#and i wrote two straight chapters of a book with 1k+ words each

[ppppp167452]

I want a scene where the four main boys are just sitting there. Stan and Kyle talking about school and Wendy and all, while Kenny and Eric will be talking about something more different.

Eric would clear his throat to catch Kenny's attention. When he got it, Kenny would look to Eric with a confused look. He then started talking about Kenny that he should remove his parka.

Hc, but I feel like Eric knows that Kenny's parka is one of the things that always makes him die everytime. And of course being a nice friend and all, he worries about Kenny.

Eric: "Why don't you remove your parka?"

Kenny: "Why, Cartman?"

Eric: "Nothing, I just feel something weird in my senses when I see you in a parka."

Kenny: "But I always wear this"

Eric: "I know, but.. *sighs* You know what, forget about it."

[momentofmemory]

it’s almost the end of october, which means one of the greatest, most terrifying exploits known to writers is upon us: NaNoWriMo.

there are plenty of super good survival posts out there, but as this’ll be my seventh time participating (six wins, hoping for a seventh), i thought i’d drop my own set of tips into the mix. i’m going to focus mostly on the practical details of how to write; if you want tips on the writing itself either search the writing/reference tags or pester me to do another one later :P with that said, ~on with the post~

Step One: Figure Out Your Goal

i know, i know, obviously it’s to write 50k, but what does that mean to you? are you expecting

polished prose, ready to send off to a publisher?

being able to write every day? 

just throwing up a bunch of ideas?

a mix of everything?

all of these are valid, but they’re going to require different approaches. if you want jaw-dropping writing, you’re going to need in the ballpark of five or more hours each day, if not more. if you want consistency, you’ll want to look at your normal schedule and set up a couple times you know you can write at. if just you want words, pretty much all you need to make sure is that you squeeze writing time in whenever.

your goal will probably change as the month progresses, and that’s totally fine. just check in every so often to remember a)what you’re working for and b)if it’s actually plausible. speaking of...

Step Two: Realize Your Limitations

1. Typing.

imma get super practical here: your typing speed dictates how fast you can get done. if you write 40wpm (the average), you cannot write the full 1667 in a half hour any more than you can run a mile in under three minutes. it’s honestly not a bad idea to check out your own speed, if only to help you understand yourself better. in my experience, actual writing then works like this (using my max speed, 89, as an example):

Absolute Max: 89 wpm (baseline)

Warring: 70 (75% of baseline)

In the zone: 45 (50% of baseline)

Taking my time, concentrated: 22 (25% of baseline)

anything lower than your max/4 probably means you’re spending a lot of time either researching or staring at the page, so just be aware of that.

2. Time & Focus

this kinda goes without saying, but best case scenario this is at least 1-2 hours of your life a day, or dedicating full Saturday/Sundays if you’re a weekend warrior kind of person. it’s so, so worth it if you can make time for it, but also don’t feel bad if you can’t! doing a half nano (25k) or whatever you want is also a fully acceptable plan.

that said, if you do have time, figure out your focus too. if you’ve never been the kind of person that can type for six hours straight, you will probably not magically become this person when it hits Nov. 1 (though with practice, you might be by Nov. 30). i like trying to write at least 300 before work and another 300 during lunch. that way there’s only 1k left for the evening, and having words on the page just makes me feel better. experiment with different ways of blocking out your time in the first few days and see what works best for you.

3. Don’t Forget You Live in a Body

writing is hard work, you will need to eat brain food! hunching over wrecks your back, stand up and stretch every so often! you will hate existing if you forgo sleep for days! and for the love of charles dickens, patron saint of getting paid by the word, take care of your mother-effing wrists!!

seriously on that last one. i’ve ignored it in the past and thoroughly screwed up my wrists one year; don’t be me. keep in them in a neutral position, do regular stretches, and if you need to, get wrist wraps (i recommend these).

Step Three: Actually Doing the Thing

the previous steps have had pretty broad advice, but now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. these are mostly things i know work for me, and therefore may not for you—adjust to your own needs!

1. Write for 15 Minutes Every Day, Non-Negotiable.

i don’t even mean this is a “write 15 min and then your brain will be tricked into writing more” kinda way, but like, literally. you’re probably not going to be able to do 1667 every day—sometimes you’ll be tired and just won’t have the time. you’re very likely, however, to have 15 minutes, and you’ll want to use them. Doesn’t matter if you write 50 words or 500 in that time, at least you’ll have done something, and that’s usually enough to keep you from feeling like just giving up the next day.

2. You Might Need Physical Spaces

i’m a pretty sensory person when it comes to writing, and having a dedicated writing space is so helpful for me. going back to the idea of being an embodied person, it’s a lot easier to get your brain into a writing mode if your body’s already there. some good options include:

coffee shops (cozy! food!)

a specific room in your home (easily accessed! do what you want!)

libraries (free! quiet!)

a friend’s house (writing buddy! easy access to sounding board!)

all of these places usually have access to wifi, which is a positive.

3. You Definitely Need Digital Spaces

i pretty much always write in the same processor, once again because it helps set the mood. the main options include:

google drive (solid choice, cloud backup, mobile accessible)

dabble writer (cloud backup, links to nano, dark mode, chapter options)

write or die (only for actual writing—a scary but effective motivator; save elsewhere)

word/pages/etc. (ready to go on your computer, formatting options)

scrivener (great plotting tools, detailed interface)

i use dabble writer myself (they’re a nano sponsor, so you can get it free for this month, and as a double bonus you get it half off for the rest of the year if you win). and no, i’m not getting paid to wax poetic about them, but honestly i’ve used it to win the past two years and i adore it. 

anyway my biggest tip here is that i SUPER SUPER DON’T RECOMMEND NON-CLOUD OPTIONS. it’s very risky, but if you must, do a proper back up at least once a week. that shiz is not worth it.

4. The Timer is Your New Best Friend

because i’ve heard this argument before: no, it’s not a crutch, and no, it’s not cheating. it’s literally best practices. i’m personally a big fan of this online timer, and i let it run for 15 min every time i write. after each session i check how many words i wrote, then after maybe a quick 1-2 min break, start over.

you can totally set the timer for longer or shorter periods, depending on what works for you. i’m a fan of the 15 min sessions bc it’s just long enough to get a bit of flow going, and just short enough that i can convince my spacy brain that we can get through it without wandering. it’s also a fantastic length for warring, if you’re down for that.

5. Write That Idea Down for Lewis’s Sake

the original idea for the chronicles of narnia came to c.s. lewis when he was at a restaurant, and thank the lord, he wrote it down on a napkin. he wouldn’t write it until some time later, but if he hadn’t written it down, he might’ve forgotten it. why is this important, you ask?

BC YOU WILL FORGET THINGS.

if you have an idea, write it down in your phone or your notebook or the waterproof paper in your shower, because i don’t care how sure you are that you’ll remember it, you super won’t. i’ve forgotten many solutions to plot holes in my time and i still hold vigils over their graves. don’t be me. write it down.

Step Four: Managing that Inner Critic of Yours

all right, pay attention. i’m not going to tell you not to edit, because i would be a massive hypocrite if i did. i totally edit during nano. the important part is letting your editor help you win, not hurt you. and that means gaming your critic’s system.

1. Have a Dedicated Deletion Section

many people hear “don’t delete anything” and baulk, because for some of us it’s distracting and we want to rewrite that section until it matches our vision. so, i’m here to tell you: delete it!! rewrite entire chapters!! just save the original content as part of your word count. this is another reason i love dabble, bc at the start of nano i just make a separate part of the book, label it “delete”, and any time i’m writing and dislike a sentence/paragraph i just dump it into that folder and move on. this way you still get to keep the numbers (and why shouldn’t you? you wrote them!) while also writing words you actually like. plus, sometimes that line you deleted in ch. 1 winds up being supremely pertinent in ch.15, and now you can just copy/paste it instead of having to try to remember what exactly you’d said.

2. Acknowledge Ranting as a Time Honoured Tradition

think there’s no precedent for that 2K diatribe you wrote on the london underground? well fear not, because you can’t possibly do worse than hugo’s entire chapters worth of content on the french sewer system! or melville’s frankly terrifying obsession with the finer features of whale biology!

like, yeah, maybe you’ll decide later you don’t need it, but for now, embrace that soap box. dead white guys have been doing it for centuries and still get places in college syllabi. the least you can do is give it a place in your word count.

Step Five: Have Fun!

i know, i know, it’s cliche, but seriously. if this isn’t fun, or at least rewarding, why are you doing it anyway? so enjoy it! send passages you’re proud of to your friends! daydream about it in the car on the way to work/school! cry over a notebook about the twist you just came up with! nano’s a time of fun and exploration, and you shouldn’t miss out on it because you’re thinking too much.

also, this might be counter productive to put at the end of an essay on nano, but don’t obsess over reading essays on nano :P there comes a time when one must simply do, and nano is pretty much the definition of that.

[pocket-elf]

Beautiful Mistake, ch2

Pairing: Jace/Alec (Shadowhunters)

Rating: E

Summary: Human college AU, where Jace has very recently moved in to the flat Alec shares with a bunch of other students. Alec comes home drunk one night and well...

on AO3

Soooo, this took a turn. I meant to write a quick birthday thing for @sapphicalexandra, which turned longer than expected (chapter one is just under 1k, which I didn’t meant for). And then I just didn’t stop. Somehow I wrote more than 3k more. None of this was planned whatsoever. No bullet points or anything. So hey, I guess enjoy your smut you pervs XD

Chapter 2: Jace Jace’s POV of the night and the following morning, and where that leads... (sex, it leads to sex. This is pretty darn smutty okay?)

Jace was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard the front door bang open and then shut. He sighed and buried his face in one of his pillows. When he had moved in, about a week ago, he had gotten a good feeling about the other four people he shared the apartment with. One of the rules had even been no parties, so he had hoped this would be the perfect place for him to focus on his studies. Maybe even give him some piece of mind to write new songs. He had partied too hard the last year of high school, and wanted to leave that life behind. Maybe college wasn’t the best place for that but hey, he couldn’t exactly leave his education behind too. 

But maybe he had been wrong about his home for the semester. While flat parties might be prohibited, no one could stop people from coming home loud and drunk from other parties.

He could hear some muffled singing coming from the hallway, and then his door was pushed open. Jace hadn’t really thought about locking it, as respecting each other’s privacy was another key rule of the apartment. But here he was, about to fall asleep, naked as per usual, with an unknown guy stumbling into his room, and not so stealthily (but probably thinking he was) closing the door behind him.

Jace was about to protest when he finally saw who it was — Alec, the de facto leader of the household. Clearly drunk out of his mind, singing awfully out of tune, and… undressing. Right there. In front of Jace. With Jace stunned into absolute silence by the sight, there was no stopping this sloppy striptease from happening.

The day Jace had come by to see whethe) the apartment might be a good fit for him, and whether he would be a good new housemate for the ones already living there, he had been taken aback by the tall, dark, and utterly gorgeous, stranger sitting on a kitchen stool. He had introduced himself as Alec, and told Jace that they were looking for two new housemates. Questions had followed on majors (music and history), potential girlfriends or boyfriends (neither), pets (nope), affinities for parties and intoxicating substances (every now and then), etc etc. Jace had apparently aced the interview because the next day he was invited to move in. Since then, he hadn’t seen much of this Alec guy, whom he had pegged as gay pretty damn immediately, which to his surprise he found himself disappointed by. The not seeing him around, that is, not the gay bit. He was actually quite happy to have some more queer people around. But he figured Alec was probably a real hard study, who kept to himself and his books. And that was fine by Jace. He’d find other pretty people to hang out with on campus, even if he surely would’ve preferred to get to know Alec better. Much better.

So now that Alec was standing there, completely naked, all Jace could do was stare.

Wow.

Tall as nobody’s business. Lean but muscular. With dark hair Jace wanted to rake his hands through, and not only on his head… Just as Jace was about to snap out of it, Alec lifted the covers and slid into bed.

What… is… happening?

Alec didn’t say a word, and just curled up with his back snug against Jace’s chest, becoming the biggest little spoon Jace had ever had the pleasure to cuddle — voluntarily or not. Jace figured that Alec had absolutely no clue what he was doing, or that Jace was even there. He would never take advantage of someone who was even slightly drunk, so even if he wanted to run his hands all over that gorgeous body, Jace simply forced himself to relax and drift off to sleep.

At some point during the night, Alec had turned around, so that Jace awoke with his face mere inches from Alec’s. It was a breathtaking sight. He could feel Alec shift, and not wanting to ruin the moment or make things awkward in case Alec was indeed waking up, Jace chose to close his eyes again, pretending to still be asleep. But he couldn’t keep it up for long. When he opened them back up, Alec was definitely awake, looking around the room in horror. Yup, definitely a drunken mistake. He couldn’t help but smile as Alec focused on him, almost all colour draining from his face.

“Well, good morning.”

Alec sputtered, blushed, and somehow managed to pull the covers even more off Jace. Being rather proud of his body, and not being the least bit shy of pretty much anything, Jace just let it happen. Give that boy a good look! However, he was quite glad not everything was on display. It was morning, after all, and he had a smoking hot guy in his bed.

Said hot guy sure needed some reassuring, however — that he hadn’t embarrassed himself too much, or made Jace feel uncomfortable. But when he covered his face with a hand, asking Jace to forget about everything, Jace really couldn’t help himself. An opportunity had quite literally fallen into his lap and he couldn’t just let it, let him, go. So telling himself that no matter what happens, it would always be a chance worth taking, Jace stretched out a hand and hooked a few fingers around Alec’s palm, pulling it away from his face.

“What if…” Jace swallowed the nervous lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. “What if I don’t want to forget?”

“What do you mean?” Alec replied, seemingly partly confused, while also possibly a little bit turned on? Or was that just Jace projecting? But when Jace almost involuntarily scooted a little bit closer on the bed, and Alec’s reaction was to gasp slightly, and just stare at him, Jace knew he was on the right track.

“I liked what I saw.” Jace let his gaze drop to Alec’s beautiful pink lips. “I like what I see now.”

When Alec kept his lips parted, and didn’t move a muscle, just looking at Jace with eyes that clearly held some budding desire, Jace decided he couldn’t keep his hands to himself anymore. In one move he placed a hand on Alec’s waist, and pulled himself against Alec’s chest. His heart was racing, and he could feel Alec’s doing the same. Not caring about what Alec would think of his now evident erection, Jace hooked his legs around Alec’s. He was met with the sight of Alec’s eyes closing while he gasped even more audibly, his full lips forming a delicious O. And Jace couldn’t resist. He closed his own eyes and claimed Alec’s lips with his.

Jace was still holding the hand that he had pried off Alec’s face, but they were locked between them. Finally, Alec responded in earnest, slipping his hand out of Jace’s grasp, freeing his other hand that had been frozen in utter shock, and encircled Jace, pulling them even closer to each other.

Yes, Jace thought. Yes yes yes.

To his surprise, Jace found himself pushed onto his back with Alec on top. If he had doubted Alec’s feelings towards this whole situation they had found themselves in, any such doubt was swept away when Alec positioned his legs on either side of Jace’s, letting their erections press together. Cause yes, Alec sure seemed just as turned on by all of this as Jace was. Jace couldn’t help but moan, which only seemed to spur Alec to make little circles with his hips, creating more delicious friction between them. Then Alec seemed to catch himself, realising what he was doing, and stopped. Jace made a small whimpering sound as Alec broke contact with Jace’s lips and propped himself up on his elbows.

“Do you really want this?” Alec asked, doubt tinging his voice. “Aren’t you straight?”

Jace couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. “Do you seriously think I’m straight?” He put a hand on Alec’s ass and pressed them closer together, making sure Alec was very aware of the now almost painful erection Jace was sporting. “No. I am definitely not. I swing in all directions, and happily so.”

Now it was Alec’s turn to chuckle. “Yeah, I was just being stupid, I guess.”

“But I guess I should ask you, then. Do you really want this?” Jace added, trying not to wriggle against Alec’s stilled touch.

“I am very much gay, thank you very much.”

“Oh, I know that. I mean me. Do you want to do this with me? I haven’t even seen you since the day I moved in.” Jace’s breathing was returning to normal, but other parts of his body sure weren’t.

Alec looked at him with something resembling shock.

“I have wanted you since you first set foot in this apartment. You could’ve said almost anything in that interview, and I still would’ve let you move in. Almost. But I thought you weren’t into guys, so I kinda kept my distance to get my head straight, well... you know.” Alec blushed slightly.

“You are so… stupid.”

Jace hooked one leg over Alec’s, pulled his arms around him tight, and rolled them over, pinning Alec to the mattress. Any reply Alec could have to that, Jace silenced with a bruising kiss. To his delight, Alec simply gasped once Jace let go, starting to trail kisses along his jawline.

“You know… I was attracted to you the first time I saw you, too.” He whispered into Alec’s ear, fingers caressing the other side of his jaw and down the side of his neck. “Sitting on that kitchen stool, all in charge, with my future in your hands. Damn, I would’ve let you do so many things to me. Right there in the kitchen.”

Alec growled, and once again Jace found himself on his back. A battle for dominance, huh? Bring it on.

But Jace didn’t want to fight it. Not yet. This was just too good, and too arousing. Apparently, the thought of taking Jace on the kitchen table, or the sink, or what ever had popped up in Alec’s mind had really done the trick. He kissed Jace hard, tugging on his lower lip with his teeth, only to release and run his tongue over it. While not putting up a fight, Jace sure wouldn’t let himself remain passive. So he quickly met Alec’s tongue with his own, and then took it into his mouth, letting their lips melt against each other. One of his hands tangled in Alec’s hair, pulling a little to show that Alec hadn’t won after all. The other hand raked over Alec’s back — up and back down, to finish with a hard grip on his ass once again. Nails digging in, as Alec moved their cocks against each other with small thrusting movements.

“Wait, Alec, stop.” Jace breathed heavily against Alec’s cheek.

“What, why? I thought you said…” Alec’s movements slowed but didn’t stop.

“No no, I mean…” Jace had to take a deep breath to focus, letting go of Alec’s hair. He motioned towards his dresser. “Over there. I have… lube and condoms. Just get it.”

“Oh…” Alec gave Jace a final kiss and climbed off, making sure to trail two light fingers over Jace’s cock as he did so. Jace shuddered and pressed his head back down on the pillow, gulping for air.

Alec quickly found Jace’s stash. It wasn’t as if he was hiding it or anything. Coming back to the bed, Alec seemed to have lost some of his dominating spirit. He sat down next to Jace, eyes questioning yet still perfectly dark with desire.

“Who…” he asked.

Well, this is my chance, I guess, Jace thought, smirking a little while sitting up. “Give it to me,” he said, stretching out his hands. “And lie down.”

Alec did as he was told, the sudden role reversal seemingly turning him on just as much as the thought of bending Jace over the kitchen table.

This will be a fun year… Jace thought as he straddled Alec’s thighs.

He gave Alec’s cock a few teasing tugs before slipping the condom on. Alec gasped and bit down on his lower lip.

Didn’t expect that, did you? Jace thought as he leaned over to kiss Alec deeply. He was met by eager lips, and hands caressing his back.

Straightening up a bit again, Jace expertly flicked the bottle of lube open and covered the fingers on his right hand. He reached back and slipped a slick finger into his opening, gasping slightly as he felt the finger easily sink in. Alec, in turn, arched up to kiss him once more, and Jace could feel one of Alec’s hands caress along his right arm, and finally join the hand teasing his ass, only to still Jace’s movement.

“Let me,” Alec said, his voice husky with desire.

Jace slipped his finger out, and, as Alec scooted up to a sitting position, Jace made sure to lube Alec’s fingers up real good, too. Then he leaned against Alec’s shoulders, legs spread wide, and waited.

He didn’t have to wait long. Alec placed his left hand on Jace’s ass, holding him steady while also opening him up more. He didn’t enter Jace right away. Instead, he let one of his fingers tease around the rim, making Jace’s legs shake already.

“Please,” Jace breathed against Alec’s cheek, and was rewarded with the sensation of not one, but two fingers entering him. He took in a sharp breath. “Fuck!” he moaned. The sensation of Alec slowly pumping his fingers in and out, twirling and stretching as he did so, was overwhelming. Jace sagged a little against Alec, who just kept going, while adding a tongue to Jace’s neck. It was simply too much.

Jace moved back a bit, forcing Alec to pull out. With two hands on Alec’s waist, Jace pulled him back down into a lying position.

“I’m in charge,” he whispered into Alec’s ear before sitting up.

Jace was braced on his knees, no part of him touching any of Alec’s. Not yet. And Alec didn’t move. He might’ve wanted to be in control before, but Jace had him now. And he thought that maybe, Alec knew what was coming next. Because, as Jace positioned himself over Alec’s erection, warm hands grabbed on to his waist but didn’t try to move him. Alec simply rested them there, steading Jace as he finally lowered himself down, taking all of Alec into him. They both let out a sigh as Jace settled against Alec’s hips.

It had been long since Jace had felt this full, and it was exhilarating. He could feel Alec stretching him, and it felt so damn good. So he just sat there for a while, revelling in the sensation while also getting used to Alec’s size. And Alec, he just looked at him with a mix of devotion and unadulterated lust.

Then, Jace started moving. First just small circular motions, without any real vertical motion. And yet, it drew a moan of pleasure from Alec. Not waiting for more incentive, Jace started to lift himself up, almost slipping Alec out of him, before coming back down. He kept his movements slow, and his body upright, giving his thighs one hell of a workout. But if all workouts were like this, he would never skip leg day.

Alec’s fingers dug into his sides, and Jace thought he might end up bruised tomorrow, which he didn’t mind one bit. As Jace’s legs started shaking from a mix of effort and pleasure, Alec took over some of the command, essentially lifting Jace up and guiding him back down on his cock. As they picked up speed together, Jace’s breathing did, too. Panting, he fell forward, supporting himself with hands placed just below Alec’s chest. But as the orgasm built he couldn’t even hold himself up like that, and let his arms slide to Alec’s sides, slumping down onto his elbows.

Jace let Alec take over completely, lifting his lower half up up and pushing him back down. But with his face now almost resting on Alec’s chest, Jace found himself in the perfect position to tease Alec’s nipples. He grazed them with his teeth, making Alec inhale sharply, but immediately soothed the area with a warm tongue. He knew it worked on him, and was sure it’d be just as pleasurable for Alec. The increased speed at which Alec now met his movement with thrusts of his own, told Jace he was right in that assessment.

He barely had time to lick circles around the second nipple when he felt his insides contract, and an intense orgasm explode through, and out of, him. He didn’t scream or shout out, but instead let out a big breath carrying a groan. And, not long after, Alec’s head shot back and he didn’t hold back at all.

“FUCK!” Alec exclaimed.

Jace laughed against the wiry hairs of Alec’s chest. “That we sure did.”

Once Alec caught his breath, he laughed, too. “And we did it well, if I may say so myself.”

Jace rolled off Alec with a satisfied smile playing on his lips. He scooted up, turned his face, and kissed Alec on the cheek.

“Yes, you may,” he said, resting his head against Alec’s shoulder. This wasn’t how he had imagined the outcome of a drunk flatmate crawling into bed with him, not at all. But oh, was he happy it had been.

They both laughed, snuggling into each other. But as the sweat quickly cooled on their naked bodies, and the high of the orgasm started to fade, Jace couldn’t really lie still anymore.

“Hey… I think we both need a shower,” he said lightly.

“Mhm, yeah, you’re right. You were… kinda messy.” Alec laughed and looked down at their bodies, and Jace followed his gaze. Their legs were still partly tangled and Alec was right, Jace had made quite a mess.

“I guess you should go take a shower first and take care of that condom.” He winked, and was pleased to see Alec blushing ever so slightly.

“Sure, okay. Can I uh… borrow this sheet for a bit?” Alec asked as he stood up.

Jace just laughed and lifted a part of the coupled cover sheet as an offering. Alec quickly wrapped it around him, and then flipped a loose part over his shoulder. A few toga parties huh? Jace mused inwardly, but didn’t say anything.

Before Alec opened the door he turned back to Jace, a wicked glint in his eyes. “You know… I think the girls are already at morning yoga, and the other new guy tends to sleep till noon, apparently. So, you could join me in the shower…”

Jace could feel his cock react to that idea immediately. As if they hadn’t had enough fun already. He swallowed and grinned.

“I… might take you up on that offer. Just let me find a towel and I’ll be right behind you.”

Alec opened the door, but just as he was about to close it he popped his head back in. “Well, I guess welcome to the apartment!” He winked and left.

As the door closed behind Alec, Jace fell back against the pillows. He couldn’t stop smiling. Welcome indeed.

[stevethehairington]

FIC WRITER MEME

Ahh thank you to the wonderful, lovely, amazing, sunshine flower child @skamfairy​ for tagging me in this. Love youuu <333

Tagging: @julian-dahl​ @julieseven​ @fxckxxp​ @valtersass​

What is your total word count on AO3?

My total word count on ao3 is 186888, and 85224 of that was written all last year while 101664 of that has been written just this year! I’m actually pretty proud that I’ve already managed to write more than I did last year and that I broke 100k this year already! 

How often do you write?

Hmm. This is kind of a tough question because I don’t really have like a set and stone writing regiment. Like I just write whenever I feel like writing. When I’m working on big projects like Fic Exchanges and stuff like that I try to write 1k a day for those fics (not that that always works because let’s be real it doesn’t lmao). This past week I wrote at least 3k a day which was hella fucking nice. But yeah, I go through periods where I’ll write hella like that almost every day and then periods where I can barely even get like 50 words out everyday or where I won’t write for like 2 weeks straight (that sucked. so so much.) I do like to try t write at least a little bit everyday though just so I can say I’ve gotten something done haha.

Do you have a routine for writing?

Mm, not really? I kinda just sit down and write. Usually I sit at my desk and write (I kinda have to sit there if I’m writing for a deadline because then it feels like Business lmao) but occasionally I’ll get comfy on my bed and write there too. I usually write between classes (or sometimes in class tbh) so it’s really just whenever I get the free time to. I always listen to music while I write, usually I try to match what songs/artists/genres/playlsits I listen to to what I’m trying to write and the mood/genre of the fic. But then sometimes I don’t and I just listen to whatever comes on haha. Sometimes when I’m just writing all day and I start getting frustrated because either I’m not finished yet or the words just aren’t working I find it helpful to just step away from my laptop and take a shower or something. That really helps because then I come back refreshed and ready to try again.

What are your favorite kinks/tropes/pairing?

Oooh this is a fun question haha. I love a shit ton of tropes so let’s see... I think my all time favorite trope is fake relationship, but I’m a huuuge sucker for coffee shop aus, and when they’re done well I really like enemies to lovers too. Oh and give me alllllll the harry potter aus in the world I fuckin love those omg. And I really enjoy parent fics or kid fics, those are nice. And the whole “oh no we have to share a bed” trope- sign me the fuck up.

As for favorite pairing... well I’m partial to Evak and Spierfeld because I’ve written for those a shit ton, so I guess those are my favorites. Buuut I do like Nooreva (which I’ve written!) and Jokael (which I haven’t written but would like to at some point!) and Evilde (which I also haven’t written but wouldn’t mind writing one day). Also from different fandoms I kind of want to write a stucky fic one day eventually maybe. And I do love a good scorbus, wolfstar, johnlock fic in terms of reading.

And then kinks hm. Not really sure what it means by this lmao, like what kinks I like to write?? I guess Isak’s public bathroom kink is always a fun one, and I 100% believe he has a thing for Even’s thighs (is this me projecting? whaaaaat?) Even seems like the kind of guy with a hair pulling kink maybe... idk man. Oh actually, Even totally absolutely 100% gets off on domesticity, he fucking loves that shit. Isak made him breakfast in bed? Boner. He and Isak tag team the dishes with one of them washing the other drying? Boner. Buying furniture for a new house? Boner. He eats that shit up for sure. 

Wow that got long.... lmao

Do you have a favorite fic of yours?

Ooh okay hmm. I think my favorite Evak fic that I’ve written is probably I Have Hella Feelings because one I just fucking love the title of it lmao and two that one originally was just supposed to be a oneshot but then I wrote a second part and was like well shit I already know people are going to ask for me to write the smut that would inevitably be a third part and then I just,,,, kept,,, writing,,, and suddenly it was a full on chaptered fic. And I remember that I had absolutely nothing planned for it and literally wrote each and every chapter the night before I posted it lmao so I kinda liked how spontaneous it was and how it actually worked. Idk that fic just makes me really proud. 

As for Speirfeld fics, I think my favorite one of those that I’ve written is either my soulmate au Where I Like You Best or my college au Lies as Sweet as Chocolate. I was really really happy with how both of those fics turned out, especially the soulmate one tbh because I hadn’t ever written a soulmate au before that and tbh they kind of scared me to write idek why but they did. But I wrote that one and I kinda loved it. And then the college au one was just so much fun to write and the end product made me really happy. So yeah, I’d say one of those is my favorite!

Anything you don’t like about your writing?

Haha. Of course there is. Would I be a writer if I loved every single thing about my writing and didn’t have things I hate? No. Exactly. Nah but I think one thing I don’t like is that I feel like I use certain phrases or actions a lot and like I have a few in mind and I’m not going to mention them because even though no one probably is even reading this lmao the off chance that someone is and sees those and then notices it in every single one of my fics.... yeah no thanks. Lmao. But yeah there’s certain phrases/actions I feel like I overuse and I’m trying my best to not overuse them but it’s hard lmao.

Also, I can tell when I’m rushing through something or I like, don’t really care I guess, anymore. I don’t think not caring is the right way to word it because I do care, but I think it’s just when I get to that point where the writing isn’t working and I’m getting frustrated I feel like I start to rush through the writing just so I can finally be done with it and then I end up skipping over the details and it just sounds really stiff and choppy and stilted to me. And like idk but when that happens that’s when I really start to hate my writing because I know that it’s not my best and that I can do better. 

Now something you do like?

Hmmm. For the most part I like my writing and I typically don’t hate every single thing I write or my writing in general because like idk I think it’s because I know that every time I sit down to write I’m writing for me and because I enjoy writing and I like these characters and this world enough to expand on it, not because I feel like I owe anyone anything. 

I guess I like the way that I try to pay attention to details a lot. Like I like making sure that my works are descriptive enough that the reader can see it come to life in their mind and like actually envision the characters doing whatever it is they’re doing or picture the location they’re at like the reader themselves are there too. I don’t know I just really like detailing things and focusing on the small things that can like help to really make a story yknow? Like in my Simon vs. fics I’ve tried to incorporate small little nods to the book and the movie alike and when people comment that they like that I’ve done that that makes me happy haha. And I’ve tried to do that in my skam fics as well, little references to events/details in the show too. So yeah, I guess I’m pretty good at the small details like that. 

(Oh my god, that last question was a lot harder than I expected it to be lmaoo)