#i reread and hated the last paragraph so i made some tweaks

[k--havok]

Oh my gosh it is so much fun to hear when people have strong and interesting opinions about a topic I originally found quite mild! I love it!

I do want to say I also read critically! I actually was talking with someone the other week how I often will finish a book series or book I really enjoyed and will immediately reread it after closing it so I can go back and figure out everything I loved about it and break down the plot and craft that had me in such a chokehold.

And I tend to start getting detailed too. Before I had a kindle and could highlight things I would dog-ear and write in some of my books (yes yes I know I am FULL of controversy here too lol!) I would reread the same sentences, scenes, chapters, all of it over and over and over again to break down what I loved about these things so much. (and I do mean OBSESS over it.

And I still HATE line editing. Specifically.

Editing software, is like everything else, a tool. Like spellcheck, which is now baked into pretty much everything unless you turn it off (and I have met writers against using spellcheck!) or the thesaurus and dictionary. Or software that tackles grammar rules as, let's be real, grammar is HARD even for native english speakers. And, if we talk about publishing, software that also auto-formats your manuscript for either querying purposes or self-pub purposes.

I always find it interesting where people draw the line in terms of what tools they are comfortable with. And, like you said, sometimes its based on where our enjoyment comes from. I don't despise editing as much as I use to. I used to never reread or edit any of my writing, not even to catch mistakes, because I was so insecure in it.

I don't mind doing full rewrites. I also don't mind content editing; going back and adding or taking away paragraphs, rephrasing entire scenes, rearranging chapters, etc. I just hate line editing; going through and correcting grammar, rewording sentences slightly even if the meaning and what I am trying to convey stays the same, and doing those minor edits. Its dull to me.

Sure they add up over time. And I am always happy once I have a finished product I like. But I also only have so much time, motivation, and energy in one day. For me, using editing software to find weirdly worded sentences, passive voice, run-on sentences, and bad grammar saves me a LOT of time. Just as I would rather use a thesaurus to find a specific word rather than just sit and think about it forever. Or use spellcheck to fix spelling mistakes rather than grab a dictionary, find the word, and respell it.

I also find it interesting that this is the second or third time I've heard of editing software burying your own writing voice. Just as you can click "ignore" when spellcheck comes up to tell you a fantasy-esque name is spelled wrong... you can ignore or reword suggestions given to you as well. Sometimes I want a sentence to be passive. Sometimes "said softly" is what I mean and the vibe I am trying to convey, not "whispers" or "murmurs." You can always ignore suggestions you do not like, or take them and reword them to better match your own writing style and flow. I very rarely go with the exact sentence offered to me; I usually go back and tweak it a little bit.

The software is an algorithm and is doing what is programmed to do. But its the human behind the software, making those decisions, that ultimately matters and is writing the story. You have the choice in the matter. I find it interesting that when I say I like to use editing software, the knee-jerk reaction is that I reword every sentence it says I need to with no thought or input. Not at all! Just as I ignore spellcheck when it says my own damn last name is spelled wrong, I ignore suggestions I don't like just as often. I love starting sentences with -ing verbs. Adverbs can be great. I use exclamations!!! Often!!! and slang? oh lordy lordy lordy my normal day is made up of 80% slang and it ends up in my writing all the time. (but sometimes I do need to edit it out. I'm from the southern US and as it turns out sometimes it makes no sense for certain characters to use the same slang; especially if they're from Northern US states or not in our world at all).

I also want to say that those people who made fun of your English? Assholes! What the genuine fuck. God I hate people LMAO sorry sorry I just canNOT stand people like that. Everyone has to start somewhere. I barely know fucking english as my grammar SUCKS so the fact there are people who know more than 1 language is amazing to me. Blows my mind. Genuinely.

I do find it interesting how writing anxiety shows up differently for everyone! In the technical non-fiction writing world, I always fret if I sound too professional or too personal. It's hard to balance when you're not sure (it also doesn't help that in the medical field, what you write can be a legal document and put in medical records haha). In creative writing, my insecurities are much different and usually borne from grammar mistakes or conveying what I am trying to describe as sometimes? it's absolute gibberish that even my loved ones who know me and my brain well cannot comprehend.

There are so many different types and sides to editing work. And, at the end of the day, editing IS writing. Even if we differ editing from putting words on a blank page, it is still writing, and different people get different amounts of enjoyment from it. Everyone is different, everyone's workflow is different, and I think its a beautiful thing. If everyone worked and wrote the same way, reading and writing would both be quite boring.

So, I actually am curious about this.

I use quite a few different programs for editing my work, specifically I prefer using ProWritingAid but have also used Grammerly in the past too before I wanted something with more features and specialized.

Both ProWritingAid, Grammerly, and other editing software often have features that can reword sentences for you for numerous reasons, such as getting rid of a "passive voice," for clarity, or just to make it sound better.

I'm not entirely sure what sort of program is running to do this. Is it AI based? Perhaps. Or maybe an algorithm of some kind? I am not sure. I know very little about software.

Personally, I find it really helpful and it speeds up the line editing, which I hate doing. Content editing and rewriting? Fine. LINE EDITING? Ugh.

But what is everyone else's opinion on this?

[cowtale-utau]

Piper’s Bio/Analysis

Underswap Papyrus, Piper, he smokes, has good ideas, and holds a helluva grudge. A natural story teller, he knows how to play people. A bit of a hypocrite but he tries to be a decent person. He's fairly well accepted the state of things, and this new world they live in. He's comfortable, and plays his part without complaint. He can't deny, it's relatively peaceful, and they're not imprisoned anymore. In theory this should all be good things. But all he really wants is for things to go back to how they were. Before this new world. Before Chara. Before Temmie. Back when he was just the clever lazy little brother. Back when everything was still simple.

Highly intuitive, Piper trusts his instincts above most else. He picks up insights and ideas that others don't, and is usually uncannily accurate, both when it comes to people and concepts. Most of the gang brings him any plans before fully settling on them. Whether this is a plan of action, plans to build something, or plans for the weekend, Pip probably has something insightful to say. It helps that he has the intelligence to back his insights up. He's studied several topics, and isn't afraid to seek out more. If he feels he can't adequately explain something, he will track down information he needs to do so. He doesn't particularly like to partake in the hands on parts, and its rare you'll find him helping actually build anything, but he'll make sure you know the best way to build it yourself. His patience with those he chooses to help is near limitless, and he will explain as many times and ways as needed to make sure they understand.

These insights extend to people as well. His ability to detect lies helps, but even without he has remarkable skill for reading people. He can pick up someones basic nature and natural disposition quickly. Within minutes he'll know everything he needs to to get what he wants from any interaction. He knows what to say and how to act to shift the energy and favor of a crowd. He hates social interaction, but he excels at it. He twists and spins words and thoughts and history, until you're doing everything he wants and thinking it was your idea the whole time. As much as he hates liars, he's quite an accomplished one. He once hated this, this talent, this aspect of himself. But as with most things, time dulled this hate, until it faded into grudging resignation. A grim acceptance or himself. It's wretched and terrible and undeniably a part of him. He has accepted it's place in his life and the world. He has a part to play, and he will play it well, however distasteful he may find it.

One of the side effects of his ability to read people, and his history in the underground, is that he has massive trust issues. While not as paranoid as some of his Fell counterparts, he has solid walls he keeps between himself and everyone else. He holds his true self separate from the face he presents. Very little of his true nature bleeds through, a deliberate and careful choice. He doesn't want to give a mark, stranger, or outsider the chance to get close and hurt him or his loved ones. Getting through these walls is a feat of gentle patience. Pushing is never a good idea. Genuinely kind and earnest people will wear him down over time. Honesty is a requirement. He'd much rather be told you don't want to tell him than to be lied to. Dishonesty will not only set back to the start, but even place one at an unfavorable position, one that is difficult to ever recover from. He's stubborn and will hold a grudge as long as he damn well pleases. There are acts from decades ago he still holds against their perpetrators. Once he has made up his mind about someone, it can seem impossible to change it. He can be vindictive and spiteful, and will find ways to make the lives of those who have crossed him as difficult as possible without being traceable back to him.

Despite this vindictive streak, Pip hates conflict and will avoid it as much as possible. Whether that is verbal or physical conflict is irrelevant. He does and says whatever he needs to to avoid getting into anything resembling a fight. His laid back, aloof seeming disposition is a mask for what is ultimately a sensitive soul. He may not react, but he is actually quite easy to hurt if one figures out the right buttons to push. There is much about himself he dislikes, and someone clever and cruel enough could capitalize on this. It would have little to no immediate effect, he is a damn good actor, and values keeping his head clear in any altercation, physical or otherwise. But the long term ramifications could be great. Once he starts doubting it's hard for him to stop, and he spirals easily. It takes time, and constant, consistent support to get him stable again.

Piper loves deeply, with a relaxed intensity. His family is the most important thing to him. There is nothing he wouldn't do for them. He guards his loved ones zealously, and can be not only protective, but a bit territorial. It's not that he doesn't want them to make friends or connections outside of their circle/clan, it's that he doesn't trust others not to harm them. Anyone and everyone is a potential threat until prove otherwise. He will casually interrogate anyone who tries to get close, and nothing said is said in confidence. He will share everything he hears with the gang. They can do with it what they will. Secrets are for those who can be trusted. Outsiders don't get to have any.

That isn't to say that Pip is always harsh or cold. He is typically quite laid back, and capable of having plenty of fun. He enjoys a good drink, especially with his buddies, and can cut loose and have a good time. He's a troublemaker, and will stir up mischief whenever he can. He isn't fond of tricks or pranks that could actually hurt anyone, but anything short of that is fair game. He's playful, can crack a good joke, and will join in on harmless mayhem at any opportunity. He also enjoys just laying back and relaxing, and will do so whenever possible. He rarely passes the chance to just kick back and chill in good company. He also greatly enjoys writing in his free time, and for all that he hates his duplicitous nature, he will admit he appreciates being able to spin a good story. Piper is a troubled but loving man, who just wants life to truly settle down.

So there we go, a glimpse into some of what makes Piper. Hmu with thoughts, ideas, opinions anytime!

[fruityoosung]

alter ego

pairing : wonwoo x reader

rating : fluff-ish???? lowkey promiscuos

trigger warning : tattoos, substance usage, wonwoo being hot

“choi y/n you’re with jeon wonwoo” the monotonous deliverance from the TA stemmed a sigh that left your lips subconsciously. you turned your head to the right and a steely, dark and unwavering pair of brown eyes met yours. jeon wonwoo, the quiet, dismissive but very intelligent classmate of yours stared into you for a couple seconds before turning back towards his own assignment on his laptop. you merely nod your head to nothing before the TA dismissed the class, causing the flock of students in the history lecture flee from the lecture hall with grace, ready to end their day or attend their next class. some students hung behind to discuss the matters of the assignment with their designated partners and you decided to do the same.

you took your own sweet time packing your laptop into your backpack before a tall, looming figure casts a shadows upon you. you finally had a clear look of him whilst before your eyesight were betraying you. he’s the typical, lowkey stand off, quiet but very attractive young man, a character you often stumble upon at some point of your life. most times, it was more annoying than attractive to you because people like him are very contemptuous and outrageously pompous. you shot up from your seat and stood in front of him, waiting for him to talk to you first since you didn’t want to leave a bad impression towards your project partner.

“we can work on the project at the uni’s library. is tomorrow afternoon okay for you?” he asked, you didn’t realise how deep his voice actually goes. with the thin-rimmed glasses resting upon the bridge of his nose and the cashmere knitted, cream coloured sweater he was wearing, his voice was very uncanny to hear.

“tomorrow afternoon is fine, i’ll e-mail you the materials and we can work from there.” you replied, it was uncomfortable to you while he stood inches away from you and actively studying your face. he nodded and gripped the strap of his backpack before walking away. you did not know how to feel, you cannot deny his attractiveness and the stroke of heat that travels through your body as he stood close towards you.

this should be fun right?

you waited at the table near the windows with your laptop opened in front of you. you’re currently sorting through the materials and crafting a rough draft of your part of the assignment. wonwoo wasn’t late, you were just very early since the professor of your last class couldn’t make it to the lecture. you didn’t realise the time has passed as you typed through your rough draft until the sound of the wooden chair striking against the floor broke you out of your flow of thoughts. you immediately looked up and saw him sitting down directly across from you. being the somewhat inviting person you are, you decided to acknowledge his presence.

“hi, did you have class prior to this?” you asked, fingers resuming to type last few lines of your last rough draft. ever since the TA assigned the project to the both of you, you’ve never spoken to him verbally other than a few

e-mails regarding the materials and the submission of his rough draft for you to proof read and check. you were astounded to receive that e-mail since it was barely a couple hours since the TA had assigned it. of course, being one of the smartest kids in your class, his rough draft was nearly perfect and you only had to tweak a couple words to fit the theme better.

“i had a business management class.” he replied, his fingers began rapidly typing on the keyboard and it grew silent from there. it was almost distracting.

what’s more distracting is his goddamn features. you discreetly studies him as you finish typing the draft. the way the blue light from the screen reflected onto the lenses of his glasses made his eyes appear glittering almost had your heart lurching. the way he chews on his lips and furrowed his eyebrows as he reread the paragraph he wrote made you notice the warmth spreading on your face.

what the fuck? you swore. you’ll never have a chance with him, for all you know he probably hates your ass.

you shook off your thoughts and opened the google docs app and began typing the actual essay for the assignment. the lines above yours kept increasing and you tried your best to keep up.

what you didn’t notice was the sly smirk and the dark pair of brown eyes travelling towards your face, revelling at the sight in front of him.

he can get use to this

you were deep in your work before his alarm rang. thankfully, no one else was in the library since it was growing late into the evening. you looked up and meet his eyes again. wow, does he have really nice eyes.

“i need to go. i’ll make sure to send in the docs to you latest by tomorrow” he said before frantically packing up. you were dumbfounded. he’s probably late for something but you didn’t bother to ask since it is none of your business.

“it’s alright, this project isn’t due for another three days. you can take your time.” you replied softly, not wanting to stress him out.

“thank you y/n. i’ll see you soon.” he said in his deep tone that made your stomach do a flip. for some reason, you think your name sounds perfect coming from his lips.

since it is getting dark, you probably should leave the building before it gets too late.

you were in a state of boredom. your part of the project has already been done hours after you reached your apartment. to your surprise, the apartment was empty. maybe your roommate decide to stay the night at their boyfriend’s apartment. soon, the boredom slowly became unbearable so you decided to hit up the club for any sort of civilisation.

a seductive, red lip gloss dressed your lips as your fix the earrings dangling from your ears. the all black ensemble you were wearing definitely gave you a sense of high charisma and made you ooze confidence, perfect for a night out and warding off weird men. the heels you were wearing added an extra two inch to your strut. even though it’s probably going to be hell for you to walk in, you sure do look really good.

you took a cab to your favourite underground club, ready to take on the night.

the flashing led lights grabbed your attention as soon as you stepped into the dark nightclub. the atmosphere of drunk people in their early or mid 20’s dancing and having fun is never foreign to you. the bass boosted underground rap song pierce through your eardrums and made you heart thump along with every bass kick. you felt a surge of energy flowing through your veins so you wastes no time and walked towards the bar, before ordering your drink of choice for the night, completely ready to get wasted.

you are now on your fourth shot of vodka and dancing your way in the middle of the club. you’re a pretty sensible person off alcohol but when a substance is coursing through your blood, you tend to get a little too wild. the light changed and another song arrived through the speakers. you decided to leave the dance floor and return back to the bar to get another shot of whatever the hell you wishes

now i’m on my way to whatever’s waitin'

뭐가됐든 go straight (go straight)

fuck what they’d be talkin' 'bout

(fuck they talkin' 'bout)

their opinion doesn’t count like ooh

a loud scream can be heard on the dance floor, everyone began to vibe to the new heavy hitting bass playing through the very big speaker. a younger looking boy with bleached blonde hair appear with three other men on the stage

로또 터뜨린지도 어느덧

두달이 됐지 (yup)

나름 높아져, 벌농 인지도

man, 그 누가 알았겠니 (you get me?)

불가능해 보이던 모든건

수영이나 갔다오라해

wait, enough with vernon

원우형 here’s the torch

이제 가서 소각해요 man

even in your drunk state you couldn’t miss the rhythm of his name on stage since you have been thinking about him ever since the project was assigned. the craved, intricately carved, glass of bourbon wrapped safely around your fingers before you began sipping on it slowly. the sight you see next was nothing that you could’ve ever expected.

the red spotlight shined through the familiar figure, though he’s dressed so differently from when you saw him last.

uh 주위에선 그래 가능성 로또래

내가 노력만 한다면

대박 쯤은 그냥 터트릴거래

별의 별 놈들은 나에게 한마디씩 던지지

내가 볼 땐 넌 백날 해도 안돼

난 답하지 난 아직 어린이

발전 가능성이 높은 나에 비해 전혀 없어 넌

옛말에 똥은 더러워 피해

째려도 전혀 안 무서워

비교하면 난 박잘타는 흥부 너도 따라해도

넌 박치에 가깝지 내가 볼땐 니행동을보면 전혀 노력 금물 uh

너는 옥타곤 지옥에서 기어

난 바쁘니까 엄마가 보면 놀래 가사노동

할땐 주부들만치니까

나도 놀랬지 가끔 너 보면 빡치니까

넌 을이 없게도 그리해놓고 어디서 여기서 갑질이야

the familiar deep and heart rumbling tone of his voice pierced through the speakers and into your auditory senses. you focused your eyes towards the stage and there you see him, the man of the hour, hyping the crowd up like it’s nobody’s business but his. what surprises you his outlook, he appears more confident, more fierce, more arrogant and a bad news to literally anyone regardless of gender and preferences. he ditched the usually

thin-rimmed glasses and left the piercing cold and sharp eyes out on display. a black tight fitting tank top fit snug against his broad shoulder and chest. the purple, satin outerwear that’s slowly falling of his shoulders reveal biceps that could be envied by a lot of people and the huge written tattoos splayed on his neck and collarbones are the most unexpected part of him.

the smart and witty lyrics flows out of his lips perfectly against the rhythm of the overdriven instrumental. his motions in sync with the beat of the music made it seems like he has been doing this since forever, he wasn’t foreign to anything. that is not the jeon wonwoo you knew. the jeon wonwoo you knew was a quiet, smart and dismissive, not the one that oozes confidence and charisma like it is a switch to be turned on and off. you could not believe your sight. your heart thumped loudly against your chest with the music. the drink in your hand is slowly disappearing from the cup and into your mouth. you turned towards the bartender and asked for a refill, the torch has been passed from wonwoo to another member of his underground rap team and all you want to do is accept this as a dream and resume your night.

the song finally ended and the crowd went batshit crazy. you were still leaning against the bar looking at the stage still reeling in at the fact that the person with the rap team is your fucking history project partner.

wonwoo shared handshakes with his member before making his way towards the bar, ready to end the night with some good ol’ alcohol before another day began tomorrow. to his surprise. he saw a familiar figure leaning against the bar, drink in hand and cheeks flushed red. oops, his cheeky little secret have been exposed by none other than the person he has taken admiration to. the surge of confidence he got really made him a completely different person.

you mentally prepare yourself as you saw him walking straight towards you. you fixed your posture to appear taller and more confident even though you’re still inches shorter than his six foot height. you almost curse at the sight of him with that smirk playing on his lips. he walked past you and motioned for the bartender.

“i’ll have what she’s having.” he pointed at you, eyes lingered towards your figure for a couple seconds which made you almost cower at the sheer intenseness of the stare.

“so what brings you here. i didn’t realise this is your type of gig.” the question hung from his lips

once his drink is safe in his grip, you muster up the courage to finally speak to the new personality you just discovered.

“i think that question is way more suited towards you no?” you replied, a hint of mischievousness apparent in your tone.

the bronze liquid flowed from the cup and down his throat.

“oh darling, you may find me full of surprises.”

a/n : the edit was made by v follow her @/lovetagon

[scribeofred]

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47!

2. Whatis your latest fandom?

My latestfandom is Batman in terms of fic. There’s a wealth of reading material in it,and it is almost perfectly suited to my preference for brothers-relatedmaterial. There are also some very very very good writers to be found, and I’menjoying being able to consume in a large scale again, at least when I’m notsick of reading due to work.

3. Whatis the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?

In termsof “this is my ideal place and I am never leaning,” absolutely Thunderbirds. It’salso a… very small fandom, and for a choosy consumer such as myself, that’sbeen a serious problem over the last year or two, what with the departure of alot of my favorite writers. Nevertheless, the world and the characters have embeddeddeep in my heart, and I’ll always be around somewhere in the fandom in one iterationor another.

5. Whichfandoms have your written fanfiction for?

A few! Ihave published fics for TRON: Legacy, Assassin’s Creed, FFVII, Star Wars, Sherlock,Thunderbirds, FFXV, and VLD.

As far asentirely unpublished fandoms… I have an enormous Merlin AU completelyoutlined, but I only wrote snippets of it. Too bad, because it was going to beSO GOOD. Alas, I am no good with monster projects, so it languishes, probablyforever. Unless I post the outline here. Hmm. I could do that…

7. Listyour NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

Oh man. Well.Let’s see. Automatically anything incest or slash, they’re just not my mug ofpomegranate juice. Other than that, I’m relatively fluid when it comes topairings and tend to go in for anything that’s well-written and has dynamicsthat are to my taste, so I rarely hit upon pairings that make me nope entirely out.I tend to just not care about anything that doesn’t strike my fancy.

11. Whois your current OTP?

As notedabove, I am not a hardcore shipper. Favorite pairings come and go depending onmood and whether they’ve become boring due to overuse/overexposure/passage oftime or not. If I had to pick, I’d say I still default to Scott/Penny, though,because I’m still writing ’em.

13. Goon, who are your BroTPs?

Mostrecent fandoms only, in no particular order: Shiro & Pidge, Shiro &Hunk, Keith & Pidge, Keith & Hunk (VLD); Scott & Virgil, Scott& John, insert-all-possible-bro-combinations-here (TB); Dick & Jason,Jason & Stephanie, Jason & Cass, Cass & everyone, Jason & Damian(Batman).

17. Whatship have you written the most about?

I am stillinfluenced a ton by TOS, so as of the last five years, it’s Scott/Penny. They’rethe ultimate power couple, both heirs to enormous fortunes, and let’s face it:they look incredible on each other’s arm. The dynamics are lovely between them,very arch, very clever, and finding ways to make them relax around one anotheris just genuinely my favorite.

19. Anyships which you surprised yourself by liking?

Nyx/Araneafrom FFXV came out of the blue. I think I saw someone had written it once duringone of my only glances at the fandom’s AO3 section, and it lodged in my brain. Imean. I’ve read exactly one (1) fic for them and have written an equal numberof fics with them, and I don’t really think about them on my own time nowadays,but they did click with me, at least very briefly. I also super wasn’texpecting to like Shiro/Allura from VLD, but they touched hands in S2, and Idid that little flappy hand thing and made The Noise, and I knew I was InTrouble.

23. Whatfic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?

See, I dothis thing. Where once I’ve posted a fic, I am disinclined to reread it withoutsome serious—usually external—prompting. Not because I hate it! But because I’vejust moved on to new ideas—that one has had all the hooks it had in my brainreleased by way of posting the story, and I don’t need to think about it anylonger. I’m not very interested in rewriting old material, although last week Idid reread Three Towels and a Tracy for the first time in a couple years, and Imade a few tiny tweaks to the AO3 version for improved readability. I edit soheavily while I initially write a story, though, that I really don’t leavemyself much room for editing/rewriting at a late date.

Arealistic answer would be “probably the first ten or so stories I posted becauseI know So Much More about writing, especially the technical elements, now thanI did then, and there are undoubtedly many missing/misplaced commas int them.”

29. Whatinspires you to write?

Sometimesit’s vivid mental images that I Must Put Into Words (an upcoming FFVII story);sometimes a piece of art or a song compels me to put words down. Imagery is abig thing in my writing, so it tends to be something visual that sparks aproject, although occasionally combinations of words just *sing* to be put downsomewhere. Truth told, I write for SS and no one else, so yeah, she’s myinspiration.

31. Doyou listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which bandor genre of music does it for you?

Music inand of itself rarely inspires me these days, with one notable exception, but I dousually listen to it while writing. Anything instrumental gets at least tried,but I lean toward film/game/TV scores (Hans Zimmer yaaaaaasssss), smooth jazz, epicproduction music, and some electronic music. If music is too much for onereason or another, I will pull up a soundscape generator—myNoise is amazing; I’vebeen all over the Black Hole soundscape recently—and let that run on animatefor an hour or two.

37. Doyou use established canon characters, or do you create OCs?

I alwaystry to write canon characters unless it’s necessary to create a person for aspecific scenario. OCs can be hard to connect with unless you’re very good at makingreaders care, so they’re a bit risky. I know I prefer to read about canoncharacters, though, so that drives my thinking when I create plots/scenarios.

41. Listand link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:

@preludeinz is just… one of the best writers you’re ever going to find. The way she’sable to take literally any scenario or characters and make them interestingbaffles me even years into knowing her, and you will not find a better writer todescribe clothing. She’s as brilliant at handling character interactions as sheis at describing lasagna food. Also, her dialogue is A++

lurkinglurkerwholurksis another complete package. Everything about their writing is engaging andfeels so polished, and they have an enviable ability to capture characters’ voices.I’m constantly blown away by the quality of their work, and I’m waiting withbated breath for the next chapter of Nature and Nurture.

@headspacedad writes some of the best stream of consciousness I’ve encountered. The firstchapter of their story Falling took my breath away, and subsequent updatescontinue to knock the air out of me. Writing a character who’s lost a primarysense is no easy feat, but they make it incredibly easy, and indeed the storyis so rich with details that it’s 100% better that way.

If youwant a writer who’s going to challenge you with each chapter, each scene, eachparagraph, each sentence, pollywantsa is absolutely the writer for you. I’mperhaps a tiny bit traumatized by one particular work, but in general every storyis worth reading. There’s a sense of weight to each piece, a gravity that goesbeyond fandom trappings and sinks into your very bones, lives like mercury inthe bottoms of your lungs, dragging you down into the unshakable truths that areinescapably human. Real people make wrong decisions, destroy other people orthemselves; they are crude and profane and selfish and so very beautiful intheir imperfections, and polly will remind you of that with each tone-perfectword they’ve laid down.

Roundingout the list is @velkynkarma. Unusual stories and unique situations that I neverwould have considered reading are some of my favorite stories because of VK’sskill at finding the engaging threads to pull into the light. Space mouse vsCoran? Amazing. Keith + space mouse shenanigans? Incredible. Zarkon + eldritchhorror? Terrifying but so engaging. Slav and Sven AU? Worthy of popcorn. Heapsof Shiro angst? Sign me up. The high quality of both storytelling and technicalskill are not to be missed, and every new story and chapter updated is a TREAT.

(honorarymention: @deepwaterstars for being the sunbeam to my moonbeam

43. Whatship do you feel needs more attention?

Uh… I’mnot sure tbh. I’m not a “shipper,” and I tend to read gen fic as a wholesalerule. I wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more Virgil/Penny, I guess?

47. Doyou leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/why not?

Mmmm.See. This is the thing I’m trying to get better about. Because I tend to go ALLIN when I comment and drop a solid 300–500 words, and that takes time, even ifthe words are flowing. I find it hard to write something more modest, because Iknow exactly how much I drool over the writers who leave me enormous comments,and I want to give them the same feelings. I tend to only comment whensomething has truly moved me, especially since I’ve tried to move on from the unasked-forcritique-style reviews. Maybe one day I’ll find a happy middle ground.

ask me about fanfic!

[brynwrites]

Part III: Editing the first draft and beyond.

Fore Note: This is the process I’m currently using to outline, write, and edit my novels. There are a million different ways to journey through the writing process, and the only ‘correct’ one is the one that works for you in the moment. Everyone’s writing process is a little bit different, and most writers (including myself) change theirs every few books as they figure out what techniques are most beneficial to them and for certain types of novels.

1. Reread and Re-outline.

Now that you’ve put your first draft to the side for a while, some parts of it should be a little hazy. Reread the full book, with the intention to read. As you go...

Make as few edits as you can. 

If you have things that need naming, sentences that go nowhere, paragraphs you skipped, etc, fix those.

Note all the places you felt immersed in the story, everywhere you laughed and cried and were enjoying reading.

Note all the places you got a bit bored or wanted to skim.

Most importantly: Track all the major plot lines and character developments by either comparing them to what you have already written down, or write them done afresh, and then look over everything for consistency.

If you have major issues which immediately stick out at you as needing major adjustments, go back and fix them after you’ve finished rereading the full story.

2. Send it to (1-3) critique partners.

If I have a longer, more complex manuscript, I usually send it to fewer critique partners at a time, because I know I’ll need a nearly infinite number of fresh, trusted critiquers to tell me whether the changes I made to the last draft truly helped. 

For shorter, less complex manuscripts though, it can be nice to throw your story at multiple critique partners to see which of their feedback overlaps and to help you get a larger chunk of the editing out of the way in one go. 

If you don’t know exactly what a critique partner is or where you find one, you can find out more here.

3. Full scale edit, with focus on plot and characters.

This should be your first Real Edit. At this point, you should have the feedback of at least one CP, so you should know from an outside source what things you need to focus on. While it’s not as necessary with CP feedback as it is with Beta Reader feedback, it’s still nice to write down the major changes you intent to make, as well as what they’ll accomplish for you manuscript in the long run.

Don’t focus on too many things at one time, and if you do focus on multiple aspects, then try to write up notes for yourself ahead of time, especially if you didn’t outline before the first draft.

Broad scale things you may end up focusing on here, or in future drafts:  

The integrity of your first chapter, how immersive and intriguing it is, and whether it acts as an accurate representation of the rest of your book. (More information on this, and how to fixing issues with it.)

World building that needs to be better explained, developed further, or tweaked for continuity.

Character actions and dialogue.

Character growth and it’s continuity, including double checking that the Important Choice(s) your main character makes prior to or during the climax are influential, suspenseful, and in character (and that they exist in the first place.)

All plot lines, for continuity and whether the reader understands and finds suspense through them.

The interaction between your plot and your character’s development. (More information on that here.)

Romantic relationships, whether the reader’s understanding of them is constant with what you meant to portray and how easily the characters are shipped. (More information on this here.)

You fight/actions scenes and whether they all make sense to the reader without being boring. (More information on fixing this.)

Awkward or lagging scenes, or anything that just doesn’t Do It for you. (More information on fixing this.)

Your high payoff scenes, and whether they induce the emotions you were looking for. (More information on fixing this.)

Descriptions, whether they make sense, are consistent with the way the narrator sees things, and provide enough (but not too much) information. 

Anything that may be disrespectful towards minority groups.

Try to make as few line edits as possible during these phases. In my experience, it’s impossible to ignore them entirely, but whenever you feel yourself honing in on one single line or paragraph for a little too long, convince yourself you’ll be coming back to it and move on.  

4. Send it to beta readers (10-25), and make more changes.

Once you’re happy with the changes you’ve made, you should send your manuscript to a group of beta readers to acquire their feedback for the purposes of (a) checking their reaction to the things, especially those things you changed in the last draft, and (b) getting an idea of what you have left to change. 

If you don’t know exactly what a beta reader is or where you find one, you can find out more here. 

Because of the sheer bulk of feedback you’ll receive from beta readers, you’ll have to be much more careful about how you record, analyze, and apply it. If you’d like, you can read a post detailing my process here.

5. Take a break, then Rinse and Repeat!

Without taking breaks, you become too close to the story to do it any good, and subsequently might end up hating it more then it deserves. Do yourself a favor and take long, purposeful breaks during the editing process. If you have long, defined beta reading rounds this can give you a good opportunity to step away from your manuscript for a few months. 

Never stop writing for more then a week or two though! While you wait, pick up a short story, finish a draft of another manuscript, write poetry or screenplay, outline a future novel, etc. Just don’t stop being creative. Habits are hard to build, and you absolutely want to keep your positive writing habits intact no matter if you’re currently working on your pet project or not.  

6. Small scale edits.

Now that you have all the major content edits out of the way, it’s time to focus on the smaller scale things! If you’re anything like the majority of human writers out there, you’ve probably been making a lot of these edits as you go, but as it’s important not to bog yourself down in them during the earlier phases, you’re manuscript shouldn’t look entirely clean yet.

A not at all inclusive list of some small scale edits to watch for:

Grammar errors and typos.

Consistency in naming schemes.

Proper capitalization of titles. (King John vs the king.)

Proper use of paragraph formatting, especially in dialogue.

Repeated words.

Filter words.

Unnecessary or redundant adjectives.

Passive voice. (Was, were, had, etc.)

Awkward or confusing sentences.

Multiple sentences of the same length.

Multiple sentences or paragraphs starting with the same word.

Unnecessary ellipses and em-dashes. 

Agonizing months later, you’re finally ready to take a step into the publishing world, whether that be by hiring professional copy-editors, cover arts, etc, in order to self publish, by querying agents, or by going directly to small scale publishing houses. 

This has been Part III: Editing. You can also find Part I: Outlining and Part II: Writing.

[nerdyskeleton]

ALL of the author asks

all right, you anonymous rogue, let’s do this. under the read more for length. I’m answering this instead of doing my accounting homework mua ha ha. But thanks in advance for asking for these it made me feel really nice and it was so fun!!!

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

Ah I mean not really? I have a bunch of ideas bouncing around, but I don’t have the time or the energy to sit down and start another multichap really. Still recovering from the last one haha. Plus I need to have the main story planned out before I start writing, as well as most of the big details, so I don’t want to start something without knowing where I want to ehh vaguely end up.

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

oh my god. Everything that’s on ff.net. I wrote SUCH garbage from like 13-16(?) it’s just all such a disaster. But there’s quite a few multichaps there that are complete so I’m proud of little me completing those haha. But it’s all SO cringe-worthy.

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

(lol “““““book”““““) I do write from beginning to end! Sometimes if there’s a scene I suddenly have a really good idea for I will sit down and get most of it out, or at least jot down some notes for what I want to happen. But I try to write in the order of the story so that I can update consistently! And I try really hard to write ahead, like I didn’t start posting School Daze until I had a few chapters as back up, so I could work on the future ones as I updated weekly, like a bad ass.

4) favorite character you’ve written

I LOVE writing Trucy. She’s one of my favorite characters in the whole AA series - she’s just so fun and lovely. Plus it’s fine to like write a regular person instead of prissy ass Edgeworth or Blackquill.

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

I mean I personally never expected to go as hard with Blackmadhi as I did and in such a short time span either!! I’ve written 80k of Blackmadhi in 2 months like girl can you cool it for a minute? Also I didn’t like Blackquill AT ALL while playing DD so the fact that I’m such a thirsty bitch for him is surprising to me. Here we are though.

6) something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

7) when asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

tbh I don’t tell anyone really! Well, not people who are already confirmed dorks like me. Mostly because I don’t want to get into the “oh what do you write?” conversation hahaha. “uh…..gay lawyer fanfic?”

8) favorite genre to write

Hmm…….I mean I’ll go for angst and hurt/comfort all day long, because there’s nothing more satisfying to me when I do something terrible to the characters, everyone gets mad at me for it, and then I fix it later on with a happy little scene of pure love and compassion between the characters.

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

Hm. I’ll normally put on some Disney music, because that has been my go-to inspiring music for a very long time. Sometimes I’ll go back and reread some parts of whatever I have written recently to be like “Look! You actually like this part! Write more so you can keep feeling this way!” Or I’ll read the last bits of the last update to remember where I was even going with the plot line LMAO

10) write in silence or with background noise? with people or alone?

I like to write with music! It has to be very specific music though. Being with people who are also writing/being productive helps, so then I feel obligated to get stuff done too haha.

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

??? man I have no clue. I guess I’m pretty good with like……not sweating the little stuff. If I feel like I don’t have much sentence variation in one paragraph, I leave it, because it’s okay. Not everything has to be poetic (literally NOTHING I write is poetic). I feel like I make up for it later on with a paragraph with better flow. I hope. Idk these things, friends.

12) your weaknesses as an author

I guess like……descriptions?? Both like physical background descriptions like where they are, because I feel like knowing the scenery can be pretty important. but also like facial and behavioral descriptions too? Like sometimes I’m too lazy to find the exact word I want so I just pick a generic one and move on. I love getting things done, so sometimes the quality isn’t what it could be because I just like finishing things hahaha.

13) your strengths as an author

I’m pretty good with writing things out the way I want them the first time, because if I’m going to write I want it to be right (hehe). Obviously I go back and edit things to tweak it, but if I’m sitting down to write something, I don’t want to half-ass it and come back to it later. I HATE finally finishing some huge ass 12k chapter and then remembering I left a scene unfinished because then that means I’m NOT DONE AHHH.

14) do you make playlists for your current wips?

Not really! Mostly because I can never just like listen to whatever music I want. I listened to Hozier for a month straight as I finished up School Daze because for some reason that smooth hipster really did it for me.

15) why did you start writing?

Who knows man!! But it’s fun!! I got super into a book series called Skulduggery Pleasant like it was my first HARDCORE FANDOM that I wrote for. My ff.net is under the same name if anyone wants so suffer through it. Let me know if you do because it’s all disgusting and I want to laugh about it. But ALSO it’s all really problematic so please don’t judge 13 year old me okay thanks.

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

LMAO WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THIS.

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

oh man…..keep on sticking with it man. I’m glad you are writing (even if present me thinks it’s god awful) because you made so many friends and really learned a lot, actually. Good on you for doing what you want to do. Maybe also stop thinking of yourself as the greatest fanfic writer of all time I mean just maybe, girl.

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

Yeah, Skulduggery Pleasant again! The author, Derek Landy, writes so sarcastically and I guess kind of simple (not like bad simple haha). I would just crack up every few minutes reading the series so I wanted to be that funny author with clever little deadpan lines like him. idk if I succeeded haha.

19) when it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

I have a separate document where everything is planned out. Well, not everything, but the majority of stuff. For School Daze, I always wanted to have the next two chapters planned out from where I was currently. I just always gotta know where I’m headed so I don’t get anything mixed up or forget anything.

20) do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

It depends! Both usually just depending on the time. I write for a looong time on weekends like a loser with nothing else to do, but if I have like twenty minutes to kill between stuff I’ll think up some lines or finish planning out a scene.

21) what do you think when you read over your older work?

I literally cannot stop laughing at it. I guess it’s not BAD like my grammar was always good and I tried really hard but just like…….I know I thought I was the fanfic SHIT back then so I’m just like “Laura like how could you ever let other people see this???? it makes no sense!!!!!!”

22) are there any subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

I guess kind of the usual suspects…..No non-con, incest, underage stuff. I don’t write it, so I’m never uncomfortable with it!

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

Hmm not really?? Not too obscure, but I took a looong break from writing mostly because I fell out of that Skulduggery Pleasant fandom and I got super depressed in high school. So now that I’m way better, I really enjoy writing again because I remembered the old feelings of being SO happy when I got a review on ff.net. Makes me feel 13 again, which is actually pretty regrettable.

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

Ah not really! I don’t write too much stuff that needs expertise (and also tbh I haven’t written that much like idk what I’m doing here) but also I’m just a lazy shit and will look up the minimum required information for what I need to get done hahaha.

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of“Meaning, Miles concluded, that she expressed a very high level of care and compassion for nearly everything in her life. Soon, her thousands of questions in class made sense, because she just wanted to understand the information to the highest degree. And now that Miles was witnessing nearly a private glimpse into the art teacher’s collage project, he saw the same level of attention that Trucy bestowed on her own projects in Phoenix, as well.With this knowledge, Miles assumed, logically, that Phoenix had been the one to impart this trait into her. And from their date, he now knew the man had taken her in unexpectedly and still managed to raise her right.Phoenix Wright was clearly not only an amazing father and art teacher, but also a wonderfully kind, considerate, and determined individual. How could Miles not be drawn physically and mentally to the man?” I really liked this paragraph, because this was a part of the first time that I had written as Miles Edgeworth and had taken a very long chunk of time to go into some gay-ass introspection. Thought it turned out pretty well???