#daisywords

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

Leo and Phil for the character appearances ask?

Thanks! :D This was harder than I expected, because I need to write more character descriptions:

Leo:

She noticed his eyes were a very dark shade of blue. His skin was sallow, the sort of paleness that suggested either a recent illness or a lack of sunlight. Combined with his black hair it gave him a washed-out, almost unreal look. One of his eyebrows was slightly higher and more arched than the other. That was the only obvious imperfection in a face that was otherwise too abnormally handsome to be truly attractive. (The Unfortunate Moth)

He was young. Under thirty. Black hair and blue eyes. One eyebrow was slightly raised. (Houses Full of Deceit)

She'd had a pretty heart-shaped face and cornflower-blue eyes. Her hair had been black. If she had lost weight so her cheekbones became more prominent, if the line of her jaw had been sharper and her chin more pointed, if her nose had been long and straight instead of snubbed, she would have looked exactly like Leopold Colman. (Also HFOD)

Phil:

Everything about her was sharp: her jaw, her nose, the shape of her face, the look in her eyes. She didn't say a word. Her face was very pale and there was a wild, hunted sort of look in her eyes. Her expression was blank. Her hair was bound up in a severe bun better suited to a much older woman. (The Unfortunate Moth)

Not mentioned in canon: Phil has brown hair and eyes, and has freckles.

[cc-writes-stuff]

Can I get something from "The Vibes are Killing me Bro" because I am very curious about these vibes

Ah yes the cottagecore lighthouse wip that still has no discernible plot, just Vibes. The aesthetic vibes are as follows:

foggy skies / dark water / blackberry-stained hands / waves crashing against the rocks / handwritten letters / sand on your feet / a light in the dark / billowing white shirts

And the fleshing out plot beats/unhinged rambling is as follows

Murder!

Or ghosts

Or both

I support women’s wrongs

Childhood promises that sound suspiciously like wedding vows-

Lesbeans

Someone shows up in a hawaiin shirt covered in blood??

Treasure and curses and artifacts oh my!

Regional gothic aesthetic

Liminal spaces mayhaps

Grief | Loss | Isolation | Running away

Seashells Are Important (Somehow)

[mecharose]

6 and 7 back at you!!

just did some #math and my word count from january-october this year was 430,410 words. unsurprising that most of my wrapped are songs I write to lol and these are two of them!! :)

[medleymisty]

just wanted to say that I remember reading your Surreal Darkness story a few years ago and it made me cry and unlocked shrimp emotions and I've thought about it several times since. glad to see you again!

I hope it's okay that I am answering this in public and keeping it forever. Thank you so very very very much!!! :)

You are in luck, because I'm doing a challenge this month to post a bit of surreal darkness every day. Like NaNo for but silly Sims story posts. :)

I developed bad tinnitus so I didn't write for a while, and then the spousal person got obsessed with Korean dramas and I started watching them with him, so I haven't written much for a long time.

I still have some tinnitus but I've adapted and learned to live with it and it's not as bad as it was at the beginning, and I think I burned myself out on games finally. So this month is about trying to find some time to write a quick little post every day yay! And thank you, again. That really means a lot always forever.

[pinespittinink]

12, 33, 81?

12. London Thunder, Foals

33. In The Drift, Hayden Thorpe

81. Addict, Cairo

[memento-morri-writes]

happy WBW/Blursday/STS! For your untitled wips (or however many of them you want to answer for), what came first? a character, a setting element, or a plot element? Is there a pattern in how ideas come to you, or does it vary?

Ooh, this is a good question!!

Runaway Prince WIP was just a concept that I've had for months, inspired by my complete and utter love for pirates. It's concept has stayed more or less the same (runaway royalty joins up with a gang of pirates and found family shenanigans ensue), but some small details have changed. (The Prince doesn't romance a pirate, there's a bodyguard involved, everything is more queer.)

High Fantasy WIP is also based on a concept (and has no characters yet, aside from the Narrator, and also no plot). That concept being "D&D-type fantasy adventure featuring a bunch of queer chaotic disasters". The Narrator's concept was basically Death from The Book Thief meets Bartimaeus. Witty immortal who observes (and accidentally gets attached to) a group of mortal adventurers.

Supernatural Roadtrip WIP is based off of the characters from this post. I originally just made them as picrews probably a couple years ago, but going back through my files, I saw them and fell in love again. This one also does't have any plot, but there is vibes, and an overall message/theme that I want the story to have.

The main pattern is that I usually get vague concepts (be it characters or just a "vibe"), and I never have any clue of what the hell the plot is going to be. (And to be honest, I really still don't.) I get most of my ideas while I'm trying to fall asleep at night, or when I'm otherwise distracted and unable to write them down. (In the car, in class, in the shower, etc.) The one constant is that I can never, ever get ideas while I'm trying to get ideas. The more I think about a project, the emptier my mind becomes. (Which is probably the most infuriating thing I've ever experienced, and is the reason I don't write very often.)

[incandescent-creativity]

Hans and Ash for the appearance ask game?

What are we playing?

Ash is a tough one, because her story is first person, so I don’t get a chance to just. Describe her entirely like I do when the SOLE kids are sizing each other up.

But I usually fall back on warm brown skin and thick, straight hair. Here are some good pictures and art of her! (The horns come in partway through book one—thank you, magic ritual)

art by @theartingace

As for Hans, have this art by @dreamsofbooksandmonsters :

And this collection of excerpts:

The tank looms above her, easily the largest in the entire room. It’s nearly the size of her entire bedroom—and it has to be that big, in order to accommodate the pair of wings attached to the boy’s back.

They are beautiful. Even illuminated by the blue light of the tanks, it is clear that they are a richly dappled brown color. Some of the feathers are as long as her arm. The wings themselves are as long as the boy is tall, approximately six feet to her untrained eyes.

…

It was definitely Hans’s speech more than anything else that convinced her. It definitely wasn’t the way his soft brown eyes focused on hers, or the way he smiled at her. Or those beautiful wings.

“Snap out of it,” she mutters to herself. You knew he was pretty when you saw him in the holding tanks. It doesn’t change a thing.

…

Beth brushes her hand up from the base, where they are attached to his back. His feathers are incredibly soft to the touch. Beth wonders if they are always this warm, or if it’s just the sunlight pouring down on them.

[mecharose]

steps i used to make this potion and chug it near-daily:

don't beat yourself up about not writing as much as you want/think you should

figure out the real reason, what's underlying your lack of motivation, and address that

set achievable goals, but always have a goal going

talk to writing friends about what you're working on

commission yourself with WIP art for free bonus motivation

elaboration under the cut bc long post lol

don't beat yourself up about it

literally this is the most important thing. this is a hobby and you are not failing at anything if you find it hard to motivate yourself to do it sometimes. we are all human and busy and stressed. that being said:

figure out what's actually stopping you from writing

usually "no motivation" has a very real reason behind it, and every possible reason has its own different solution.

wanting to write but not being able to could mean you're putting too much pressure on yourself to be perfect, or feeling out of practice. both of these have the same solution imo: get a "writing sketchbook" aka, a throwaway project that is something you can easily finish. e.g. short story, throwaway chapter of something, AU for your current project, etc. (I came up with the idea to try that bc i'm also an artist and sketching helps me loosen up before big pieces)

an additional solution for the latter is to break the rule of "no editing the first draft" in a very specific way: when I sit down to write a new chapter, i'll re-read the stuff that came before it and do line edits (wording, sentence structure) as I go. this gets me back to the groove of writing a wip without having to create new parts of it wholesale.

another one I run into often is just like. if I don't read a book for a while, I stop thinking in "writing mode" aka constructing scenes as written pieces of work rather than like. pictures i'm imagining in my head. so if you're having a hard time with the writing itself, I'd suggest reading a book that has a similar tone or vibe, or writing style you want your WIP to have!

set achievable goals

basically the "take it easy but take it" mentality. set a goal so you have something to work toward, but make it lower than what you think you can reasonably accomplish so you can still feel accomplished.

if you do this, anything you achieve *beyond* that goal will feel extra special and rewarding -- much better than setting a "reach goal" and then even big accomplishments toward it won't feel like "enough."

for me, this takes the form that I always have a 5,000 word goal each month. high enough that it gives me the kick in the pants to write whenever I have the time, low enough that it doesn't stress me out!

get a second opinion

if the problem is that you feel like your WIP is boring, it's the old wisdom that chances are high it's probably not, and you're too used to it.

sometimes the only real fix to that is rambling to someone about it ngl

the second opinion can also be you, needing a break from whatever your current project is, so you can come back to it later with fresh eyes.

also, having a person you can give your word count updates to, and talk about whatever you just wrote that you're excited about, keeps you both accountable *and* motivated via the outside hype. win-win :3

do WIP art

you're also an artist so I'm suggesting this one lol. I always get re-hyped to write when I draw my characters, like seeing them makes me Understand them more and want to tell their story. so maybe that would work for you too? :3

I hope this helped!! :D

hey uh does anyone have a recipe for Potion That Makes You Write

has anyone actually gone from not being able to write that often to a more consistent output and if so how did you do that

[lagrimas-de-desamor]

Just like when you offer him your heart and he doesn't like it❤️💞💔

[forthesanityofstorytellers]

Character Emoji Game!

Jumping on the open tag from @justplainwhump here!

Gonna guess the instructions are what it sounds like? Top Five Emoji's for OCs?

A few spins of the OC wheel give us:

Pine: 🕵🏽‍♀️📜🪙���😑 (Holly and Pine, Pixie Investigators)

Jules: 😏👠🍸⚔️🔥 (No active WIP, shows up in other books unannounced and uninvited)

Lyra: 👑🪽🏹😃🎉 (Midnight Madness protag)

Kasnaou: 🧑🏽‍🏫⚔️🫤🤦🏽🤓 (Midnight Madness - Lyra's mentor)

--------------

Tagging! (Always no pressure, of course!)

@tc-doherty @bloodlessheirbyjacques @aether-wasteland-s @nacricissa @theeccentricraven

@daisywords @faeriecinna @americanfemcel @emberlyric @theprissythumbelina

@crazyinspirationaldreams @vacantgodling @erieautumnskies

@talesofsorrowandofruin @tryingtimi @theoracleofgiana

@at-thezenith @full-on-sam @lyutenw @librarysilverfish

@theunboundwriter @sleepyowlwrites @karkkidoeswriting @thesorcerersapprentice @ryns-ramblings

@charlesjosephwrites @aalinaaaaaa @mjjune @adie-dee

@concealeddarkness13 @wordswrittenbynight @winterandwords @toribookworm22

@serafyyn @gummybugg @carnocus @everthewip @sentfromwolves

@somethingclevermahogony @kaylinalexanderbooks @sodaliteskull

@flowerprosegarden @leahnardo-da-veggie @thegoddesswater @rhikasa @mysticstarlightduck and OPEN TAG!

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[toribookworm22]

Final Thoughts On 2023

I know I have a very dysfunctional sense of time, but this year seems extra short and long to me. But such is the way it goes. Vague recap time!

Shut Down published! I went to my first therapy session. I toured apartments with my roommate. I traveled for the first time with just a friend. I got to meet the voice actors for The Animaniacs Pinky and The Brain. I celebrated my first Aro week. I wrote my first pilot episode. I got on TikTok for class and ended up not hating it. I volunteered to help at an student Oscar event and for student plays. I lost my best friend. I finally joined my school's writing club. My parents accidentally read my poetry collection and loved it. I moved into my very own apartment. I went on a family vacation to New York and got to see my almost little sister for the first time in 4 years. I hosted my very first book signing! I published Reprogrammed. I learned how to live by myself. I took a pottery class. I started a movie script. I let go of my best friend for good. I became the secretary for the writing club. I found a little bit more of myself in my fashion sense. I hosted a Halloween party. I met the producer of Me Before You. I made more friends and learned how best to love some of my others.

And in what has been one of the greatest decisions I've ever made, I stayed incredibly active on this lovely site and I got to meet, know, and love all of you. You guys are my diary and my joke book and a safe place for everything I am and love. I can be 100% myself on here without a single worry and you guys will never understand what that means to me.

My love list will just have to continue to grow, but that's okay. I love each and every one of you and I cannot wait to spend another year alongside you. Happy New Year! 🥂

All my love,

~ toribookworm ♥️

Love List pt. I

@angryaromantics @minutiaewriter @pluromantic @christiew @candlelightkissess @lady-of-himring @asteroidtroglodyte @panic-in-the-attic @elizaellwrites @writing-and-trying @eli-writes-sometimes @thatndginger @hyuccubus @chargeaznable @master-of-the-pigeon-religion @lividdreamz @ashen-crest @saphoblin @akiwitch @wearfinethingsalltoowell @daisywords @the-orangeauthor @arigalefantasynovels @brianamorganbooks @bluejay-in-write @elijahrichardwrites @alittlewarlord @apocalypsewriters @bookmarks-reviews @pure-solomon @xtakeitisisx @alnaperera @all-my-dreams-and-ambitions @porchswingstories @jlilycorbie @rsdan @midnight-and-his-melodiverse @litbylightning @lyssentome @theunboundwriter @writingforevren @regalserpent @axl-ul @likegemstone

[magic-is-something-we-create]

[ID: A screenshot of a reply from @daisywords reading "tell us your secrets 👀 (eyes emoji)]

best tip i can manage off rip: treat exposed muscle like a mix between hair and a stretchy slug crawling around bone.

its Lumpy and Made of Strands and specifically in the context im working with making it stretch and snap like a very viscous liquid is Worse (better for impact)

i'll come back with more once ive actually colored this panel because the lines are a bit confusing if you dont know whats going on so DONT LET ME FORGET

learned to draw body horror 👍

[briannaswords]

it's that time of year again!!

(when I get sentimental and thank y'all for putting up with me for another year <3)

@kazooreal bestie!! I've told you this a million times but I love you so, so, so much and I love talking to you and I always get so unreasonably happy when I see you in my notifs <33 you're such an amazing person and it's an honour to get to know you and call you my friend <33

@multifandom-aroace you're one of my closest friends and you mean so, so much to me. if I want to freak out about taylor swift to anyone, you're my go-to girl. and we got the same surprise song so we're basically bonded for life hehehe. ily!! <3

@itsybitsybookworm I'm not kidding when I say I literally can't look at the moon without thinking of you <3 I always get so happy when I see you in my notifs!! and maybe this is sad but I still remember the compliment you gave me on one of my poems and you have no idea how much it boosted my confidence in my writing! thank you so much and thank you for being my friend <3

@toribookworm22 tori!! you are so supportive and kind and sweet, I love you so much, and I'm so glad I got to meet you on here!! I'm so proud of you for all the amazing things you've already achieved and I'm sure you're going to go on and achieve so many more <3

@im-on-crack-send-help omg you're poems are absolutely out of this world and I always get so excited whenever I get the notification that you've tagged me in a new one!! <3

@fire-but-ashes-too I can't think of pasta without thinking about you haha <3

and also a huge shout out to:

@dyrewrites @daisywords @justalunaticfangirl @amywrites256 @arionaleilani @avocado-frog @serendipminie-writes @bikaribechic I love seeing all of you on my dash <3

Happy (almost) New year everyone!!

[willtheweaver]

WIP Introduction

A Feather in the Forest

Genre: Xenofiction

Target audience: Young adult/ adult nouveau

Status: Publication pending

Tags: This, all subsequent books in the series, and posts relating to lore and worldbuilding are under #the crow and foxfolk series

Synopsis: The laws of the Foxfolk were set in stone: birds were not to be tolerated in the western reaches of the forest, beyond the boundary stones. Those caught in violation of the laws were to forfeit their lives.

Fen knew this. For the first four years of his life, he has concealed his identity, hiding in plain sight in order to survive. Now as he turns five, independence draws closer. Leaving home in pursuit of his dreams will test Fen and threaten to reveal his secret. How will his friends and community react if and when they find out a crow has lived among them for so long undetected?

Setting: The west of the forest. This is considered to be one of the more hospitable regions, as glacial ridges keep the worst of the winter weather at bay. To the east are the domains of the Roost Lords, to the west is the wall that cuts off the forest from whatever lies beyond.

Main Cast:

Fen- Found in the remains of a destroyed camp, he should not be alive, being a crow born well west of the boundary stones. For all of his life, he has had to conceal himself in order to survive. Quiet and emotional reserved, he prefers his actions to speak for themselves, and is fiercely loyal to those he considers his friends.

Playa- Granddaughter of the village chief, she is Fen’s closest friend. Independent, and willful to the point of stubbornness, she dislikes it when others try to shower favors on her.

Sorrel- A hunter for Fernstan, she was the one to find Fen. It was she that petitioned Opal, and once judgement was passed, she took up reasonability to raise the newest addition to the village. Unfortunately, her time with Fen proved brief as she succumbed to an unknown illness between the prologue and the main story.

Caine- A former hunter who was forced to retire after an accident cost him his leg. Adopting Fen seemed to reinvigorate him for a time. Sadly, Sorrel’s passing sapped all the energy from him.

Opal- The long-lived Thá (village chief) of Fernstan, she had always been there to offer support and guidance. Much like her granddaughter Playa, she can be quite stubborn, not easily swaying from her initial decision. The reasoning behind her decision to allow Fen to live are not known, but she has had friendly relations with birds that wished to end the enmity between the two communities.

Leif- A veteran hunter who is in charge of teaching the youngsters and taking them out on their first trip. His no-nonsense demeanor masks an individual who cares for those under his charge, and will do anything to nurture success.

Rail, Ivy, Nettle, Quill- Youngsters about the same age as Fen and Playa. They all have aspirations to one day become hunters.

Lord Halley- Widely considered to be one of the more belligerent Roost Lords, he had feuded with his neighbors, both bird and fox, for years now.

Warnings: Deals with/ contains mentions of (implied or otherwise) prejudice, xenophobia, racism, war crimes, use of drugs or alcohol. Character deaths (off screen), animal death.

A big shoutout to @diabolical-blue @aalinaaaaaa for tagging me

No-pressure tag @duckingwriting @ahordeofwasps @daisywords @oh-no-another-idea @vesanal

@theink-stainedfolk @finickyfelix @talesofsorrowandofruin @storyteller-kara @moltenwrites and open tag

[aether-wasteland-s]

lines tag

I'd like to thank @sodaliteskull for the ancient nine lines, nine people tag and @sergeantnarwhalwrites for the heads up 7 up and a separate last line! I'm gonna pass any one of those three challenges (of your choosing) onto @winterandwords , @moltenwrites , @finickyfelix , @daisywords , @kalicofox and anyone else who wants to join in

"Captain, the—" he stopped in his tracks, and his head tilted a little, as if he was trying to work something out. "Sir? Are you okay?"

AJ cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of the last of the fog running through his mind. He recognised the feeling as inebriation— a hazy feeling at the corner of his mind that was blurring his sight ever so slightly and hazing his senses just enough to make it noticeable— but he couldn't recall drinking at all in the last weeks. He wouldn't, not in a time like this... Surely not.

"Yes, quite alright, Harrison. Did you come with news?"

Harrison nodded slowly, finding it hard to ignore something that was clearly going on. "Yes, uh... The storm— the fog, I guess? It's cleared."

He knew this already. The fog had come and gone with his angel, he'd managed to attain that much, but not only that, this feeling of haze had given him an innate understanding, and he could tell without looking that they were once again on clear waters.

[zmwrites]

tag: heads up seven up LXXIV

I was tagged by @space-writes! Thank you!

Another snippet from Second Chances WIP:

“The Blackbriars keep asking me what happened and I don’t know what to tell them.” “Not the truth,” Talea said.  “I figured as much. But we need to get our story straight before we leave this room, because I don’t think I’ll be able to dodge their questions much longer.” She blinked. “You’re willing to lie for me?” Edith smiled, but there was an acerbic edge to it. “Lying is easy.” She pressed her lips together. As gentle and good as Edith was, she had still been raised in their father’s court.

I tag @akindofmagictoo, @squarebracket-trickster, @daisywords, and anyone else who wants to play! As always, no pressure!