#I keep using the word “snippet” and then posting like two paragraphs of text

[sillylildude]

The discarded past speaks to me, tell me more.

Ooooooh, this one and the chapter that comes right after are two of my favorites that I've written so far. So this WIP is set in (sorta, kinda, a lot of things are altered to the point that I am about to just label this an "original legend") pre-Calamity BOTW and follows an original Yiga character named Daem. This chapter is pretty early in the fic and includes Link's first introduction to this convoluted tale. He's been established as Zelda's personal knight for a while now, and for the first time in a long time he's traveling solo to accomplish a small personal mission for Zelda (secretly, of course, lest Rhoam find out and punish them both severely). As he makes his way back to the Castle, though, something like intuition tells him to take a detour.

I shot myself in the foot with these chapter titles because if I tell the inspiration behind the title of this chapter it will spoil a major plot point so uh... Won't be doing that lol. But anyway, here's a non-spoiler snippet beneath the break.

"If there was one lesson Link had learned in his life, it was to listen to his gut. And at that moment, for whatever reason, his gut was telling him to take a detour through Gerudo Canyon. Unsure of what he was to be looking for, he turned Talon’s head south and clucked once, and the stallion sped onward.

The suspension bridge was free of suspicious activity, as well as the entrance to the Gerudo Canyon Pass. Link carried on at a trot, squinting through the darkness and straining his ears to listen through the whistling wind and the sound of Talon’s hooves. Some time after rounding Mount Nabooru, just as he began to consider turning around and giving up on this silly notion, he noticed a long, dark streak in the dirt ahead. Link dismounted, drew the Master Sword, and walked slowly toward the horizontal streak. He could not make out what it was by sight alone, but the faint smell of iron in the air around it suggested blood. It appeared that the trail had started at some point deeper into the Canyon, but had suddenly veered off to the left where Link was standing, leading into a small, shallow cave. He followed the trail, and his hand gripped the Sword a little tighter."

Thanks for asking!!

[delusionisaplace]

writer q&a tag Game

thanks @fleurtygurl for the tag!!! you can find her post here

1. What motivates you to write?

all of my lovely mutuals and anyone who has reached out asking for more information about my works are what motivate me everyday to keep writing. just knowing that someone is interested in what i write is enough to keep me going.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them).

i might post the rest of this ltr if i feel like it, but for now here’s a lil snippet from 2083:

Genji was sincere in everything he said, his devotion coming from the depths of his soul. He longed to give Akira everything his heart desired, even if it meant giving up all that he worked for. He yearned to provide Akira with a life worth living, a life filled with joy and free from the pains and pressures of the outside world—a life where Akira could truly find happiness.

3. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

i’m not too good at writing dialogue, but something that i’ve always thought i was best at is writing scene descriptions—i feel as though with a paragraph or two, i can easily set the mood for the rest of the chapter.

4. What do you enjoy most about the Writeblr community?

i love how sweet and kind everyone in the writeblr community is. when i first started posting about my wips, i remember thinking that no one was going to care, but when people started reaching out, asking questions about my writing and showing interest, i felt a lot more confident in sharing my works. so ty to my moots and everyone else who’s part of the writeblr community:)

5. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech-to-text, a writing program etc)

some sites i use to help me write are notion and reedsy. they help me organize my ideas so i don’t spend hours getting lost in my thoughts about how a particular chapter or storyline is supposed to progress.

6. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc).

i really like the class divisions of 2083, especially since it helps build a contrast between Akira’s and Genji’s characters and early in the story.

7. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

at this point in time, i might be the worst person to ask this question since i’ve just been thugging it out for the past month or so, but i think talking to other people, especially another writer, is a good way to get through a rough patch, since they can provide you with words of encouragement or advice for how to progress with your story. or, if you don’t feel like talking to another person, try talking aloud to yourself—that usually helps me catch mistakes and inconsistencies in my storyline or helps me come up with ideas.

kinda too tired to tag ppl sooo open tag for anyone who wants to do this :))

[chaotic-bells]

@thedevilinmybrain ​ tagged me to share a snippet of something I’m writing, and for the first time I have something to share that’s not part of a round robin!

His phone pings with a message a few hours later, startling Harry. It’s dark outside, and Harry realizes he has no idea of what time it is. A quick glance at his phone and his lockscreen accuses him of spending the past three hours reading. Once he unlocks his phone, he sees there is a message from a number he doesn’t recognize.

“Heya, I would like to make a maintenance request. I’m from apartment 28.”

Harry blinks, the words not fully penetrating his brain. His eyes travel back to his computer, to the story he was reading just seconds ago.

“Don’t!” says Noah, stopping Jeremy’s hands as they travel under his shirt. “We can’t keep doing this. I can’t wake up to an empty bed again.”

His phone pings again, this time an email alert with the same message he received from tenant of apartment 28. He should really answer that. What did Niall say again? Get pictures, or something?

“Hello. What seems to be the issue? Could you send us a picture?” He replies, barely paying attention. He continues reading the story, anxious to know what happens next.

“There is no hot water in my apartment since early today. I assumed you guys were working on it, but Liam says everything is fine in his apartment.”

Harry glances at his phone, and as he sees just a text with no pictures, he hits reply without bothering to really read it.

“Would you mind sending me a picture of your issue?”

“It looks like this… but not hot...?”

There is a picture this time, but as far as Harry can see it’s a working water tap. He knows he should be paying more attention, but there are only two more paragraphs to go. He will just finish reading and then reply to 28 in a moment. From what he can see, it is not like anything is on fire anyway.

His phone pings again a few minutes later, just as Harry finishes reading the last sentence. He doesn’t have the time to be anxious about the cliffhanger and any thoughts about Jeremy and Noah flees Harry’s mind as he reads the message.

“Oh, you mean a *picture*. Got it. How about this one?”

There is a selfie attached to the message as well. It is of the most gorgeous man Harry has ever seen. His side swept fringe is almost covering one of his sky blue eyes, hair under an oversized grey hood. He looks soft and sleepy like he just woke up.

He also looks very annoyed, and is flipping him off in the picture. There is a caption in bright green letters on the bottom of the picture.

“Please. Fix my water Daddy.”

Harry chokes on nothing.

Based on this post.

I’ll tag @evilovesyou @justalarryblog @whatevertearsyou @whatagreatproblemtohave @homosociallyyours @allwaswell16

[thesimperiuscurse]

THE CHALLENGE — show a certain part of your story process based on you being tagged by other creators. 

Thank you @herpixels for tagging me in your wonderful challenge! Here’s a behind-the-scenes essay for En Pointe ❤

WRITING PROCESS — show us a part of your script or explain how you write your scenes. do you write in screenplay format or novel format?

I write in novel format, and have a very methodical process. I have a Planning Notebook which covers all the general elements of the story; cast list + descriptions, main plot, themes, overviews of all chapters, timeline, world + settings information, research links, and a massive section with all my notes on relationships, character styles, history, writing goals, arcs, and most crucially, what to avoid from the absolute fucking mess of Fallen Angels. 

At the smaller scale, before writing, I plan out each chapter in my Chapter Workbook. First is the Outline, which is a synopsis of the main events. Going off that, I write a list of Chapter Shots which describes in writing all the pictures; what kind of shot it is (long, over-the-shoulder, etc), the location + atmosphere, and what the characters are doing. Corresponding to these I list the Poses, for each character and what expression they have. I then write a To Do List for what sets to build, new sims to make, number of poses to create, the cc I have to find or make. The final section is Details, which notes down all the little things I have to remember; running gags, nuances, and themes; current state of relationships and character arcs to keep track of their development; what my aims are for character perceptions + issues I need to fix from the last chapter. This section is super important to make sure the story unfolds smoothly and revelations make sense, or else I get something abrupt like Mako x Raven, because I didn’t foreshadow clearly or early enough in advance. Here are snippets of what this looks like:

Once I finish all this planning (the current word count of the two documents is 20k lmfao), then I begin writing. It’s a lot less structured because I just start with the most exciting scenes or ones I’ve been thinking about for a while. I organise the paragraphs according to the Chapter Shots. A bit of light editing then the writing is ready to publish! 

SCENE BUILDING — show us you in the middle of scene building through pictures, gifs, or a video. explain what is the best thing about scene building and what is the worst!

I dislike scene building because TS3′s weak ass makes everything so tedious. I have a Pinterest board to inspire the settings. The worst part is definitely when the game moves at 0.001 m/s and crashes, which happens far too often and pisses me off. Here’s a screenshot I accidentally took when setting up the big family dinner scene in Chapter 8. I tried my best to minimise the amount of sims that were actually there because I take shortcuts whenever possible. Crowd scenes suck. 

CC + POSE MAKING — do you make your own cc/poses for your scene? If so, what is your process like to create? do you just go off the top of your head? do you use reference photos?

I make all the poses that aren’t singular and ‘normal’, due to height differences and also so I can achieve my exact vision. Depending on the length of the chapter, this can range from 20-50 poses, which is looking to be around 700 poses by the story finale. I try to find reference photos (essential for ballet poses) when I can to make them look natural. I also convert or mesh clothing + objects, but I’m lazy so I often cheat with Photoshop. 

GETTING IN THE ZONE — what do you do to get in the zone to work on a scene? examples include: show us your playlist you use when working on a scene, what’s your go-to scene snack/drink, etc.

I don’t actually have anything for this. If I don’t feel like doing a particular task on the To Do List I just try something else. Sometimes I listen to Eva and Mako’s playlists when working though, and there are certain songs I associate with certain parts of the story which help me when I’m thinking of them. 

SCREENSHOT FOLDER — give us a look into your screenshot folder to show us just how much goes into one scene for your story. scrapped pictures encouraged!

I also have a linear method for pictures. Firstly, I create the poses, and test them in a blank background, which is when I figure out the most flattering angles, and edit the poses if needed. After that I begin series of test shots in the actual set, redoing up to three times until it looks passable. Since I use natural light almost every shot has a double (or even triple), with outdoor lighting for the environment and controlled interior lighting for the sims, which is then spliced together along with other atmospheric editing. There’s a lot of screenshots to ‘build’ the final visual but I rarely have alternative or scrapped finals because that would be a terrible waste of time. Why do I do this ridiculously tedious process? Because I’m stupid. 

CAPTIONS — are you a caption on the picture kind of storyteller or captions in text box type of storyteller? why? do you do both?

I don’t do caption format, because for me, it removes lots of detail and nuance. Long prose means my audience is much smaller, but I wouldn’t be able to convey half the things just by still visuals and dialogue. As you might be able to tell from the aforementioned question, picture taking is also just immensely tiring.

EDITING — explain and show us your process editing a scene through a video, gif, or picture. a before and after will suffice if you aren’t in the middle of editing a scene as you answer this.

Corresponding to the Screenshot Folder question:

I no longer rely on Reshade for post-processing, except for DOF, but even then I blur in editing. Lately I’ve been trying to create a more realistic, atmospheric look with strong DOF, bloom, motion blur, and smoothing out light + shadows with exposure brushes. 

THROWBACK — show us an ancient story scene you done in the past and explain how you would do the scene differently today!

You mean every scene I’ve ever done before En Pointe LOL If we’re talking ancient, I might as well go back to the very beginning of The Kingston Legacy, in 2015. It’s the classic legacy opening of the founder moving to a new town, with basic writing and terrible low-setting-no-cc pictures. I would do literally everything different. I can’t even begin to describe so here’s something to laugh at. 

I tag — @lazysunjade​ (watch her post it 1 second later) @amys-snapshots @notjustabooksims @simnights ❤ Please check the challenge post for the full and original format, and anyone else who wants to participate can also reblog it as an ask game! 

[trash-side-of-nox]

fic writer interview

tagged by @meikuree, thanks for having me in mind! It’s been a while since I did one of these. 

name: NoxCounterspell

fandoms: Currently writing for Kakegurui and Shingeki no Kyojin.

two-shot: The Beginning and the End (or Knocking on Heaven's door), a Kirasaya (KKG) Fic. This was intended to be a one-shot, however ended up being posted in two chapters because it was too long (insert here cynical laughter when I'm currently posting 14k chapters). The project was conceived by a very creative mind and acquaintance that came to me with a very fucking good outline. Together, we managed to create a very immersing post-canon AU, even if I say so myself. This touched a lot of different subjects, everything revolving around the concepts of family and freedom, right versus wrong, the lack of understanding, psychological projection. One of my favorite parts is the tag Meeting the Parents, and how that can play in how the story is perceived.

most popular multi-chapter: To you, the girls lost in Hell (SnK, Mikannie). An absolute whim of mine, taking Yams story and twisting it and shaping it into a narrative that fits snippets of my own imagination, regarding Annie and Mikasa's relationship (this is basically going to be an enemies, to lovers, to enemies, to friends, to lovers). Really, this is a fic entirely about them, for them and how their basic symbiotic relationship: clashing and attraction impacted everything happening on SnK. This is an excuse to study two characters in canon-verse, getting and providing a humble glimpse of how these characters, in the context they are being written, work. Vomiting a heck ton of my own headcanons, I'm trying to add angst, action, psychology and others to the table, following the overall outline Yams created, but redrawing the entire canvas. Honestly, I'm deeply surprised by how well received the story has been. This will try to keep up the intensity, overall, the outline is designed to play with emotions for the whole ride: we know where we begin and where we are going, but the how it's the sting.

actual worst part of writing: Writer's block. Obsessively researching something to realize it just won't fit the story. Self-doubt. Isolating oneself while writing non-stop. The built-in expectations one may have about their writing that might not be met by the end result.

how you choose your titles: One of my favorite parts of writing it's designing titles. Most of them respond to the question of what does the fic need, how can I guide the reader as to why this has been written? So say, To you, the girls lost in Hell is a direct nod to SnK's first manga chapter and the Light Novel: Lost Girls. This story is for Annie and Mikasa, two girls/women left to their own devices, surviving, searching, trying. A message I hope gets delivered. The Time series (Kirasaya, Meariri, Kakegurui) needs definition. Words are concepts we never really stop to decipher, as much as we ignore human behavior. Defining an entire character study by just one word, the context is easily guided: perhaps Fall is the clearest one, how can a character fall and break without them meaning to? I can rant for days as to what's the process I prefer for title creation, but I can summarize in: how can a whole story be told from the very beginning?

do you outline: Yes. My outlines give me an overall idea of how to get from A to Z, without closing the doors to letters from other alphabets. Pretty much every story I start comes from a dialog that won't leave my mind or a very vivid scene I pictured. Building around it - how the narrative goes and comes, rises and falls - is what outlining comes to do in my case. I outline in two stages: overall skeleton (indents, phrases), then, general paragraphs describing each scene. To this, add specific dialogs and phrases that are non negotiable. If I can’t fit them in, then the scene is not working. I like highlighting bits and pieces of the prose. Phrases that will get stuck with the reader and myself. 

ideas I probably won’t get around to but wouldn’t it be nice: PACIFIC RIM MIKANNIE. There, I said it. This has been running around my mind for a while but I think it's mostly for the lols and for how much of a nerd I am. I don't think I would write it but there are snippets in my head of what that might look like. There is also an ExMilitary!Annie and Cop!Mikasa Modern AU running around in my head, with them getting into a relationship with twists and turns to pertain to what they've lived, boundaries, psychological walls, PTSD... etc.  For Kakegurui: BLADE RUNNER + ALTERED CARBON AU.  Yes, I like SciFi. I have a heck ton of wips, some might see the light, some might not. We'll see.

callouts @ me: I don’t know what a omniscient, general narrator is. For the love of Dio I can’t wrap myself around how to narrate something without siding with a character. I’ve read examples, designed scenes... and still there is always one character I get introspective with or predominates in the scene and everything, then, sides with them. So I’m faulty of jumping from POV to POV by scenes. Or I write an entire fic based in once character’s perspective. In both instances, I always hope it’s not confusing.  Long sentences without breaks or very stuffy wording is another fault of mine. Probably from the fact that I like to write from thoughts and actions in depth than leaving things to the reader’s imagination. I want readers to see what I see, to feel what I feel. I try to write from a place of empathy, channeling the character and their psyche, and the impact that creates is what I want to reflect. So overdetailing is a dear friend of mine. A very talented fellow fic writer told me that I build until people can’t escape what I wrote. I think that’s both good and bad, as I’m taking the freedom people get when picturing their own version.

best writing traits: Based on comments, narrative and characterization. Again, I try to write from a place of empathy, and I undust my psychology classes each time I’m trying to write a character. I like character studies, dissecting something until it’s raw, how can I make or break a persona that’s already been written, that already has a defined mind/soul. That’s why I love angst and currently, thriller/horror.  I’m, also, obsessive with details. Everything has to be accurate and clock work. Does anyone care if the bus I’m describing actually exists? Not really, but I need to have a model in mind. Is it really necessary to open google maps and calculate how long it would take X character to walk from Tokyo’s University to a fictional apartment building? Certainly not. However I need to know in order to sell it. If it makes sense to me, then I’m comfortable enough to write it. It’s not practical, but allows to create tangible actions/places.

spicy tangential opinion: Very snob of me... but mind your text’s visual presentation. If the text is unappealing to the eye, it can be uncomfortable to read. I like fics (and books as well) that are mindful of the aesthetic in lines of words. Having adequate spacing in between paragraphs, balancing length of sentences, using defined styles for dialogs... Gives a very professional feel to it. I’m all for AUs and canon divergence, but fanfiction has a very fragile requirement that is to respect the character. Do with them whatever you like, have them tap dance or bungee jump, alter their canon-verse or send them to Hogwarts, but keep the essence. How and why is a character acting the way they do is key while writing fanfiction. I’ve read great stories that would have worked best as original fiction, because I can’t feel the characters. Again, a very snob thought. 

tagging (no pressure): @ladyjay1616 @askboxangel @blankiebandit and anyone else that may want to join

[cescalr]

9 and 23 for the ask game please 😊

9: Are there any fics you'd love to see but don't want to write yourself? What are they?

Ooh, um... I'm not sure! Something substantial for Cursed 2005, maybe, like a crossover with buffy or teen wolf or something, with jimbo as the pairing from cursed and idk just something interesting (please no b*angel or st*rek or st*dia), or a time travel fic for Supernatural that involves Dean as the POV but absolutely zero, nada, nothing of (even hints) De*tiel or winc*st, that's 100% a fix-it fic (bc my mans deserved a lot better than that ending smh. And so did Jo, and Anna, and Lisa and Ben and Charlie and Benny and- ).

23: What's one piece of advice you would give to anyone who wants to start writing or posting their writing online?

Hmm... Just go for it? Like, write whatever comes to mind and post it. And keep doing that. Over and over again, because it's all the same thing - practise. If you can't think of an idea, there's no reason not to go trawling for prompts. I've got this list of 200 prompts, can't remember where I found it, but it's really useful if I'm stuck. But yeah. Find some time, any amount of time, whether its 5 minutes or five hours, and write what you can, as much as you can, whether it's ten words or 10,000, or more or less, it doesn't matter. Just get words on screen (or on paper, if you prefer.) And then... post it. If the main issue is getting the courage to post it, don't read back over it. That's when the nervousness rears it's ugly head. Just post it. Straight up. Type right into the Ao3 doc and hit post if you have to, just... find a way to minimise the amount of time you give yourself to get all worked up about whether it's 'good enough' or not. It won't be perfect the first time you write something - nothing ever is. Everything requires practise. And each time you post something, you get better at it. It gets easier. If proofreading is the bane of your existence, just post it and come back later to fix any issues. If titling it is a problem pick a random word or a song lyric or hell, a sentence from the fic, anything at all. 'Working Title | Stiles POV All Human AU Stira Fic', even. Just. Anything. You can always change it later. Summaries an issue? Grab the first paragraph. Grab the first sentence. Put 'Stiles POV all human au, stira focus.' as the summary. Who cares? You. Can. Always. Change. It. Later.

That's the great thing about fic. Changing everything later is possible. Nothing here is permanent. If you aren't happy with something, that doesn't matter. So long as it's out there, you can get feedback (because often, we don't know why we aren't happy with something - outside help is always invaluable). Being scared of criticism is half the problem, for a lot of people... but - not to sugar coat - it's necessary. And, just to note, in my 10 years of fanfic writing, I have never, ever, gotten a single malicious comment. Not. Once. It's much rarer than people think it is. And even if you do, you can always delete it. Put comments on moderation, turn them off, if it's the main issue. Gather your confidence at your own pace - but don't forget feedback is necessary for improvement. Eventually you will need to accept it's going to happen - it's not an attack on you. It's an attempt at help. We're taught in school to consume media critically, and those who internalise that will comment constructively. English class can leave an impression - the worst thing is to take any of it personally. Having a negative mindset (they hate it) versus a positive mindset (they want me to improve at this thing I enjoy doing, they're trying to help, they're being supportive) can make all the difference.

Eventually, you'll need to turn those comments back on. But you don't need to take anyone's shit, hence why moderation is a thing. There is a difference between constructive criticism and hate - but it's rare you'll get the latter. Tone is hard to convey in text form; benefit of the doubt is the best way forward.

Make sure you've got friends/mutuals you can ramble with about your fics. it's genuinely the most helpful thing. Give them snippets, do the whole cheerleader routine for each other. It's great. Brainstorm with each other. Not necessarily doing collaborative fic (though you might find that's what works best for you!) but just, geeking out with each other. It makes a huge boost for your ego, and that's useful for your confidence when it comes to posting things. But also, if you trust them, it makes taking their advice easier.

Sometimes, it might feel like two steps forward and one step back. That's great! It's still a step forward. Go at your own pace. The worst thing you can do is rush yourself and burn out. If it takes you a year to update, it takes you a year. I assure you, the readers will still be there, and they'll be happy to see the update. Nobody's going to hate you for taking your time. Prioritise your health. I promise it makes your work better if you're in a good place, and you don't have too much on your plate.

Though, having said that, if you find you work best with about twenty wips all at once updated every week, then go for it! Like I said; your own pace. If a schedule helps you, have one. If it doesn't, don't. I don't have a schedule. I have about 40 wips posted, and a few that aren't yet. It can take me a year to update, or I'll do four in a week. People are pleased either way - what matters is that you wrote something, and it exists, and other people can read it. Isn't that awesome? You've made something. You've made a mark. Someone's happy because of you, because you wrote something they like. Who cares if there's twenty typos and you use the wrong you're* (*or equivalent in your language, ofc) - you can fix that later. And it didn't stop that person's enjoyment of the first fic you ever posted, which might not be as good as your future fics, but it's still special. It's still yours.

Prioritise the thing you want to prioritise. Plot, relationships (of any nature), whatever. Prioritise that. The rest will fall into place. Personally, I prioritise characterisation. interpersonal dynamics follow, part and parcel of character exploration, then plot, as an extension. Do what suits you. And people don't tend to mind very much about any of these. If characterisation matters to you not one whit, just put OOC in the tags and be done with it. Plot doesn't matter? Perfectly fine! You don't want to write ships? Nobody's forcing you. Do what you want. It's just fanfiction. That's kind of the point. There's no need to feel pressure to write a certain thing. I'm in a lot of fandoms with a lot of very large ships. I'd get a lot more readers if I wrote st*rek, or d*stiel, or whatever, but I don't, because I wouldn't enjoy it. Write what you want to see. What you want to read. That's the best advice I can give. If you cry at your own fic, perfect. If you laugh at your own fic, brilliant. If your own fic leaves you all giddy like, grinning wide, amazing. It's gonna give someone else that reaction, too.

Hits, kudos, comments - they're not everything. Ao3, for harry potter, has 5000 pages of fic, with some of the tags I don't like excluded. It's not a case of people not liking your fic - it's a case of people not finding it. Don't worry. Recognition will come with time. Also, the ratio for fics is kind of awful, anyway. Comments and kudos vs hits is always poor; 2%, 5%, 7%. Don't worry too much about it. If people read it, it's likely they liked it. A lot of people are just lazy, and don't press the kudos button. A lot of people are incredibly nervous, or don't know what to say, so they don't comment. Another thing; some of your fics are going to be more popular than others. This is normal. Fandom size, fandom activity, content of fic, tags - prevalence of fic type, etc etc. One of my fics has around 15k notes. the rest are all below 6k. the runner up is a whole 10k below that fic. This is to be expected, and it's nothing to tear your hair out about. Write, first and foremost, for yourself. The rest, as always, comes later.

Really, tldr; you can always fix it later. the rest comes later. recognition comes later. the best thing to do - the first thing to do, the only thing to do - is just start. Post something. Anything. And go from there however you wish.

In 2016 i had zero subscribers on Ao3. I've got 72 now. These things just take time. In 2016 i'd written 30k words. I've written 1.2 million now. These things just take time. Through fandom, mostly fanfiction, I've gained people I'd consider friends. I think it's a really cool endeavour, and I think - for your confidence, peace of mind, and social sphere - it's also a really positive one.

[ieatmypizzawithaforkandknife]

MAG 020 - Desecrated Host (part 2)

Summary: Jonathan reads the second half of the statement of Father Edwin Burroughs, regarding “his claimed demonic possession.”

I’d like to propose an alternate title for this one: “Bartleby”. I couldn’t help but see the parallel between Bartleby the Scrivener’s “I would prefer not to” and Father Burroughs saying, “seeing those bound corpses before me, I made the decision to take no action ever again.” Ah, Burroughs! Ah, humanity!

I mentioned in my last post that this episode was very heavy in the “altered reality” theme. I’d like to amend that: this entire episode was one long, terrifying fever dream. I’ve never been high but I think this might be what a bad trip feels like.

Jonny Sims et al. really outdid themselves on this one though, in both the writing and the performance. So many episodes really suck you in (not literally, fortunately - we’re luckier than some of the characters that way) and grip you ’til the very end. But this was one of the best so far for that. We get more than standard descriptions of things - we get things like that small, whispered “it was bright...so bright” in Father Burroughs’ description of the “church” and the resounding, gonging bell sound accompanying the bell-speech Father Burroughs hears. You can almost feel his throbbing head and blurring vision, and at times it just feels so real.

But it wasn’t. At least, not in the way that we like to think of reality. Whatever an outside observer might have seen that night, this statement was Father Burroughs’ reality. We do know that at least some of this episode was real in the normal sense of the word though. There are snippets, like Father Singh’s reaction to seeing Father Burroughs in the small chapel, and Father Burroughs later seeing Father Singh in the hallway, that seem like they were part of objective reality. Was this slip between reality and the illusion just so that we, the audience, knew that it wasn’t real? Or was it because whatever was affecting him couldn’t keep an airtight grip on his senses? I’d like for it to be the latter, but I’m worried that’s not the case. I do not like how powerful this thing seems to be.

During the “confession”, “Father Singh” recounted all of Father Burroughs’ past sins...so this thing either actually knew about all of those events, or it made Father Burroughs imagine that “Father Singh” was naming all of his sins (a la the psychic paper in Doctor Who). Also disturbing was the detail about its accent during the “confession” - it had “a crisp and clipped RP accent”, as opposed to Father Singh’s Indian one. The change in accent made it obvious for us that it was not Father Singh speaking, but otherwise it just makes no sense to me. Was it unable to imitate Father Singh’s accent for some reason? That might fit if it’s the same thing that spoke in a “low, grating voice” to Laura Popham in episode 15. But those are the only two times (that I recall) that the person making the statement has noted a change in the person’s voice when that static appears.

There are two possibilities I’m seeing for how this thing operates. Either it’s little more than an illusionist, or it can actually alter reality itself. The first would certainly be easier to deal with, but I’m leaning towards the latter. My main reason for thinking that is not strictly things seen in this episode, but more how things in this episode seem to relate to things in the rest of the season so far. We hear that recurring creepy static/interference twice in this episode, once when Father Burroughs reads Genesis 4:14 (after opening his Bible to Luke, no less) and once when “Father Singh” says, “Spiritual pride that has led to quite a fall.” And of course we have another appearance of creepy eyes: “the church’s large round window shifted as I watched, as though it were a tremendous eye that were turning to focus upon me.” The eye and the staticky voice tie these events to many others from the first half of this season, including a few times when reality itself seems to have been affected, rather than just people’s perception of it.

There were two Bible passages referenced in this episode. The second was Mark 9:14-19, which appears to be a pretty straightforward reference to Father Burroughs’ situation, as that passage tells the story of a boy “who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech” (NIV). But the first, as mentioned in the paragraph above, was Genesis 4:14: “Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the Earth, and from they face shall I be hid. And I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the Earth, and it shall come to pass that everyone that findeth me shall slay me.” And the writing around it seemed to swirl and was “obscured by dark stains”. This is obviously significant, given the static and the unexplained stains and the fact that this verse is actually quoted in the text (unlike the passage from Mark also in this episode, which was referenced but not quoted). But I can’t figure out the significance of this verse. Cain says the text of this verse to God after God banishes him for killing Abel. Cain is more or less saying that his punishment is too much to bear and that he fears for his life, presumably from others who will surely be angry about him killing Abel. The only possible parallel I can see between Cain and Father Burroughs is that they’re both cut off from God. If there’s anything more to this verse, I’m not getting it.

I’ve also been wondering about the various figures Father Burroughs sees throughout this hallucination. He sees shadowy figures along the street that “were always gone when I approached” - and then there were the parishioners in the pews at the “service”. Were the shadow figures the parishioners? Or were the shadow figures actual, real people, and his inability to reach them just a reflection of how trapped in this hallucination he was? And why did the parishioners come and go like that? Why were they leaving before the “service” was over? If they were real people then I think they had to have been members of the People’s Church of the Divine Host (episode 9). I just feel like there was something else going on at the “service” that Father Burroughs wasn’t privy to.

At the end of the episode, Jonathan calls attention to the man who met Father Burroughs at the Oratory door: “the altar server he described seems out of place with most of his other delusions, in that he appeared to have active agency.” We aren’t given much of a description of the “altar server” - he is tall, pale, and has thin, bony arms. None of that rings any particular bells (haha) to me, but I guess I’ll be on the lookout for a tall, pale guy with thin, bony arms. *shrugs*

“Cause of death was listed as blood loss from multiple lacerations all over their legs and torso, as well as removal of both their faces with a sharp blade, possibly a scalpel.” However, no tools or weapons were found at the scene, and “at no point did he perform any actions that might be analogous with the binding and actual murder of the students,” leading Jonathan to believe a second person was there. HMMM. I WONDER WHO THAT COULD HAVE BEEN.

The cause of death is very unusual, though, when you consider it from a real-world standpoint. It’s pretty easy to die of blood loss if, say, your carotid or jugular is cut. But lacerations on the legs and torso? Those lacerations would have to be extensive to cause fatal blood loss. It just doesn’t sit right with me - and it reminds me of another death we heard about previously. In episode 8, Ivo Lensik says his father was found dead in his study “with deep gouges along his wrists and arms”, and the coroner couldn’t identify the tool used on his arms. Robert Montauk (episode 9) also bled out, but that was after being stabbed 47 times, so it’s similar but not quite the same. The common threads I’m seeing in all three deaths are (a) cause of death being blood loss and (b) the idea that someone committed the murder who was not known to be there at the time.

Coincidentally, Father Burroughs was imprisoned at Wakefield Prison, the same place where Robert Montauk died a few years prior. I thought something might be up with that prison, so I did a quick search and apparently it’s a high-security prison for those who’ve committed crimes such as murder, rape, armed robbery, and kidnapping (Wikipedia). So there may not be any kind of supernatural connection there, but now I’m wondering if we’re going to get statements from or about anyone else in that prison.

One last observation. The sickly yellow color seen so many times in episode 18 made two appearances in this episode. Father Burroughs describes the parishioners at the “service” as having “fevered, jaundiced yellow” skin, and the stole that Mystery Altar Server gave Father Burroughs was “a pale, sickly yellow.” Oh, and that stole from Father Burroughs’ fever dream? An identical real one was delivered to the Oratory a few days prior to these events by Breekon and Hope Deliveries. And it must have been one of their last deliveries, since they liquidated some time in 2009, the year these events occurred.

Curiouser and curiouser...

This post is part of a series where I write my thoughts about each episode and obsessively connect dots in an effort to figure out The Big Mysteries of the series. All posts in this series are tagged “is this liveblogging?” Comments and messages are welcome but I have only listened to season 1, so I ask that you not spoil me for anything beyond episode 40. In the words of Jonny Sims…thanks for listening!

[indiaalphawhiskey]

When you see this, post a snippet of your WIP.

Apparently, Louis’ album release news and a new Harry song are all I need to get shoved out of my writers’ block. I love Larry. Bow. - Where one type of discomfort ended, a second set of nerves began. They danced from the tips of Louis’ fingers, up his arms to his neck, leaving his mind whirring, completely wired. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done a reading – thought it may have been sometime in the early months of grad school, when his work was disastrously unpolished and bursting to the brim with overly pretentious, nonsensical metaphors. Needless to say, that day did not go well. Now, Louis couldn’t remember a single line of the assignment he’d read out loud. All he remembered was a devastatingly beautiful, painfully talented, way-too-intelligent-for-him boy in a tattered The Cure shirt calling his protagonist ‘a reject from the dregs of one of Salinger’s primary school papers’. Said boy had graciously offered to take him out on a date as soon as the bell had rung, completely oblivious to the fact that Louis had felt like he was slowly dying from humiliation with every second he stood in that classroom. Still, like the smitten fool that Louis was, he’d agreed. “Idiot,” he cursed at himself quietly, shaking his head as he walked to the podium. He tried desperately to shake off the memory as he stepped onto the elevated platform, No Control’s spine cracking open satisfyingly like a physical reminder of how far he’d come since that class, and that relationship. He looked up and found the crowd had gone quiet with polite interest. Pockets of people beamed up at him, clutching their copies of his book to their chest and balancing themselves on the edge of their seats. At the back of the crowd, wedged in between the book display and a group of men wearing No Control t-shirts, stood Marcel. Louis balked slightly at the realization that he had left his seat on stage and walked into the crowd to… what? Heckle Louis? Even considering their less-than-amicable relationship, that seemed unlikely. And also, whatever. Louis didn’t have the time to dwell on that right now, anyway. He coughed away from the mic before smiling at the crowd. “Good afternoon everyone,” he began, his tone firm but gentle. “I’m Louis William Tomlinson, and I’ll be reading you an excerpt from my best-selling debut novel No Control.”

The audience clapped, a few excited whistles rising above the sound, but Louis kept his eyes on Marcel, using his familiar face as a grounding point. He only broke eye contact to read the familiar paragraph of text before him. “It was hot. Loathe as Zee was to admit it, a part of him had not been expecting it. Or maybe he had been hoping – after all the overconfident drivel HQ had spouted about these state-of-the-art, acclimatizing space suits – that he wouldn’t feel it. Surprise, surprise – he did. It was a different kind of hot though. Different in comparison to what, he couldn’t really tell you, couldn’t… what did the doctor call it? Couldn’t ‘remember’? There was something attached to that word that felt wrong, made his mind feel restless and incomplete. He could see the way the doctor had paled when he’d said it, the way he’d stammered, like he was desperate to snatch the word back from the air and hide it, so Zee would never hear it again. Whatever, Zee thought. The point was, it was fucking hot...” Louis lost himself in his own words, and in the memories attached to this paragraph in particular. He could almost see the garrish purple pen his ex-boyfriend had used, the jagged hatch marks he’d all but stabbed into Louis’ manuscript across long-forgotten sentences he’d hated, the tiny green post-its with stars on them to mark the parts Louis could keep. It made him laugh now, how desperately he’d lived for those post-its. As he came to the last line of the passage, he looked up to find Marcel again. He could see Marcel’s mouth moving, but he wasn’t quite sure what he was trying to say. He peered at him intently, confused. The shapes Marcel’s mouth were making were… familiar. It almost felt like his and Louis’ syllables were matched. Louis’s eyes widened slightly when it finally clicked, the two of them uttering Louis’ last seven words completely in sync: “And, Zee knew, Mars was home now.” Marcel was reciting a passage from No Control… by heart. It took everything in Louis to stop his mouth from popping open in shock, the gravity of his realization still evading him, dancing around his mind just a notch out of his reach. Marcel – Marcel Pain-in-the-Arse-Since-the-Day-They-Met Styles, that Marcel – was a fan. His fan. And not just any old fan, either, it seemed. No, Marcel was a fan with a capital F, a read-your-book-multiple-times fan, a quote-you-back-to-yourself fan. “Oh,” Louis breathed, just shy of bewildered as the full weight of it finally hit him. “Oh.” The gentle round of applause coaxed him back to attention. He smiled softly at the crowd, and then ducked his head quickly to hide the mischievous smile he knew he was wearing, his mind doing ecstatic cartwheels at the thought of how much fun he was going to have with this brand new information. Angela’s voice was like white noise to Louis as she recited her spiel about the mechanics of the Q and A, but he made sure to keep his eyes trained on the crowd even as Marcel slipped back into the seat beside him. Louis counted out three… four… five beats before Marcel noticed the the smug-as-fuck smile on his face. “Why do you look like you stole all the cafe’s muffins?” Marcel asked, his voice wary around the lip of his water bottle. “Mm?” Louis hummed, his smile never wavering. The too-innocent, overly saccharine ‘Whatever do you mean?’ went unsaid. Marcel pursed his lips but said nothing, dead set on pretending he wasn’t the least bit interested, though the flicker of his jaw gave him away. Louis revelled in the taut string of tension being pulled tight and thin between them, his smile widening ever so slightly as the words rolled, honeyed and delicious, off of his tongue. “You’re a fan,” he all but giggled, finally turning to face Marcel. He watched gleefully as Marcel’s flush went from a gentle pink to burning red when he added, “A fan of me.” Louis grinned wide, relishing in the nervous way Marcel’s Adam’s apple bobbed – the only physical sign that Louis had him cornered. Marcel opened his mouth, a tiny, aborted, half-syllable slipping out before a switch seemed to flip, his shoulders going square and strong as he lifted eyes to meet Louis’ gaze head on in challenge. “Your book,” he said, tone bored and flippant. “I’m a fan of your book,” he corrected, and Louis might’ve been inclined to believe him, if only he wasn’t still such a sweet, sweet shade of bright fucking crimson. Louis’ smile turned easy as he shrugged. “Whatever you say, darling,” he sang over his shoulder, making a show of batting his eyelashes, slow, and coquettish, and ridiculous. He chose to ignore the way Marcel’s eyes flickered, fierce and green, but he couldn’t stifle the small zip of lightning the heated look sent up his spine.

[starkerforlife6969]

This post is me replying to the lovely anons I got! But I didn't wanna spam anyone’s feed so it’s all down below in one mega post! Mwah x PS none of these are prompts, those would always be posted separately ;) so if you’re a prompter, just wait on me honeys i promise ill come through for you soon. 

1) @janetpie1951: “i would kill everyone for sugar baby Peter. With No remorse.” and “Secretary Peter? Absolutely fucking perfect.”

We are the same, my love. Me too. I love that softboi so much i would pull a tony and just break everyone’s leg if they so much as looked at him the wrong way. 

And thank you SO much, I was so scared no one would like the secretary Peter one because I found his character really hard to write as it was so OC, you know? So this put a huge smile on my face :)) x

2) I’m having mild social anxiety just typing this. I wanted to tell you how much I’ve been enjoying your writing. Especially the Mafia boss/sugar baby/bodyguard story line you’ve been posting. I can’t wait for the next part.

I cannot wait for Part 3, at the moment it’s just a few snippets because i need a few more ideas to tie it together, but i promise it’ll be up soon! And my precious thing, well done for typing it anyway!!! I know how you feel, but this made my day so thank you so much sugar xx

3) I wish I was brave enough to share my writing like you do. I'm really scared people will think I'm stupid or that I suck. I'm too shy to share much 🙈 How can someone get over that kind of fear?

Dude, if I could take you back to the first fic I ever wrote- I think it was Dramione? Or H2O, it was seriously just awful like wow oh my god. But the thing was- people were so nice. And dude, it was shit. I promise you, it really was. What i’m saying is- you are your own harshest critic, and that’s super cliche but it’s true. No one will judge your work the way you do. And the feeling when people are nice- oh god, it just- it’s worth the risk. No one is going to think youre stupid or you suck because you had the fucking moxie to create something in the first place. I know it’s hard to take that first leap- I was too young to truly comprehend how scary it was when I did it, but I know you can get there. Sometimes it’s nicest starting in a tiny little fandom because everyone is so supportive and you all know each other and you can build confidence that way- saying that, the starker fandom is by far the most supportive one i’ve ever been in (teen wolf a close second, but there can be some mean anons there who for some reason are obsessed with scott??? like i like him, but let’s chill out, sorry off topic) and there will be haters, but fuck them. I, personally, would read anything you wrote and i would never have anything negative to say. I might be like “dude could you put stuff into paragraphs cuz it’s hard to read a block of text on my phone” but that’s it- that’s the worst thing i would ever say. i’d be too busy being grateful that you’d written some glorious content.

It’s scary, my gorgeous darling, but you can get there. The more fic you read, the more confident you get, and soon you’ll get more confident in YOU. As long as YOU like your writing (which is one of the hardest things ever) it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. 

that being said, nothing wrong with shyness. It’s okay to keep it to yourself, sometimes it’s a private thing. Maybe tease us with a few snippets and when we all go insane and beg you for more, maybe then you’ll be encouraged ;) 

4) OML I looooove that you link the other chapters in your series. It's awesome. Keep up the great work! I love your stories ❤️

Dude, thank you!!!! It’s super annoying to do but i always do it because i wish other users did it because it’s so hard scrolling through their whole blog to find a part 2 so thank you so much for appreciating it hahaha it honestly made my day. 

5) Holy FUCK that mafia boss with sugar baby peter is my absolute favorite thing I have ever read in my existence. Thank you so much for writing it and blessing everyone who reads it 💕💕

Yeah you’re just the best and sweetest thing ever. You just are. End of. 

6) I just spent the last several hours going through the starker tag on your blog and hot diggity damn are you good at writing these two.

that is one of the best ways to spend the day and I'm am so honoured you picked mine like ahhhhh i could dance and blush forever, thank you so much. 

7) your mafia tonypetersteve was so good i just!!! I DONT HAVE WORDS it made me so emotional and it was perfect and just uGHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh thank you for writing it so muchhhhh - { holographic-starker }

dude- dude- dude, you are so lovely. THANK YOU FOR READING IT 

8) Oh wow, your Mafia Boss Tony x Sugar Baby Peter x Bodyguard Steve fic is sooo amazing! 😱❤ The atmosphere, the tension, I can't even say what's my favourite part, everything is just so damn perfect and sexy! ❤❤

oh my god this is a tirade of compliments and I'm honest to god sobbing, seriously dude the fact that you read it and liked it is- it’s the best feeling ever i can’t even describe it to you.  

9) Ummmmmmm excuse me while I die in a corner because of your mafia au 🤤

have i mentioned that i don’t deserve you guys? I honestly don’t. 

10) [this is on the secretary au] THAT TOOK A TURN REAL FAST ((it was so good))

thank you so fucking much honestly i am awed, this was so worth putting off essays to do 

11) @biscuitsonofa  NEED MORE SECRETARY PETER BOSS TONY PLEASE IM D Y I N G OVER HERE I LOVE YOU

oh my god you are so amazing i can’t even just wow. If i ever came up with an idea i’d love to continue it for you, gorgeous. 

12) your a/b/o au with tony/harley/peter was so great!! i would love a part 2❣️

same as above honey in 11, if i ever develop a decent imagination, i definitely will. thank you so much for taking the time to make my whole day. 

13) @pretty-well-funded I binged through Super Size Me at 2am and I am fucking in love with it

Well I’m in love with you, so there. And please don’t hate me over how slack i’ve been with that fic, i started it before i made this side blog and now this sideblog has taken over my whole life but i promise i will get back to it because you guys are so supportive and brilliant and wow 

14) @hoe4parker You're literally one of my favorite writers and I'm currently writing a trans!Peter fic and if you're cool with writing one, you could write one too? I love trans!Peter and new content is always fabulous and I really really love your writing

You are beyond the sweetest thing in the whole world. Just wow. Just thank you. Actually because of this ask i did a bunch of research into how to write trans characters and asked a lot of other users for advice, but i just don’t think i can do it justice at this stage :(( i’ve never done it before and i don’t feel i know quite enough about it. I love reading trans peter fics and i can’t wait for yours, but as for me, i think i need to build up my talent in that area. Who knows, maybe one day? ;) 

15) @starkersbitch Heyyy there! Uh I somehow wanted to tell you that on here rather than on ao3, but I am OBSESSED with your fic "Super Size Me". The characterisation? AMAZING. The smut? I'm living. Your general writing style? Love it. Keep up your good work, love!

yeah i remember getting this, it put the biggest smile on my face ever like just wow thank you so goddamn much. like i said in 13, don’t hate me. I will get back to it gorgeous, i promise!!!! be patient with me, like timberlake says in bad teacher “i think I'm worth the wait” snort goddamn, I'm totally not but you’re a darling and i love you seriously, this encouragement is what makes this fandom the best one ever. 

[a-room-with-a-mew]

SCOOP by Evelyn Waugh

‘The funniest novel ever written about journalism’… I don’t know; is it just me or does this not really sell it? Is journalism a natural place we go to for laughs? I mean.. Yeah, there are comic-features writers, and journos who write books and scripts and maybe even do stand up. But in terms of fiction, of stories, I’d almost always think of journalism as high drama, a noble pursuit like in All the President’s Men or Superman. Waugh is interested in hackism. Okay he is indulging in a little self-parody here, as a writer himself, but for quite a time, this book feels like a long in-joke, a nudge to a colleague. While it works well as a series of jokes, sketches, and odd-ball characters in crazy situations, the fact that this is a novel means that we are invited to rest our feet upon the rocky conceit of a war in a far-off, fictional foreign land, which may or may not reflect a real war/ place. And additionally, as the place and people aren’t real, only ‘inspired by’, Waugh can say whatever he bally likes about them with impunity. A bit like The Life of Brian, only well – not as funny! Tall order though of course.

Let’s dive in. I managed to stick with and read SCOOP on my third attempt after owning the novel for years. Like a lot of books, the cover mystifies. Who are these? Mrs Stitch presumably? There’s only two watery female characters in the book so must be her. She doesn’t figure much so the cynic in me thinks the publishers are attempting to glam up the story.. With her fur and hat and the moody black and white. Reminds me of an edition of Brideshead I saw once in a shop – the cover had a cartoon slinky flapper girl – the hat, the stole, elbow-length gloves, cigarette holder, diamonds and whatnot. Missing the point a bit I think! So! Here we have two snoots getting on a plane. This doesn’t happen in the book. Natch.

Story

Likely the appeal or not of this story will depend upon whether you like action / adventure stories and seek thrills and fantastic places and daring endeavours. Of course you do! Well, I don’t. Or at least – I don’t tend to read them. Give me Indiana Jones on the big screen – but I don’t know if I’d read Alexander Fleming or the da Vinci Code (again). In the books I read, people tend to sit around thinking, or drive thinking, or potter around the kitchen, thinking, or fall in love but not realize it or declare it, or holiday and develop the self, but very subtly, or befall intensely personal disasters,  make human connexions that you have to squint to see.

Suffice to say I loved, say, A Handful of Dust to distraction. Brilliant book. What actually happened? What was the plot? Ahm… Well.. Hard to describe, the slow, tragic dissolution of a marriage. That makes it sound boring. It isn’t!! SCOOP kind of is, and yet the action doesn’t let up for a paragraph.

Waugh – probably joyfully – breaks the golden rule of writing by NOT introducing his main character in the first page / chapter. Tries to fox us, he does. Very clever – in fact the whole book is, very clever: maybe that’s why it left me behind in the dust. Okay, so though some administrative cock-up, our hero, William Boot - a very sheltered country-squire sort who generally never leaves his decaying mansion full of ancient relatives – he’s never described physically, but go ahead and imagine the plus-fours, Norfolk jacket, pristine boots, hunting hat, moustache - finds himself sent, as a foreign correspondent, to a war-torn country of which he has never heard. Promising premise.  

What follows is William’s whirlwind adventure of being summoned to his new post, preparing to go to Africa, complete with the bare essentials - collapsible boat and hockey-sticks and back-street passports. Everything is charged back to the paper – The Beast – and so there is a real consumer-fetish going on here too! As William is one of those old-fashioned toffs who own great estates but are somehow stony broke.

Much of the novel is taken up with travelling – to this fabled Ishmaelia, which was initially founded by an American family called the Jacksons, and various in-fighting and coups have taken place within the dynasty for generations. Now they’re out of power, and socialism is threatening to sneak in via the Russians. I do believe? And there’s much interest in this particular country from other well-to-do nations. Of course this doesn’t come about for a while, and for most of the mission, William wanders around hearing snippets and spending the paper’s money. Is Waugh indulging in a little revenge fantasy? William is incapable as a journalist, but just happens to be in the right place at the right time and know the right people, and comes through with the climactic glory of the story – not the exposure of the truth, but a good story with lots of COLOUR.

Characterization

Okay well, as I’ve mentioned somewhere, Waugh is not a writer whose strongest suit is characterization – it’s his writing, wording that shines, and we’ll get to that in a minute. And yet the characters are the reason we generally love a story, no? Or at least – if you are interested in the human psyche, the intricacies of human relations, the effect of surroundings upon the humans therein. But for Waugh, his love is words and the ways he can string them beautifully: he sees the novel "not as an investigation of character, but as an exercise in the use of language.” An exercise! Like you do at school.

William Boot, the protagonist, is so wan and inconsequential that his mistaken namesake is introduced first, and more memorably. He reminds me of Paul Pennyfeather from Decline and Fall – he is only there to go along with the plot, adding nothing to it with his own input, but only to observe the zany characters around him. And Paul annoyed me so much! The way the others were breaking curfew in college, and Paul blandly took the blame without a fight. And he floats through the rest of it. Although William differs from Paul in one way – though William is rather pushed into this job, and takes the glamour and action in his stride, he retains a strong and immovable affection for his dreary old homestead, and that is the true love of the story – his affection for the country-side and desire to walk “feather-footed through the plashy fen.” William says no – and he’s such a blah character that it truly surprises and delights when he does.

At one stage he purports to be in love with a woman – she does him out of a load of money and a boat, in which he helps her and her husband escape. It’s not as noble as it sounds! Each and every character in this story is out for themselves. If they can’t see past their nose, why ought we invest?

SCOOP has memorable caricatures – larger-than-life, humorous, and distinctive, but they are there to portray ideas, not to have their own agency and accountability and foibles. They run around building and holding in place Waugh’s ideas, they exist to show the deftness of his pen, they are satire, they are text.

Writing

Brilliant as always, and makes the reader wish that Waugh’s themes and characters were as wonderful and satisfying as his prose.

“The immense trees which encircled Boot Magna Hall, shaded its drives and rides, and stood (tastefully disposed at the whim of some forgotten, provincial predecessor at Repton), singly and in groups about the park, had suffered, some from ivy, some from lightening, some from the various malignant disorders that vegetation is heir to, but all principally from old age. Some were supported with trusses and crutches of iron, some were filled with cement; some, even now, in June, could show only a handful of green leaves at their extremities. Sap ran thin and slow; a gutsy night always brought down a litter of dead timber.”

Now who else is going to describe a group of trees so well? Not only are they so very clear to picture, he has given them history, and in doing the history of the house, the family, and possibly the decaying aristocracy itself. I bet the fields are thick with meadowsweet and all!

Waugh has lots of fun with the journalistic jargon; the idea that an article must have news, but to sell, it must have colour – love that term: it must have some literary merit, some artistic verve, really appeal to the reader. Elsewhere William keeps getting increasingly frantic and mysteriously coded cables from the newspaper offices in London, going to despair because he’s not providing any stories he promised and running up enormous bills. Finally he manages: “Please don’t worry quite safe and well in fact rather enjoying things weather improving will cable again if there’s any news Yours Boot.” And later “Nothing much has happened except the president who has been imprisoned in his own palace.” The downplaying is so dry and delightful. I wish I knew what was going on. Maybe that’s the point!

[hopes4gf]

Thievery and Mischief- (a descendants/marvel crossover)

4 months later... 

“Adri!” The paparazzi scream as I try and make my way through the entrance of the school.

”Please give us any updates!” The reporters ask.

I get a text from my publicist with a couple of notes.

”The rumors are absolutely true, I am permanently leaving my position as advisor to focus on my creative career and college preparations. For now, I am wrapping up a couple of projects and I have many collaborations in the works. We are planning many different events including photoshoots, meet and greets, and festivals. If you have any more questions I am gladly open to interviews through my management,” I say through the microphones of the reporters.

Fairy Godmother waits for me at the door as I push through.

”It’s too early for this,” I say tiredly taking off my sunglasses.

”I know darling,” Fairy Godmother.

She hands me my skateboard and I laugh.

”You truly are a Fairy Godmother,” I snicker.

She smiles and I love my board on the ground, speeding off into the school. I ride my board into the courtyard where everyone hangs out.

Some students wave at me as I pass through the spring grass. Once I reach the tree I hop off. Under the tree, Jay, Carlos, Lonnie, and Arabella wait for me.

”The press back again?” Carlos asks.

”This is exactly why I didn’t want you a part of this,” I groan, sitting down in the grass next to Jay. He plants a sweet kiss on my cheek and wraps an arm around me.

”How you doing, mama?” Jay asks.

”Stressed. I’ve got to coach cheer this afternoon, do my fitting tomorrow for Mal’s cotillion, do a radio show on Thursday, and do the culture fest on Friday,” I rant.

”Tough being a celebrity, huh?” Arabella asks.

Ah yes, to get you up to speed...

My music started taking off after I was being promoted by several influencers. I started making snippets of music and posting my graffiti on my social media and it picked up TONS of views. Call me crazy but I like to think I’m an overnight sensation. The press hounds me every day for updates on the album I promised at the coronation and about my government work.

”Definitely, which is why I didn’t want me and Jay to be public yet,” I say.

”Come on, don’t you think it’s time?” Jay pleads.

”Jay, I cant. I’ve got too much on my plate, leaving Ben’s side and transitioning schedules and having more things to fill my time is absolutely taking me over. I TOLD you the press would hound you and look at what’s going on, they’re doing exactly that,” I say.

”Whatever,” Jay says rolling his eyes.

Jay constantly begs for us to go public every day. We hang out pretty much every day since we’ve started dating in secret. I visit him after his Tourney and Fencing practices, he watches me coach cheer, and we have movie nights every weekend. We do small things to show PDA like notes in our lockers and holding hands and small pecks on the cheek (and neck sometimes :) ) but never anything too big because of the press.

”Listen, why don’t you just spread everything out across your week?” Lonnie asks.

”I try but there’s just so much. Like performances, award shows, conferences, tours,” I start.

”Tour? Your gonna go on tour?” Jay asks with wide eyes.

”My fans have been begging me to do one so it’s in the works,” I say.

Jay stares at me disappointingly and I gulp.

The bell rings and I pack my stuff up.

I head to my locker to get my sketchbook and Biology book as usual and Jay follows me.

”So then what’re your plans for cotillion?” Jay asks.

”I don’t even know if I’m sure I’ll go. I’m just so stressed that I can’t find any time to do things,” I sigh.

”Is there any way I can help with that?” Jay whispers flirtatiously, pressing his lips on my neck. I push him off lightly with my hand.

”Jay, you know I can’t do this. I have to focus on my career right now. I’ll see you in Bio,” I say sincerely to him.

I kiss his cheek softly and close my locker, turning to head to art.

I look behind me and see him beside Carlos, heading down the steps while waving to the girls who try and flirt with him. I sigh softly, I really wish I didn’t have to all these things so I can be with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, Jane, Arabella, and I head to the gym to watch the boys fence. I walk up to the balcony with the girls, and we watch from above. Jay scouts me through the people in the gym and winks towards me.

”Alright boys, let's line it up!” Jay orders the team.

”Tensions have risen, don’t you think?” Arabella points out.

”What? No,” I scoff.

”Lemme guess, you didn’t talk?” Jane asks.

”Well, he tried to ‘help me’ destress but he knows about how I feel about the press and all that,” I say.

”Don’t you think that’s a little selfish?” Arabella asks.

I think about it for a minute.

”Maybe,” I say.

”I think you should apologize to him, that should usually work,” Jane says.

I nod in agreement. The boys start fencing but one member particularly stands out. They challenge Jay to a duel and all the other boys step aside. Jay’s eyes are focused deeply on this person as he swings his sword. He loses it during the fight and when the match is lost the person takes off their mask...

”Hey, it’s Lonnie!” Jane exclaims.

The audience claps.

”Not bad,” Jay compliments.

”You should put me in the team,” Lonnie replies with a smile.

Then, Chad interrupts.

oh god.

”What? No way- we’ll be the laughing stock of the league. What’s next, we put girls on the Tourney team? Come on, guys,” Chad disagrees.

”Why not, I bet I can tackle your ass any day,” I interject.

Lonnie smirks at my comment.

”So?” Jay assumes.

”So...have you not read the rule book? Chapter 3, paragraph 9, 11-4, 'a team will be comprised of a captain and 8 MEN,” Chad accentuates.

”But you’re down a man! Ben, ever since he started doing that king-stuff!” Lonnie stutters.

“Yeah, we are down a man,” Chad says.

”Sorry, but coach trusts me and I’m not gonna be captain if I just throw out the rule book,” Jay says.

”If my mother thought that way, she would’ve lost the war,” Lonnie huffs.

Chad scoffs and taunts her with the book.

I roll my eyes as the last bell of the day rings.

What the hell is wrong with him? There’s nothing wrong with girls on the team! And to especially say that to Lonnie, is also an offense to me.

Later, I wait for Jay at the front of the gym for a little bit. Getting concerned, I ask Carlos where he is.

”I think he left already, by the way, what are you doing for cotillion?” Carlos asks.

”I don’t even know if I’ll go. I need to clear my schedule first and see if Jay will ask me,” I say.

”Um- Jay told me that he’s not gonna ask anyone,” Carlos says shyly.

What?

”What? He did?” I ask.

”I guess,” Carlos says.

”Can you walk me back to my dorm?” I ask.

”Yeah, sure,” Carlos smiles.

We walk towards the end of the halls and see Jay and Lonnie talking.

”No, it’s fine. I get it. And plus cotillion is coming up so I don’t wanna freak you out with stuff while you're with Adri,” Lonnie says.

”Who said I was going with Adri?” Jay responds.

Carlos puts his arm in front of me, stopping me in my tracks.

”Listen,” Carlos whispers.

”She’s your girlfriend, why not?” Lonnie asks.

”Shes...always working. I try and act like everything with her is fine but it’s like she’s almost never there. She tries to come and support but she’s always taking calls or messages about work. I just want a girl who’s gonna to have the balance of work and fun at once. She’s all over the place and I just...I don’t know if it’s good for her to go to Cotillion with me,” Jay says to Lonnie.

I feel my eyes widen at his words and Carlos turns to me concerned. I feel the air grow thick and my throat tighten as my face gets hot. I start to walk the other way, leaving Carlos by himself.

I walk to the courtyard and sit under my gossip tree. I hide my head in my shirt and start to cry. I gasp and whimper as I sob under the tree, my shirt now stained with my salty tears. The emotion goes over me like a huge wave. Does he not trust me anymore?

”Adri? Are you okay?” A familiar voice asks.

I take my head out of my shirt and see Logan standing in front of me.

I shake my head no.

He sits beside me and rests my arm on his shoulder. 

“Hey, what’s wrong? If Jay did something to you, I’ll kick his ass,” Logan offers.

”No. I-I just...I’m w-worried,” I say through breaths.

”Worried about what?” Logan asks.

”That I’m working too hard and not being there enough for Jay,” I say.

”Hey,” Logan starts.

I look at him.

”You are such a supportive girlfriend. You may be going through a rough patch right now but he has to understand the pressure you're going through is hard for any Royal,” Logan says.

”I’m afraid that he won’t understand though,” I say.

”He will,” Logan assures.

Logan wraps his arms around me in a hug. He walks me to my dorm.

”If you need absolutely anything, just knock,” Logan says as I reach my room.

I open the door and before I can start to cry again, I jumó as I see Evie in the middle of my room.

”There you are! You ready for your fitting?” Evie asks.

“Sure...” I say shyly.

”Is something wrong?” Evie asks kindly.

”Just tired,” I lie.

Evie sighs and escorts me to the rack of dresses.

”Whatever it is, this will make you better,” Evie points out.

I smile softly and she starts to work her magic in me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After my interview, I remember Jay wraps up practice at the time so I head to the gym.

I get a call from my manager, Katie, Doc’s daughter, as I walk to the gym.

”Hey, Katie. What’s up?” I ask.

”Check your socials,” Katie advises.

I put her on speaker and check my social media. Trending, headlines; ADRI WITH NEW BOYFRIEND?!

My eyes widen at the headline. I scroll down and find two pictures, one of me and Jay and another of me and Logan. The articles speculate who the two different guys are and my face flushes as I read it.

“Are you really seeing someone?” Katie asks.

”Yes, but these are two different guys. The blonde guy is just my friend,” I explain.

”So, the other one is your boyfriend?” Katie assumes.

”Yes, but he agreed to keep things on dL...” I say.

”Is this dL to you?” Katie asks frustratedly.

”Katie, I-“

”Fix it!” Katie says, then hanging up.

I speed towards the gym to see Jay.

”Hey! Where are you going? Practice just ended,” Carlos says, bumping into me.

”The press know about Jay,” I tell him.

His smile drops.

”How?” Carlos asks.

“Someone took a picture of us together. And not just that,” I say.

I pull out my phone and show him the picture of me and Logan.

”What? Is that Logan?” Carlos asks.

”Yes! This was after Jay was talking to Lonnie about me. He came to comfort me,” I say.

”Damn, you should probably explain to him the situation before he gets the wrong idea,” Carlos says.

I nod and we walk to the gym. He steps in front of me and his eyes morph into those of fear.

”Too late...” Carlos mutters.

I peek over his shoulder and see the sight of something I never thought would happen.

His hands were on her waist, her hands in his brown hair, he was standing over her as she was pressed into the wall, her, my ‘best friend’, Lonnie...

She was kissing the man I loved.

I could feel the tears well up in my eyes as I stared.

”God, I’m so sorry,” Carlos says.

I fall to my knees and put my head in my hands and cry. 

youtu.be/s7FRpMiaa4Q

“I don’t know why he would do this,” Carlos says.

The tears on my face continue to stream down as Carlos speaks.

“Take me home,” I say. Carlos pick me up and we walk to my dorm. I shut my dorm, and sob more. Sliding down the door and crouching. Roxie, concerned by my anxious crying, cuddles next to me. I pick her up and stare at her cute little eyes.

”I love you. Thank you for trusting me. You’re the only one who cares,” I say through tears.

She purrs in agreement. I just lost my best friend and lover and this tiger is the only thing comforting me. I’m almost pathetic at this point. I stand up and put Roxie on my bed. She curls up and watches me.

I grab a duffle bag and I put all of Jay’s hoodies and sweatpants in the bag. I pick up his bomber jacket and I remember our first date. The way he kissed me under the waterfall. How he recognized my scars. How he spoke so passionately in my ear, whispering sweet nothings to me. And I begin to cry again.

My door opens.

”Hey, babe. How’s-“ Jay starts, walking through the door. He notices my tear stained face and his jacket in my hands.

”Baby, what’re you doing?” Jay asks, approaching me concernedly.

”Who the hell do you think you are?! Do you think you can just prance in here and think everything is fine? You w-were kissing her. I saw you! Lonnie! What has she got on me, huh? And why did you tell her all those things? How I’m not supportive of you, and I’m always busy! I’ve sacrificed my patience, my dignity, my temper, my family, and my time just so I can make you happy! And what do you do? You go around telling Carlos that you’re not asking me to Cotillion, telling lies about me and you, and kissing my best friend!” I tell.

”Oh? Do you want to talk? Then what were those pictures that I saw? Who is the estranged guy you’re dating, huh? Cause I sure as hell don’t have blonde hair,” Jay assumes.

”Are you kidding me? That guy isn’t my boyfriend! You are!“ I say.

”Well it sure doesn’t seem like it anymore. And it’s not my fault that I actually found someone that can actually be with me!” Jay yells back.

His words silence me. I think about my brother. He’s such good friends with Jay. I remember him telling me about his friendship with Jay and telling him how he had a crush on Lonnie.  He would be crushed.

”Aziz is gonna kill you for this, you know that? And if he doesn’t, I will. Now take your shit and leave my fucking room,” I say deeply.

Jay glares at me and takes the bag of his things.

”By the way, your best friend was kidnapped. Don’t come looking for him or me,” Jay huffs.

He slings it over his shoulder and slams the door shut. 

I wipe the tears from my face and hold Roxie in my arms.

2,634 words

[breitzbachbea]

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like), 6. What character do you have the most fun writing? 10. How would you describe your writing process? 16. Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?) -> I'm beging nosy and asking FOUR questions 👀😂

Oh Amber, PLEASE be nosy. I love answering questions about my writing or characters, even though I take 5000 years to answer.

Fun meta asks for writers

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

Okay, I thought about this for a while and I think I have a few more I could also share (and I'd probably have a sizeable amount of scenes or sentences if I reread ALL I wrote). But this scene was the thing that came to mind first and stuck the most.

From Italian Affairs, Chapter 9 "Drained Chances", Scene 3:

“I know I have to make up for what a jerk I’ve been”, he said. “But I still wish I could just forget.” He looked back into the room and spotted the wine bottle on a sideboard. “Charlie, you’ve got to face this”, Harry said and Michele sighed: “Okay we’ve got to think sober about this situation. Well, you do, Charlie.” “Damn right”, he muttered before walking over to the sideboard, almost falling over when he came to a hold with his hands on its upper side: "I have to correct my mistakes tomorrow!" “That’s the spirit!”, Harry said and Michele smiled. “You most certainly have the right ideas even now, Charlie.” “I have fucked up but I am a grown man and like that I will take responsibility for my actions!” He had grabbed the bottle even before the other two could yell “No!” and they only watched in horror as he emptied it. Charlie held down a burp, put the bottle back on the table and smile confident: "I have to talk to him again and explain myself." “And there it goes down the drain, the last piece of his common sense”, Harry hissed. “Thanks for lending me your ear, guys”, Charlie said and took a wobbly step away from the sideboard. “I am going back to my room now, enjoy your night.” He walked towards the door: “Or maybe I could try to talk to Marco again – no, that’s a stupid idea.” “You just drank half a bottle of wine in one go, mate, you are not going anywhere”, Harry said and Michele sighed but Charlie waved his hand while he staggered towards the door. “Don’t let me cockblock you, Happy fucking.” And with that he tripped and fell to his knees. He frowned at the floor while Michele got up to help him. “You know, Michele”, Charlie said while the Sicilian pulled him on his legs. “On second thought it might have been six beer.”

'Don't let me cockblock you, happy fucking', followed immediately by Charlie tripping and nearly falling on his face is deadass THE funniest thing I have ever written. I love how hilarious the entire situation is, solely because Charlie is an impulsive son of a bitch who keeps making bad decisions. Whenever he seems on track, he just cannot shut his mouth, he just cannot control a whim for a moment too long and it bites him in the ass the very next second. I love him so much. Furthermore, the scene itself is a perfect blend of wit and slapstick. I've outdone myself here.

Also, fuck you, ao3 says I have 382 170 words uploaded right now and that is still far from all I've ever written. So you're getting another scene.

From Smudged Makeup & Cleaning Up:

“I hate myself,” she said in French. “I hate myself and I hate him, I hate both of them so much,” she sobbed as her breath hitched and tears began to run down her face again. “Don’t cry again, shhht, don’t do that,” Hugo whispered and began to rock from side to side. “It’s okay, it’s nothing to cry about.” “I wouldn’t have to see it if I had just opened my stupid mouth and had told him how I felt, if I had just told him these stupid three words I now wouldn’t have to see this.” Her voice was something between a whisper and a hiss.

There are at least two more little paragraphs I could have shared from that one-shot, so I decided to go with the most emotional part. I reread it last night and I still think it is a pretty damn good piece of writing. It's funny, interesting and it shows all of the characters (Timothea, Hugo, Arielle) and their relationships to one another marvellously. I'd sincerely reccommend it to everyone, although the (not as good for sure) A French Trio Of Bad Decisions may be required reading to understand who Arielle is talking about in the above excerpt. (Amber, since you already read that one though, you can just go and enjoy Smudged Makeup & Cleaning Up as your first taste of Thea before you delve into The Amulet for more <3)

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

That's a good question! I was going to go through Irish Problems and Italian Affairs again, tallying up who has how many POV Scenes, but gave up rather quickly; it's just very hard to determine with all the headhopping that happens in the beginning. Last time I checked it was Harry. The following list is by no means exhaustive and talks mainly about the characters as POV characters. I very much enjoy writing all of my children, whether they're the POV character or not in any given scene.

Charlie is definitely one of them, I feel very at home in his head and he's so much fun to write. His catastrophizing, his intense but jumpy emotions, his impulsivity and kindness, his dialogue and thoughts ... He is so much fun. I'd have to lie to say this gay adhd mess doesn't hold a special place in my heart.

Francesco is another good one, solely because I love being in his head. It's a nightmare in there at times, but that's what makes it fun. Let the sadism fight the catholic guilt, the lust for pleasure at all cost the need for kindness. He's a very vibrant character with an undeniable presence in each scene he is in and it's always fun to write interesting characters.

Lovino's also always a blast. His ranting, his annoyance, his fidgeting (oh, god, if someone asks me for a favourite scene again, I am sharing the one where he shuffled around too much during a car ride and ended up folded like a lawn chair in the footwell). The tumultous inside of his head, his doubts, his fears. I have nothing but love for him and I already miss him, despite not technically having finished Italian Affairs. The rewrite is still ahead of me and I am going to savour every single moment I get to write my favourite South Italian.

Last but not least a shoutout to Hugo. I think he is very interesting as well, with the masks he wears and the intensity that lies beneath them. He's both a sweet young man AND a fuckboy AND a little bitch. The only problem with Hugo is that I'm never 100% sure in his characterisation and have to consult Jonah, his creator, in those cases.

10. How would you describe your writing process?

Messy as shit for being this organized - or Surprisingly organized for being messy as shit. I've developed this process over the past eight years and I'll probably keep tweaking screws as time goes on.

This is my process for my big, multi-chapter, novellength main series entries. Anything else usually gets done in a similiar fashion, just with some of the steps lacking. (I didn't vomitdraft for rarepairweek, for example, nor did I do the proofreading on paper because deadline.)

1. I make an outline. I used to call this "Scene Plan", because it is just that - a list of each scene, with a very short description that makes no sense to anyone but me. Seriously, YOU tell me what is going on here:

2. I collect all snippets that come to mind for a series in a document; if I already have an outline, I copy whatever scene they would belong to as a header. Those things happen all the time, it isn't a conscious effort.

3. I take those snippets, paste them into Quollwriter and then vomitdraft for a few days. Each day around 500 words, as fast as possible. Whatever comes to mind goes onto the page, rarely backtracking. It's not about it being presentable, it's about having something written that serves as skeleton for the scene. I research jack shit at this point and directly type (Look this shit up) into the text.

4. Once a scene/chapter is done, I copy it into word and read through it to take notes in a little notebook. I write down what to research, what I like in the draft, what I dislike and what I still ponder. I try to draw the first connections to give the chapter a coherent feeling. (Chapters for the main series consist of three scenes, so I take notes for a scene and edit it before I repeat the process for the next - I don't take comments for three scenes in a row.)

5. I begin to edit the scene with a goal of 200 words a day. I usually exceed it; during a very bad day I fall a little short of it. I try to write every day or every two days, unless something else requires my focus more (like a term paper). Oftentimes I start a writing session with tweaking what I did the day before, before I continue. I usually also do the research as it is called for at this stage - The Amulet was the only time I did research before I even begun to write. My usual timer is 30 Minutes, but I tend to write for a little longer if I am in the flow. Or I sit there for 4 hours to finish a scene because I am THAT much in the flow and I want the GODFORSAKEN THING DONE.

6. Once I finished editing the chapter or one-shot, I print it out and go through it with a red gel pen. I correct typos, formatting errors or formatting choices I don't agree with. I rewrite sentences that I think read clumsily and cross out words that repeat too much. I sometimes add things to moments that are lacking or I cross out sentences that now feel unnecessary. Once finished, I apply the corrections to my document.

7. If I have a beta-reader (like the lovely @swabianmapley for Herz Auf Beat), this is the point at which I send them the document and wait for their feedback & corrections.

8. I post the thing onto the black void that is The Internet, lie to myself that I don't care about feedback & yet still keep checking ao3 for new hits/kudos/bookmarks/comments and begin the same process for my next project a few days later.

16. Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)

Hmm. I don't know if it counts, but in the coffee one-shots for rarepairweek I tried to make peace with the 'holes' I left. To not explain everything, but let the reader draw their own conclusion. Aside from that ... Been trying to put more emotion into my writing. I felt so unsatisfied with the big Charco kiss at the end of Italian Affairs that I'm now making an effort into describing emotions and sensations more, especially internally and not simply physically.

[camerasieunhovn]

3 Powerful On-Page Optimizations to Power Up Your Content

What is on-page SEO?

On-page SEO is when you blend the art of writing with the science of SEO to rank individual pages for specific keywords. On-page SEO includes everything from meta tags, content format, and keyword optimization to get your content found by search engines and move your audience to convert with you.

While it’s only one part of the equation, on-page SEO guides your content to match customer intent, user engagement, and tactics to increase conversions.

You need to have a map on you before you head out to the forest if you don't want to get lost. Just like hiking, you need to have a good idea of where you're going if you want to stay on track to your destination.

The same line of thinking can be applied to content production, because you should know how to structure content on your site to help sculpt search results and meet the needs of your customers to drive more conversions.

It’s not easy to write content that ranks in Google and drives conversions, but if you follow a few simple steps, you’ll be on your way to ranking, driving more clicks, and appealing to customers on all types of devices. Let’s take a look at three on-page optimization tactics that you can use to get the right message to the right people at the right time.

1. Format content for readers & robots

An SEO strategy has to be built around the needs of your customers to hit ranking factors and get your readers to engage with your content.

It’s tough to serve these two goals, but you can get the best of both worlds by formatting your content in a way that helps robots and readers scan content and focus on information on different devices.

While you can spend time with “SEO hacks,” the best way to improve your online visibility and increase conversions is to format content for readers and robots. Let’s take a look at how breaking up text, keeping paragraphs short, and bullet lists will make your content easier to read and boost rankings today!

Break up text with H2 tags

One of the first things you can do to improve on-page SEO is to break up text with H2 subheaders. These headers allow you to insert keywords to fuel the technical side of SEO, and these headers also help your readers scan through your content when they first reach your site.

Here are a few quick notes to make the most out of your subheadings:

I like to add H2 subheadings every 300 words or so.

Insert H3 headers with an additional 50 words of content for each section when appropriate.

Use target keywords and exact-match questions in subheadings whenever possible.

I have found a lot of success with Google Search Console (GSC) when optimizing existing on-page content. You can open up a page in GSC to find first-party data on what Google is ranking your content for and then add keywords in the H2 and H3 sections of your site to see a good boost in rankings.

Make your content easier to read for humans and search engines by breaking up your content with H2 and H3 subheadings. Don’t forget to get the most out of this on-page SEO tactic by including keywords and exact-match questions in the section headings for maximum results!

Keep paragraphs short

If you want to engage your readers and drive more conversions, then you have to optimize every inch of your content based on the needs of your target audience. Large blocks of text are difficult to read, and this is especially true on a phone or tablet.

I like to limit paragraphs to only 2-3 sentences each to ensure content looks good on mobile devices and does not overwhelm a reader as they read through my content.

Use bullet points

Bullet points are a powerful copywriting tool because they allow you to summarize information in a concise manner while also drawing attention to important data in a punchy format. Here are a few reasons to use bullet points in your content to boost on-page SEO:

Break content up and make blocks of text easier to read on mobile devices.

Highlight valuable points to increase conversions on service web pages and product pages.

Add internal links to bullet points to help guide customers through the buyer's journey.

Try to keep bullet point lists between 3-7 bullets each. Shorter lists look goofy, and long lists are difficult to read.

I like to include a bullet list in the first paragraph of each blog post to help readers understand my content, plus this bullet list can help secure a featured snippet (more on tha later). I also like to add a bullet list near CTAs to draw the attention of readers to drive more conversions.

Bullet points are just one example of how you can format content to help your readers and search engines- they are the perfect balance between content marketing and technical SEO tactics.

2. Optimize for featured snippets

As online search changes, Google is constantly updating its algorithms to provide the right information to searchers as quickly as possible. A featured snippet is a bite-sized snippet of information that Google places above organic listings based on specific search queries.

Featured snippets are your best friend if you want to establish your brand's authority and drive more organic traffic to your site. Here are a few reasons to format new content and optimize existing content to trigger featured snippets:

Dominate "position zero" above paid ads and other organic search results.

Build your brand authority by ranking at the top of the Search Engine Results page for target keywords.

Drive more qualified traffic to your site.

Build more backlinks as more people click on and link to your content.

Push your competitor's online listings down in SERPs.

There are several types of featured snippets that Google can display based on search intent, search query, and search history. Let’s take a look at how you can format your content in specific ways to help secure the three major types of featured images.

Paragraph featured snippet

Paragraph featured snippets show 40-50 word explanations based on a search query with a link to the source content. This type of featured snippets can be secured with proper on-page SEO and content formatting.

I like to summarize the answer and main point of my content in the first paragraph of my blog posts and online content to secure more paragraph featured snippets. I also like to create a concise summary of different sections to help trigger more featured snippets throughout my content.

List featured snippet

You will notice that most types of “how-to” search queries will trigger a list featured snippet. This information is presented in either a numbered list or a bulleted list, and is a powerful way to generate more traffic for recipe sites or process-oriented content.

I like to add a bullet list or numbered list before I list out detailed sections to secure more featured snippets.

Table featured snippet

Google may include a table at the top of SERPs for search queries about pricing options, comparisons, and data. Most table featured snippets are 3-4 columns wide and 6-7 rows long.

I like to add a HTML table to my blog posts to summarize a process, show price comparisons, or just to provide a summary of different types of data. I’ve noticed that Google prefers HTML tables compared to tables made in CSS or other languages.

3. Add an FAQ section & FAQ schema

Structured data are bits of code that you can add to your blog posts and web pages to help Google understand your content. You can format your content along with markup language to spoon-feed search engines information about your content and shape your appearance in SERPs.

Once you add an FAQ section to the bottom of your content, you can get even more bang for your buck by adding FAQ schema to the backend of the content. FAQ schema offers a number of benefits for your SEO strategy like:

Boost impressions: FAQ schema will help drive more organic impressions, which can lead to a higher Click Through Rate (CTR).

More website clicks: As your pages get more impressions you will start to see more clicks to your web pages and blog posts.

Interlinking: You can add a link to each answer in your FAQ schema. Only point internal linking to non-sales content (like a blog post) to help drive more engagement.

Improve online visibility: FAQ schema makes your content more visible because it pushes your competitors lower on SERPs.

I like adding 3-4 common questions and answers at the bottom of each blog post and web page to help customers and search engines. I’ve found that FAQ sections at the end of my content helps with keyword rankings and allows me to implement FAQ schema to get found in search engines.

Supercharge your on-page SEO game today!

A winning SEO strategy is rooted in getting your message to the right people at the right time, and on-page SEO tactics can help you get found online and drive more conversions.

Use the tips in the above sections to make your content easier to read, easier to scan, and even sculpt your content in SERPs today!

[ductrungnguyen87]

3 Powerful On-Page Optimizations to Power Up Your Content

What is on-page SEO?

On-page SEO is when you blend the art of writing with the science of SEO to rank individual pages for specific keywords. On-page SEO includes everything from meta tags, content format, and keyword optimization to get your content found by search engines and move your audience to convert with you.

While it’s only one part of the equation, on-page SEO guides your content to match customer intent, user engagement, and tactics to increase conversions.

You need to have a map on you before you head out to the forest if you don't want to get lost. Just like hiking, you need to have a good idea of where you're going if you want to stay on track to your destination.

The same line of thinking can be applied to content production, because you should know how to structure content on your site to help sculpt search results and meet the needs of your customers to drive more conversions.

It’s not easy to write content that ranks in Google and drives conversions, but if you follow a few simple steps, you’ll be on your way to ranking, driving more clicks, and appealing to customers on all types of devices. Let’s take a look at three on-page optimization tactics that you can use to get the right message to the right people at the right time.

1. Format content for readers & robots

An SEO strategy has to be built around the needs of your customers to hit ranking factors and get your readers to engage with your content.

It’s tough to serve these two goals, but you can get the best of both worlds by formatting your content in a way that helps robots and readers scan content and focus on information on different devices.

While you can spend time with “SEO hacks,” the best way to improve your online visibility and increase conversions is to format content for readers and robots. Let’s take a look at how breaking up text, keeping paragraphs short, and bullet lists will make your content easier to read and boost rankings today!

Break up text with H2 tags

One of the first things you can do to improve on-page SEO is to break up text with H2 subheaders. These headers allow you to insert keywords to fuel the technical side of SEO, and these headers also help your readers scan through your content when they first reach your site.

Here are a few quick notes to make the most out of your subheadings:

I like to add H2 subheadings every 300 words or so.

Insert H3 headers with an additional 50 words of content for each section when appropriate.

Use target keywords and exact-match questions in subheadings whenever possible.

I have found a lot of success with Google Search Console (GSC) when optimizing existing on-page content. You can open up a page in GSC to find first-party data on what Google is ranking your content for and then add keywords in the H2 and H3 sections of your site to see a good boost in rankings.

Make your content easier to read for humans and search engines by breaking up your content with H2 and H3 subheadings. Don’t forget to get the most out of this on-page SEO tactic by including keywords and exact-match questions in the section headings for maximum results!

Keep paragraphs short

If you want to engage your readers and drive more conversions, then you have to optimize every inch of your content based on the needs of your target audience. Large blocks of text are difficult to read, and this is especially true on a phone or tablet.

I like to limit paragraphs to only 2-3 sentences each to ensure content looks good on mobile devices and does not overwhelm a reader as they read through my content.

Use bullet points

Bullet points are a powerful copywriting tool because they allow you to summarize information in a concise manner while also drawing attention to important data in a punchy format. Here are a few reasons to use bullet points in your content to boost on-page SEO:

Break content up and make blocks of text easier to read on mobile devices.

Highlight valuable points to increase conversions on service web pages and product pages.

Add internal links to bullet points to help guide customers through the buyer's journey.

Try to keep bullet point lists between 3-7 bullets each. Shorter lists look goofy, and long lists are difficult to read.

I like to include a bullet list in the first paragraph of each blog post to help readers understand my content, plus this bullet list can help secure a featured snippet (more on tha later). I also like to add a bullet list near CTAs to draw the attention of readers to drive more conversions.

Bullet points are just one example of how you can format content to help your readers and search engines- they are the perfect balance between content marketing and technical SEO tactics.

2. Optimize for featured snippets

As online search changes, Google is constantly updating its algorithms to provide the right information to searchers as quickly as possible. A featured snippet is a bite-sized snippet of information that Google places above organic listings based on specific search queries.

Featured snippets are your best friend if you want to establish your brand's authority and drive more organic traffic to your site. Here are a few reasons to format new content and optimize existing content to trigger featured snippets:

Dominate "position zero" above paid ads and other organic search results.

Build your brand authority by ranking at the top of the Search Engine Results page for target keywords.

Drive more qualified traffic to your site.

Build more backlinks as more people click on and link to your content.

Push your competitor's online listings down in SERPs.

There are several types of featured snippets that Google can display based on search intent, search query, and search history. Let’s take a look at how you can format your content in specific ways to help secure the three major types of featured images.

Paragraph featured snippet

Paragraph featured snippets show 40-50 word explanations based on a search query with a link to the source content. This type of featured snippets can be secured with proper on-page SEO and content formatting.

I like to summarize the answer and main point of my content in the first paragraph of my blog posts and online content to secure more paragraph featured snippets. I also like to create a concise summary of different sections to help trigger more featured snippets throughout my content.

List featured snippet

You will notice that most types of “how-to” search queries will trigger a list featured snippet. This information is presented in either a numbered list or a bulleted list, and is a powerful way to generate more traffic for recipe sites or process-oriented content.

I like to add a bullet list or numbered list before I list out detailed sections to secure more featured snippets.

Table featured snippet

Google may include a table at the top of SERPs for search queries about pricing options, comparisons, and data. Most table featured snippets are 3-4 columns wide and 6-7 rows long.

I like to add a HTML table to my blog posts to summarize a process, show price comparisons, or just to provide a summary of different types of data. I’ve noticed that Google prefers HTML tables compared to tables made in CSS or other languages.

3. Add an FAQ section & FAQ schema

Structured data are bits of code that you can add to your blog posts and web pages to help Google understand your content. You can format your content along with markup language to spoon-feed search engines information about your content and shape your appearance in SERPs.

Once you add an FAQ section to the bottom of your content, you can get even more bang for your buck by adding FAQ schema to the backend of the content. FAQ schema offers a number of benefits for your SEO strategy like:

Boost impressions: FAQ schema will help drive more organic impressions, which can lead to a higher Click Through Rate (CTR).

More website clicks: As your pages get more impressions you will start to see more clicks to your web pages and blog posts.

Interlinking: You can add a link to each answer in your FAQ schema. Only point internal linking to non-sales content (like a blog post) to help drive more engagement.

Improve online visibility: FAQ schema makes your content more visible because it pushes your competitors lower on SERPs.

I like adding 3-4 common questions and answers at the bottom of each blog post and web page to help customers and search engines. I’ve found that FAQ sections at the end of my content helps with keyword rankings and allows me to implement FAQ schema to get found in search engines.

Supercharge your on-page SEO game today!

A winning SEO strategy is rooted in getting your message to the right people at the right time, and on-page SEO tactics can help you get found online and drive more conversions.

Use the tips in the above sections to make your content easier to read, easier to scan, and even sculpt your content in SERPs today!

[gamebazu]

3 Powerful On-Page Optimizations to Power Up Your Content

What is on-page SEO?

On-page SEO is when you blend the art of writing with the science of SEO to rank individual pages for specific keywords. On-page SEO includes everything from meta tags, content format, and keyword optimization to get your content found by search engines and move your audience to convert with you.

While it’s only one part of the equation, on-page SEO guides your content to match customer intent, user engagement, and tactics to increase conversions.

You need to have a map on you before you head out to the forest if you don't want to get lost. Just like hiking, you need to have a good idea of where you're going if you want to stay on track to your destination.

The same line of thinking can be applied to content production, because you should know how to structure content on your site to help sculpt search results and meet the needs of your customers to drive more conversions.

It’s not easy to write content that ranks in Google and drives conversions, but if you follow a few simple steps, you’ll be on your way to ranking, driving more clicks, and appealing to customers on all types of devices. Let’s take a look at three on-page optimization tactics that you can use to get the right message to the right people at the right time.

1. Format content for readers & robots

An SEO strategy has to be built around the needs of your customers to hit ranking factors and get your readers to engage with your content.

It’s tough to serve these two goals, but you can get the best of both worlds by formatting your content in a way that helps robots and readers scan content and focus on information on different devices.

While you can spend time with “SEO hacks,” the best way to improve your online visibility and increase conversions is to format content for readers and robots. Let’s take a look at how breaking up text, keeping paragraphs short, and bullet lists will make your content easier to read and boost rankings today!

Break up text with H2 tags

One of the first things you can do to improve on-page SEO is to break up text with H2 subheaders. These headers allow you to insert keywords to fuel the technical side of SEO, and these headers also help your readers scan through your content when they first reach your site.

Here are a few quick notes to make the most out of your subheadings:

I like to add H2 subheadings every 300 words or so.

Insert H3 headers with an additional 50 words of content for each section when appropriate.

Use target keywords and exact-match questions in subheadings whenever possible.

I have found a lot of success with Google Search Console (GSC) when optimizing existing on-page content. You can open up a page in GSC to find first-party data on what Google is ranking your content for and then add keywords in the H2 and H3 sections of your site to see a good boost in rankings.

Make your content easier to read for humans and search engines by breaking up your content with H2 and H3 subheadings. Don’t forget to get the most out of this on-page SEO tactic by including keywords and exact-match questions in the section headings for maximum results!

Keep paragraphs short

If you want to engage your readers and drive more conversions, then you have to optimize every inch of your content based on the needs of your target audience. Large blocks of text are difficult to read, and this is especially true on a phone or tablet.

I like to limit paragraphs to only 2-3 sentences each to ensure content looks good on mobile devices and does not overwhelm a reader as they read through my content.

Use bullet points

Bullet points are a powerful copywriting tool because they allow you to summarize information in a concise manner while also drawing attention to important data in a punchy format. Here are a few reasons to use bullet points in your content to boost on-page SEO:

Break content up and make blocks of text easier to read on mobile devices.

Highlight valuable points to increase conversions on service web pages and product pages.

Add internal links to bullet points to help guide customers through the buyer's journey.

Try to keep bullet point lists between 3-7 bullets each. Shorter lists look goofy, and long lists are difficult to read.

I like to include a bullet list in the first paragraph of each blog post to help readers understand my content, plus this bullet list can help secure a featured snippet (more on tha later). I also like to add a bullet list near CTAs to draw the attention of readers to drive more conversions.

Bullet points are just one example of how you can format content to help your readers and search engines- they are the perfect balance between content marketing and technical SEO tactics.

2. Optimize for featured snippets

As online search changes, Google is constantly updating its algorithms to provide the right information to searchers as quickly as possible. A featured snippet is a bite-sized snippet of information that Google places above organic listings based on specific search queries.

Featured snippets are your best friend if you want to establish your brand's authority and drive more organic traffic to your site. Here are a few reasons to format new content and optimize existing content to trigger featured snippets:

Dominate "position zero" above paid ads and other organic search results.

Build your brand authority by ranking at the top of the Search Engine Results page for target keywords.

Drive more qualified traffic to your site.

Build more backlinks as more people click on and link to your content.

Push your competitor's online listings down in SERPs.

There are several types of featured snippets that Google can display based on search intent, search query, and search history. Let’s take a look at how you can format your content in specific ways to help secure the three major types of featured images.

Paragraph featured snippet

Paragraph featured snippets show 40-50 word explanations based on a search query with a link to the source content. This type of featured snippets can be secured with proper on-page SEO and content formatting.

I like to summarize the answer and main point of my content in the first paragraph of my blog posts and online content to secure more paragraph featured snippets. I also like to create a concise summary of different sections to help trigger more featured snippets throughout my content.

List featured snippet

You will notice that most types of “how-to” search queries will trigger a list featured snippet. This information is presented in either a numbered list or a bulleted list, and is a powerful way to generate more traffic for recipe sites or process-oriented content.

I like to add a bullet list or numbered list before I list out detailed sections to secure more featured snippets.

Table featured snippet

Google may include a table at the top of SERPs for search queries about pricing options, comparisons, and data. Most table featured snippets are 3-4 columns wide and 6-7 rows long.

I like to add a HTML table to my blog posts to summarize a process, show price comparisons, or just to provide a summary of different types of data. I’ve noticed that Google prefers HTML tables compared to tables made in CSS or other languages.

3. Add an FAQ section & FAQ schema

Structured data are bits of code that you can add to your blog posts and web pages to help Google understand your content. You can format your content along with markup language to spoon-feed search engines information about your content and shape your appearance in SERPs.

Once you add an FAQ section to the bottom of your content, you can get even more bang for your buck by adding FAQ schema to the backend of the content. FAQ schema offers a number of benefits for your SEO strategy like:

Boost impressions: FAQ schema will help drive more organic impressions, which can lead to a higher Click Through Rate (CTR).

More website clicks: As your pages get more impressions you will start to see more clicks to your web pages and blog posts.

Interlinking: You can add a link to each answer in your FAQ schema. Only point internal linking to non-sales content (like a blog post) to help drive more engagement.

Improve online visibility: FAQ schema makes your content more visible because it pushes your competitors lower on SERPs.

I like adding 3-4 common questions and answers at the bottom of each blog post and web page to help customers and search engines. I’ve found that FAQ sections at the end of my content helps with keyword rankings and allows me to implement FAQ schema to get found in search engines.

Supercharge your on-page SEO game today!

A winning SEO strategy is rooted in getting your message to the right people at the right time, and on-page SEO tactics can help you get found online and drive more conversions.

Use the tips in the above sections to make your content easier to read, easier to scan, and even sculpt your content in SERPs today!

https://ift.tt/3eZxDPO

[noithatotoaz]

3 Powerful On-Page Optimizations to Power Up Your Content

What is on-page SEO?

On-page SEO is when you blend the art of writing with the science of SEO to rank individual pages for specific keywords. On-page SEO includes everything from meta tags, content format, and keyword optimization to get your content found by search engines and move your audience to convert with you.

While it’s only one part of the equation, on-page SEO guides your content to match customer intent, user engagement, and tactics to increase conversions.

You need to have a map on you before you head out to the forest if you don't want to get lost. Just like hiking, you need to have a good idea of where you're going if you want to stay on track to your destination.

The same line of thinking can be applied to content production, because you should know how to structure content on your site to help sculpt search results and meet the needs of your customers to drive more conversions.

It’s not easy to write content that ranks in Google and drives conversions, but if you follow a few simple steps, you’ll be on your way to ranking, driving more clicks, and appealing to customers on all types of devices. Let’s take a look at three on-page optimization tactics that you can use to get the right message to the right people at the right time.

1. Format content for readers & robots

An SEO strategy has to be built around the needs of your customers to hit ranking factors and get your readers to engage with your content.

It’s tough to serve these two goals, but you can get the best of both worlds by formatting your content in a way that helps robots and readers scan content and focus on information on different devices.

While you can spend time with “SEO hacks,” the best way to improve your online visibility and increase conversions is to format content for readers and robots. Let’s take a look at how breaking up text, keeping paragraphs short, and bullet lists will make your content easier to read and boost rankings today!

Break up text with H2 tags

One of the first things you can do to improve on-page SEO is to break up text with H2 subheaders. These headers allow you to insert keywords to fuel the technical side of SEO, and these headers also help your readers scan through your content when they first reach your site.

Here are a few quick notes to make the most out of your subheadings:

I like to add H2 subheadings every 300 words or so.

Insert H3 headers with an additional 50 words of content for each section when appropriate.

Use target keywords and exact-match questions in subheadings whenever possible.

I have found a lot of success with Google Search Console (GSC) when optimizing existing on-page content. You can open up a page in GSC to find first-party data on what Google is ranking your content for and then add keywords in the H2 and H3 sections of your site to see a good boost in rankings.

Make your content easier to read for humans and search engines by breaking up your content with H2 and H3 subheadings. Don’t forget to get the most out of this on-page SEO tactic by including keywords and exact-match questions in the section headings for maximum results!

Keep paragraphs short

If you want to engage your readers and drive more conversions, then you have to optimize every inch of your content based on the needs of your target audience. Large blocks of text are difficult to read, and this is especially true on a phone or tablet.

I like to limit paragraphs to only 2-3 sentences each to ensure content looks good on mobile devices and does not overwhelm a reader as they read through my content.

Use bullet points

Bullet points are a powerful copywriting tool because they allow you to summarize information in a concise manner while also drawing attention to important data in a punchy format. Here are a few reasons to use bullet points in your content to boost on-page SEO:

Break content up and make blocks of text easier to read on mobile devices.

Highlight valuable points to increase conversions on service web pages and product pages.

Add internal links to bullet points to help guide customers through the buyer's journey.

Try to keep bullet point lists between 3-7 bullets each. Shorter lists look goofy, and long lists are difficult to read.

I like to include a bullet list in the first paragraph of each blog post to help readers understand my content, plus this bullet list can help secure a featured snippet (more on tha later). I also like to add a bullet list near CTAs to draw the attention of readers to drive more conversions.

Bullet points are just one example of how you can format content to help your readers and search engines- they are the perfect balance between content marketing and technical SEO tactics.

2. Optimize for featured snippets

As online search changes, Google is constantly updating its algorithms to provide the right information to searchers as quickly as possible. A featured snippet is a bite-sized snippet of information that Google places above organic listings based on specific search queries.

Featured snippets are your best friend if you want to establish your brand's authority and drive more organic traffic to your site. Here are a few reasons to format new content and optimize existing content to trigger featured snippets:

Dominate "position zero" above paid ads and other organic search results.

Build your brand authority by ranking at the top of the Search Engine Results page for target keywords.

Drive more qualified traffic to your site.

Build more backlinks as more people click on and link to your content.

Push your competitor's online listings down in SERPs.

There are several types of featured snippets that Google can display based on search intent, search query, and search history. Let’s take a look at how you can format your content in specific ways to help secure the three major types of featured images.

Paragraph featured snippet

Paragraph featured snippets show 40-50 word explanations based on a search query with a link to the source content. This type of featured snippets can be secured with proper on-page SEO and content formatting.

I like to summarize the answer and main point of my content in the first paragraph of my blog posts and online content to secure more paragraph featured snippets. I also like to create a concise summary of different sections to help trigger more featured snippets throughout my content.

List featured snippet

You will notice that most types of “how-to” search queries will trigger a list featured snippet. This information is presented in either a numbered list or a bulleted list, and is a powerful way to generate more traffic for recipe sites or process-oriented content.

I like to add a bullet list or numbered list before I list out detailed sections to secure more featured snippets.

Table featured snippet

Google may include a table at the top of SERPs for search queries about pricing options, comparisons, and data. Most table featured snippets are 3-4 columns wide and 6-7 rows long.

I like to add a HTML table to my blog posts to summarize a process, show price comparisons, or just to provide a summary of different types of data. I’ve noticed that Google prefers HTML tables compared to tables made in CSS or other languages.

3. Add an FAQ section & FAQ schema

Structured data are bits of code that you can add to your blog posts and web pages to help Google understand your content. You can format your content along with markup language to spoon-feed search engines information about your content and shape your appearance in SERPs.

Once you add an FAQ section to the bottom of your content, you can get even more bang for your buck by adding FAQ schema to the backend of the content. FAQ schema offers a number of benefits for your SEO strategy like:

Boost impressions: FAQ schema will help drive more organic impressions, which can lead to a higher Click Through Rate (CTR).

More website clicks: As your pages get more impressions you will start to see more clicks to your web pages and blog posts.

Interlinking: You can add a link to each answer in your FAQ schema. Only point internal linking to non-sales content (like a blog post) to help drive more engagement.

Improve online visibility: FAQ schema makes your content more visible because it pushes your competitors lower on SERPs.

I like adding 3-4 common questions and answers at the bottom of each blog post and web page to help customers and search engines. I’ve found that FAQ sections at the end of my content helps with keyword rankings and allows me to implement FAQ schema to get found in search engines.

Supercharge your on-page SEO game today!

A winning SEO strategy is rooted in getting your message to the right people at the right time, and on-page SEO tactics can help you get found online and drive more conversions.

Use the tips in the above sections to make your content easier to read, easier to scan, and even sculpt your content in SERPs today!