#i’m generally an advocate for readings wips

[padfootastic]

a seldom unrealised joy of fics updating after a long time (by which i mean many months or perhaps even years) is being able to go back and reread the previous chapter or heck, the entire fic again to catch up. it’s almost as good as reading it for the first time🥰

[the-wip-project]

Bad Brain Days

Today I’m having a bad brain day.

It’s not that my brain is misbehaving. It’s just having a rough time functioning.

You might call it something else, and it has numerous causes, a bad night’s sleep, a flare up of a chronic health condition, medication issues, a short term illness, or simply being overwhelmed with responsibilities.

Whatever the cause, we all have days when our brain doesn’t want to do what it’s supposed to, ie: think.

Which is bad for life in general, and particularly bad for the thinky work of writing.

So what does a committed writer do when faced with a bad brain day?

The first and simplest thing is yield. If your body is telling you to rest, it’s a good idea to heed it.

I don’t advocate for pushing yourself to write every single day. (unless streaks really work well for you, in that case streak on!) It’s especially important if your bad brain days are often caused by feeling overwhelmed.

No doubt you have things you must get done: work, classes, child or elder care, household responsibilities. Things you can’t skip just because you’re not feeling up to it. So do yourself a favor and skip the non-vital tasks, like writing. Just for today.

But perhaps that writing habit thing is starting to catch hold and you’re looking forward to your writing session as something you do for yourself, but sadly your brain just won’t go in the words and ideas direction. What then?

The best thing is to make a list of what you can do. If you have low brain usefulness days frequently, on a good day try coming up with a list of things you can do on slow brain days.

Here’s some ideas to get you started.

1. Read. Skip the social media doom scroll, turn off your devices, and read something on paper. It could be an old favorite that feels comforting, it could be something new and exciting, but either way, focus on what makes the book or story good. We hear a lot about reading critically, and finding fault seems to dominate that. But try reading to admire. Pay attention to what you enjoy, what makes you smile, what makes you feel immersed. Read with the intention of enjoyment.

2. Do something story adjacent. If you like posting about your WIP on socials, find a few good pull quotes and queue them up. Or create a synopsis or pitch to keep on file for whenever someone asks what you’re writing. If you like making visual stuff like mood boards, make one for a scene or character.

3. Feeling up to diving into the work itself? How about updating your outline? Read over what you have written and add whatever changes you’ve made to the outline. It doesn’t have to be complex. Just try making one sentence summaries of each scene. You can do this if you didn’t have an outline to begin with too.

4. Talk to a friend about your writing. Writers need social interaction and if your writing has been consuming a lot of your spare time, just connecting with a friend might be what you need. (and don’t make it all about your writing! Be a good friend!)

5. Make starting tomorrow easier. Do non writing stuff that smooths the way, like tidying up the formatting or layout, creating blank chapters or scenes, or even sketching out a scene without making an attempt to fill in all the blanks.

Finally, don’t make any major decisions about your WIP on a bad brain day. You might do something your regret. Instead make notes on any major cuts or changes that feel needed, and look at them again on a day when you feel good.

And don’t make your writing another burden that makes everything too hard to carry. Tomorrow, when your head is (hopefully) clearer, take the time to assess if your writing is too much. To consider if the goals you’ve set yourself are workable with your current life situation. There’s no shame in dialing things back. If writing 250 words a day is too much, consider reducing it to 200. Or adding in more days off. Or considering a lower pressure project. Writing short fiction instead of tackling The Novel.

Most of all, remember that a solid writing practice is first of all a healthy one. So take care of yourself.

—Maree

Subscribe to my substack to make sure you don't miss a post, chat with me on the WIP Project discord, and tag any posts you make about the challenge with #slomowrino if you want me to see them!

[ilovebeingaturtle]

I'd love to know what you think the birth order is of the 87 turtles

Oh man I think my age order headcanons change for them by the minute AHA, I love all interpretations! The popular idea of quadruplets that change the order/take turns on it whenever they feel like it is so fun. I think in regards for canon? My stance is the turtles both don’t know and never even thought to know. We barely get them to acknowledge they’re siblings, let along establish an age hierarchy. I don’t think the topic has ever come up AHA that feels the most in character

But like-delving into fanon?

The back of their toys lists Leonardo as 16, Michelangelo as 15 1/2 and Donatello and Raphael as 15, so that’s a fun order if you want to go off established info! Even if the info from the toys can be taken with a grain of salt. Similarly, you could also go via height order? Raphael and Leonardo are 5’1, Michelangelo is 5’0 and Donatello is 4’10 (again according to the toys and Cowabunga Collection this time)

Oh also! I read once that apparently one of the books lists Leonardo and Donatello as 16 and the other two as 15, but I was never able to find a source on it plus that’s just even more of a reach in general. Leonardo and Donatello you can definitely read as the oldest two, however Donatello does give me like. Third oldest middle child energy a lot, he can a brat /pos plus chill second oldest Michelangelo is just something I’m biased to, in the least he’s not the youngest in my mind.

In fact I’ll always be a strong advocate for Raphael being the youngest, he’s just got such “baby of the family” energy AHA so I do love assigning him that at any opportunity

OH ALSO! If we go by the air dates of their birthday episodes, Michelangelo’s birthday is November 6 and Raphael’s is December 19. For whatever reason the turtle wiki lists Donatello’s birthday as November 8? Still can’t find out why, but that’s another semi canon order too! I haven’t found a date for Leonardo yet

I think my personal favourite interpretation for their ages though?

It’s gotta be Michelangelo as the oldest, Donatello as the second oldest, Raphael as the second youngest and Leonardo as the youngest. Something about it is just so amusing to me and secretly youngest Leonardo is adorable, so it’s probably the order I’m most fond of!

O also I said this on here one time? Which I also definitely still enjoy as an interpretation AHA

Oh, and! Last year I made this comic WIP about their ages, I never finished it and I was still new to the fandom but honestly I don’t think I’d change too much if I remade it today, so have it too!

So the uh. TLDR my answer on their age order is Yeeeees…..?

[seriouslysam8]

Thank you so much for being such an articulate advocate about leaving reviews\comments.

Many of the comments I read on fics are from other writers. Writers are the ones who tend to understand just how encouraging those little comments are, but (unfortunately) writers are also the ones who might have the hardest time keeping up with all the wips in their community and write their own fics at the same time.

I think it's as simple as "if you're a reader and you want to encourage a writer to keep writing, leave a comment" or "if you want an update, leave a comment." I thought your response to the new writer anon yesterday was excellent. Comments and recommendations are everything: new writers are building an audience - it takes time and is often discouraging.

I’ve said for years, the best way not to have a fic abandoned is to review. I see so many people complaining that a fic hasn’t been updated or it has been abandoned but they don’t review. It doesn’t even have to be some grand review. Any review means a lot. Even a “loved the chapter” goes a long way. There’s one reviewer on ff.net who leaves a simple comment like that on every chapter I write and I know their name and get excited to know they’re still reading. If you’re entrenched in the Hinny fandom on ff.net, you know of the famous scrappy8. They review every single Hinny story known to mankind. Their reviews are always a simple few words. When you get an extra sentence from them about something they love? It’s like you won the lottery.

You’re right, most commenters are writers. And I know I don’t read nearly as much as I would like to. I tend to read shorter fics or one-shots or completed fics because I get so wrapped up in my own writing that I’ll forget all about a fic that is a WIP. And I’m a terrible commenter. I have NO idea what to write so my comments are generally short and sweet.

Someone once told me that while I was writing Brontide, that the fic was recommended in one of the Hinny discords. I forget which one. I saw a dramatic uptick in my reviews and people engaging with the story. Since I got a tumblr? Yeah, it’s increased even more. Honestly, the best part of fandom and what keeps me writing is engagement with all of you. I’ve made some great friends here. I’ve had a lot of laughs. It’s generally just been a lot of fun. So building a community is key. I will never understand people who read and don’t engage. You’re missing out on a lot of fun.

[snickiebear]

yo nadia <3333 i'm bored in my online classes and u reblogged the questions thingy at the right time lmao, so get ready: 1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 17, 23, 24, 28, 30!!!, 34, 38, 39, 40 (the intimacy of being understood) (imma stop here lol) (also i'm sorry u're not feeling well, ily and hope u'll feel better soon!! <33333)

ELE ILY. (and thank you, i’m stayin home today cause,,, yeah. i appreciate you sm.) you’re the literal best, i adore you. 

1. How long ago did you start reading fanfiction? Writing fanfiction?

The first fanfiction i read was for The Lunar Chronicles when I was like 11?? and it was 100% on accident and it scarred me because it was a hardcore porn one with a period kink and i was like WHAT IS THIS??? OH MY GOD???? LMAOOOOO i didn’t pick it back up until i was 13-14 and really got into the Fairy Tail fandom. I still reread my favorites on ff.net cause i love them. 

As for writing, I wrote a horrible, terrible x-men fanfiction when I was twelve. (my friend still brings it up and REFUSES to delete it so it still gets comments and views, that shit HAUNTS ME ELE.) then tried again for Fairy Tail, posted like two chapters before taking it down cause i wasn’t really feeling it. And then I posted The Intimacy Of Being Understood and here we are. 

4. Link your three favorite fics right now.

OMGG okok 

@murd3rm1ttens ‘s The Problem How Time Works IF YOU HAVENT READ THIS YOU GUYS NEED TO HOP ON IT ASAP. MITTEN’S WRITING SO SO SO SO GOOD. SAKURA AND INO ARE TOTAL BADASSES. KAKASHI IS A SIMPPPP. ITS SO FUCKING GOOD. 

@mouseymightymarvellous ‘s We Were Screaming In Color (Only A Possibility) yes, yes I KNOW. i always point into mousey’s direction but i WILL always advocate that everyone reads her fics, they’re literally so beautiful???? i just happen to be rereading WWSIN rn 

@safelycapricious ‘s Shaking Up And Breaking Down series. I found this like?? idfk but i’ve been raving about it ever since. ALSO CHECK OUT THEIR FICS IN GENERAL. 

fuck i have more than three but also check out @ambivalens999 ‘s Masks

i do wanna make a fic rec thing where i just rav about my favs,,, might do that later or sum

5. What are your fanfic pet peeves? Do they have a huge effect on whether or not you decide to read something?

Omniscient third person. I don’t like it. Like I can understand that it can be a little hard to stay in one person’s perspective but, in my opinion, if you can, it shows how disciplined you are as a writer. Plus, i just get so confused when I go from A’s thoughts to suddenly what B is thinking about A. 

When writers use ‘ ‘ instead of “ “. When writers put thoughts in ‘ ‘ instead of just italicizing them. It’s small things but like they just bother me sO MUCH. most of the time i can ignore it and try to enjoy but other times i just dip. 

9. Tag 3 fic writers you think are underrated/unknown in the fandom/fanfiction community.

@espoir-et-reves !!!!! THEIR SHISAKU FICS ARE SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. And they have a warring states one going on THAT I AM SO OBSESSED WITH. 

@writer168 idk if they’re really “underrated” but THEY HAVE SUCH GREAT FICS ON AO3. Like theres an AU with sakura, kiba, and shino that i reread constantly because it just. is. so. fucking. GOOD. and they posted a new one that i’m YELLING about. 

@eggtoasties okay they only have 2 in the naruto fandom (one shisaku which is still ongoing) BUT THEIR WRITING STYLE IS SO NICE?? I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I still go back and reread their shikasaku one cause UGH i can’t get enough. I love it. 

10. What’s your favorite fandom, pairing, or character to read fic for?

Fandoms: Naruto, Soul Eater, The Old Guard, ATLA

Parings: KakaSaku/ShikaSaku/ShiSaku/MultiSaku, SoMa, Joe X Nicky, Zukka

Character: SAKURA. I will read anything with Sakura as the main character and her being a fuckin badass or becoming a badass. I love her.

17. How obsessively do you sit and stare at your fic after you’ve just posted and wait for feedback?

aha.. haha.. well. I check my email like three times an hour. its the first thing i check in the mornings too. I’m literally a whore for praise and literally eat up feedback like its going out of style. I also reread a lot of my stuff because i make so many mistakes and spelling errors, or the spacing is weird oR SOMETHING. plus, literally any and all comments make my day, i go back and reread them cause they just make me feel so tingly and warm like “wow. this person enjoyed the fic/my writing enough to tell me. thats HUGE!”

23. What’s your absolute favorite trope to write?

Angry, feral, bloodied, morally gray women. They aren’t bad guys, they’re probably the good guy, but that doesn’t mean they cant be fucking raging at the world with raw knuckles and blood on their teeth. I just love an angry woman who struggles with her emotions and just has so much inner conflict but that doesn’t take away from her character or badassery, it adds to it. 

24. What’s a trope that you’d like to never hear about as long as you live, let alone write?

The fake dating or miscommunication troupe. LIKE GUYS JUST TALK. AND TELL EACH OTHER OMFG. the entire like obliviousness of “nah they dont like me” while the They holds their hand and kisses their cheek. MOFO WHAT. it makes me so impatient and like mad HAAHHAHA. its probably because i’m a pretty confrontational person so seeing stuff like that just “cmon bro, USE YO HEAD.”

28. How do you deal with writing pressure (ie: pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc)?

I have yet to receive a negative comment! Which i was really surprised about tbh. As for deadlines or pressure to update, i just kind of do whatever. I do set goals, but i set them flexible enough that hey, if i can’t do it, that’s okay. 

I have a lot of mini goals, like “i want to write this chapter and get it done this week” and then the large goal is “FINISH BY END OF MAY” so i have time. 

Actually, now that I think on it, the entire pressure to update thing is probably why i’m waiting until I have all of OL&W written to post it weekly,, cause well. I wouldn’t wanna leave you guys waiting as I tried to write and work out the next chapters and stuff, you know?

30. Post a snippet from your current WIP without context - no more than 300 words.

AAAAAA YOU KNOW I LOVE THESE AHAHAHAH

Have you seen the way the dead dance, World Breaker? They roar, half mad and starving. Do you not wish, do you not hope to see them twist and bend and dance to your will?

Shikamaru snarls, looking behind his shoulders to where his Shadows lay. “Patience.” He spits. “Is of the essence, Things of Ancient. Know your place as the dark you are.”

34. How much of yourself and your life experiences do you put into your writing? What do you think your readers’ image of you is?

None of my experiences match up to anything I write tbh,,, probably the only thing that is me in my writing is maybe the emotional turmoil? I’m pretty emotionally and mentally mature because from a pretty young age i started forming my own opinions, started looking into the world around us and being like “dude what the fuck this is not what disney advertised”. Then i started talking (read: arguing and debating) with my dad about a lot of it. So, like emotions are kind of hard for me. Like i’m pretty good at controlling them or understanding them, but still. idk its hard to explain ig.

Like the weight of stress, the anger, the sadness. It’s kind of therapeutic to write. Cause i don’t know how to put those feelings to verbal words so writing them really helps. 

As for my readers’ image? Probably like some kind of hunched over figure typing away in the dark with a maniacal grin on their face. I honestly don’t know AHHAHAHA but it is fun to think about. I think they’d see me as someone with potential but a lot of room to grow and someone who is imperfect but in a charming way LMAOOOO

38. What does your writing process look like? How chaotic is it on a scale of 1 (very tame) to 10 (you can’t handle this kind of chaos)?

I’m gonna be real honest. Its probably like a 2. I’m a bit of a control freak so I almost always go in chronological order, my writing is pretty linear. Unless, i get bored and jump to one of my fav parts. It's pretty much i sit down, i open the doc, read over my notes and just start writing. 

It’s a little boring to explain AHAHAHA but once i get into the groove of things its really fucking great, I can like feel myself in the world, I can feel what i want the characters to, i love it. I catch myself mouthing the words as i type too, which i find hilarious.

39. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

I rather like how raw my writing is sometimes. Which might sound really vain, but i do like the way i word things or describe things. I love juxtaposition and repetition, or making a good ole circle back to some minute detail that wouldn’t stand out until i repeat it at the end and you’re like “omg” AHAHAHAHA.

Like those little poetic snippets or certain wording i just sit back and go “damn thats kinda good nadia! go you!’ HAHAHA  

40. How did you come up with the idea for The Intimacy Of Being Understood?

AAAAA this fic is like my first child, my pride and joy LMAO

so the idea initially came when i was reading some fic, idk if it was even naruto, but i was like “i don't like this, but i do like the rain symbolism.” And I knew i wanted to write something kind of slow paced, something a little sad and angsty, but would show KakaSaku slowly but surely falling in love.

Idk if you’ve noticed but a lot of my fics, the pairings don’t change each other dramatically. They accept each other as they are and then they grow with together. Like that acceptance is something i just love writing, its so subtle, it isn’t something you declare. Its simply “I am going to love you. I am going to love you despite your flaws and faults. I am going to love you unconditionally because I know you, I understand you, and there is nothing you could do to drive me away.” 

The fic kind of wrote itself after that first scene. I kept going back to the rain, go being ghosts, and resurrection, and the small epiphanies one gets. I wanted to focus on each character’s growth with each other. They didn’t find light in life because of each other, but with each other. And i think that’s my favorite thing about that fic. 

I wanted something raw and real and just something beautiful. I’m actually really proud of it tbh. Would i go back and rewrite/edit it? Oh of course! I’d do that with every single one of my fics, but i’m not gonna cause i think its in its rawest form right now. :))))

ask me shit plz

[ettawritesnstudies]

WIP influences tag

thanks @kittensartswriting and @siarven for the tag! I think the rules are just that you ramble about a few influences for your WIPs so I’m going to do this for The Laoche Chronicles as a whole, including both Storge and the main trilogy that I really need to name. 

Life stuff! 

Sometimes (a lot of the times) reality is stranger than any fiction I could come up with, and so one of my favorite things to do is take scary and relevant irl situations and then recontextualize them in a fantasy world to get a different POV (and give the characters dealing with them a happy ending). For example in Storge: what would a world look like where sexism and racism don’t really exist, but there’s serious systematic oppression based on magic and religion? How does a healthy vs unhealthy family deal with a crisis? how does a society get so polarized? For Laoche: I was sitting in Calc AP my senior year listening to my friends complain about the upcoming test when someone said “I’d kill to get into X program” and my first thought was “hmm. what if?”

This sort of stuff is the driving force behind the themes in all of my stories. No matter how fantastical it gets, it’ll always have that relatable basis in reality to ground readers in the story.

This is going to get long so there’s more under the cut...

Mythology and religion:

This should come as a surprise to absolutely no one given how many religions and variations on religions I worldbuild for this world but the way people understand the supernatural and approach concepts like faith and hope and a higher power fascinate me. Also a really weird thing that I’ve noticed reading modern literature as a devout Catholic (especially YA novels) is that it’s very commonly sterile and secular for some reason? I only realized this after going back to classics this year like Dracula and being surprised when characters write prayers into their diary entries. This shouldn’t have surprised me becasue that’s something I do, but after consuming so much modern media and then going back to it, I found myself weirdly missing how much faith was intrinsically baked into society back then, for better or for worse, because it adds a really interesting dimension to how characters view the world. 

which leads into my next point...

The Sword and Serpent Series by Taylor Marshall and pretty much anything Hannah Heath has ever written (names are links to their books)

I don’t actually like Christian fiction like 90% of the time. A lot of it is written by writers from different protestant denominations which is fine, but sometimes the theology has me going ????, or the genres are just not my thing, and regardless of the denomination it all runs the risk of being really really preachy. (sorry, Narnia, that means you too). These two writers are outliers and I want to be like them when I grow up. 

Hannah Heath is a scifi/fantasy/dystopian writer who actively goes out of her way to tell good stories that also happen to have a Christian theme so that they avoid that preacher pitfall, and her worldbuilding and prose are spectacular. She also tackles a lot of hard themes and is a huge disability advocate which is incredible! I haven’t read all of her works yet but I’m slowly working through them. Skys of Dripping Gold made me cry a few different times and it’s a novella. 

Sword and Serpent is a trilogy historical fiction retelling of the St. George and the Dragon that ALSO deals with the political climate the Roman empire in 333AD and it’s FANTASTIC. There are saint cameos everywhere and if you know their stories it’s really cool to spot them even if you don’t recognize their period-accurate names, and it does a great job of showing how much the underground church relied on each other to survive. The character arcs and dynamics are amazing, the way it blends mythos and reality is amazing, and my (unfairly underrated imo) confirmation saint, Catherine of Alexandria, is a main character in the 2nd book so what more could you want??

Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan and The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

moreso for Laoche than Storge but these were my favorite book series in middle school when I first came up with the story and their general genre inspired a lot of what Laoche eventually would become. Grand adventures with epic final battles, a small band of heroes trying to save a kingdom becasue they have the knowledge of how, and earning the trust and help of other people through their heroic actions. Swords and magic and bows and knifes and cool capes/cloaks and horses and castles and all that good Fantastical Medieval Aesthetic stuff I absolutely ate up as a kid. Also Alexander’s mastery of voice with the different characters and Taran’s character arc and the platonic love and banter in RA  have me dying every time every time I reread them. Good quality fun all around

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

Didn’t influence me in time for Storge but now I’m rehauling everything in Laoche becasue I’m ~inspired~. I can’t speak to the extent to which it’ll influence me yet but I expect it’s going to be a LOT. Thanks Jana XD 

Honorable Mentions:

J.R.R. Tolkien because what list of influences for a Catholic high fantasy author would be complete without him? This explains itself I think

Avatar the Last Airbender and everything about the way it handles themes and characterization. Also self explanatory because it’s the best

So many??? people here on writeblr! I am so inspired by everyone who is brave enough to put their writing out there and I have read stuff on here that’s better than published books. It would take too long to name everyone, but just assume that if you’re reading this and you got this far in the post I mean you.

A lot of classic literature? Not a direct influence per se but the writing style is something I want to emulate. Some of my favorites are The Count of Monte Christo, Dracula, A Tale of Two Cities, Frankenstien (sans Victor’s incessant whining), The Divine Comedy, A BUNCH of scifi stuff by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells I loved in middle school and need to reread, and Little Women. 

movies and music should also probably go here but that’s a rant for a different day. I take more general vibes and aesthetics from those. 

Tagging (no pressure though!): @andiwriteunderthemoon @abalonetea @inkwell-attitude @zielenbloesem 

[stormxpadme]

fic writer interview!

I got tagged by @effervescentdragon and @melkors-4th-silmaril! Thank you guys!

How many works do you have on Ao3?

As usual, I will include the stats from the biggest German archive here where I’ve been publishing since 2005.

AO3: 61

fanfiktion.de: 125

What’s your total AO3 word count?

AO3: 853,977

fanfiktion.de: 4,351,546

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

This is going to be long again, isn’t it ... In 30 years of writing, you collect a lot.

- Batman Forever and Batman & Robin - Bravestarr (Filmation series) - Elisabeth das Musical - Fantastic Four (Movieverse 1) - Firefly/Serenity - He-Man - Masters of the Universe & She-Ra: Princess of Power (OG Filmation verse) - Marvel Cinematic Universe - Meine neue große Schwester (German book) - Pirates of the Caribbean - Real Life Person Fiction (misc The Lord of the Rings celebs, misc skijumpers, misc Cast of German American Idol, misc Star Wars celebs, misc German Dancing with the Stars celebs) - S.W.A.T (1970's series) - Sense8 - Spider-Man (Movieverse 1) - Star Trek: The Next Generation - Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline - Star Wars (original 6 movies) - The Island (2005 movie) - The Lord of The Rings/The Silmarillion - Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life - Verliebt in Berlin (German series) - X-Men (Movieverse)

And probably still forgot a bunch ...

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

- What was right here all along (Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline, ABO fic) - Nothing casual about us (misc Glorestor smut oneshots) - Naked thrills (misc Silm smut oneshots) - Shorten the reigns (Aragorn/Éomer/Legolas smut oneshot) - Two steps behind (Legolas & Thranduil oneshot)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Of course. If people take their time to read, that’s the least I can do.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably the original ending of my Star Wars (original 6 movies) hexalogy in which I gave Obi-Wan a girlfriend and a kid ... After the Jedi Purge, the Jedi girlfriend went into hiding and gave the child away so that it would be safe from the Empire, and Obi-Wan and the girlfriend never met again before his death. Fun times.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Not really though, though I do like to connect different verses of the same franchises that usually have nothing to do with each other. Having Barbara Gordon and movie Barbara Batgirl meet was a lot of fun.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really as a comment but there was lot of slandering in chats and boars in the old fandom days if you didn’t write exactly what people thought was the only legit theme and pairing.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Have you met me? Since I’m a RL BDSM lover, sub and advocate, I naturally write a lot of kink.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Boy, have I ever. About a fifth of the fics I have on were co-written with a now ex-friend who sadly does not want to have anything to do with fandom anymore. She also wanted her name removed from all of our stuff since she has a quite public job and doesn’t want people possibly finding her involvement in things. So people don’t know on first sight.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Huh, hard to tell. MCU has kinda ruined Clintasha for me which I once lived and breathed, and ever since then I think I kinda turned away from too intense canon shipping a little. Russingon is my current canon obsession, I guess. And Anakin/Padmé, maybe? Other than that, the shipping I could always get into most were always my canon/OC pairings.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Far too many fics on my pc that will never see the online light of day. But that’s okay. I like reading old stuff, even if it’s unfinished.

What are your writing strengths?

Hm, dialogue, I think? And smut, obviously, since this is kind of the only thing people really go for on my ao3 account.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Other than a few movie elvish phrases, I don’t really use that.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

S.W.A.T. (1970′s series) when I was like 9 years old. The first I published in online was She-Ra: Princess of power (original Filmation).

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I’m obviously very deeply attached to my LOTR longfic series “Tales Untold”. I’m also kind of proud of my long X-Men-movie series “Weathered” which worked many of the Dark Phoenix-saga elments from the comics and the cartoons into the movieverse and ended up to be incredibly epic, including los of wedding, sex, drama, death and the end of the world.

[zwritesstuff]

Writing a First Draft

I’ve seen a lot of advice posts that encourage writing a “bad” first draft, or saying that the point of the first draft isn’t to be “good” just to be done, but I have yet to see any examples of what that actually means (which is unfortunate because for a lot of first-time writers that may just mean that their best effort on a first draft isn’t “good enough”), so that’s what I’m here for! The ultimate advocate of ugly writing, babey! Let’s write some “bad” first drafts!!

Forewarning that this is going to be difficult for you perfectionists out there (same hat tho!!!), but really, if you’re looking to finish a first draft within a reasonable time frame (and not continue to rewrite the beginning 50 times to get there, only to be disappointed when the next scenes aren’t as “good” as the beginning), then this really is the way to go. Perfectionism comes in super handy in later drafts, but it’s a real burden in the first draft, and I really really relate to that. What I find that helps keep my perfectionism in check while I’m drafting is to keep a separate Word doc open (or a notebook and pen at hand) to jot down new ideas or things that have changed throughout the draft. Putting a page number down next to the notation will save your life as well. Your future self will thank you!

Okay, so let’s get into it! You have an idea, and you need to get that first draft out before you lose motivation or move on to a shiny new WIP idea. What’s that first draft going to look like?

Write the scenes you’re excited about first. If you’re someone who, like myself, needs to write things in chronological order, then write these scenes in chronological order - but! if you have the conclusion figured out, then write it now, yes, even before that one bit in the middle you’re not sure about. Is it likely that some details in these scenes will change as you keep writing different parts of the book? Yes! Do it anyway! Anything you write will be helpful for later drafts, so write those scenes!!! Plus, if you start with what you’re excited about, you’ll want to keep writing even after they’re finished, because your brain will just keep generating other super cool ideas for those in-between scenes. And yeah, there will definitely be filler scenes to write, but you can probably worry about those in the next draft.

If you’re on a roll, don’t worry about punctuation, grammar, or spelling. I mean it! If those red squiggles in Word bother you, turn them off (they’re really only semi-helpful for editing, and we’re not doing that right now). If you write faster and think better using “internet grammar” (minimal/excessive punctuation, no capitalization, weird spelling, etc.), then do that! If it helps you get words on the page, it’s worth doing.

If you’re not on a roll, try putting some space between what you’ve written and what you need to write. For me, that frequently means hitting enter (even mid-sentence if I suddenly get stuck), typing “monkey,” and then hitting enter again, as many times as it takes for my brain to reboot and remember what the hell I was going for. If that means I have a chain of 20 monkeys in the middle of a paragraph, so be it. They get to hang out there until I come back in draft two and delete them. 

I’ve also written “uhhhhhh” and “oh fuck now what” several times in a first draft. It happens. It’s easier to write in a way that mirrors your thought process, so just do what works. Use memes in your prose to keep it moving - it’ll make future you laugh when you go back through on draft two!

Don’t be afraid to change major pieces of plot - but don’t you dare go back and rewrite earlier pieces to match! Let’s say you’re at the end of act one and you revealed some tragic detail about your MC’s backstory, but now you’re in the middle of act two and you’ve realized that it no longer fits your idea of MC and you no longer want it to be true. Simply make a brief note of it and keep writing like that scene in act one never happened. Deleting, rewriting, and repurposing are all for later drafts! The goal on the first draft is literally just to reach the end - and it’s inevitable that you’ll find and change the story along the way.

Forget about foreshadowing. No matter how detailed of an outliner you are, the fact is that in the first draft you really don’t actually know what’s going to happen yet in your book (see point 5). So forget about trying to foreshadow. Spell out what’s happening plain as day - because the first draft is just one long exposition dump to aide you in future drafts. If you get halfway through and a sudden twist or weird piece of backstory jumps out at you, write it in as if you had foreshadowed, even though you haven’t yet. Make a note of it, and maybe even note where you could foreshadow this in the next few drafts, but keep moving forward. 

Changing perspectives is fine even if it goes against how you know you want your final draft to be. If you have a scene in mind that you know you need to include, but you have no idea how MC would react during it, but you know how your side character would react, write the scene from the side character’s perspective. You can think about MC’s POV in that scene later - again, the point is just to get it written, so if switching POVs gets you through the scene, do it.

Ultimately, this is what people mean when they say your first draft is going to be “ugly.” It’s going to be a little (or a lot) messy. But that’s okay. The struggle of the beginning writer is realizing that your first draft is not going to look like anything you’ve read before - because those are final drafts. And to the gifted writers who breezed through school (like I did) by submitting their first draft essays for grading - that’s not going to work here. Every time you rewrite a piece, it gets better. If you try to make your first draft perfect, you will just end up frustrated and disappointed at the time you wasted, because you’ll end up reworking 80% of it or more in the subsequent drafts. Your writing style will change and improve, and your knowledge will grow, and every time you revisit a draft, that will be reflected.

So write that ugly draft. Insert so many author’s notes mid-paragraph that you look like an early 2000s fanfic writer. Contradict previous scenes like you’re constructing the most elaborate Winchester Mystery House -esque draft the world has ever seen, complete with paragraphs that lead to nowhere and mysterious monkey chains cutting sentences in half. 

And then, in the second draft, make it look as though the first draft never happened.

[themarydragon]

My Chainsaws

I didn’t write a word of fiction in two years.  The metaphor we use at my house is Juggling Chainsaws.  I am mostly in control of my life. A lot of what’s happening is full-on terrible, and it’s very very hard to manage. Imagine juggling chainsaws. It takes every ounce of your focus. “Why don’t you ask for help?” They’re chainsaws, for fuck’s sake, it’s nothing I can just lob at passersby. 

So lemme tell you about my chainsaws.

First and foremost, I went back to school. Grad school! I’m a little over 2/3 done with my MSN - a Master’s in Nursing. My focus is on Global Public Health and whoo boy what insane timing the pandemic had for my class. Wow. But full time grad school isn’t anything I can get help with, really, so it was 100% my problem. If it were JUST grad school, I would still have been able to write between semesters and during holidays.

I have mentioned in a few places that my dad was diagnosed with cancer in November of 2017. He had surgery to remove it and was declared cancer free. That June was my 10th wedding anniversary, and my husband & I renewed our vows. Dad came out to see us (I live 1600 miles away, on the coast; Dad’s in my Midwest home town) and spent a week at my house for the first time since my wedding. (To be fair, his ex-wife lived here the last time he visited... he got a hotel). A month later, he went in for a routine check and they found spots on his liver. Metastatic adenocarcinoma. He had an entire lobe of his liver removed - the incision did not heal properly and herniated at one end, affecting his ability to heal. He had a port put in and started chemo. I spent as much time with him as I could. I remember sitting at his bedside, laptop out, trying to write and just... nothing came out. But! My daddy’s a badass and my stepmother is a rockstar and he had me advocating him as hard as I could - and lemme tell you I will shit all over a doctor if I need to, I don’t care if he’s a full bird colonel. Dad survived ten rounds of a really strong chemo and he’s been cancer-free for a year now. The day we got his very first post-chemo scan result, I was standing next to my mother’s bed in the ICU.  She’d texted me “help” at 2:30 in the morning, the night after her birthday. I called 911, raced to her house, beat the EMS to her door, and found her on her couch in her living room. We had her at the hospital by 3:30, in the Cath lab at a quarter ‘til 5, and off oxygen & asking to go home by 1 that afternoon. She’d survived a STEMI - the “big one”, the heart attack generally called a widowmaker. I went from helping my dad navigate American medicine directly into helping my mother recover from something with a 4 or 6% survival rate. 

Did I mention that was on her birthday? It was April.  In July, my brother (by choice, but my parents both agreed to my adoption of him) who lives with us finally hit rock bottom. I spent another night in the emergency room, this time getting him admitted to an inpatient facility to prevent him from taking his life. If I didn’t hate American Medicine by then, that tipped me over. We’d been trying to find him help for YEARS, but insurance doesn’t do you any good if nobody takes it, and the people who DO take it aren’t taking new clients. HIs inpatient admission got him a prescribing provider and a fucking therapist, at long last, and he was finally starting to get some enjoyment out of life.

Until December the 28th, when his beloved brother Brandon was killed in a freak work accident. That one still hurts too much to write much about. We still don’t have his death certificate (fuck you, OSHA) or his goddamn ashes and not one drop of closure.

Adding injury to injury, my husband’s service dog, Dango, reached the end of his life in early February. I’d been essentially running hospice for him for 14 months; he got medication at least 4 and sometimes 8 times a day, as I continuously tweaked his care to keep him as comfortable as I could for as long as he still enjoyed life. The day he didn’t know who his Dad was anymore was his last day. Luckily, it was the first sunny day this spring, and he got one last nap in a sunbeam on the deck. We’re not done grieving that loss yet, either.

And then, did you hear there is a pandemic? Let me tell you, it is a HELL of a time to be a nurse. It is INSANE being a nursing *student* right now. Luckily, the facility where I work closed within a week of public schools closing, and we’ve had all our kids in more or less quarantine since then... My boss’ father died of COVID, so our organization hasn’t escaped untouched, but so far all our staff and all our kids are OK. And, since I’m the per diem, I’m not working and I’m not getting paid. My husband owns a small retail store - no work for him either. Both my parents are high risk... but they both work in medical-adjacent fields (Dad works for Big Pharma, Mom works for Huge Name Health Insurance) so they’re being taken care of. Dad’s home-with-pay and my mom’s been working from home since March 4. 

My semester wrapped, my parents are home safe, my husband & I are home safe, I’m literally trained to go into infectious situations and come out clean, so my weekly shopping trips are as low risk as possible... and the boys are waiting for me with bleach solution and box cutters, to clean what can’t be unpackaged before bringing it into the house.

So what do I with my sudden time?

First, I fucking deal with all this crap. Holy shit. I spent two weeks just sleeping and playing Animal Crossing and trying to take care of myself and clearing out the Grief Backlog. I bought Tevinter Nights and it was the first book I’d read for enjoyment in longer than I care to admit. And then, three days ago... I started to write.

I finished Steel Your Heart. I churned out 15k words in three sittings, and finally sealed the gaps between all the sections I had written. I am going to start posting again once AO3′s email system is fixed so my subscribers know WTF is happening. And then I’m going to try to take this momentum and turn it towards the other delinquent WIPs that I’ve been gnawing on unproductively for two years. 

I can’t promise my life will stay calm, and I will be able to keep writing. It is the nature of life - it is only a matter of time before somebody tosses me another chainsaw. But I’m out of school until September... so let’s see how far I can get before something tries to stop me.

[sjrresearch]

An Interview with Warwick Kinrade, Wargaming Author and Rules Designer

(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)

Warwick Kinrade is a long-time rules designer and author of the award-winning Battlegroup WWII series of miniatures rules. At 49, he is someone who’s made a real splash with many of his rules projects, from Normandy Firefight, Battlegroup WWII (now exclusively available through Plastic Soldier Company) and the Cold War-based derivative, BattleGroup NORTHAG, and now, the “Soldiers Of..” ancient rules (though I hear it’s expanding into Napoleonics!). 

He’s done a lot in the universe of miniatures, and we expect more out of this prolific giant! I wanted to touch base and see what he was up to. 

We’ll talk to his partner, Piers Brand, in the near future!

Jason Weiser: So, how did you get started in writing rules? Was there an “aha” moment, or did you fall into it?

Warwick Kinrade: I have always written games, from age 10 playing D & D, to board games, to writing my own Wild West RPG aged 12, it was something I was always doing for fun. I first got paid to do it as a Games Developer for GW, a job I started in 1996. 

JW: How did Iron Fist Publishing (IFP) come to be? Can you talk about some of your previous works?

WK: IFP was simply a business deal so that Battlegroup would be 50/50 owned by myself and PSC. It came to be at a meeting in a cafe near King’s Cross in London. I had Battlegroup ready to go, and PSC and myself agreed to go halves on costs, etc.  Before that, I’d worked for GW as a writer. The first game I worked on for them was Epic 40,000, then I did lots, but mostly 40K supplements. I wrote the Imperial Armor books for about 6-7 years. 

JW: Can you tell us about Nam ’68?

WK: Yep, it’s a squad-level skirmish game for the Vietnam War. A bit different, in that it is a narrative-driven game, with one player as the umpire/referee and all the others (1-3) as the US platoon. I’ve very much concentrated on making it an anti-insurgency war, all ambushed patrols and search sweeps. Not much in the way of stand-up fights (though some). The VC generally has the upper hand, lurking in wait. It all ties in to its campaign system, a 12-month Tour of Duty for your platoon.  A bit unconventional, as far from a tournament game as you can get. No points values at all.  Not that I’m against points-based systems… just nice to try something different. 

JW: What are your favorite works?

WK I’m proud of all the games I’ve written. Battlegroup is the biggest, but I love the ‘Soldiers of…’ games I’ve done so far. Not surprising really, I only write the games I want to play. Picking is like asking which child you prefer… impossible to say.  

JW: Is there a period of history you want to write rules for but haven’t?

WK: Yep, most of them. I have a pull towards doing early Rome, the Punic Wars. I’d love to do a sci-fi game one day (many plans, none yet to come to fruition). Make it proper good. That’s one for the future.   

JW: Can you tell our readers what goes into rules writing?

WK: I take my advice from Stephen King. If you want to write, read. That would be my first step on any project, get some books and read them, make notes and jot down ideas as you go. Also, for game mechanics, keep an eye on other games, not just miniature ones, but card games and board games too, even computer games. I love an interesting mechanic, a neat way to use dice or counters. Not enough of that in most wargames’ rules. It is very conventional in how rules are structured. I personally favor card-driven rules these days. 

Also, it is more work than you think. It takes time, and you need that time to play lots too. Nothing like the furnace of the tabletop to hone rules. When you’re playing, it’s not to win. It’s to push the rules and try and break them or bend them out of shape. To find oddities or things that don’t feel quite right. Also, if you have 20 good ideas for your game, be prepared to cut about half of them. That’s a hard bit, but you can’t get wedded to anything. Cut it… and save it for another day. 

JW: Has desktop publishing and PDF only supplements changed the face of the hobby. Has it affected the quality of the product we see today?

WK: Well, desktop publishing makes it all possible, but I’m no fan of PDF rulebooks. Useful, but I hate working from PDFs myself. Old school, I like a book, preferably hardback. Wargaming is very much, for most, a cottage industry. Working small is the only way for most. If PDF is all you can do, then do it. 

JW: What are your favorite historical periods, and why?

WK: WWII, Crusades, ACW… but mostly WWII, just because well, it is the largest, most important event in recent human history. A bottomless pit of interesting stuff for gaming, plus loads of tanks! The war was fought with tanks.

JW: You and your partner, Piers Brand, are known advocates of 20mm. Can you tell us more about that?

WK: When I started WWII gaming, it was all there was. 1/76th or 1/72nd kits and some 20mm models. 15mm had not happened, 28mm was almost nothing. There was no choice unless you did micro-armor… and once you’re committed, collecting and painting big armies, lots of terrain etc., then you’re never going to ditch all that work for something else very similar but a bit smaller or larger. 20mm is still the best compromise between detail tank models and table size. They are just the best models going. 

JW: What other hobbies do you pursue to unwind?

WK: I’ve been a re-enactor, Vikings, for 20+ years. Two big hobbies are enough. Like everybody, I watch movies, I especially like hunting down foreign war films and read. I avoid watching junk TV or playing computer games (much). Time thieves… I use the time for painting models, far more relaxing. 

JW: What do you see for the future of historical miniature wargaming?

WK: Big question… the biggest technological change coming must be 3-D printing. Models you can make yourself. Maybe it’ll get good enough to be able to print really nice models, already in base coats for painting, Little khaki men with pink faces and hands and black guns… how great would that be? As the price comes down, I think 3-D printing your own armies and terrain may well be the future for collecting toy soldiers. It is, though, very much a ‘greying’ hobby. Clubs are full of older guys. That slightly worries me. I think computer gaming has become all-powerful for the next generation, it might be the death-knell of our old-fashioned analog hobby. But, hey, I’m going to carry on anyway. 

JW: Anything else you’d like to mention?

WK: Err, I’ll do the quick plug then. For 2021 I’m working on Nam ’68 as mentioned and a new ‘Soldiers of’ title, Soldiers of Napoleon… a huge project, but well in hand thanks to the [COVID-19] lockdown. They’ll be the first horse and musket rules I’ve done, and it’ll be card-driven like the other ‘Soldiers of’ games, but not the same—a new, different game. WIP so far is good fun. 

--

At SJR Research, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse SJR Research’s service on our site at SJR Research.

[mbcorvo-author]

Corvo’s Writober - Day 3 & 4

Since yesterday I didn’t have time to write anything for Writober (not that I must write everyday, but right now I want to try just to see if I can write more than the five days of last year’s writober lol) today I tried to write some more, mixing some of yesterday’s and today’s prompts.

This is another piece that will need some fixing and rewriting, maybe a bit silly after the previous two scenes I shared, but even this will go into my wip “In the Pits of Hell”.

The prompts used are:

3 - Mundane & 4 - Summon from October 2019 prompt list by @downwithwritersblock

Day 2 -  “Just follow me, I know the area” & Day 4 - “I know you didn’t ask for this.” from Fictober 2019 prompt list by @fictober-event

___

Title: Not an actual temple

“Do you know that I’m not here in the mundane realm to do some tourism?” remarked the man, running a hand through his grey hair “but because I was entrusted with the task of-” “Yeah, yeah, okay” the interruption came from what looked like a young man around twenty-five or twenty-seven years old, with raven black hair and many tattoos of various shapes that marked his skin crawling out of his t-shirt with a death metal band print on it. “Just...follow me, I know the area.” added, turning his head to the older man and giving him a wide smile that showed off his unnatural pointed teeth. The Devil’s Advocate huffed, mumbling to himself something intelligible – probably something about how much he loathed getting appointed to locate and get a hold of one of the devils that were living hiding between the humans on Earth – and followed the other along the street of the human city in which they were.

“Would you at least mind telling me where we are going to?” asked the severe advocate, interrupting that silence that had formed between them when the other simply started to walk and tinker with a battered smartphone. The devil with younger appearances put away his phone inside one of the pockets of his black leather pants and returned to look towards the older “I know you didn’t ask for it, but I thought that we could talk in a place a bit more… let’s say appropriate.” another smile appeared on his face when on the visage of the stoic Advocate a hint of puzzlement showed up. Non that it was visible, but he knew the Devil’s Advocate for long enough to have learnt to read even the minimal shifts of his severe and austere expression. “You know, right, which city is this and its fame?” added.

“Sure: we are in Salem, the one made famous in history for its witch-hunting past.” answered the devil “Did you choose this place because you thought that it could be, how you say, ironic-” “Ironic the idea of two infernal creature like us met in a place where, in the past, hundreds of people were killed because others suspected that they were allied with the rest of us?” the younger interrupted again, amused by the unnerved expression of the other “Yes and no.” “And then for what other reason?” “It shows that it’s been a while since you hung out on Earth, but still I thought that you would’ve come back from time to time to wander between your fellow humans.” “Watch what you are saying” hissed the Advocate, trying to not lose his usual aplomb, pointing his left index finger in warning towards the younger looking devil “You know very well that I’m a devil just like you.” remarked.

A sly smile grew on the younger’s face, points of the forked tongue slipping out for a little bit between the pointed teeth, trying to not burst out laughing in front of the other devil. “Oh, my old friend!” chuckled “You haven’t changed at all! And I’m still able to make you lose your temper, I was afraid to be out of practice!” continued, trying to suffocate another laugh and turning into another street.

The devil huffed and rolled his eyes, but returned to his usual severe composure following in silence the younger that after few moments started again to speak. “Here in Salem, there is an interesting place called “The Temple of Satan”. It’s not the real one, and they are some edgys that want to be some kind of rebels from the traditional religions or something like that. Not that kind of Satanists that do sacrifices and that try to summon some of us… fuck, it’s been a while since the last time I popped out from some summoning circle scaring the shit out of some dickheads!” “So, you thought that it could be fun to talk while in this “Temple of Satan” because of our nature?” asked the advocate, trying to put the conversation back on its tracks. “Yeah...and because I wanted to take a selfie with their Baphomet statue to post it on Instagram” replied the youngster. “So, everything for the irony of the place and for taking a picture to put on I-don’t-know-what of the humans?” “A selfie on Instagram.” corrected the devil shaking the smartphone that was again in his hands, probably to answer a message. “It’s a social used by the humans usually to share photos and videos. Sytry talked me about it, they’re an influencer on there or almost.” the smartphone was put back into the leather trousers’ pocket “Anyways it’s weird that someone like me, well way older than you, is the one that is more in step with the times!” his attention then was moved to look around the street, searching for the building they were trying to reach, left hand scratching his head in confusion. “Mh. If you are so up to date, you should already know that the Temple is an art gallery and not an actual temple...right?” said the Devil’s Advocate, with a slightly amused smile on his otherways stoic face. “Oh.”

Italian under the cut!

Dato che ieri non ho avuto tempo per scrivere alcunché per Writober (non che io abbia l’obbligo di scrivere ogni giorno, ma al momento voglio provare solo per vedere se sono in grado di scrivere più dei cinque giorni del writober dello scorso anno lol) oggi ho provato a scrivere un po’ di più, mescolando alcuni spunti di ieri e di oggi.

Questo è un altro pezzo che necessiterà di essere sistemato e riscritto, forse un po’ più sciocco rispetto alle precedenti due scene che ho condiviso, ma anche questo andrà a finire nel mio work in progress “Nelle Profondità dell’Inferno”.

Gli spunti usati sono:

3 - Mondano & 4 - Evocare from October 2019 prompt list by @downwithwritersblock​

Day 2 -  “Solo seguimi, conosco la zona” & Day 4 - “Lo so che non avevi chiesto questo” from Fictober 2019 prompt list by @fictober-event​

__

Titolo: Non un vero tempio

“Lo sai che non mi trovo nella dimensione mondana per fare il turista” rimarcò l’uomo passandosi una mano tra i capelli grigi “ma perché mi è stato affidato il compito di-” “Sì, sì, okay” lo interruppe quello che appariva come un giovane sui venticinque o ventisette anni, dai capelli corvini e sulla pelle svariati tatuaggi che sbucavano e serpeggiavano da sotto la sua maglietta recante la stampa di una band deathmetal, rappresentanti i soggetti più disparati. “Solo...seguimi, conosco la zona.” aggiunse, volgendo il capo verso l’uomo più anziato e rivolgendogli un sorriso che metteva in mostra la sua dentatura innaturalmente acuminata. L’avvocato del Diavolo sbuffò, borbottò qualcosa d’incomprensibile tra sé – probabilmente qualcosa legato a quanto detestasse quando lo incaricavano di rintracciare qualcuno diavoli mescolatisi tra gli umani sulla Terra – e seguì l’altro lungo una delle strade della città umana in cui si trovavano.

“Potresti almeno degnarti di dirmi dove ci stiamo dirigendo?” domandò il severo avvocato, interrompendo quel silenzio che si era andato a formare tra loro quando l’altro si era semplicemente messo a camminare e armeggiare con uno smartphone dall’aria un po’ malconcia. Il diavolo dalle apparenze più giovanili ripose il cellulare nella tasca dei pantaloni di pelle nera che indossava e tornò a voltare il capo verso l’anziano “So che non l’avevi richiesto, ma ho pensato che si potrebbe parlare in un posto un po’ più… adeguato, diciamo.” altro sorriso gli apparve sul viso quando sul volto impassibile dell’Avvocato una nota di perplessità si fece notare. Non che fosse evidente, ma ormai conosceva l’Avvocato del Diavolo da ormai abbastanza tempo da riuscire a cogliere i minimi cambiamenti nella seria e severa espressione altrui. “Sai, no, che città è questa e la sua fama?” aggiunse.

“Certo: ci troviamo a Salem, quella resa famosa nella storia per gli episodi di caccia alle streghe.” rispose il diavolo “Hai scelto questa città come luogo d’incontro perché trovavi, come dire, ironic-” “Ironica l’idea che due creature infernali come noi si incontrassero in un luogo dove, in passato, centinaia di persone furono uccise perché si sospettavano in combutta con noialtri?” lo interruppe nuovamente il giovane, divertito dall’espressione irritata altrui “Sì e no.” “E allora per quale altro motivo?” “Si vede che è un po’ che non bazzichi più sulla Terra, eppure pensavo che saresti tornato almeno ogni tanto a gironzolare tra i tuoi simili” “Bada a come parli” sibilò l’Avvocato, cercando di non perdere il suo usuale aplomb, andando a puntare l’indice mancino verso l’altro in una sorta di gesto ammonitore “Sai bene che sono un diavolo tanto quanto te.” rimarcò.

Un sorriso sornione si fece strada sul volto del giovane, lingua biforcuta che per qualche momento spuntò tra i denti acuminati, cercando di non mettersi a ridere di fronte all’altro. “Oh, vecchio mio!” sghignazzò “Proprio non sei cambiato di una virgola! E sono ancora in grado di farti perdere le staffe, temevo di non essere più allenato!” proseguì, trattenendo un’altra risatina e imboccando una nuova via.

Il diavolo sbuffò e roteò gli occhi al cielo, ma tornò alla sua usuale severa compostezza seguendo in silenzio il giovane che poco dopo riprese a parlare. “Qui a Salem c’è una struttura interessante chiamata “Il Tempio di Satana”. Non è quello vero, loro sono più degli edgy che vogliono fare i ribelli rispetto alle religioni convenzionali o qualcosa del genere. Non quel tipo di satanisti che fanno sacrifici e che cercano di evocare qualcuno di noi… cazzo, è un po’ che non sbuco da un qualche rituale di evocazione terrorizzando dei coglioni!” “Quindi, hai pensato che fosse divertente il parlare in questo “Tempio di Satana” data la nostra natura?” domandò l’avvocato, cercando di tornare sul punto della questione. “Sì… e anche perché volevo farmi un selfie con la loro statua di Baphomet per postarla su Instagram” affermò il giovane. “Quindi tutto questo per l’ironia del luogo e per farti una foto da mettere su non so che cosa degli umani?” “Un selfie su Instagram” precisò il diavolo agitando il telefono che di nuovo teneva in mano rispondendo probabilmente a un messaggio “È un social usato dagli umani dove di solito postano foto e video. Me ne ha parlato Sytry, ormai è un influencer o quasi.” smartphone che quindi venne posto di nuovo all’interno della tasca dei pantaloni di pelle “Comunque è assurdo che uno come me, di gran lunga più vecchio di te, sia quello più al passo con i tempi!” lo sguardo poi si spostò a scrutare i dintorni della via, alla ricerca dell’edificio verso cui erano diretti, mano mancina che va a grattare distrattamente il capo corvino. “Mh. Se sei così al passo coi tempi, saprai che il Tempio è una galleria d’arte e non un vero e proprio tempio...vero?” disse l’Avvocato del Diavolo, con un lieve accenno di sorriso divertito sul suo volto altrimenti severo. “Oh”.

[thatwritergirlsblog]

WIP Tag Game

Thank you @isanyonetoknow for tagging me!

1. When starting something new, how much do you know about the story before you start writing?

I actually have quite a strange process when starting a new project. Usually I know one or two of the characters superficially and I have a few scenes and the general tone in mind. Then, I pants my way through the first scene/chapter - I just write whatever I feel like. Usually after those first few scenes of just writing with no guideline, I have a general idea of where the plot could go. From there, I outline a few chapters, write them and repeat.

2. What draws you to your WIP? Why did you choose to write that over anything else?

I really love the characters in To Wear A Crown, as well as the complexity of the issues they have to deal with. I think I decided to write this one because it was my first project to really SAY something important. It has important themes that really resonate with my world view and what I advocate for.

3. Favourite writing spot? Why?

This is super boring, but at my desk at home. Why? Because no one else is there. I can pull weird faces, write absolute nonsense, say things out loud etc. I need to feel absolutely free and unjudged in order to write well. And I can light a scented candle :)

4. Share your favourite line of what you’ve written so far.

So, I’m actually going to share two paragraphs and not just one line (#overwriter)

Markham Aesher sheepish and blushing. Here was a side to the Representative Staella hadn’t seen before. The wide-eyed youth. The son awaiting approval. And suddenly it was so easy to see through his lazy grins and easy compliments to the raw truth of him.

 He was a boy – a likeable, motherless nineteen-year-old with the weight of a household and a country on his golden shoulders. He was a boy who never caved under all that responsibility, who managed the largest estate in Aldahad and could very well win the Election. A boy who had gone beyond what was expected of him, had developed liberal opinions and written revolutionary books.    

5. If you had to choose one OC to bring to life as an actual person, which one would it be and why?

Definitely Markham. The world would be a much better place with him in it - and we would get along very well. He is my son, okay.

6. Are you looking to get published? If so, do you hope to make it a career?

Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.

7. What’s something you would read but would never write (or the other way around)? Any reason?

I love reading fanfiction, but don’t write any. This is just because I don’t have the time to write fanfiction and work on my original projects, and I’m more passionate about the latter. I would love to write horror, but I’m not that keen on reading it. Just because it would freak me out.

8. What’s something you are most proud of about your work so far?

The exponential rate of improvement. When I read the first few chapters, I can see a marked  difference to what I wrote recently and that makes me very proud.

9. Badly describe your WIP in one sentence

Rich people go missing, poor people revolt, and a few random people go mad.

10. Why do you want to be a writer?

I’ve been writing since I was 8 years old. It’s just something I have always done. My mind works in stories. I see something and immediately think of the great book it would make. I feel frustrated about a social/political/natural issue and I want to write a book about it. It’s never been a tough decision and it comes naturally.

Tagging: @writingpantheon @writingdotcoffee @el-queen @darkblaze16

[charbax]

(remaking this bc dumblr’s new bs on links so apologies for those who have to see this twice)

I’ve been debating for a while and decided to open commissions! My writing blog is charbax.tumblr.com and my AO3 is under the same name archiveofourown.org/users/charbax.

Base prices:

1 cent per word

500 - 2000 words = $5 - $20 USD

3000 onwards = Base + $5 USD

Max of 5k words = $55 USD (who even has that money wheezes)

Also, if I write 20% over the agreed word limit, I won’t charge extra for it. Otherwise, every extra 100 words is $1 extra (this is still negotiable, and I will try my best to keep it to the agreed amount).

Extras:

NSFW = +$5 USD

Chaptered stories = $3 USD per chapter

Complexity of the fic (as in extra themes/metaphors etc) = $2-$5 USD negotiable

Depending on my lack of knowledge on a fandom = $1-$5 USD negotiable

(considering that I will have to watch/read part of the series in order to have an idea of what I’m writing, and that is time consuming.)

Please use this template when emailing me:

Characters: Pairings (if applicable): Fandom: Estimated Length: Summary: Rating: Likes/dislikes: Anything else?:

Email me at catty349@gmail.com for details, or if you just wanna donate out of the kindness of your heart, my kofi is ko-fi.com/charbax

more details below:

Once accepted, half the commission price must be paid upfront, then I will start writing. You can request WIP as I go along, at which revisions are available. I will offer one final revision when finished for last minute changes, at which the second half must be paid. You may keep it personally or have it published  (wow).

I also have the right to refuse commissions out of personal preference. Also, if I cancel your request anytime after payment, I will refund it and give you the WIP to do as you please. If you cancel, it’s only half a refund of any amount paid, but you will get to own the WIP.

I can write:

Fandoms (check out charbax.tumblr.com/tags for a list, but I’m flexible, just message me for details)

Your headcanons!

Ratings from general all the way to mature

OCs / Original content (I will ask a lot of questions regarding backstories and world building)

OCs x Canon ships

Self-inserts 

Crossovers

Genres such as (but not limited to): romance, hurt/comfort, angst, alternative universes, action, fluff, family, drama, adventure, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, and supernatural

NSFW (must be 18+ to request)

Prose-y pieces (with use of recurring metaphors and imagery and that jazz)

Bios / Lore pieces (think wiki writing or DnD)

I will not write:

1ncest (including d4ddy kink)

Under@ge / Lolic0n / Ped0philia (age gaps between two consenting adults are different, however.)

Eye horr0r/g0re, Gur0

Real life people (M@rkiplier, J@ckcepticeye, korean pop idols, etc)

N0n-con / r@pe

explicit su1cide (mentioned or attempted I’m fine with)

animal @buse

Rac1sm / Sex1sm / Homophob1a (as in, advocating for race superiority, dominance of genders, abuse towards LGBT+ people)

These subjects: F00t Fetish / Sc@t / W@tersports / V0re / Infl@tion / Fut@nari / Mpr3g / G3nderb3nd / Om3gaverse / D-D-L-G / B3stiality (monsters are another thing, but that’s a discourse for another day)

Schoolwork. Just write your essay man, it’s just easier and legal lol.

thanks for reading!

[felgrimdarkwatch]

30 Day Challenge

Day 28

Z is for...

I have reached the end of the alphabet challenge!! I am rubbish at keeping up with these sorts of challenges - I always start with enthusiasm and flag halfway through the middle (Inktober, anyone?) So if nothing else, I am pleased to have got this far (even with a little cheating along the way - looking at you ‘x is for voting’).

That being said, I have no inspiration for Z - so I thought I would look at 

ZERO INSPIRATION

Or things I do to cope when I have writer’s block (which I actually do now, so perhaps I should take my own advice).

1.) Walk away. I usually find its when I’m overwhelmed with other things, work stuff, home stuff, deadlines - I have too much on to be able to think, so I concentrate on more mindless things, doodling sketches of my characters, or reading other books for inspiration. Sometimes you need to come back to it later with fresh eyes.

2.) Re-Read/Re-Write  If its a little blockage, I’m still feeling generically inspired but just don’t know the specific next thing to write, I go back and re-read what I have up until now. Sometimes something I had forgotten from earlier clicks back into place, sometimes I realise I have a plot-hole, or the characters are acting out of, well, character. Sometimes, on the very bad occasions, I realise I have to rewrite the whole thing again from a different perspective, or starting point, or with a different emphasis. Its hard, but it makes it better in the end.

3.) Use Word Counts as Targets Personally, I don’t advocate using word-counts as targets generically, (though, you know, whatever works for you) because, for me, I feel like it emphasises quantity over quality. When you are stuck, however, any words are good words, and even if you go through and delete them all later (see step two) it sometimes is enough to get you out of your own head and get you flowing again. 

I’m currently on Step One of my WIP blockage, because I’ve got a lot of work deadlines, and I have, of course, got Remnant coming out in JUST A FEW DAAAAAYS!  So, you know, I have other things on my mind at the moment. Hopefully though, I will get back on with writing any day now...

What do you do when you are blocked up?

[wrendeavor]

!!! I need help! I want to start writing a fic,,, , , do you have any advice in regards to keeping up with it and avoiding writers block? How would I properly plan it out??

Ooh okay I got really into answering this so answer is under the “keep reading”!

The hardest part of writing, spoiler alert, is starting

I have a really hard time getting new chapters of my fic out largely because even though I know it only takes me a few days to write and edit a new chapter, the thought of beginning that process is scary. every. single. time.

Unfortunately it’s a pretty unavoidable part of writing so here’s how I suggest facing it!

Know the beginning and the end! The middle will happen as it needs to! Some general plot points are helpful but sit down and write towards the finish line and let your characters figure out how to get there on their own! Writing requires a lot of improvisation and for me at least, a strict outline restricts my options. Know what you want to happen through the course of the story and then imagine what scenes are necessary, and what scenes might lead to the necessary scenes, and so on and so forth

ie: If you want to write about Bill and Ted baking a birthday cake, maybe we need to see them learn about the birthday, go grocery shopping, and then bake it. This is a super simplified version, but for most narratives, we need to see characters learn information, react to it, and then see the aftermath. Break down each plot point into each of these components

keep in mind that they don’t need to be treated equally in the story either. Maybe you write several thousand words of Bill and Ted arguing over cake flavors and oven temps and we see very little of the finished product they made, if at all. Regardless, all three components need to be there.

Another issue I had with my fanfiction writing for a really long time was that I never finished it. I’m a pretty busy and distracted person by nature, so I always thought that the best way I could share my work was if I wrote everything at once and then published it; I was worried people would be upset if they had to wait on my and my life for fanfic updates. 

Maybe this works for some people, but for me, the only reason I’ve been able to continuously (haha, does once a month count?) update SHGTG (my WIP fanfic) is because I feel some pressure that people are out there wanting to read it.

when the stories were alone and unfinished on my computer, it didn’t matter if they got endings because I knew the endings already, there was no risk and no reward. But posting that first chapter on AO3 meant I felt some responsibility to finish it so that all the great people who liked my fic could know the end as well.

I’m a major procrastinator, so I can’t finish things without this pressure.

At the same time however, don’t let it become a negative pressure. Do I feel guilty that SHGTG hasn’t updated in over a month? YES. Am I going to let that prevent me from going on dates with my girlfriend or doing my homework? Nope. Even though some pressure is good, a lot of pressure will just make writing even tougher. 

Next big thing:

Write when you want to write, not when you feel like you should be writing. I go weeks without touching my fic and then one afternoon I’ll write three thousand words in one go because I felt that energy for it again. Getting into the practice of writing often is a good habit but don’t let it become a chore.

That’s a lot of the reason I’ve been taking fun writing prompts in my inbox lately- it makes me write while still being fun and quick. No responsibility, and hopefully it will inspire me to go back to my story soon. 

Again, devil’s advocate here, the story isn’t going to write itself. While you’re waiting for inspiration to strike, write a list of things that would NEVER happen in the fic. Write a list of things that would make your characters look at things totally differently. Write a bunch of really bad first sentences. Think about the plot and the characters while you walk around town or shower. There are a lot of ways to work on a story that doesn’t require staring at a laptop screen in frustration for three hours 

I hope these help, It’s late here but I saw this ask and decided to spit out some thoughts, so my apologies if they’re unhelpful or repetitive or cliche in general

[realisaonum]

Anonymous said: do u have any hux and/or kylux recs for fic and art for someone who's only just getting interested in the fandom?

I am so glad you asked! I hope you enjoy - feel free to come and chat with me if you want!! :3

My highly selective rec’s are below the cut...

For art! I don’t have a special fan art tag for hux or kylux, so all of it is just mixed in with the rest of the tag. So it’s all in my Hux tag or Hux/Ren tag is all i got but there is soooooo much truley great content out there! Honestly the artists in this fandom are amazing! I actually cannot name them all for you but I would like to call your attention to these in particular!

you’ll want to go through space-emos’ stuff. Lots of great comics and feat art for fics!

flurgburgler - i love their style so much a commissioned a piece from them for a different fandom!

I absolutely looove sadaf-wadj’s art. Look at this!

coffeetwosugars has some amazing stuff and it’s mostly for their sogoth au. just look at this.

dustandhalos has some a++ hux stuff too!

suzannart has done a lot of amazing work for sathinfection’s senator ren au 

and littlerstarfighter Lots of nsfw but i ordered a print of this piece on my wall!

For fics! I have yet to read any material influenced by tlj -so these are all written purely on the tfa characterizations BUT all are still examples of great writing! Also, I advocate getting to know the fandom evolution of a ship, even if you are coming in later than most other fans!! ....ehhhh i’m not sure how much nsfw stuff you want here or what exactly you are into, but this list should be a good balance of story and sex and story with sex. Please forgive my lack of hyperlinks buttttttt i hope to make up for with the sheer plethora. and really this is such a small fraction, but hopefully something you can sink your teeth into....

>>>less than 20k

Heinous -quintessential! -http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5768050

our fragile co-commandership - a fucking classic tbh- http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5836177 

the fox and the wolf -v early series - http://archiveofourown.org/series/378589

beast in the belly  - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5851510 princess - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/7817728 i’ve known the warmth of your doorways - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/7088602 joint ventures - phasma’s pov of hux as he comes up the ranks - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5759083 

the world ender - ie “general hux crawled out of his grave and snarled at the sky” - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/6242488 

sovereign -  http://archiveofourown.org/works/6173263 

the title of hound - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5964460 

synchronicity - force sensitive hux- http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5965387 

imperator - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5839519 

throne - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5857657 

lost on the air - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/7113877

rise higher still endless thrill - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5665489

>>>you NEED to read these series

all that you love will be carried away - ASTOUNDING - http://archiveofourown.org/series/396736

to sleep perchance  - idk how you feel about mpreg, i never touch it with a ten foot pole myself, but i began to read this as a wip (and it’s a slow burn mpreg)and, if nothing else, check out the like first 6 chapters?, for some a+++ hux back story during his fever dreams. i can’t overstate how impressed i am by the prose they use in those scenes. it’s all pretty good, but i will never forget some of those passages in the beginning tbh-  http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5710102 

everything of me - emperor hux feat a lotta sex, but it’s more than that- http://archiveofourown.org/series/428959

red - emperor hux again - http://archiveofourown.org/series/417316

of idols and dead men -sathinfection’s senator ren au - http://archiveofourown.org/works/6723853

<i rec a few other series at the end and in the au section don’t worry!>

>>>AUs

just don’t put your guns down, yet - Inception au and wow - http://archiveofourown.org/series/392320

margin walker - seattle punk au -http://archiveofourown.org/works/5778016 

and your hand in mine - neighbor au of sorts -http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5976700 

coming home - modern au thanksgiving dinner at the organa-solos - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5580103. 

leaving on a jet plane (or not) - college au - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5738389 

all small things - high school au - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5965150

but legit anything Ezlebe writes for them is brilliant (the next two links)

-.tv/FirstOrder - i love love love - twitch streamer au -- http://archiveofourown.org/series/441571

-the autumn eve - modern au - http://archiveofourown.org/series/494494

in a dawn so very dark - medieval au - FUCKING AWESOME PROSE MY BUDDY MY DUDE - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/6117727 

do droid dream of electric sheep? - blade runner au - http://archiveofourown.org/works/5820295

till escrow do us part - house flippers au- http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/6122812 

weapon of choice - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/6410182 

southern comfort - that sogoth au i mentioned - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5777599 

untitled ficlet - this is really harsh artist au that i love bc i am mean - http://lingua-mortua.tumblr.com/post/161170604073/kyluxcantina-please-reblog-with-your-response-to

>>>and some good sex, specifically, not solely but endgame

programmed through - crowd fave - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5651425

divided desire - alien dicks - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/7235881 

the emperor’s jewel - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/7215439 

something different - ren and tentacles - http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/7197779 

satisfaction - ace hux and fingering- http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/6069997 

coupe - ren’s glorious bosom - http://archiveofourown.org/works/7622356

to the pure - knights of ren fuckfest- http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/6485509 

darth vagainia - hux sith lord role play- http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/7880692

>>>finally!

this series is my absolute favorite: fracture/foundation - i love hux and i love hux and ren’s interactions - The concept is exquisitely executed and everyone is really on point in characterization (everyone Phasma, Hux, Ren, Leia, Poe everyone). The dialogue, however, is probably what does it for me as it is beautifully mire-like, quick, and twisty in the best way. It is lovely. Hux is so acrid. It gives me life. In other words, I actually can't talk about this series without shouting (literally) and I have tried, so it comes with my HIGHEST recommendation tbh. -   http://archiveofourown.org/series/437167

and this is a close second: smooth the descent (easy is the way) - force sensitive hux au from the beginning and if it’s not the BEST THING IS2G I MEAN ABSOLUTELY GENIUS HUX CHARACTERIZATION - http://archiveofourown.org/series/408192

aannnnnd i’m gonna be that dick and rec my own fic! Unknown Pleasures  - Back when I was working on this, there were barely any femme!kylux (i think four including mine?) and i felt the need to rectify this grievous error. It was a part of the 2016 Big Bang so there is a lovely companion art piece that goes with it as well!! - http://archiveofourown.org/works/7054291

I will leave you on this final note - check out this Hux fanmix out Up Now and Get ‘Em Boy It’s such a jam and in character!!