#i literally have a separate google docs just for future things

[the-shadowsingers-whore]

i feel like i could get my chapters written much faster if i wasn't so chaotic with my writing, but here we are 🫠

[inklore]

if it's one thing your girl is great at it's making a million different google docs full of lists full of resources, ideas, etc that will help future me when it comes to posting fics.

fic titles are literally one of the biggest lists i have and not even in a perfect world where i write ten fics a day would i ever be able to use all of these, and i don't like to see things go to waste, and i know there's people out there that struggle with titles as much as i do. so i hope this list comes in handy for someone!

i don't think i need to say this but just in case: no one owns fic titles, anyone can use these, a dozen people or one or none. these are literally just words and letters. no one owns them. sharing is caring, enjoy lovies!

★ — ONE WORD.

overboard 

runaway 

repercussions 

sledgehammer 

stargazing 

symmetry 

deathless 

honey 

retrograde 

stitches 

gravity 

helpline 

hollow 

suffer 

pushing 

warrant 

want 

wonder 

emotions 

nonchalant 

lavender 

daydream 

nosebleed 

jigsaw 

static 

float 

limbs 

hologram 

careless 

lush 

rotting 

phonograph 

hypnotic 

splinters 

magnetic 

wasted 

lithium 

dealer 

she

candles 

sabotage 

secrets

better

crescendo

deny

phenomenon

nights

guilty

move

criminal

blue

rise

thirsty

strangers

clockwork

closer

hectic

change

somebody

more

misery

like

sour

lowkey

peaches

she

nervous

sympathy

scars

disappear

melody

gemini

cruel

persona

supernatural

nectar

obsessed

casual

tryant

xo

dare

honestly

yummy

out

paradise

nuts

groin

heaven

lost

stardust

tangerine

monolith

lunch

pov

perfume

dealer

tough

arson

★ — TWO WORDS.

hush hush

night away

heart stop

stone heart

waiting for

black rose

sad kids

spine breaker

look here

autumn leaves

for you

spring day

love maze

bad decisions

take two

wild flower

blue side

rainy days

face off

slow dancing

polar night

like crazy

club heaven

deeper water

romantic devil

hold me

angel eyes

picture you

after midnight

twilight zone

drain me

sorry sorry

pretty please

how sweet

bubble gum

empty box

love therapy

play me

red velvet 

cherry bullet 

midnight guest 

cherry wish 

code words

ghost walk

bad intentions 

atlas hands 

broken crown 

crystallized words 

filthy pride 

fresh eyes 

heavy feet 

hungry ghosts 

imaginary paintings 

neon jungle 

perfect storm 

slow hands 

stop signs 

sad farewells 

untranslated stars 

after hours 

bad liar 

bonfire heart 

bruised lips 

cherry bomb 

damaged goods 

dead end 

fire away 

gunpowder hourglass 

lonely together 

lost language 

old moons 

one dance 

paper knees 

sleepy eyes 

stolen dance 

vice city 

artificial heart 

cry baby 

daylight fading 

dream awake 

empty bottle 

exit wounds 

ghost orchards 

moving stones 

paper walls 

oceans away 

playing fiction 

something wild 

wild thoughts 

everybody’s fool 

eyes closed 

storms incarnate 

writing tragedies 

stereo driver 

soul searching 

party’s over 

backseat driving 

fearful heart 

backwards directions 

nosebleed seats 

high hopes 

lovers rock

wet dream 

selfish soul 

washed away 

rose rogue 

midnight sun 

teenage fantasy 

wandering romance 

sure thing 

wildest dreams 

rock candy

losing momentum 

ruin you 

heart holiday 

sink her 

cut splinters 

hot mess 

frozen devotion 

little star 

blind faith 

favorite crime 

romantic homicide 

those eyes 

play pretend 

plot line 

pretty poison 

intimidate you 

pretty face 

strawberry kisses 

lovers rock 

worlds apart 

desperate/separate ways 

those eyes 

the blonde 

loving machine 

spill blood

someone’s someone

★ — THREE WORDS.

got my number

happy without me

not over you

crazy for you

back to you

flame of love

just one day

let me know

hold me tight

make it right

closer than this

love me again

still with you

out of love

never let go

love in space

ready to bleed 

bleed for love

between the bars 

can’t be still

cold morning mist 

in cold blood

matter of time 

piece by piece 

ship to wreck 

taut with love 

waste a moment 

can’t see straight 

down and out 

in a blackout 

just like fire 

notes on tenderness 

across the room

fire with fire 

going half-mad

loving to ruins 

rust to gold

send my love 

talking in code 

cradling a dream 

cut to black 

dear to me 

run me dry 

dancing with demons 

kiss and tell 

if you care 

the cry out 

steal this night 

just for now 

heart on fire 

hold my head 

nobody but you 

simple and plain

a familiar sound 

fool for you 

drown your memory 

falling into you 

just like heaven 

warm like beaches 

love that stings 

rotting in places 

moves on you 

save your tears 

a single tear 

light my cigarette 

long nights, daydreams 

boys like you 

love me forever 

hands on me 

like a phonograph 

taking over me 

dug so deep 

touch the ground 

heart shaped box 

where’s my love

tears of gold

lover of mine 

love me wrong

kiss or kill 

exes and why’s 

love is easy 

stupid in love 

easy to love

lost with you 

glimpse of us 

keep you safe 

death with dignity 

just like heaven 

heart of glass 

baby i’m yours 

pull my strings 

★ — FOUR+ WORDS.

love me a little

happy without me

you can't hold my heart

wishing on a star

give it to me

around the world in a day

waste it on me

this mess is yours

feeling like i do 

on a war path 

blood on the surface 

corner of the sky 

do the divine love 

drinking the corinthian sun 

everything is laced in (add word) 

lost in the moment 

in the nick of time 

mouth like a pomegranate 

the bones you’re made of 

when the mania speaks 

all desire & no thought 

blue in the face 

collapsing and relapsing 

middle of the night 

sail to the sun 

lay down your arms 

falling into the sky 

take me where your heart is 

she’s like the bad weather 

kill for your love 

the cigarette and the smoker 

the match and the fuse 

saint, i’m a sinner 

when the sky comes falling 

pretty little hand in mine 

even when the sun don’t shine

staring at the sun / sunset 

tangled up with you all night 

paper airplanes flying 

maybe i’m a fool 

tastes like rock candy 

blood in a lemon

(a) heart ready to die 

fate is losing its patience 

at least we feel alive 

death for your secrets 

someone’s gonna ruin you 

dancing in a crowded room 

smell you on my clothes 

always taste like you 

leave me wanting more 

hunger for (insert here) 

swim before you drown 

put your hands on me 

drink my (these) tears and cry 

i’d sleep all day just to dream of you 

so high we never stood a chance 

i’d break down anytime for you 

maybe i’m wrong, or maybe it’s true 

i only breathe so that i breathe with you

a worn out cassette 

lips on my cold neck 

talking in my sleep 

make me feel like someone else 

locked inside your heart 

hooked on her flesh 

it’s bloody and raw 

the angel of small death 

just a couple sinners 

smiles cover your heart 

charmer and the snake 

stuck on your thumb 

if i killed someone for you 

dancing with your ghost 

i miss you, i’m sorry 

woman of the hour 

shut up and look pretty 

queen of the night 

devil in a dress 

the thought of you 

to be your lover 

falling over you 

just like a movie 

love on the line 

[irisbleufic]

how do you keep track of everything going on in caldera? it's so sprawling, i love that about it. is it a google doc system or tabbed spreadsheet? /me unashamedly seeking writing advice bc i want to write a series someday soon, teach me your ways

I wouldn't call it a complicated system, anon! I use Google Docs to track everything as well as draft chapters of stories as I go. It's maybe helpful if I show you a screenshot; it's representative of the number of active docs I have for the series at any given time.

Caldera #15 Draft is the newest piece I'm writing, pretty straightforward. If it ends up breaking into multiple chapters, each chapter gets a separate file, and the file names become something like Caldera #15.1 Draft, Caldera #15.2 Draft, and so forth.

Caldera Series Notes is where I keep track of the broader upcoming structure, how many shorter stories before I hit the next long one, etc. If I have any brief thoughts about pacing and specific future events/scenes, I tend to dump these here in a bulleted list.

Caldera Item/Property Inventories is the fun one, and it's literally just lists of items I can't afford to lose track of as the characters accrue more. Armand's rings, the newly begun list of other jewelry items, the places they've lived for a while and new acquisitions, etc.

Caldera #21 (very end of final chapter of series, projected, may change) is a rare occurrence, because I was able to look ahead and write what I hope will be the very last pages of the very last story in the series. It's a target I can hit even if I end up with more intermediary stories to get there than I think; for instance, Caldera #21 could become Caldera #30 and those pages I've written would still be the end of it all. I'm absurdly happy with how this scene currently looks, and that excitement accounts for a little bit of why I've been working so quickly. The drive to bridge things toward a conclusion I'm satisfied with is strong, even if it'll take 30 stories instead of 21. I'm hoping for 21, but I've had a series in the past hit 30. I obviously can't rule out that kind of sprawl here, as unpredicted elements creep in.

Thanks for asking this question. I enjoy talking about process.

[misiahasahardname]

OK SO I FOUND A CONCEPT I MADE UP LIKE AGES AGO FOR A TD HIGHSCHOOL AU BUT LIKE. i made it scottish because that’s the only school system i’m used to,,,

i would spend time in computing class typing away in a google doc (literally titled ‘total drama mental illness’) instead of doing any coding…

so yeah here’s some of my old total drama highschool au stuff (copied from my doc)! (warning: OLD (kinda))

subjects chosen for highschool au (some of these choices were kinda random)

biology - noah, courtney, lindsay, cody, bridgette, heather, tyler, leshawna, dj

chemistry - izzy, cody, noah, duncan, courtney, owen, beth, geoff, trent, katie, sadie, justin

physics - gwen, noah, courtney, harold, cody, eva

french - cody, lindsay, beth, courtney, trent

german - noah, eva, izzy, duncan

mandarin - heather, harold, courtney

spanish - courtney, owen, justin, katie, sadie, tyler, bridgette, geoff, gwen, leshawna, dj

latin - noah, courtney, beth

(ancient) greek - harold

drama - heather, owen, izzy, cody, harold, leshawna, katie, sadie, justin, lindsay

music - leshawna, harold, justin, trent, cody, bridgette, courtney

art - cody, gwen, izzy, bridgette, owen, beth, justin, lindsay

rmps (religious moral philosophical studies) - dj, harold, noah, courtney

mods - noah, courtney

history - harold, trent, eva, leshawna, bridgette, beth, courtney, gwen

computing - noah, harold

technology - cody, owen

pe - tyler, eva, geoff, bridgette, duncan

accounting - trent (forced into it)

business studies - courtney, trent (also forced into it), owen

geography - harold, eva, owen, bridgette, trent, beth, lindsay

noah and courtney’s languages were chosen because they already knew a lot about the language and they kinda wanted to show off.

beth and lindsay chose french because they always wanted to go to paris.

jo is in tyler and eva’s and advanced higher pe class even though she’s a year below and should be doing nat 5s.

cody chose art for gwen. he didn’t end up with her, however, because she took advanced higher and he only took higher. cody cried when he discovered this.

trent’s dad forced him to take accounting.

cody, trent, justin and harold formed the drama brothers when they were assigned to work on a project in music together in s3. they’re all in the same AH class.

all of gen 1 are in the same form class. chris is their form teacher.

noah, ellody, courtney and emma are all key members of the student council.

izzy has accidentally set fire to the entire school twice.

sanders from ridonculous race is the headmistress because i refuse to beleive that sanders and macarthur are the same age as gen characters and because she’s better fit for this than a police job.

blaineley is a drama teacher.

kitty is an s3 in this au, while gen 1 is in s5.

izzy and duncan are the two pupils with the most detentions and suspensions. miraculously, neither of them have ever been expelled.

the lunch tables are separated by form classes.

owen takes business because he thought it would help him in his future endeavours of making a cookie business.

(so i had to take away a few of the things i wrote due to general stupidity of them or i just didn’t agree with those things anymore. i also did a little ‘teacher’s opinions’ thing that i will share if people want it? (but i doubt that). uhhh yeah basically i turn everything into an au. might make a post about orphans au, i dunno)

[spiteless-xo]

Love your fics!! Because you follow a post schedule, what's your writing process like? Do you designate a day or time in your day to write for your stories?

Thank you so much! 💕 Apologies in advance for the absolute novel I'm about to write for this question lol

When I was posting The Boys at School, I had already finished the entire fic before I even posted the first chapter. I gave myself a weekly posting schedule so I'd have a timeline to reread and edit chapters before posting.

With The Boys at Work, when I posted the first chapter I think I had already written about 20-ish chapters? Same reason as above, I gave myself a weekly posting schedule so I'd have time to do rereads and edits, but also with the added pressure of finishing the story lmao

Right now, I have 31 chapters written and another 11 plotted out. Each week after I post the new chapter and answer comments, I usually read next week's chapter and do minor edits on Wednesday and then again on Sunday or Monday before posting. I spend probably like an hour after work each day writing and maybe another hour or two on the weekend if I'm not busy. I try to write every day even if I'm not really feeling it because usually I build momentum once I start writing. If I just waited around for when I felt inspired, I don't think I'd have written anything at all lol

For my writing process with TBAS, I literally just wrote what I thought would be an interesting story for me and then called it a day lol

For TBAW, I've put a lot more thought into the structure and the story so my process is a lot more intense? I guess? Maybe mini-spoilers ahead but nothing major.

The main plot is obviously the love triangle between Jean/Reader/Eren but there's also the sub-plots of Reader's work performance, Jean's issues with his dad, and Eren's denial of his feelings.

In Arc 1 I tried to introduce all those sub-plots, in Arc 2 they really ramp up, and then in Arc 3 they all get resolved. So when I'm planning out each arc I try to plot out how I want each of the main characters to change by the end of the arc and then that gives me a general idea of how I want my chapters to be structured, so then I plot those out, and then I just start writing!

I plot out my chapters in very vague point form because when I write, sometimes I write things happening that I never planned for and it ends up working really well. Literally, the whole scene in Chapter 5 where Reader and Jean go shopping for wine was just a free-ball. Most Core Four scenes outside of the Halloween and the Cabin chapters are free-balled.

And since I have so many of these off-the-cuff, unplanned scenes, when I'm editing I usually reread the ENTIRE ARC to see if there's a way I can tie that scene into the overall plot or if I can make the characters say something that alludes to a future chapter, etc. etc.

Honestly, most of the time when I'm editing, I'm actually just reading. I've reread this entire story SO MANY TIMES!!! I can't even count lol

But in general, I just sit down, write, and try to loosely stick to my rough point-form plot. Editing is the most important part of my story, but I can't do any editing if I haven't written anything. So I just write, no matter how bad it is or how disconnected or disjointed, etc. etc. and then I wait a few days, reread it with fresh eyes, and then start making changes.

Sometimes those changes involve rewriting the whole chapter, other times it's just minor edits or adding/removing a scene. I literally have a separate google doc of "deleted scenes" that's like 50k words of stuff that I've cut out from chapters in the main story, but that I wanted to keep in case I want to use them elsewhere.

ANYWAY sorry for the book!! I love talking about this stuff and my boyfriend doesn't really care so I don't have anyone to gush about this with 🥺🥺🥺 So thank you so much anon for the question, sorry I got out of hand, but I really appreciate the opportunity to talk about something that I love doing ♥♥

[humanperryfic]

6, 24, and 27 for Perryverse, and 12 and 13 in general

6. How did you decide what tense and POV(s) to use?

So I almost always write in present tense (I'm not a fan of past tense beyond flashbacks, and I don't think I've ever written in future tense xD) but the whole POV thing? It really boiled down to whose voice I thought would tell the best story for the chapter.

It obviously had to start and end with the Original Perry. Perryborg needed to be in perspective early on and at the end of his arc to show his character growth (in fact, everybody was in perspective at their return), and of course, Doofenshmirtz had to realize that he was in love somewhere in there.

24. How did you celebrate finishing?

Oh I can't even remember. It was September 2020, so just as online school was starting up for me...I think I took a nap. And screamed on Discord a little.

I also might have made a pie? I made a lot of pies in 2020/2021. (I still make a lot of pies, actually. Literally the best meal prep I know is quiche.)

27. Share a piece of lore you made up for the story

Amicably Divorced Dooflene. Give me closeted lesbian Charlene figuring out what she really wants from life around the time Vanessa starts school and the two of them getting divorced because it just makes sense. Honestly at this point you can't convince me that she isn't a lesbian.

12. What program(s) did you use to write and edit?

Usually Google Docs (I tried to switch to Word, but I have 2 different Office accounts (college and home) set up on my computer and it's a pain in the ass to keep those accounts separate, so I'm just using Word for school stuff now).

But. I do write a lot of my oneshots directly into the AO3 text editor.

13. Did you write any of the fic by hand? If yes, which parts? Do you find you write differently by hand vs typing?

I don't really write my fics by hand much anymore- I used to a long time ago (pre-PnF), then I would type them up and post them. Theoretically it would let me edit them as I went, and typing it would let me catch everything. In practice, everything from that era sucks please don't read it.

(ty! I didn't think anyone was actually going to send me anything lol)

[crownshattered]

|| I'll make a google doc of this (along with her genshin verse) AFTER Wednesday, but here's some notes about her twst verse~)

Loosely twisted off of Vanessa (Ursula) from The Little Mermaid... Loosely because, while my thoughts about her do stem from a general idea of Vanessa, she doesn't actually have anything to do with Azul nor his storyline. Regardless, Aria is based off of Vanessa if you completely separate her from Ursula, so if she was her own individual character without any mention of Ursula.

Let's start off with some details about the ocean and merfolk... Sirens are completely outlawed. In my merfolk info post, I mentioned that being a siren is both a lifestyle and a subclass of the species. Now that humans and merfolk are on close terms, the royal family of the Coral Sea banned merfolk from partaking in devouring humans. That doesn't actually stop them from doing it, however. Aria's family are sirens, and so is she. She grew up luring in humans and eating them. However, she will NOT be eating anyone in her twst verse. Idk yet why she was invited to NRC, but she knows she would never get away with eating humans. So she has a carnivorous diet, just not human meat. Humans wouldn't know she's a siren without her telling them, but other merfolk (and humans who study merfolk) may know that her shark-like teeth (and the fact that she isn't a shark or eel mermaid) is a sign that she's a siren.

ANYWAY back to her character in general XDD I'm taking the 'man stealer' thing and running with it XDD Aria doesn't eat people anymore, but she's still a serial romance. She's super attractive and hella alluring, even without any use of magic. And, of course, mermaid.

I may change her signature spell in the future to make it actually fit Vanessa more, but for now, I'm going with something more Aria. Her signature spell allows her to steal some of the magic reserves of someone when she kisses them. She doesn't take their spells or anything like that, but literally drains them of their magic a bit and gives herself that magic.

To add onto this, idk if I want this to be an all merfolk thing or just a siren thing, but the soundwaves of her singing can allow her to sense magic around her. So basically, whenever she sings she can feel how much magic a person who hears it has. That's how she determines who she will 'hunt'.

She is very self-serving. All she cares about is herself. You can try to romance her, but she'll just be using you.

She's probably in Pomefiore, but I'm thinking about her working at the Mostro Lounge as a singer (which suits her interests XDD). Still a mermaid. Probably a 3rd year. Can't think of anything else to mention XDD

[a-kiwi-fruit-that-makes-ocs]

I’m writing a gay circus book. People I know have told me that “ You’re being so autistic about your book.” (I am autistic and I am, in fact, being autistic about my book.) I have a 4 page google doc filled with compiled information about the book that I’ve created in a week, I won’t stop talking about the book. Also I literally started wanting to make a book about a fictional circus this summer because I hate pt barnum (and that one movie) so I started to think about a circus troupe that feels mystical AND doesn’t glorify a person who did genuinely horrible things. And so I thought “How do I separate circuses from pt barnum and the other problems many circuses have today?” And then I remembered something I love so much but don’t have the money or core strength to learn. Aerial silk and other circus acrobatics. So now I’m forming a circus troupe with 13 people, each of them having their own little quirks. I haven’t actually started writing the book yet because I have to make a shit ton of characters and then after I make the characters I have to do touch ups on all the characters and stuff, and then work on how they develop through the book, and then draw each character so I have an image of them. Then I can finish the outline and start writing. Once I get closer to publication, I’m going to start advertising and stuff. What I’m likely going to do is when I’ve finished everything and am almost ready to publish, I’m going to release a character profile two or three times a week going from characters with the least appearance to the most appearance to get people wanting to hear more characters, and then I’ll release the main character the day before I publish the book. When I publish the book, there will have already been a website for it with the character’s profiles. On the website Im thinking I’m going to have a shop where you can buy a few different things related to the characters in the circus troupe. I’m probably going to make a tarot deck based on the characters, and I also want to make collectible cards in which you can chose to get a pack of 3, 6, or 13. (Each pack of 13 will include 1 design for of the characters. I plan to make two designs for each character, one for their early book self and one for their end book self.) I’m getting caught up in the future and a lot of this is just what I hope will happen.

[serendipitous-magic]

What is your writing advice for young people who want to write fanfiction and original stories in the near future?

If this is just Way Too Much, skip to the end (#16). My most important piece of advice is there. I also happen to think #5 is pretty good.

-_-_-_-

1) Literally just write. Write whatever you want, and do a lot of it.

_-_

2) You don’t have to post everything. In fact you don’t have to post anything. You can, don’t get me wrong, but it can be intimidating to sit down and think “I will now write something that other people will see and read and judge with their eyeballs.” Because that’s probably gonna lead to nerves and writer's block. Just write down the ideas that you have, the things you want to write, whatever’s in your brain that you want to explore and expand upon and make into something. And then if you want to, share it. Or don’t share it. I have plenty of half-baked ideas and documents and random story chapters and shit hidden away on my Google Drive that will never see the light of day, for a whole number of reasons. I wanted to write it but it wasn’t ~Spicy~ enough to warrant posting, or it’s only like an eighth of a good idea, or it’s like one scene with no story around it, or it’s just something incredibly self-indulgent I just wanted to write for my own enjoyment.

Point being, don’t write for other people. Don’t write so that other people can read it; write what you want, write for yourself, and then if you want to share it, do.

_-_

3) You can pretty much ignore any and all of these for fanfiction. In fact, you can ignore pretty much any rules or guidelines you want for fanfiction. Fanfic is a sandbox. You don’t have to be a “professional writer” to post fic. No one expects you to be Stephen King or Margaret Atwood. Fanfic is just for playing in a fandom and having fun. If you wanna write a 50 chapter slow burn with very little plot aside from the OTP slowly getting to know each other, and no real stakes or central conflict, I guarantee people would read that. Really, fanfiction is the Old West of writing: lawless, wild, unpredictable, and free.

However, here are the rules you must follow:

-Separate your paragraphs. (I’m sure you know this already, but I’m gonna say it anyway just in case.) Do not post one big block of text. Make a paragraph break when someone new is talking, when the characters are in a new place, when a new event occurs that changes the scene, when a chunk of time has passed, and when there’s a major change in subject.

-I know it’s obvious, but... grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. They exist to make writing easy for readers to read, and more people will read your stuff if they don’t have to stop and try to figure out what you meant.

-Use tags and labels, as is possible with whatever site you’re using. Especially if you include possibly triggering content in your story. Again, I know it’s obvious, but it’s common courtesy. Bonus: tagging the themes and content of your story helps readers find it and read it :)

-If possible, limit the use of all-caps and exclamation marks / question marks. 99% of the time, one ! or one ? will do. If you overload the page with a lot of all-caps and long rows of exclamation marks or question marks, it hampers readability.

... That’s literally all I can think of. And, like I said, it’s all pretty basic stuff. You were probably rolling your eyes like, “Uh, yeah, Gwen, I know.” But that’s literally it. You can pretty much do whatever you want in fanfic.

That being said, here’s my advice for both fanfiction and original work...

_-_

4) A quick and dirty rule for coming up with a plot, starting a story, keeping up pacing, or maintaining tension: figure out what dreams, desires, and goals are nearest and dearest to your main character’s heart (see #16). Then set up the main conflict to be directly in opposition to that goal. It doesn’t have to be in a tangible way, though it could be. But, if your main character wants more than anything to reach the ships on the southern coast of your world and sail to a new life, make sure the main conflict immediately prevents them from doing that - in fact, make sure to send them north. If your main character just wants to keep their loved ones safe, kidnap the loved ones. If your main character just wants to date their best-friend-turned-crush, make sure they think they have no chance - or, make them cocky about it, and make sure it makes Person B determined not to ever like them. You get it. Figure out what your character most wants, and then keep them from having that. Boom - your conflict now ties in with your character's motivation. It's like instant yeast for plots.

_-_

5) If you’re anything like me, you want your first draft to be Good, despite all that advice about how the first draft doesn’t have to be good and it’s just to get words on the page, yadda yadda. And if you’re somewhat of a perfectionist (like myself), it’s easy to get stuck looking at a blank page because you don’t have The Perfect Words, and you want what you write to be Good the first time.

Here’s how I cheat that:

Instead of trying to write a Good First Draft from a blank page, hit the enter key a few times, skip a little down on the page, change your ink to red (or blue, or whatever - just something immediately identifiable as Not Black) and just thought vomit. Write whatever the hell you’re thinking, exactly as you think it. Don’t worry about it being readable, don’t worry about narrative flow for now, don’t worry about covering all the details, don’t worry about anything except either a) getting all the details of your idea out onto the page, whether that’s a lot or whether it’s just a sentence or two, or b) if you don’t have an idea yet, finding your way there.

Because this method is also very good for finding your way to ideas when you’re stuck in writer’s block.

Because of how human brains work, getting this stuff out onto the page - in all its messy, stream-of-consciousness glory - will likely spark more thoughts. As you write your original idea about the scene, it’ll likely spark more ideas. Creation begets creation. If you just start thought-vomiting your ideas onto the page, chances are you’ll think of more things as you go, and you’ll start filling out description or dialogue or tone or action or whatever, and pretty soon the scene starts writing itself.

Not sure where you’re going with the scene or which ideas you wanna use? Use a lot of ambivalent language in your “thought-vomit draft.” My pre-writing notes are chock-full of the words “maybe,” “perhaps,” and the phrases, “At some point...” and “...or something like that.” In this way, I don’t tie myself down to one idea; it’s just an idea, and I’m keeping it on the page in case I use it, but I might chuck it in the trash or change it or whatever.

And then, once your ideas for the scene (or story, or chapter, or whatever) are on the page, then go back to the top and start translating them into a “real” first draft. Use black ink, and start copy-pasting chunks of the thought-vomit up into the top part of the document and translating them into Draft 1. Separate out paragraphs where paragraph breaks should be. Add the correct punctuation and whatnot. Change “describe the lobby here - include potted plants, fancy carpet, blood stain, etc.” into an actual description of the lobby. Flesh it out, or condense, or whatever it needs. And if you’re still stuck, change back to red ink and ramble some more until you find a path that feels right, then plug that in. This keeps you from looking at a blank page, and it allows you to generate a kind of Draft 0.5, somewhere between a plan and a first draft.

You don’t have to use every idea. Like I said, jot down whatever comes to mind, put a “maybe” before or after it, and keep working. If the idea grabs you and you wanna keep expanding on it and exploring it, cool. If you just wanna jot it down so you don’t forget it and then move on, also cool. Red-ink draft / “thought-vomit draft” is your time to jump around in the timeline, add or finesse details at whatever point your brain moves to, etc. Don’t try to do it exactly in story order, because you will get tangential thoughts and ideas, and you will not remember to write them down five pages later when you finally get to taking notes on that scene. Trust me. On that note...

_-_

6) Write everything down the moment you think of it. Seriously.

“I’ll remember it when I get around to writing that scene in a couple days / weeks / months (/years).”

You won’t.

Write it down.

Phone, journal, google docs - hell, my family regularly laughs at me for grabbing a napkin during dinner and scribbling thoughts down alongside pasta sauce stains.

And then, once you have it written down somewhere...

_-_

7) Consolidate your writing ideas in one place.

Maybe this isn’t really your style, and that’s totally chill.

Buuuut, if you’re Type-A like me - or if you tend to be somewhat unorganized and you know you’ll lose track of your writing notes if they’re scattered across multiple notebooks, journals, napkins, phone notes, etc. - having one consolidated document of notes is a life saver. I keep mine on Google Docs so I can access it, add to it, and look through it for inspiration anywhere at any time. When I have one of those Shower Thoughts that I jot down on my phone or on a napkin during dinner, I set myself a reminder on my phone to type it up in my Story Ideas document later.

(Or, if the idea I had was for a story of mine that I’ve already started planning / drafting / whatever, I put it in the document for that story instead of the Big Random Story Ideas doc. You get it.)

_-_

8) Have other ways to collect and save writing ideas, besides just writing stuff down. If you like Pinterest, make pinterest boards of your characters or stories or settings or whatever. If you’re big into playlists, make a playlist for your character / setting / story / etc. Or both. Or something else. I’m not good at drawing, but maybe you are, and maybe you like to draw your ideas. Whatever form it takes, having another way to save ideas and think about your stories is invaluable.

_-_

9) Some writers can just start writing with no idea where the story is going, and they just kind of figure it out as they go. I envy those writers. And I do that sometimes for fanfiction, where the stakes are somewhat lower and the audience is reading more for scene-to-scene enjoyment (and to see their OTP kiss) than for a Driving And Compelling Narrative.

But here’s the thing: especially if you’re just kind of starting out, writing without some sort of plan is really, really hard, and will likely lead you into a slow, meandering narrative that will likely frustrate you.

Even if you think you’re someone that just can’t write with a plan (and again, I have the highest respect for pansters out there - I don’t know how you do it, you crazy bastards, but you keep doing you) - even if you think “I can’t work with plans, they’re too prescriptive, I just want to write and see what happens -”

Try at least making the most skeletal of plans.

Even if you have no clue what 90% of the story is, yet. That’s fine. But you need to have some idea of what you’re building to, even if that’s nothing more specific than a feeling, or a turning point for your character. Even if your entire plan for everything beyond Chapter 1 is, “At some point, Charlie needs to realize that Ed was lying to her.”

This is where those Draft 0.5 notes come in handy. Because, more than likely, working on your current scene that way will spark ideas for later scenes, which you can put down at the bottom of the document and save for when they become relevant. In my experience, the line between planning ahead and making a Draft 0.5 is exceptionally thin. One can quickly turn into the other.

If you’re really, really resistant to the idea of planning ahead, that’s okay. It’s not everybody’s style. But for the love of all that is holy, write down your ideas for future scenes, even if you’re a person that doesn’t like to plan and writes only in story order, because you will not remember that idea once you get to that scene.

_-_

10) You don’t have to write in order.

Here’s the thing: I’m a person that can only do my Draft 1 in story order (meaning, chronological order). I just have to be in that flow; I need to write in story order for me to best channel where the character is at from scene to scene, both narratively and emotionally.

But my Thought Vomit Draft is another thing entirely. By using the brain hack of putting my notes in red (or another color, it doesn’t matter) and going down to the bottom of the document / page and taking notes there, and then integrating them into whatever plan I have, and then translating them into Draft 1 once I get there in the story - by doing that, I can get my good ideas onto the page (and expound upon them and let my muse carry me and ride that momentum while I’m in the moment of inspiration) without writing out of order.

Maybe that’s just me. But if you’re a person who really prefers to write in story order, that could be hugely helpful to you. It is to me.

_-_

11) Emotion and motivation will do more for your story than technicalities of plot.

If your characters really care about something, and their journey through the (shaky or weak) plot is emotionally engaging, it will be a much more compelling story than a story with a “perfect” plot and unrelatable or unmotivated characters.

If your characters care about what they’re doing, and it means something to them, and their goals and actions are driven by dreams or fears or emotions that are integral to who they are, your audience will care too. If you have a perfectly crafted plot that hits all the right beats and has high stakes and fast pacing and drama - but your characters don’t connect with what’s happening in a way that’s deeply meaningful or emotional for them? You’re gonna have a hard time engaging readers.

When in doubt, prioritize character emotion and motivation over plot. Emotion is what drives story.

This power is highly exploitable. (Just look at pulp novels and shitty but entertaining movies.) You can even use it to glaze over plot holes or reinvigorate a limp narrative. Use it that way sparingly, though. It’s a band-aid, not a surgery. 

_-_

12) Evil villains are hard to write - mostly because there are very few truly evil people in the world. (There are a few. Billionaires and several big name politicians come to mind.) But by and large, there aren’t that many evil people. There are plenty of bad people, but bad people have some good in them, somewhere in there. Trying to write an evil villain is hard, because they often turn very cartoony.

Here’s a tip: it’s much easier to write antagonists who aren’t evil. Even if they’re bad people. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t write a villain that’s just truly evil - a serial killer, or an abuser, or a billionaire, or someone who legit just wants to hurt people or blow up the earth or stay in control of an oppressed population, or whatever. But chances are, it’s gonna be really hard to make them feel real, and even harder to create a plot around them that doesn’t feel forced or contrived.

Instead, try writing an antagonist / villain whose motivations and goals directly clash with your protagonist’s - but not because they want to take over the world or see people suffer. Write an antagonist who’s chaotic good, but whose perception of the situation is completely opposite from your hero’s. Write an antagonist whose only desire is to save people, and who will do anything to achieve that goal - anything. Write an antagonist who believes in the letter of the law, and will hinder and oppose the hero’s methods even if they agree with the hero’s motivation. Write an antagonist who got in way over their head and did some things they regret, and now they don’t know how to get out, and they’re doing their best but whatever they set in motion is too powerful for them to stop now.

Write villains who are human. Write a killer who thought they were doing the right thing by taking their victim out of the equation, who vomits at the sight of the body and sobs over the grave they dig. Write a government leader who truly believes she’s doing what’s best for her people in the long-term, even if it might hurt them in the short term, and is willing to endure the hatred and belligerence of the masses if it means securing what she thinks is a better future for her people. Write a teenage bully that thinks they’re the one being picked on by the world, and they’re just fighting back, standing their ground. Write a scientist who will break any code of ethics and hurt anyone he needs to - in order to bring back his baby sister from the grave, because he promised her he’d protect her and he failed. Write an antagonist who is selfish and self-centered and capricious - because in order to survive they had to look out for Number One, and that habit ain’t about to break anytime soon.

Write villains who aren’t even villains. Write antagonists who oppose the hero because of moral differences. Write antagonists who are trying to do the right thing. Write antagonists who treat the heroes with kindness and dignity and respect and gentleness.

They don’t have to be good. They don’t have to be Misunderstood Sweethearts who “deserve” a redemption arc. They can be cruel and nasty and dismissive and callous and violent and etc. etc.

Just hesitate before you make them Evil-with-a-capital-E. Because evil is hard to write, and honestly, boring to read. Flawed human beings with goals and motivations that directly oppose the main characters’ are much easier to write and much more interesting to read.

Ask why. Why is your villain trying to take over the world? What does that even mean? Are they trying to create a Star-Trek-like post-capitalism utopia, but they know that won’t happen in a million lifetimes, so they’re trying to do it by force? Are they actually super in favor of human rights, but they got very impatient waiting for the world to do anything about poverty and war, so they decided to take it into their own hands? Are they determined to fix the world - no matter the cost? Are they terrified and overwhelmed, but committed to see it through to the end? Or - maybe they’re just doing it on a dare. Maybe they don’t really give a shit about world domination, they were just a mediocre rich white guy who decided to fuck around and find out, and now he’s kind of curious how far he can take this thing. And now he’s kind of an internationally-wanted criminal, so he’s kind of stuck living on his hidden private island in his multi-billion dollar secret base, strapping lasers to sharks’ heads for the hell of it. Gross, selfish, uncaring, and dangerous? For sure. Evil? Depends on your definition. See, now we’re getting somewhere.

_-_

13) It’s tempting to let the plot control the characters. It’s easy to drop your characters into a situation and see how they react. But here’s the thing: that doesn’t drive plot. In fact, it bogs down pacing. Instead, try to build you plot off of your characters’ actions and decisions. Let your character build their own situation. Not to say it should go they way they wanted it to go; in fact, usually, their grand plans should go to hell very quickly. But having the characters take action and make decisions, and letting the plot develop based on that, is much easier to make compelling than making a rigid series of events and then trying to herd your characters into them.

_-_

14) Having trouble justifying a character’s actions? Consider having them make the opposite decision, or having them approach the situation in a different way. For example: you need your character to go meet the bad guy, for plot reasons, even though there’s no way it’s not a trap. If the character goes, readers are gonna be groaning with their head in their hands, because c’mon man, that was really fucking stupid. But he’s gotta go, because the plot needs that. Two ways you might handle this: a) He knows it’s probably a trap. He decides not to go. The plot conspires to get him near the villain anyway. Or, b) He knows it’s a trap. But he needs to go, for (insert reasons here). So, he approaches it in an unexpected way. He brings backup, recruiting a side character we met earlier in the story. Or he arrives on the back of a dragon, because ain’t nobody gonna fuck with a dude on a dragon. Or he goes - early, and ambushes the villain. It may work, it may not. He may get himself kidnapped anyway. But it moves the plot along without having Stupid Hero Syndrome.

_-_

15) This is a legit piece of advice: if all of this sounds overwhelming, literally just ignore it and write what you want. For real. Writing should be fun, and every single writer operates differently. If you’re sitting here like “I’m getting stressed just reading this,” just flip me a good-natured bird and get on with your life. I promise I won’t take it personally. Same goes for literally any other writing advice you see. Lots of rules and guidelines can very quickly make anything thoroughly un-fun. Just write. If you’re passionate about it and you do it for long enough, you’ll start figuring out the tips and tricks on your own.

_-_

16) Here’s the best piece of advice I can give you: know your characters. More importantly, know what’s important to them. Build their personality and decisions off of that, and build your plot off of their decisions.

I see a lot of character building sheets that ask a shit-ton of questions like “What’s their most prized possession?” “Do they like their family?” “What’s their favorite food?”

And while these are good questions, my problem with this type of character building is that if you start there, with the little stuff, you’re building on nothing. IMO, to make a truly strong character (not strong like Inner Strength, strong like effective), you need a strong foundation.

Here are the things you must know about your character:

a) What are their greatest fears / deepest insecurities? And I don’t mean “wasps” or “heights.” I mean the deep shit. I mean fears like “living a meaningless life,” or “turning out just like their parents,” or “that no one will ever love them,” or “being powerless.” You may say, “But they’re really scared of wasps! They fall into a wasp nest when they were little and got stung so much they almost died!” Great! That’s a fantastic bit of backstory. They should absolutely be afraid of wasps, and that should absolutely be an impediment later in the story. But dig deeper. What about that event actually scarred them? Was it the helplessness? Stumbling around, swatting at the air, not being able to do a single thing to stop what was happening to them? Was it that they were alone, and no matter how loud they screamed, no one was coming? Was it the bodily horror of feeling themself turn into an inhuman creature as they swelled up from the stings, unable to move their fingers or face normally anymore?

And don’t forget insecurities, because those factor in, too. Are they deeply insecure about their identity? Do they believe, deep down, that they’re ugly? Did they grow up poor and they’ve always been really touchy about that? Why? Dig deep. Figure out what really, really bothers them.

b) What are their hopes and dreams? What do they truly want out of life? What do they consider the most valuable to their experience here in this thing called life? Is it the freedom to forge their own path and be independent? Is it the approval of their family or peers? Is it a home? Is it knowledge, or understanding? Spiritual fulfillment? Is it deeply important to them that they contribute to their community, or protect those they love? What do they need in order to feel truly and deeply fulfilled in life?

Figure out those two things (each one encompasses several things, btw, you don’t have to stop at just one for each), and then use that to inform how they behave and the types of decisions they make within the story. 

It also informs character behavior and personality. 

Let’s say we have a character who’s afraid of helplessness. They’re probably gonna be the person that always wants to do something, try something, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. They’d despise just sitting and waiting, probably, because it makes them feel powerless. They might even be the person that makes rash decisions and acts impulsively and puts themself in danger unnecessarily, because in their mind it’s better than being at the mercy of fate. This is one way you could use a character’s personality to inform their decisions, which in turn helps to inform plot.

Or, let’s say we have a character whose greatest fear is being left behind or forgotten. We may have a chatterbox on our hands. They might be obnoxious. They might love the spotlight, constantly vying for attention no matter the situation, because deep down they’re so afraid that they’d be forgotten otherwise. Or, it may go the opposite way. They may be so afraid of people leaving them that they’re terrified of bothering people. They don’t want to do anything that could annoy people, anything that might give people a reason to leave them. They might be exceedingly polite, quiet, accommodating. A push-over, really.

These are two nearly opposite types of personalities, both stemming from the same core fear/insecurity. You can go a lot of different ways with it. But if you build on that strong foundation, you’ll have a strong character, and a stronger plot.

Likewise, the structure of your story can and should inform the design of these character traits. If you need your characters to team up near the end, it may be impactful if you give your main character a deep fear of commitment, an insecurity about being unwanted or left behind, and make them highly value independence and freedom. That could make their team-up for the final battle very meaningful. Conversely, you can use your character’s deepest fears and desires to help design the plot. Is your character deeply insecure about voicing their opinions or taking a stand, because of trauma they faced in the past? Make them face that. Build that into the climactic third act. Give them the big inspirational speech where they stand up and talk about what they believe to be important, what they think the group should do. And then design that character arc to run through the story, giving you more handholds and stepping stones, more pieces of foundation on which to design the plot.

In this way, character should inform story as much as story informs character. It’s a feedback loop.

Bonus: if you build your character and your plot off of each other in this way, it automatically starts to build in the foundations of that emotional investment I mentioned earlier. If your character’s decisions are based on what they most want and do not want in life, you basically have your character motivation and stakes pre-built.

Note: you need to know these things about your villain, too.

-_-_-

I’m genuinely sorry about the length of this, lmao. But you did ask.

Best of luck!

Edit: I forgot an important one:

17) Start when the scene starts and end when the scene ends.

What do I mean by that?

If your notes say “Danny asks Nicole out after school and majorly flubs it,” start the scene when Danny approaches Nicole after school. Better yet, cold-open the scene on “I was wondering if, you know, you’d wanna. You know. Hang out some time?”

Don’t start that morning when Danny goes to school, unless you’re gonna cover the school day in like one or two sentences. Don’t spend whole paragraphs going through the school day, unless it’s to cover other plot points first (in which case apply these same guidelines there), or if the paragraphs are there for a specific reason, like to illustrate how stressed he is and how it seems like every little thing is going wrong. Even then, trim the fat as much as possible. Expounding and describing everything Moment-to-moment is for the meat of the scenes, not the leading-up-to and coming-away-from.

Here’s my rule of thumb: study how and when movies cut from scene to scene. Movies have exceptionally strict, limited time for storytelling; they’re excellent examples of starting a scene when the plot point starts and ending when it’s over. If you can’t picture a movie showing everything you showed, start the scene later and end it earlier.

[thatprolificauthor]

Ways to Deal with Lack of Motivation (writing ver.)

Whether you call it lack of motivation, writer's block, lack of muse, drought of creativity, etc. we all know similar feelings of wanting to write but just not being able to.

This post is a masterlist of what I've done in the past and/or advised people to do in the past when they've come to me, saying they don't know what to do to overcome this mental block.

It will be in plain-text for now, but I do plan to make separate posts about each one, so feel free to reblog to save! You can also comment, reblog, message me, etc. if you would like to be added to a taglist for a specific method's post.

If you have anything you do personally that isn't specifically on this list, you can either reply in the comments, or feel free to reblog!

Now, let's help some of our friends out, shall we!

The list is under the cut.

Most of my masterlist posts are organized alphabetically, but because of the nature of this post, I'm deciding to list things a bit differently.

The sections will be grouped based on what the method calls for (like changes in the doc, changes in device, etc.)

Document-Specific (confirmed to work in Google Docs)

Change up the design!

You can change pretty much anything from the font, the font style, the font size, the font color, the background color, etc. You can add pictures (either using copy and paste or inserting it as a watermark). The possibilities are endless! Heck, you can even write using the columns section if you feel like it. 

Formatting it like a book might also help you. Personally, doing this makes me feel really cool.

Also, the comic sans trick (literally just switching the document font to comic sans) might help too.

Make the words invisible!

Change the font color to be the same page as the background color, effectively making it so you cannot see what you write! If you're one to edit while you write (and want to stem that habit) or get too caught up on the tiny things, this might be a helpful method for you!

Use speech to text!

Speech to text is a really useful tool. You can get words down fast without having to worry about every keystroke it takes to write that one word, that one sentence, that one paragraph, etc.

Make a list!

Make a list of your ideas, sensory details, plot points, things you want to write that session, etc. You'll end up with an organized brain dump at the end and will have a much clearer idea of where you might want to go with your writing.

To keep yourself on track, write the scene that corresponds to that idea, sensory detail, plot point, etc. under the bullet point you initially wrote. Gradually do this for every point on the list, and watch your progress!

Additionally, you can also keep a list, either in the comments or a separate document, of irrelevant thoughts (either for that specific project or writing in general). This way, you'll be able to come back to all of your great ideas without having them distract you. 

Use placeholders!

These placeholders can be anything from a few words in brackets to a paragraph long summary. Just jot down enough information for Future You to understand what you wanted and enough for Present You to feel like you can move on. 

Examples include [insert name], "Character A will EITHER (insert choice) or (insert choice)", and "Character A needs to blank, blank, and blank, which causes blank, blank, and blank to happen."

Device-Specific (confirmed to work on Chromebooks)

Disable your backspace!

Backspace is a key you might find yourself using a lot when you write. If you're the type to edit while you write or get stuck on the small things, but don't want to make your writing invisible, don't let yourself have the luxury of having that backspace key during your writing sessions. Reassign the backspace function to a different key, one you're not tempted to use so often.

Don't switch tabs!

If you're writing on a computer, dedicate that device to writing during your session. Any music or non-writing-related activity can be done with a separate device like your phone.

You can also use something like StayFocusd to limit yourself to which websites you can use during your writing session if you know you're prone to wandering down rabbit holes or gravitate toward YouTube.

Group your tabs!

Grouping your tabs can help you organize your virtual workspace. You can have one group for research and one group for writing, one group for each project, etc.

You can also color code each group!

Assign Desks!

Chromebooks allow you to use up to 8 desks at a time. You can use one for writing, one for irrelevant tabs, etc.

Get off your device!

Put that phone down. Close that laptop. Grab a good old notebook and pen/pencil/writing utensil of your choice. We're going back to the old days where the internet didn't exist, and all you have for company is your own imagination, whether you like it or not. Have fun!

Audio-Specific

Make playlists!

These playlists could be for your characters, your settings, your scenes, your projects, etc. They can help you get into the mood and have fun!

You get bonus points if the playlist won't run out of songs mid-writing session.

If you're writing fanfiction or roleplaying as a certain character, they may be pre-existing playlists that you can use as inspiration for your own.

Lyric to language!

Copy and paste the lyrics to a song you think would fit the mood of the scene, and write snippets in relation to each line. This uses pre-existing media as a prompt for your writing, which can be immensely helpful if you don't know where to start.

If you're writing fanfiction or roleplaying as a certain character, there might be fan songs that exist that you might want to check out!

Surf Authortube!

Authortube is a great resource for writers if you want to improve. You can also put it on in the background. There are some authors who do write-with-me's as well.

Abbie Emmons and Bethany Atazadeh are personal favorites. They have several genre/mood specific music videos to write to, and they're great!

Put on that Instrumental!

If you find that you can't write whilst listening to something with lyrics, go for instrumentals!

Look up band pieces! Celtic Air and Dance, Red Thunder, etc. are all good choices.

Session-Specific

Act it out!

If possible, try to emulate the scene you're trying to write with your activities. Go hiking if your characters are going hiking and take notes on what it's like. Go swimming if you're trying to figure out how to describe that one water temperature. Eat that food if you're trying to figure out how to describe its taste.

Grabbing a buddy or getting a group of friends together to help you could also be very fun!

Set the scene!

If possible, try to emulate the setting you're trying to write with your surroundings. Go into your closet if you're trying to write a character in a small, enclosed space. Crawl under a desk, a table, a chair, etc. Put yourself in your characters' shoes.

Sprint it out!

Set a timer for a certain period of time and write until that timer goes off. Look at how many words you've written. Try to beat that in your next sprint!

Sprinto is a good Discord bot if you use Discord.

If you don't want to look at your word count, and just want to have focused writing sessions, then do that! No one's stopping you. Feel free to do what works for you!

Dump it out!

Brain dumps are extremely helpful with getting all of your ideas and thoughts out, effectively clearing your mind so you can start writing.

I like doing mine on paper, but you can do yours in a document, in your document's comments, in Google Keep, etc.

Take breaks!

Every so often, get up and do something. Reward yourself. Clear your mind. And then get back to it.

I take breaks to stim and tic and do things that I've been meaning to do but haven't done, especially when I'm frustrated with a session not going as I planned.

Write something different!

This might seem a bit counter-productive, but sometimes, you just need a change! It's perfectly fine to make a new document over some new concept you really want to write about and come back to your main project later.

If you want to stay slightly more on-topic, pick a character and ask yourself questions.

Examples include: How would this character do in a grocery store? Write about if they use coupons, if they have a certain route, if they like certain brands, if they only get organic foods, etc.

If you want to explore a setting, pick a leaf or a petal or a piece of paper, something small, and have it blow through the wind. Write about its journey and what it "sees" as it moves through a castle, a forest, etc.

Have fun!

Have fun with your writing. It doesn't have to be a job or a chore or something you absolutely dread doing. Sometimes, you just need to change your perspective.

So write fanfiction of your own WIP!

Roleplay as your OCs!

Write something so bizarre and so outlandish!

Make writing fun again!

Collaboration-Specific

I don't have any methods that you absolutely need friends for. This section is just to let you know that, sometimes, company can help! Getting into a voice channel in Discord, facetiming, etc. with a group of friends can really help boost your morale and help you finish that scene, chapter, etc.

Get into a Writing Discord, a Roleplay Discord, a Fandom Discord, etc. Engage with people on platforms!

Writing doesn't have to be a solitary activity.

-Last Updated: June 23, 2022-

That's about all I have for now!

I hope this helps you if you've been stuck in that awful limbo.

Until next time, friends!

[mcytnoodles]

Okay its been a day, still rotating morph au around in my head but tbh i'm just fucked up thinking about them all and trying to put it into something coherent dhshshsh

Like Bdubs & Cleo and Scar & Grian being so close its weird, and Impulse & Tango doing the opposite bc the crastle alliance got messy

Or even like, characters who we haven't really seen yet?? Like idk if Bdubs & Cleo are so close they basically refused to split up, then hows Ren going to cope without Martyn? Tbh hows Ren going to cope with any of it bc The Red King was a lot.

Also! Idk how u made the "being dead" part of third life work lore wise but i would like to know, because like, does Cleo know Bdubs betrayed Impulse (also i'm shaking abt that one to a point of its making me wanna try write fanfic for the first time in years), does Scar know Grian killed himself???

ALSO the 2nd and final deaths leaving a lasting mark i'm vibrating rapidly abt that one (i don't have anything coherent to say i just think thats cool as fuck)

Tldr i'm rotating morph au around in my head a lot <3

!!! yeah!! 3rd life as media had such a thing with relationships that were codependent to an unhealthy extent and it's so interesting because!! how do you go from "me and this other person need to be together at all times to protect each other or we would both actually literally die" to just. interacting with them like you do with a regular friend or even partner? it's definitely something I want to explore more in the future!

and. um. **looks over at the ren-centric chapter sitting in my google doc** funny story. the ren chapter was initially supposed to be much heavier, but I. um. had one too many breakdowns while writing it and had to make it lighter. (the Martyn oneshot is still a w.i.p but it. definitely exists. it'll hopefully be done by the time the current fic is all up!).

I don't want to talk about it too in-depth right now, since I want to elaborate on it in the future, but in my opinion ren and martyn arguably had the most codependent relationship of all the duos, so them being the only two to be separated...

no one knows what happened after their final deaths. so no, scar doesn't know and cleo doesn't know. I actually put a lot of thought into that part.

if you write anything for this au I would literally cry/pos, it sounds too good to be true almost.

ALSO, one thing I like about the scars is that for some people, they're not necessarily visible at a first glance, maybe some players would actively try to hide them, even, which just...I don't have a point, but the idea makes me feel things.

I, too, am rotating morph in my head. in the last couple of days I have actually been rotating the cursed morph timeline from when I tried to figure out how long 3rd life took. I am putting it in the microwave like a bowl of soup.

I am coping by drawing a mlp hermitcraft 8 au in my sketchbook, I am very stable as you can see\hj

LOVED this ask. thank u <3

[chuuyanakaahara]

u just ever think abt the future of bnha’s hero society and like. yeah. class 1a is prob going to be the end of it. i’m literally the best way ever. bc the current system is SHIT and i think they’re all beginning to truly learn that and like.

you have izuku. who wants to save every single villain.

you have shouto. whose ENTIRE FAMILY is legit the poster board chart for everything wrong with the current hero system.

all of them. just all of them together could take down hero society. and gods of canon doesn’t do it i’ll do it myself.

you say it like i'm not about to open up a google doc and write a 10k one-shot on the hero-commission trying to target 1-a, specifically, with various newly-implemented laws right after they get out of school.

like... they're trouble-magnets, but they're methodical. they're experienced. they know what they're doing - and they know how to sniff out corruption!

you can't ask katsuki bakugou or kirishima, or hell, even iida, to do something they define as morally "incorrect," it doesn't matter how much you pay or threaten him. you can't tell izuku to just give up - he never has and he never will, and the moment you tell him to, you become another obstacle in his way. you can't tell shouto todoroki to become the thing he hates most and expect him to do it.

hero society thrives on villains, on their systems creating the villains so they can pump out heroes to their standards, but never above said standards. if the hero commission says jump, heroes are supposed to say how high?

but 1-a wouldn't do that. maybe, maybe if they were told separately, but as a group, as a whole, if one of them finds it wrong, they'll come to the same conclusions eventually.

they could totally dismantle the whole hero commission. it may take some illegal heroism, just a dash of maybe-too-much-violence, and a couple years living as wanted fugitives, but... they could do it.

[stonefreeak]

I absolutely love your chancellor kenobi series and am so grateful that you've written so much of it, you have sparked much joy for me. I wanted to ask your advice as someone who has written & published a large AU with many moving parts. How do you choose what order to publish things in? Do you have an outline that you stick to, do you publish as you write it, do you go with the flow?

Hello! Thank you so much, I'm glad to hear that you enjoy it!

Now, I could probably tell a few horror stories about how I was structuring my files and writing early on before @veilofadyingstar clowned on me enough times to get me to not write more than 5 different fics in the same google doc, separated only by headers (yes really), but I don't think that's very conductive to your questions, so I'll leave it at that, lol.

Chancellor Kenobi (CK) started as directly-into-tumblr ficlets. As in, I wrote everything directly into the text post editor and then just tagged it and pressed save and that was that.

It was also, early on, sort-of-not-really a prompt fic. Basically, I started by writing a ficlet on an idea, and then people wanted more of that ficlet, so they sent me asks. Sometimes they did manage to hit on what I imagined would happen, sometimes they didn't (in which case I would tell them what actually happened). I have so many asks still that I planned on replying to with a ficlet but just forgot, which is why my inbox currently has 156 messages in it, lmao (sorry everyone who sent me an ask!)

Back when this was the format CK was in, back in December 2016, I posted ficlets in whatever order I wrote them. I updated daily back then, sometimes even twice per day. After 10 days of this (so on the 13th, with about 10ish ficlets to the story) I asked if people wanted me to collect everything in a masterpost, which they did, at which point I had to go back and actually double check the order of events.

This was all so early on in the story that I just posted ficlets as I wrote them, haphazardly adding them into the timeline where they belonged, without caring about posting order at all.

I had an idea of what would happen, and as it grew more complex and I got further into the story, I realised that posting things out-of-order wouldn't be feasible anymore. The ficlets were becoming far too context dependent (because of the complexity and details of the plot) so even though I was still writing ficlets in the order of "whatever strikes my fancy", I now had to wait with posting until it was actually the next bit of the plot, this is when my updates started to slow down a lot, because yeah...

I started writing down an outline of events, but I never finished that, and I've since lost it lmao. So the actual plot, the story, the details... all of that lives only inside my head. I'm mentally keeping track of everything.

Which, honestly, I don't think I recommend that LMAO

After all, keeping it all in your head means that if you forget something, lmao, it's gone. bye bye

However, I did mention fairly recently that I'd done some organising of my files where I properly placed files out in order and name them, which now kind of works as an outline, lol (I use a writing subscription service for a gamified writing experience called 4thewords). However, there are a few blank files in between the named ones because I know I need more stuff in there in between the named events so it's not really a proper outline either.

So. I still write the fic out of order, which is something I can easily do due to the format I'm writing it in: interconnected ficlets as chapters. This means that I have ficlets that are far in the future of what I have posted, but they cannot yet be posted for the simple reason that the plot is now so complex that things need to be posted in order, otherwise it won't make sense.

As such, I no longer publish as I write, though I used to. At this point, the fic has grown too large and has too many moving pieces for that to be feasible.

Generally, I usually like to finish a fic before I post it, because that means that I can go back into early parts and edit them if need be (say I come up with something cool I need to foreshadow, or I realise that I mentioned something too early, or I realise I introduced a plotline I dropped so it's better to edit it out etc etc). That's not really possible with CK anymore (though, I mean, I guess I could go back and secretly edit stuff and pretend like nothing's up, lmao) so it's entirely possible that this fic has some inconsistencies etc (though I do my best to ensure there aren't any, there's always the risk I've missed something).

Writing CK and sharing it with all my readers has been an amazing experience, and I dearly hope people are not only willing to stick with me to the end, but also that they will feel like the pay-off was worth it.

For some people, finishing a fic before posting doesn't work because they need engagement to keep going, which is absolutely valid! For that, I think having a more structured outline is very useful in order to keep things clear and avoid accidental plot holes. It's no guarantee of course.

Ultimately, how you post and how you write comes down to you as an individual writer.

For me, it's rather flexible. Sometimes I write things in a strictly chronological order from start to finish and that's it. Sometimes I skip around in the story and need to make sure I leave very large empty spaces (metaphorical or literal) so I know where there's missing content that need to be written before the story is finished.

All of this is of course very much personal to me, and what works for one writer might not work for another. But I hope it gives you some help and some insight, perhaps.

Happy writing, anon!

[rayveewrites]

Ray Hijacks the Team ZIT Ghostbuster AU Again

So @shadeswift99 made a few posts a while ago about a Team ZIT(S) ghostbuster AU, And then I may or may not have hijacked the post to add in ideas for most of the other hermits because why not.

Now, back then I was spitballing ideas and making them up on the spot, which is admittedly my usual writing process, but hey.

That said, I've had more time to think about it, and then last night I blacked out for a few hours and came to with a Google Doc filled with short bios for all of the hermits and a handful of hermit-adjacents. Now, this rapidly turned into an urban fantasy AU in my hands, but hey. It's fun.

This is in alphabetical order, with alternate personas (EX, Helsknight, Beetlejhost) beneath their original counterparts when applicable:

Bdubs

Lives in an old mansion in the woods alongside Doc for reasons known only to them. Bdubs works as an interior designer, with a side gig as a freelance hairdresser. His eyes are unnaturally large, similar to Keralis’, and he is at least partially a plant. Completely feral and frequently gets in trouble for having knives on him at all times. He and Cleo have a thing called Knife Club which makes everyone else nervous. Nobody messes with Knife Club. It’s not worth it. Sunbathes frequently.

Beef

Is a perfectly normal human being. He works as a butcher with a side gig as a graphic designer specializing in album covers and spends his free time playing pokemon and dragging Etho along to social events. He was the first person to spot the cryptid, and the first person who Etho approached of his own accord.

Biffa

Is a ghost possessing a robotic shell. Biffa is from the future. While initially his main goal was to get back home to his own time, Biffa has since made friends and settled down into a new life running a cafe specializing in a wide range of teas. He’s quite content with this, and has actually found himself far happier than he was in his own time. While his nature means he can see, hear and touch ghosts, his body was built specifically for a disembodied soul to be in the driver’s seat, and he doesn’t want to risk another taking control. Also, he has more important things to do than have fistfights with ghosts.

Cleo

Is a ghost possessing her own dead corpse. Her nature allows her to see, hear and touch ghosts. Can and will fistfight spirits. She works as a teacher, so she’s usually busy, but occasionally in really nasty situations the Beetlejhost will drag her in to break a ghost’s legs. Does sculpture in her free time, and is actually really good. The only one who can wrangle Beetle to any real capacity, and she’s learned to keep him on a fairly short leash. Housemates with Joe, and Keralis also pops in pretty frequently. Has Knife Club with Bdubs. Has an enchanted flower crown that prevents her from decaying further; a gift from Beetle. Recently started learning magic in the form of necromancy and illusions. Has an ongoing ‘feud’ with Zloy, in which she temporarily traps his soul in random inanimate objects every now and then.

Cub

A bit of a ‘mad scientist’ archetype, Cub’s experiments are not exactly the most ethical, though they’re at least more professional than Doc’s. Responsible for the creation of Jevin. Cub gets possessed stupidly easily- sometimes willingly- and can usually handle it himself but sometimes has to call for help. Has a magical method of communication with Scar for exactly this reason. Has a day job as co-owner of a business called ConCorp, which he started with Scar. Has probably broken the Geneva Convention.

Doc

Was presumably human at one point. Now an abomination. Repeated experiments on himself have resulted in a massively changed facial and foot structure, a body covered in mottled green scales, claws, and goat horns. He lost half his face in one of his experiments, and constructed a new cybernetic one. He lost his right arm fighting God. Killed said god and would do it again. Lives in a mansion in the woods with Bdubs, though nobody’s really sure why. Owns a casino because of course he does. Also a living crime against fashion, because the man refuses to wear anything other than his tattered lab coat, torn jeans, and crocs.

Ely

Runs the local radio station. Nobody’s ever seen him in person, and nobody knows where he gets people’s voice clips for his remixes. Probably a cryptid. Maybe a ghost. Seems pretty chill, despite the blatant invasions of privacy.

Etho

Is a cryptid. Lives out in the woods in an abomination that can barely be called a house. Has never been seen in anything other than full Kakashi cosplay. Tends to keep to himself, but occasionally lets Beef drag him along to social events, often with Doc and Bdubs. Nobody really knows what his deal is. Probably not human. Probably.

False

Used to be part of an illegal underground cage fighting ring, until she earned enough to buy her way out. Having grown up in said ring, she struggles to adjust to normal life, but living in a town where the barista is a robot and the local tailor has wings makes it easier. She now has a job as security at Doc’s casino, alongside Iskall.

Grian

Is either an angel or a demigod, but nobody knows which. Has wings. Is both a tailor and an architect. A complete gremlin who has elaborate masks of various birds and will wear them to commit crimes. Eats seeds. Messes with everyone else’s plants. Lives in Jungle Wood Flats. Volunteers at the local theatre.

Hypno

Has three eyes, but hides the third one under a bandanna at all times. Can see ghosts with it. Had problems with sections of plumbing randomly getting clogged and also making very weird noises, and eventually called Team ZIT when the plumbers couldn’t find the source. Was prepared for ghosts, but wound up with a slime creature instead. Works in a $2 store for some reason.

Impulse

Is fully human. The most sensible member of Team ZIT (which admittedly isn’t saying much), Impulse has a day job as a freelancer building custom PCs and fixing broken tech. Agreed to the whole ghostbusting deal because he was bored, mostly. Was the first one to meet Skizz face-to-face, and is the one to own that particular place outright. Gets possessed every now and then, usually by larger spirits. Used to run solely on caffeine and chronic anxiety until Zedaph started getting on his case about his sleep schedule. Now he runs on less caffeine, more sleep, and the same amount of chronic anxiety.

Iskall

Was part of a cloning experiment to create the ultimate hitman, and was the only known one to both survive and escape before the whole thing was shut down by the authorities. Their eye and arm were replaced with cybernetics in order to increase their already enhanced abilities, and they were chased by said authorities, eventually winding up on Mumbo’s doorstep and becoming Mumbo’s problem. Now works as security at Doc’s casino, alongside False. Lives at Jungle Wood flats. Occasionally volunteers at the local theatre. Does bonsai as a hobby.

Jevin

Is the slime creature in the pipes. Hypno lets him live with him under the condition he stops blocking the plumbing and making weird noises at 3 AM (Jevin still blocks the plumbing and makes weird noises at 3 AM, just not as much as he was). Has taught himself to take a humanoid shape, and likes having fingers. Sleeps in the bathtub because he can. Was created from a vat of chemicals in a secret lab underneath the house, which used to be owned by Cub. Doesn’t really talk to the man in question that much, but will occasionally refer to Cub as his father for the sole reason of watching him go through eight existential crises in three minutes. Has a glock.

Joe

Head librarian at the local public library, and has read a lot of books on Supernatural Things. Is a veritable fountain of exposition if you can figure out what he’s saying or have Cleo along with you to threaten the integrity of his shins. Has never been seen in the same place as the Beetlejhost. Are they the same person? Are they entirely separate beings? Is there a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde-type situation going on? Who knows!

Beetlejhost

Literally nobody really knows what his deal is. Nobody. Team ZIT ran into him on a call that they expected to be a false alarm and then he decided to follow them home. Spends most of his time being a minor nuisance in the most bizarre ways possible. Is implied to be responsible for the Ever Given getting lodged in the Suez Canal, but never confirmed. When he’s not bothering Team ZIT or getting them out of tight spots, he’s usually pestering Cleo, the only one who can keep him in line. It’s not really known if he and Cleo have a history or if they’re just Like That.

Keralis

Is a ghost haunting an architecture firm, and is mostly bound to the building, though he can travel to other buildings the firm has built, which is, uh, most of them. Initially only able to do small things- mostly writing notes or drawing diagrams- he eventually meets the Beetlejhost when the latter follows Mumbo to work one day for shits and giggles (he wanted to see how long he could mess with Mumbo before the man noticed. As it turned out, about a week, and by the end it was Iskall who noticed). After a couple of days in which Beetle teaches Keralis Ghost Things™, he scares half the office when he finally manifests for the first time. Has unnaturally large eyes and nicknames for most of the workers. Has no idea how he died or what his unfinished business might be. Very knowledgeable about architecture, and his input is usually very much appreciated.

Mumbo

Is a perfectly normal human being who does IT at Keralis’ architecture firm. Lives at Jungle Wood flats and spends most of his free time tinkering with tech and trying to keep Grian and Iskall out of trouble, which is a losing battle. Has a large, beating golden heart in his flat. He’s not really sure what its deal is, but if he feeds it apples it produces enough power for the entire building. Oh, and if he forgets to feed it for an extended period of time it starts draining his bank account. It’s really weird.

Pixlriffs

Was a perfectly normal human being until he died protecting a certain Russian zombie and became a perfectly normal ghost. Was a reporter in life and is a reporter in death. Runs a blog alongside Zloy about the local goings-on, supernatural or not. The blog’s the type where unless you live in/near the town you most likely won’t stumble across it, but they do have a small following of outsiders who assume the blog’s just a work of fiction. His unfinished business is to prevent Zloy from doing anything particularly stupid, a constant battle. Is able to go more places than Zloy due to being incorporeal, but respects people’s privacy. He’s bound to Zloy to a certain degree, not being able to go beyond a certain range of his friend. The range is pretty big, though, and he has plenty freedom of movement.

Python

Had a run-in with the fae as a kid, in which he accidentally pissed one off. In retribution, the faerie challenged him to answer a riddle or he’d be turned into a snake. Python’s answer was partially correct, so the faerie only transformed him partially. Python is fairly chill, though he strongly dislikes the cold and starts hissing if anyone disturbs him during Sun Time™. Sometimes Bdubs, being partially flora, joins Python for Sun Time™. He’s not venomous, because, you know...python. Also, he has a mildly disturbing habit of strangling rats and mice and then eating them whole, but he can’t help it and just tries not to do so when he has company.

Ren

Is a werewolf. He���s pretty chill regardless of form, though it’s only been recently he’s been comfortable enough leaving his ears and tail visible. He works as a lumberjack. One time Pixl introduced him to Monty Python’s Lumberjack Song and it quickly became his favourite thing. He spends most of his free time volunteering at the local theatre because Ren is absolutely a theatre kid and nobody can convince me otherwise. Gets possessed every now and then. Lives in Jungle Wood flats.

Scar

Works as a landscape developer. Gets possessed absurdly easily, though not quite as frequently as Cub. Has a magical method of communication with him. Technically co-owns ConCorp, but isn’t as involved. His cat, Jellie, is very obviously an eldritch abomination in feline form and he is comedically unaware of this. Lives in Jungle Wood Flats with Grian, Iskall, Mumbo, Stress, and Ren.

Skizz

Is the ghost haunting Team ZIT’s office. He was murdered by someone he’d thought was a friend who was trying to use his place to hide from the cops, and he’s stuck around, haunting the building. His unfinished business is to make sure nobody else uses the building for anyone shady, but the ghost rumours tended to chase most people off. Eventually he gets used to having Team ZIT around, and when Tango admits he doesn’t really have anywhere to go one day, Skizz eventually makes the decision to finally unlock the still-furnished upper floor for him. He’s bound to the building, but Impulse learns that carrying Skizz’s old vest with them allows him to leave. After that, Skizz sometimes accompanies them on missions and occasionally just hanging out. He’s usually more helpful than the Beetlejhost is.

Stress

Is a witch. Stress lives in Jungle Wood Flats and works as a doctor who specializes in supernaturally caused injuries- Team ZIT are some of her best customers. She also sells magic potions of various kinds, and has a side gig as a florist. She’s 90% of the Jungle inhabitants’ impulse control. Also has cryokinesis.

Tango

The Team ZIT member with a car. He gets possessed with frankly ridiculous frequency, but claims not to believe in ghosts for a long time (and keeps up the bit for even longer). Has developed various signals to indicate when he’s being possessed again. The strongest one, a rather nasty demon Cleo and the Beetlejhost had to team up on, left him with his glowing red eyes. He didn’t really have anywhere to go before Impulse bought the office, and tended to sleep on the couch or in his car until Skizz decided to let him into the upper floor, where he now lives alongside Zedaph and Impulse.

TFC

A now-retired ghostbuster, TFC calls in Team ZIT one night when he finds himself in over his head against a ghost with a grudge. He winds up becoming a bit of a mentor figure to the trio, usually coaching them over the phone if they’re not sure how to deal with one of the stranger spirits. Lost his leg years ago in a fight with a poltergeist that could have gone better, and now has a robotic prosthetic made by Doc.

Wels

While Team ZIT was out investigating some rumour or another in the woods, they came across a large stone box. Following video game logic, I guess, they then decided opening this large stone box sounded like a fun idea. Well, Tango and Zedaph did. Impulse was a bit more hesitant. The box actually held a medieval knight who’d been put in an enchanted sleep for centuries by his demonic doppelgänger, and was very much not prepared for modern life. Team ZIT took him to Xisuma, who happened to live closest, and Wels is currently helping out on the farm and trying to adjust to life in the 21st century. He can understand and speak modern English just fine because magic. Volunteers at the local theatre quite a lot.

Hels

Is Wels’ doppelgänger. Technically a minor demon. Won a fight with Wels and sealed him away for centuries as a result. A recurring problem. His real motivation is that he really desperately doesn’t want to go back to Hell, but he’s too proud to admit it. Lives in the woods with EX, who’s basically his only friend, though the weirdo with the brown cardigan keeps pestering him about his backstory and feelings for some reason. Has minor pyrokinesis.

XB

Like Biffa, XB is also a ghost from the future, though it seems to be a different timeline than Biffa’s. His unfinished business is preventing the apocalypse, but he has no idea how to do that, no idea if he’s in the right timeline, and is pretty sure he’s gone back a lot farther than he probably should’ve. Also, there’s the whole paradox issue, where if he prevents the apocalypse he never has a reason to go back and prevent the apocalypse, so he doesn’t prevent the apocalypse, so he has to go back and- he tries not to think about it too much. He mostly just hangs out in an abandoned house on the edge of town and vibes.

Xisuma

Is a beekeeper. Nobody’s ever seen his face; when he’s not in his beekeeping outfit, he’s either wearing a helmet, or (more recently) an extremely lifelike and detailed animal mask (is it a mask?). Actually a shapeshifting alien, he crashed down to Earth after a scuffle with his evil clone and was stranded because Earth doesn’t have the right tools or resources to repair a spaceship. These days he’s actually found he’s happier tending to his bees, selling honey, and helping his friends out, and probably wouldn’t leave Earth even if he could. It’s a simpler life, but a pleasant one. He bonds with Biffa over a shared love of tea and being stranded in a technologically inferior world and finding a home.

Evil Xisuma

Is Xisuma’s clone. Feels that if everyone’s going to call him ‘Evil’ he may as well own it. Shot his original’s spaceship down in a scuffle but wound up being brought down with him. Currently hides in the woods. Generally more of a minor nuisance than an actual danger. Used to spend his free time bothering X but has gotten put off by Wels, who has a problem when it comes to evil clones. His friends consist of Hels, who is a terrible role model, and Zedaph, who’s trying to help him work through his problems behind everyone’s backs. Can summon lightning because he deserves it.

Zedaph

Is the reason Team ZIT is ghostbusting in the first place. He’s a sheep shearer by trade, but that’s a fairly seasonal thing and ghostbusting is more fun anyway. Has somehow never been possessed, and claims it’s because he’s always standing next to Tango. He makes sure the other two gets enough sleep Because we all know they can’t be trusted to do it. Probably has some sort of really bizarre and situational magical powers he is thoroughly unaware of. Qualified to be a licensed therapist. Made friends with Evil X at one point, somehow.

Zloy

Like Cleo, he’s a ghost possessing a corpse. Unlike Cleo, there’s a good chance it’s not his corpse. Eh, it’s not like anyone else was using it. Runs a blog with Pixl, because why not. Was already a zombie when he met Pixl, who was still alive at the time. His body is a bit more decayed than Cleo’s, but it’s fine. His goggles are enchanted with the same preservation spell; it’s not really ever explained where he got them from. Has no regard for privacy but is fortunately unable to turn invisible or phase through walls due to inhabiting a physical body. Both can theoretically physically fight ghosts and has enough time to physically fight ghosts, meaning he would be a valuable ally if he could be bothered. Lives in a graveyard. Has an ongoing ‘feud’ with Cleo, in which he puts jabs at her on the blog. Once spent a week as a (very sarcastic) floating potato.

Hermiton

Is the name of the place they all live in/near. Located in an ambiguous location in an ambiguous country, Hermiton is technically large enough to be considered a city but has Town VibesTM. Supernatural going-ons are a fairly normal part of life, and a good number of inhabitants aren’t humans. Despite this, the wider world seems mostly ignorant of the existence of ghosts, magic, etc. I’m not too sure about geography, but it’s surrounded by forest in most directions and in a warm enough climate to not have snow in the winter (so Python doesn’t, you know, freeze to death). Most people don’t tend to bat an eyelid at strange-looking people walking down the street or serving them at the store; they’re used to it by now. There are several theories as to why Hermiton specifically has so much going on when it comes to the supernatural- ley lines, secretly the resting place of some long-forgotten god, et cetera- but it’s actually more of a case of ‘people who have supernatural traits hear rumours of a place where a lot of people have supernatural traits and go there in search of answers/a place to belong’. This doesn’t exactly explain where all the ghosts came from, but hey. Nothing’s perfect.

[ravenclaw-questions-gone-writing]

Outline # -1 Abandoned Lore (Trinity)

@fanfics-and-fangirling

I have learned my lesson, I will be writing these on Google docs and then copy-pasting onto Tumblr. While I am on GD, I figured I might as well open the docs I used to write the actual fic. Man, I went through a ton of hoops to get where I am. I will be using the most coherent ones for reference. 

I can literally track my thought process as I went through writing all the different versions and I still have no idea how tf I went from this to dropping a flaming papermache whale on Ra’s Al Ghul. And I will die mad about it. Which means more meticulous notes in the future I guess.

Also, I’d like to apologize for how long it took to get this out, I have no sense of time whatsoever and as always, there’s a lot more than expected. This was 7 pages long

Original Ramble Post 

Like most of my stories, the MC is an OCI - reincarnator brought into a fictional world they once watched. (Because I am obsessed with that trope.)

I now find the original name I had for her cringy and out-of-place given these are norse gods. So, from now on her name is Lokka, which is the female version of Loki

There’s a whole ass backstory about the transition of godly names and power I won’t go into. Just think Thor and female Thor kind of thing I guess. She’s basically seen as a spare Loki but it’s also a respected position.

Was tempted to name her Sigyn since Marvel doesn’t care about actual norse myth relations. No, Idc that there’s a canon Sigyn.

If you’re curious, the original name was Aradia. Yes, like the queen of witches.

MC is an asgardian, the daughter of the librarian in the royal palace and a blacksmith

She managed to get an apprenticeship under Loki and is occasionally taught by Frigga. She also learns under Eir when both her royal teachers are busy.

Lokka found her way into the central plane, probably having found it’s location from Loki’s notes and is unaware that it’s unstable.

So, Lokka is in the central plane, having the time of her life exploring new lands when she stumbles across a crying Marinette who is very lost 

Unlike Lokka, Marinette does not know where she is or what is going on. She literally just tripped into a portal and has no way home.

Lokka takes Marinette under her wing and promises to help her find a way home

Problem is, she doesn’t know which of the three universes Marinette is from.

Even if/when she finds out that the girl is from MLB-verse, she still wouldn’t know which one that is because she has no reference to which world is which. Only that Marinette is probably not from Asgard.

At this point, she is unaware she lived in Marvel, she just knows Asgard is Norse Mythology.

So they continue to wander the central plane, Marinette ends up picking up a card guardian for a pet, accidentally becoming a cardcaptor. 

Marinette has trouble pronouncing Lokka and Lokka gives Mari permission to call her Cosette (pre-reincarnation name)

Meanwhile, Ra’s sends Damian and Talia into the Central plane for combat experience and resource gathering.

Ra’s might be 700 years old, he might have access to the Central plane but he sure doesn’t know about magic or how it came to be or the current state of it. He might know something’s off because all the inhabitants have been increasingly on edge and the weather’s been stranger than usual but he didn’t deemed it important

Notably, he has never seen anyone other than those who he’d sent in himself in the central planes (CP, from now on bc I am getting tired of typing the entire thing out) so as far as he knows, the CP’s only entrance point is under his control.

Talia and Damian, who’s still going by Hafid, go hunting for resources and training

They separate for a bit for individual hunting/training time

Marinette and Cosette (Lokka) stumble across Damian’s camp

Misunderstandings occur, Damian fights them, more accurately he fights Cosette

Cosette tries to protect Marinette while also making sure not to harm her opponent

It was harder than she expected considering her opponent was a child

Asgardian training pulls through and she is able to do both

Damian’s tied up, Marinette is confused, and Cosette does not want to deal with this

Negotiation time

Marinette can’t speak Arabic, Damian doesn’t know french, and Cosette has all-speak

This means Cosette’s sitting there, having to repeat everything the kids say to each other for translation’s sake

also misunderstandings before the kids realize allspeak is a thing

Cosette is stuck with two kids who don’t like each other, one of which barely puts up with her so she does what most adults do when kids are too troublesome

Distract them: she does magic tricks with actual magic

Damian+Marinette are fascinated, Cosette accidentally gains two magic students 

even though she’s still learning herself and all she has for guidance right now are Loki’s and Frigga’s notes

So, the trio end up travelling together

Damian demands Marinette should at least be able to fight so they train her too

They also figure out that Marinette and Damian’s worlds are not the same.

Cosette drills some value of life, basic morals, and feminism into Damian’s head

Marinette and Damian (Hafid) have trouble pronouncing each other’s names

They chose nicknames for each other from Cosette’s bedtime stories

Marinette is obviously angel or Tenko

Damian is gets Kabane, the name of a half demon

Kabane later changes to Kasane, protective blade

Yes, Cosette was/is a weeb and yes, they still mispronounce names which defeats the whole purpose but at least they kids don’t notice now even if Cosette is cringing every time they

They run into another card guardian and this one goes to Damian.

Cosette does not pout about this, it would be very immature

One training montages, several fights, a couple language lessons, and an abandoned (and Cosette-raided) house later, Cosette gets to the part of Loki’s notes where she figures out that the CP is collapsing in on itself and uh-oh

She tells the kids the gist of it but they’re too smart, ask all the right questions, and end up figuring out the important parts of situation that she’s trying to keep from them

Cosette is both impressed and a little put out, mostly impressed because not only did they figure out extremely complex magic, they also mostly remained level headed.

Marinette wants to rescue the card guardians and for once Damian is backing her up so Coestte gives up the notion of returning home and they go collect the guardians.

Remember, DC and MLB universes are closing in on each other 

MCU is drifting away

If they don’t collect the guardians, Cosette would have the time to just drop them off at their world collection points and head back to hers

After collecting a couple guardians, they end up finding Talia and explain the situation to her.

Talia joins the gang, she may or may not be plotting a marriage

They raid a couple more houses, collect the 54 card guardians, and complete the power transfer ritual (replacing the Yue’s trial because the cards are the guardians)

The cards end up latching onto the three kids. 

Marinette gets the Mistress title, Damian gets Sun Guardian, and Cosette gets Moon guardian.

Originally Cosette was going to be the mistress and Marinette the Moon guardian but because of the way I’ve decided magic works in this world - explaining that will need a whole other post - if Marinette is the moon guardian and gets the Ladybug miraculous, she will - for lack of better word - get sick and possibly die... or not.

Y’know what, it made sense at the time. But now that I think about it, we’re going back to the original idea.

Cosette’s the Card Mistress, Marinette’s the Moon guardian and Damian’s the Sun guardian.

Spoiler alert: that is a plot point for tropes-verse.

The completion of the ritual breaks puts CP deteriorations in high acceleration

Damian and Talia get into their circle, Cosette and Marinette in the other

Damian doesn’t have any cards bc he doesn’t want his grandfather trying to get to them. He and Talia agreed Ra’s would only know about the CP’s destruction. He does, however, have a CP beast that they picked up.

CP beast: magical creature that was born of CP’s magical residue or smth

Damian’s looks like a Teddiursa (Teddy bear pokemon) it is not

They have a notebook from a raided house detailing CP’s deterioration for proof

Cosette goes with Marinette because she can’t make it back to her universe and in the event that Marinette’s also from Cosette’s universe, she won’t be alone

They separate with the promise of meeting again.

At this point, I have had several differing ideas

They all go into DC world because they aren’t sure of Marinette’s world

Child trio goes into MLB world and Talia tells Ra’s Damian died

Everyone goes into MLB and Ra’s finds out about the collapse when he tries going in himself and finds out he can’t and just assumes they died

Y’all, I’m starting to see why I can’t do one-shots…

One of the things I forgot to mention in the rambling post is that while Marvel-verse was pulling away, it also messed with the time regulation thing, a day in the Maribat-verse will

Time in CP was very messed up

Kind of assumed readers could piece it together but I figured might as well make it obvious and straight up say it

MLBU: Cosette and Marinette arrive safely 

Marinette is delivered home and Cosette has to figure something out

They find out Marinette has only been gone for a week

Marinette has some separation anxiety for about three days

Cosette slowly realizing this is an MLB universe and having a crisis

Cosette gets adopted by the Dupain-Chengs and starts working at the bakery

I have not figured out ages for Cosette

MLB goes like most Maribat fics pre-gotham because I’m lazy

Will likely be adjusted if I ever actually write this fic

Except Cosette steps in when things got too far and Paris has 3 heroes

Cosette is the known as the Sorciere or Lokka

Her uniform is just her asgardian armor

Good but misguided Adrien, Cosette probably adopts him too

Love square goes platonic and Cosette is glad this rom-com is over

Magic tutoring continues

Cosette is neutral with Fu and fascinated by the miraculous

You remember those ghost interactions? Those are filtering in

One of the first things to merge is the internet, because it doesn’t have a physical body and it’s just waves of information

News and discoveries between the world are being swapped

Given what I remember from DC and dimension travel, it wouldn’t be surprising if they figured out universes were merging.

The news about JL and Paris’s situation are causing all kinds of confusion

Cosette beings looking for information on Damian

As the physical world begins merging, there’s pockets of space where you can slip from one world into another; not quite portals but close

Eventually the trip to NY became a trip to Gotham because their plane slipped between planes (sorry, I saw the chance and I had to take it.) but yeah, that happened.

There’s quite a few details I’m forgetting

DCU: Damian and Talia arrive ok and report bare basics to Ra’s

It has also only been a week

Ra’s is displeased to find them back until they report the state of the CP

There’s the whole coup not long after and Damian is sent to Bruce

Damian is much more innocent looking when he’s bringing what appears to be a teddy bear with him

It’s name is Abd and it has grown wings by now. Actual name pending.

He gets teased about it, but under Cosette’s teachings, he has learned the virtue of patience, underestimation, and getting revenge with a side of entertainment

He does not try to kill Tim either

He also has to make the choice of bringing Abd with him as Damian or as Robin

He choses to make a side company for WE making toys based off creatures from the CP so Abd wouldn’t look too out of place

It takes two weeks for the bats to realize there’s something off about the Abd

They are convinced it’s haunted and Damian is very entertained

Abd only moves in daytime when no one - Damian excluded - can see it

Movement can expel magic that interferes with recording tech

Alfred is the first to figure it out and surprise, surprise, he has some magic books for Damian to learn from

It’s from the Wayne family library and they just assumed the language was lost to time. At least three are from Alfred’s own family.

Bat brothers spend the next 6 months trying to convince Damian his magical pet bear is a haunted doll.

Damian sort of getting along with Poison Ivy because his Sun magic is very compatible with plants and they love him

On an unrelated note, the plants seem to refuse to attack the new Robin

Damian randomly, unconsciously humming to songs Cosette and Marinette sang

Damian just vibing with the magic users of JL and Teen Titans

No one took him seriously at first but he pointed something out during a conference

“Robin, stand down and let the magic users handle this” - Green Lantern, probably

Constantine who actually knows what he’s talking about “No, no, let the boy talk.”

The plan was twice as efficient after Damian was through with it

Now Constantine’s trying to adopt Damian as an apprentice, he’s failing bc the bats are protective and possessive of what is theirs

Reminder that Damian brings Abd with him everywhere and he’s still getting teased about it from anyone who is not a bat (still convinced the thing is haunted)

The only thing the magic users have picked up about Abd is that he’s a magical construct which could mean a number of things but they brush it off as just a doll.

No one is prepared for the thing to come to life, multiply in size, and start spitting ice, sleep sand, and illusions. (Hiccups bubbles and can also turn into a cloud.)

They are also not prepared for the thing to quadruple in size and for Damian to ride it like a horse into battle. Reminder that Abd has wings and can fly.

Confusing talk about what’s going on in Paris and some other parts of the world

JL slowly figure out the universal merger that Damian already knows about

Damian is not impressed, it took him and Angel about 2 hours as 9 year olds

Somehow, Damian still has the ice prince image, less demon spawn though, that goes to Abd

Time moves on and one day, a plane from the other world arrives in Gotham

There’s a bit of confusion but it’s not exactly the first time something like this has happened at this point

WE steps up and offers jobs and a tour and all the usual Maribat plans (not just for the kids but all the other people on the plane)

Given the merger of the internet, MLB class and crew have some idea who the Waynes are and they accept. 

Estimated about 6 months for full merger so people from MLB world are kinda just stuck there until then

Lila literally cannot lie about knowing the Waynes personally but she sure can lie about other things.

Dick and Damian are sent in to monitor the group

The reunion is awkward given they can’t freely interact and are not supposed to know each other. 

While Dick is talking, there are just wide eyed staring between Marinette, Damian, and Cosette. With something a little extra between Marinette and Damian.

Cosette is torn between laughing and groaning at another rom-com trope coming in fast.

She ends up filming it bc blackmail is always good to have

Adrien is confused and quite frankly, he’s really just there to cover for them

The tour begins and about five minutes in, the trio breaks off and exchanges stories and names.

Cosette hears about Batman and has a dawning realization of what this world is, mentally nopes out, later digests that they are going into Maribat verse

Starts checking off Maribat tropes they’re coming across bc she might as well have fun with it

They continue to meet up

Batfam thinking Damian somehow managed to get two girlfriends

Damian choking on his breakfast when it is brought up

The girls are invited to dinner and Damian is just dying inside

Cosette blatantly hitting on all Damian’s brothers in the first 5 minutes

Damian screaming internally while Cosette cackles

Dick is awkward until he realizes it’s a joke, Jason plays along, Tim has an awkward bean crisis

Tim x Cosette? Maybe.

Cosette does that sit and repeat thing at least three times out of habit

Batfam gets full explanation about how they met and everything

I have played with the idea of Cosette getting fear gassed a couple times and Idk how it would go tbh.

That’s as far as I got with this version, so shenanigans ensue

Pretty sure they used the cards and magic throughout even if I didn’t mention it

Absolutely would be useful for being in two places at once

I later changed so the merger happens and then Paris’s heroes meet the Justice League

Damian immediately recognizing Cosette but not Marinette bc magic

still effective but weaker because of Damian’s magic type

He later recognizes Marinette later when she pulls off a move he taught her way back in CP

Nickname confusion for everyone else

Cosette vs Constantine on who gets to teach Damian magic

Damian goes to Paris. They beat Hawkmoth and then go to Gotham.

Also had a general idea of a plot with LoS that never got fleshed out past existing

If we’re going for the rebound version: Cosette reunites with Thor and Loki during the Avengers movie

Also, poor Heimdallr. He probably had a lot of headaches with the universe crash

Accelerated merger because of the convergence in the dark world.

I wanna go with 2012 Avengers towers shenanigans. + Loki and his sort-of but not really daughter

Cosette vs Antman, shrinking/growing, science vs magic.

And then there’s the whole Ironman vs Batman vs Arrow rich boy fight

Hammer x Luthor or Hammer vs Luthor?

Also, Cosette just staring at her home universe in betrayal and being insulted she didn’t think of it earlier because classic Nordic myths had Loki as Odin’s brother and not his son among other things but still

Fight against Thanos is a bit anti-climatic when you give a gremlin murder child magic and a sword that can through anything, including magical artifacts.

this baby boy can and will fight God and Cosette’s not really the kind to hold him back

If I actually wrote this, a lot of things would probably change because I’d actually have to put more thought into logistics and how things work

[imbeccable-writes]

👀 🏅 👨‍👧‍👧 aaaand 🤔

👀 - Do you have any WIPs that you would never let see the light of day? If yes, what are they about?

I have so many half-baked ideas for fics sitting in my Google docs, it really is sad. Like, there's this one for the game TWEWY that I was fixating on like, four years ago, that has like. five paragraphs in it and was basically just about Shiki asking Neku why she was his most important thing. And there's this My Hero fic that's based on the song Heat Haze Days that's like, half done, but I never figured out exactly how I wanted ~the Twist~ to go so I just stopped working on it and that was two years ago I think. I also have another My Hero fic from 2017 that was about an adult Izuku finding out people are shipping him and Uraraka together and Freaking Out Over It, which literally just needed an ending scene and it would've been done but now its been so long and its probably out of character and also I don't like writing/reading adult bnha character fics anymore bc I don't think the society they'll be in in the future will be like that and- anyway.

And again, there's my half dozen Luca fics that range from being half finished to literally just existing in my mind, waiting for me to actually write them down, and at this rate I don't think any of them will ever be officially published akdjakdjajsjsj

This isn't really answering the question, because it's not that I would never let them see the light of day, it's just that none of them are FINISHED, and I don't feel comfortable releasing them if they're not at their best. I just have a lot of ideas that I never flush out and soon I lose interest in them, like the adhd brain does, and they haunt me, constantly.

🏅 - What is something you recently felt proud of in regard to your writing (finished a fic, actually planned for once, etc).

I figured out what I wanted to do for a few scenes for the next chapter of Separated! I've been trying to figure out what I wanted, but my ideas were so vague (to the point where one scene was literally just "Wakko has a scene now" skdkaksjakw) that I was really struggling with writing. But now I've got a better idea, and hopefully I can start putting pen to paper, as it were!

(Also, someone said they were inspired to write their own fic after reading a chapter of mine and that made me feel all akdkakdjakdjajdjaj inside)

👨‍👧‍👧 - Do you tell people in real life that you write fic? 

Yeah, actually. I don't like.... talk about it a lot, but all of my friends and family are aware that I write both fanfiction and original stuff (though mostly fanfic lmao). My brother actually helps me out with my smut fic.

I'm definitely, like... weirdly ashamed about when I talk about it, cuz I'm afraid none of them would get it? Cuz I put my heart and soul into my fics and I'm very very proud of them, but I grew up in that era where it was taboo to talk about writing fanfiction, so it's kinda hard to get out of that mentality. I know in my head that fanfiction is just as valid as original fiction (and honestly, is sometimes even BETTER than original fiction), but talking about it with my parents (who have even admitted!! to writing star trek fanfic!!! and stuff!!! so why is it weird!!!) makes me Big Uncomfy, lmaooo.

Ah, anyway, the answer is yes.

🤔 - What is the hardest part of writing fic?

I think, probably making sure the characters stay in character, especially when you're changing up their backstory or making them Go Through Some Shit. Like, for example, in my animaniacs fic Separated, I'm having Dot be like, super abused, right? So I write her as being kinda timid and quiet, and metaphorically rolling over when there's confrontation. But Dot's canon personality is very spit-fire and angry and self-assured, so I'm always second-guessing how I'm characterizing her. I'm trying to find a balance where she's still like that, but just more subdued and only that way around her Safe People, and I think I'm doing well. At least, no one has complained to me about her being wildly out of character, so-

But yeah, it's about finding that balance between canon and fanon, I suppose.

thanks rex!