#but still worthwhile I think!

[freesia-writes]

Behind the Scenes of a Writer's Mind

I noticed something tonight that I thought might be helpful to share. You [hopefully] often hear fanfic writers urging interaction and support. It may seem selfish or prideful at first glance, but there's a lot more to it. Have a seat. 😉

The best metaphor I've heard is someone who loves cooking for others. Yes, they do it because they like it, but there's a deep gratification in sharing that work and talent with others and getting to hear how much it was loved and enjoyed. Same with writing.

I asked my favorite author @dystopicjumpsuit about her works -- which had the most emotional impact, which was the tastiest smut, which is her best piece, etc -- and was delighted to hear her answers because there were elements that I hadn't known or noticed, and it made me so excited to read them again (and a few for the first time, haha). It gave a new appreciation, a neat back story, and a richer experience to the fics. (READ THE ASK/ANSWER HERE)

She turned the ask back on me, and while I hadn't expected that, I was surprised at the process as I tried to answer. I had taken a good half a year off from writing after finishing the Hunter longfic. I had poured my heart and soul into it, and when it was done posting, it was kinda... empty. Life also was fairly crazy, so this side of me kinda went away for a while. I still wanted to write. I missed being here. But there was just no inspiration or motivation, and you can't force that.

But something neat happened when DJ gave me the chance to consider my own work. I reread some oldies. I smiled at things I'd forgotten about. The questions forced me to look at the good parts, my favorite parts, the best parts that I'm most proud of.

As a writer, it's easy to forget that. You get used to writing, you get used to your style and approach and voice, and sometimes it just gets to a point of "why bother"? ESPECIALLY if there's no feedback from readers. But it was awesome to be reminded of how my writing brings me joy, and that it's a particular area of gifting but also something that's honed and developed and refined over the years.

Considering the beautiful elements of what I've been able to create breathed fresh life into me. It brought confidence where there had been indifference. It reminded me of the fun of writing and the unpredictable nature of how it all goes down. It rekindled some of that joy of bringing delight to others with my time and effort. It rejuvenated the creative part of me that loves the process as well as the product.

So WRITERS -- if you're in a pit, perhaps read some of your own stuff. Enjoy it. Read works by other authors you love and ask them about it -- it'll likely remind you of some experiences of your own. But also, if the motivation isn't there, don't sweat it. Enjoy what you can and, if the fickle mistress of inspiration returns, bang that thang til fics fall out. (I'll see myself out, thank you.)

And READERS -- you enjoy what we create, yeah? Do you know that you'd likely enjoy it wayyy more if you had a lil behind-the-scenes knowledge? It truly enriches the experience all around, AND it's so encouraging to authors to be able to share not only the finished product but some of the joy of the process. So don't be afraid -- drop some asks, leave questions in reblogs, engage!!

If you've read this far (without skipping, you weasels), please consider this a free ticket for a fic request. ;) Drop one in my inbox and we shall see if the gods smile upon my mushy brain and clumsy fingers. But also, thank you for reading, and I hope that both writers and readers are encouraged to enjoy this space more fully!

FREESIA OUT 😘

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

No time for fashion, we have a stat bonus to collect.

[sysig]

If it’s not you, what’s the point! (Patreon)

[mister13eyond]

dont normally post about drama but this seems relevant:

im seeing a lot of people jump to "james somerton was never good anyways" in retaliation for the hbomb expose, but there's a really fine line to tread there before you get into stepping on the toes of the people he stole from, you know?

some of his videos and analysis did seem genuinely intelligent, thoughtful, insightful, and well-written. yeah, it turns out those are the result of him stealing from other people. but that doesnt mean the original writers WEREN'T intelligent, thoughtful, insightful and good writers. he had plenty of garbage opinions interspersed throughout, but the reason many people (myself included) were suckered in by him is that the queer creators he stole from DID have really important and interesting analysis. the parts of his videos that were good were stolen, but by discounting his essays entirely we're throwing the baby out with the bathwater and insisting those he stole from didn't have anything important to say.

the parts he himself supplied were trash, but he stole the work of some genuinely brilliant and insightful writers and passed it off as his own- and that writing still exists and is still brilliant and insightful; we just know now who was actually responsible for it and who to thank for that work

lets just be careful when we smugly proclaim that we always hated everything he had to say- because a lot of the words we're discounting were never his to begin with, and the last thing those authors need is to have their work trash talked because it ended up in the mouth of someone dishonest

[i-like-forcefem]

Hi! I just wanted to know if you'd ever heard of a really fun forcefem game called Crossdressing in Camelot? It's a really well-made one that definitely put some work into cracking my own egg. You play as a "man" who discovers that they have a talent for magic, but oops! the best way to grow stronger magically is to be more feminine! It has some really well-written characters, some fun dialogue and plot, and is free on itch.io!

Never heard of it before and gave it a shot!

It’s quite fun! Though sadly moved a bit too slowly for me personally, I can definitely see the appeal!

It was fun to give it a shot! Please tell me if anyone has more forcefem recommendations!

[dailymanners]

"We all interrupt and know it’s only sometimes okay. But we may not realize how detrimental it can be:

You are more tense, feeling you need to be ready to jump in before even the person finishes.

You deny yourself a moment after they finish to gather your thoughts.

You lose the chance to hear something that could prove your counterpoint wrong.

You appear rude. Consciously or not, most people feel disrespected when not allowed to finish what they’re saying.

You appear egotistical and seem to believe the other person is inferior. Interrupting implies that you deem your words more worthy than the remainder of what the other person has to say.

You appear uncontrolled. People will view you as not having the self-discipline to avoid being rude and egotistical.

You lose power. When people talk, they often worry about what you think. If you wait until they finish, indeed, wait a second after, their anxiety increases, which yields you more perceived power.

Objections

Despite the above, you might think that interrupting yields sufficient benefits to justify it. For example, “I’ll forget what I was going to say.” Solution: Take a note, which is particularly easy in the virtual meetings so common amid the COVID restrictions. Where that’s not feasible, say one word to yourself that will remind you of the point you want to make.

“Interrupting shows that I understand. Romantic couples prize being able to finish each other’s sentences.” The benefit of that is outweighed by the liabilities. You can show that you understand the person by, after s/he finishes, responding thoughtfully. Interrupting isn’t required.

"I’ll seem too passive and disinterested.” Your body language conveys engagement and your responses to your conversation’s partner’s full statement will be better, making clear that you’re engaged. Of course, at times, moderate interrupting is fine. I'm merely issuing a caution against undue interrupting.

“Interrupting increases the conversation’s energy.” The benefits of that are dwarfed by the aforementioned disadvantages. Certainly, with people who you’re confident enjoy the high energy of an interruptive conversation, you can more often interrupt. But even then, the person will likely appreciate your letting him or her talk. Plus, you derive that benefit of being more relaxed and having another second to think about what they’ve said before speaking.

"Some people welcome being interrupted, like when they've gone off track." True but that's an exception. Don't let that rationalize your interrupting often.

"What if they go on a long rant and won't let you get a word in edgewise?" That's another example of a case in which interrupting is often justified. Just decide whether the benefit of interrupting outweighs the liability.

To do

The good news is that interruptus horribilis is curable.

Keep top-of-mind the main benefit you feel you’d derive from interrupting less often: Probably it’s one of the above, although possibly something else. A client today said, “Not interrupting will make me more promotable.”

After the person finishes an utterance, it's sometimes wise to wait a second before speaking: Say “One Mississippi” to yourself. That will ensure that the person doesn’t have more that s/he’s eager to say. Also, your waiting will make clear that you were listening and not just waiting for the person to finish so you could dispense your pearls. Plus, it gives you time to think. In just that one second, countless brain neurons fire.

The takeaway

Except in certain subcultures and work cultures—for example, Supreme Court justices interrupting the litigants—interrupting yields more liability than benefit. Fortunately, there’s no need to be perfect; an occasional interruption, especially a brief interjection without expecting your conversation partner to stop, like: “aha” or “good point," or to stop a chatterbox is fine. And, as mentioned, in some conversations, moderate interruption seems fine. But one of the more realistic ways to up your professional and personal game is to reduce how often you interrupt.

I read this aloud on YouTube."

[sforzesco]

any sforza family enjoyers have reading recommendations on galeazzo maria sforza. nonfiction only bc this is research, english/italian/french is fine!

[harvestmoth]

okay last one. au where nothing goes wrong at all ever (a lie) and melia venam gay moment

[canisalbus]

in light of that last ask, would you ever consider drawing Machete enjoying a little treat? Maybe licking cream off his snoot after devouring a sweet, or laughing at something unexpectedly silly, or being caught up in the beauty of something and showing some wonder...? Glimpse of happy Machete

(which, as an angst writer, is also a large part of how to make the bad stuff hit. Rip that happiness away, make a smile too ephemeral, etc. Joy as the most fragile of things, that can't be pursued and comes on its own terms...)

I love how you put it, "joy is the most fragile of things and comes on it's own terms".

I do, in fact, have a bunch of happy/content/uncharacteristically genuine Machete pieces underway. If I can keep up this surge of motivation I've been having during the past five weeks or so, you should see them soon.

[vinelark]

I failed to submit multiple homework assignments because I spent my midnight study time reading bbts instead. And you know what? Completely worth it, have a croissant.

✨🥐✨

Genuinely saved my day when I felt terrible on multiple occasions, I appreciate you so much.

hell yeah! i’m a homework hater (as in, hater of the concept of it on principle) so i support you doing something fun instead of a few assignments.

and i’m so glad it has brightened your day ❤️

[datastate]

regardless of what i say toward michiru (or kazumi to a lesser extent), i don't think anything will ever compare to how severe my feelings for lurien were and still are (i've just gotten shy since i rarely post abt hk anymore, i don't want it to solely be 'this bug needs to be real so i can spend the rest of my days tending to him' . . .)

[muirneach]

tbh. there isn’t any reason to ask other players about jannik steroidgate. he’s been declared innocent and none of the players knew about anything until the same time we did. they don’t have any information that we don’t have. all that it accomplishes is trying to get a tabloid ready reaction out of people but everyone has enough media training to be like ‘yeah its crazy but he’s innocent so whatever’ so the questions are moot imo

[kittycatcarla]

You know. You are right, loving yourself IS hard. Especially when you're dealing with depression or gender dysphoria or whatever. But that's why it is so important to work towards getting there

Because it's a process. And very incremental. But you need to find a starting point, ever so little, that you can build from

For example I've recently discovered how much i actually love my eyes. I can barely look myself in the mirror and i cannot stand seeing myself in family photos, but i do love my eyes. And now i'm trying to use that as a source to eventually love my face. I'm having better face hygiene. I'm shaving more often. I'm growing out my hair. And i still dont like how I look when i see myself, but it's not *as* bad as it used to be

Find something to cling from when taking care of yourself. One rock that you can tie the first rope to. It's still gonna be hard to cover the rest of the cliff, but at least you're hanging to it. You've started the process. And no matter how slow you are moving, that means that there is a horizon and I think that's worth keeping fighting for

[puppppppppy]

does anyone else feel like they could be a really really good tour guide if the memory problems didnt exist

[stopthatfool]

opinion on the SU-47?

I assume we're talking about the Russian fighter jet designed by Sukhoi in the 90s and then discontinued in the 2000s, right?

This guy, right?

I'm by no means a plane expert, nor am I necessarily a fighter jet history buff. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm talking about. I only really have opinions about Canada's fighter jets, or rather their complete lack of them because of the Canadian Government's decisions made in the 1950s (I mourn the loss of the Avro Arrow... sigh). And even those opinions aren't about the actual jet itself, but more about the repercussions it's had on Canada's military decisions and their rocky relationship with companies like Boeing and such and the poor position it's put Canada in recently (relying on the US to buy jets from etc. etc.) But you've made me curious, anon... what are my opinions on the SU-47?

As a disclaimer, I don't have any real understanding of how fighter jets work and stuff like that, so a lot of the technical aspect of planes and such just fly over my head. I struggle with numbers and acronyms in general, so one can imagine the absolute hell that is learning and keeping track of planes and fighter jets. So I can't give you my opinion about the technological aspects and advancements the SU-47 seemed to have.

But, I skimmed the Wikipedia page and I watched a YouTube video about it. I didn't understand much to be honest (sorry). But, I will say that the forward facing wings is a really interesting and futuristic looking. Along with it's other advantages such as decreased drag and improved maneuverability because of the front facing wing. It's really interesting how a switch in wing direction can create a more aerodynamic jet (at least, I'm pretty sure what the video said...) And from my understanding, the SU-47 is a pillar for which fighter jets since then have been built upon and that's really cool. It would have been interesting to see what the SU-47 could have really done if the necessary technology was available at the time to make it work, but alas, it is now shelved for the rest of history. And I think that's what makes the jet cool to me. Like all the what if questions: what if they had the right engines? What if the Russian government found enough funding to keep the project going? What would have changed? I don't know, I think that's what I found the most interesting about the SU-47.

Overall, I think it's a really cool jet, with the way that it looks and how interesting the history is behind it. It's always interesting to learn about fighter jets other than the United States' jets and how jets like the SU-47 provide further insight to the Cold War and such. But I guess that's really all I have to say... I hope I satisfied you with my answer, anon!

[thr4shit]

The accusations are ridiculous, and my coworkers are whining children who would rather throw a tantrum at a productive employee than do their own measly, simple work.