#a writer’s life

[linbooks]

Very relatable

[imekitty]

When I’m struggling with writing a chapter, I first break it down into scenes.

If that’s not enough, I then break it down into beats.

If that’s still hard, I break it down into paragraphs.

And if I’m still really struggling, I just try to at least figure out the next sentence. Like just one sentence, I can do that, can’t I???

And the answer is always yes, I can! And then often the next sentence or two tumbles out as well.

And then sometimes I’m done for the day but other times I’m able to keep going for a few hundred or even thousand words.

Yup, that’s how I write.

[whats-that-there]

Finding tracks in the sand

The sound of the ocean is not intimidating when you’re right on the shore. The beach on a sunny day never really did much for me, it’s not until I start trudging my way away from the shore against the tide that I realised how powerful the ocean really is. The waves hit my body in a hypnotic yet jarring rhythm. It’s a harsh push and a gentle pull all at once. All is peaceful on the beach, but when you’ve walked chest-deep into the ocean and witness a swell coming for you at head height - the possibility of getting lost inside under it is what paralyses me. I know the ocean is not my enemy but it’s the beginnings of vastness that always stops me from going further inside. It’s never the hit or the swell itself you understand? It’s the feeling of being completely alone inside it that puts my heart in my ears.

I usually abandon the journey when the swells start threatening to swallows me whole. Showing my back to the ocean lessens the fright, the more I physically can not witness the safer I am. My feet feel the sand floor change it’s texture as I get closer to land, from smooth and cold to pebbled and warm. Small shells are being crushed beneath my feet, I only hope the ocean is not vengeful.

The sand on the beach is in sight, the tracks of the waves on it a curious and consistent pattern. It’s the wave’s written history. It’s presence felt on both ocean and land. Do all of nature feel the drive to leave a mark behind? Be it tracks made in sand or words written on paper. Sharing of life’s history for others to see and experience is a natural thing? Then why the violence within it to bring it about?

[coneygoil]

switching from writing on my Moon Knight fanfic to writing a Resident Alien ficlet all in one morning is almost like whiplash

[crescentcitytorchwood]

I've often joked that being a writer is something akin to madness. And never has that been more true than right now.

I have a minimum of three fiction ideas in my head. Each features different characters and wildly different plots, themes, tones, etc.

I also have a bunch of stuff to write for my actual day-to-day job. Something like two web pages, three case studies and three press releases. Oh yeah, and the social media content to support those pieces.

In short, I feel like words are flying around my brain at a million miles an hour in a million different voices. Each one is shouting at me louder than the last, each desperate to be heard and translated onto paper. But, because there are so many of them, I can't possibly focus on any individual one for longer than a few minutes before I'm once again yelled at by another voice - either in my head or in real life because someone has noticed me staring into space for an unusually long time.

It's a paralysis like nothing I've known before, and I honestly don't know how to overcome it. I want to write so badly. But I just can't. I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm scared. My focus, mood and motivation are pretty consistently low, though I'm trying extremely hard to fake it until I make it and convince myself I feel better than I do.

So yeah. Being a writer has quite literally led me to madness. And if anyone has any suggestions on how I can manage it all, I would be forever grateful.

[coneygoil]

when you open the notification email from A03 to see all your kudos and none of them are for the fanfic you are currently working on

[arrolyn1114]

I often have to remind myself of this especially since life has been crazy lately.

the post about fanfic writers updating despite wild life circumstances is funny and great, but to all the slow writers, the writers who can’t focus when life is happening a lot, or who simply like taking time off from writing: you’re doing amazing, fandom is not an obligation, and there are many people who prefer short fics, or who read slowly and are in no rush for updates.

[pygmi-says-hi]

STOP DOING THIS IN INJURY FICS!!

Bleeding:

Blood is warm. if blood is cold, you’re really fucking feverish or the person is dead. it’s only sticky after it coagulates.

It smells! like iron, obv, but very metallic. heavy blood loss has a really potent smell, someone will notice.

Unless in a state of shock or fight-flight mode, a character will know they’re bleeding. stop with the ‘i didn’t even feel it’ yeah you did. drowsiness, confusion, pale complexion, nausea, clumsiness, and memory loss are symptoms to include.

blood flow ebbs. sometimes it’s really gushin’, other times it’s a trickle. could be the same wound at different points.

it’s slow. use this to your advantage! more sad writer times hehehe.

Stab wounds:

I have been mildly impaled with rebar on an occasion, so let me explain from experience. being stabbed is bizarre af. your body is soft. you can squish it, feel it jiggle when you move. whatever just stabbed you? not jiggly. it feels stiff and numb after the pain fades. often, stab wounds lead to nerve damage. hands, arms, feet, neck, all have more motor nerve clusters than the torso. fingers may go numb or useless if a tendon is nicked.

also, bleeding takes FOREVER to stop, as mentioned above.

if the wound has an exit wound, like a bullet clean through or a spear through the whole limb, DONT REMOVE THE OBJECT. character will die. leave it, bandage around it. could be a good opportunity for some touchy touchy :)

whump writers - good opportunity for caretaker angst and fluff w/ trying to manhandle whumpee into a good position to access both sites

Concussion:

despite the amnesia and confusion, people ain’t that articulate. even if they’re mumbling about how much they love (person) - if that’s ur trope - or a secret, it’s gonna make no sense. garbled nonsense, no full sentences, just a coupla words here and there.

if the concussion is mild, they’re gonna feel fine. until….bam! out like a light. kinda funny to witness, but also a good time for some caretaking fluff.

Fever:

you die at 110F. no 'oh no his fever is 120F!! ahhh!“ no his fever is 0F because he’s fucking dead. you lose consciousness around 103, sometimes less if it’s a child. brain damage occurs at over 104.

ACTUAL SYMPTOMS:

sluggishness

seizures (severe)

inability to speak clearly

feeling chilly/shivering

nausea

pain

delirium

symptoms increase as fever rises. slow build that secret sickness! feverish people can be irritable, maybe a bit of sass followed by some hurt/comfort. never hurt anybody.

ALSO about fevers - they absolutely can cause hallucinations. Sometimes these alter memory and future memory processing. they're scary shit guys.

fevers are a big deal! bad shit can happen! milk that till its dry (chill out) and get some good hurt/comfort whumpee shit.

keep writing u sadistic nerds xox love you

ALSO I FORGOT LEMME ADD ON:

YOU DIE AT 85F

sorry I forgot. at that point for a sustained period of time you're too cold to survive.

pt 2

also please stop traumadumping in the notes/tags, that's not the point of this post. it's really upsetting to see on my feed, so i'm muting the notifs for this post. if you have a question about this post, dm me, but i don't want a constant influx of traumatic stories. xox

[charbroiledchicken]

"you're the writer, you control how the story goes" no not really. i wrote the first sentence and then my characters said "WE WILL TAKE IT FROM HERE" and promptly swerved into an electrical fence.

[longlivelindanny]

Yes and if they’re any good and I remember them the next morning, they get written down

[nondelphic]

"just write the story you want to read!" they said. well, guess what, now i have 14 unfinished drafts because apparently, i want to read 14 different stories at once.

[aurinavenir]

Writers should NOT feel guilty about:

Skipping a day of writing.

Not having a perfect first draft.

Partaking in sinister, arcane rituals for inspiration.

Working at their own pace.

Enlisting demons and/or helpful spirits to aid them with editing.

[what-iz-life]

I confuse people. i have a happy personality and a sad soul. i'm bold but shy. i love deeply but sometimes i feel heartless. i'm healing and hurting at the same time. i'm dedicated to growth, but i self sabotage

[thefadingyouth]

me writing papers for class

[poetryforall]

[daughterofchaosstuff]

done healing my inner child. next up is my inner teen. her highness demands a sword.