#Le Writers

[dduane]

The novelist writes from inside. I’m rather sensitive on this point, because I write science fiction, or fantasy, or about imaginary countries, mostly—stuff that, by definition, involves times, places, events that I could not possibly experience in my own life. So when I was young and would submit one of these things about space voyages to Orion or dragons or something, I was told, at extremely regular intervals, “You should try to write about things you know about.” And I would say, But I do; I know about Orion, and dragons, and imaginary countries. Who do you think knows about my own imaginary countries, if I don’t? But they didn’t listen, because they don’t understand, they have it all backward. They think an artist is like a roll of photographic film, you expose it and develop it and there is a reproduction of Reality in two dimensions. But that’s all wrong, and if any artist tells you, “I am a camera,” or “I am a mirror,” distrust them instantly, they’re fooling you, pulling a fast one. Artists are people who are not at all interested in the facts—only in the truth. You get the facts from outside. The truth you get from inside. OK, how do you go about getting at that truth? You want to tell the truth. You want to be a writer. So what do you do? You write.

--Ursula Le Guin, from the "On How To Become A Writer" at LitHub, from The Language of the Night (via @neil-gaiman)

[brandyschillace]

I grew up as the weird (autistic) goth kid who spent a lot of time in graveyards. I didn’t have friends. So I invented them. That’s why I’m an author, I think. I crafted worlds full of wondrous diversity, quirky characters, peculiar souls. I knitted them into families. I often felt at home when I read; the work of Neil Gaiman, of Terry Pratchett, of Ursula Le Guin, of Terry Brooks… My fiction is meant to be participatory too. When you read it, you should feel like you came home and friends were waiting to greet you.

Maybe in a really cool graveyard—like this one at Scone Castle.

[sharp-fanged13]

What a wonderful occassion to remember this happened and is canon af:

[tempest-tales]

[wroxanym]

Heyyy this is my first headcanon post on Adrien Agreste, please forgive me for the mistakes english is not my mother tongue

Disclaimer: Nothing except lots of love I guess ahaha.

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊ To be in a relationship with Adrien Agreste would include:

Relaxing moments chatting with him in the playground.

Study sessions for exams that often end up with him giving you lots of hugs.

"I really wanted to study Adrien!

- Hush love, we'll study next time, I just want to rest..." Who could resist? He is so perfect.

Get ready to have lots of dates in museums, he loves it.

Did I mention he loves to cuddle? He doesn't like to make a lot of physical gestures with you in public because he's quite shy about it, but once he's alone it's a different story! So don't get me wrong, he's always been lonely since he was little and he really sees you as the person who's brightened up his dark world.

He really likes to make jokes, so be prepared to be really annoyed, of course he'll apologise straight away and call you a killjoy until you give him a pat on the back.

"Why did you take my picture?

- You're beautiful, my angel".

OMG THESE NICKNAMES >>>>>

He'll defend you against Lila and Chloe's mockery, believe me, he's a loyal boyfriend who'll do anything for you.

He's jealous, very jealous. To him you're the most precious and beautiful thing in the world, so when he sees you very close to someone...

...Of course he'll let you talk to whoever you want, only he'll insist (a bit a lot) that you're in a relationship.

PLEASE TAKE CARE OF HIM HE DESERVES THE WORLD <33

[sharkemojis]

tell people you're writing a novel and they're impressed. tell them you're writing a 85,000 word fanfiction centred around two male characters from a book written over a hundred years ago because its fun to imagine boys kissing and they'll tell you you're crazy. because of woke

[hurts2think]

Young Bridget Hearts x Morgie's sister who does not want to be a villain like his brother headcanons? Fluff and maybe some suggestive if you are comfortable with it?Thank youu

🎀Young!Bridget Hearts x Reader Headcanons🎀

Reader pronouns: she/her

Pairing: Young!Bridget Hearts x Fem!reader

Plot: You're the daughter of Morgana Le Fay and also Morgie's sister! You and Bridget start a not-so-secret relationship.

Extra: I don't know a lot about Morgana Le Fay so this was kind of hard to put together or make interesting, but I hope you like it!🫶🎀

- When you first started attending Merlin, naturally you hung around your brother, Morgie a lot. Which meant you were around the other VKs a lot too.

- Though you were also technically a VK, you never felt like you fit in with the other VKs. You didn’t get the same joy out of bullying and messing with the other students

- You started to notice one girl particularly getting picked on by your brother and his friends, Bridget Hearts.

- You always kind of admired her from afar. She was so bubbly and cheery compared to you. She wore bright colors and always had a smile. Total opposite from you.

- You started feeling bad for her after all the bullying so you decided that when the other VKs weren’t around, you’d go find her to make sure she was okay.

- It didn’t take long before you guys became friends. She was enthusiastic to make a new friend but disappointed that her new friend was always hanging out with her bullies.

- You hated the secret friendship with her and how you felt like your feelings for her were slowly developing into something else.

- Even though Morgie was one of the people who messed with her and might tell the other VKs, you found it impossible to hide anything from your brother.

- He found out pretty quickly that you had a thing for Bridget and encouraged you to tell her

- That somehow helped and you told her you liked her.

- And to your surprise, she confessed she grew feelings for you too!

- You started dating but you insisted on keeping it secret because of the VKs to which Bridget hesitantly agreed.

- You have a snake companion named Patch who usually hides in your bag or the sleeve of your jacket and comes out when she feels like it.

- At first Bridget was surprised and horrified of Patch but almost immediately warmed up to her upon seeing how sweet and friendly Patch was.

- The two of you eventually planned to make your relationship public at castle coming and planned a dance together that was a combination of Shuffle of Love and your magic to enhance the performance

- You two practiced for hours, usually you spent most of the time messing up and giggling about it or getting distracted by each other

- Bridget is the best at comfort. If her and Patch are comforting you, you can’t stay upset for long

- Though for the most part your relationship was wholesome, sometimes it would get a little heated.

- Bridget was always very soft and caring with every touch but she was surprisingly very quick to take control when it came to any type of heated make out session or touching.

- Her touches were firm and controlling but still soft and comforting, letting you know it was all still safe

- She didn’t mind if you liked taking control either, she was always happy with it either way.

- To your shock, she has a bit of a dirty mind too

- Before things get too explicit you guys usually just end up giggling and laughing, unable to take things seriously and ruin the mood.

- You two like to mess with each other and whisper suggestive things in each other’s ears while out and about to get the other blushing and squirming.

- She likes to hold your hand or thigh under the table

- Despite your relationship being ‘secret’ and not telling anyone, it started to become pretty obvious by everyone around

- SO much cuddling. Cuddling 24/7. You spend the night a lot in her dorm and you two basically cuddle and talk the whole time

- Everytime you kiss her, whether it’s on the mouth, or forehead, or cheek, she will smile so brightly and light up your whole world.

- Your personalities contradict each other, you’re more quiet and usually have a scowl on your face while she’s an absolute ray of sunshine

- If it wasn’t Uliana messing with her, you would’ve been perfect scary dog privileges for her. You could scare pretty much anyone else off considering your reputation as the daughter of the most powerful sorcerers ever

- As castlecoming gets closer you two try on dresses together and are hardly any help with picking out dresses because you both just say “you look amazing in anything, love”

- After Uliana found out you two were dating, she was not thrilled. She seemed very annoyed by you two and often made jabs about your relationship. She still messed with Bridget but surprisingly a little less when you were around (mostly because she had respect for Morgie rather than you)

- You always try helping Bridget with baking and Patch likes to help too! Sometimes you try to use your fire magic to speed up the baking process but you’ve accidentally set a cupcake or two on fire

- She occasionally teases you about the cupcakes but very playfully and lovingly

- You love calling her “Princess” and kissing her hand

- In return she occasionally calls you princess too despite your lack of royal status. She says it’s because you’re her princess.

- You love playing with her hair. Always helping her curl it, sometimes you braid it, sometimes you just play with it for fun.

- Her hair is naturally red but she eats flamingo feathers to keep it pink. One day she ran out so you had to help her dye it and accidentally got pink hair dye everywhere and your shoes were stained with splotches of pink, but you love it.

- She always gifts you little heart charms like the ones on her belt and you always hang them up in your room over your bed.

- You eventually stand up to Uliana after she really really made Bridget upset. It kind of ruined your status as a VK but your brother was proud of you and Bridget couldn’t have been happier.

[novlr]

“The story is not in the plot but in the telling.” — Ursula K. Le Guin

[alisscared]

I just don’t feel like people appreciate book phantom enough. Like sorry but I have a fat crush on that no nosed gaunt looking wimp that literally dies after getting a kiss on the cheek and I feel like more people should too

[books]

Writer Spotlight: Rose Sutherland

Rose Sutherland @rosesutherlandwrites is a Toronto-based writer who grew up a voracious reader with an overactive imagination in Nova Scotia (where she once fell off a roof trying to re-enact Anne of Green Gables!). She's been to theatre school in NYC, apprenticed at a pâtisserie in rural France, and currently moonlights as an usher and bartender—in between writing queer folktales, practicing yoga, dancing, singing, searching out amazing coffee and croissants, and making niche jokes about Victor Hugo on the internet. She's mildly obsessed with the idea of one day owning a large dog, several chickens, and maybe a goat. A Sweet Sting of Salt is her debut novel.

Keep reading for more about character arcs in A Sweet Sting of Salt, Rose's favorite fanfic tropes, and some excellent reading recs 👀

Can you tell us about A Sweet Sting of Salt and how you came to write it?

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a queer (f/f) historical reimagining of the classic folktale of the selkie wife, set in 1830’s Nova Scotia. I call it a “reimagining” because while it draws on the folktale, it’s not a retelling of that tale so much as a story playing out in relation to that mythology. I’d wanted to write something centering a love story between two women for a while, but the initial spark came from a Tumblr post! It suggested the idea of selkies testifying before the UN as victims of human trafficking, which reminded me of all the things I disliked about the original folktale and its inherent darkness that is generally glossed over, starting me down the rabbit hole toward finding my own story.

How did you approach research for A Sweet Sting of Salt, and what is a favorite historical fact you learned?

I joke that I did a lot of research by osmosis: I already had a lot of base knowledge about the location, having grown up in Nova Scotia, and then set the story in a period that I’ve been absorbing information about in a low-key way for ages—1832 is also the year of the student rebellion in Les Mis, so I’ve been gleaning tidbits about this era since I first got into the musical and book back in high school. However, I had to do more specific research into things like British divorce law, period midwifery, and animal husbandry. I also visited some small, hyper-local museums on the South Shore that gave me an invaluable glimpse into daily life. I also did some fun practical research into things like “How long does it take to walk from x to y?” and “How cold IS a plunge into this body of water in March?” (Spoiler: Very.) 

A fact that fascinated me but didn’t make it into the book was that some early European settlers in the area were granted lands by luck of the draw, pulling from a deck of playing cards: Each card was assigned to a specific 50-acre lot, and whatever you pulled, you were stuck with it.

When we meet them, Jean and Muirin are isolated for different reasons. What do you hope readers still searching for their people take away from A Sweet Sting of Salt?

That there’s always hope. It’s valuable and important to keep reaching out to the world around you, to be open, and not cut yourself off—the biggest reason for Jean’s loneliness at the beginning of this story is the way she has come to keep everyone around her at arm’s length, shutting herself away out of fear, and refusing to let anyone truly get to know her because she thinks that’s the best way to protect herself from being hurt again. Reaching out to others can take a real act of courage, especially if you’ve had bad experiences in the past, but “your people” will reach back to you.

Found family elements play a strong role throughout the novel, within supernatural and mundane settings and across species. Was this something you intended from the beginning, or did this grow out of writing the relationship between Jean and Muirin?

I always intended for Jean to have a found family of this type, which is something that a lot of queer people identify with, but those bonds also got stronger and more meaningful as I wrote, especially once Jean and Muirin began growing into their own family unit—their new relationship and the real danger that comes along with it put pressures on Jean’s other relationships that I hadn’t originally considered. Disagreements with Anneke and Laurie over Jean’s choices arise from their deep concern and love for her, and her own love and care for them, reflected in her responses, is a big part of what made them feel like a real family, for me. Jean and Laurie always having each other’s backs while also being the first to call one another out on their bullshit ended up being one of my favourite dynamics in the whole book.

The selkie myth carries an inherent element of transformation. What is a character transformation you most enjoyed writing, and why?

On a character level, the change in Jean’s worldview following a conversation with her childhood sweetheart meant a lot to me—it heals an old wound for her. I love how grounded and self-assured she is afterward, in spite of the daunting task still ahead of her. But my favourite transformation to write was the antagonist’s mask-off moment, where they directly threaten Jean for the first time. It’s so sly and coded so that only she will understand the menace behind it, a real dun-duh-dunnn moment, which was a lot of fun for me—I also enjoy the foreshadowing elements in that exchange.

This is your debut novel. Did anything surprise you about getting it from manuscript to published book?

Oh my gosh, how LONG it took! After I finished the original draft and decided it was worth attempting to publish, I spent over a year revising based on my own thoughts, input from beta readers, critique partners, and my mentor, Maureen Marshall (whom I connected with through the now defunct Author Mentor Match program, and whose book, The Paris Affair—about a young gay engineer attempting to help Gustave Eiffel secure the funding to build a certain celebrated Parisian landmark— is coming out in May). After that came a full year of querying agents and getting rejected. A lot. People loved Salty but weren’t quite sure what to do with her or where the book would fit in “the market,” which was hard to deal with at the time but is hilarious in retrospect: Salty was snapped up less than a month after she finally went out on submission! But that was back in 2022, and the book is only coming out now. Publishing can be painfully slow.

You’ve written fanfic in the past—do you have a favorite fanfic trope?

I’m not sure either of these counts as a trope, but I adore a character that’s “pure of heart, dumb of ass”, and love a truly unhinged Fanon Explanation For Canon Object. As a longtime Les Mis stan, I ship Tholomyes/Getting Punched. If you know, you know.

Do you have any favorite queer retellings of folktales you can recommend?

Right here on Tumblr, I’m a huge fan of @laurasimonsdaughter, who writes delightful riffs on classic folktales, truly inventive urban fantasy spins on old lore, and her own original folktales. 

I’m currently reading Spear, an amazing queer, gender-bent, Arthurian novella by Nicola Griffiths. Anna Burke’s books Thorn and Nottingham are up next on my TBR. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of brilliant queer historicals that aren’t retellings (I recently loved Suzette Meyr’s The Sleeping Car Porter and Heather O’Neil’s When We Lost Our Heads) and wonderful historical retellings that aren’t queer (I highly recommend Molly Greeley’s beautiful, heartbreaking Marvelous, about the real-life couple that inspired Beauty and the Beast). Queer, historical retellings aimed at adults seem to be considered quite niche, still, and can take some digging to find! So, throwing this out to Tumblr: Do you have recommendations for me?

Do you have a writing routine? Is there a place/state of being/playlist you find most conducive to your writing practice?

My routine is chaotic at best, but I find I do my best work earlier in the day, so I usually scribble in my journal while I have breakfast, and then progress to working on my current project as I drink my second cup of coffee. I’m lucky—my day job is an evening gig, which mostly allows me to write on my preferred schedule… but I’ve also been known to have a bolt of inspiration strike at 10pm and dash home to write until well past midnight on occasion. Nothing quite like the hyperfocus zone!

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything you can tell us about?

No official news yet, but I’m currently working on a story set in 18th-century provincial France based on a true unsolved mystery of the past. It has me delving into a very specific branch of French folklore, and I hope future readers will pick up on common threads with one popular fairytale in particular. I’m really excited about where this one is headed, but keeping the details close to my chest for now!

Thank you Rose for taking the time to answer our questions! If you love queer fantasy and old folktales, grab yourself a copy of A Sweet Sting of Salt, and be sure to share your queer folktale reading recs with Rose on @rosesutherlandwrites!

[nerdieforpedro]

Presenting the illustrious El!

“We are funny and we are soft. A little naughty too!”

Entry 2 of Le Writers Masterlist

What has me add the wonderful writer that is El aka @secretelephanttattoo ?

It would have to be one of the first Pedro fics I remember reading. It featured an FBI agent. A photographer and an adorable love story. 🥰🥰🥰

I of course mean Headshots (a personal favorite of mine that I highly recommend when you need fluff). It’s a beautiful series that is a romantic slow burn.

It’s El’s specialty 👏🏽

Another series of hers I highly recommend is Undercover featuring our favorite dogged Detective Tim Rockford and Cleo. Saying who or what Cleo is will ruin the surprise so go read it and see a different side of Timothy “the holsters stay on” Rockford. 😎

Lastly is her current series with a second Marcus that true P-boy aficionados will know: Marcus Moreno in Afterword. It’s cute, we got stationary, there’s cool moodboards, a bit more sexy than we’re used to because it’s a different double M out here! 😉

A link to El’s Masterlist is here and I added links to each of her series. 🤓

We have rom-coms, we like a bit a of naughtiness - huhuhu! And some funnies just for good measure. If you like some light reading, to have an afternoon tucked in and feeling better after what you read, check out her writing. 🤗

Lastly! A Moodboard of my own for El! 💕💕💕

You’re a superb writer and an even better friend El. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[pilferingapples]

LM 4.8.6

Happy "Marius slams his head into a tree for two hours while Cosette cries" Day to all who ..uh... observe???

[xzinbdg]

oh dad? idk

synopsis: yn as a single mother never really wanted to look for the father it was just a one time thing at a party and she was doing alright by herself but ever since her daughter turned four she started asking questions that even she doesn't know the answer to.

warning: kms joke.

chapter 4 - /srs or /jk

previous ☆ next ☆ masterlist

author's note: HELLO!!!! I'm back...after months...I'm sooo sorry but school has been crazy and tbh I kinda lost motivation but I'm determined to keep this going and finish it! I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter!! byebye 💕

genre: smau, crack strangers to lovers, parents au

pairing: sunghoon x mother!reader

taglist: @softiehee @beomgyusonlywife @cha3w0n-hearts @mixtape-racha @viagumi @electrobutterfly @alwayswook @smg-valeria @enharts @fantastichoagieuniversityhairdo @lhsvibez @they2luv1naia @oopshee

[fallenangelicss]

Catching Stray Kisses

PAIRING | Bridget | Queen of Hearts/James Hook

WORD COUNT | 1077

SUMMARY | When bored in class, Briget reverts to people-watching to pass the time. What she didn't expect was to find someone already watching her. The culprit behind it also seems to be pretty good at pulling a rise out of her.

RATING | Teen And Up Audiences

WARNING/TAG(S) | No Archive Warnings Apply

A/N | This is my first time partaking in a month-long prompt list so I'm going to do my best to keep up with it can get as many done as I can. It'll hopefully give me a reason to write more which I desperately need. Also, if you'd like to support me then you should consider downloading the Kinder World app with this link. My referral code is WV9K4X but if you need a new referral code then feel free to reach out!

EVENTS | @aug-kissed | Blow A Kiss

AO3 LINK | Read Here

Bridget sat bored in class, her head resting on one of her hands as her feet kicked back and forth under the desk. As much as she loved Merlin’s classes, they tended to drag on when they weren’t doing any sort of practical work. The singular hour that they were in the room seemed to stretch on for days and it didn’t help at all that it was the last lesson before they were free to do as they pleased. 

Ella sat next to her, carefully taking notes as Merlin taught at the front of the room, occasionally writing what seemed to be nonsense on the chalkboard. Bridget knew it would be smarter for her to just pay attention now so she wouldn’t have to beg Ella later for her notes but she couldn’t bring herself to focus on the teacher for more than a few moments at a time, all the information he was spouting going in through one ear and out the other. 

It was honestly exhausting just sitting there. Bridget was ready to go up to her dorm and take a nap until dinner time then maybe make some sort of sweet treat afterwards that she could share around. She didn’t know what she would make but she knew she was itching to stand in front of her homemade mini-kitchen and get back to what she loved doing. 

Letting her eyes dance around the classroom after they instinctively went back to the clock hanging on one of the walls, seeing how they still had another twenty minutes to go before class was over, Bridget resorted to some sightseeing, attempting to find something that could keep her occupied while she waited for the bell to ring. 

Most of the students in the room, like her, seemed to be too bored to comprehend what was happening in front of them which could only be Merlin’s fault as he should’ve known better than to give anyone a theory lesson as their last class on a Friday. 

Like most days, Bridget noticed Uliana terrorising some of her classmates with her tentacles, trying to be discreet about it. At her side sat Morgie, which Bridget wasn’t surprised to see. Laughing almost uncontrollably at whatever it was that Uliana did, Morgie was always attempting to be a good villain for her. Another thing Bridget wasn’t surprised to see was Hades and Maleficent sat next to one another, their hands interlocked while Maleficent sketched something on some scrap paper and Hades messed around with some sort of fire magic. 

What Bridget was however surprised to see was Hook sitting by himself and staring directly at her. Normally he would be the one sitting next to Uliana, if not he would drag Morgie into the seat next to him so he was never by himself. But to see him alone and staring directly at Bridget was a shock, especially when he didn’t look away once he noticed Bridget had caught onto his stare. 

Blinking a few times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, Bridget came face to face with Hook every time she opened her eyes. Not knowing what to do, a shy smile made its way onto her face to not seem rude under Hook’s stare. 

What Hook did next though threw her for a loop.

A smile of his own crept its way onto Hook’s face, the grin being more of a smirk than anything else. His eyes slowly crept up and down Bridget's frame before sending a wink her way, making a pink hue dust her cheeks as she zapped back around and faced the front of the classroom.

“Are you okay,” Ella asked, noting how Bridget was sitting with her spine straight and a flustered expression on her face. Still taking notes as she waited for an answer, Ella’s eyes ticked up to where Bridget was attempting to glance over her shoulder without getting caught and failing to do so. “Did something happen?”

“Nope,” Bridget quickly said, hands coming together and interlocking. Although Ella wasn’t born to much status like Bridget was, she could still notice when someone’s Princess was showing and that was exactly what was happening here as Bridget gushed to herself. Something regarding a boy had just happened and Ella was going to figure out what and who it was no matter what. “Everything is perfectly fine and normal. No reason to be worried at all.”

“Saying that just makes me more suspicious,” Ella warned, noticing how Bridget tensed up a little before sighing, almost as if her resolve was breaking. With just a little more pressure, Bridget would spill everything to her but it seemed like not much effort would be needed from Ella as Bridget was already undoing herself, fidgeting in her seat as she tried not to look back and giveaway who it was. Stopping for a moment before Ella looked back herself to see who it was, she rested a hand on Bridget’s arm and said, “It’s fine Bridget, you can tell me anything. I’m certainly not one to judge you.”

“You’re right,” Bridget smiled, returning the favour and grabbing onto Ella’s wrist, running a thumb over it. “I just noticed someone staring at me and…” “And you think they’re cute?” Ella finished the sentence for her, one of her eyebrows raising at Bridget as she waited for a response. Thinning her lips together, Bridget nodded her head, the blush that was previously coating her cheeks intensifying. “Okay, who is it?”

“Well…” Bridget trailed off, her eyes flicking backwards before looking back at Ella. With a nod of her head in his direction, the two of them looked back at the same time to see Hook still staring at Bridget, the same smirk still coating his face. His eyes didn’t move from Bridget’s face, solely focused on her and not even acknowledging Ella. Raising his hand that wasn’t occupied with a hook, Hook blew a kiss towards Bridget, a chuckle pouring from his mouth when both Bridget and Ella whipped back around.

“Did he just?” Bridget started, not having to finish her sentence for Ella to understand.

“Yeah,” She nodded, just as surprised as Bridget. This was news to Ella. She would have to do a serious amount of stalking and research before she let that pirate anywhere near her friend but for now, it wouldn’t hurt. “Looks like you won’t have to look too hard for a Castlecoming date.”

[adastra-sf]

Ursula K Le Guin's daily schedule

5:30am — wake up and lie there and think

6:15am — get up and eat breakfast (lots)

7:15am — get to work writing, writing, writing

Noon — lunch

1–3pm — reading, music

3–5pm — correspondence, maybe house cleaning

5–8pm — make dinner and eat it

After 8pm — I tend to be very stupid and we won’t talk about this

Bed by 10:30pm

From the book, Ursula Le Guin: The Last Interview.

[sharkemojis]

favourite part about writing fanfiction: seeing my little vision come to life and making my faves be funny and gay

least favourite part about writing fanfiction: i have to write it