#I tend to fall into not necessarily a writer's block on things but more of an ADHD block

[shikai-the-storyteller]

Everyone say thank you to lilliancdoodles, I just blasted through a mental block I had working on "Like a Parody of Tantalus" and just upped the word count x3 because their praise for Chapter 1 was so sweet.

[mumms-the-word]

THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT MY FELLOW WRITERS

I can’t remember who tagged me with this or if I stole it 😭

Tagging: @elspethdekarios @sorceresssundries @fantasyfictionfables @lewdisescariot and anyone else??

No pressure friends as always and sorry for double tagging, this has sat in drafts for like days

Last book I read: For fun? I honestly can't remember. For my dissertation, Phantasmion by Sara Coleridge (and I haven't recovered, it was an acid trip of a fantasy novel)

Greatest literary inspirations: Bram Stoker (fave classic writer), Marissa Meyer (influenced my love of YA fairy tales), Ursula K. Le Guin (her style is SO GOOD)

Things in my current fandom I want to read but I don't want to write: I skim/read a lot of smut for someone who will never write it. I don't even read it that much, but occasionally something catches my eye (I appreciate you smutty, smutty people). What I'd want to read but not write is slice-of-life style shenanigans between characters, the kind that comic artists like @a2zillustration do really well. Send me recs if you know other BG3 comic artists!

Things in my current fandoms I want to write but I think nobody would be interested in them but me: my current masquerade fic I love writing stuff that is incredibly specific to my Tavs because I find it fascinating to explore different character perspectives and voices? But I know the fandom tends to enjoy generalized Tavs or "you" POVs more than specific OC characters, which is fair given the nature of the game, so I don't share as much of my Tav-specific stuff these days

You can recognise my writing by: the lack of smut...and probably an overuse of adverbs. and the fact that every chapter/oneshot is ridiculously long. I'm new to fanfic, okay, I wrote full books as a hobby before this lol

My most controversial take (current fandom): oh boy I have...many, probably...I've already gotten blocked for one hot take (I think it was a misunderstanding??) but it wasn't even my most controversial take. I think my most controversial take is that there is no One Correct Way to interpret a character, and anyone who tells you that "you're reading the game files wrong" or "that isn't what is canon" is ignoring the fact that a) that's not how interpretation works, and b) the branching nature of the game is going to necessarily mean that different people encounter different things in different orders and may not even get the dialogue that you hold so dear to your interpretation of the character, and that is okay. We shouldn't ask everyone to become an expert in every facet of their favorite character's identity because not everybody has the time or energy for that. We should just hope that people are having fun. Like I know this is a complex topic and I don't want to ramble about it here lol but that's the gist

Top three favourite tropes: in no particular order, 1) arranged/convenient marriage that leads to genuine love between characters, 2) super big tall buff scary guy (tortured past optional) is actually a total sweetheart who is a little afraid of his own strength (bonus points if he falls in love with a smol person he must protect and feels slightly unworthy of), and 3) FOUND FAMILY I love it every time

What’s your current writing mood (10 – super motivated and churning out words like crazy, 0 – in a complete rut): fic writing I'm like....idk a 6? dissertation writing, which I am actually supposed to be writing, is a solid 1.

Share a random frustration: my students keep insisting on using AI to write their assignments and it is BEYOND frustrating how much time it takes up for me to read their assignment, mark where they've used AI, and then forward it to the next tier in our "Guess what you done fucked up" system for this class

[browneyeddevil]

What are you grateful for in 2023?

What achievement are you proudest of?

What are your goals for 2024?

(Personal, fandom related, or otherwise)

Happy New Year ✨

@curiousnonny

Happy New Year nonny!

Contrary to what it might seem like, I tend to moan about school a lot on here 🫣, but I'm actually super grateful for the fantastic teachers I've had this past year. The vast majority of them have been super friendly, funny, and supportive people in general, but also just good at teaching, which isn't something to sneeze at.

I'm proud of my grades for sure, but proudest I think of how I've managed to balance school and work simultaneously. Boundaries with my boss and all that, not that it's necessarily been needed she's fairly chill as bosses go and it's a minimum wage job, but being honest with myself and her about how much I can do.

I say this every year, (but somehow every year I fail on this one gah!) but I really hope to get more consistent in my writing habits. It's really easy for me to get overwhelmed with what I'm doing, or just let it fall to the wayside when I get stressed about other things going on, and I'd just like to get better at avoiding those pitfalls or handle them better in general. Writer's block controls my life you lot 😭.

And then, of course, I graduate this summer, so I'm super excited to start travelling more and earning more money :).

[vannahfanfics]

Hi hi! I go by Sunny online, I use they/them, I'm 5'7, I have decently long brown hair (I'm growing it out as my years of peace and if someone provokes me to anger I'll cut it off and leave it on their doorstep as a cute reference to emperors in ancient China <3) I'm chaotic in nature, I've been described as the literal personification of a d&d bard. Which I'd say is decently true, I'm charismatic and flirty, I'm great and convincing people and I'm the hype person! My go to words/phrases are, "Slay king/queen live your truth" "Have my babies" "Naur/Hyelleur" "I'm gonna beat you up *pretend beats them up* are you dead yet?" All with a funny tone and my excellent autistic timing. I also like to do bits, and one of them includes saying no to a task that's asked of me, then proceeding to do said task. I also like to make hearts with my hands in various ways and poke my tongue out briefly at people like a frog.

This is my left eye for reference :)

I have an oval face shape with some baby fat, but not too much :P

Also I'm proven to be totally chill and super smooth around people that I find very attractive. I may get a little nervous but no one can tell until after said attractive person leaves. I'm demiromantic and demisexual so it means I don't experience those kinds of attractions without a deep bond. I don't care for gender but women and nb people tend to befriend me and get close so that skews the results some heh.

Good luck with the comissions! I hope I didn't out too little/much information, and buh-byeeeee <3333

Ahh, Sunny, I apologize for how long it took me to get to this! Between medical school shenanigans, writer's block/my ADHD squirrel-braining, and all that mess, I've just been on a rollercoaster of poor time management over here. TT.TT But, hopefully, you'll find it as having been well worth the wait! Thanks again for commissioning <3

P.S. I also do the thing where I say "no" when someone asks me to do something while immediately moving to perform said task XD

I match you with...

Ling Yao from FullMetal Alchemist!

Okay, full disclosure, I'm a little biased because Ling was one of my first great manga/anime loves... However, your personal blurb just screamed Ling to me, so I'm going with him anyways! I just think you two would be total peas in a pod—the best or worst chaotic duo, depending on who you ask, muahaha! Here's a few reasons why I think you two would be really compatible:

I think being demiromantic and demisexual works in your favor when it comes to Ling! After all, he's a guy who forms very deep and powerful bonds himself, and his devotion to those he cares about not only influences a lot of his personality but serves as the core of his motivations. I think he'd totally vibe with the idea of needing a strong, meaningful relationship in place already before any feelings beyond friendship develop. He can play at being friends with everyone and seeming like he doesn't form serious attachments, but we know that he does, and those are the relationships he puts the most value in. That being said, he is entirely personable; it would be easy to become friends with him and go from there! He's a lot like you in his extroversion, after all. People are where the party's at, and you are certainly a party people that he'd invite into his life! :)

When it comes to Ling, I feel like physical appearance is something that may be an element of catching his initial interest and cause him to take notice of someone (such as a "hot senator," wink-wink, nudge-nudge) but isn't necessarily the key factor in his decision to pursue somebody. That being said, it's not something he totally ignores, either; the more he falls for you, the more things he falls in love with about you, and that includes appearance. He'll begin to just randomly think about how luscious your hair is, how gorgeous your eyes are, how you look lovely whether you're dressed comfy or to the nines... And if you ask him why he's got a dreamy look on his face while staring at you, he's certainly not shy in telling you exactly what's on his mind! But he'd be unable to pick a favorite part about you because he just adores all of you so much, inside and outside, physical and not. And he'll tell you that, too!

Now, you did mention that you're not really keen on words of affirmation as a love language. It's not Ling's primary love language, but he's not the type to withhold compliments or be shy about his feelings, as I mentioned before. Bear in mind that, to him, they aren't words of affirmation; it's just the truth! He never says things that he doesn't genuinely believe, so it might be hard for him to stifle those urges in the beginning of navigating a relationship with you. But he will try, simply because he doesn't want to upset you or come off as disingenuous. Don't hold it against him if things slip out here and there, though! And he will more than make up for it through his primary love language, which is acts of service. I mean, we've seen what lengths Ling will go to for those he cares about and/or feels responsible for. If you asked this man to pluck the moon out of the sky for you, he'd be searching for the nearest rocketship to commandeer. He'll always try to do things to make you smile, make your day better, make your life easier... Whatever you need at the time and whatever makes you happy! Finally, he's also a lot like you when it comes to physical affection. His desire for it grows as his feelings grow; if it's a serious relationship, he can be a real cuddle monster! He won't want to go two minutes without hugging or kissing or touching you or some way. He isn't even ashamed about admitting that he's a little needy, LOL. He just adores you oh so much! If you're willing to give, why should he be shy about asking? Of course, if you're not in the mood, he can easily pick up on that and won't overstep your boundaries. He'll definitely be a little sad about it, though, and will be a little bit more of a menace when you're ready to accept physical affection from him again! >:)

A lot of the reason that I think you guys work together, as I've alluded to a bit, is that your personalities are so similar! Sometimes, this can actually be a recipe for not being able to enter a relationship with a person, but I don't that'd be the case for you and Ling. I think you two would 100% fuel each other's madness. I mean, tell me that Ling would not also cut off his hair and leave it on the doorstep of someone who provoked him. That is peak petty Ling vibes right there. To further cite your personal blurb, Ling definitely has bard energy—charismatic, shrewd, humorous, free-spirited... A lot of qualities that you also have! I can only imagine the shenanigans that the two of you would get up to. You two will definitely come up with all the chaotic/hilarious bits, witticisms, and the like. The same can be said about your sense of justice and loyalty. Those are values that Ling holds in high regard himself and immensely respects in a person. His ass will be right there with you in the jail cell. And, hello, your love of food? It totally resonates with Ling! So the fact that you like food is your ticket straight to his heart, LMAO! He loves having a good time over a nice meal, and he gets to see you super happy while he's at it? Win-win, baby! And, let's be honest, Ling can be swayed by the dollar signs... so he will definitely respect your dreams of rolling in the dough, haha!

Ling is highly observant, so if you've caught his attention in a way that makes him want to court you, then he's going to make sure to make all the right moves to win your heart <3 So, I figured I'd expound a bit on the kind of things Ling does when he finds out the things that make you happy!:

Ling, 90% of the time, does not do planned dates. This dude just calls and sometimes even shows up out of the blue hoping that you are free so he can spirit you off on an adventure, LOL! He just can't help it; the instant that he wants to talk to your or see you, he just has to, right then and there! Not only that, this guy lives his life by the rule of spontaneity; it's no fun if you plan every second of your day!

Honestly, he'll probably pick up on the fact that you like food during your first meeting. A lot of your friendship will involve food, whether it's you guys going out to eat together or ordering in or just talking about your shared gourmet interests, LOL. But once he gets it in his head that he wants to date you? Man, he kicks it into high gear.

You mention a new restaurant you wanna try? Dress up, love, because he'll be picking you up at seven. Your favorite snacks? He has them on hand anytime the situation could call for it just because he wants to see your face light up. You mention you have nothing to do this weekend? Knock-knock, here's Ling with some take-out and some movies or videogames, ready to waste the night away with you.

At first, Ling's not a guy who cooks. He's got people to do that for him, LMAO. But this man would 100% learn to cook for you. The notion of you enjoying something that he made just for you... Ah! It makes his heart go doki-doki! Like, literally, he might shed a tear of joy the first time because it makes him that happy to know you liked his food.

And if you do the same for him? First it will blow his mind, then he'll get stupid excited because food, and then he'll get all choked up because you did this just for him! It could honestly be burnt or salty or straight up inedible, but this guy will lick the plate clean because you made it and that makes it a five-star meal in his book :)

Real talk, he knows you don't like dishonesty, so he'll be tactfully honest if it wasn't good. But if you try to get him not to eat it, you'll just end up chasing him around the house while he's shoveling food in his mouth. Sometimes his principles overrule his brain, and he would rather die than waste a single bit of a meal you made for him!

Needless to say, eating with you is his favorite activity. He gets to eat some yummy food, whether one or both of your made it or it's from a restaurant, and enjoy quality time with you. And it makes you just as happy! Seriously, what's not to enjoy?

And, last but not least, here is the little drabble that comes as part of the Tier III match-up! I am kind of passionate about Ling just being a spontaneous gremlin that somehow is just so sickeningly sweet and heart-throbbing, so, here, have some super cliché and chaotic fluff!:

You should have known better than to talk to Ling about romantic clichés.

It was a trap. Of course it was a trap! You've known the guy forever, and yet he still managed to trick you right into the conversation with that silver tongue of his. You'd only been dating a month, so him bringing up the topic of cliché romantic gestures should have been the biggest warning flag ever. When you managed to miss that, you should have been tipped off by the even more obvious probing about which gestures you found too cheesy and which ones kind of got your heart fluttering. But the bastard was too damn smooth and navigated that conversation leaving you none the wiser.

So, here you are, staring out of your bedroom window with an expression that is a mixture of embarrassment and endearment. Why? Because Ling was sitting in your yard, singing a very off-key rendition of your favorite song while playing an acoustic guitar more terribly than you thought a person could.

Well, as they say: hindsight is 20/20. Still, you don't know how you missed that.

"Ling!" You're laughing as you open your window and lean out to call to him. He had started off looking all seductive-like at you, but very soon he started really feeling himself and now had his head thrown back, yowling to the moon like some deranged cat. In fact, you can hear several cats in the distance responding to his call. He doesn't hear them, nor does he hear you, not with him singing at a pitch that borders on one only dogs can hear. So, after a small fit of giggles, you shout louder, "Ling!"

"Eh?" he cuts off to stare owlishly at you. He then plasters a big, cheesy grin on your face that is so full of enthusiasm and adoration that you can't help but let your heart melt a little.

"Oh, hey! Whatcha think?" Before you can answer, he cocks a brow and flashes you a suggestive smirk. "You're looking a little off-balance there. Did I sweep ya off your feet?"

"I'm off-balance, all right, but only because your singing is so bad that it's given me vertigo!" you rib. "What the hell were you thinking? I bet the neighbors are on the phone with animal control telling them that there's a band of raccoons tearing each other to pieces over here!"

As always, Ling takes your teasing in stride, just offering you a sheepish smile and a little shrug.

"Well, at least I can say I tried. I should have gone for something else, though. I know I can't sing for shit. But I've always wanted to try it, you know? Those guys in the movies make it seem so swoon-worthy." He wastes no time in discarding the guitar in the grass to retrieve later. He walks over to a plastic bag sitting nearby, and when he hefts it up, you recognize the logo of one of your favorite takeout places. "It's a good thing I brought a contingency plan."

"You should have started with that," you laugh as he approaches the window. Dextrous and limber, it's no trouble for him to clamber his way up and perch himself in it, straddling the sill and smiling warmly while he holds out the bag of delicious-smelling food to you.

"Come on. Admit it; you liked it," he goads, playfully yanking the to-go bag out of your reach just when you go to take it. When you pout at him, he wiggles his brows and presses, "Come on. You're telling me that you didn't swoon just the teeniest, tiniest bit?"

You debate lying to him just to do it, but you can't bring yourself to. Underneath his playful expression is genuine eagerness. So, after releasing a little sigh of relent, you admit, "Okay. I did swoon." When his face lights up with happiness, you hastily add, "Just the teeniest, tiniest bit, though."

"Whatever, I'll take it," he chirps and deposits the bag of food in your waiting hands.

You waste no time in tearing it open to get at the boxes of scrumptious goodies within. Like you've often done, you eat there at the window using some nearby furniture as a makeshift table, Ling perched in the window and you in a chair next to him. You melt as soon as you take the first bite, and immediately, Ling's face softens.

"What?" you ask around your mouthful of food.

"Mmm, I'm just glad that at least one of my romantic gestures made you happy," he answers nonchalantly. You roll your eyes, but that hot flush of happiness and nervousness is rushing through you despite your cool-as-a-cucumber outward appearance. And Ling has known you long enough to see right through it, prompting him to add, "Don't care how I do it, as long as I can make you smile."

"You're such a simp," you mumble despite the fact that a stupidly happy smile is growing on your face.

"Ah, but this simp is sitting in your window, so what does that make you?" he challenges. You respond with a playful shove to his shoulder, knowing that he'll catch himself as he slips to the side. He does with a squawk, then responds with an affronted huff and a light shove to your head. "Fine! Next time I try to dazzle you with a romantic cliché, I won't bring takeout!" He even starts acting like he's climbing back out the window to leave.

"Noooooo! I'm sorry! Please don't!" you whine, throwing your arms around his middle even though you know it's an act. You feign that it's just the food you care about, but in reality, it makes you giddy that he likes you enough to embarrass himself with corny displays if only to see you smile. And he knows that, which is why he settles himself back in the window and smiles at you.

In hindsight, maybe talking with Ling about romantic clichés wasn't so bad after all.

Interested in a commission? Check out this post!

[la-cocotte-de-paris]

What would you say is the best thing about writing and the worst? What's the most difficult part for you about this activity?

Hello, darling! <3

Hmm, I think the best thing about writing is bringing to life a whole world you want to see so badly play out in some shape or form. You may not wish to live in said world depending on what happens in it, but you want to see the world exist within four walls at the very least. I don't know, I just love to tell stories and help offer a possible escape to those who are sick of whatever reality they must face and wish to forget about it for a while. Sometimes even writing helps me forget about everything else, or even help confront it. There are so many wonderful things about writing for both the writer and receiver (be they a reader or a viewer)!

The most difficult thing about writing I think is trying to bridge together the scenes you can create vividly with ease. Nothing major necessarily has to happen in these bridging scenes -- but they must exist for a reason and remain somewhat interesting to the audience/reader while remaining relevant to the plot. I mean, you can make them irrelevant too, if you want, depending on your writing style and flourish, but all the scenes of a given story ultimately must "make sense" and "fall into" the framework of any given plot you create (if that makes any sense). But yeah, writing scenes that I have a vague idea of what ought to happen, but they exist between two far more "vivid" and intense scenes...I find fleshing those bridge scenes out adequately can be difficult sometimes haha. That's usually where writer's block comes in for me. I also tend to ruin my sleep schedule when I write lol but you adapt to that.

Thank you for asking! ^.^

[aurorawest]

Serious question, because it's been bugging me for awhile now: why does so much of the Marvel fandom have totally unrealistic ideas of how stories should work? I just came across some Loki show antis saying they should review-bomb season 2 (presumably because season 1 didn't cater to their very specific tastes), and I've seen people mad about everything from, say, Zemo having a motive for his villainy to fans of certain characters brawling over who's "more powerful." What gives?

Sorry, part 2 because I ran out of space: it just seems like a lot of Marvel fans think that creative decisions are made to spite them, personally, vs. being directed by a team of creatives making decisions based on a variety of factors, including what would make the most narrative sense. It's so personal in Marvel fan spaces in a way I really haven't seen anywhere else. Like, Thanos might have dumb motives but those motives don't mean the Russo brothers are literally fascists, you know?

There are probably a few things going on. One is that the type of person drawn to fandom probably going to be someone who doesn't have a lot of perspective about fandom (like how fans of a sport don't necessarily have a lot of perspective about it, or whatever. this isn't specific to fandom). it has an outsize importance in their life and becomes a huge part of their identity.

Another thing is that it feels like Loki fans in particular tend to really overidentify with Loki, to the point that any perceived attack on Loki becomes an attack on them. Whereas I watch Mobius interrogating Loki and am like, "YEAH! This scene is a cool character moment for both of these characters!" some people clearly feel attacked personally by this narrative moment.

Aaaaand. Okay. This is going to sound mean, but I don't know how else to put it. Lack of critical thinking skills and an inability to deconstruct a narrative. You know those posts that are like "waaaah why did I have to read those boring classics in school when I just wanted to read Twilight??!" (or whatever) Those people are in your fandom and unable to approach a piece of fiction as anything other than something meant to entertain them, specifically, and to cater to their tastes. They don't know how to deconstruct anything. They don't know how to look at a narrative and see the building blocks that go into it. They don't know how to dissect a character arc. It's a skill, just like any other, and I imagine it's been taught very badly to some people—and even if it wasn't taught badly, since it's a skill, you have to use it or lose it. You can see the widespread effect of this in society at large, not just in fandom.

I don't think that a lot of people understand that movies and tv shows are made by a team of creatives. I don't think they realize there's a writer's room, with multiple writers. Obviously every production is going to be different, and full disclosure I have zero background in the industry, but I would think it's very common for a thing to undergo changes constantly, as the writers, director, and actors work on it. Then there's post production, and editing, and test audiences, and re-shoots. And it feels pretty safe to assume that all the people involved in a movie or show are not motivated by a desire to spite a certain small segment of the audience.

Look—there are things I didn't like about the Loki series, and I have specific reasons that I don't like them, which I can articulate. Same with WandaVision, Falcon, and Hawkeye. Same with Eternals, and Spiderman No Way Home. But I don't view any of the story decisions made in them as a personal attack on me, because that's...insane? I also can generally draw a distinction between "I personally didn't like this" and "this is objectively bad."

And obviously most things fall in between those two poles...which is why I don't have a lot of patience for people who speak in absolutes when it comes to media.

I will say that I was hanging out in a non-Marvel server today and I noted some of the same behavior, though not nearly to the same extent. This kind of thing was in large part responsible for me leaving the WIR fandom, too. So it's not just the MCU by any means.

Anyway I could probably go on and on and on but I'm going to cut myself off there haha.

[adamsvanrhijn]

ooooh 17, 19 if you want, 32, 38

17. Past or present tense? Why?

both!!! that post going around right now about this makes me :-( because i use both in about equal frequency (though!!! i don't know that for certain... i should make a chart) and people are dissing present tense a lot lol. but! i like them both, and they both tell stories.

i think they each give different vibes and there are some nuances worth considering to craft something of quality in each. converting tenses (which i have to do fairly often because i do write in both and i don't write in a linear way at all, so if passage x is in present and passage y is in past one of them has to Win and the other gets rewritten) and ending up with quality prose is more complex than just changing the verb tenses.

but i like both and use both! sometimes within the same work (in diff chapters/sections obvs, not in the same piece of prose) to express something in particular? but generally it's arbitrary and it's just how the words fall out of my head.

19. Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

"It's become inconvenient," Oscar specified.

"Has it?"

"And with you blocks away," sharing an address with several mutual acquaintances of theirs (bachelors congregated; Oscar had been careful to deviate from the trend), in an area... well, not more trafficked. But crowds were amenable when one wanted to blend in, and the crowds at Madison Square were more active and more varied than those in John's quarter, where all had impeccable background and pedigree—and all knew them both on sight, saw them both everywhere.

He hadn't known New York. He couldn't be blamed for his decision, and, in Oscar's favor, he'd said before that he should make a different one if he could start again.

But he disliked change once he had settled: the other side of the coin, and the one that would not serve Oscar well in this endeavor.

32. Do you have a word/expression that you always use in your writing?

lmfao god yeah unfortunately. there are very many. i am trying to break some of these habits with tga fanfic as i am writing new points of view? but some of it is just ~*~*My Style~*~.

major offenders:

"breathe[s/d]" as a dialogue tag verb

i feel that my adverbs are repetitive in general but especially "lightly". my prose is very beige and i tend to over-rely on Telling with adverbs in general imo.

lexical trends characters have in canon tend to show up more frequently in my fic than they do in the actual source material, especially when it's ways of expressing contradiction (e.g. thomas barrow downton abbey "but even so")

38. "This never happened" fix-it fics or "this happened but" fix-it fics?

so i don't really write Fix It Fic so much as i write canon divergent aus where things go differently and sometimes result in what i think is a good outcome for the characters that they may not necessarily have been afforded in canon — i am a Canon First Word Of God Second Paratext Third Everything Else Last person, and i like to explore other stories and what if scenarios, but i'm very much a "love letter to the media" fic writer, not an "i can do it better" fic writer.

but in any case, i try to err on the side of "this happened but" because i think it's easier to keep characterization stable and recognizable that way, as well as, when things don't happen at all, trying to ensure there is an analogue event or plotline that allows for similar character development. sometimes i like to take said character development past canon to a place that feels more desirable to me, but that isn't intended necessarily to be a Fix, because i have so many stories going on in my head and i don't even really have headcanons that are 100% stable across my own work, let alone scenarios in mind that feel Better or more certain to me than canon itself does.

[pynkhues]

What advice can you give for making a dialogue sequence flow better. Rather than just saying he said, she said, etc.? Please and thank you (●'◡'●)

Hi! That’s a great question, anon!

I know it was definitely something I struggled with when I was a newer writer because so often I think when we’re first approaching writing, we tend to put a lot of weight in dialogue. That’s not a bad thing necessarily, dialogue is an important part of storytelling, more so for some writers than others. Amy Sherman-Palladino who created Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a very dialogue-driven writer for instance, whereas Vince Gilligan who created Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul often prioritises silence and lets visual language stand alone, but the way they use the dialogue they have, whether it be with a light touch or a heavy hand, isn’t really about the dialogue at all, it’s about tone and rhythm.

As you grow as a writer, I think you start to get more of a sense of what that means, but an example and an exercise I use a lot when I’m teaching creative writing is to take the scenario of two girls walking through a forest. Try writing it as a horror, and then try writing it as a light drama. The scenario itself can be either, it’s the tone that creates the story, and as a part of that, what changes is setting and environment, dialogue, and actions.

In one, you’ll have twisting branches and darkness and panicked breaths and scrambling hands, and in the other you’ll have lush trees and warm midday light and laughter and gentle touches.

You’ll also have very different dialogue, and therefore very different context for which that dialogue is delivered. What helps it flow, as you put it, is something that’s responsive to the story that you’re telling and what else is happening in the scene.

So! Let’s break that down a little!

When you're thinking about anything on a scene level, I think it really boils down to six questions:

What's the story you're telling?

What's the purpose of your scene?

Where are your characters? What is the environment they're in?

What are they doing as they talk?

What is the context of the characters' relationship?

How are the characters feeling?

That's kind of a lot, haha, so I'll try to keep this relatively short.

What’s the story you’re telling?

This really comes back to what I was saying above about the story you’re telling having an impact on how you use all narrative devices whether that be dialogue, description or setting. It would make no sense for Walt in Breaking Bad to talk like Lorelai from Gilmore Girls or vice versa for instance – that’s not the story that the writers are trying to tell. Walt’s limited dialogue helps to reflect his secretive nature and the dark mood of the story overall, while Lorelai’s rapid-fire dialogue and tendency to be doing a lot while she talks reflects the frenetic energy of the show and the gravitational pull she has on those around Star’s Hollow.

The dialogue – and the way that dialogue is delivered – helps to embed the viewer or reader and create a tone that matches the story you want to tell.

What’s the purpose of your scene?

More than that, how you use dialogue and the cues around dialogue helps to realise the purpose of your scene.

All scenes have a purpose.

Scenes are the building blocks of your story. They are what get you from the floor to the ceiling, and you need to know what each of those building blocks is doing.

That doesn't have to be a lot! Sometimes a building block is just 'character has a bird poop on them on their way to the party'. On its own, the scene might seem light, but the purpose is actually to set up that they're about to have a really bad time at the party. That's great! Because you know the purpose of that scene therefore is Foreshadowing.

The point is though that that purpose - whether big or small - will impact the way your characters behave and interact not only with other characters, but the environment around them.

If the purpose is, for instance, two characters misunderstanding each other, they’ll likely be frustrated or hurt, which will contribute to not just what they say, but their tone of voice and their posture, and the space. They might feel the chill of the air conditioning a little more acutely, grab a couch cushion to hug to their chest, distract themselves by putting dishes away with stiff hands, push a hip into the kitchen counter hard enough to leave a mark.

Purpose informs tone which informs character which informs action.

Which brings me to a big point.

Where are your characters? What is the environment that they’re having this conversation in?

This is something I see often neglected in writing from newer writers. Which is a shame! Space can bring so much to your story – not only in terms of grounding your readers, but providing entry points and understanding to your characters state of mind without you having to explicitly say it. How your characters feel that environment, what they focus on, is a way to explore how they’re feeling and can punctuate your dialogue (but I’ll come back to that point in a minute).

For instance, things like weather and temperature, wide open spaces vs tiny, cluttered rooms, other characters in those environments (I always encourage people to draw diagrams of rooms and map out character action. It might sound a little silly, but trust me, it helps a LOT), and the characteristics of those spaces (like I said above with barren, twisting branches vs lush trees as a very broad example) are all things that are going to contribute to the way you build a scene.

And more than that, what your character’s doing as they talk.

Which, hey! What are they doing as they talk?

It’s pretty rare for people to do nothing as they have a conversation – they doodle on sketchbooks, or roll their eyes, take sips of their drink, flail and gesture, reach out to touch the other person's hand, pet their dog, check their phones, get dressed or undressed – and that’s not even including the bigger acts that might be in your story – running from an enemy, cooking a feast for a huge party, getting into a fistfight, hacking into a secret government database, etc etc.

This is often a question I fall back on, and try to imbue in my writing. Take this little bit from Clean Like Him, where Beth is having a tense conversation with Rio in Paper Porcupine.

“Official launches make businesses feel real,” she says tersely instead, irritation seeping into her tone as she slashes the last row of paper. She collects the cuttings, organises the notes and checks the edges, mostly just to have something to do with her hands. So they won’t hang awkward at her sides or balled into fists or – worse – touch him somehow (god, why is she thinking about touching him? Stupid. She clears her throat. Refocuses.) “And if this is going to work, we need it to feel real, remember?”

Beth's working, but I explicitly say she wants to have something to do with her hands to distract herself from him, and her actions are jerky, her task a little aggressive, which is really about showing that she's on edge and punctuating a tenser tone.

The point is, all of these things are actions that are going to interrupt and interact with your dialogue and what that feels like depends on history and feelings.

Who's having the conversation, and what's the history of their relationship?

This might sound like an obvious one, but I think sometimes people can underestimate the impact that it actually has on an exchange. How familiar your characters are with one another and what the context of their relationship is has huge impacts on how a scene plays out and what a character might be doing.

Beth and Rio for instance knowing each other so well and not knowing each other at all is actually a pretty complicated dynamic to capture, especially when it's often paralleled with Beth and Dean who also know each other so well and not at all but in a completely different way, haha. These contexts though are going to affect how they interact. After all, Beth's not going to treat Rio the same way she treats Dean because that history and that context is different.

Really thinking about what that means is going to help you to think about the way these characters interact both broadly and specifically to what you're writing, which in turn is going to help you start to find a rhythm to their conversation.

How are your character’s feeling?

This is really the lynchpin of all of the above. How your character is feeling is going to define the purpose of your scene, how they interact with their environment and other characters, and what it is they’re doing. A character who’s frazzled is going to have more scattered dialogue, a more urgent tone, they’re going to pick up the wrong thing or lose things and their relationship with their space will be different.

Think of Beth in 2.07 when Jane’s missing. She and Dean go to a private space – his home office – to have a fight even though their house is full of police, neighbours and friends, and Beth is furious at him, and he throws something historic at her (and important to the context of their current relationship) - Rio shooting him - to deflect from his failure as a parent.

Immediately afterwards, Beth is frazzled and desperate. Her tone becomes harried, she can’t find her car keys and rummages through her handbag and the things on the hall table, even though she’s holding them, something Ruby has to point out, and then she leaves to find Rio to try and get him to help her.

The dialogue itself is there to build tone and atmosphere and in fact, Beth’s dialogue with Dean is punctuated by her tone and anger, not her words – she doesn’t tell Dean she doesn’t think Rio would ever take the children, she throws the question back at him and her fury is what tells us as an audience what she thinks.

Tone is what generates atmosphere and meaning, and to work out what your tone is is to understand the purpose of your scene and your character’s feelings, which in turn determines how they respond to their environment and tasks, and it’s that response that punctuates feelings and tone.

It’s all a bit of a snake eat tail situation, haha, but my point is, thinking about dialogue tags and flow is really thinking about the energy and context of an interaction, and the tone and the purpose of a scene. Think about sensory description, think about space, think about what a character might be doing as they navigate that interaction, and think about how you can use that to further explore the character’s interior life.

But most importantly, always be thinking about what you want your readers to take away from the interaction.

I’ve plucked another scene out of my most recent fic, Clean Like Him, just because it’s still pretty fresh in my head, and I've marked a few of these points in these screenshots (please open the image in a new tab so you can, y'know, actually read it, haha)

A lot of this excerpt is reliant on the context of Beth and Dean's relationship and the reality that Beth is using him but also still feels tied to him through their history, which in turn makes her feel guilty.

This is the second scene in the fic, so there's a lot of establishing stuff that comes up again later too – particularly Dean's insecurity and ego failings, and the fact that he diminishes and doesn't see her. Things like interruptions, like mid-conversation pivots, like wounded puppy expressions and Beth deliberately tuning him out are all utilised as active dialogue tags, but also tone and mood builders which hopefully creates the rhythm of the story.

You don't necessarily have to think about all this at once either. A lot of this sort of stuff I tend to work out more when I'm re-writing - so I'll already have a barer bones draft which is more about me putting the scene purpose down on paper; because, like I said, that's really the most important thing.

So yes! Sorry! That got a bit long, haha. I hope it's a help though, anon! Let me know if you have any questions 😊

[whisperingwainscot]

Requests open

Hi! I'm waxing_crescent on ao3 and I decided that it would be fun to accept some prompts/fic request/whatever it's called now, for Good Omens one-shots, 500 words minimum, 3000 words maximum.

• You don't have to follow me to send me a request!

• Feel free to message me on here (I should accept both user and anon asks/messages, unless I messed up somewhere, in which case please tell me) or on my twitter or even on ao3 in the comments to this specific chapter: Index.

Little note: I will *try* to write every prompt, but sometimes I will find myself unable to do so, for various reasons. Me liking the prompt and wanting to see it written doesn't necessarily mean that I will write it, or will have the ability to do so, or that I won't succumb to writer's block or procrastination or some unexpected IRL event. I trust you to be understanding. Thank you 💜

First of all: please, make sure you let me know what *exactly* you want from me! This includes: versions of canon (I only read the book and watched the show, so unfortunately I won't write radio or stage versions of the characters! if you don't specify I will most likely default to the book), any specific fanons/headcanons, rating, relationship dynamics, general mood, POV character, etc. More importantly, tell me things you *don't* want to see! The more information you give, the easier it will be for me to understand exactly what you want to get at the end!

Additional note: I'm *very* lenient with canon, and with what to count as canon, that is to say: I pick up bits that I like, and tend to ignore the bits I don't like. If you want to be sure I won't skip something important to you, please tell me. If you want me to include whatever lore Neil Gaiman and/or Terry Pratchett had revealed *outside* of the actual book or the show (as in: in the interview, on twitter or tumblr, etc), please tell me that as well.

Anyway!!

I WILL write:

• AUs, unless it's a specific canon AU or retelling

• a continuation/another version of something I've written already

• while I have preference for top Aziraphale, I will write top Crowley as well (or both bottom Aziraphale and bottom Crowley, if you want)

• kink (see tags on my works on ao3 for general reference)

• gen

• major character death

• don't know what else to add here, just *waves in general direction of my ao3* you get the spirit

I will NOT write (for various reasons):

[general content]

• specific canon AUs/fusions (as in Star Wars, Marvel, etc)

• anything that involves human limbs being replaced with non-human limbs (such as nagas, merpeople, wings instead of arms, that sort of thing) (shapeshifting is fine)

• anything with or about Nanny Astoreth and Brother Francis (unless they are their own characters and not Aziraphale/Crowley undercover)

• radio/stage Omens (see above)

• age regression/de-aging/kid or children versions of the characters, etc.

• high school/university students au

• beelzebub/gabriel (unless they're a background couple)

• eye trauma

• crowley as raphael

• ineffable wives

• hanahaki

[sexual content]

• underage

• incest

• necrophilia

• age play

• scat

• anything that involves sharp objects used in sexual content, such as swords, knives, needles, etc

• daddy kink

• m/f with maledom

• fire play

• genital piercing

• sounding/urethral play

I'm pretty sure I forgot something, so I may add things to this list as I remember them. I'm pretty open to ideas (at least, I like to think so) and kinks, so please don't be afraid to ask if you're not sure if your kink falls onto my 'will not write' list or not.

[too-attached-to-fiction]

Silly Insecurities | f.w.

Masterlist here

Word count: 1206

Request: Could you write a fic where the reader is hesitant to date Fred Weasley? Like they’re so used to being independent, and they’re scared that they’ll just be known as ‘Fred’s girlfriend’ because he’s so well known? And they just want to be known as themselves? Sorry if this is confusing, I hope I made it make sense 😬🙏

A/N: not confusing at all! God, this is MONTHS old…. Sorry to anyone who’s submitted lately, life just picked up speed and I had the LONGEST writers block but I’m kind of back now!

~~~

Fred Weasley was intimidating. 

This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, in the sense that he made others upset. He often did the opposite, making students laugh as he and George were chased down the hall by an angry Filch. It certainly brought a smile to your own face. 

No, he was intimidating because of his reputation.

The first time he’d asked you out was in the middle of your first year, after you’d hidden him in a secret passage. He’d been running from Filch, and by now, the twins knew that they had a better chance of getting rid of the grumpy caretaker if they split directions. Luckily, the two of you were on the fourth floor, and as you spotted the bright flash of red, you quickly tugged his hand. “Follow me.” You said, dragging him out of the crowded hallway and opening up a mirror on the wall. There was a small room, and together you snuck in. 

“How did you find this place?” he hissed at you. You stayed close to the wall, listening for any sound of Filch or Ms. Norris.

“Exploring. I tend to wander all the time on weekends.” You said into the darkness.

He looked at you incredulously. “Brilliant. What house are you in?” 

“Ravenclaw.” 

“Maybe we can go out another time. When I’m not being chased by Filch.” Fred suggested. “As a date.” 

You heard Filch run past, muttering angrily. “Bloody Weasleys… think they can get away with anything. I’ll tie ‘em up this time, I just know it..” 

“We’re twelve.” You reminded him. You listened for one more moment, before opening the mirror. Carefully, you looked out into the hallway. “All clear.” You said, jumping out of the hole and running off. 

Since then, Fred made an effort to find you. You hadn’t given him a name, but within a month or so, he had stumbled upon your table in the library. 

“You’re the one who saved me.” He said, making you startle. “Hey, it’s nice to see you in the light. I’m Fred.” 

“I know.” You said, putting your quill reluctantly into your inkpot. With him around, you doubted you’d be able to do much homework today. 

“What’s your name?” 

“(Y/N).” 

Every week since then, Fred would find you somewhere in the castle - sitting on a window, walking out of your common room, in the Great Hall - and he would ask you the same question. 

“Will you go on a date with me?” He asked every time, and every time you looked at him and said one word: “No.” 

“Why not?” Fred asked one day in your fifth year. “Am I that unattractive?” 

This made you laugh. “No, it’s not because you’re unattractive.” You glanced over to him, longing to run your fingers through his red hair. 

To be honest, you did like Fred Weasley. You liked him so much that it scared you. In the beginning, you weren’t sure why he kept talking to you, considering how shy you were compared to other students. It wasn’t like he was trying to pressure you into dating him. Because, despite what he asked every week, he simply liked being around you.

“He’s right, you know.” Your friend, Mei, pointed out as you sat in the common room that night. “Why don’t you ever say yes? Merlin knows you’ve liked him since you dragged him into the mirror room that day.” 

“Because it’s Fred.” You whined, flopping backwards onto the couch. “Fred Weasley, one of the two kings of any and all magical pranks. A pureblood-” 

“A blood traitor-” Mei interjected, and you waved your hand. 

“He’s still a pureblood.” 

“Why drag it on though? That’s cruel.” Mei shook her head. “Sooner or later he’s gonna get tired of the cat and mouse game.” 

“I don’t want to be known as Fred Weasley’s partner. I want to be independent. I want to make a name for myself.” 

“(Y/N), you’re a shoe-in to be a prefect, and you’re the only Ravenclaw that interacts with all four houses. You already have a reputation as the Ravenclaw who belongs in Hufflepuff.” Mei snorted. “You’re (Y/N) first. Anything else comes second.”

~~~

The next week, Fred was waiting for you outside the Ravenclaw common room. Instead of asking the usual question, the two of you just started walking. 

“I figured since you always say no, I should move on, right? Unless you’ve been playing hard to get this entire time.” He looked at you. “Angelina’s rather pretty, isn’t she?” 

“Um… I think I left something in my room.” You said, already stepping back. “I’ll talk to you later, Fred.” 

You’d just entered through the common room entrance when tears welled up in your eyes. He’d given you so many chances, but you’d never taken any of them. Now, it was too late. 

Mei, who was just coming down from your room, took one glance at you and sighed. “I warned you.” 

For the next few days you avoided Fred. The easy thing about avoiding the Weasleys was that they could be spotted anywhere. Whenever you entered the crowded hallways, you slipped into the mass of people before anyone could see your (H/C) hair. 

Finally, he cornered you after DADA. “You’re upset with me, aren’t you?” 

“No? I mean, yes. Kind of. I don’t know.” You squeaked out, trying to sidestep away from him. 

“I’ve known you for more than four years, (Y/N). You can’t get away that easily.” He said, brown eyes meeting yours. “What did I do? I didn’t prank you by accident, did I?” 

“Even if you did, I wouldn’t be upset with you.” You said, once again trying to step away. 

He made a move to grab your wrist, but thought better of it and pulled his hand back. There was a small pang in your heart as you watched his face slowly start to fall. 

“It’s really stupid, you don’t want to know-” 

“If you don’t want me around anymore then that’s fine, but just tell me, yeah?” Fred said, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“That’s not what I want.” You said, frustrated. “Listen, just, follow me, please.” You grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to the mirror room on the fourth floor. You climbed inside, with him following shortly. 

Carefully, you pulled the door closed, then whispered, “Lumos.” A small, bright light engulfed the room. 

“I don’t want you to stop talking to me. That’s not what I want at all. I like you too much.” You blurted out, and he looked at you, stunned. 

“But all those times you said no-” 

“I didn’t want to be just your girlfriend. I didn’t want people to know me as (Y/N), Fred Weasley’s girlfriend. I want people to know me for me.” 

“You could have told me.” He gave you a look, and you turned red under his gaze. 

“It’s just a silly insecurity.” 

“I didn’t even ask Angelina out.” Fred laughed. “You can’t ask another person out when you have feelings for the first.”

“I’m sorry I dragged it on for far too long. You didn’t deserve that.” 

“So… would you like to come with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?”

“Yes.”

[birlcholtz]

Fic Questions

tagged by @the-lincyclopedia thank you!! (fun game: watch my writing get progressively less formal as the post continues. by the end it’s like what is capitalization)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

77!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

434,378 as of this week but it does go up quite regularly

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Okay so in terms of what’s on my AO3, I have Check Please, All For the Game, Sharp Zero, HP, and Miraculous Ladybug. I also have The Forbidden LOTR and PJO Fanfiction (as in, I’ve written it, but it’s never seeing the light of day)

(technically there is a PJO fic out there that has seen the light of day but I orphaned it because I was tired of getting comments asking about when it would be updated)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

and then i met you (and the whole world changed)

for the better

Knew It Was You

come home (to you, to us)

sin bin schematics

All of these are Check Please and all of them except Knew It Was You are part of my Zimbits Airport AU!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! It’s actually a very recent thing that I’ve started not responding to literally every single comment. Mainly I respond because I love talking about my writing so I am going to seize that opportunity when it comes up

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, DEFINITELY Happy Birthday (HP). Check out that MCD tag ahah. (I say HP but what I really mean is that I write fic about Regulus Black. The Regulus Black-centric tag is my home in the HP fandom)

fun fact: this is a very short fic that I wrote when I was 15 and basically forgot about until recently, and then I reread it recently and went holy shit?? I pulled NO punches????

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the wildest one you’ve written?

Not a ton? I think a lot of the fandoms I write for don’t really mesh that well. That being said, the aforementioned orphaned PJO fic is actually a PJO/ML crossover, so there’s that

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope! Sometimes I get comments that are just.... really confusing? And a more common thing is that in my AFTG fic I’ll get comments from people who are so focused on Andreil (or the most common ships in general) to the point that like. they miss the point of what I actually wrote. Those are annoying but they’re not hate, they’re very enthusiastic, they’re just... enthusiastic about a story I’m not writing? So it’s a bit frustrating.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No sjflskgjhgf I struggle enough to write kissing, I think if I ever tried to write smut my brain would just shut down. I’ve managed some fade-to-blacks (which are mostly in WIPs that haven’t been posted) but they rely HEAVILY on the powers of implication

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, although I have occasionally made a brief go of it, not to post, more as an exercise for myself in a language that I’m learning. Anyway I never finish them so I’m gonna say no

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really? I’ve definitely group brainstormed fics and then written them (the best example of this being Q&A (AFTG), which was the product of a truly off-the-walls group chat), but I tend to do all the actual writing myself. I think the way I write would drive a co-writer up the wall since it’s very disorganized and I don’t write stuff down because ~I know what’s gonna happen I don’t need notes~ and it would infuriate me if I was co-writing with me lmao, so I won’t inflict that on someone else

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I regularly move through ships I’m SUPER focused on, like it’s kind of a rotation. I will forever and always ship Percabeth though.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Okay so if you follow me at @birlwrites you may know this already, but i have this ‘warmups’ document that is just like, random ideas i get that i don’t necessarily want to finish but i just want to try out for a bit? and i have a rule that once a ‘warmup’ is more than 10 pages long (so 11+) then it has to be moved to its own document, just to make scrolling through the warmups doc easier. but usually, a warmup only passes 10 pages when i’m INTO it. so i have a bazillion wips i will probably never finish. i complain about this a lot. i have so many wips. i don’t need more.

here’s one: it’s titled ‘interrobang doesn’t know they’re dating’, it’s basically a full outline for a chowder/tango fic and it would be SO cool if i could ever like. get around to writing it. but i am constantly swamped with writing projects, so it’s probably not gonna happen. if anyone’s interested in adopting it though i’d be down for that!! i think it’s a fun idea i just almost def won’t write it myself

15. What are your writing strengths?

SNAPPY DIALOGUE AND SNARKY INTERNAL MONOLOGUE. my writing is COMEDIC, 90% of my ideas are based on a funny snippet that popped into my head, a lot of my worldbuilding is based on ‘hey you know what would be hilarious’ (whenever i explain how larai selects a chosen one in the rainfall universe i start laughing, which is a STARK contrast to how it plays out on the page), i love writing funny stuff!!

also i think my writing sounds nice, a lot of the time i pick words/syntax based on sound and flow so there’s that too. and i have lots of ideas! i don’t struggle much with writer’s block because a) i have a lot of strategies to deal with it and b) i have a lot of ideas to help get around it/work with it

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

PHYSICAL INTIMACY LMAO, sometimes in my end notes on shippy fics you can see me complaining ‘it took me literally 4 hours to write that very brief kiss’. also sometimes the humor in my writing gets in the way a bit, i have to very consciously put it away so characters can actually have serious, genuine emotions. also i don’t like outlining and i tend not to get betas for fanfiction so like..... i do my best continuity-wise but having really tightly plotted stories is just not my focus lol. (and i do put more effort into that for original stuff, it’s just fic where i kind of go wild)

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If the reader’s supposed to know what it means, then writing it in another language is iffy for me. (stuff like terms of endearment which come up a lot in fic are fine imo, you can just put a note in to translate them and your reader will prob remember)

If the pov character isn’t supposed to understand it, and it doesn’t matter if the reader understands it, then ig it’s fine? but unless you already speak the other language (and i am NOT confident in my ability to translate english into literally any other language), then i think it’s way easier to just note that a character’s speaking x language and provide tone indicators, body language cues, etc. so the reader understands as much as the pov character.

That being said there are def times when it’s used super effectively--the dialogue in spanish in cemetery boys comes to mind! that’s not fanfic but it’s still creative writing so w/e

so i guess it comes down to: does actually writing out the dialogue in the other language serve a purpose? if it doesn’t, then you’re filling up the screen with words your reader isn’t likely to understand, which i try to avoid doing

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

so the first fandom i actually *wrote* for was PJO, but i distinctly remember creating warrior cats OCs when i was little. i never actually did anything w them but i had them and my favorite was a riverclan warrior named shellstream i remember this VIVIDLY

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

oh boy. okay so this is hard because i feel like i’m continuously improving as a writer. like in the sense that my writing is getting closer and closer to really matching my own taste? my favorites tend to always be my current projects as a result. and i do really love set those ghosts alight (HP) but it feels a little like cheating to say a fic i haven’t even finished writing yet. even though it’s def not cheating, that’s just the direction my brain is taking it.

i’m gonna say and then what? (OMGCP) because i’m super proud of the prose (especially ch 2 aka the first actual prose chapter), survived by (HP) for SUCCESSFULLY WRITING AN EMOTION and making readers cry :), and Q&A (AFTG) because i’m literally the one who wrote it and yet it still makes me wheeze. those are all fics i reread occasionally, because i’m big enough to admit i enjoy rereading my old stuff! (just like. to a point. some of my old stuff i can’t look at anymore because all the mistakes stick out to me like they have spotlights shining directly on them)

this was fun!! i’m gonna do an open tag because i just started my fall semester and brain tired. i know sometimes people see open tags and assume the op didn’t really mean it but I MEAN IT, PLEASE DO THIS AND TAG ME!!!!! YES YOU READING THIS

[gayenerd]

I have literally no source for this interview, but it’s one of my favorites because Billie seems to be really honest about his songwriting here - this is when Nimrod came out

The day I met Billie Joe Armstrong he flashed me his new tattoo, a Chuck-Jones-perfect cartoon character on his right bicep. Above it was some skull or Celtic armband or something, but below was the name "Joseph," exquisitely lettered, for his firstborn child. It's that image of him that I always keep in my head, and what I think of when I hear his band, Green Day: loopy humor and face-punch riffs and sincere sentiment I tight formation, worn as close to the skin as possible, covered in sweat. From the band's first records on the local Berkeley label Lookout, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk!, through the multi-million selling Warner Brothers releases Dookie, Insomniac, and now Nimrod, Armstrong has written dozens of perfect little punk-rock ditties that are probably the most sincere and playful acts of musical aggression since that first punk wave twenty years ago. 

But the songs are more than throwbacks. Armstrong writes from a very personal perspective, the perspective of someone born in the Me Decade, raised in the Me-vs.-You Decade, and trying to cope in the Yet-to-be-Stereotyped Decade. His songs are about the current crises of being alive right now, in a society that's used up and marketed all of its counter-cultures, and has little use for its youth except as consumers. The songs are also about how one reconciles anger and rebellion with love and desire to not be so down all the time. It's less political and more personal than its punk rock predecessors, an angry/crying/shouting/fucking definition of self.

 It made me wonder how you can take bile directed at you and turn it into a song that gets sold at the local Sam Goody. I figured I'd ask, so I called him up at his home in Berkeley. 

Q: Where do you start when writing a song? 

A: Most of the time I'll come up with a melody, and I'll do lyrics, but I'll tackle them at different times and not connect the two, you know? So I'll come up with the riffs, and the melody of the song, like a short ditty. I'll put some lyrics to it and bring it to band practice and then we'll just start to pound it out. And then, as things need to be restructured, sometimes Mike [Dirnt, bassist] will have an idea for something, or Tré [Cool, drummer] will have an idea for something, or sometimes we'll just leave it alone and it's sort of already done. 

Q: Have there been any particular songs that have stayed the same from the original inspiration to recording, or have they all gone through changes in the process? 

A: There's a lot of them that stay the same. "Redundant" really never changed, except we made it a little longer by adding another chorus at the end. And there's this song called "All The Time" that's pretty much exactly the way I had it.

 Q: So how much does a song change then, in producing the record? On Nimrod there are a lot of different arrangements: strings on "Good Riddance," horns on "King For A Day." Did you have the ragtime horns in mind when you were writing? 

A: No, not at all. I actually demo'd that song and played all the instruments myself and showed it to the band and they're like, "oh, that's pretty cool." We fucked around with it and practiced it a couple of times, but we never expected it to go onto the record. Then when we got to the studio, we said whatever, we'll just put it on there. It ended up being pretty good, but the song was just screaming for horns. We got Gabe [McNair] and Steve [Bradley] and it was so funny. They said, "what do you want us to play?" And I said, 'I'm sure you'll think of something.' And they looked at me like, "aw man!" So they basically wrote all the horn parts to that song. 

Q: What's more important, lyrics or the music? 

A: I think lyrics are really important, because there are songs that, musically, I don't think are the greatest in the world but lyrically are amazing. I mean, Johnny Rotten never had the greatest voice in the world but he wrote really good lyrics for the first Sex Pistols record, and that goes for a lot of people. But the thing is, a lot of people tend to -- especially in pop songs -- they tend to take the music and put something sappy to it, and it's just a one-dimensional emotion that the rest of the songs has to carry. I was actually thinking about that yesterday. I went to a friend's house, and they were joking around, putting on the Spice Girls records. And it was blatantly catchy, super catchy, but at the same time it really didn't say anything. You could only hold it at face value, there was no depth behind it, you really couldn't tell anything about the people singing it. But I guess there's a need for that. People want to hear songs that don't say anything, they want to go out to a dance club and shake their booty.

 Q: That's a good question, then: what makes a good song? Depth, a point of view...? 

A: I guess so. I don't know. I know what I like, personally. Like, yesterday I did my top ten favorite songs or something like that. 

Q: What's on there? 

A: Let's see. "Surrender" by Cheap Trick. "In My Life" by the Beatles. A song called "They'll Never Call It Quits" by a band called One Man Army. Generation X, "Kiss Me Deadly." "Outsider" by the Ramones. Hüsker Dü, "Makes No Sense At All." 

Q: How do you deal with writer's block?

 A: I write something else, just for fun. I'm just habitual about it. If I can't come up with the song...the great song that you want to write that will leave your mark forever or something cheesy like that, I'll write a polka number if I can't come up with something. 

Q: Do you put that kind of pressure on yourself? Do you say "this one's gonna be a statement?" 

A: Sometimes I do. Sometimes I'll think way. I just have a really strong work ethic. I have that sort of way about all my songs that, lyrically, every single one of them has to have some subliminal thing going for it. But most people don't really get what you're talking about until 10 years after the fact anyway. That seems to be how people respect songwriters through time. 

Q: Do you have a time of day or a place where you write? You say you have a work ethic, how does that manifest itself? 

A: Anytime, every time. The other night I was dead tired. All I wanted to do was fall asleep, and me and [my wife] Adrienne get in bed, and we're laying there. I was just dozing off a little bit, and all of the sudden this music was popping in my head, going over and over. And I was like, aw man, I have to go downstairs to put this on my guitar and just write it down. But I don't want to. I was so tired. So finally I got up and I go, 'goddammit! I have to get this done.' Otherwise I would forget it.

 Q: When you're writing, do you write with an album in mind or song by song? 

A: Song by song. I can't really conceptualize that far in advance. We knew we wanted to change and bring in new elements on the new record. But we really didn't know how to do it. So I wrote, constantly, all kinds of songs. Fifty or something. And you try to find some sort of natural progression within those songs, and try to capture that on the record. 

Q: So are the songs you write linked by your state of mind, or thematically? 

A: Sometimes if I'll get into a depression, writer's block, where I can't write, I get really bummed out and then I'm not working at all, I'm not doing anything. And then I'll deliberately get myself down to the lowest of the low that I could possibly get down to. And then a song will pop up. And I'll be happy, I'll get ecstatic for like the next month and then all of the sudden another one will pop up. 

Q: So you revel in the dark zone and it's useful. 

A: Yeah...sort of...I kind of...well...definitely. 

Q: But you don't necessarily choose to be there... 

A: Sometimes I'll cause problems just so I can get in touch with that emotional side or whatever, you know. Just to see if something will spark up, start a fight or something (laughs). 

Q: Can you name a song that has come out of something like that? 

A: Umm...a song called "Worry Rock." 

Q: Seems like a really personal song. 

A: Yeah. I think I got drunk and put my fist through a window. Adrienne called me an asshole or something like that and, I don't know. We just got into some meaningless fight like most couples get into, those fights that don't make any sense. A fight for the sake of fighting, which can be destructive to your relationship. That's how that song came about. 

Q: Are you okay with that kind of exposure that comes from investing your personal life and emotions in a song like that? Is your family okay with that? 

A: Yeah, I think so. I guess the only problem would be if, say, Adrienne doesn't have an outlet for herself. That's the kind of thing that I worry about. The things that she could say about me could be pretty horrifying. 

Q: In what way are you a different songwriter now than you were on 39/Smooth and Kerplunk? 

A: It goes in a way of, you know, what kind of person were you at sixteen, and what kind of person are you at twenty? It's almost like two different people in some aspects. I think that most of my stuff is based on infatuations with women. Some are just straight obsession. I mean, nowadays you could call me a stalker (laughs). The quest for that ultimate happiness with another person, which I think started to change, and it changed pretty dramatically with Kerplunk, because I started to talk about other things, like loss of innocence, going out on your own, moving out at the age of seventeen, being a high school dropout, living in west Oakland in a warehouse with fifteen people. Where the first record was more...mushy...the next one you could tell I was going through some pretty dramatic changes. 

Q: So Dookie comes out, and where are you there? 

A: I think I turned more bitter. I started to realize where my true friendships were, the politics of Berkeley were setting in, drug abuse was starting to fuck with me a little bit. I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me, but I couldn't really do it and that had a lot to do with drugs. I started to get a lot more bitter. Life wasn't how it was supposed to be when you're on your own. There's a couple of different songs on there...I mean, the psychoses that went into that record! Songs like "Basket Case" and "Coming Clean" were blatantly neurotic songs. 

Q: That's messed up: amazing success, and it's your bitterness you're being celebrated for. 

A: I don't know. It's funny because I feel that once you write a song, and then record it, and then release it, it doesn't necessarily belong to you anymore. I mean, you can hold that piece of work closer to you than anybody else can, and that was one of the big problems for a while. I felt so misunderstood all the time. Which goes with the territory, anyway, of writing songs. Because nobody really understands what the hell you're talking about. Other people have interpretations of whatever, figure out their own plot, make it fit to the soundtrack of their own lives. It messed with me a little bit, 'cause people didn't know where I came from, people didn't know where I came from, people didn't really know what I stood for. People calling us a throwback to 1977, I guess I got affected by that. Because punk rock is a lifestyle for me, and has nothing to do with 1977 or any particular band, but the relationship that you had with and the amount of work that you put into your local scene. And it gets completely misinterpreted as trying to make a buck. 

Q: It wasn't a fashion statement, it was a lifestyle. 

A: Yeah, a lot of people took it as a fashion statement, even to the point where I think a lot of people thought we were the '90s equivalent of Sha Na Na or something. Some of that's kind of funny, whatever. But now I sort of don't care. No one's gonna understand it anyway. The whole success or fame thing was so new to me at the time, it came so abruptly, and I was like, wow, this is too much. I didn't know all this baggage was connected to all this shit. I thought I'd just have the opportunity to play my songs for people. 

Q: Is that why the new album is as different as it is, because you're just doing what you want to do, you don't have to be what people thought you were, or even what you thought you were? 

A: I think so. That might have something to do with it. I think when you stop caring and worrying about what people think, even stop caring what you think of yourself to a certain extent, and just sort of do it, it's a release to push your past behind you. I think that's when the best stuff comes out. And, of course, when you're forging ahead really hard. I think this time our songs are much more than just things that you can listen to, but actually visualize at the same time. It's like this guy told me the other day, this friend of mine, he goes, you know I was listening to that song "Platypus," and I can totally imagine this big western stampede of horses and cows. And that, for me, is exactly what I was thinking. Not that I was thinking of a stampede, you know, but that kind of quality. 

Q: So you communicated an image and a feeling. 

A: Exactly. 

Q: Of any of your songs, do you have a favorite? 

A: Lately, I like "Walking Alone" and "Uptight" I've been into. My mind changes all the time.

 Q: Let's talk about one of those. What are the circumstances around a song like "Walking Alone?" 

A: I play in this side project band called Pinhead Gunpowder. This guy Aaron Elliot writes all the lyrics and a lot of the music. And he wrote this song called "I Walk Alone," which is about walking at night, the streets, being a street punk. And so I wrote...I don't know what you'd call it -- an alter ego song? -- called "Walking Alone." 

Q: An answer song? 

A: Yeah, cause we always work in that sort of way. I wrote a song called "She," so he wrote an article in his fanzine called "She." It's kind of funny, it's really good to bounce things off of each other. So "Walking Alone" and "I Walk Alone" were sort of the same thing. I think Tom Petty could play that song. It's got that harmonica and the big smashing snare sound on it. But it was the first time I ever played harmonica. I can't play harmonica at all. I had to teach myself how to play that. 

Q: Hey, you did great. 

A: Oh, thanks. We actually tried to get a studio musician to play it, but I think he was a little too hobo for us. 

Q: Smelled bad? 

A: Actually, he had almost too much soul for it. He was too good at what he did. And I wanted it to come across more loosely. Not as good, I guess. So I played it. 

Q: It's not a confident song, or a song about confidence. "Sometimes I need to apologize/sometimes I need to admit that I ain't right." 

A: It's sort of like sticking your foot in your mouth sometimes, and thinking out loud, but the lyric changes. It turns into talking about friends and how they change and your friends either become lawyers or the local town drunks. 

Q: Any advice for people writing who want to be hit songwriters? 

A: Oh God, I don't know. Don't take advice from anybody.

[its-bound-to-get-loud]

If Walls Could Talk lyric analysis

I’ve been fascinated with If Walls Could Talk from the moment I started realizing what the lyrics said. I had to look them up, because it sounded a lot like a song about closeting to me. After reading the lyrics that thought was solidified in my brain. I’ve talked about it with @full-of-lonely-people (aka R) and she agreed with my ideas. Back in July, she actually wrote me an analysis. I read it and agreed with a lot, but somehow forgot about it after that (shame on me). Now that I’m working on an Ashton is not straight masterpost, the song came up again. I decided to write down some of my thoughts, but once I got into a flow it quickly became an analysis that needed to stand on its own. After showing R my analysis she brought the one she made in July back up. After taking a look at it, it quickly became clear to me that we shared a lot of the same thoughts and that we completed each other’s thoughts quit well. So I decided to add her parts as well, because I think it’s good to have multiple voices sharing their voices. That’s all for my intro, time to move on to the song.

First, let’s take a look at the description on the genius website about the meaning of the song:

“If Walls Could Talk” discusses the secrecy and intimacy of a relationship that is best kept private. This song is comparable to other 5SOS songs such as “English Love Affair” and “Greenlight” which also have suggestive lyrics.

“If Walls Could Talk” hints toward the romantic occurrences in the bedroom; the walls between rooms are the only thing to conceal the true events of a shared night, as well as witness them.

 It’s hard to see on the desktop website, but this is not an official description. These are submitted definitions. The only artist commentary the song has on genius is Ashton tweeting it’s one of his favorite songs of the album and everything the band said in the cocktail chats.

At first I figured that the song was probably about Muke. That was the obvious choice, since I already believed they aren’t straight. When I checked the writing credits I was surprised to see that the only 5SOS members credited are Ashton and Calum. Which sorts of excludes the possibility that it’s about Muke, unless Ashton and Calum wrote it about them. Which is not impossible, but it seems unlikely. As I’ve mentioned before, I do not believe in Cashton as a couple at this moment, so I don’t see this as a song about their relationship. I’m not entirely sure if I think Calum is straight or not. It’s not something I exclude. I just haven’t seen much evidence to back up any side to be fair. So this song could really be about either of their experiences.

In the cocktail chats all 5SOS members speak about the song from a musical point of view, but what stands out is that nobody speaks about the meaning of the song. So we have no official explanation about the song. Let’s take a look at some of the lyrics and how we interpret them.

“Some things are meant to be secret and not to be heard” C: The song starts with the mention of secrets. This could be about a relationship that for whatever reason you prefer to keep a secret. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be about a relationship. In the chorus the narrator does say “we’d fall from grace”. But that we could also mean the band, it doesn’t have to be just 2 people.

So if I tell you, just keep it and don't say a word C: This sounds like a very urgent call for someone else to keep it a secret. It sounds like it’s very important to the narrator to keep the secret. “Don’t say a word.”

R: I think maybe listening to the first lines instead of simply reading them takes away from how assertive they are – some things are meant to be secret almost implies that it's in their nature to be secret, and violating that is far heavier than simply spilling some secret; consequently, if I tell you just keep it, and don't say a word

Yeah, when the doors are all closing, it's bound to get loud C: Doors are closing, now this could be the doors to a bedroom. Loud could be a reference to activities in the bedroom. The doors could also be a reference to a closet. Closeting (for those who might not know) is a term used for hiding the fact that someone is not straight, either forced or by choice. If you look at the next line, loud doesn’t have to be sound or noise. It could also be considered loud in actions. Defying those who may inforce a closet on the narrator, by maybe making some references about not being straight.

'Cause all these bodies are hoping to get addicted to sound C: Bodies can be taken literally as people, but if you look at it from a closeting point of view, bodies can also be skeletons. Having skeletons in your closet is a saying about there being something people don’t know about a person, having secrets perhaps. To quote Wikipedia: “Skeleton in the closet or skeleton in the cupboard is a colloquial phrase and idiom used to describe an undisclosed fact about someone which, if revealed, would damage perceptions of the person.”

I’d say the information that a 5SOS member is not straight could definitely be considered a skeleton in the closet. It can damage the perception fans have of the band or some of its members. While a lot of fans would probably be supportive if it turns out any of the 5SOS members are not straight, there could also be backlash from some people. The people on their team (management, people at their record label, etc.) could consider it damaging to the 5SOS image to have them open up about their sexuality and therefore force them to hide their sexuality. There’s always a possibility that whoever this is about has chosen to stay closeted voluntarily, but that’s something we can’t really know for certain.

R: On a first read it almost sounds like what is being described is some kind of party – once the doors close, you can turn the music up, and “cause all these bodies are hoping to get addicted to sound” could be a reference to the party goers. But given the context of the song, it seems more appropriate to interpret this in a metaphorical way: “when the doors are all closing” could be a metaphor for privacy – as in, “when every way to access my personal life is blocked”, hence why I find the “all” interesting; it would make less sense if it wasn't a metaphor. “It's bound to get loud” could be a reference to the fact that once you become more secretive, or more private, people tend to talk more, probe more for information. “Cause all these bodies are hoping to get addicted to sound” could mean, sticking with the metaphor, a comment on how nowadays people become quite literally obsessed – addicted, you could say – with every bit of information they can get on others; interesting the use of “bodies” to indicate “people” - it almost strips them of their more “human” side. This, coupled with the first two verses, would suggest that it's not merely privacy we are talking about – it's things even deeper than that, not the simple, blanket right to privacy.

Pre-chorus: Oh, not everything is so primitive Oh, but I'm giving in

Primitive means something is in an early level of development or at the beginning of a process. A word related to it would be simple. It sounds like the narrator is either saying it’s not that simple to give up what he has going with someone, so he keeps giving in. Or it could mean that things are getting complicated because there’s pressure to hide to hide the secret, so he’s giving in to those who force him to keep the secret.

Then on to the chorus.

If these walls could talk, I'd hope they wouldn't say anything Because they've seen way too many things 'Cause we'd fall from grace, we're falling Yeah, we'd fall from grace

C: “If these walls could talk” is a pretty common saying which speaks for itself. If the walls could repeat what happened in a room there could be serious consequences. So if the narrator would be seen with a male partner or heard speaking to someone about their sexuality, this could have consequences for their image/career. They could “fall from grace” as the song describes. An important note to make is that the narrator is saying we would fall from grace. They’re not referencing just themselves. This could mean another person they are seeing. Or maybe even the band, because if one member of the band would come out/get outed that could have consequences for the whole band.

R: This song seems to alternate metaphors to very direct lyrics, such as these: “Not everything is so primitive, but I'm giving in” seems to describe a very specific situation, possibly the one that is meant to be secret, and not to be heard. The idea that “not everything is so primitive” almost suggests the need for a justification: the writer seems to be saying “most things aren't as primal as this, but this one thing is”, and it seems to recall the idea that “if these walls could talk, we'd fall from grace”: the writer might be justifying this that is, in fact, primitive, and that they're giving into it, but it's not everything, but they know that it would be enough to make them “fall from grace”. “Not everything” could be referring to “everything that is behind closed doors”, i.e. everything the writer wants to hide, that is not meant to be heard. “Not everything that I'm hiding is so primitive”. I think it's quite obvious this is referring to sex.

Let’s take a look at the 2nd verse.

I love your hair in your face I wouldn't dare let you down Don't let that glass go to waste Oh, you're a queen but uncrowned

C: This seems to talk about more stereotypical feminine things. Hair in your face reads like long hair, which is often associated with women. Although this could just as much be about a man. Queen is obviously a reference to a woman. One mention of a woman doesn’t just make this a song about a heterosexual relationship. Being closeted means you sexuality is a secret to most people. This means that a closeted songwriter will write songs referencing women even if the song isn’t about a woman.

The exact definition of this part is something I still struggle with a little. It seems to me like it’s appreciating the other person for who they are. An uncrowned king or queen is someone who is good at something, but who hasn’t had any sort of official acknowledgement for it, like a title or a crown. So this could be about keeping a relationship a secret. I want to be with you, but we can’t make it official to the outside world, because it would have consequences.

Uncrowned king/queen: A man or woman who is considered to be the best, the most famous, or the most powerful in a particular area of life, especially when they do not have an official rank or title.

R: The alternating between metaphors and direct lyrics becomes tighter: “I love your hair in your face”/”Don't let that glass go to waste” are very tangible situations; “I wouldn’t dare let you down”/”You're a queen but uncrowned” aren't referring to a specific situation, and are more metaphorical. The fact that this is how they should be paired could be underlined by how they rhyme. “I wouldn't dare let you down” could be a statement for the person “behind the walls” with the writer – so, out of metaphor, also meant to be kept a secret. It could also be a statement for the people on the other side of the wall – let's not forget the writer thinks that “if these walls could talk”, if their secret were to be let out, they “would fall from grace”, but it doesn't seem like the writer himself shares that sentiment: the writer doesn't think that what they're doing behind closed doors, as primitive as it might be, deserves to make them “fall from grace” - furthermore, one could argue no human being should even be seen in a position of “grace”. I lean towards this second explanation more because of how almost flippant the position of the verse makes this statement – which, by itself, could be a deep promise; however, once it's thrown in the middle, between “I love your hair in your face” and “Don't let that glass go to waste”, it loses value. Also, the addition of “dare” almost makes it sound like the writer is mocking this promise. “You're a queen, but uncrowned” probably alludes to the fact that whatever is kept secret, behind walls, loses some sort of shallow recognition because it is kept secret. “You are still a queen, but you haven't been crowned, you haven't received public recognition”.

C: I’m writing this after finishing my own analysis. Now that I’m reading R’s analysis there’s one specific thing that stands out to me, that I think is important to point out: “One could argue no human being should even be seen in a position of “grace”.” This feels so on brand for Ashton specifically. Just today I listened to him being interviewed for the podcast The Green Room with Neil Griffiths. On there he mentioned how he has trained himself to not see himself as “famous” or a “celebrity”, to keep himself grounded. Reading R’s words on the same day I heard Ashton speak about these things really blew me away. It further settles my belief that we seem to be on the right track with our analysis.

C: The bridge of the song repeats the lyrics of the first verse. Which I don’t think is a common thing in many songs. It seems to repeat, once again, that there is some sort of secret that the narrator is afraid that if it comes out, it could mess up a lot of things. Hammering down that this secret has to stay hidden.

This is our full analysis of If Walls Could Talk, I hope you found our takes interesting. Personally I’m very glad R brought up her theory again, because it fills in my gaps so nicely. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to send me an ask. Please keep in mind that this is just our personal interpretation, we are not stating this as fact. Lyrics often have a lot of meanings and ours may be part of that or not at all. A big thank you to R for writing and bringing up her analysis, I’m so glad we can share ideas back and forth.

Lyric source: genius

[everyonewasabird]

Brickclub 2.1.5 ‘The quid obscurum of battles’

It’s hard to talk clearly about a chapter about muddle.

- The descriptions of the uniforms remind me of The Year 1817 in terms of being a solid block of text throwing a lot of images at us of past things that were in living memory at the time this was written and are impossibly distant now. It’s effective in the same way: as an overwhelmingly complicated image that comes at you all at once.

- Hugo’s musings on the variations in types of mud reminds me of the sewer digression, which feels very present here. His mention of how slight differences in the way soil reacts to water cause more troops to be needed and the way blood flows illogically is yet more Chaos Theory. Valjean will fall afoul of this mud much more viscerally later--which brings up the visual metaphor raised last chapter of an army as a strong man’s body.

- I love the point that the middle of battle has no narrative. Writers and historians will later use the beginning and end form it into narrative, but that narrative will always be somewhat false. It could really have gone the other way, and there is at least as much truth in that shifting uncertainty as there is in the narrative that cements around explaining whatever the ending was. It’s part of the conversation of Providence vs. Fatality, which @fremedon​ points out is intrinsic to how Hugo talks about destiny as described in the preface: everything is the push and pull between the two, and either one can always rule the day.

This brings up a lot about the structure of stories for me, and of this story in particular. Les Mis does in fact have a long and chaotic middle, and you’d be very excused for not having any idea where it was going while you were reading it. And more importantly, it has a very strange ending.

That the chaos of the middle is important in itself, and the ending doesn’t impose meaning on that chaos, perhaps expresses some of the paradox of this text. Les Mis has the wrong ending: the heroes were heroic (and necessarily brutal, but not less heroic) and then they were massacred, the protagonist got confused and let a saint die whom he might have saved, the tide of bourgeois conservatism covered over everything again, and if any lessons were learned, we sure didn’t see much about it.

And you can go back over the text, as the musical does at least a little, as many people do, as I used to do before I understood the text better, and believe that the ending of the story expresses its theme: that Revolution was maybe a step too far, that Marius and Cosette lived happily ever after, that Hugo’s ultimate proposal for humanity’s betterment is some middle road.

And it’s not. Its Revolution, as he says both explicitly and symbolically many times over.

But if you tend to believe the endings of things over their middles, you might miss that. The narrative you get if you draw a smooth line from the gentle priest at the beginning to the bourgeois happy ending is a lie. Much of the truth of the book is found in the obscurity of the middle.

[so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed]

Ask for writers

I was tagged a while ago by @theisolatedlily @zanniscaramouche and @tomlinvelvetfics. Sorry it took a while!

1. describe how you first started writing and when you first posted: I’ve been writing since I was literally able to, but I first started writing fanfic on ff.net back in the good old days. I wrote HP fanfic, among other things. In 2012 I made the switch to AO3 and started writing Ziam fanfic.

2. which of your characters do you typically resonate most closely with? do you base any characters off of yourself?: I’m very similar to Louis in a lot of ways, so his POV definitely comes easiest to me. When I’m writing Ziam I find that I prefer to write from Liam’s POV, though I don’t feel I’m necessarily similar to Liam.

3. where do you often find inspiration?: Movies, shows, random posts on Tumblr.

4. has quarantine helped or hindered your writing process?: Not necessarily either of them, I feel. I’ve had a little bit more time but since I don’t work much I’ve always had the time to write. It’s more the other way around, writing has helped my quarantine.

5. do you listen to music/noise while you write or do you prefer silence? Silence. I can’t write with music on.

6. what is your biggest writing pet peeve in your writing or in general?: In general, bad grammar or ooc characters pulls me out of a story really quickly. I don’t tend to read much fic, since I don’t want other people’s writing style to seep into my writing, so I suppose that would be my own biggest pet peeve, is when I find that I’m not writing in my own voice.

7. describe your ideal writing setup: Basically just at my desk, in a good chair, because right now my chair sucks and my back issues are making me lightheaded a lot, which is why I haven’t written as much as I want to.

8. favorite time of day to write?: Early in the morning/day. When I don’t work I like to write from around 9-11 am since I have the most energy in the morning.

9. favorite genre to write + one you’d like to try writing in the future?: Fantasy, for sure. Soulmates/fates/dystopia fics are still great.

10. do you struggle with writer’s block? how do you typically overcome it? I do when I haven’t been writing for a while, I need to be in tune with my story to really keep it flowing. I tend to force myself through it by just committing to certain times to write, and trying to keep that regularly so I don’t stray too far from the fic.

11. what is the easiest part of your writing process and the most difficult? I tend to write as I go, meaning that I sit down and the words just come pouring out. When I’ve outlined and I feel like I need to stick to that, it sort of feels stifling and I struggle, so I’m best at just free writing and letting the story go where it needs to go.

12. how do you come up with original characters? (if applicable): I don’t usually write original characters into my stories, but if I did it’d be from people I know or based roughly on characters in shows/movies.

13. what is your favorite and least favorite word? My absolute least favorite word is cum. Especially as a verb. That’s a hard no from me. I don’t really have a favorite word.

14. what is one thing about your writing that you’re really proud of and one thing you hope to continue working at?: I feel I’m a pretty solid story teller, and that I manage to put emotion into my work that translates to the people who read it. I want to keep working at my craft, I don’t feel there is something I’m particularly bad at, but I know I can improve a lot.

15. what work of yours has your favorite ‘verse/world building? how did you come up with it?:  Definitely there’s no fair in farewell. It’s been in my head since 2014 and I finally sat down to write it in 2017/2018. It’s got so much world building and such a unique storyline, I’m still so proud of it. I don’t remember how I came up with it, it sort of feels like the story’s always been there, just waiting for me to sit down and tell it.

16. what font and size do you write in? single spaced or double?: calibi, 11, single space.

17. what is a typo(s) you find yourself making consistently?: I don’t really know? I don’t think I make a lot of consistent typos. I just write fast and mess up words on the regular lol. but this is a question better suited for my beta, @lightwoodsmagic!

18. (if applicable) do you separate fic writing from fandom?: Yeah I really only write AUs. 

19. what emotion is your favorite to write? which is the most difficult?: Angst is my absolute favorite. I love writing emotional stories, with a lot of introspective characters. I feel that lust is the hardest to write since I’m aroace and I just cannot compute that people want to do the deed lmao.

20. what is one thing you hope readers always take away from your works?: that there is always hope and fate always works her way.

21. what is the best and worst writing advice you’ve ever received?: The best is to not compare yourself to anyone else, since it’s a race you’ll inevitably lose. The worst, oof, I don’t really know.

22. which one of your works would you most want to see turned into a film/television show?: There’s no fair in farewell, absolutely. I feel like it has movie potential.

23. do you write scenes chronologically or out of order?: Chronologically. Usually my stories go where they want to go, so if I wrote out of order none of the scenes would match up.

24. how do you handle criticism?: My first instinct is to be frustrated. My second, more thoughtful attitude, is that I will listen if it’s something I feel is valid. I am very vulnerable in my works and so criticism feels personal sometimes, but I’m also secure enough in my work to know when something is valid and when I should stick to my own ideas.

25. what is the advice you would give to someone who is looking to start writing?: Do it. Write what appeals to you. Write from your heart and your soul.  

26. what kind of feedback on your work always makes your day?: Any comment is great, but I love when people point out the parts that made them emotional or that resonated with them. I love when people pick out quotes that they say helped made them feel better.

27. which fic ‘verse of your own would you most like to exist in? which fic’s characters would you most like to befriend?: Oof. I don’t think I’d want to exist in most of my AUs. I’m pretty content with my life as is, but I’d love to befriend Zouis in my Zouis wallsficfest fic just because I am that mom friend and they both needed hugs.

28. what do you always enjoy getting asks about/wish people would ask about more?: I’d love to get asks about my fics in general! These asks are pretty damn fun!

29. what has writing added to your life? how has it changed you?: It’s added so much love. Love for my writing, love for the stories and universes I put out. And love in the form of dear writer friends who have enriched my life and who have become some of my most favorite people.

30. why do you write?: because I’m a writer and I have to.

boost yourself + tags!

1a. share the last sentence you wrote:

The only one who has a choice is Harry, and this time, Louis will have to listen to it.

2a. describe the wip you’re most excited about:

I’m only working on my @onedirectionbigbang which is a Pygmalion fic and it’s so far 27k of pining and angst and if that doesn’t tell you enough IDK what else to tell you 

3a. share the piece of dialogue from one of your works you’re most proud of: 

Nothing particularly comes to mind at the moment. 

4a. share the best first and last lines from your work(s): 

I always try to start and finish with a good line. Here’s the ones from TNFIF:

Sometimes, when he looks down, Louis envies them.

And every day he thanks God for giving them the chance to find each other.

5a. link the last fic you read: 

I uh, kind of reread my own fic last night, does that count? It’s under the moonlight

6a. link the last work you published: 

My christmasfest fic room for your love underneath this tree

7a. link to your ao3 (if applicable):

we_are_the_same

8a. someone that inspires you: 

Louis Tomlinson, and as far as writers go, @londonfoginacup and @lightwoodsmagic

9a. a comfort fic/work that you’ve been grateful for this year:

I truly don’t read much, but anything Emmu writes is top notch for comfort honestly. She infuses her fics with so much warmth and charm that I can’t help but fall in love with every universe she creates.

Alright, I think a lot of people have already done this, but if you haven’t and want to, consider yourself tagged! I’m gonna tag @lightwoodsmagic @jacaranda-bloom @disgruntledkittenface @fallinglikethis @vintageumbroshirt and @dinosaursmate just to see if they want to share!

[nanowrimo]

Pro Tips From a NaNo Coach: Mind the Gap

NaNoWriMo can seem like a daunting task sometimes, for NaNo newbies and veterans alike. Fortunately, our NaNo Coaches are here to help guide you through November! Today, author Kate Clayborn is here to share her advice on how to cross that finish line:

Dear writers, 

You’re so close. 

It’s a risky first line for this letter to you, here in your last week of NaNo, because no doubt there are many of you out there who feel like you aren’t close at all. Maybe you’re looking behind you, across the distance of all the calendar pages, to the you you were on November 1st, and thinking: what happened to that person? The person who was actually excited to write a book? 

Y’all, I’ve been there. In fact, here’s a (not-so-secret) secret: most of the time, when I’m working on a book, I basically live there. While NaNo encourages us to keep moving, to keep putting words down, I’ve often struggled with the gap between what I imagined the process or the plot would be like, and the actual experience I’ve had writing on any given day, or the actual story that has evolved on the page. And the gap can be a dangerous place for writers,  because it can make forward motion feel impossible.

For a long time, I tried to fight my way free of the gap, to keep moving in spite of it. For some writers, that works, and if you’re plugging along with your story, making all your word counts and loving every second, I want you to know, I salute you (and envy you a little, too!). But if you’re like me, maybe it’ll help you to know what I’ve learned about…well, minding the gap. 

The first thing I’ve learned is to “mind the gap” in the British sense: to pay attention to it, to watch out for it. While it can be frustrating to notice where I’m falling short of my plans, it can also help me understand both my process and my story. I watch out for what times of day I tend to write smoothly or slowly. I pay attention to how I write more freely when I abandon chronology, when I work on the scene that’s moving me, not necessarily the one that comes “next” in my plan. I notice when a character’s voice sounds inauthentic, or when I can’t seem to draft a plot point I once outlined with excitement. Minding the gap tells me where to make adjustments going forward, how to set myself and my story up for success. NaNo is doing that for you right now—it is teaching you about yourself as a storyteller. 

But this way of minding the gap only works if I remember to not mind it too much. When we say we “don’t mind” something, we mean we’re not bothered by it, and fellow writers, that’s been the more difficult lesson for me to learn. As much as I’m helped by paying attention to the gap, I’ve also had to teach myself not to get blocked by it. I’ve worked to acknowledge that the gap is simply part of my process, and if I don’t mind it—if I don’t get too bothered by it, I mean—I can keep moving. I put a pin in the stuff I’ve noticed about myself and my story, noting where I’ll go back and make changes later. The gap is as much a part of my journey as that first shiny synopsis I wrote, so when it shows up, I say hello and I keep going. As you reach the end of your NaNo journey, don’t be bothered by that fresh, excited former you, waving across the distance since November 1st. Wave back, and keep writing. You know more than November 1st you, anyway. 

So what I’m saying is: mind the gap, but also don’t mind it. And most importantly, mine it: use it to guide you, to help you learn who you are as a writer and what you want your story to be. The gap is a companion and a conscience, a fussy but well-meaning co-worker who ultimately helps you get the job done.

Mine the gap, because the gap is what’s going to get you there—to the book you were meant to write all along. 

Cheering you on from the gap,

Kate