#i have enough material for this au to write a 200k fic

[bluedalahorse]

I think I’ll say this once, since I need to say it before I can move on to more excited posting about promos and things:

Obviously Young Royals means a lot to me. It’s become another way for me to connect with my hyphenated-American heritage and to start teaching myself Swedish again. It helped me survive a pretty brutal year of bullying at work. It made me confident enough to start the process of getting formally evaluated for autism and ADHD. I’ve been writing a 200k+ historical AU fanfic for YR—the kind of fic I always read and adored back in fandoms when I was younger, the kind of fic I wanted to write myself. I’m proud of the way that Heart and Homeland has made me a better writer, and I’m glad for the way it’s deepened my friendship with @heliza24. It is Young Royals in part that inspired by thesis on restorative justice in YA literature. When I was in the hospital last fall because I almost had a literal stroke from stress, I was comforted and kept calm by the fact that I was wearing a YR t-shirt and had a plush doll of a YR character sitting in my lap. And all of that is the short list.

As we come close to the release date, I hope that every single member of the fandom gets something they enjoy in the new season. I don’t think every person is going to get everything they want, but I genuinely hope there’s a moment, a scene, a line that brings them joy. We’ve all stuck with this series for a while, and I want us all to have something we can take with us. A little bit of sparkle for the road, if you will.

There’s of course the possibility that some of us get a lot of what we want, and others of us are let down. I know this was the case for season 2, and it feels naive to imagine that everyone in the fandom will be equally satisfied by season 3. I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’ll enjoy the hell out of it, but I’m also trying to prepare my heart in case it’s not what I wanted. I’m trying to gently talk to myself right now and say that even if the third season leaves me upset and unsatisfied—even if the writing takes a nosedive or it’s good writing but it’s just not what I wanted—that I still learned a lot about crafting stories and being myself and surviving hardship and thinking about systems and whatever else, from this show. That my experience with the first two seasons still matters, that my work on my fic is something to be proud of. If season 3 is a disappointment, Heart and Homeland will be my new canon. I’m sure there are other people out there talking themselves up in this way too. I know we’re all pushing through the pre-season jitters.

The other thing I’m trying to reconcile right now is how I feel about the promotional material that’s come out, and the conversations around that. Like on my own, I actually feel pretty great? It’s fun to see the new stuff come in? But then I think about the ratio of Wilmon to other things and some of the responses I’m seeing to that. And I see people say like “oh the show is back to focusing on what’s actually good about it” and “it’s great that they’re doing this because the audience doesn’t really care about characters who aren’t Wilmon.” And… hello? Aren’t I the audience? Tumblr isn’t too bad (most of the time) but then there’s like, Instagram, where the Netflix Nordic posted whole set of photos of different pairs and friendships from a whole bunch of shows, and there was one (1) picture of Sara and Rousseau and I saw enough comments where people were like “ew! Vomit! Give us Wilmon instead!” that like… y’all. Frida Argento is a human being and a damn good actress, and Lisa is a good writer of female characters, and like. We can celebrate that, once in a while. We can create space for her too. It’s not Frida OR Omar and Edvin. It’s Frida AND Omar AND Edvin AND Nikita AND Malte AND Nathalie AND Mimmi AND Fabian AND Samuel AND… look I could keep on listing but I’m going to get distracted if I do.

Like, man. I love Wilmon. Don’t get me wrong. I love the complexity their relationship can run with. There are lines heliza has written for them in fic that make me swoon and I am giddy about the part where I get to read them first. I love the glowsticks. I love Wilmon’s sense of humor and the part where they cheated at Vincent’s rowing race thing and their utmost commitment to being dumbass teenage boys against the world. The first week I saw the show and came into work (where we have an athletic field) I went and took a selfie on the field after covering my hands in those gross fake dots. Look. I am all in.

And also… I came to the show for Wilmon but I stayed for so much more. I would have watched Young Royals once or twice and said “that was pleasant” without ever getting back into fanfic after a decade away, if the show was only Wilmon. I do like Wilmon, but it wasn’t Wilmon who inspired my thesis on restorative justice or made me a better writer overall. I survived that year of bullying at work because I could come home and write my ensemble fanfic, especially the parts where I focused on the non-Wilmon pairing I was in charge of writing. I finally felt confident enough to be evaluated for AuDHD because of a connection I felt to a character who wasn’t Simon or Wilhelm. It was a plush doll of a non-Wilmon character who sat in my lap and kept me calm while I was hooked up to those scary machines in the hospital this past October.

I guess my one humble request is that people be thoughtful about how they use phrases like “everyone thinks” or “no one wants.” Not every member of the fandom has the same opinion, and not every member wants the same things out of season 3, and there are some of us who are happy about the new Wilmon content but who are still feeling a little hungry for more of our most beloved characters, and hope they’ll get meaningful storylines (and not get ignored) in season 3. I do know we probably won’t all get what we want, and that some of us will probably get more of what we want than others. I hope that whatever happens, we’ll all get something we want, and we can all be gracious about it, and continue to find meaning in the canon.

For the people here on tumblr who are already including me in their everyone… thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope you know who you are and I hope you know how much I appreciate you. And I do hope this Little Fandom That Could can keep going into all sorts of new creative places.

[jessepinwheel]

writer ask meme: 3, 9, 14?

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

there are a lot of tropes I fundamentally dislike. soulmate stuff, for one. anything that would require me to write a sex scene, for another. I'm not really into modern AUs either--I don't really see the appeal of putting the characters into a completely different setting divorced from the canon material. if I wanted to write that I would just write my own book.

9. Which fic has been the hardest to write?

well at this moment, race con, because it's the one I'm currently writing, the plot is insane, and it's still over 200k from finishing and I would like to have it in a form that's ready to start posting by may 4th next year. writing is an endurance sport etc

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

I'll be real I don't remember most of the bad writing advice I come across because I immediately throw that shit out the window. But I feel like most advice I've gotten about characters and character building has been bad. people who have followed this blog long enough know that I think characterization is a scam and all those "get to know your character" questionnaires of like are they neat or messy or what's their favorite color or drink and whatever is pointless. I don't care what protagonist man (gender neutral) likes to wear on the weekends. I'll come up with that answer if it's relevant to the story. all I care about from the outset is what they're trying to accomplish and what they're willing to do it and like. maybe one or two adjectives to have a starting point for what they do?

I do remember at some point reading an absolute dogshit take on chekhov's gun somewhere on tumblr that was like "having the gun on the mantelpiece and being forced to use it is bad story design it forces you to telegraph what you're going to do" or something (it's been some years since I saw this post) and like. the point of chekhov's gun is that if you have a gun go off in the second act, it had better come from somewhere that was shown in the first act (instead of from out of the character's ass) and also if you make a big deal out of something in the first act, you have some responsibility as a writer to follow through in the second act or you're just wasting everyone's time. the thing is, not everything is chekhov's gun, and readers won't be able to know what's what until the second act.

I also remember at some point reading a tumblr post that was like "all stories need to have a character arc" which is just. wrong. because not all stories are about character growth/devolution. sometimes stories are about things the characters are doing. I'm not going to say that philip marlowe really has much character growth from start to end and he doesn't need it because he's a detective and the problem he's trying to solve is trying to figure out what's everyone else's problem. there's nothing wrong with him being a static character, and saying that all stories need a character arc is kind of misunderstanding the nature of conflicts in a story.

ask meme for fic writers

[chut-je-dors]

First drawn on iPad, then at the halfway of the colouring process I moved to work on the computer. I’m a sucker for mermaid!aus, so of course I needed one for McLennon. I only used watercolour brushes + a crayon brush, and topped it with a watercolour texture in the background. Read more for the 2300 word story that I wrote to accompany this!

Paulos, the youngest son of King Triton, is forbidden from going on land. Ever since the kingdom of Atlantis lost its queen, Mary, to a mysterious disease, King Triton has strictly refused from letting anyone ashore. There is nothing else that Paulos wants, though, his curiosity too strong.

After a vicious fight with his father, once again about this same subject, Paulos runs into a merwitch. She suggests that he goes on land, without telling anyone.

“What your father does not know, will not hurt him, my boy.”

Paulos follows the tug in his heart and rises from the sea, scrambles on a shore in the middle of a night. Mermagic, something that other merpeople possess more strongly than others, allows his tail to transform into legs. He stumbles his way over to the nearest city, fascinated and curious about the new world.

Three days later he returns to the sea; and there he is met by the seawitch, who tells him that the kingdom thinks Paulos ran away, and that King Triton has died from grief -something not entirely unusual for merpeople.

“You cannot return to the sea,” she tells him. “Do not even set a foot in the water.”

Paulos, shocked and mortified, turns and does not look back.

Paulos meets someone after having spent a week on the streets, mourning, his life crumbled down. The boy throws him a sandwich with a smile on his face, and takes Paulos to his place. Paulos cannot speak English, but little by little, he learns. He learns about the boy, John, as well. He wants to learn more.

“What is your name, then?” John asks, curiosity embedded into his expression. Paulos thinks, not able to pronounce his real name with the letters of humans.

He searches for the right word.

“Pa-Paol-” he grimaces, and John laughs.

“Paul?” he asks, and Paulos stops trying, and smiles, nods. It’s good enough, and John looks so happy when he says it, finally able to call him by his name.

Paulos becomes Paul.

They have a large circle of friends -John, mainly, and he pulls Paul in. Two years have passed, and Paul feels at home with John. He is afraid, as well.

The soul of merpeople is set to break in two before they are born. The two pieces of one soul are meant to be together again, and thus, a merman only loves once, and only wants for one. That is how Lord Poseidon, Paul’s grandfather, decided when the first merman, King Triton, was born. A merman, or a mermaid, can wait for their other half for centuries. Some are born at the same time, more often one has to wait. King Triton waited for Queen Mary for thousands of years.

Paul knows that John is his other half.

He is afraid, because it is not right for his Chosen one to be human. But he loves John, and wants John.

But John is human, and humans do not have Chosen ones.

Paul’s friends decide to play a prank on him. Paul does not swim, because his legs become a tail once he is under water. He always stays ashore, listening to music and reading a book, when the others swim.

His friends grab him, and despite him screaming, terror entering his voice, they carry him into water.

“He’s afraid of water, you idiots!” John is shouting, further away from everyone else. Paul is thrown into the water, and he sinks.

“C’mon, it’s barely three feet deep there,” someone says.

“How isn’t he up already?” another wonders.

Paul comes up, gasping, splashing, and his silvery tail is visible to everyone when he tries to get away from the water in panic. Shocked sounds are heard everywhere, but Paul does not care. Because-

The water rises and King Triton is hovering above them, water holding him up. The air crackles around him, the trident in his hand glowing blue light.

“You have betrayed your people,” King Triton says, and Paul is shaking, trying to get back to the shore. Everyone else is running away, except John, who dashes forward, towards Paul. He shouts Paul’s name, and water slides tightly around Paul, lifts him up, choking him.

“You have betrayed me,” King Triton thunders, and Paul tries to get away from the water’s magic grip in vain. He cannot understand what has happened- how did everything come to pass. His father is still alive.

John’s feet touch the water, and he starts to wade through it to where Paul is hanging in the air. He calls Paul’s name, panic etched into his voice, shock and fear in his expression.

Paul shouts at him, to stay away, to run. Paul cannot lose him, not like he can himself. John is important; not like Paul who has managed to destroy everything he held dear in this world. King Triton thinks he abandoned merpeople- but instead of dying from grief, he has lost his sensible mind. Paul prays to Lord Poseidon that his father could find himself again.

King Triton looks at John with storm and lightning in his eyes, points the trident at him, and John comes to a full stop.

“You will feel the pain that I have from you abandoning merpeople. It is all the fault of humans, in the end.”

Water pours out of John’s mouth, and he chokes, coughs, more water coming out. He cannot breathe, and he brings hands to his chest. He is drowning, standing knee-high in the sea, and Paul loses himself.

He screams, and writhes, and his body jerks when a sob comes through. He sobs out John’s name, and tears run down his cheeks when he looks at John fighting, water filling the man’s lungs from inside.

Paul drops to the sea, and without thinking, he dashes towards John, grabs him, and pulls them to the shore. John waves on his feet, falls down and then vomits, water pouring out.

Paul sobs, and holds him, his tail turning into legs again, and looks up at his father.

The King looks at him with a strange expression, the swirl of water that holds him up becomes less powerful, lowering him slightly.

“He is your Chosen one,” he says, and Paul nods, cries, holds John tighter when the other’s body jerks with his coughs. There is no water anymore inside of him -it disappeared, just like Paul’s restraints as well.

King Triton’s expression is, for one second, defeated. Then it hardens and he looks at Paul, the storm back in his clear blue eyes.

“If you, or he, ever touch the sea, you will be locked under Atlantis for the rest of all time, and he will drown.”

And he leaves, and Paul sobs against John, and John puts a hand on his back and coughs one last time, sounding exhausted.

“You have a lot to explain,” he says, and Paul cries even harder.

Merpeople do not cry. Sadness, for them, becomes physical pain, but they do not cry.

Paul does not know what he is, anymore.

 He wipes out the memory of almost everyone at the shore. He is skilled enough in mermagic, and possesses an indescribable amount of power. He is a direct descendant of Lord Poseidon, a god, and one day the trident might have been his.

Not anymore.

They leave the shore, he, John, and a couple of friends that deserve to know. Otherwise all this could happen again. Paul tells them everything -except for John being his Chosen one.

They take it fairly well. After three hours John is able to crack a joke or few about Paul being technically a fish. Paul is in a silent shock, and he doubts it will leave in a moment.

A year passes, and John suggests they move to London. He has got a job offer from a record shop. Paul goes wherever John does, and so they leave Liverpool. John’s aunt Mimi hates them for doing that, and vows to never talk to John again for abandoning her. Paul wonders how different their families can be, and at the same time so similar.

Paul gets a job from the London Zoo. His ability to work with sea animals is astounding, and he is happy there. The fish call him Prince Paulos, because every sea creature can see who he is. He has said that he is not a prince anymore, but the fish feel more comfortable in their captivity when he allows them to call him like that.

John cooks chocolate cake every Sunday, and gets better and better with it. Paul loves those cakes, and loves human food, since merpeople mostly eat seaweeds and other plants. Those have always tasted bland, especially now that Paul has got to know the joy called spicy food.

Life is good, since they do not dwell in the past, and do not think of the future. Sometimes John looks at Paul with such a fond gaze that Paul wonders whether John could love him back. It is illegal in the human world, though, two men together. So Paul does nothing, and enjoys life as well as he can.

John gets a letter from America. It is from his father, who left him and his mother when he was not even born yet. Alfred writes that he is dying, and wants to see John once before he goes.

Paul makes the decision for John, and reserves two tickets on a ship.

“But what if your father-” John tries when Paul is packing, doing John’s work for him as well.

“Don’t be daft,” Paul says cheerfully, although he feels slightly weak in the stomach. “Technically we’re not in the water.”

John just looks worried, his fingers curling into fists.

Paul loves being on the sea. He stands on the deck with the wind hitting his scandalously long hair. It is a regular haircut for a merman, but amongst humans it was met with wide eyes and scowls. John quickly took it from him, though, and it became a running joke between them. The fish hair, John would say at the barber, and then laugh at his confused expression.

The first half of the journey goes well. Paul gets more and more nervous as they approach Atlantis. He knows that his father cannot find him as long as he does not touch the water, and then as well he has a chance of cheating a bit. He knows mermagic, which will be used to capture him, and he knows how to defend himself. He used to be His Royal Highness, Prince Paulos of Atlantis and the Seven Seas; he knows how to stand for himself, and for others as well.

One evening Paul is in the cabin he and John share, reading a book. The ship tilts, completely out of nowhere, and Paul almost falls off the bed. He manages to keep himself in, and looks up, alarmed.

Then the bells start ringing, and he knows that things are going bad.

He remembers John mentioning of going for a smoke. He lets out a small, terrified sound, and rushes to his feet, scrambling to get out of the suddenly strongly waving room. He runs up on the deck as fast as he can, avoiding other people, and pushes out through a doorway.

The storm is bigger than what he’s ever seen before. The waves are huge, raising up so high that they could even reach the deck. The ship is making its way through them steadily, but people are trying to get inside as quickly as they can, yelling at each other.

Paul spots John, coming towards the stairs with his hand on the rail, and then a wave comes.

Paul watches how John’s eyes widen before water falls upon him. Paul shouts, dashes forward, people are screaming. The wave withdraws lazily, and Paul’s heart falls down into the pit of his stomach.

The deck is empty; John is not there.

Paul turns to look at the sea and does not hesitate for a second.

He runs forward, ignores somebody shouting ‘stop him!’ and jumps over the rail.

He meets the water with a deep inhale, feels his legs pull together and his clothes disappear with the mermagic taking over, and he opens his eyes.

John is going down. He is unconscious, and the water is pulling him towards the darkness that is not dark to Paul. The current is strange, and certainly not one that should be here at this time of the year, but Paul ignores it in the favour of concentrating on John. He needs to get his love on the surface before it is too late; if John dies, Paul has nothing left, and he will go as well.

He swims after John, heart thudding against his chest. They are way too deep -Paul knows he cannot get up in time. His fingers close around John’s wrist and he pulls, looking up. The surface is too far away.

“Come on,” he calls out to John, just for the comfort. He takes John into his arms and starts swimming up, against the current, John lifeless in his hands.

Paul knows he cannot make it. John has been under water too long already.

He looks at John’s face, at his beautiful features, and his stomach turns into knots.

He cannot lose John.

The words come from deep within, a spell that he did not even know existed pours out. He holds John against him, and something golden lights up. Paul feels the familiar pull of mermagic in his heart and he shouts the last words breathlessly, and there is a silver flash of light that blinds Paul momentarily, and then he looks up.

John is floating above him, still unconscious, his body curling backwards. Paul looks at him, and- looks again.

John’s tail is the most beautiful he’s ever seen.

[uweiy]

5, 10 & 25 please! <3

Thank uuuuuuuuu!!!!!! From this ask game.

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now!

Hmmmmm oh good question. Oh I know. I wish someone would ask me how I feel now about the first fic I ever wrote! Which is Early Mornings and Late Nights (10k, Xicheng, The Untamed). And I would answer... It makes me chuckle fondly and quietly. Like at the time I was so proud of it. I thought it was perfect (it isn't). And it's like College AU!!! Me!! Who swears by Canon Universe!! But it was a project with a friend, it taught me a lot, and I still enjoy reading it. And it reminds me how much I've grown!

But honestly hm. I think some of my other, later Xicheng fics are better written. For extrying to hold on (to you), 1,6k, canon universe– to this day one of my faves, or you confused me with a fucking dog, 1,6k, college AU)

And idk what exactly but I wish someone would ask me a question about The Clearest Diamonds (3k, Bagginshield, The Hobbit) Just because... it doesn't fit much with any of my themes, I haven't advertised it anywhere, and I posted it suuuuper out of season and therefore haven't gotten much opportunity to talk about it haha

10. How do you decide what to write?

Simple! I live my life, BAM Idea pops into my head, demon takes control and I cannot do anything but write for a week and then I am content. For one day. Rinse and repeat.

No more seriously uhhh most my ideas are born out of spite, dissatisfaction with canon or where I wish canon had gone. Sometimes I'm not even sure what I wish for exactly until I've written it out.

I really loved taking prompts in the Untamed days because it enabled me to try out ideas that went beyond that!

They are all in the The Untamed/Mdzs Tumblr promts series btw.

Other times I just want to challenge myself. I would love to write a suuuuper angsty fic that makes people cry and weep just because that is soooooo difficult and not "natural" for me. So I have two snippets where I tried it out. (Those who bleed, 600 words, Wangxian,; The sky is blue, the grass is green, 1.3k, Steddie)

I would also like to write suuuuper long 200k plotty fics because that is, so not me. Haven't gotten around to that but. A dude can dream!

25. What other websites or resources do you use most often when you write?

WordHippo: "What is another word for...[insert word]" English is not my native language and sometimes I have a good enough word to say what I want to but I know there is a more perfect one out there. O love how many synonyms for a word it gives you, sorted by the different definitions of the word. Like 99,9% I am able to find the word I was looking for

Grammarly: You don't have a Beta-reader? Now you do! For grammar anyway. And any typo you might have missed.

The original material. When in doubt, listen to the character voices again, everything will fall in place.

Michelle Schustermann on YouTube gives amazing and clear writing advice imo.

Tumblr! I ask questions. People are always willing to help 😃🧡

Thank uuuuuu this was so fun to look back on!! Hope it answered the questions :)

My ao3

[sevensided]

how did you get into writing fic? i'd love to start but idk even where to begin! I loved adats so I was wondering do you have any advice?

Oh my goodness! I am so flattered you’ve asked me this. Yes, I can absolutely help. I’ll throw a bunch of rambling under the cut.

I started writing fic probably when I was... sixteen years old? A lot of my early works were oneshots. I couldn’t figure out how to do anything plot heavy for the life of me, so I just stuck to AUs or whatever I felt like. I wasn’t in any particular fandom -- I really wrote whatever I had ideas for. I remember I tried once to do a plot-heavy story and I received a review absolutely ripping it to shreds. Like, it was so cruel I cried lol. I ended up deleting the fic. Years later, I get what they were trying to say (basically, more substance, less style), but at the time it cut to the quick. Really, it was only when I was in my twenties that I started writing work that was longer and/or better.

The fandom that helped me actually write plot heavy work was a historical-based fandom. As I’m a historian, it was perfect. I got to use my research skills and knowledge to create works that, above all, aimed to feel authentic. I mainly read historical fiction, so I was familiar with how that genre worked. Miraculously, people loved my work. I think I wrote about ~200k in the period of a year? These were several short stories (20-40k) and a few oneshot filler fics. While I was part of this fandom I also helped organise a Big Bang which was a lot of hard work but was extremely rewarding. Along with that, I interacted mainly with other fic writers, so I spent a lot of time chatting to people about ideas and encouraging other writers, and it just created a lovely medley where no concept was impossible or any line of dialogue too difficult. We supported each other and it was truly like a little commune. I gradually stepped away from the fandom mainly because it was just a part of my life at a very specific time, and almost as soon as that time was over, my love for that story/ship faded, but I firmly believe I figured out a lot of how/what I do now purely through that experience.

Regarding ADATS

With ADATS, it stemmed entirely from wanting to “explain” three months in canon (at the end of season three). I was interested in the idea of season four setting up Will/Mike in canon, and I wanted to test the source material to see if I could draw from what already existed to create something authentic. I began with that simple idea: what happened from July to October in 1985? Then I thought about the major themes I wanted to hit -- family, friendship, coming of age, sexuality -- and I nested them around the bigger concept: how do I get Mike from being ostensibly straight to realising he is gay? That meant thinking of two steps: Mike discovering his attraction to guys; Mike discovering his attraction to Will. Those two concepts were separate “arcs” that needed addressing in different ways. Balance was key to weaving them together and making the reader feel like they knew what was coming (and that they felt smart for putting the pieces together) without just rushing through and going “now kiss!” That’s partly why ADATS needs a sequel, lol: because it’s not finished!

Writing process

The first thing I do when I start to get an idea is I write it down. Sounds obvious. But when you have a killer line of dialogue come to you in the shower and you think “I’ll remember that” -- reader, you will not remember it. You gotta get it down ASAP! I do that the whole way through, as generally I’ll be thinking of scenes I’m stuck on and then it’ll just come to me and I’ll quickly jot it down.

The next thing -- or what I do in the meantime -- is start structuring. I plan. I try to plan a lot. Sometimes it’s okay to write “and something happens here to get them here”, because you’ll figure it out later, but for the most part I’ve discovered that planning is like gold and you can’t get enough of it. I break my work up into generally 3-4 parts/sections, and I treat each section like a mini story. So each part needs a conflict and resolution, and it needs to flow into the next section. You need to have a feeling of things evolving and maturing. Once I’ve planned those little bits, I start thinking about the bigger plot arc and how I can drop in hints along the way. I’m probably not a subtle or skilled enough writer to yet pull off that sort of gasping twist you get in really excellent books, but I’m trying to get there. It’s hard, is what I’m trying to say, but that’s okay, because we’re all learning.

Then I generally do aesthetic stuff. Sounds stupid, probably. But nothing helps me get more into a mood than doing a Pinterest board or -- most of all -- making a Spotify mix. I start thinking about the vibe and the general atmosphere, and then I almost exclusively listen to that mix when I’m working. Sort of like muscle memory? Just to get the creative juices associated with that particular selection of songs.

Another thing I’ll do along with plot structure is character structure. This is a biggie. I mean, a story is nothing without characters. So I’ll just jot down a bunch of bullet points of characters and particular aspects that I want to highlight or remember. I hate continuity errors in fiction. Like, if someone says they work on Maple Street but later in the fic they’re working on Pine Street. I hate that. So I keep note of specific things that my main character might notice at repeated points in the story (colours, places, smells, names, sounds -- so they’re all consistent even as the narrative evolves). That’s another thing -- your characters’ motivations. Not everyone is going to be a huge player, but they all do serve a purpose. The most important character is obviously your main character. I personally think it’s important to let your M.C. be an arse at times. They’re going to be mean, they’re going to misinterpret things or fly off the handle... just let ‘em. Let them be wretched humans, and then bring them back and make them realise what they’ve done. Let them learn! I love consequences in fiction, lol.

At the same time, I’ll probably start writing. We’ve already written down some snippets of neat dialogue or descriptions, but now we should start the actual process. For me, I used to start at the beginning. Usually this was the most fleshed out anyway: I’ll have a clear idea of the beginning and the end, but nothing in the middle. These days, if I have a scene in mind that I can’t forget, I’ll just write it. It will possibly get scrapped or rewritten, but that’s okay, because at least you’ve got it down and now you can devote your brain power to something useful (like figuring out what the middle is supposed to be). I’ll have half a dozen of totally out of context scenes just littered in my Word document that I’ll add to as I go along. Eventually, though, you’re going to start writing properly, and that’s when you write your opening scene.

Opening scenes: super important. Every time I write a scene I think: what is the point of this? What do I want the reader to learn or takeaway? Sometimes you do have filler scenes, but they also serve a different purpose (perhaps to establish a group dynamic or to explore/describe a character’s surroundings). Mainly, though, every scene should push something forward in some way, whether it’s character development or a plot point. So, with an opening scene, I always think you have to establish: where you are; who you are; what they are doing; where they’ve come from (in a philosophical and practical sense); and where they’re going (ditto). That doesn’t have to happen in the first paragraph -- that would be silly. But if you sprinkle that information in over time it’ll gradually build up a picture of your character and that way the reader can get an idea of who they are. You basically need to give a snapshot of what your story is about. This also goes back to the character creator stuff: where they are at the start should be different to where they end up. How that happens is, of course, because of plot, and because you’ve structured everything to the nth degree, we’ve got a very clear progression of that character’s growth (/s easier said than done lol).

General advice

Write down everything: every idea, a bit of dialogue, a description, whatever. Write it down. Doesn’t have to be neat. Just has to be on paper. You can’t remember everything, so if you’re spending time trying to hold those things in your head, it’s taking up space for new ideas to come along.

Structure, plan, structure, plan. Sometimes it’s boring and I hate it. Other times, when I’ve not written in a few days and I open the Word doc and think wtf is this supposed to be, I am very grateful for Past Me for leaving such detailed notes. Seriously, it helps so much. Oneshots don’t really need planning, in my experience. You just get those out there. But multi-chaptered stories really do, even ones that “just” focus on a relationship.

Whatever you want to write, commit to it. Space goblins invade Hawkins? Do it. Eleven and Max find themselves in a cult akin to Midsommar (2019) and must escape? Yes. Just... whatever you want to do, remember that you’re writing it for you. Write what most interests you, what makes you when you reread it go AHHHHH I LOVE THIS!! Because that makes it a thousand times easier to actually get on with the writing when you enjoy what you’re doing.

Write a lot. Every day, if you can, or at least at designated times. Occasionally I have a very specific headspace/vibe I have to be in, but sometimes it just hits me and I’ll say to my partner “I need to write now” and just disappear, lol. The more you write the more you write. It’s so, so, so true. Cannot emphasise this enough. When I wrote that ~200k in twelve months? It was because I literally wrote every. day. Or near enough. Remember that some days you’ll write 200 words, and other days you’ll write 20k (this happened to me with ADATS -- part of the reason I finished it so quickly was because I had sprints of writing 10k+ at a time that only happened because I was in the rhythm of it). Write, write, write. Who cares if it’s crap! No one will see it until you are ready. In the meantime, just write!

Probably last of all (although I could go on and on) is connect with other writers. If you’re struggling to start, sometimes just talking about it can help a huge amount. I hope it goes without saying that you can message me whenever you want, anon or not, and I will talk to you. We can talk about ideas or I can beta stuff, whatever you want! Find like-minded people and talk to them about what you want to do. Another thing this helps is in advertising your work when you do publish. I see a lot of first time fic writers get super down because they publish their magnum opus on AO3 but no one comments. Honestly, it’s because no one knows you’ve published! You don’t have to be tooting your own horn every which way, but just actively talking about your work and even collaborating with other content creators with get you hyped and other people too (and the input and encouragement other fandom members give is just... out of this world. Anon messages helped me finish ADATS when I was really worried I wouldn’t [that’s the truth]. Seriously, support is everything). When you have people excited about your work, you get excited. It’s really as simple as that.

I could go on but this is already horrendously long. I hope even a bit of this helps! If you want to chat or have any more questions, just hit me up any time.

[melforbes]

I wish you would write a fic where meme.

I wish I knew how you’d write an AU chapter where Tess tells Joel she’s pregnant instead of that she had a miscarriage. No I still don’t know the canon and at this point I refuse because your story is the canon to me

THIS KILLS ME THIS STRAIGHT UP KILLS ME THIS KILLS ME I CANT BELIEVE LIKE. HOW DO YOU HAVE ANY PATIENCE FOR THIS WHEN YOU DONT KNOW THE SOURCE MATERIAL IM LIKEEEEEEEEE IM SCREAMING LIKE. IT'S ALMOST 200K LONG. I FEEL LIKE I OWE YOU $500

this is so funny i have like. This is like. "your story is the canon to me" this is so funny. like this is so funny. like you dont understand just how hilariously incorrect my story is versus canon. like as in they are both very very VERY dead. is that a spoiler. the first game has been out since 2013 and the second since 2020 and you have read almost 200k of this and therefore i refuse to not spoil. this is so funny like. if you saw the canon you would be like HOW TF DID SHE GET 200K OUT OF THIS

OH MY GOD YOU LITERALLY DONT KNOW THE CANON SDL:KGJSL:KGJLSKGJ WAIT OKAY HERE'S THE THING. HERES THE THING. OH MY GOD A:LKJDGL:SDKJGLSKGJD OKAY LIKE. oh this is so funny. okay so here's me spoiling the plot of the last of us which is like. you have read 200k of last of us fanfiction i can do this. so the game opens with joel in the year 2013 celebrating his birthday with his preteen daughter sarah. as the night goes on suddenly everything goes really really badly WAIT FUCK DO YOU EVEN REALIZE THIS IS ZOMBIE MEDIA. OH THIS IS SENDING ME. FUCK. IT'S ZOMBIE MEDIA. OH MY GOD DO YOU REALIZE THAT THERE'S ZOMBIES. ANYWAY THERE ARE ZOMBIES NOW everything goes poorly and anyway sarah very dramatically dies in joel's arms after a soldier shoots her. then they cut to 20 years later in a "quarantine zone" in boston where we encounter joel AND TESS! there she is! she shows up! wow~ and anyway joel is very emotionally closed off. FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND I SAY ALL OF THAT BECAUSE LIKEEEEEE DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE IM COMING FROM. im sorry this response is unhinged. HE WOULD NOT TAKE THIS WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha. Haha. haha. haha. okay maybe he would take it fine. that's the thing too i wanted to throw a pregnancy plot in SOMEWHERE bc for me personally like i mean i'm...gay...but honestly the scariest thing to me about a world without medical intervention like. Like i mean one can accept like if you have a stroke or a heart attack you die. like that doesn't feel altogether unfamiliar. but we have suuuuuuuper lost the idea of like. pregnancy and childbirth are risky and serious. i think media has played a huge part in that like comparatively this is the first time in history in which we DONT (at least where i'm from) see how scary that is. and like i think like. you dont know this because you dont know the source material BUT the second game dealt a little with pregnancy and i think it dealt with it...poorly...and to me pregnancy is like. The scariest possible thing 20 years into an apocalypse. and i felt like the game threw it around a little willy nilly. which you have not seen. and i thought it would be interesting to have it be frightening enough that something as frightening as a potential miscarriage ends up being the lesser evil. which is still something dangerous in and of itself! and traumatic and like i mean tehre's a fair bit of denial on her part like she never actually. Processes it. but yeah. the whole pregnancy part of the games (which i realize you do not know) felt very male to me and that kind of drives me bonkers. and like i mean all of this can 100% be overlooked for fanfiction purposes i'm not trying to ~argue for authenticity~ but that was just like the vibe i got haha. or at least the vibe i was interested in writing

this is so funny like. Do you know what the characters look like. do you know what the zombies look like.

legit like. Fanfiction of my own fanfiction. fanfiction of my own fanfiction that somehow isnt what my subconscious concocted to make tess and kaya gay lovers which totally couldve happened and i accidentally but in subtext of that like COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONALLY and upon editing it i was like holy fuck. Holy fuck. this is so dumb. and then i left it in for posterity. i must seem homophobic or something but in reality im just gay and reeally REALLY stupid

[baby-come-bach]

All writing asks!

Oh daaaamn! Thanks, bro!! @brynhildr13 !!!!

In response to this post!

1. What is your preferred place to write (notebook, laptop, cellphone, etc.)?

~Normally I try to do everything on my laptop in Zoho’s Notebook app. I seriously love the app, and there’s a desktop and mobile version that will sync so if you’re on the go you can still edit your notes! If I’m ever stuck I’ll hand write in a paper notebook and that usually works really well for me.

2. When did you start writing?

~I started writing back in the third grade, when I wrote and illustrated a comic series called The Evil Substitute Teacher from Mars! Obviously it was of a third grade quality and I had no intentions of being a writer at that point, but it was the first time I seriously flexed my skills even though it was just for fun!

I started writing fanfiction in my freshman year of high school.

3. What is your favorite thing to write?

~I love to write stories that take characters through intense emotional journeys. I absolutely love quality character development when you can track it from beginning to end.

4. Fluff or angst?

~Angst. I have little to no interest in writing a love story or love encounters as the primary plot. It’s hard to emulate the kinds of emotions people feel during those encounters when I’ve had minimal experience.

5. How would you describe your style?

~Hmmm . . . I would say . . . healthily balanced between pragmatics and prose. I try to make things as literal as I can when there’s action happening, but when I describe character’s emotions I literally love to pour on the cheese.

6. Where do you usually find inspiration?

~In general, for overall fanfic concepts I’ll find it in the source material, in a detail that wasn’t well-expanded. For specific ideas within a story, and for specific language to describe something I’ll borrow from both the source material and other writers in canon-based fics.

7. Do you listen to music to help you write?

~Hell yes.

8. What’s the biggest “challenge” for you as a writer?

~I love to write and I mainly write for myself - meaning I write the stories that I would want to read. But it’s extremely easy to fall into the “Nobody else will want to read this/Nobody is reading this = it must be bad and I’m a terrible writer” mindset. Surprisingly, that hits me harder than comparing myself to other writers. I understand and embrace that my style is different and the way I tell stories is unique. I actually really love how I write in comparison.  I also struggle with pacing.

9. Where do you usually go to write (bedroom, living room, etc.)?

~When I’m at home, my bedroom. However, occasional changes in scenery do wonders for my inspiration, so I also love public libraries. When it’s very late at night (and it usually is because I’m a night owl to begin with and I work two jobs), I love to go to Denny’s. The people at my local Denny’s know me by name and I have the same server almost every time. They let me sit there for hours and hours (and if I do stay, I always leave a gigantic tip).

10. Can you give us a sneak peek of your current WIP?

~We’re mid-fight scene and this is unedited (I’m just really self-conscious lmao). It’s from my Dissidia fanfic, A Petal Among Thorns:

“’Cosmos's assassins!’ the Emperor sneered. He laughed, calling his staff from its resting place next to the throne. "I'm glad you could make it!" Removing Cloud first would be the most important thing. That, and deflecting Terra's magic. Cloud lifted his sword behind his head and slashed it down, and an arc of power careened off the blade towards him. The Emperor slammed the end of his staff into the ground and called a cluster of purple mines in its path. The Blade Beam collided with the mines and they detonated on contact in a cloud of smoke, the sound booming through Pandaemonium.”

11. How many stories have you written so far?

~18, though not all are complete.

12. What’s your favorite thing you ever wrote?

~In the first version of A Petal Among Thorns, I wrote a giant fight scene between a goddess and her warriors. It was intense and epic, and really maximized my skills at the time, and I loved every second of it.

13. How many chapters does your longest series have?

~Well, the new and improved version of A Petal Among Thorns has 45 posted chapters at 171k words, and I’m working on 46. The original Petal, which I finished, ended with 64 and had 108k words. Both are my longest so far. the most words, though, is Horrible Bosses with just under 200k.

14. What’s my favorite character/person to write for?

~This is so tough. But I think the Emperor for A Petal Among Thorns. He’s a classic kind of “Muahahaha” villain and I absolutely love getting into that evil headspace.

15. “OCs” or “Reader” inserts?

~If it’s an either/or question, then I say OCs. But nothing against Reader inserts. I love those, too. If it’s a do I read or write them question, then not really. I did one back when I was in high school. But I do read them and I support writers who do. There’s no such thing as cringe culture anymore so don’t let any elitists make you feel shitty for writing them.

16. Can you tell us anything about your current WIP?

~Sure. I’ve got four major ones:

1. A Petal Among Thorns (Dissidia Final Fantasy) - Cosmos just sent a group to take care of the Emperor since he’s been plaguing her and her warriors, but they’re caught unprepared when they realize he’s been secretly amassing power.

2. The Krypt (Mortal Kombat) - The group just found Master Hasashi and Kenshi, two out of the whole group they’ve been looking for. Their next order of business is to escape the spider caves, but it won’t be so easy.

3. Legends Yet (Final Fantasy XII) - Balthier and Fran are preparing to infiltrate the Archadian Palace to go after a special item. Little do they know the palace is more prepared than they thought.

4. This is My Punishment (Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus) - The Turks go looking for Vincent after he fails to report in. They confront Dr. Hojo about it, but he’s smug and disinterested.

17. How long was the longest fic you ever wrote?

~The longest COMPLETE story I ever wrote was the original A Petal Among Thorns with 64 chapters at 108k words. The longest INCOMPLETE story I have right now is the rewrite of A Petal Among Thorns with 46 chapters at 171k words. The most words I ever wrote was Horrible Bosses at just under 200k but with only 15 chapters.

18. What fandoms do you write for?

~Final Fantasy and Mortal Kombat and Hetalia are pretty much it right now, but a variety of FFs! I have written for Assassin’s Creed too, and Voltron, and I did one very self-indulgent Black Butler self-insert.

19. What is/are your favorite fandom author/authors?

~Poisonous Panda on AO3 (she used to have a tumblr but she deactivated for some reason), and Jaydee Grey on ff.net

20. Have you ever written an AU?

~No. All my stories take place in the actual world and parameters of canon. Although, I guess Petal could be considered one, since Rosa was never called to the cycles in any Dissidia game except Opera Omnia . . . ?

21. What’s your favorite AU trope?

~I don’t know if I have one. I read them but they’re not my go-to. I usually stick to canon stuff first.

22. A fanfiction cliché you can’t help but love?

~Hmmmm . . . I think descriptions of eyes. Not like, the word ‘orbs’ or anything, but the use of gemstones to describe color. I love the aesthetics associated with gemstones and their luster and how they shine, so if someone has “emerald green” eyes, or “amber” eyes, “crystalline blue”, etc. It makes me understand that their characters’ eyes are aglow with something, that they have character or passions or an ideas.

23. For how long have you been a fandom writer?

~I started my freshman year of high school, so . . . 10 years?

24. Have you ever had an idea for a story and forgot about it?

~No, I usually write stuff down right away. But as I develop my stories they rarely stay along the path enough to end up using the idea. Either the plot point is too out in left field now, or the characters are too far along in their journeys to make it work in-character.

25. What do you do to motivate yourself to write?

~Motivation? I don’t know her. 

In all seriousness, I have ZERO self-control, so I can’t bribe myself. I mostly use my own desire to see my stories finished, plus nice comments and reviews from users on AO3 and ff.net. They’re so few and far between that a single one can make my entire day.

26. How did you find out you like to write?

~I’ve always enjoyed telling stories, from the third grade up! Making my own comics, and novelizing games I used to play, like Pac-Man World 2! I sort of never stopped, but WHAT I wrote matured as I grew older and joined fandom.

27. Are there any writers (fanfiction writers or not) that have inspired you to start writing?

~No, I was writing in general before I knew what fanfiction even was. But what inspired me to start writing fanfiction in particular was reading a Dissidia fic on ff.net by the name of Slash and Burn, that hasn’t updated since 2011. Reading that fic made me realize that the stories and scenarios I was coming up with surrounding these characters I loved could be transcribed and posted, and that other people were doing it too! I simply started writing down what I already was imagining for these characters outside of the events that happened in their games.

28. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

~Final Fantasy, hands down!

29. Describe your style in three words.

1. Balanced

2. Introspective

3. Natural

30. What would you say is the most ‘famous’ fic you’ve ever written?

~Definitely The Krypt for Mortal Kombat on AO3. Writing for an active fandom is vastly, vastly different than writing for an older, stale one. The Krypt has the most comments and shares. On ff.net, it’s Horrible Bosses.

31. Blurbs or drabbles?

~Drabbles. Flesh it out more! I wanna be more immersed in whatever this is!

32. Have you ever written smut?

~I have written ONE SINGLE SHEEPISH scene in chapter 13 of Horrible Bosses. It was my very first attempt at smut and it is god-awful. Go check it out on AO3 if you want (and can withstand the second-hand embarrassment!)

33. How long does it usually take for you to write?

~LMAO that depends entirely on if I can get started for the day. If I can start and I can stay focused, I’ll easily write 3,000 words in one sitting. If I can start but I’m not focused I can usually still grind out anywhere between 100 - 500 or so words. But I’ll go days without touching Notebook if I can’t even get started.

34. What’s your favorite font to use when writing?

~I don’t put much stock in fonts but the one I’m using now on Notebook is Montserrat. I will change it every so often if I want something new though. Changes in scenery help my focus most times.

35. Which do you prefer to write: longer or shorter fics?

~Longer definitely. Shorter fics are easier but I love the challenges associated with aligning plot points with character development, as well as pacing.

36. how do you keep yourself inspired?

~My love for the fandoms I’m writing for usually does it. I love these universes and characters so much that I want to spend more time with them and watch them grow and change in ways that are or aren’t necessarily spelled out in canon. That, and the idea that since I’m writing stories I would want to read, then I’m the only one who can tell this story in my own way, so it has to be me.

37. Have you ever written something you didn’t like but posted anyway?

~Hell yeah. It be like that sometimes. Sometimes you stare and stare at a chapter and you absolutely hate it but you can’t figure out why and eventually you get pissed and say, “Fuck it, i have to post this to move on,” and you do. Specific examples for me are a few chapters in the new Petal.

38. What is your “strong suit” as a writer?

~I pride myself on my characterizations, to be honest. I feel like I have a good sense of who these characters are based on canon, and I can translate their reactions well to situations that test them.

39. What’s your favorite trope?

~I actually really, really love when characters are injured or slipping physically or emotionally, but they keep it to themselves for the sake of others. It can be for any reason - they don’t want to be a bother, they think they should be strong enough to handle it, etc.

40. How many likes do your fics usually get?

~Depends. The most I’ve gotten on anything was ~70 follows/favorites for Horrible Bosses on ff.net, and 128 kudos on The Krypt on AO3. Those are outliers, for the most part. My more popular fandom fics float around 20 - 40 kudos, my smaller fandom fics float around 5-10. The mean average for AO3 kudos across all my fics is 32, and the mean average for ff.net favorites is 14.

41. Have you ever used a prompt?

~No. it’s very, very hard for me to imagine characters into scenarios that I didn’t myself come up with?? I’m not sure why.

42. What is your weakness as a writer?

~Pacing.

43. Have you ever cried or felt any emotion while reading something you wrote?

~Yes, I cried when I wrote the aftermath of the large battle I talked about earlier, between Cosmos and her warriors in the first version of A Petal Among Thorns.

44. Have you ever done a collab with another writer?

~No, I’m too self-conscious.

45. One thing you love about fanfiction.

~I love how it allows fans to expand upon these worlds and universes that were created for us. I love how it allows us to demonstrate our love by interpreting things that were either not touched or not expanded upon in canon. It also allows me to express myself in a healthy and creative way.

46.  What’s your favorite emotion to cause on your readers?

~Nothing makes a person sexier than physical pain. But I also love anger and regret.

47. What’s your favorite thing about writing?

~See above. Writing fanfiction is another way that I express my love for something that matters so much to me, which are these pieces of media I write for. It also gives my daydreams purpose and doesn’t make me feel like I have to bottle them up!

48. Do you post your writing in any other platforms?

~Yep! AO3, ff.net! I’m Keyblader41996 on both.

49. What app/apps do you use to write (word, notepad, etc.)?

~I’ve got notes all over! I’ve got some in Notepad on my Mac, and I have some in Notebook by Zoho on their site and app, I have some in my paper notebooks, I have some in my college textbook margins and notebooks, etc. My favorite to use is Zoho’s Notebook.

50. One thing you don’t like about fanfiction.

~Thinly veiled, arbitrary and unnecessary bullshit that is masqueraded as “constructive criticism” when I didn’t ask for it, and when it’s easier for the commenter to just, idk, LEAVE THE FUCKING FIC?!?!?!!??!?!?! Rather than spend ALL that time just to be shitty???????????? get away from me.

51. Least favorite trope?

~I dislike time travel.

52. Favorite words to use when writing?

~I love facial descriptions and body language: He crossed his arms. Her eyebrows furrowed. She winked coyly. His fists balled at his sides, trembling. She jumped, clapping her hands enthusiastically. etc.

53. Least favorite words?

~I hate describing clothes and bodies/figures. Hate it.

54. Do you usually like what you write?

~It depends. I cycle through different phases. (1) This is great. (2) Oh god, what the fuck??? is this??? (3) I can’t even look at this, it’s so bad. *Stops writing for days* (4) Wait, why did I hate this so much? It’s a great starting point! (5) Edit (6) YESSS YESSSSSS YASSSSS!!!!!!!! (7) Post

I can start at any one of those numbers and go from there but it’s always in that order no matter where I start.

Thanks so much for asking me these!! I love them!!!