...Din was left nursing a feeling of guilt...

Thanks to my wonderful editor (my dad) the verb 'nursing' is in play here. We spoke about this particular sentence after it was posted and... wow do I have thoughts.

Context: Din has found out that Luke is a vampire, and is feeling guilty because he no-longer feels safe around him, even though he trusts that Luke isn't a threat, and knows that it's a horrible thing he's doing (basing someone's character entirely on their species, especially after he had already formed a good opinion of Luke.)

There are two ways to read the word 'nursing' in this context.

1. Din's opinion of Luke is healing. In this case, the guilt is the disease, the pain, and Din is softening the sting. Din is caring for his sore heart, waiting to confess to Luke that he knows he is a vampire, and also regaining his original position on living with him (wants to do that.)

2. Din's opinion of Luke is dying. In this case, the love, the care, is the pain, and Din is driving it out, all the while "nursing" (taking care of—) the guilt he's formed, and preparing to either leave Luke forever or kill him (does not want to do this, however, his son is now in danger, from his point of view)

2. Effortless kindness was so alien, but Luke left a trace of it in his wake, on the rim of every cup he put his lips to, and in the imprint of his footsteps in the ground.

"The Jedi Code is like an itch..." etc etc... 😭 thank you Kenobi.

LUKE oh god. Back to 4, Luke leaves this unwashable, un-get-rid-able trail of kindness everywhere he walks. Every spoon he's ever put in his mouth, every flower he's ever opened, every time he kisses Din's cheek, lips, knuckles, he leaves a little bit of kindness behind, and that kindness is like a virus.

It spreads, infecting others like Vader and Han. It makes roots, it sinks into the ground, it grows and reaches upward, and when it releases its spores, more kindness springs from the places they land.

Luke's effortless kindness is alien to Din because Din has never experienced it. YES Din was given a home, food, armour, by the Mandalorians, but— he was always going to be younger, weaker, and he had to fight for real respect and love just like everyone did.

Luke loves Din. Luke's kindness toward Din takes him little to no energy at all.

Din is mesmerised.

1. Luke loved the child; Din had made him realise that.

Do I even have to say anything. Yes.

Luke is Grogu's dad as much as Din is, we just never got to really see the two of them connect, and I'm really bitter about it ngl.

In the same paragraph, Luke confesses to Grogu that he does love Din (believing that it is platonic)

They're a family they love each other they're helping each other grow and learn and I am so proud of them all.

Because, Din was never really loved. And, now, he believes that taking love from a man who is struggling so hard to even maintain some left for himself IS selfish and cruel and Din won't do that. Din doesn't want ANYTHING for helping Luke. No money, no favours, absolutely no love in return.

Because love, to Din, is like currency. Love is priceless, and help is so so easy.

Luke believes that accepting help from Din is incredibly selfish and rude, as he can't help in return. All he can give Din is love and friendship, and even then, its easier telling Grogu that he loves Din, rather than telling Din to his face (or... helmet, rather.)

But, Din doesn't want that. Because Din believes that that love goes to waste if Luke gives it to him when Din is simply doing something he enjoys.

Luke believes that Love is all there is to give, Din believes he is selfish for accepting it with nothing in return.

Din believes that Help is all there us to give, Luke believes he is selfish for accepting it with nothing in return.

AAAAAAA IT ALSO WORKS FOR GROGU BECAUSE AT FIRST DIN ONLY SAVED HIM BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. BUT HE SOON REALISED HE WANTED TO BE MORE OF A FATHER TO HIM AND GROGU ONLY EVER SAW HIM AS A FATHER FIGURE

Din, seeing Grogu: this is a thing. I must help it find its kind because that is my purpose and I enjoy it. I will not fall in love with the thing.

Grogu: :)

Din: I have fallen in love with the thing.

Din, seeing Luke: this is a Jedi. I must help him find his calling and also learn how to appreciate himself because that is my new purpose, and I enjoy it. I will not fall in love with the Jedi.

Luke: :)

Din: it will not happen again.

Luke: :( *sigh* guess I am unlovable and unworthy.

Din: ........ by Manda this can't be happening—

Oh my god 😭 they are such different people but when it comes down to it family is the most important thing to both of them 😭 oh... ohh

They love each other, but until they realise it, they are soooo incompatible and that's what makes me the happiest sometimes :,)

I love BBB. I love my story. I am in love with it. I would kiss it if I could.

THANK YOU for this ask. A great big mahoosive THANK YOU. I'm SORRY it took SO LONG getting to it, it has been a troubling year. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on some of these, I hope I was ever so slightly coherent.

And, tbh, I'm heckin proud of this, so. @doublechocolate @airlocksandaviaries @funkyphonophorae @jspookywolf <3 tagging the people who might enjoy a lore dump?

Ily Nova!!! Keep doing what ur doing.

[jayakulostmedia]

Jayson Moyetones. Una quimera pretenciosa que ha presenciado los hechos crudos de una vida difícil, obligado a migrar para escapar de la situación de su país, extrañando profundamente su patria en cada paso que da.

[supernovadragoncat]

My Writing Year in Review (2022)

I did one of these in 2020 and 2021 and wanted to give an update for what I've been up to in 2022 and plans for 2023.

✍️ 2022: The Year of The Re-Write ✍️

In February 2020, I fell back into the SanSan fandom after a four year hiatus. Coming back to fandom meant temporarily shelving my completed manuscript for "God and Monsters". It was meant to be a temporary break, but I spent the next year and a half writing a lot, reading a lot, learning about the craft of writing, and only occasionally revisiting the manuscript.

By September 2021, I'd gotten enough distance from it to know it needed work. It wasn't my perfect baby anymore. It was a piece of writing that had good bones but needed to be ripped down to the studs and built back up again. Mind you, I'd already rewritten it from fanfic form, so the prospect of another massive revision was daunting.

But writing is rewriting, so I rolled up my sleeves and did the work, day in and day out through the rest of 2021 and the entirety of 2022.

It meant waking up at 4:00 am to squeeze in a few hours of revisions and rewrites before work. It meant late nights because I was on a roll and didn't want to stop. It meant getting honest with myself about when I needed to scrap something and start again.

The blood, sweat, and tears were worth it. I ended 2022 with a draft I'm proud of, one that's close to the finish line.

🔮 2023: The Business of Writing 🔮

The manuscript is called BLOODLINES. It's with the first round of beta readers. It'll then go to editors.

I've spent the past year learning everything I can about the publishing industry and getting honest with myself about what I really want as an author, what success means to me.

There's great pride and validation to be found in landing a traditional publishing deal. However, when I quiet my ego and fears and pipe dreams and listen, I know this:

I want to shamelessly create art that I'm proud of. If this story pleases no one else, it will always please me. Finishing this story that was conceived in a dream almost ten years ago will be enough for me.

My plan is to self-publish this work. Like most self-published authors will tell you, you really need to run the enterprise like a small business. So that means, this is the year of learning the business side of writing.

In the meantime, I plan to finish a few of my SanSan WIPs (Moonchild, Origins, and The Naughty List). I've got one just about done and will start posting it soon.

Thank you all for the support, encouragement, and love. Many blessings in 2023!

✨ Onwards ever, backwards never ✨

[cozyaliensuperstar7]

Beautiful Black People 👑

blackmagcovers:

@issarae by @deirdredeirdredeirdre for @netaporter. Story by @oteghauwagba Hair: @felicialeatherwood. #issarae #blackmagcovers #blackmagblackphotog

lewismerritt:

Up close and personal with Michael B Jordan, on set for David Yurman The Vault campaign ✨✨✨ Styling by Jason Bolden, hair by Jove Edmond, and makeup by Tasha Brown. Movement direction by Nathan Mitchell ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you @hayess @iamleetucker @damiafries @philippmuessigmann @jbkopstein @algoh_ 🖤🖤🖤

hallesources:

The red looks so good on her ♥️\nHalle attends the Tres Generaciones And Billboard Host New Nominees Dinner. Via @warnerchappellmusic ✨

theofficialpandora:

Announcing as our new Pandora Global Brand Ambassador! The singer, actress, producer and icon shines in stacks of Pandora Timeless and Pandora ME pieces. ✨

Be unforgettable. Be love. 💖 Sisters and stack Pandora charms and links their way.

It starts with you. It starts now, it never has to stop. Accept it. Expect it. Take it in. Then share it all over again. Be love. ❤️ Sisters and celebrate their bond in stacks of Pandora Timeless rings and Pandora Moments charms.

Announcing as our new Pandora Global Brand Ambassador! The singer, actress and icon radiates love and light in pieces from Pandora Moments and Pandora Timeless. ✨

hallebailey:

grammy week begins..✨🌹♥️

chloebailey:

we’re so excited to be @theofficialpandora new BE LOVE ambassadors - thank you Pandora! love is more than a day on the calendar or a sign-off on a letter. it’s bigger and more personal than that. love starts with you. radiate it. initiate it. accept it. expect it. be love. 🫶#Pandora #PandoraJewellery #BeLove

calvinklein:

@idriselba in Calvin Klein menswear.​

The trench is the uniform. Discover the new collection. Directed by @mertalas.

teenvogue:

Say hello to Teen Vogue’s first cover star of 2024: Keke Palmer (@keke) 🔥

Over the course of last year, she added “CEO” to her title, became a mom, embraced her postpartum curves, released her most vulnerable project to date, turned 30, and shared more of her romantic life with the public than she ever had before.

Though Palmer has been in the spotlight for the majority of her life, in 2023 she endured a never-ending inspection by flashlight. The public had been let in, and refused to leave. While her hardships could never overshadow all that she’s built, it did, however, threaten to cast a shadow over her spirit. “I think life is bittersweet in that way,” she says. “How I feel about life is that you go through so many different things and it always ends up somewhere beautiful. Sometimes we don’t get what we want. But it all will make sense if you give it a chance.”

Read her full cover story at the link in bio.

📸: @anndyjackson

✍️: @kaitmcnab

Digitech: @emiliefong

Photo Retouching: Alberto Baro

Sr. Fashion Editor & Stylist: @tchesmeni

Tailor: @tomibruhh

Hair: @theassassin

Manicurist: @sreyninpeng using Apres

Makeup: @basedkenken using Revlon

Producer: @anesia123 at @hstlproductions

Location: @mountainhousela

michaelbjordan:

Introducing The Vault. The first men’s high jewelry collection from David Yurman. #DavidYurman #dyhighjewelry

Photos by Tyler Mitchell

jadecargill:

#LOVEandWWE 🩶

biancabelairwwe:

Love & WWE Bianca & Montez The Season Premiere!

We would like to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us at the screening of “Love & WWE : Bianca & Montez.” Can’t wait for the world to see all episodes on February 2, 2024 on @hulu !!!!!

#LoveAndWWE

Glam: @beautybyjett

[hanayori89]

✍️Writing tips from a no-name blog ✍️

Hey all- I know this is a Zelda blog, but I also use this blog to post a lot of my fanfic work and some writing quips. I’ve attended a conference and some workshops the past few months and would like to share some of what I learned from publishing agencies and editors to help your writing SHINE ✨

Each day I will update a writing tip! I hope you find this useful!

🧟‍♀️ Beware of Killer-words!🧟‍♀️

Totally

Really

Literally

Up

Down

Just

That

Thing

Very

It

Usually

So

How many are ya’ll guilty of? I can certainly name a few! Beware of over usage of killer-words! Often times it can make writing appear lazy and repetitive.

That being said these words can be incorporated but like most things- in moderation!

[sybilius]

❤️✍️👓🦋🔮

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

After all I was so afraid of that, and I didn’t know.

The stories don't mean shit, it's the moments, grey moment slipping through fingers like sand-- god.

Blondie was so ready to die for this-- just walk right into danger because I asked. Of all the things I owe him, I don’t know if I can stomach another apology.

He could have endured a quiet, wordless death in the grave of our habits.

I’d kill for that now-- or I wouldn’t.

See it’s really the second to last line that I remember the most – but it hits better with a little context. It hits very well in the context of the story, and it’s knife-twist agony in the rest of the series, but the kind I find extremely satisfying. From The Grey Desert Mythos. 

✍️ What’s your ideal writing setup?

Lately, in my study, on my laptop! I used to be very versatile out of necessity about writing on my phone, but since the pandemic forced me off the bus commute, I’ve become adapted to having a full keyboard for my fingers to tip tap along with. I like to write with an easy to drink liquid on hand– tea or water in the mornings, a light alcoholic drink and water in the evening.

👓 What helps you focus when you write?

My own notes, and setting little time goals to write in. I used to do sprints a lot in groups, and doing something like that usually helps me get over the initial hump of starting to write. 

🦋 Which character is your favorite to write?

Honestly, my favourite character to write is usually the current POV character for the fic I’m writing right now! So in that case that’d be Saki Akai, or Katsuyori Shibata. If we go by longtime most time spent thinking about them, probably Angel Eyes; though you’d have to count two different characters there anyways (Angel Eyes from 70s AU is most assuredly not the same guy as Angel Eyes from Tweechik). 

🔮 Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?

My number one piece of advice is always Give it Permission to be Bad. Tell yourself whatever you need to in order to make it important enough that you start writing it, but silly enough that you’re not afraid of how the first draft will look. An idea that I cannot Give Permission to Be Bad is one that I will not end up writing. If all of my ideas Need to Be Good, Immediately, I need to maybe eat something and then give myself a gentle talk about Why I Think That. Usually it’s easy to bat away that kind of thinking with food and the reminder that It’s Fanfiction Goddamnit. A fic writer I liked quite a bit used to call her work “pig fiction” in an affectionate way– I still will remind myself, yes you are an Auteur but your genre is Pig Fiction so commit to making your slop. 

I think the other piece of advice is give yourself enough time between rereads of your work to be a generous reader and a focused editor. Especially when you’re pushing through This Is Bad But I’m Writing It Anyways feelings, you want to get some time away from those feelings so you can look at your work with a curious eye for tinkering. 

This process is also a slow approach to writing fanfiction that necessitates taking some time with it all – so it might be a good guard against burnout too. Anyways, that’s my soapboxing. Thanks for sending so many <333! Was fun to answer!