#i know there was more?? like another chapter?? lost forever to the void ig

[sicklybanjos]

ye oldeee snzfic

okay so i don’t pretend to be a writer now, but damn i was convinced of it in middle school and hs.  i was cleaning out an old computer and found this relic of the past, my (probably) first snzfic from when i was FoUrtEEn and had just come across SFF and wanted to create my ~own~ for a fandom i liked, with a self-insert character ofc lmao.  it’s bad.  it’s cringy.  it’s fecking hilarious (imo). gooood luck, with my avalon high sicfic omg:

Miles went to Wendy's house, like he always did before school.  Usually Wendy was waiting for him on the steps, either reading or editing something for the newspaper.  But today she was no where near the steps.  Miles assumed she was still getting ready, so he went up and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Cross opened the door and welcomed Miles, and then told him, "Sorry Miles, Wendy's sick in bed and she's not coming to school.""Oh and is she exactly taking this news well?" Miles asked.  He knew Wendy could be stubborn at times, and that she wouldn't take something like this easily. Mrs. Cross laughed, "Of course not.  If you want, you can go upstairs and try to talk sense into her.""Okay thank you Mrs. C."  And with that Miles headed up the stairs. Miles heard Wendy before he saw her.  HCISH HCSXU.   He knocked on the door, and strolled into her room.   Wendy was in bed, with a mountain of used tissues in the trashcan next to her.  She looked terrible; her face was pale, except for the slightly flushed cheeks and pink nose.  She sneezed again and blew her nose loudly before she noticed him.   "So Wendy, you're looking peachy.""Shud up Biles.  KHSIXI. TSCHU."  Her voice was hoarse and extremely stuffy.  She blew her nose again, and Miles awkwardly shoved his hands in his pockets. "Do you need me to take your homework home?  I mean Allie and I could, since we're both in your classes.  Well combined that is..."  He trailed off. "Doe I'b goig to school.  Deres a dewspaper beetig ad I have to be dere ad-"Miles cut her off, "Wendy you're crazy.  You're too sick to go; Allie and I'll take your work home.  It's fine, Wen.""But were od a deadlide!  Sobeode has to lead the beetig, ad I'b the editor. It's by job, Biles."  She sneezed several times more and blew her nose harshly. "I'm not letting you go to school, or lead that meeting.""Why dot?  I'b fide, really.""First of all, no you're not.  You're too sick to get out of bed, much less go to school.  Secondly, I can't understand half of the words you say,  since your voice is too scratchy and stuffed up.  And if I can't, then a room of noisy high schoolers definably won't be able to.  Speaking of," He handed her the tissue box, "Blow. Dr. Miles' orders."She did as she was told, and blew her nose for nearly a minute. "Better?"  He asked, smirking. "Sobewhat, I guess." "That's my girl.  And so you don't worry your head off, I'll lead the meeting.  No objections.""But you dod't doe how to lead a dewspaper beetig.  You should cut it short or baybe I should just..."  She began to sit up, looking fazed for a second, then fine again. Miles hollered out, "Mrs. Cross!  Wendy's being ridiculous and trying to get out of bed." Se glared at him, "Whad did you do dat for?" He smirked, "Because your crazy and I need back up.""Wendy sweetie don't be ridiculous, you need rest."  Mrs. Cross came in with a small basket, which contained a large box of tissues, cough drops, cold medicine, and some other things. "Here Miles, can you put this on her side table?"  Handing him the tissue box, "She goes through them like crazy."  "Bob!" Wendy exclaimed. "Relax. Now I'll be downstairs doing the laundry, holler if you need anything." Then she turned to Miles, "You should probably leave in a few minutes to still make it to school. Make sure you wash your hands before you leave, though." Turning back to Wendy, "Get some rest sweetie." And then she left and closed the door halfway. "I should probably head to school, but first, I, Merlin, will lead the newspaper meeting, under the supervision of Lady Wen, via phone." She giggled and then broke it broke into a coughing fit. "Secondly," he started as he headed to the door, "Feel better, Wen. Get some rest, and Allie and I'll bring your work after school, okay?""Fide. Have fud at school. Tell Allie I say hi.  And plead dod't ruid by dewspaper beetig. "  He pointed to the tissue box again, and as she blew her nose they waved each other off. "Geez Miles what took you so long?" Allie exclaimed when he walk/ran to homeroom, a minute before the bell.  "We thought you were gonna be late.  And where's Wendy?" "At home, probably regretting letting me run her precious newspaper meeting."  Seeing his friend's confused look, he added, "She's sick. And by the way, you and I are taking her work home.""Sure and all, but shes actually letting you run the meeting?  How sick is she?" He laughed, "Not on a deathbed if that's what you mean. It's just a flu bug, at least that's what Mrs. C said.""She must really like you to trust you with her precious meeting."  He happily sighed before Allie continued, "Do you actually know how to run a meeting, Miles?""No idea but I'll figure it out. It can't be that hard, can it?  I can take the finished papers to Wendy, and she's already let the staff that I'm running it, and that it'll be cut short, but it can't go too wrong." Miles cleared his throat, "So I um, officially call this meeting to order?"A freshmen raised her hand, "You have no idea what you're doing, do you?""Not a clue.  So what am I supposed to do next?""Take attendance." The younger girl said, pointing to the clipboard next to Miles. "Riiight.  Um Clara?""Here.""Karen?""Present.""Marco?""Here you nitwit.""Righty then.  Wendy's absent, so Lilly?" He continued down the list, and only two people didn't make it. "Okay so now what?" He asked the freshmen girl, Clara. "Well most off us are done with our articles already, and there's no need to pick new topics yet; so the people who are done can turn theirs in to be edited, and anyone else can ask questions." And with that, more than half of the members stood up and handed their papers to Miles, and then left.  Clara was in that line, but volunteered to stay to help guide Miles.  "Next, these people either need to ask a question, rent out a camera, or are just waiting for you to dismiss them." One person had a question about if he could create a poll to answer a question, and Clara nodded a yes, and them the question asker left. "Wendy likes visual aids, if they're usable with the article."Two people needed to rent out the schools cameras, and the other two just needed dismissing.  Afterwards Clara congratulated Miles for not doing too badly, and then told him to let Wendy know that she hopes Wendy feels better soon.   After the meeting, Miles packed up his stuff and Wendy's homework and headed to her house.  When he got there, he knocked on the door, and then went up to Wendy's room.   "Feeling better?" He asked. "Sure I'b fide.  How was the beetig?  Did id rud sboothly?  Did you doe whad to do?  You did't call so I wasd'd sure if you dew whad to do.  Ad- ad- HIXCH TIXCHU ad did adyode turd id deir ardicules? Ad-"He handed her a tissue, "Calm down, Wen.  It went well, most people turned in their articles, and I didn't call because you needed your rest.""But how did you doe whad to do?""One of the freshmen girls, Clara, kinda told me what to do.""Okay well dats be- be-HICHC KIXCHU  TSCHX bedder." Miles frowned.  His girlfriend sounded miserable, and still all she cared about was the newspaper.  "Here Wen," He said as he handed her the tissue box, "I really want you to feel better.""Trusd be, I do doo."  Then she blew her nose twice and added the used tissues to the ever growing mountain of tissues in the trashcan. "Whad did I midd id school?"He handed her another tissue, "Um we just took notes in a lot if classes. You can copy mine when you're better.  Oh!  Mr. Neal announced that next week we'll be learning about the printing press.  I think you'll like that especially." He smiled. "Really?  I cad'd waid!  Hobefully I'll be bedder th- ACHXU thed."  She reached for a tissue, and it was the last one in the box, "Adother box ebpty.  Guess I'll go ged a dew ode."Miles shook his head, "No way.  I'll get one. Be right back."  He went down the hall and asked Mrs. Cross if he could have a tissue box to take to Wendy."She finished the last one?  Oh poor girl, I don't remember the last time she was this sick.""Yeah she sounds so miserable and stuffed up.  When do you think she'll be better by?""Good question, Miles.  Probably sometime next week.  She has the weekend to recover though, and that'll be good for her." He took the tissue box to Wend's room, and when he arrived, she was already fast asleep.  He put the tissue box on her side table, pulled the blankets up to her chin, and went home. The next day Miles went straight to school, since he knew he shouldn't wake Wendy up.  He met Allie before the bell, and they chatted for a bit.  

[loisfreakinglane]

sansa stark

W O W WOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW OKAY YOU ASKED FOR IT

I’M HERE TO RAMBLE NONSENSICALLY

favorite thing about them

god literally everything how do you expect me to choose. okay okay okay for today i’m gonna kind of maybe cheat and say that my favorite thing about her is being inside her brain. i love her point of view more than anything else in the whole series. how she thinks, how she grows and what she believes, the things she chooses to say and the things she keeps to herself. her tiny rebellions maintained behind a wall of courtesy, her quiet courage. and then an added layer of snarkiness and flirtatious manipulation when she’s alayne stone.

least favorite thing about them

i could say her naivete and her strict adherence to social protocols, because of how that ruined her childhood relationships with arya and jon, but i can’t even consider those least favorite things because i LOVE those parts of her, I love that she’s had such a huge character arc. that she’s not a perfect person, that she had to grow and learn and UNlearn a lot of things

favorite line

WELL I CAN’T STOP AT ONE OBVIOUSLY

“All it would take was a shove, she told herself. He was standing right there, right there, smirking at her with those fat wormlips. You could do it, she told herself. You could. Do it right now. It wouldn’t even matter if she went over with him. It wouldn’t matter at all.”

“They are children, Sansa thought. They are silly little girls, even Elinor. They’ve never seen a battle, they’ve never seen a man die, they know nothing. Their dreams were full of songs and stories, the way hers had been before Joffrey cut her father’s head off. Sansa pitied them. Sansa envied them.”

“I could close my eyes. The mule knows the way, he has no need of me. But that seemed more something Sansa would have done, that frightened girl. Alayne was older, and bastard brave.”

“She wondered where this courage had come from, to speak to him so frankly. From Winterfell, she thought. I am stronger within the walls of Winterfell.”

“She drew the knife and held it before her with both hands. “Are you going to stab me?” Dontos asked. “I will,” she said. “Tell me who sent you.””

“I hope you joust better than you talk. […] Should we ever wed, you’ll have to send Saffron back to her father. I’ll be all the spice you’ll want.”

and a show only line tragically cut from the final product? “I don’t know any songs. Not anymore.” I fucking LOVE that change, from her singing a song for the hound out of terror to her saying that instead. I think it both reflects that she is a bit older than in the book but also another way they chose to externalize some of her inner self

brOTP

GOD HOW TO PICK BC LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE but okay so ALWAYS it’s arya and jon and bran and margaery

show specific? brienne and theon and shae!!!

book specific? myranda and mya and jeyne

OTP

i’m crossing my fingers tormunds daughter show up and one is spectacularly gay but yeah basically that’s where i’m at now YES I KNOW SHES MARRIED I DON’T CARE. (i forgot actually sorry but i do like the idea of sansa and a wildling girl) or bring back hannah john kamens character ornela? she and sansa would be SO PRETTY TOGETHER. in another life i could have hoped harry hardyng would fall deeply madly in love with her and they’d have a legit partnership esp after she was revealed as sansa stark and she was soft with his bastard children in a way she never thought she’d be as a child bc she knows better now and he’d be her handsome trophy husband who’s kind of a snarky asshole but head over heels for her. ALAS HE DOES NOT EXIST IN SHOWVERSE so ig that means either he’s a ramsay-type asshole who treats her like garbage and she must escape him or he’s completely irrelevant to the future.

nOTP

i’m not personally here for any of the sansa/old men ships floating about. subverting her character doesn’t have to mean she winds up with an ugly old dude she’d never have wanted in season 1. she can still not want them without that rendering her character development void or lacking in some way

sidenote i wish this section had a fOETP bc i’m obsessed with her and cerseis relationship forever but that doesn’t fit into brotp otp or notp so i’m making an addendum

random headcanon

she bi dude

unpopular opinion

show-wise? i am both angry we lost her vale plot and that she was swapped out with jeyne for the bolton disaster show, but if i had to live with that then i’m glad we got her reunion with jon and her taking back the north. i’m mad at the journey s5 took but not the places it brought us to in s6, if that makes sense. BOOKWISE? ummm i don’t ship her with any ugly old men. also she’s one of the most amazing characters in the whole series (i mean the BEST to me personally) and her chapters are so unbelievably beautiful and lyrical and i could read them forever. also… the kingsroad was not that deep it was just a fustercluck and the only thing we don’t dissect enough was how cersei had so much time to manipulate her into keeping her mouth shut

song i associate with them

no song but here’s a fanvid rec :) i love watching this on my phone at 3 am and sobbing into my dog

favorite picture of them

[awed-frog]

So, the cuestion about writing it's just... I love writing, I love reading, I love my ideas and I really believe they're good ideas, but I can't finish them and I really don't know why. I thought maybe it was bc I had to plan them better, or bc I had to let myself just write and see what happens in the moment; I thought maybe the problem it's that I should tell them in a different way (like for a comic that then I could draw) but nothing I do works and it really hurts

Hi there! Thanks for writing back! So, what you’re describing is really a common feeling - I think most writers or artists have felt this way and can recognize what you’re describing. I’m going to talk about my experience, and I hope you can find something that you can relate to and that can be helpful to you.

The tl;dr part is, I think there are many possible causes for not being able to finish a story. Here are a few of them:

you’re having technical problems

you’re too much of a perfectionist 

you can’t put on paper what’s in your head

you’re having what I call ‘the Vermeer problem’

you have too many ideas for other stories and can’t focus

you’re experiencing a lack of support for your writing

you are bored with your own story

you’re afraid to finish the story

you can’t finish the story

you can’t tell these things apart

Let’s have a look at them, and remember - I’m talking about my experience here, so this might not apply to you at all. I’m just talking into the void hoping this will help you in some way.

1) This is the most common problem for someone who’s only just starting out. You know your beginning should capture the readers’ attention, but you don’t know how to make that happen. You know the ending should be spectacular and magically solve every issue, but you don’t know how to get there. Since we are rarely taught creative writing in school, this is completely normal, and there’s no easy way to get past it. Like for everything else, you’ll need a lot of practice, and maybe some kind of formal instruction (for instance, this is a good book, but there are many more). So, you know - do what works for you. Maybe join a writers’ club, or an online challenge. Read and reread books you like, and remember to read them ‘with the mind-set of a carpenter looking at trees,’ as Terry Pratchett put it. If you can, write every day - I find codas are a great way to practice, get better and get read (and if you’re comfortable to, you can ask your readers for pointers or criticism). Not being very good at writing is a big problem, but it’s also a problem you can solve. 

2) Being a perfectionist is one of those things that often trips you up more than it helps you, and there are some areas of your life - relationships, foreign languages, writing - where you have to let go of it. If this is an issue for you, remember that everyone is crap when they start out (do you know the original lyrics to Beatles classic Yesterday? ew!) and maybe experiment with breathing exercises, with yoga, or try writing with a soundtrack to get out of your mind a little. So, really - I’m not saying perfectionism is bad, but save it for your baking efforts and last drafts - your first draft gets to be as crappy as it likes.

3) This is a very common problem. When you do creative things, be it writing music or quilting, there’s often a great deal of anxiety and dissatisfaction in finally starting a project because the more your work, the less it looks the way you’d imagined it would. Sometimes I write something that’s supposed to be sad, or that was hilarious and sexy inside my head, and the I reread it and it’s just - flat. This happens to virtually everyone, but there’s something very important we need to remember: in the words of Jim Sollisch, “Writing is the art of figuring out what you know, not the process of recording what you already know”. Think about it like this: the inside of your head is a different country. Writing down a story is like finally getting to that city you’ve been wanting to visit for ages and ages - sure, you’ve seen all the IG pictures and you’ve planned your visit and you’ve fainted and drooled over museum websites and recipes of traditional dishes, but now you’re here, and it’s real, and it’s different. You’re here, and maybe it’s raining, and maybe that famous art gallery is closed on Sundays, and maybe that blueberry pie is way, way too sweet for your taste, but still - you’re here. Isn’t it wonderful? You can smell this city and walk down its street and discover small secret corners you never even knew existed and maybe fall in love with this one person you never ever thought you’d meet. So this, to me, is a necessary step to writing: to accept that daydreaming is good, that planning can be useful, but when the time comes, you have to let go of all of that and discover the reality of what your story is like.

4) I don’t know if you read Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring - it’s a favourite of mine, and I reread it a couple of times because I love how she writes UST, how understated and yet vibrantly present the feeling is. And anyway, towards the end of the book, the portrait is finished - this one, I mean -

- and everybody says Vermeer should finally sell it and start painting something else - only, Vermeer is not happy. He takes to spending hours in his studio - not painting, not working - just staring at the thing, because it’s beautiful and balanced and textbook perfect, but something is missing and he doesn’t know what (if you haven’t, please read the book and find out how he solves this, because it’s really beautiful). This is a feeling I often have when I read a first draft - everything that I wanted in there is in there, but something still feels - off. And here, I think, there’s no magic way of solving the problem - you can either ask a beta for help, and hope they see it, or you can keep working on it (and reading other stuff, and practicing, and getting better) until you see it yourself. 

5) This is another familiar feeling: you start writing something and BAM, you’re distracted by something else. And here, you need to find out what kind of person you are, because some blessed people can work on two projects at once, and others just can’t. Me, I always fool myself and think, ‘I’ll just work on both things, a week has seven days, how hard can it be’ - but nope. Right now, for instance, I’ve got about thirty books of Roman history on my desk because there was this story screaming at me and deafening me and I really wanted to get it out of my head, but today I’m finally giving up and bringing all that stuff back to the library and accepting this is not going to happen - not right now. Not as long as I’m writing a different story and I’m in a completely different headspace. And if you’re the same way - just keep a folder, or a notebook, and fill it with these half ideas and pieces of dialogue and then put them out of your mind. One story at a time - that’s a good and reasonable goal. Because another problem of a beautiful and tantalizing scenario popping into your mind when you’re struggling to finish a chapter for something else is - that other thing is automatically going to look more appealing, because it’s not real, because it’s untested, because you haven’t ruined it yet. And that’s why you’re tempted to abandon that stupid thing you’ve got in your hands that’s not working and go pursue something else. But, again, that’s probably not the best idea. Sometimes you just need to see a story through, no matter what.

6) That said, it’s hard to finish a story when you’re keeping it to yourself. I used to be paranoid about sharing things, but fanfiction helped me to appreciate the importance of feedback. So even if you’re writing original fiction, it could be a good idea to give fanfiction a try - signing up for a bang could help you to stay motivated and focused (you’ll have a beta, and maybe an artist!), and writing codas will usually get you some attention, because many people will automatically look for codas and ‘missing scenes’ after the end of an episode. If you’re not interested in that, consider sharing your work with a friend, a teacher, or a writers’ group. 

7) This is a tough one. Maybe you’re writing fanfiction and fall out of love with the show. Maybe you’re writing original fiction but you’re no longer interested in the story. It’s okay - not every story is meant to be. You’re allowed to give up (and you never know - there are writers who go back to their manuscripts ten years later, so I would advise against burning everything in a fit or rage). The trick here is giving up for the right reasons, so before you decide to walk away, look at your story again and ask yourself: what is it that’s not working? Could this get better with a new, exciting character? Should I drop this stale plot twist? Go with a different ending? If you can get your mojo back by shifting the pieces around, give it another try; but if the whole thing’s just a chore, and you simply lost interest, move on.

8) Many of us have a problem with endings. Ending a story usually means leaving your characters behind, and close a period of your life. If you write longer stories, fics and novels are like songs - they’re usually tied to very specific moments, and in letting them go you also let a part of yourself go. Plus, there’s always a lot of pressure on getting the ending right, because that can make or break a story, and it’s often the moment when big things happen - maybe there’s a slowburn that’s getting real, and you’re afraid the long awaited kiss won’t measure up to the fireworks display you implicitly promised your readers. Or maybe someone’s dying, and you’re not ready to say goodbye. Or maybe the big plot twist you’ve been teasing forever and ever just seems childish now, and you’re not sure how to make it more impressive. Whatever the reason, endings are hard. But, again, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. A lot of things can change between your first and last draft, so you have some time there. If you’re writing fanfiction, your readers will appreciate to finally know what happens, and if you’re hoping to publish your manuscript, an editor will probably help you to shift things around and make them better. Plus, as difficult as it is to say goodbye to this world you know intimately well, there’s also a sense of relief in finishing anything that takes up so much of your time and soul. It feels good. So: breathe. Relax. Write. 

9) A distinct problem is that you objectively can’t finish the story, or even get past the middle, or past two pages of heartbreaking dialogue, because you simply don’t know enough about that world yet. You have this great idea but you’d need to be an expert in microbiology, or cordon bleu cuisine, or deep space, to make it work. Or maybe you’re daydreaming about your very own Westeros, but your writing keeps getting interrupted by stupid, yet necessary details (how far away are these two cities? how fast can horses travel? what kind of swear words would a character with a made-up religion use?). If you’re devoted to your story, and determined to make it work, you’ll need to do research and plan and get answers to your questions before starting to write too extensively, because the wrong scientific detail can make your entire plot collapse. And the thing is, doing research is not always possible. Maybe you don’t have time right now, or access to the right resources (speaking of, there are some excellent blogs here on tumblr that will help you with making stuff more believable - a favourite of mine is @howtofightwrite). So, it’s painful, but there are some projects that need to be postponed, and others that will probably never happen at all. 

10) Finally, a big problem is that sometimes it’s hard to tell these things apart. Are you bored with your story because you can’t write a certain scene, or is it just a boring story? Are you being a perfectionist, or is this chapter actually out of balance and weird? Is this ambitious story too much for your current skills and knowledge, or are you just giving up? There is no easy answer to these questions, which is why I think it’s important to not walk away too easily - maybe come back when you’re in a better mood, or change your writing soundtrack, or set up a fake interview with yourself explaining why you’re so happy your novel is now taught in every school in America. If you can’t write, try drawing. If you can’t draw, create a moodboard for your characters, or a fake Wikipedia entry for your imaginary country. Play around with your story. Switch POVs. Create walls. Write scenes you won’t necessarily include in your final draft - get your characters trapped in an elevator, have them fired, have them hurt someone, or reminisce on childhood memories, or trudge through a really bad day. Go through writing prompts or shower thoughts or creepy Wikipedia entries and write something about that. Try to truly be honest with yourself, day after day (maybe keep a diary?), so you can get better at understanding whether it’s time to power through or time to take a break. 

Finally, I think that engaging in creative activities, whatever they may be, should be a way to make your life better, not worse. There are times when you’re just not inspired, times when you have zero ideas and zero wish to write or art or do anything, times when it’s actually better to focus on other things - your studies, your work, traveling, relationships - so that one day you’ll have something to write about. And that’s okay. Writing is like life - it’s messy, and it changes, and you change, and you just have to be patient with yourself and find a balance between loving the hell out of it and not take it too seriously. I hope this could help with getting you started, and I wish you all the best for your life and those stories crowding inside you, waiting to be told.