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athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit · 4 years

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Hi! I don't want to be a bother.You are a brilliant writer! I was wondering if you can give me some tips on writing. I've just started my blog (the-wife-of-an-orc) and have uploaded two works. I know I shouldn't get viewers right away but I really want it to work. My name's Lee btw nice to meet you.

Okay wait—

HOLY SHI— SOMEONE— A FELLOW WRITER AT THAT—

ORC WRITER

Just sent me an ASK- asking for writing tips???

Ohkay back to being normal—

Hi there Lee! Tis a pleasure to meet you! You're not bothering at all. In fact, I welcome any ask sent to me <3 it gets lonely here so everything, even a simple greeting is much appreciated!

I'm still a beginner writer myself, so I don't think I'll be able to give you some "amazing" tips in writing. But I can share a few things I've learned in the past month.

1. Purple prose/overwriting!

We've been made to think tht to be a writer, we need to use all those big fancy words...

Well, no. Not really. Simplicity is best! It's okay to repeat some words but again, don't go overboard. Moderation is key! Those big fancy words are alright too, but you don't have to use a different word everytime they do the same thing. Make sure to use a word that really correlates or is a synonym to your former word.

Also, don't use too much flowery words, aka adjectives with -ly suffixes. They're great, but don't overuse, it'll make your work amateurish. Use them in moderation!

2. Tense shifting!

Present tense, past tense, future tense, and the lot. Don't use multiple tenses! I mean, I use at least two tenses in my works but I shift according to grammar, and I did that only 2-3 times within the whole work. Be consistent. Pick one tense and stick to it. Don't go "I walked around the empty room, pacing back and forth as I wait for someone to come. I stop and sit on the chair that was my only companion. " Tense shifting galore!

Instead, go "I walked around the empty room, pacing back and forth as I waited for someone to come. I stopped when I tired myself out and moved to sit on a wooden stool that was my only companion."

3. Info-dumping~

Pretty self-explanatory. Avoid writing paragraphs and paragraphs of infos and facts like they've been copied from wikipedia and bang-slammed right in your story. That's one way to put it. But these also count; explanations of backstories and context.

Be concise! Be brief but also giving the reader a clue on what could've happened instead of detailing every single event of their past, like traumas or perhaps rape scenes. Please don't :D

Imply and let the readers' imagination run wild to figure that out. And then somewhere down the road in your work, your character will perhaps drop a sentence that confirms they're suspicions, make them go "I knew it!"

4. (Definitely the most useful advice I've got ever since and I still am working on it) TELLING!

Basically, a writer writes, and tells the story, but! Some of us tend to tell too much, and not let the reader experience the story. Quoting "Show don't tell." which most writers advice to amateur writers. Telling is info-dumping, telling is too much descriptive stuff, excessive adverbs and dialogue tags. Filtering is part of telling; which is the usage of words like: feel, see, hear, know, decide, assume, think, and all of their related tenses (e.g felt, saw, heard...)

Be direct. Though its okay to use them, but again, moderation is key!

Hope these helps! I'm still learning a lot everyday! I do suggest watching some videos in YouTube. I learned those from Alexa Donne. She's a professional writer and makes videos about amateur writing mistakes and writing tips! I'll leave you a link to her channel here. I'll try reading your posted works and see if I could give you little tips!

Goodluck Lee!

#ask #woohoo that was a bit long #anyways #ANOTHER ORC WRITER #HOORAYYY

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hashtag-amf · 4 years

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Welcome to my Tumblr blog. Here I will give my honest opinions and pour out my thoughts about the ideas behind my Wattpad books. You can take inspiration from this blog when you are planning to write a novel. I wanted to write a separate Wattpad book where I could talk about this. But I then decided that I wanted to reach a wider audience, and Tumblr was better suited for this purpose.

Please note: This will be posted in parts every Friday!

Edited by @wayward-heronstairs , @hashtag-amf and Hemingway Editor

I started my Wattpad journey in May 2016. I was staying at my cousin’s house, and she asked me whether I knew about the app called Wattpad. I had never heard the name before. It was such an odd name for an app, I thought to myself. I was not interested in downloading the app because reading didn't appeal to so much. A few hours later, I downloaded Wattpad. Yay.

Then came the shocker. I got my first follower. A thin guy with spectacles. I was nervous because I had never been on a social media platform before. I didn't know what to do. I was staring at his profile pic, wondering if he was a psychopath or just crazy enough to follow me on Wattpad. I am anxious like that. I wondered how on earth did he find my account within six hours as I had not posted any stories on Wattpad yet.

The first book I read on Wattpad was fanfic about 'The Fault in Our Stars.' At that time, I had no idea what fanfic was. I picked that book to read because I had watched TFIOS twice now. Unfortunately, I didn't like the fanfic, so I uninstalled the app the same night.

Then came December of 2016. It was the Christmas holidays, and I was very tired of studying. I owned that crappy Nokia XL neon green phone. Urgh, that stock Android phone was a nightmare. I downloaded Wattpad and looked for some good books to read. At that time, Midika Crane’s books were a huge hit. Her books had those dark black and white covers were guys with eight pack abs stared out of the cover at the reader. At first, I hated the cover because I thought she hadn't done a great job of selecting a good cover for the book. I remember clicking on 'Alpha Kaden', a currently published novel. I had spent half an hour on one page trying to decipher what was written. Halfway through the Prologue and I couldn't read more. Her professional level of writing was not understandable by me.

When I was halfway done with Midika’s book, I added ‘She’s With Me’ by Ava Violet to my Wattpad reading list. It was such an amazing book. I loved reading it. It was about Amelia who was running away from her past. She had enrolled herself in the school. I don’t remember the name because I read it a long time back) and she meets the heartthrob of the school and his friends. The story was like a cliché romance novel but what stood out was Amelia’s back story.

After reading more than 90 books on Wattpad I decided to make a writing debut on Wattpad. I spent more time reading Wattpad books than studying. I would read Wattpad books in the canteen, the student's study room, at home when my mom wasn't watching. It was addicting. In 2017, the first book I wrote was a fanfic of Hellboy, the 2004 film. I never imagined myself writing fanfiction about a movie I was so scared to watch. As a child, I was so terrified of that movie that the moment I saw Hellboy on the screen, I would look away in fear. All that I remember as a kid was the scene from the second installment of the movie 'The Golden Army'. He was holding twin infants wrapped in a white blanket. There was some sort of fantasy creatures running around the street. Hellboy was spot on with his aim, that she shot them with his gun.

Then in May 2014, I got a chance to watch Hellboy on the television again. As a teenager, I wasn't scared of him anymore, but I was more intrigued by it. I loved that movie so much that I had a crush on John Myers (Rupert Evans). He was 'the dude that didn't get the girl', you know. I empathized with him as he took so much trouble by fighting alongside Hellboy. He deserved more.

Later in the movie, the professor tells John that he is dying, and Hellboy needs someone in his absence. In the movie, Hellboy treated Myers like trash. He is more of a nanny and less of an FBI Agent. And because of this, Myers tells the professor that he cannot stay at the BRDP any longer. The professor tells him that he chose him for a reason as he saw potential in Myers. He adds that in many medieval stories there is a white night and Myers was that. He tells him to take care of Hellboy after he passes away.

Another reason why I felt like writing fanfic was that Myers and Liz's chemistry was so adorable. He tried his best to flirt with Liz (Selma Blair). I hoped that he and Liz ended up as a couple. But Hollywood movies are unkind to side actors. So, when Hellboy got the girl, my heart dropped. My heart couldn't handle it. I was screaming at this heartbreaking injustice. I was like, this man needs a girl. I had to make a way to help him get the girl so that I didn't have this heaviness building inside me.

Above: Rupert Evans as John Myers in Hellboy (2004)

And thanks to being a Wattpad writer, I came up with my own story. I named it Hellboy 3. The reason for keeping this title was because of Hellboy: The Golden Army released in 2008. I didn’t want to confuse readers about which Hellboy movie the fanfic was about. I researched Wikipedia thinking that Rupert Evans had reprised his role as John Myers in it, but I was wrong. As per Wikipedia reports, Evans was filming ‘The Kiss of a Spiderwoman’ so he couldn’t be a part of the movie.

Writing the fanfic was challenging. I was stumbling through the dialogues and the scenes. I thought that this will not get more than 20 chapters, but if I am not wrong, it surpassed 20 chapters. The story got some likes, some encouraging comments, but then I was not happy with my writing. I deleted it.

In 2017-ish, I wrote another story about vampires. I wrote down the story on one of the leftover books I had in my drawer. I had a good time writing it as it was one of my original stories. I made my original characters, a mythical place cursed by time. I named it ‘The Kingsmen’. Then after I had filled half of the pages by writing, I decided it was time to edit. I posted it on Wattpad. I published the chapters with no updating schedule. After surpassing fifteen chapters, I deleted the book because the grammar was awful. I felt I was adding unnecessary commas after the dialogues. I didn't have someone to edit the story, and I also had this nagging suspicion that my mom knew I wasn't studying. I hated college because I would get tired, and the studies bored me to the core. I studied for the heck of it. Everything was fine when one fine day, I forgot the password to my Wattpad account.

It was hell on earth. Panic rose within me. It was like the end of the world was near. I tried to calm myself down. I had to remember the password. I felt that I was such a miserable person for forgetting a simple thing as a password. I tried password recovery. I scourged my Gmail account for the recovery link, but Wattpad wasn't sending the link. At that time, Wattpad was super slow when it came to sending recovery links for passwords. I remember Wattpad sent me recovery passwords five hours later. Wattpaders know that logging via recovery link is time-sensitive. When I clicked the link, Wattpad said that the link wasn't valid. I did this three times till my patience wore me out.

I was devastated. I had put so much of my heart and soul while writing that book. It was my baby, and now the account was gone….I didn't cry. Thank God I didn't cry. I was sad. It felt like someone took a piece of my heart away from me and didn't return it.

This is how it looked:

In January 2018, I made a new account on Wattpad. Now I have written down all the passwords in a notebook, not going to repeat the mistake.

Okay! This was the end of part one. Tell me how you liked it!!

By the way, I got the chance to watch Hellboy (2004) on the television today. John Myers is such a cutie!! Please check my latest IG highlights for the video. I cannot embedded the video on Tumblr :(

#writingwithalizeypart1 #hashtagamf #wattpadwriting #wattpad #newpost #writers on tumblr #writingideas #behindthestory #wattpaders #writinginspirat #newwritingtips #writeathon #writing #howtogetwritingideas

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fun-with-colors · 4 years

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2 3 7 10 12 13 14 18 19 20 40 46 50 Quarantine asks? (Sorry if thats too many)

That’s totally fine! Happy to answer questions, haha

I hope you don’t mind if I sometimes take the opportunity to go off on tangents and anecdotes, though. If it comes up.

Whew, alright. Let’s do this.

I’m gonna put this under a readmore because it’s probably gonna get long. And because, for once in my life, I am actually on the desktop version of tumblr.

2. Grilled Cheese or PB&J?

Grilled cheese. PB&Js can get soggy more easily, and they can be kind of mushy if you get the ratios wrong. Besides, they’re much more likely to be sticky and messy, and honestly there are very few things I hate more in this world than having my hands or face be sticky.

3. Background video for when i don’t have anything to watch, but I want Something On?

I really like this youtube series called Citation Needed. Its premise is that it’s kind of like a reverse trivia thing. One guy has a laptop with a wikipedia article up, and he’ll give the other 3 guys only the name of the article, and they have to figure out what the article is about. It’s hilarious, and also informative. Honestly, pretty much anything with Tom Scott is good background stuff, I’ve found. That might just be because he makes videos about computer science and linguistics, though, and those two things are pretty much my favorites.

7. First word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “mom” or “dad”)?

I’m pretty sure it was “ball.” Boring, I know.

10. Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general?

I own a few signed books, but that was mostly just happenstance. The only thing I have that’s special for being signed is a poster for a play I was going to be in. It was cancelled due to the coronavirus, sadly. It’s signed by a lot of the other members of the cast and crew.

12. What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get, if you could get anything?

I alternate between regular cream cheese and strawberry cream cheese. Honestly, I’m intrigued by the idea of a thin layer of cheesecake on top of a proper new york bagel. (though the idea of cheesecake on one of those “it’s just circular bread” bagels sounds horrible)

13. Brunch or midnight snacks?

Why not both? A snack after I wake up, and then a lunch(?) somewhere between 10 am and 3 pm, dinner at about 6:30, and then a midnight snack.

14. Favorite mug you own?

I’ve got a few that are great. There’s one that looks like a red solo cup, which is awesome. I’ve also got one with a cat on it sitting at a desk with a bunch of papers with complicated graphs on them saying “at one point, this made perfect sense”

18. What’s the one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you like nonetheless?

Uh... hm. I don’t watch many TV shows. Recently I’ve been binging My Hero Academia, but I don’t think that’s the answer to the question. There isn’t one, really? I used to watch TV shows that I now find kind of embarrassing, but at the time I was smack dab in the middle of the demographic, and I didn’t find them embarrassing at the time. There is a TV show that I was watching a few months ago (but ended up dropping) called Interviews with Monster Girls that definitely fit into this category, though.

19. That book you were forced to read for class but ended up enjoying?

Hmm. There were a few books that I liked when I read them but have since grown less enthusiastic about, including Lord of the Flies and the Great Gatsby. However, I did really like To Kill a Mockingbird. I actually had to read that twice for school, once in middle school and once in high school.

20. Do you match your socks?

It depends. I’ve got some socks where I definitely match them, because they’ve got words on them or something, but there are some pairs where I don’t worry about it too much. That said, I absolutely make sure that the socks are the same thickness, the same material, and the same height. Otherwise, it’s unbearable. Basically, since all of my socks are colorful and patterned and from a bunch of different sets, I just make sure the two socks are from the same set.

And now it’s time for:

SOCKS THAT MY MOM HAS GOTTEN ME OVER THE YEARS:

-a pair that say “Kick this day in it’s sunshiney ass”

-a pair that say “I’m a delicate fucking flower”

-a pair that say “Love you... weirdo”

-a pair that say “These are my cuddly period socks”

-a pair that say “Cats don’t care if you’re crazy”

-my grandmother got me a pair that say “fuck off, I’m reading”

-a pair that say “you say crazy cat lady like it’s a bad thing”

And my personal favorite,

-a pair that say “Adult in training” (They seem like they’ll always bee too big for me)

Alright, back to the questions

40. Where do you sit in the living room?

Either on the left side of the couch or on one of the two chairs opposite the couch. Mostly the couch. There are only really 3 places to sit in the living room, and I don’t really spend enough time there to have a specific place. Really, the only place where I have a “specific place” is at the kitchen table.

46. What’s the freezer food you stock up on when you go to the grocery store?

I don’t really have a staple for this. I guess... pasta? Mac and cheese or tortellini? Most of the time I just buy box mac and cheese and non-frozen tortellini, though.

50. How are you at climbing trees?

Oh man. I miss the days when I feared neither bugs nor moss nor splinters. I had a reputation as a kid. I could (and would) climb anything. I made a point to climb as high as I could any time I saw a climbable tree, and usually I made it pretty far. I remember one time I was at the park with my friends, and there was this huge pine tree. The branches all started too high up to reach, but there was a chain-link fence right beneath it. I climbed up the fence and into the tree, and then I just kept climbing. I got all the way to the very top. The crows that were sitting up there looked kind of confused. My friends were impressed, though.

I also used to climb to the top of the chain-link thing behind home base at the baseball diamond at that park too. Though, it was pretty common for me to be yelled at for that. The fence was kind of coming apart from the railing at the very top of the cone-shaped part, and so people got nervous when I went up there and laid on the fencing. Never fell, though.

I also found a way to get on top of one of the buildings at that park. There was a fence that connected up with the back of the building, and there was also a pipe that went up the side of the building. I realized that by climbing on the fence, I could reach the pipe, and I could climb up the brackets holding it to the wall and onto the roof. Eventually, my mom told me that I had to stop doing that, because it was making other parents nervous and she was tired of explaining that “Yes, I know my child is on the roof. Yes, it’s fine. Yes, she can get back down. No, I’m not concerned.” And she also didn’t want other kids who couldn’t get back down safely to copy me. “Hey, stop, you’re making other parents nervous and I’m tired of having to constantly explain that everything’s fine” was a pretty common thing for me to hear.

There was also that time that I was at a summer camp, and there was a tree. I went up there with a few of my friends, and we were having a grand old time. Eventually, I found a bouncy branch and decided to bounce on it. One of my friends was like “Hey, uh, are you sure that’s safe? It looks like it might break.” And I said “Yeah, it’s fine! Besides, I’ve got this other branch to hold on to if anything happens, not that it wil”--*SNAP* and then I fell. Luckily, I managed to catch myself on another branch on the way down, so it was more like a 7 foot fall than a 15 foot fall, but still. I was fine, if shaken. However, that led to a limit on how high into that tree we were allowed to climb.

I was also the one who most commonly ignored that limit.

So, in summary: Pretty good.

#fun answers #personal oat #original oat #ask meme #quarantine asks

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the--blackdahlia · 6 years

Text

The Day the Music Died Chapter 7

Title: The Day the Music Died Chapter 6

Summary: In 1959, a plane crash tragically took the lives of three musicians and their pilot. But the mysterious circumstances send the Winchester brothers on an adventure. Now they have a mystery to solve…before one of them joins the other three.

Warnings: It will get emotional

Present

Cas wasn’t answering. The one time that Dean needed him to show up and he wouldn’t even answer him. Dean wanted to punch something, mainly Cas, but he needed to keep his cool. The roles had been revered on them just a year ago, when he met with Eliot Ness. Of course though, Sam hadn’t found out that his brother was dead through a newspaper article.

Dean had no leads except for a ghost with random bouts of silence.

He walked back into the motel room. Part of him secretly kept hoping that Sam would just show up. But that would make things easy and the universe wasn’t really known for giving the Winchester’s a break. Dean threw all his stuff down on the table and went to get a beer from the fridge. He glanced over at the laptop, seeing it on and working just fine.

“I freakin’ hate you.” He grumbled at the piece of technology before sipping his beer. He set down in front of the offending object before starting in on more research. He had tried to get Cas’s attention, but still no answer. He shouldn’t be surprised though. Cas always seemed to disappear when Dean or Sam needed him the most.

But at least now he could learn about everything from the comfort of a motel room. And boy, was Wikipedia his best friend. He knew that it wasn’t always the most reliable source, but it was a lot easier to read than other sites were.

But after an hour or so of searching, all he had to show for it was what he had seen in the newspaper back at the library. He leaned back in his chair, ready to give up. But that’s when he spotted a link on his web browser.

Holly Widow to visit Clear Lake.

“Son of a bitch.” Dean grumbled. He looked at the time and place. Today at the Fieldstone Park, in one of the insulated buildings. There was some sort of dedication or luncheon or something. Dean didn’t really care. But if she was here, and she was alive back then, then maybe she could give him some answers about Sam. He jumped back up and grabbed his jacket. He didn’t care if he was tired or anything like that. Sam was on the only thing on his mind, and if this woman had some answers, then he was going to be there.

****

Maria Santiago-Holly set at a table while everyone chatted around her. She was ready to go back home. She felt so alone anymore. Everyone that she talked to back then was gone. Buddy. Waylon. Sam. God she missed them. She had kept in touch with Waylon for awhile, since he knew what she was going through. But he became a big star and had to keep his hunters life separate from the spotlight. Then he died in 2002 and anyone who knew her secret was gone. Buddy never knew, and Maria was sure he would have laughed if she had told him. But then again, maybe not. He did propose to her on their first date.

She seemed lost in her own world when a young man approached her table. He looked down at his phone then up at her, like he was making sure it was the right person. He approached her, having some bad experience with older woman before. He just hoped she wasn’t the type that “Slept with her peepers open”.

“Ms. Holly?” Dean asked. Maria looked up at him, her eyes widening ever so slightly. “You don’t know me, but my name is Dean…”

“Winchester.” She said.

“How did you…”

“You look just like your picture.” Maria said, cutting Dean off. She saw the look on his face. “I think you and I need to talk.” She stood up slowly, her stiff joints protesting the whole way. She took her cane that was leaning against the table. “I need some air.” She said in case anyone around her table was listening. She started to head to the door, waving for Dean to follow her.

It was chilly outside as Maria and Dean walked out of the warm building. She looked up at the grey sky, like she was expecting something. Dean stood there awkwardly. What did she want to say to him out here that she could say in there.

“Buddy adored your brother.” She told him before walking along. It wasn’t hard for Dean to keep up with her. “A lot of people did. Myself included.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Dean told her. She smiled.

“Sam and I had a lot in common. It was nice finally having someone to talk to that could understand what I was going through.” She led him to a gazebo and set down on one of the benches. Dean set down beside her.

“What do you mean?” Dean asked. Maria smiled fondly, remembering.

“You must know that your brother disappeared, or you wouldn’t be asking about him.” She said. “And you must know where he ended up, or you wouldn’t be here talking to me. Unless you were just a big fan of my husband.” Dean did the math then. Her and Sam had a lot in common. Dean knew that Sam had been sent back in time…

“You’re a time traveler?” Dean asked.

“I guess that’s what you can call it.” Maria said. “More like I was taken from my time and forced into a new one. I was twenty-two went I was taken.” Dean set there for a second, taking it all in. She could be tricking him, but he seriously doubted it. He wasn’t getting any evil vibes off of her.

“Okay, so there’s something out there sending people back to the 50’s?” Dean asked.

“It’s a demon.” Maria said, matter of factly. Dean just stared at her. “I’m assuming if Sam knows about that kind of stuff, you do too.” Dean just blinked. How was he supposed to react to this? A woman he had only met five minutes ago knew his brother, claimed to be a time traveller that was snagged by a demon, and knew that he was a hunter. What the hell was going on?

“I need you to tell me everything.” Dean said.

“What do you mean?” Maria asked.

“I need any details that you can give me so I can get my brother back.” Dean told her. Maria just shook her head. “What?”

“You can’t get him back.” She told him. “I tried for years to get back to my time, and the only way I did was by growing old. And Sam got on that plane with Buddy, Ritchie, and JP.” He could see the tears coming. “I watched as Buddy taught him to use the drum kit, and Sam took good care of the instruments for him…”

“You don’t understand,” Dean said, staring Maria down. “I am getting my brother back. There’s no can’t or anything like that. Sam is coming home.” Maria nodded, looking down at her hands. She wished that he little sister had cared as much about her as Dean did Sam. But as far as she knew, her sister probably hated her. She didn’t realize she was crying then until Dean placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.” She whispered. But Dean could tell she was lying.

“Yeah, sure.” He laughed some. “You’re as bad as Sam about hiding your emotions. Now spill.”

“I just...I knew what was going to happen to him and I didn’t stop it.” She confessed. Dean knew then that she wasn’t talking about Sam. She was talking about her husband. “I knew he was going to die and I did nothing! I let him go. I let him and Ritchie and JP get on that plane and...and…” She covered her face.

“You did what you had to do.” Dean said. “If you had stopped him, you might have changed history for the worst.”

“Don’t you think pulling Sam from the past will hurt things then?” Maria asked. Dean shook his head no. “Why?”

“Because I know he’s not supposed to be there. And I’m going to bring him back.” Dean had to smile. He was doing what he was supposed to be doing. Protecting Sam. “Now, you said it was a demon?”

“Yes.” Maria wiped her eyes. “He came to see me and he left the smell of sulfur. And Waylon knew what it was. He said that the smell was all over the crash site too. And when he buried Sam, he said it was on his clothes. Waylon knew what he was talking about.”

“Okay so this Waylon guy said it was a demon and you believe him?” Dean asked.

“I did some research on my own.” Maria said. “I might have been used to computers starting to enter society, but I still knew how to read journals and books. Waylon and I figured it out with all the clues that we both had. The sulfur, the black eyes…”

“Okay, well that makes more sense then.” Dean said. “You probably should have added the black eyes.”

“I didn’t think of it.” She rested a hand on her stomach, thinking back. “He came to see me, wearing a face that looked slightly like Buddy. He said he was an interviewer, but then he looked at my stomach and his eyes flashed black for a moment. I found out after Buddy and Sam died that he knew I was pregnant.”

“The demon killed your baby?” Dean asked. He knew demons were cruel, but killing an unborn baby of a woman who just lost her husband?

“Technically.” Maria said. “I’m a firm believer that he caused the plane to crash. And that killed Buddy. I found out he had died while listening to the radio and it caused me to have a miscarriage. So, in turn, the demon killed my baby.” Dean stood up.

“I’m going to fix this, I promise.” He looked around at the cold and lonely park. “Do you happen to know a name or anything?”

“Uh, I can’t remember.” Maria sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“You’ve helped quite a bit.” Dean said. He knelt in front of her and took her hands. “I will fix this Maria. I might not be able to bring your husband back, but I can kill the demon that took him and your baby away from you.” Maria nodded and wiped her eyes. Dean stood up and left, ready to get to work. Maria set there for a minute before she heard someone calling for her. She hoped that Dean was right about everything.

****

The doors to the museum unlocked and swung open. A man not much older than Sam walked in, looking around. He had gotten a call about a possible breakin the night before, but he had denied having the police investigate. Instead, he decided to look into it himself. And sure enough, that guitar laid on the ground, just the way he figured it would be.

“Oh, what have you been up to you naughty boy?” The man asked. He looked around. “Ritchie, I’m talking to you.” The jukebox kicked on then, the haunting opening guitar chords of Duane Eddy’s “Rebel Rouser” filling the empty building. “Ritchie…”

“Go away Corson.” Ritchie growled as he materialized. “Leave me alone.”

“You don’t make the rules here kid.” Corson said, his eyes flashing black. “Who was here last night? I know it wasn’t any of your friends, because all your friends are dead.”

“Shut up.” Ritchie hissed. Corson laughed.

“I think I hit a nerve.” Corson said. He sniffed the air. “This place reeks of Winchesters.” He closed his eyes, like he was focusing. “Ah yes. I see what happened.” He laughed.

“Leave them alone.” Ritchie said. Corson shook his head.

“They played with my toys. I don’t like that.” He pulled out his phone and scrolled through some news articles. “Ah. Little Sam. He paid the price for their meddling.” Ritchie looked away.

“They will beat you.” He said. Corson had a big smile on his face.

“I’d love to see them try.” He said. He put his phone away and picked up the discarded guitar. He dusted it off. “One of them is already getting what he deserves. The other one will get it next.” He looked back over at Ritchie. “I think you can go hide now.” With that, he snapped his fingers, making Ritchie disappear. Corson took to sweeping up the broken glass, planning on what to do when he met the eldest Winchester.

Forever Tags: @imboredsueme @aiaranradnay @theas-bedtime-stories @af112992 @cutie1365 @dekahg @bandobsession98 @marvel-af @nanie5 @sammat97 @dslocum89 @i-would-die-for-woodland-demars @newtospnfandom @xxwarhawk @luciathewinchestergirl @tina8009

Supernatural Tags: @essie1876 @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester @sabigmart @smoothdogsgirl @jadepc @winchesterslibrary @winchestergeekfreak @atc74 @anathewierdo

The Day the Music Died Tags: @leximus98

#the day the music died #dean winchester #sam winchester #buddy holly #supernatural #ritchie valens #the big bopper #fanfiction #Jensen Ackles #Jared Padalecki

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bts-love-sweat-tears · 6 years

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Julie’s Love Yourself Concert Diary

Concert Date: September 29, 2018

Written: September 30, 2018

Warnings: I curse more than I should?

Words: 3,330ish-added a few things at the last minute (phew!)

A/N:

[Update: Tumblr couldn’t upload all my photos that I spent awhile choosing and placing, so I’m going to have to pare it down. Sorry bbs! I opted to cut my personal & merch photos in favor of the boys]

So I have one thousand and one things I should be working on-for school, for work, for my eventual job hunt. But instead I am going to write about last night’s experience while it was still fresh in my mind. I was thinking of doing a song-by-song play-by-play, but you can look up the setlist on Wikipedia, so instead I am going to talk about the things that jumped out at me. WARNING: This is essentially one giant spoiler, so I will try to put a “Read More” cut, though it’s been being weird for me lately. So scroll carefully if you’re going to a later date and don’t want to know. All photos taken on my (now ancient) iPhone 6, so I tried to choose the best ones). Will edit as I see typos I made.

I’m a little nervous since I usually write fiction instead of sharing my personal experience. Anyway, full disclosure that this is just my perspective, and I’m (always) happy to discuss things (civilly) if you disagree with me. <3 Photos and opinions are mine.- please don’t re-post anywhere else.

The Background/ Pulling a Namjoon and Leaving my Ticket at Home

Even though I was going to the Saturday show, I flew into LaGuardia using frequent flyer miles on Friday morning. I was staying with a friend in Queens, so I went straight to her apartment. I’m a grad student as most of you probably know at this point, so I spent most of Friday working on a paper that was due. I had two friends I met at last year’s concert going to the Friday concert, and they went for merch promptly at 9, but I had just arrived and had a deadline to meet for school. Around 4:30PM, I decided that I was done for the day and opened Ticketmaster to print my ticket for the next day’s show. When I logged in, I saw the notice that the ticket had been mailed to me. I remembered having seen that when I bought the ticket in May, but in my defense I was jet-lagged and ill on that day. Furthermore, I moved to and from NYC in that time for a summer internship, and SO MUCH HAD HAPPENED. The tickets had been mailed while I was living here and I had never seen them, so somehow it slipped my mind. Obviously I lived too far away, but I didn’t know if I could express overnight them, but I think when I called Ticketmaster, the old ones were deactivated when the guy tried to send me the link.

Anyway, print at home was not an option, so I called Ticketmaster and in a panic explained my situation. They said it happened all the time and offered to send me a link. Luckily I kept the rep on the line, because it turned out that even they couldn’t email a link because of the anti-scalpers/fraud/whatever.

Then the rep said that I could show the credit card, but I had literally cut it up the week prior since the Vendor (e.g. the store that the card was through) had switched their card to a different bank (e.g. Visa to Mastercard), so I seemed shady af, even though I was telling the truth. He said as long as I had a login to a statement showing the transaction (I didn’t, since they had opted to close the account at an institutional level). So I called my mom frantically, and luckily she is the hyper-organized type who keeps paper copies of everything and sent them to me. Seriously, Mom for the win! I run to this print shop as it’s closing and print everything out. I had the Ticketmaster receipt & order #, and two photo ID’s confirming my address. The guy said it should be fine, but I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. This was my one birthday gift and something I had been looking forward to for months. Anyway, my friend and I went out to a local bar near the Halsey (yes, the singer took her name from the station) stop on the L line, and I was super anti-social because I was so upset. I also burst a blood vessel in my eye (it will heal, no worries) because of too much birthday partying the prior weekend, so I’m sure I was a (sour) sight to behold.

I slept poorly for obvious reasons, and left the apartment around 7AM, and arrived to Prudential center around 8:30ish. There were only a few people outside of will call, but the GA line was already wrapped around the building. I made small talk with people outside of the box office, and one woman told me she had gotten soundcheck both days. Seriously, what kind of karma do I need for that to happen to me? She and her friends had been camping out since Thursday, and they were SUPER organized: while she waited in line, one was at merch, and someone else was holding their GA site. I almost wondered if they were a fansite or something. ARMY are a truly organized bunch (except for me, clearly).

Anyway, after another half hour of pure anxiety, they opened up will call and I was panicking, but they were really helpful and gave me my ticket after I verified the order number, showed my id and confirmed some other personal data. I decided then and there that nothing else mattered and I was just happy to be there and be in.

Waiting in line/Logistics/Staff

I left the box office, and got into the GA line. It was probably around 9:15, and the line had already doubled-back on itself all the way around the building. The woman from earlier told me that her friend had got #1000 and was only 3 rows back, so I still had some hope. Basically, you line up to get your spot in line- though it’s kinda dumb that you have to line up twice, it makes security go faster and guarantees that there isn’t a huge surge/stronger people cutting in line later.

I wore what I thought were my most comfortable shoes, but after standing on concrete for hours, I don’t think it makes a difference. People were so friendly though- I never once felt awkward even though I was by myself. The same was true last year- the friends who had gone up for merch on Friday I met while in line at last years’ Wings concert. I chatted with people around me, drank the two bottles of water I had, and looked at my phone. Bring an umbrella for shade and sunscreen though-I didn’t and am rocking a nice farmers burn/tan today. It wasn’t humid though, and it wasn’t raining, so it could have been so much worse.

Even though there were tons of people, everyone was well-behaved. I didn’t see any altercations, though as the day went on the staff seemed a bit overwhelmed with crowd control. I didn’t see too many people selling unofficial merch like last year, though I did buy a few necklaces (Joon and Chim, ofc).

After 3.5 hours, I finally got my wristband. They told us to be back by 2pm to line up for real, as they were going to try to open the doors at 3 instead of 3:30 (didn’t end up happening).

Merch

I then ran to merch, but there wasn’t much left. The fans/pickets were selling out as I got in line, and people were basically yelling “NOOOOOOOO” everytime the staff put up a “SOLD OUT” sticker. I bought what I could that was left, including a bracelet, which I’m actually in love with, the eco-tote (super overpriced tbh, $50 for a canvas bag), but the shopper bags were gone and I needed something to carry the box and batteries V3 ARMY Bomb I bought. I had one from last year that I also forgot, but I think the new version was cool because they are synced up with the music so you can change colors and patterns along with everyone else. Overall, it’s EXPEN$$$$IVE, but if anyone’s worth it, it’s Bangtan.

Newark

I was getting super tired after this, so I kinda passed on the photo studio table, big poster, and UNICEF stuff. I tried to go to Starbucks, but even though it was the middle of the day, I didn’t feel that safe, even though it was like 11:45 in the middle of the day. I’m a 27 year old who’s lived in Latin America (which is generally stereotyped for violence), solo traveled around the world, and I’m from the Rust Belt (aka home of true urban decay), but that part of Newark sketched me the heck out. Probably it would have been fine, but I opted for caution, and went to a Dunkin Donuts and empanada place right around the corner. The timing was actually good since we had to get back pretty quickly to line back up.

The second line was where the staff struggled, telling people to back up and get in order, but it seemed like staff were doing different things. Plus, if they wanted people to back up, they should have created room at the back first, before telling the front to basically “back that ass up” on the people behind them.

GA vs. Seated

I can say this- if you are short, you probably want a seat. Or if you have any kind of knee, back, or joint problems- I stood for approximately 14 straight hours on concrete yesterday. I am just under 5”5” but I was probably one of the taller people in the crowd, so I had a pretty good view. Even though they asked people to not take videos or record, you WILL be looking through a sea of cell phones. I could see pretty well, but sometimes when they were on the main stage I had a hard time seeing around other people’s arms.

Last time I had P2 seated, and the view was wonderful. I went to the bathroom, charged my phone, and ate nachos (lol), so it was generally a more chill experience. I was still super close but up a little higher and could see absolutely everything. But last night I was SO close I could see Joon’s dimples irl, and got splashed by both Jungkook and J-Hope when they threw the water bottles. Probably 100 people think this, but I’m also pretty sure Yoongi (and maybeeee Jimin) saw me jumping and singing along like crazy since I was one of the taller people. At the very least, Yoongi keep looking in the general direction I was in. Ofc I looked gross af with my messed up eye and crazy hair, but what I loved about the concert is that I was 100% able to forget all the insecurities I carry around with me on a day to day basis and have an AMAZING time.

Of course the whole place is crazy high energy, but I feel like last night was INSANELY high. I’m not sure if it was the overall vibe or if that was the GA influencing my opinion. It just depends on what kind of experience you want to have. Also, if you are claustrophobic, you should probably pass on GA. The guards kept forcing people to back up, at one point even coming in with a flashlight, and people would surge forward whenever a member came close. But someone said the night before was chill, so maybe it’s just luck of the draw.

The Show

The show was absolutely amazing. They opened with IDOL, which got people hyped from the get-go. Their dancing was ON POINT as always. People were chanting during the intro videos and chatting as it filled in, so it was a great vibe once again- just super happy feeling. The audio visual part was AMAZING, though I’m no pro, and I loved all of the concert outfits, especially Jimin’s super sparkly sweater. Lots of jumping, and lots of screams. I didn’t have earplugs and was fine, but if you’re sensitive to loud sounds I definitely recommend them. ISTG I remembered hearing a mashup of FIRE, but maybe not? Wikipedia seems to think not. But they played a few older ones too, which made me so soft and nostalgic.

More on the members during the concert

Kim Namjoon

Ok, this is so so so biased, let me start with that. If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know how much I love this man. Seeing him smiling and happy was amazing. And they had a professional translator for this concert, so I felt like Joon was able to relax a little and enjoy himself instead of worrying about translating for everyone else. He is just as tall and proportional as everyone says he is. Everyone talks about how soft he is these days (and I love it), but he has undeniable charisma when he raps. Plus him in sunglasses, ddaeng. Seeing him so close was akin to something spiritual for me (I SAW THE DIMPLES WITH MY OWN EYES), as were people shouting along with him to “Love.” At the end, he commented how we were all sharing the same air, and hearing him think the way (I know at least some of ) us think was so heartwarming.

Also during some of the videos, there were some NOT AT ALL subtle Minjoon moments.

Kim Seokjin

The crowd last night ADORED Jin and gave him all the attention he deserves to have all the time. People were chanting his name SO LOUDLY during instrumental breaks in Epiphany. His voice was phenomenal, particularly the high notes. it’s clear how hard he’s worked to make it sound so effortless. I noticed that people weren’t moving as much during some of his notes and I can only think it’s because we were literally transfixed. It’s well established, but I don’t think this man has any bad angles. Even in the still pictures I took while dancing, he DOESN’T look awkward in any of them. #impossible.

Min Yoongi

Suga was clearly happy about something last night- he was SO cute and happy. Other ARMY on the train back to the city agreed with me. His rapping was fire (duh), but he was really smiley and took out his earpiece a number of times to hear us screaming. “Seesaw” starts with him laying on a couch and I can think of no better way to capture his true soul (lol). He was extra attentive to fans, and I feel like what Tae mentioned in Burn the Stage, he was trying to memorize ARMY’s faces and live in the moment. I felt bad because there were clearly parts where he wanted us to sing along, but we couldn’t necessarily keep up with his tongue technology :P But people definitely tried their best.

Jung Hoseok

Idk what I can say here that’s new. J-Hope is one of the most charismatic members on the stage. And there’s something in the American air that turns him into Jay Hope. Seriously, he’s hard to move your eyes away from. “Just Dance” was the first solo track if I remember correctly and he did not disappoint. His glasses at the end were adorable, and one of the other members called him a “happy grandfather” or something like that. Seriously, if you’re still sleeping on Hobi, we can’t be friends.

Park Jimin

Jimin was ethereal as always, and the choreography for Serendipity was…..salacious, to say the least. Like if you thought the “Take Me Down” cover from last year’s Festa was too much, then idk what to tell you. Bring holy water or something. Despite the free water that fans were providing to others (ARMY are seriously the best) there was a different kind of thirst occurring, if you smell what I’m stepping in. Jimin is pure charisma, like J-Hope. Obviously their styles are totally different, but when they move, you stop whatever you’re doing and watch. Again, I didn’t even see many ARMY bombs moving during Serendipity- I think we were too entranced. I personally thought that he killed his vocals and did great, but he seemed a little tired or like he was working hard at it. Jimin was also the one (at least that I saw from my angle) that got the closest to the fans, crouching down and leaning over the teleprompters/fans/lights/ whatever the black boxes were at the edge of the stage.

Similar to Tae and Yoongi, I saw him looking at fans A LOT during the show. He was exactly how he seems in V Lives and cameras, and I’m fairly certain I would spontaneously combust if I ever ran into him irl (even if I didn’t know who he was)- he just radiates warmth and friendliness. Seriously, if I believed in magic, I feel like he would be able to influence people’s emotions.

Kim Taehyung

So many fic writers have this ultra primal (for lack of a better word?) for Tae, but all I see is a cute sweetheart. Obviously I’ve never seen someone create as much tension with their own arm as he does during Singularity, but when he’s not dancing, I just got a super innocent, cutesy vibe from him. His voice was so smooth last night. I mean, I knew, but now I KNOW. He actually was shooting hearts at one fan (how lucky they are), and pretended to fall down when they shot him back! They were further back in P2 as well so he really does work hard at paying attention to everyone. He actually called over another member (maybe Yoongi or Jimin? I was too busy trying to remember how to breathe, to see whatever he was seeing).

At the end he whipped a heart out of his beanie (how I pray to god someone got that moment on camera) a la Jin. He just seemed really comfortable in his own skin last night, and I was so grateful for it.

Jeon Jungkook

I had a hard time seeing most of his Euphoria performance as it was relatively early on and people were taking a shit ton of videos. He also stayed mostly on the main stage, rather than come out to the extension area near where I was. His abs are just as great in person, and the screams were (as is to be expected), absolutely deafening. They’ve talked about it in shows, but his voice is SO stable. Obviously they stopped at times and don’t use too much backing vocals, but it sounded EXACTLY how it does on the album. He threw something into the crowd (I think a banner) at the end, and it FLEW so far-back to P2 or further. They’re not kidding when they talk about how strong he is.

Final thoughts

At first, I was a little exhausted after my emotional trauma of the prior day, and from standing for so long but the minute it started I forgot everything else. I was salty when I couldn’t see that much bc of people recording (esp when they asked us not to), but I understand the specialness of the moment and wanting to have some tangible evidence that you were there. By the time the concert was over, I realized how special GA was, even if it’s more difficult logistically (since I went solo and didn’t have parents or friends to stand in). I still don’t know if it’s hit me that I was like 10 feet away from them, max. It reaffirmed how important they are to me. I didn’t write this to brag, but to hopefully share my perspective and let others live vicariously through my experience. If you want clarification or anything else, write to me!

#love yourself tour #newark day 2 #bts #bts army #concert diary #concert musings

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amberlovesanimation · 7 years

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First Thoughts on the Anastasia Broadway Cast Album

So I grew up watching Don Bluth’s Anastasia, like a lot of people, and it’s now definitely one of my favourite movies of all time. I’m also a huge theatre geek, so when I first heard whispers about an Anastasia broadway musical, I was VERY excited. Sadly, I haven’t watched the show because I live in Manchester, England (I read the plot online and I am VERY disappointed that Rasputin isn’t the antagonist), but I pre-ordered the cast recording asap (I don’t think it has every single song on it, though) and they’ve recently released it onto soundcloud here and I have opinions that I want to share lmao. Also, these are just my FIRST thoughts, after hearing the album ONCE - in my experience, I tend to grow more attached to songs the more I listen to them, so these definitely aren’t my final opinions on this soundtrack.

Prologue / Once Upon A December - This very first song actually made me cry because of the nostalgia XD and also Mary Beth Peil has an AMAZING voice.

A Rumor In St. Petersburg - I also really like this song, including the additions they made to it. Not much else to say really.

In My Dreams - I got chills listening to this song; it’s so beautiful, I can’t wait to learn it.

Learn To Do It - Admittedly, I personally prefer the faster pace and more upbeat original version of this song, however this new version saved itself with the part where Anya flips her shit and has a go at the boys. Amazing.

The Neva Flows - So this is the antagonist’s (Gleb) first song, and uh...it’s pretty good, I guess, especially during the crescendo. They’re definitely trying to create a more humane “villain”, showing how he’s been affected by what he witnessed as a child. Still would’ve preferred In the Dark of the Night, though...

My Petersburg - I like the energy of the song, very upbeat, I love the ending buildup. And I’ve always loved how adaptations of films delve deeper into the characters’ backstories a bit (like Shrek the Musical)

Once Upon A December - Beautiful. I’ll probably always prefer the original, due to nostalgia, but Christy Altomare did a really good job capturing Anya’s emotions in this more vulnerable moment. They were right to not mess with this song too much.

Stay, I Pray You - I have no idea who tf Count Ipolitov is but this is a very emotional choral song, and has a beautifully melancholic melody. I love how Anastasia ends it.

We’ll Go From There - Awh, this song is so cute! I’m glad they gave Vlad (ha that rhymes) a song about Sophie- sorry, I mean Lily. Nevermind all three of the gang are singing it....I like it! It’s a good, quick way to show their feelings (which are mainly anxiety) at this point.

Still - Um why the fuck is Gleb in love with Anya. I HATE that. Haven’t they met, like, twice at this point? I’ve only read the wikipedia page for the plot so maybe I’m wrong. But still....fuck this subplot. So yeah this song is ok I guess, I think I’m just too stubborn about my dislike for the changed story lmao. I also quite like the whole....idea? of this song, how it ends with “but still...” like, it doesn’t need t explain what comes after the “still”, it just needs to show his hesitation/inner conflict.

Journey To The Past - I’m not bothered by the fact that they moved this song to this point in the story, it still fits well actually, and like with OUAD, they smartly didn’t change it much. And like with OUAD, I’ll always prefer the original, but this version is also amazing.

Paris Holds The Key (To Your Heart) - It’s a great chorus number, and definitely a good one to start off act 2 with. Again, I prefer the original, although I like how Anastasia has a solo in this one too.

Crossing A Bridge - I love this song, tbh I’ve realised I think I just love any added Anya moment now lmao. I’d love to see this live, to see the image of her on the bridge singing this.

Closing/Close The Door - (the wikipedia says “Closing” and the soundcloud name says “Close”). Like the Anya moments, I will lap up ANY added Dowager Empress moments, too! Her tired, hopeless emotions were shown a little bit in the original film, but I love how this explores them further. So low-spirited and heart-wrenching.

Land of Yesterday - Another thing this musical explores more in-depth is Russia in general, the state of it, its people, and this song is really cool. Lily’s voice is amazing!!!! (Caroline O’Connor)

The Countess and the Common Man - Awh Vlad and Lily have a love duet!! Fuck yeah! This is what I signed up for!! It’s funny, flirty, and all-round lovely.

In a Crowd of Thousands - I don’t mind that the story of how Dmitry and Anya’s pasts were linked has changed, because the new one they made up is presented so beautifully in this song. I absolutely LOVE Altomare’s voice in this, possibly more than in the other songs, and omg when she realises!! When she realises!! You’re like oh shit ! It’s her and they both know it now!! It’s also a nice development to Anya and Dmitry’s relationship.

Meant to Be - This was also in the original film, and I think it’s done wonderfully here. ‘Nuff said.

Quartet at the Ballet - The Swan Lake music gives me huge Barbie nostalgia! And then it blends so seamlessly in and out of the OUAD tune...ahh I love it. I like how it shows all these inner thoughts of these different characters, like We’ll Go From There. The ending with the overlapping solos is beautiful omg.

Everything to Win - This is a good song, but not one of my favourites or anything, it’s nice to see Dmitry’s conflict. The ending is sweet (or I guess bittersweet).

Once Upon A December (Reprise) - I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying!!!!

The Press Conference - Yet another good chorus number; I love the typewriter sound effects. And Vlad & Lily’s parts are quite funny (it’s funny when he spells out his name, for some reason. And her high notes at the end..DAMN GIRL). I’m slightly feeling like they’re being kind of lazy with the use of the OUAD tune, however.

Everything to Win (Reprise) - Nice!! Good! I like it!

Still / The Neva Flows (Reprise) - Can Gleb just shut the fuck up already. Yes, I’m still salty. (although admittedly this is a good song - I especially love Anya’s fierceness in it).

Finale - I’m not surprised they decided to end on Once Upon A December, and this is exactly what you’d expect from a musical finale, tbh.

In conclusion - I love the musical’s soundtrack, yet I’m still iffy on the whole villain thing. Feel free to reply or reblog with your own thoughts, it’ll be fun to discuss!

#anastasia #don bluth #anastasia the musical #anastasia broadway musical #broadway #musical

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ncscope-archived-blog · 7 years

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// Hiya kids, it’s me again! Here is a post I’ve thought about doing for the longest time, and recent events have finlly convinced me to make it. Don’t worry, nothing dramatic or really sad under the cut, but trigger warning for health issues, (brief mention of) mental health (depression), and probably much more information than you relly bargained for, so feel free to overlook this post and watch out for my IC stuff instead. This is simply a post I wanted to make to clarify the reasons of my occasional disappearances and comebacks, both for old and new rp partners, and it will be added as a link in my rules just so that anyone new to the blog can be warned about my somtimes wavering activity and its reasons. Still got your attention? Then read below - otherwise, I’ll see you around in my IC stuff!

However, for the past three years or so, I’ve been living with a condition called hypothyroidism. As the word itself indicates, hypothyroidism is when your thyroid, a small butterfly-shaped gland in your throat, doesn’t work as well as it should and ends up not producing enough of the hormones it’s supposed to produce. Think of your body as a car or a vehicle: it needs energy to function, right? Well, think of the thyroid as the engine (*insert Junkrat ult punchline here*): if it runs too low, the car isn’t getting enough energy to work properly, and you can expect a few bumps along the way. Long story short, the thyroid ensures your body has a functional metabolism, and when the thyroid slows down its hormones production, so does your metabolism and your body. My thyroid has been messing up for the past three years, and it’s translated through the following symptoms:

- Physical exhaustion, feeling constantly tired regardless of the amount of physical effort I actually perform in one day. It’s basically feeling sluggish and heavy and like I can’t move without a tremendous effort. There are days I can’t go out and take a 15min walk to get the groceries without being unable to leave my couch for the rest of the day and feeling like I’ve ran a marathon. I’ve never actually ran a marathon but you get the idea. - Muscular and joint pain. This one is luckily more rare, or at least not as intense as the exhaustion, but it’s there. Feeling like I’ve got cramps even though I didn’t do any sports - when coupled to the tireness, it can be a pain in the ass (see what I did there?) to deal with. - Depression. It’s not actually depression, it’s the symptoms of depression but with a different cause entirely. My brain is (supposedly) fine, but the hypothyroidism is causing the same symptoms as depression. That’s one of the hardest symptoms to deal with because it’s difficult to tell the difference between a throid-induced depression and a “regular” depression, but I definitely get worse when my thyroid treatment is not adjusted, so it’s definitely a factor for me. - Cognitive disruptions, mainly difficulties focusing and memory trouble. I’ve definitely noticed inscreased difficulties focusing on tasks or conversations, and easily forgetting stuff (where I left my keys, a conversation, etc etc).

There are more symptoms but those are the ones that really have an important impact on my daily life and, consequently, on my activity on tumblr.

So, to resume the story, I’ve been on treatment for hypothyroidism for the past three years, however, doctors were not able to find an explanation to this disorder - and therefore were unable to tell how long it would last. After a few months/years, we just ended up assuming it would really be a very long term condition, but still no explanation (not to mention the stupid doctors who would tell me: “the cause doesn’t matter, you’ll be on the same treatment anyway”).

This changed just a few days ago when I went to see my new doctor (5th or 6th over three years) and told her everything about this endless process of non-diagnosis. She took a look at all my blood analysis (approximately one every six weeks/two months for three years, quite a pile of paper) and finally gave me a proper diagnosis: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Bad news about this is: it’s an auto-immune disease, meaning I actually have an illness, and it’s my auto-antibodies turning on me and slowly destroying my thyroid, also meaning that there is no cure and that it’s a life-long condition. Good news is: it might not be cured, but it can easily be treated by maintaining and adjusting the same treatment I’ve been taking for three years.

So what this means is, the symptoms are never going to completely disappear, but since I understand the causes and consequences of the disease better now, it will be easier to predict and adjust when the symptoms occur. There are days I can function absolutely normally, do sport, do lots of activities, be really active here too, and there are days (like the past few days) where I’ll hit rock bottom and turn into a tired slug and have energy for literally nothing. Hence the occasional disappearances: if you see that I have not posted anything in a few days, it probably means that the symptoms are back and that I’m busy getting through them with a new dosage of Levothyroxin. The fact that I have the auto-immune version of the disease means that I’m alternating between “normal” periods (when the auto-antibodies are on normal levels) and what I’ve decided to call “siege periods” (when the auto-antibodies are attacking again and my thyroid is begging for mercy, which is usually when my body gets at its weakest). Meaning that my treatment will probably need a lot more adjustment and all that - tbh that’s when I start getting into unknown territories, I need to work out the specifics with my doctor and, I guess, find out on a day-to-day basis how to deal with all this for... well. Hopefully the next sixty years or so.

I should probably wrap up with this but I wanted to take the time to make this post because it was honestly something I did not expect, and I’m coming to realisation that it’s not something that will go away, so I might as well use tumblr to try out strategies to cope with this. Should I tell people? Should I keep quiet and deal with this silently even though my daily life has drastically changed since I got the first symptoms? I don’t know, and I guess there is no right or wrong answer in this type of situation, so I thought I might as well let you know what’s up and see how that goes. And this way newcomers and old followers alike can have this reference thingy when you wonder what the hell I’m doing not logging in for a few days. I’m not losing interest, I’m not losing motivation: chances are, I can only focus on one blog and it’s not this one, or I’m literally physically unable to do anything because I’m undergoing the symptoms mentioned above. Good news is, it’s only temporary, and I just need a few days (in extrement cases maybe two weeks) til I come back to normal and I write again.

If you have a doubt, just shoot me a message on IM, or Discord, or veen in my askbox to check ithat I’m still around!

Again, this is pretty new and this long post probably makes it seem a lot more dramatic than it really is, but it was important to me to get all these thoughts on paper (metaphorically). If you’ve read this til this end, you’re a champ and you have my sincerest thanks. I’ve seen quite a few people disclosing their mental disorders to let their followers know why their activity might be sporadic, but “Hashimoto’s thyroiditis” is much less evocative than “depression” or “anxiety”, and I didn’t want to just link you to the Wikipedia page, so yeah. You end up with a textwall of explanation instead. Guess I truly am a rambling grandma after all.

And in all cases, stay awesome kids, I love you all, and I send you all the hugs. Thank you for bearing with my stupid ass butt (hehe, ass, butt, see what I did th - *Ana suddenly takes over and sleepdarts her mun before dragging away her body *)

J’vous aime les copains.

#[it's quiet time: ooc]#[don't reblog]#[to be reblogged]#tw: mental health #tw: health issues #again nothing too heavy!#but better to give a heads up than none at all imma right #the diagnosis is very recent so see this post as me trying to figure out how to explain it to people really #you guys are my test audience #this is a ridiculously long post i'm so sorry

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pisscff-archived-blog · 7 years

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// Hiya kids, it’s me again! Here is a post I’ve thought about doing for the longest time, and recent events have finally convinced me to make it. Don’t worry, nothing dramatic or really sad under the cut, but trigger warning for health issues, (brief mention of) mental health (depression), and probably much more information than you relly bargained for, so feel free to overlook this post and watch out for my IC stuff instead. This is simply a post I wanted to make to clarify the reasons of my occasional disappearances and comebacks, both for old and new rp partners, and it will be added as a link in my rules just so that anyone new to the blog can be warned about my somtimes wavering activity and its reasons. Still got your attention? Then read below - otherwise, I’ll see you around in my IC stuff!

So, those of you who’ve been around for a while have noticed that I can alternate between periods of intense activity and periods of complete desertion/absence. Tumblr in itself has pretty much nothing to do with it: I thoroughly enjoy being here and writing, and I never run out of inspiration for any of my muses, really, even if sometimes I privilege one muse or one fandom over the other. Those of you who follow me on my Over.watch accounts will have noticed that I’ve been more active here recently, but honestly that’s mostly due to the fact that I have a lot more followers and rp partners over there, meaning more variety in my threads, more crack, more ic stuff, etc.

Anyway, for the past three years or so, I’ve been living with a condition called hypothyroidism. As the word itself indicates, hypothyroidism is when your thyroid, a small butterfly-shaped gland in your throat, doesn’t work as well as it should and ends up not producing enough of the hormones it’s supposed to produce. Think of your body as a car or a vehicle: it needs energy to function, right? Well, think of the thyroid as the engine (*insert Junkrat ult punchline here*): if it runs too low, the car isn’t getting enough energy to work properly, and you can expect a few bumps along the way. Long story short, the thyroid ensures your body has a functional metabolism, and when the thyroid slows down its hormones production, so does your metabolism and your body. My thyroid has been messing up for the past three years, and it’s translated through the following symptoms:

There are more symptoms but those are the ones that really have an important impact on my daily life and, consequently, on my activity on tumblr.

If you have a doubt, just shoot me a message on IM, or Discord, or veen in my askbox to check ithat I’m still around!

And in all cases, stay awesome kids, I love you all, and I send you all the hugs. Thank you for bearing with my stupid ass butt (hehe, ass, butt, see what I did th - *Mundy suddenly takes over and headshots his mun before dragging away her body *)

J’vous aime les copains.

#[psa]#[ooc]#[to be reblogged because timezones]#but yeah i already published that on my ana blog and i thought it was important to post it here too

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wildlyhardphilosopher-blog · 5 years

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how to house train your dog | training puppies

New Post has been published on https://dogtraining.dknol.com/english/how-to-house-train-your-dog-training-puppies/?utm_source=Tumblr&utm_medium=Tumblr+%230+Freda+K+Pless&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BBest+Dog+Training

how to house train your dog | training puppies

AllFerretsFishGuinea Pigs : Created by Kathryn Newman in 1996, we pioneered in-home dog training in the Twin Cities. From puppy training & Good Manners in the home to national consulting & regular, featured appearances on KARE-11 TV, Kathryn and her talented team have grown Augusta to four Twin Cities locations to include doggy daycare, overnight care, dog training classes and professional grooming. Beds & Furniture Bowls & Feeders Cleaning Supplies Clothing & Shoes Collars, Harnesses & Leashes Crates, Gates & Containment Although house training a puppy can be hard work and tiring – be patient and consistent, and all your efforts should pay off! Gifting Information One of the first things most new dog owners want is to quickly and effectively potty train their dogs. View what you’ll need for the course (PDF). 71 46 come My new pup will be traveling with me soon and I don’t think the dog-friendly hotel has a dog door (that’s a bit too friendly). I’d better get going with Housetraining 101, rather than letting my dog door allow me take the lazy way out. And, as an adjunct to the basic training, I’ll be teaching my new pup to ring a “Hey, I gotta go!” bell. It’s pretty simple to train a dog to ring a bell (I think of this as a call for room service) and in terms of my learned response (jump up and attend to her), I’m a pretty quick study. (For instructions on teaching a dog to ring a bell on the door, see “Target-Train Your Dog to Ring A Doorbell”.) Register a Litter Dog Training Shirlee Kalstone • Never punish the pup for housetraining “mistakes” – scolding has dire consequences. How to Stop Your Puppy Pulling: Perfect Loose Leash Walking First aid Screen Reader: Supported By Lori Chamberland on 11/02/2017 My Sweet Puppy says the MidWest Life Stages crate offers maximum visibility and ventilation while also being lightweight and easy to store or transport. The Wirecutter gives this crate its Runner-Up award, while Canine Journal recommends it for training. Jump up ^ Dunbar, Ian. “Sirius Dog Training”. Retrieved 30 November 2012. Make a Vehicle Donation NaturVet Quiet Moments Calming Aid Dog Soft Chews, 180 count Donate to Wikipedia If you’re calm, your puppy will be less excitable. And please, no yelling — your puppy is just a baby. Remember, you are teaching your pup how to do things correctly because it does not know any better, the poor thing. Dogs open New Dog Owner’s Guide Storm sale Step 5: Learn From The Diary To Refine Your Schedule Would you like to report this content as inappropriate? Click here GET THE LATEST SAVINGS & NEWS Jump up ^ Ancheta, Tony. “Koehler Dog Training”. Retrieved 2 December 2012. Search Care & Health • Put your puppy on a regular and timely feeding schedule – in/out clockwork. J9’s K9 Courier Tips and Tricks for Leash Training Officials said the officer interviewed the trainer, staff and a manager, who said the dog in the video was getting the “alpha training” for being really aggressive. Don’t forget to reward him with praise, special treats, play, or walks for doing his business outdoors! WebMD Magazine Bear Bear’s Blog Show More Whippet More From A Dog Lover’s Handbook Sponsor Opportunities Belgian Tervuren Schipperke If he’s about to jump up to join you, tug sideways and ignore him until he sits quietly on the floor. Sport VetBabble is a pet care site ran by veterinarians to babble facts and opinions for everyone and everything. We enjoy helping animals and technology and want to combine both to give readers and pet lovers a place to share our enjoyment and make lives better for everyone. Personal Development 3.4 Animal services decided the trainer’s behavior in the video didn’t rise to the level of animal cruelty and the case was closed. © 2018 Four Paws Inc. All Rights Reserved. Purebred Dogs Buy Now Bark at the Park Cheezie Chews The important thing to remember is by the time your dog is relieving himself on your floor, your opportunity for a successful potty break outside has passed. Insuring you’re doing your part in helping your dog succeed is the most important aspect of housetraining. That’s one tough lady who never gave up.What was this perv even doing walking the streets after so many prior sexual attacks? © Depositphotos.com / AOosthuizen Remember that puppies don’t have good bladder or sphincter control yet, and excitement can make them need to pee or poop. Take your puppy out to potty after 15 to 20 minutes of play, as well as after every meal. A potty run should be the first thing you do with him in the morning and the last thing you do with him at night. What is the best way to potty train a puppy in winter? As soon as the poop/pee is complete, immediately praise him, quickly give him several treats and then play. International Editions: 20 This is very unfair on your puppy and it will destroy the crates power as a house training tool if they lose the instinct to keep it clean. Malaysia MY Current News A: Please please email customer service at ([email protected]) or call our customer service team at 1-800-832-2412 for assistance. They have the ability to update the email address so you can put in your correct account. Nutrience Hi I have a shitzu pup she is 16weeks old….I have read all your articles about potty training.I have been trying very hard with this and days she does good and other days she’s bad.Like today for instance..we went out at 9am and was out there til 1pm she peed twice but never pooped till 4pm in house on peepee pad.I have put these pads where she has gone before in my kitchen. I have to get that cleaner natures Miracle sounds great.Today wasnt an ordinary day..usually the pup eats in the am and about an hour later poops and usually after dinner she poops too..but not today she is quite off her normal schedule.And the other problem I have her ..I would like to know how to get her to stop barking when I leave her and she continually bites and chews when petted.Have any ideas would be truly appreciated.I do crate her but she hasnt been in crate too much lately cus I have been home from an operation…she use to be on a tight schedule…will this be bad for her when I go back to work..and what should I do to get her use to it again.Thankyou, Book Online Did you know there are five kinds of barking? Professor Donaldson examines the various reasons dogs bark and provides suggestions to train your dog out of this behavior. She also explains why this is one of the more frustrating areas to train, but by understanding the motivation for barking and applying consistent methods, you can more effectively and efficiently learn to work with ways to stop it. x …even housebreaking! April 15, 2018 SUBSCRIBE (Left) Lifestyle The Studio Most Popular Articles chewing (the wrong things) July 27, 2018 Schedule 3. Get started Dog Psychology Heartworms and Worms 2.0 out of 5 starsCute little tricks territorialism Menu Tom and Curley When you remember these basic instructions, it will enable you to set the right course from the get-go. This way, you’ll be sure always to stay on track on how to potty train your puppy, even when there are accidents and setbacks. Exercise & Toys for Birds PetLock See 11 Top Tips for Great Puppy Recall. Start early and be consistent. You should start disciplining your puppy as soon as you bring it home. Puppies learn quickly and should be shown what behavior is unacceptable in your house. This also means that you must be consistent when responding to bad behavior. If not, your puppy will be confused, making it harder to prevent the bad behavior.[1] 3.9 out of 5 stars 72 More For Dogs Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

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fbq('track', 'ViewContent', content_ids: 'dogtraining.dknol', ); Play specialized games to build reliability The best way to do this is to include it in your vocabulary lessons and your respect lessons. If you teach words and respect properly, acceptance of being handled will come naturally – they go “hand-in-hand”, so to speak! Check your puppy’s tail – it should be wagging. Is your puppy comfortable? Does he like the trainer? Here’s the trick to a clean poo pickup… turn the bag inside out, place your hand inside and grab the poo. Fold the sides of the bag up around the poo, turning it right side out, and tie the bag tightly. That wasn’t so bad, was it? POTTY TRAINING FOR PUPPIES Complete Guide: How to potty train your puppy in just 7 days A STEP-BY-STEP program so your pup will understand you! (potty train puppy, puppy training potty, potty train) Dog Breeds Training (7) Link a “call” to a “reward.” Mental Health Experts recommend confining the puppy to a defined space, whether that means in a crate, in a room, or on a leash. As your puppy learns that he needs to go outside to do his business, you can gradually give him more freedom to roam about the house. For example…. brushing, bathing, clipping nails, cleaning teeth, giving a pill, putting on a collar or harness. So pick a command like ‘toilet time‘ that you will only use when you’re taking them to the bathroom and you will not allow them to do anything else. Share your thoughts with other customers 4 Housetraining Ground Rules March 24, 2018 at 3:26 pm Catcher doing an NW3 Nose Work vehicle search If you can’t keep your eye on her, she should be crated (such as at night, when you are gone, etc.). Luke Kountz Is a Christmas Puppy a Good Idea? Pocket Beagle How to potty train your puppy if you work full time – method 2 Tropical Carnival August is… The idea is to test your Dog to see how he responds in an environment which is new to him. Set-up a situation where you are in control of the environment and your Dog. What You Should Do Between Scheduled Bathroom Breaks Good luck…let me know how you get on! Sign Up & Save puppy training tips for kids | Puppy Training Session: Stop Running Away and Stopping Other Unwanted Habits puppy training tips for kids | How to Train your Puppy to Stop Biting puppy training tips for kids | 6 Dog Training Questions YOU Probably Don’t Know the Answer to… Legal | Sitemap

#how to teach a puppy to walk on a leash #In Home Puppy Training

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valeriebielbooks · 7 years

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July Writers’ Forum

In my journey through the steps of independent publishing, refining my writing skills, and most recently completing a successful agent search, I’ve come across some excellent information, tips, tools, and shortcuts that I think would be beneficial to any writer. Once a month, I’ll share the “best of” information and news from the publishing industry as well as feature other authors and writing instructors with tips to share. I am incredibly thankful for the assistance and advice given to me from writing and publishing professionals and am happy pay that forward. On a professional level, I also use my publicity and editorial skills to aid other authors through my company Lost Lake Press.

Happy 100th Blogiversary to me! This is my 100th blog post since beginning the Three Rs: Reading, wRiting, and Roaming in 2014.

Book Events

I am not sure if Sherman Alexie had any upcoming book tour stops here in Wisconsin. I know he was here for the Untitled Town Book Fest in Green Bay this spring. Please take a moment to read his note about the heartbreaking reasons he has decided to stop his book tour.

He was promoting You Don't Have to Say You Love Me -- a memoir mostly about his relationship with his late mother, Lillian Alexie. It's available in both hardcover and Kindle or wherever you prefer to shop for books. (Alexie is best known for his middle-grade novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.)

Bookish Happenings for August

Books & Company at 1039 Summit Avenue in Oconomowoc is getting creative with a Return to Hogwarts Party on August 24 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm . . . trivia, refreshments, games etc… Looks like fun! Learn more at: http://www.booksco.com/event/back-hogwarts-party-thursday-august-24-630-pm

Mystery to Me Bookstore at 1863 Monroe Street in Madison has a great schedule of events for August:

Wednesday, August 9 at 6 pm Lesley Kagen will be speaking at the Sun Prairie Public Library. Kagen is a bestselling and award-winning Wisconsin author who will discuss her career as a writer, actress, and voice talent followed by a book signing. (Books sold by Mystery to Me.) Free and open to the public.

Thursday, August 10 at 7 pm at the store Allyson K. Abbott and Vickie Fee will be talking about their new installments in their cozy mystery series: A Toast to Murder by Allyson K. Abbott and One Fete in the Grave by Vickie Fee. (RSVP via the Eventbrite link on the store’s website below.)

Sunday, August 13 at 6:30 pm Craig Johnson (of Longmire fame) will visit the store. He’ll discuss his new book, The Western Star, to be released September 5. (Special bookplates are available for those who preorder the book for the author to sign that evening.)

Friday, August 25 at 7 pm William Kent Krueger will discuss his latest pulse-pounding thriller, Sulfur Springs. This event also has a rsvp set up on Eventbrite at the store’s website.

https://www.mysterytomebooks.com/events

Please let me know of any upcoming book releases or events that you’d like featured in the Writers’ Forum!

Featured Subject

Don’t Miss Out on Affiliate Marketing

If you have ever felt like there’s no way you’re ever going to learn everything you ought to know about the publishing world, join the crowd. I had one such moment a few weeks ago when I learned about affiliate link marketing. (Some of you I am sure are shaking your heads at this and asking, “How did she not know about this?” Trust me. I asked myself the same thing.)

So, for those of you who need a quick tutorial, I am here to save the day!

Here’s how Wikipedia defines Affiliate Marketing: . . . (It) is a marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts.

What does this mean?

If you have links to your own products (or other products) on your blog or website you should be using an affiliate link which gives you a small fee for each purchase made by clicking through that link from your page or blog. You don’t get paid much, but if you already have purchase links to your books on your website, what do you have to lose by making sure these are affiliate links that pay you a small percentage on top of your book royalty. And you don’t have to stop there, many products are available for affiliate linkage. There’s a nice article about how this works on a blog by Melissa Culbertson.

At the moment, I’ve only created Amazon affiliate links—so that’s what I’ve focused on here. For the step-by-step process in how to become an Amazon Associate (the first step in being able to create these links), read this “Savvy Book Marketer” post. Once Amazon sends you your Associate acceptance email, this article from “Untethered Income” will help you successfully build (and test) product links.

This is a good start, but all of your book links ought to be affiliate links. Nearly every online retailer has a program, you just need the diligence to set them up.

Pre-Publication Information

Best Book Covers of 2016

The Design Observer released its winners of the 50 Best Book Covers of 2016. This may be especially helpful for reference if you are at the beginning of your cover design process. The only downside to this list is that the genre is not listed. Some are obvious, but others would require some research. There are a number of great contests out there to see which book covers are considered the best of the best. Definitely do some genre-specific internet searches to see what’s working best for the type of book you write BEFORE you finalize your cover.

The Pro-Bono Marketing Staff Every Self-Published Author Has at Their Fingertips

I have to admit that the reason I clicked on this Book Designer article by Eva Lesko Natiello was my reaction that I had somehow missed out on something. What the heck??

I knew better, of course, but it got me to click. This article is a witty take on how elements of book design and promotion can serve as the hardest-working parts of a successful publishing venture. For instance, she lists your Book Cover as the Senior V.P. of Sales and your Meta Data/Book Description as your Senior V.P. of Marketing. Read the full article here.

Using Keywords to your Advantage in your Book Description

As you set up your book description (particularly on KPD/Kindle) you get to pick two book categories and then seven keywords. If you are savvy when choosing those keywords, you can leverage them to give you access to more than your two main book categories. But you have to know the right words to choose for other categories where your book might fit! A 2013 article from Jennifer Bresnick served as my original guide to this and a new article from Melinda Clayton at Indies Unlimited addresses this same topic.

Using my first novel as an example, I chose these two main categories for my young adult fantasy novel based on Celtic mythology:

· Juvenile Fiction > Fantasy & Magic

· Juvenile Fiction > Legends, Myths, Fables > Other

Then I added these keywords: Teen & Young Adult, Paranormal, Celtic, Coming of Age, Historical, Ireland, Romance

Those keywords have allowed my book to not only be ranked and searchable under the two main categories but the book has also been listed under Coming of Age and Paranormal & Urban Fantasy even though those aren’t either of the two main categories. The articles take a deeper look at this subject.

When to Publish Your Book

And just when you think your book should come out in time for Christmas sales, think again . . . The BookBaby blog walks through the best months for release, depending on your topic.

Agents Tell It Like They See It!

If you want to listen in on agents being extremely candid about the book industry, check out this discussionfeaturing Jodi Reamer (Writers House), Kim Witherspoon (Inkwell Management), Robert Gottlieb (Trident Media), Sloan Harris (ICM), Eric Simonoff (WME), and Christy Fletcher (Fletcher & Company) on the “Publishing . . . And Other Forms of Insanity” blog.

Post-Publication

My Failed WATTPAD Experiment

I had hoped that the free reader platform, Wattpad, would be a springboard to more fans and more sales. Unfortunately, the Wattpad Success Story proved elusive for me. I detail my experience and what I did right and wrong here.

Promoting your YA Novel

Another article from Book Baby this month gives tips on promoting your young adult novel through different types of social media . . . there’s some expected advice about Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest, but what was new to me were the tips about promoting via Reddit. I have one more thing on my list now--which might be good after my Wattpad fail.

Audio Books

Anne R. Allen has an excellent interview with an Audible/ACX narrator that gives inside info on getting your book recorded, so you don’t miss out on the fastest growing book market.

BUT I’M SO TIRED

I’ve thrown a lot at you today from a lot of different directions. Even if you’re not ready to use all of this advice immediately, you might be thinking, “I’m so tired!” or “There’s too much to do!” We all feel that way at least some of the time. Book writing is hard, but I think book marketing is even more difficult. Judith Briles on The Book Designer website recognizes this and talks us through our “marketing fatigue”. She acknowledges the hard work that is required to be successful and gives encouragements to keep us moving in the right direction!

Happy Reading & Writing, Valerie

#writing #writers #indieauthors #indiepublishing #indiepublish #writingtips #writing tips #writing problems #writing probz #author #authoradvice #author advice

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infinitehouseofbooks · 7 years

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BLOG TOUR - Spellbound Box Set

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS by Bewitching Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

Spellbound: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

Bleeding Hearts

Ash Krafton

Genre: fantasy/ paranormal romance/ urban fantasy

Publisher: genreCRAVE

Date of Publication: May 2, 2017

ASIN: B01N18NFS9

Number of pages: 5000+

Word Count: 1.5 Million +

Cover Artist: Rebecca Frank

Box Set Description:

The Spellbound Boxed Set is a compilation of 20+ Full-Length Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance reads!

Readers of all ages will be swept away by this fascinating mix of existing titles and brand new content, full of pages brimming with faeries, witches, vampires, shifters, psychics, Greek gods, angels, demons, and even ghosts!

With over a million words of fiction, this is your one stop shop for urban fantasy, epic fantasy, sword and sorcery, shifter romance, vampire romance, elemental magic, time travel, and MORE from today’s New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling authors!

Although some of these reads may be gritty and dark, this is a collection of clean reads that anyone will enjoy!

Pre-Order Sale Only .99

Amazon Kobo BN Apple

The collection includes titles from…

International bestselling author Jade Kerrion

NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Joanne Wadsworth

International bestselling author Nicole Zoltack

International bestselling author Rachel E. Carter

International bestselling author Andrea Pearson

International bestselling author Alicia Rades

International bestselling author Sophie Davis

USA TODAY bestselling author Michael J Ploof

International bestselling author Megan Crewe

International bestselling author C.E. Wilson

International bestselling author Kelly Carrero

International bestselling author Jess Haines

International bestselling author E. Blix

International bestselling author Alexis Kade

International bestselling author GP Ching

International bestselling author Gaja J. Kos and Boris Kos

International bestselling author Dara Fraser

International bestselling author Ash Krafton

International bestselling author Jim Johnson

NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Tom Shutt

International bestselling author Emily Martha Sorensen

International bestselling author S McPherson

The first chapters of books by each featured author are available in the Spellbound Sampler, available on Wattpad

Interview with SPELLBOUND SERIES Author Gaja J. Kos

What initially got you interested in writing?

Oh, a tough one to start the interview with! In all honesty, it’s hard for me to pinpoint what exactly had driven me to start writing because I’ve been doing that since the moment I learned my alphabet! My mom still has a little booklet I made when I was about three, maybe four years old. The story is about an old woman that went to find water in the middle of the tundra. Plot twist: She didn’t find any. She died.

Laughs aside, I think writing is simply a fundamental part of me. I’ve never veered away from it, regardless of everything else that was going on in my life. However, the output did vary—from scripts and plays to prose, poetry, or, during college, academic essays.

How did you decide to make the move into being a published author?

Initially, I published poetry in my native language (Slovene), so I already had some experience when I went indie. And I think that background gave me the courage to try going down this path.

The main motivation, however, was the fact that I enjoyed writing novels in English (tried it in Slovenian, but—in my very personal and very subjective opinion—our language is perfect to create poetry, not prose), coupled with the realisation that I didn’t want to continue down the academic route.

Although I enjoyed exploring literature on a theoretical level, creating worlds and stories was what made my days complete. Still does. So I decided to pursue it as a career.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

Aside from the unique world every book offers its readers, I hope I can give them a glimpse into another culture.

My dream was (and still is) to merge the vast world of Slavic mythology with genres people know and love. That’s why all my titles are either linked to our legends, have characters based on our gods and other mythological creatures, or are retellings of traditional fairy tales.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

Everything. I love the creative process from start to finish.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Saying goodbye to a world I created. Which is something I’m going through right now.

Writing every day is easy. But battling the overwhelming emotions as reach the conclusion to a series in order to stay focused on all the details that still need tweaking… It takes discipline.

What advice would you give to people want to enter the field?

I’m a firm believer that you should write the books you’d like to read. But, if you want to pursue writing as a career, things can’t end there.

Research is your friend.

I can’t even begin to say how much I’ve learned since I became a published author, and I continue to broaden that knowledge with each passing day. Editors, covers, tropes readers like/dislike, launches, promotions, pricing, formatting, trends, fads, cultivating habits… There are so many aspects of being a published author that I won’t go into everything here.

It’s all online.

A professor of mine once said, in an outburst of anger, “I’m sick and tired of your Internets!”

Sure, he was talking about people who didn’t double check facts before snagging them off Wikipedia. But he was wrong to look down on something as amazing as the internet.

We can’t study creative writing in Slovenia. And our country is still stuck in a very rigid model of traditional publishing. Without the internet, I would never be where I am now.

And that’s my advice to you. Find writers’ groups on Facebook. Join forums. Read and learn.

I’ve made mistakes in the beginning—mistakes I could have easily avoided if I’d been more thorough in my research. Though they proved to be an excellent learning tool in the end, it would have been so much better to simply get things right from the start.

But, in my opinion, the one thing that matters the most when you decide to publish is the answer to a single question. Indie or traditional?

Both have their pros and cons on paper. I say “on paper” because for someone like me, someone who likes to write several novels per year, values having complete control over every aspect of my work, and actually enjoys marketing, there are no cons. As there most likely wouldn’t be in the traditional field for someone who writes a novel or two per year, likes the actual writing stage of the process but gladly hands off everything else to a team of experts. Or, you can try to capture the best of both worlds, and go hybrid.

So Google away, gain as much knowledge as you can, and create a path, tailored to your specific needs and desires.

What ways can readers connect with you?

Readers can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or via email. All the necessary info is up on my website: gajajkos.com

About the SPELLBOUND Interview Author, Gaja K. Kos:

Gaja J. Kos is an international bestselling author with a mission to breathe fragments of Slavic lore onto many, many pages of fiction.

Gaja resides in Celje, Slovenia, with her husband (as well as co-author) and two Chinese Crested dogs.

Book Description Bleeding Hearts by Ash Krafton

Sophie Galen is an advice columnist whose work leaves her neck-deep in other people’s problems. Thanks to her compassion, her gut instinct, and her magnetic charm, Sophie really knows how to attract little black clouds.

Marek Thurzo is no little black cloud; he’s a maelstrom. Marek is Demivampire, a race with the potential to evolve into vampire. A warrior who’s taken his share of spiritual damage, he hovers dangerously close to destruction.

He seeks salvation. She’s driven to save him. But what if he can’t be saved?

Sympathy for his plight becomes true empathy as Sophie’s hidden nature is revealed. Marek suspects she may be one of the Sophia, oracle and redemption of the damned Demivampire. She alone can turn back the evolutionary clock.

All she needs is the courage to face her fears. Can she save him from Falling?

The following is an excerpt from BLEEDING HEARTS Demimonde Book 1 by Ash Krafton

In the great hall housing the Egyptian exhibitions, I immediately noted the change in the atmosphere. The room was cool and dry, its climate controlled to mimic the conditions in which the relics had existed in their native land.

The entire room had been designed to resemble an Old Kingdom temple. The main lights were dimmed while strategically-placed spotlights emphasized massive columns and magnificent wall carvings like sunbeams through temple windows.

I scanned the room. No other tourists. Even better. I meandered, enjoying the rare opportunity to linger.

Craning my neck, I ran my gaze up each of the columns, reading the images, admiring the palm leaves carved at the tops like great stone trees. Eyes toward the ceilings, I turned slowly around, admiring the handiwork of the ancient artists.

What was it like to live in those lands and those times? Could an ancient version of my spirit have been there, stepping barefoot and silently through a sandy temple like this one?

Lost in contemplation, I was completely unprepared for the shock of smacking into someone, bumping him hard enough to lose my balance. I’d have fallen had he not caught my arm. Wide-eyed with consternation, I stammered an apology to the handsome but serious-faced gentleman.

“You are not hurt, I hope?” His voice, deep and smooth, sent shivers marching down my neck, between my shoulders, down my spine.

“I’m okay.” I shook my head, too shy to make direct eye contact, wishing I’d checked my hair and lipstick before coming in. “I’m far too adept at being inept.”

He flashed a grin and I caught a glimpse of nice white teeth. “Temples are places for spiritual reflection. It is forgivable if your vision was turned inward, rather than toward where you were walking.”

His expression softened by amusement, he tilted his head toward the pillars. “Majestic, aren’t they?”

I stole another glance at him—black hair smoothed back into a discreet tail, clear light skin framed by long sideburns, strong jaw culminating in a square, cleft chin. Like the other items in the museum, something about him made me want to look closer, inspect each detail.

A subtle flush warmed my cheeks and ears so I quickly turned back to the heights of the exhibition. Murmuring a sound of agreement, I circled the column, stepping a few feet away so I could see both him and the stone. “Do you visit this museum often?”

Furtive glances allowed me to take in more of his appearance a tiny section at a time. Clothing dark as his hair. Long blazer, something in between a suit coat and an overcoat. In one hand he carried a bound book and fountain pen, as if he’d been making notes.

His gaze was calm and steady and entirely on me. Taking a deep breath I permitted the contact of the direct look. My boldness was well-rewarded. His Paul Newman lips brought to mind the sculptured busts on display in the Greco-Roman Quarters and he wore a stern expression that cast a veil of hardness upon his features, enhancing the impression he’d been carved from marble.

Except for his eyes. The Roman busts bore eyes that were blank and white but this man’s eyes were alive with bright green color. Like gemstones, they glittered and drew my gaze.

“No, actually,” he said. “My first time here. Although, I admit, I’m drawn to places like this.” His voice made music of the words—deep bass notes and soothing rhythm.

“Ah!” I said. “A man after my own heart.” His left eyebrow arched so sharply I thought it might disappear into his hairline and I hurriedly continued. “Are you a professor?”

“No, nothing like that. I do studying of my own, it’s not a living. It’s more of a hobby. Personal research, of sorts.”

“Studying past times is one of my pastimes. It’s my preferred form of entertainment.”

“Mmm.” Eyebrow cocked again, he cast a disapproving look at me and swept his hand around the contrived temple. “Would the gods be pleased to know they are reduced to the level of entertainment?”

“I hope so.” I kept my tone light. Considering the seriousness of his expression, I didn’t want to accidentally insult him. “Otherwise, they’d have to be content with staying dead, right?”

His gaze swept over me and I shivered again as if the touch had been tangible, a brush of fingertips against my cheek.

“Well, I’ll leave you to your worship. I mean, your wanderings.” He gave me a conspirator’s wink. “Unless…”

He hesitated, with a quiet clearing of throat as he tucked his notebook and pen into an inside pocket. “You wouldn’t mind a companion? Sometimes one sees things differently when seeing through another’s eyes. I would appreciate a new perspective.”

I mulled it over, listening to the rain spattering the windows and distant voices echoing faintly from other rooms. Although I’d looked forward to a quiet afternoon, it might be nice to spend it with someone who seemed to share my interests. He certainly was attractive, and his pleasant voice intrigued me.

I realized I’d become used to living inside a shell. This man made me want to step outside for once.

“I’d like that.” I smiled at his pleased expression. “I’m Sophie, by the way.” I stuck out my hand in introduction.

Instead of shaking my hand, he bent his head over it and pressed polite lips to the backs of my fingers. The quaint gesture would have seemed strange and out of place had we been elsewhere. “I am Marek. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Fingers tingling from the unexpected kiss, I fought the urge to curtsy. “Well, Marek. Lead me into the past.”

His almost-smile sent a thrill down the back of my neck. “That’s exactly the sort of thing I’d hoped you say. Shall we?”

He turned on his heel and swept out a hand with a slight bow, indicating the archway to another exhibit. For the first time since I’d been coming to this museum, I wondered what I’d see on the other side, and was surprised to realize I wasn’t afraid to find out.

About the SPELLBOUND Excerpt Author, Ash Krafton:

A speculative fiction girl through and through, Ash writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels as well as poetry and short fiction. She also writes for New Adult audiences under the name AJ Krafton. Her work has won a bunch of awards and was even nominated for a Pushcart Prize. When she’s not writing, she’s practicing Tai Chi, listening to loud rock and metal, or crushing on supervillains.

Most recently, she’s re-released her urban fantasy trilogy THE BOOKS OF THE DEMIMONDE because she never really left the world of Sophie and her Demivamps. She’s also working on the next installment of her Demon Whisperer series.

Find out more when you visit www.ashkrafton.com

Blog: http://ash-krafton.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ashkrafton

Facebook: http://facebook.com/ashkraftonauthor

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/Ash_Krafton

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/demimondeash

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ash_krafton

Website: http://www.ashkrafton.com/

Newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/b1w9p1

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BLOG TOUR – Spellbound Box Set was originally published on the Wordpress version of SHANNON MUIR'S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS.

#infinite house of books #shannon muir

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sadlystrangerthanfiction · 8 years

Text

Trolling A Troll

So, tonight I had a conversation, one that I was trying to honestly avoid but twitter is not the best place to make retorts. (Not really.) I took probably what was considered the easy way out with an “we shall agree to disagree” thing so I could just move on. I didn’t feel the need to talk about it. But it urks me. I am never one to simply walk away with out talking alot to get my point across before letting it be what it be.

So here we go.

Internet trolling is something that irked me today. Before we go further though.. let’s look at the Wikipedia’s definition of an internet troll...

In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[1]extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion,[3] often for the troll's amusement.

Okay, everyone on the same page? Good. Now before we go further, let’s be clear. This is clearly a first world geek problem, and I’ll tell you why here in a second.

Simply put, I feel that the TV Grim Reaper sometimes is an internet troll. Simple as that.

The TV Grim Reaper, for those not in the know, is a guy who was at one point, the cancellation bear. The Cancellation Bear is a twitter handle that used to report for TV By the Numbers. The guy who runs it was so good at his job at learning the figures and facts behind the ratings, that he began to amazingly (not really) predict shows failures and successes as renewals. He became adept at seeing the bullshit.

In a lot of ways, I dig that.

And the Grim Reaper, for good reason, gets inundated with tons of S.O.S. crap, or for those not in the know... Save Our Show crap. Lord knows I used to be one of those. I still tend to ‘have hope’ despite it being hopeless, (my thinking behind The Muppets surviving their first season is a good example) but The Grim Reaper had it down pat. He gets fans bugging him and trolling him.

But at what point does the trolled become a troll?

Imagine that every day you post numbers in your feed. You had some sarcastic bite to it, because that’s what you do. People love it. And then fans of a show you posted low numbers of come at you with pitchforks.

All for reporting the ratings and stating the ever likely truth.

So, it makes sense to randomly post stuff back at them.

It makes sense.

And usually, as someone who follows the feed ,you can see the back and forth. It makes sense when he ‘goes after’ fans of the show.

Other times... he will link to what he calls PRJedi mind tricks or bullshit and pokes the entertainment reporting websites. PR Jedi, aka, Press Releases that make you think one way about a doomed show, when in fact it is a doomed show. Example: A show with ratings that equal cancellation, they promote it as being a popular hit show, or it doing this in ratings, etc.

Some of these are great. He is usually dead on.

But every once and a while, I see a tweet that kinda just trolls back and no one is trolling him on.

Why do that?

The tweet in question was for the show Timeless. A show that is gonna get canceled as he states in his reports. And usually... PRJedi bullshit is what it is. It’s bullshit. And he is great for snuffing that out.

Before we go further, I guess I should throw out there that I’ve seen half an episode of Timeless on NBC. My sister-in-law loves it. I do not. And frankly, I didn’t even think of it, until I saw his tweet that is. (I actually had to look up what it was again because I didn’t care for it).

So I have no dog in this fight (for this show, that is). I am not a fan and usually I tend to agree with him at going after people who troll him. (which I know isn’t right).

But in this case... there was no back and forth with fans pestering him about Timeless. The article he linked to did not really PRJedi it up with how great the show was, just plugging a guest start. So what. Look, I know the show isn’t moving mountains and will be gone soon, but it’s a product. They are selling it best they can, (and in some cases,depending on the actor, it’s been in the works that they will PR the shit out of an appearance anyway).

Also, i used to, as a low-level (beyond low-level) writer for Examiner in Columbus, would get PR bursts from NBC and other networks under the Universal umbrella. Especially for shows like Timeless where they aren’t timeless, but doomed to fail, they start lumping their press releases together. It’s a waste of time to do single e-mails for all of these.

So more likely, this was the bottom of a feed that TV Line, which makes tons of traffic on Supernatural-like news, decided to post. It isn’t sensationalizing anything. In terms of entertainment news, it is kinda news. How is it Jedi PR bullshit, honestly?

Which then leads to...

why the smart-ass comment?

Ultimately to me, his tweet seemed to entice fans of Timeless and piss them off. Which, fits the definition of an internet troll as stated above.

So... when does the adage of “An eye for an eye” not become sound? Was it ever really sound? Other things to take in to account:

I don’t care enough to take into account Timeless fans being jerks to him outside of the last 20 tweets. If they WERE bugging him, than maybe retweet another tweet by them and then post that one? Context is everything.

This is not the first time I am urked by him being unprovoked and trolling fans of a doomed show with no provocation. Again though, no provocation that I can see.

See first one. I still don’t care enough about Timeless.

Wait, you are writing a blog about it though? Don’t you care a little bit? Well, about how he is a troll. Not about the tv show. I feel that it is a factor that is easily replaced with ANY television show he is reporting on.

Overall, if it wasn’t for his facts and figures, I would unfollow him in a heartbeat. There are enough assholes and bullies in the world. And I’m glad other people get off on him being that way to fans, and heck, I won’t lie. Sometimes I do enjoy him being prickish to other people who troll him. But... I guess as I get older, the people... the fans who are NOT trolling him... then I guess I just tire of a bully. And I tire of being a bully who finds it acceptable. And we have enough of that with the PEOTUS soon to be POTUS around.

#trolling #random thoughts

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