#and here I go again making moodboards and aus when I have a hundred WIPs

[anxiouspotatorants]

Maura wasn’t sure what they’d been expecting when Ciaran got her, Daniel and their son tickets to a cruise ship for Elliot’s birthday. But it probably wasn’t adopting the captain, mediating two separate three-way lovers’ quarrels, getting their son kidnapped by a Danish family looking for a playdate for their daughter, or witnessing an international tourist-crew romance in the buffet queue. “At least we have something to tell people,” Daniel comforted her with a laugh.

Stuck in the Middle: An 1899 modern cruise AU

(Raw images: not mine)

[aye-write]

Hi, Aye-write! I'm wondering if you have any advice on preparing contest submissions! (I suppose it could work for publishing submissions too) I've already put out a request for beta-readers, but there are also the jitters to tend to! I wonder if you have any tips to help writers feel more confident in their work so they can accept critiques without abandoning a story out of shame hehe

Hi nonnie! Thank you for your question, and apologies for the delay in getting it out to you, life has been whacking me over the head with a great big stick lately xP

Congratulations for taking the steps to submit for contests/publishing etc! It's a huge achievement and you should be very proud of yourself!

As for dealing with accepting critiques, that's something that I personally had to overcome so I'll share a couple of the things that helped me:

1. You are not the only one going through this Every writer, from the most popular bestsellers to the youngest of the newbies, will have gone through exactly what you are going through. Constructive criticism can be hard to take sometimes, but every writer will experience it. Every writer has had thoughts of "I'm not good enough". Every writer has worried they won't achieve their dreams. The things you are feeling are normal. Read about other writers and how they felt on their writing journey. You are not alone.

2. Think about what you've achieved What do sending to betas, submitting to comps, and querying for publication all have in common? They all require something finished. Don't forget, before you send out your work, you have completed this piece of work*. You have made something from nothing. Something exists in the world because of you. That is a tremendous achievement and is a step that so many writers don't reach. You have already done something incredible by finishing. Be confident with that.

If you can, leave your work alone for a while. A week maybe, longer if possible. Then go back and read it again. You will be reading your work with fresh eyes. You will see it more like the way a reader sees it. Distance is important with your work. Don't put your blinkers on. Take time to experience your work and enjoy it. Read it for pleasure. Gush about it to your friends. Make moodboards and aesthetics, AUs and playlists, just really enjoy it. If you love your work, that is what matters. Rejection and concrit should not have the power to take that away from you.

* - If you have not finished a work before, in any capacity, if you haven't taken a piece of writing from inception to completion, stop what you're doing and FINISH something. You will learn more from starting and finishing one short story than you ever will for starting countless WIPs and never finishing them.

3. Recognise that good feedback is there to help you We all have that little dream of giving something to someone to read and them immediately going "I love it all, don't change a damn thing". But while that's lovely and affirming, is it really helpful? Are you learning anything? Are you growing and developing your skills as a writer by only getting positive things? Humans learn and grow by making mistakes. By trying things. Maybe they don't work, maybe we adapt and try again. So we might not like that little red pen or comment box when we open up our feedback, but it's like manure. It's there to help you grow.

Now, this hinges on the possibility that you get good feedback. And good feedback is like gold dust to writers. If you find a beta-reader that gives you good feedback, for God's sake, hang onto them. If they're someone who can tell you things that you NEED to hear, if they're someone that can explain and back up their reasons for not liking something/suggesting a change, then yes, you want to keep them in your circle. But what about bad feedback? And I don't just mean feedback that is purely negative - "This is awful, this is shit, why would you write that?" - because that kind of feedback can be easily put to one side because that is not constructive, it is not helpful, and it has no bearing on your or your talent as a writer.

Bad feedback can also be about other things. And this is where picking good betas comes in. If your prose is very lyrical and flowery, and you give your book to someone who likes straightforward writing, perhaps their feedback of "make the prose simpler" is not valuable. That's a preference. Not to say that your writing is bad, it just might not vibe with them. It might not be their cup of tea. Picking a beta that vibes with your style is important. So, if your flowery prose lover beta comes to you with a concern that your prose is complex, that may be worth listening to.

And what happens if you get bad feedback? Well, nothing, really. You might lick your wounds a little bit, but here's the thing. You do not have to listen to all feedback. You do not have to do what your betas want. A good beta will work with you to create the story you want. A bad beta will try to turn your story into the story they want.

4. Rejection is not personal Rejection is not personal. Yes, it feels like it is, sometimes, but it's not. Think about it this way. Someone brings you some desserts to judge at a fair. They're all beautifully made, made with high-quality ingredients, look fantastic, etc. But the problem is... one of the desserts is made with apples. You don't like apples. So you might not give that one a prize, no matter how nice it looks or how tasty it is. It's the same with querying/publishing. Being rejected may not be any indication of the quality of your product. It's just that you gave apples and the judge likes oranges.

It is important to remember that this is just one opinion. Sticking with the dessert metaphor, next year, the judge on the panel loves apples. You submit your same apple dessert and they love it. First prize. Remember, if you are rejected, that is one opinion. And it is not about you, the writer. It is not personal. Agents/competition hosters see hundreds, if not thousands of WIPs in a year. Rejection can't be personal because they don't know you. They are judging your work - and at that, only a tiny percentage of your work.

5. Don't give up! If you are rejected, if you do get bad critique, if the voice in your head tells you that your writing is worthless, allow yourself to feel those feelings. Allow them to exist. And then pick yourself up and keep going. You are the only one who can tell YOUR stories. It is 100% okay to be sad/mad/etc., if you get a rejection but use those emotions to motivate yourself to keep going. Remember the growth mindset. It's a no this time. It's not yes yet. Every no is one step closer to a yes. It might be a no this time, but next time could be yes.

Remember: it only takes one yes.

[shemakesmeforget]

15 fics under 1K kudos

We all know how tempting is to sort fics by kudos, so I'm doing that lol I hope you all enjoy this underrated gems. I might do a part 2, I'm definitely posting a list for wips tomorrow (these are all completed fics btw). I have some moodboards coming, but for now you can check here and for other fic recs here. Okay, let's go!

How to Surprise Your Fiancé With Pork: An Honest Walkthrough by Viktor Nikiforov by Orchids_and_Fictional_Cities (@orchids-and-fictional-cities)

Canonverse, Rated T, 5K 

The thing with Viktor is that once he’s set his mind on something, there is a very very minuscule chance of him not following through on said thing. 

He wants to do something for Yuuri: partly as a Valentine’s Day gift, partly as a prelude to Worlds, and partly ‘just because’. It’s somewhere between dwelling on the abstract thought of Yuuri’s hunger as a competitor, and watching the younger skater on Facetime with his mother back home, that an idea starts to form.. 

-- 

This is how Katsuki Yuuri, the love of his life, the apple of his eye, the fire of his loins et cetera, ad infinitum, finds Viktor when he walks into the door: standing precariously with one foot on a barstool and the other on top of his counter, frantically fanning at his smoke detector with a magazine. 

• This is hilarious, sweet Viktor... he tries so so hard (also I relate to this more than I would like lol)

voices carry by spookyfoot (@spookyfoot)

Canonverse, Rated T, 4K

God Chris is loud, Victor thinks, half of his glass of vodka sloshing onto the floor as another rhythmic thump sounds against the shared wall between his and Chris’ rooms. Would the hotel allow him to change rooms so late at night? He could probably manage it no problem, but his toiletries are spread all over the bathroom and by the time he packs those up Chris and his…guest should be finished.

He’ll have to wait it out.

A moan floats through the wall. Victor’s not sure if it’s approving his plan or warning him to give up while he still can.

He pours himself some more vodka.

“Fill me up,” Chris's Fuck Buddy (CFB) says.

Oh god. Victor takes a long pull of vodka from his glass.

For once, Chris is quiet enough that Victor can’t hear anything beyond a murmur. And he thinks that’s that until—

“Fuck a baby into me,” Chris’ bedmate moans.

Victor chokes on his drink.

_____ 

Meet cute by way of pregnancy kink 

• *heavy breathing* seriously?? You're giving us Yuuri doing the walk of shame and YUUCHRIS??? beware I laughed so hard I cried, so much secondhand embarrassment.

Lay Your Head by kiaronna (@kiaronna)

Canonverse, Rated G, 2K

By the time they end up sharing a bed, they’ve already slept next to each other everywhere else.  

• I LOVE this trope so much omg, you’re in for a treat A DELIGHT.

overture for two (me & you) by oh_fudgecakes (@asideoftrashplease)

Canonverse, Rated E, 21K

Plagued by his poor performance at the GPF, Yuuri’s disastrous free at Japanese Nationals ends not just in eleventh-place, but deals him with a lasting injury, resulting in him retiring before the events of the show. He becomes a commentator, determined to move on from his uneventful skating career. Yet, a series of chance meetings with a smitten Viktor and his own yearning for the ice keeps drawing him back to competitive figure skating. 

In which everything's different, but it all ends the same anyway. 

• Commentor!Yuuri owns me lol (all Yuuris own me), a great balance between angst and humor.

Lead Me To You by luni

Canonverse, Rated E, 68K

Victor Nikiforov, Russia’s living legend of figure skating, is forced to take most part of the season off because of a rather serious injury. A comeback, no matter how exciting or unexpected, is never easy- especially when the person who is supposed to help Victor through most of it is none other than Katsuki Yuuri, former ace of Japan, now retired.

• Role reversal!! Coach Yuuri!!!! angsty af but oh dear they're crazy for each other. 

Ode To Apollo 13 by cerebella (@badkisser)

Space AU, Rated E, 66K

Yuuri Katsuki has his first and only breakup, and reacts the only way he knows how: board a starship and live out the rest of his life in outer space, millions of light years from the home planet he loves. 

It doesn't work.

• Getting back together is a trope I really enjoy, also friends with benefits *praying hands emoji *  Particularly I like the flashback to their school days and, if you squint, you have some sweet yuuchris too <3 

were stars to burn by xylophones (@xyloophones)

Space AU, Rated T, 7K

How should we like it were stars to burn

With a passion for us we could not return?

“I’ll call,” Viktor promises, “I’ll write, I’ll send holo videos, I’ll–– I’ll–– I’ll––”

He doesn’t say “I’ll stay if you ask” but he thinks it. He thinks about asking Yuuri to wait for him.

He won’t.

(But he thinks about it: Yuuri, pointing up at the night sky and saying “there’s the love of my life, among the planets, among the streaks of light above us.”) 

• I dont wanna say I cried like a baby because that would be insulting to babies. So sad and beautiful.

Follow Me Down the Milky Way by Skowronek and voxofthevoid (@kaja-skowronek and @voxofthevoid)

Space AU, Rated E, 17K

When decorated space officer Viktor Nikiforov is sent on a mission to bring down an infamous smuggler, he does not expect to be swept off his feet by a pole dancer as mysterious as he is deadly.

Yuuri Katsuki simply tries to make the galaxy a better place with as little collateral damage as possible, but that's easier said than done when a fleet commander's son sneaks into his ship and a pretty officer with a thigh fetish is after his head and dick both.

• BAMF!Yuuri <3 finally Yuuri's thighs get the appreciation and love they deserve. Very sweet and funny!

quantum entanglement by minsyah (@pockybugi)

College/Coffee Shop AU, Rated T, 17K

For some reason, the man—Viktor—sits in front of him, silver hair flouncing as he settles comfortably into the chair, introducing himself as Yuuri’s new math tutor with an easy smile.

And Yuuri, 25 years old with a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics…doesn’t correct him.

(Viktor mistakes Yuuri for a high school student struggling with Geometry. Yuuri’s too awkward to figure out how to tell him otherwise.)

• I'm still laughing so hard. The ultimate meet cute! Yuuri is a dork, my sweet child.

Can you, not? by shereadsthestars

College AU, Rated M, 7K

"Stop moving," Yuuri hisses.

"I'm not moving," Viktor hisses right back, causing Yuuri to roll his eyes.

"Yes, you are," he says, adjusting himself to the best of his ability so as to accommodate Viktor's incessant shifting. "Or I wouldn't have told you not to."

"Whatever," Viktor breathes, then, without missing a beat, "Go out with me."

"No." 

• Viktor is so in love, Yuuri tries very hard to not fall in love but everything works out in the end. Cute angst? cute angst!

faking in secret by DefiantDreams (@gia-comeatme)

College AU, Rated T, 14K

It gets kind of difficult when you’re simultaneously fake dating and dating in secret at the same time.

Yuuri and Viktor make it work—until they don’t. 

• FAKE SECRET DATING GOOD GOD. This Yuuri omg!!!! oblivious heartbreakek to the max. Adorable and hilarious.

Foresight, not just foreplay by myoue (@cofferi)

Roommates AU, Rated M, 6K

There’s no way I could have casual sex, Victor says, I’d fall in love immediately. 

• Friends with benefits is my weakness and oh?? This fic???? I adore how they dance around each other. Just wonderful!

life with the dull bits cut out by thishasbeencary (@yoyoplisetsky)

Actors AU, Rated T, 9K

Viktor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katuski have been best friends since acting school. Viktor got his big break early, and brought Yuuri on to every exciting event and premier in his career. As Yuuri's career takes off, he does the same with Viktor. They do everything together, and act like they've known each other for their entire lives.

Their fans think they're in love.

(Spoilers: They are.)

• This fic literally made me cry at work, friends to lovers is my favorite trope ever and mutual pining AND OMG THIS IS SO CUTE I WANNA CRY AGAIN, amazing.

The Viktor Nikiforov Affair by YankingAwry (@rvancoogler)

Heist AU, Rated T, 13K

Viktor tries wooing Yuuri. Yuuri will not be wooed. And then there's the small matter of Viktor being a Russian master criminal art thief extraordinaire, Yuuri being the Interpol agent assigned to handle him, and the imminent theft of a hundred million dollar painting.

There's tension throughout the whole fic, Yuuri tries do hard and Viktor tries the hardest.

• The fic I didn’t know I needed BUT I DID, such a good read! this Viktor must be one of my faves, hands down. 

Comes Love by Multiple_Universes (@witharthurkirkland)

Burlesque AU, Rated M, 46K

People in the audience would crane their necks to watch Yuuri sit and calmly sip his drink. He’d raise the glass to his lips and down its contents slowly, as if the gold liquid was honey and not champagne. Or he’d get a cocktail and drink it through a straw in a way that would make the men around him break out into a cold sweat. Then he’d cross his legs and recline in his seat and it didn’t matter what was happening on the stage: every eye in the room was on him. The regulars often said that no one could cross their legs like Eros did.

That night he sat in his usual spot and watched the stage with unseeing eyes. Two weeks of someone leaving a bouquet of roses would make anyone curious. He’d always find them in the same spot. There were always seven of them. And they always came without a note. But Yuuri knew they were all from the same person.

A Burlesque AU with Yuuri as a performer and Victor as his admirer.

• Are you ready to experience the best visuals of your existence? *fans self* This Yuuri is just too powerful, def too much to handle (praying for Viktor). Strip and fluff is now my new religion. It was angsty at times but overall it was very sexy and cute, so lovely.