#MY ADVICE

[ink-flavored]

i'm as upset as any 10+ year old tumblr user to see the degradation of ask culture. since i've been making my own games, i get people in my notes reblogging one game regularly—weekly, daily, sometimes multiple time a day—desperate for interaction that their followers simply won't give them, even as those same followers reblog the game from them. it's awful to see people crying out for connection only to be ignored by people who can obviously hear them. it makes me sad!!! and it's frustrating!!!

but at a certain point, we have to accept that yelling about how things were 10 years ago isn't going to change people's behavior. a vast majority of tumblr users simply do not send asks, don't intend to, and will reblog ask games without sending any questions no matter how much we insist it's impolite. it's time for a new approach—so to that end:

for everyone reading this, i give you permission and highly encourage you to copy and paste my ask games (any ask game tbh) into a blank document, fill out every single question for the OCs or WIPs of your choice, and post it. without getting a single ask from anyone, share it anyway. one question at a time, everything in one giant text post, whatever. there's a good chance people who are too shy to send asks will appreciate getting to learn about your characters and stories, and maybe even encourage them to ask you for more details. and even if they don't, maybe you'll build the confidence to post whatever you want about your characters, whenever you want.

be free.

[incandescent-creativity]

I don’t post writing tips myself very much anymore, but a very easy manuscript polishing tip is to do a search for the -ness suffix, and then replace the word with a more appropriate noun.

Quickness? Switch it to “speed.”

Tenseness? Try “tension.”

Easiness? I think you mean “ease.”

Even words like sadness can sometimes be traded for something more precise. Like what kind of sadness? Would disappointment be better? Melancholy? Even just “emotion,” and then add in another detail that helps the reader understand they’re sad?

[cataclysmic-writer]

Every character should just have a WEIRD fact about them. Multiple, even. Because people are weird.

My friend goes on entire rants about the reasons she DESPISES cheese. All cheese. In all forms. She waxes poetic about it, to the point I have a dedicated notes page for her cheese quotes.

The fact she talks so much about hating cheese is weird.

The fact I transcribe her speeches like a court stenographer is weird.

Classic writing advice will tell you to give your characters quirks, or routines, or little superstitions, and that's all well and good, but a lot of times, those things are fairly normal. I probably wouldn't bat an eye if someone taps a pen three times whenever they have to sign their name. If their signature was an old Myspace username instead of their legal name, though....now that would stand out.

Don't just give them fun fact. Give em something weird.

[chaotictempleknight]

Some advice for writers

I would like to offer some advice to my fellow writers. Caution: this post is a bit on the longer side.

If you have any type of series on the internet, please have a master post for that series, or at least some form of organization. No, I am not going to go endlessly scrolling through your blog or website to find the first chapter/page.

Please have links to chapters if you are writing a digital novel/novella. It makes it easier for the reader to get through the story. This is assuming you're not using a website dedicated to literature.

Tag your work with what genre it is. I see a lot of stories and chapters on the internet that don't do that or only tag one genre. I would like to know what genre your story is as I have preferences for what I read.

When writing a synopsis or a pitch, please establish the stakes. Tell me what the conflict is and why I should read. What are the consequences if the protagonist fails? Also don't describe what your story is. I'll find that out as I read.

Plan your story out before you write it. You are not that 1 in a million who's going to be able to write a story as you go along. PLAN OUT YOUR STORY BEFORE YOU START IT. Here's my advice: Establish your plot and ending, write the plot, write your characters, then write an outline for the story. Make sure you're happy with it, iron out any last minute details, then write a rough draft.

Have multiple drafts and don't post the first thing that comes out of your head. Don't worry if you mess up during the rough drafts, you can fix it later. How many drafts you have is up to you, just don't get carried away with them as you'll never finish the story.

The protagonist must succeed. It doesn't matter what they succeed in, they must succeed in something. There's no two ways about it. The protagonist can be anyone, be it a hero or villain. protagonist versus antagonist is not good versus evil, it's a clash of egos and ideals. It doesn't matter who they come from.

Write an evil villain and a strong hero. Let your villain be evil and let your hero be heroic. This is storytelling 101, but so many stories these days try to make everyone morally gray and indistinguishable from each other. You can have sympathetic villains and questionable heroes, just make it clear where the lines between good and evil are drawn.

Stop trying to be relatable and POST SOMETHING. I don't care about how many WIPs you haven't finished or about how your cat keeps interrupting you. Post your story. If you're more concerned about being relatable than actually writing, you're not a writer.

If you're expecting overnight success, you are in for a very rude awakening. No, you will not have overnight success. AND NO, you are not that 1 in a million. It takes time, effort, and dedication for your work to get noticed. I should know: have you heard of ULTRAMagic Alternate? I didn't think so.

If you are writing to make money and become famous, get out. I'm serious, leave. If you just want to make money, go get a regular job. You are legitimately getting in the way of actual writers who actually have a story to tell.

Having beta readers is ideal for improving your story. Find people interested in the genres you're writing and see what they think. You can always go back and fix the story if there is something wrong with it.

This one is for readers: If an author asks you to be a beta reader, they are NOT asking you to edit their story (although you can if you want to). You don't have to be an author, the writer is looking for your perspective as an average Joe off the street. Tell them what you think of the work, even if you have no knowledge of writing.

DO NOT USE AI IMAGES. The instant I see an AI image attached to your post I'm immediately scrolling past it. Either learn how to draw or hire a real artist.

DO NOT USE AI WRITING. I will ignore your entire existence if I catch you copy and pasting stuff from an AI chat bot. I'm okay with asking a chat bot for assistance as long as what is written on the page came from your head and human hands, however. Also newsflash, if AI becomes truly sentient, you are stealing ideas and work from another individual. Let that sink in.

[elsaqqa-4ever]

Message to the unknown

My dear

Life is a path and steps that we walk quickly or slowly. Wherever your feet step, leave something that will make those who remember you happy.

[drcaglestein-blog]

When breaking generational curses, don’t expect support from those who passed it on.

[mgentamn]

my shifting/loa advice as someone who has been quite successful in both of those areas.

if you are a newer member to either of these communities, its natural that you want information on how to do different methods, natural that you want to be interactive in the community etc.. but my biggest advice to you is to stop consuming so many different methods and ideologies. all things shifting and loa all depend on your personal practice/method and what works for you. what happens when you absorb so many different things is that you start thinking that you have to do a million and one things when what you want to gain is relatively simple, for example manifestation or simply shifting. individuality really changes the game when it comes to these things. one thing that helped me realize that is the fact that all the creators/ppl i looked up too all hand crafted their own methods through their own trial and error and their preferences and what works for them. ofc methods help but all things rituals, manifestation, spirituality and so on are most potent and powerful when it's something organic by yourself. stop doubting yourself and stop asking so many questions and just do whatever it is you want to do when it comes to how you want to go about your practices and do it all for your own sake

[howlingday]

Here's a tip for your writing

Profanity is a spice

Swearing can be used to denote intensity. However, if it is used excessively, it only denotes immaturity.

[andreaheartscats]

here is a little advice from me.

do NOT beg for someone to love you.

if you text them and they don't replay but they're active? yeah, you are not their priority. even if its hard to accept it, you have to.

if you think they love you, no they don't. find someone that is worth your time, or don't find anyone at all. it's up to you to decide.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Not sure if you can help but...

I used to write fanfic a lot (not just Johnlock, but other fandoms too) and I got a particularly nasty comment on a fic months back (almost a year ago now I think) that made me delete my entire AO3 and never write anything ever again.

But I miss it so much. And every time I go to write something, the magic is just gone and I get nowhere. It's like any joy I had in writing was just sucked out by one single comment. How do I fix this?

Hey Nonny *SNUGGLE BUGGLE HUGGLE*

I'm so sorry that the "magic" feels gone, and I am so sorry that you had such a terrible experience because of one entitled asshole.

Unfortunately, I am not a professional in this regard, so please take what I say as just a grain of salt and as someone who adores and supports all creatives in this fandom... I've gotten lots of nasty comments over the years, and honestly... I take more joy that I continue on doing what I'm doing and that they're SO bloody bothered by me that I just ignored them... because really that's all you can do online. And sites like AO3 now give you the option to have your fics only be commented on by registered users only, so if you get that hate comment, just report it, block the user, and laugh at them.

I know that it's easier said than done, but to me it seems like you want to do start writing again. I've found that I just stopped caring about who my content is for, because at the end of the day, I'm doing my content for me, and it has the side effect of other people enjoying it too. I've lived long enough to just... not give a shit anymore about asshats online, because honestly they're just sad, bored people who get a sick thrill from riling people up.

BUT AGAIN, Nonny, this might be deeper than "just writing and forgetting about it" because that one comment WAS traumatic for YOU and that's VALID. I think talking to other authors might be beneficial to you to help you overcome that hurdle. FOR ME, I've found just... doing my projects with me as the primary audience does wonders. I love going back to my SUPER old stories and rereading them, because I take a lot of joy in remembering that these worlds were created by me FOR me. And looking at my old art and seeing how much I've improved often is motivation enough for me to carry on.

Actually, thinking back to my college days (OOOOOOF I'm old), we specifically had classes where the profs would rip apart our projects during critique sessions, on purpose, because in the real world, unfortunately, it is stuff you have to deal with in real life and they didn't want us to have our first experience be on-the-job. So I MIGHT be a bit more indifferent to "critiques" than most people, I'm now realizing, so AGAIN, please take what I say with a grain of salt.

That all said, you know what, Lovely? You have a lot more fans than you know, I'm sure, and they'd be thrilled to have you back <3 I REALLY REALLY wish I was better at articulating just how much I really want to see you happy, and how much of the best I hope for you. I know that my words aren't going to make everything better, but I hope they helped a bit.

If there's anyone who struggled to get over that hurdle themselves, please don't hesitate to reply or send me an anonymous message and I'll paste it here so Nonny knows that they're not alone.

And if you do, Nonny, decide to return and post up your stories, I am ALWAYS here to promote them and boost them for you <3

Please take care Nonny, and I hope you continue to write again <3 But KNOW that if you inevitably DON'T, THAT IS OKAY TOO. <3

[incandescent-creativity]

I saw your posts about fewer questions in the writeblr community! I think why I personally don’t ask questions often is that I don’t know where to start. I feel like I’m following blogs midway through their wips. Do you have any suggestions for some i guess ive breaker questions I could ask you (and other writing blogs)?

I think that's probably a pretty common feeling! You can always just send an ask to the effect of "Hey, I'm new to your writing, but [insert detail or title or name] caught my attention! Can you tell me more about that?"

but also

Asks to Break the Ice with a Writeblr

How many wips do you have? How many are you actively working on?

What's your eventual goal for this wip?

What's your favorite thing about your wip and why?

How would you explain your wip to someone who knew nothing about it?

What's the most important thing to know about your wip?

How long have you been writing your wip?

How does your most recent wip compare to the first one you ever made?

How did you come up with the title of your wip?

What are the most prominent themes in your wip?

What is the main plot of your wip?

What side plots happen in your wip?

What does the main character of your wip want?

Who or what is stopping the protagonist from their goals?

What do you think makes your protagonist relatable?

Why does the story follow the protagonist, as opposed to another character in the story? I.e., what makes them so special?

If you have worldbuilding, what worldbuilding detail are you most proud of and why?

What's the best character dynamic between two or more characters in your wip?

How do you want readers to feel while reading your story? after they finish reading it?

Is this where you thought the story was going when you started it?

What has changed since when you started this story? What has stayed the same?

What originally inspired this story?

If you were going to excitedly recommend your wip to someone, how would you explain it to them?

What was the worst obstacle you encountered when trying to write your story (e.g. plot hole, OOC scenes, etc), and how did you fix it?

What is something about this wip you've never gotten a chance to talk about, but want to?

Do you have any prominent posts about your wip (e.g. summary posts, art, excerpts) that I should see?

Side note: You can always find a specific title and replacing "your wip" with said title before sending these in, and do the same with a specific character's name, but that's optional! Don't let it stop you.

[cataclysmic-writer]

Speed writing isn't all it's cracked up to be

"It doesn't matter if it's messy, it matters if it's written." "You can't edit a blank page." If you're like me, these kinds of sayings are everywhere in the writing community, encouraging you to let your writing 'suck' for the sake of getting something on the page. Speed drafting and word sprints are all the rage.

I get that mentality. I do. I just came back from a multi-year hiatus, and back then, I was known on Tumblr and writing circles for speed-writing. I regularly won word wars by a huge margin. But I've recently gained a new appreciation for slow writing sessions.

The work that I drafted during those word wars? It was also riddled with typos, and errors, and it wasn't my best work. There were occasionally good lines, and it wasn't necessarily bad writing, but there was a lot to clean up after the fact. The time I saved in drafting usually came right back around in editing.

Now, I sit down after work, or on the train, and write 200 or 300 words, carefully selected over the course of ten minutes. It's slower. But it's more deliberate. I let myself edit and tweak prose, and I feel happier with the end quality of the work.

To be honest, from the novel start to the final draft, I don't think that either writing style truly saves any time. Sometimes it's okay to agonize over a sentence for a few minutes. You don't have to rush past it for the sake of getting more words down. The mentality matters more to me; if you speed draft, but can't look at how 'messy' it is without getting discouraged, then speed drafting isn't for you. And if you're getting caught up on each sentence until you feel that it's completely perfect, then yeah, maybe you need to give a speed challenge a try.

But don't feel bad for taking time to be deliberate. It pays off sometimes too.

[endlessskymaster]

If you want to take your mind off the recent events, play Kingdom Hearts games when you have time. It doesn’t matter which order you play Kingdom Hearts games or even watch KH cutscenes.

[elsaqqa-4ever]

Faces

Avoid being around people who make you feel bad.

They live their lives having fun and complaining to you.

They laugh with others and grieve with you.

They are cowards, yet they show you how strong they are.

Be wary of them since they pose a threat to you.

[themultifanshipper]

Wait, there's actually men out there who know how to make a woman come? 💀

But yeah, I'll probably stick to your advice if I ever get brave enough lol

Until then i have your fics, myself and my vibrating best friend 😌

You are incredibly real anon, and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavour to find a fuckbuddy

[definitelynottony]

Are you and pretty in a irl relationship? Or is this just an rp blog for you both to explore yourselves?? I've always wanted to try and find something like your relationship and I really like playing with daddies but idk how to talk to people. I'm just curious if you're just good friends or actually fucking irl hehehe

Yes. Bambi and I are fucking. Hard. And often.

HA! Okay, for real. Bambi and I are going on to our 5th year (this coming August) of our irl relationship. He is the love of my life, my soulmate, and I worship the ground he walks on. That being said, we are also best friends, and we goof around a lot online with each other. We do use Tony/Peter to represent a lot of our interests and rp through them. But it's always still us being us.

As for my advice, I understand it can be daunting and even scary to introduce yourself to others, especially if you're interested in them in some regard. But you can't succeed without trying. @pretty-bratty Was the one to approach me first on tumblr, actually, if I would be interested in having a Daddy/Little relationship with him after months of flirting with each other. It started out as a caretaker/little, but quickly, we both realized we were way more than that.

So if it wasn't for my boy being brave and taking that leap, who's to say what would have happened. (I believe we still would have gotten together tbh because I was tip toeing about messaging him too 🤣 but still.)

The more you talk, the more you learn how to talk. Don't be afraid to put all your cards on the table and see what happens. Wearing your heart on your sleeve is highly underrated.