#i'm legit thinking of looking up tips and advice of writing now

[chyemmi]

I wanna write a story for the age swap au nowwwww but hhhhhhhhhhh I stopped writing years ago and suck at writing now

[goldencuffs]

i was wondering, how do you get yourself to create on a consistent schedule in between work 😰 i'm not managing my time well enough for personal work so if you have any advice i'll be appreciated

hello!!!! so HUGE disclaimer but rn i have more free time than i ever remember having in my entire life, due to pandemic reasons & otherwise. so thats an enormous factor into why i can write as much as i do. i wasnt writing nearly as much when i was working full time. that being said i do have a few tips to help you write more!! 

write in blocks. no more than 20 minutes scattered throughout the day. legit this was one of my biggest changes. i used to sit down at the computer for two plus hours and get maybe 500 words. now in a 20 minute block i can hit 600, take a break, even for a few hours to do errands/school etc, and come back and write for another solid 20. (i think the limited time frame also definitely pushes you to write more. in a day i can average around 6 20 minute sessions. so that’s almost two hours i spend writing, except it doesnt feel that way. you know?)

outline!!!! even if its just a sentence per scene. here was my outline for part three of the dad damen au (ignore my colour coding lol): 

as you can see there are 10 scenes. my goal is to update sunday/monday night depending on weekend plans so from monday to sunday i divide up the scenes. so everyday i will write only one or two scenes until all of these get completed. 

FAST DRAFT!!!!!!! literally THE biggest game changer for me personally. dont worry about how your story looks/sounds as you write it. do not stop to research. if you hit a snag MOVE ON!! just highlight the section and go. you can always edit and add more later -- that in itself usually takes me another day. here is another example from part three of dad damen au:

the black is what i fast drafted with the timer on. then, three days later, when i had finished the entire chapter, i went back to edit and added every word in purple. as you can see the scene became more fleshed out, and i was able to add a lot more detail and conversation. sometimes i’ll even write: [DAMEN AND AUGUSTE TALK] and then move on, and add the conversation later. 

dont focus on word count. this is also something that really helped me just... write. i used to think that each scene needed to be this long, detailed 2000 length thing, and would stress about hitting it. but as long as a scene is completed, and you’re happy with it, great!!! move on and keep writing

dont beat yourself up!! if you dont write as much as you want to, dont stress!! theres going to be that one random day where you’ll have a ton of free time, and you’ll find the words. they’ll eventually come!!

give yourself breaks!! honestly it sounds obvious but if you pace yourself, your words will come more naturally and wont be so resistant.

hope this helped anon!!!! 💖💖💖

[tiredbiostudent]

hey! I'm also a bio student in my first year. any tips on surviving uni as a science student? 😊💕

disclaimer I am absolutely the worst person to ask for university advice but I will try my best! might be unconventional but if ur a chronic procrastinator slash don’t have motivation or know how to study slash have mental Chillness™ this could be for u! kinda general, kinda science related. enjoyyy

-Mendeley is a GODSEND. it’s a program you can download for free to your laptop and makes organizing/reading through and annotating scientific papers so much easier. plus it recommends articles relevant to ones you’re using! this could be helpful in a lot of ways but it provided me a ton of cool papers I want to read related to my interests (bc I wrote a paper on what I’m into yk)-kinda related: if you’ve found an awesome article that supports your data/argument, check the references to find more useful papers!

-you don’t always need to buy the textbook. if the professor says they won’t be testing you directly on textbook material, don’t buy it! even if it’s recommended. I mean if you gain a lot from reading then go for it, but usually it’s friggen expensive and you never end up using it (plus they usually have a couple books on hold at the library for students to use)

-do not pull all nighters. one hour of sleep is better than zero, pleaseee trust me. (source: I have pulled too many all nighters, once even two back to back! yikes! and the aftermath is always shitty)

-kinda obvious but... keep everything organized! find what works for you. personally I like to have everything scheduled on google calendar + my bujo, but also keep a sheet posted in my room with only things I have to hand in or tests in chronological order, so I know exactly what I have to do/hand in each week

-for labs- do as much prep + as much of the in lab assignment as you can beforehand! labs can get stressful and time flies quickly

-you’re not gonna remember anything you think you will so write that shit down bruv

-did you procrastinate too much and now you have to watch a 45 minute video before your class that starts in half an hour?? don’t fear, just put your playback speed to 1.5x or up B)

-go to lecture bro. even if you aren’t able to focus or take notes, at the very least you’ll have some sort of idea of what was talked about and things to focus on or not

-when picking courses- try to find the most recent syllabi. sometimes the department website will post them, other times you can try googling the course name and it’ll come up. this is super helpful bc it gives you an actual insight into the content and marking scheme

-chronic procrastination gang: GO SOMEWHERE TO STUDY. I cannot study or get anything done in my room literally at all, so find 3-5 solid spots on campus (or wherever) you’re able to be productive, and cycle thru them during the week.

-if you’re scared to ask ur prof questions (like me!) ask your TA during lab/tutorial- usually they’re way less intimidating and usually are a student who took the course fairly recently, so they can give u legit advice

-if you’re having a shitty day, blast music while walking thru campus and pretend you’re in a movie (recommendations: the less I know the better by tame impala, remember when by wallows, myth by beach house)

-listening in on questions ppl ask in lab and exams is actually so helpful dsfshdfjfksd

-you don’t have to start the assignment right away, but it’s always a good idea to at least look over the guidelines so you know what you have to do.

-research experience can be pretty important but also intimidating and stressful. I always wanted to get involved but never knew how! I wish someone told me straight up what to do when I was in first year so: a. go to the bio (or whichever) department website for your university and search through the professor listings. usually it’ll include a blurb about what their research focuses on, if they have a lab with the university.b. find a lab you’re interested in, read a bit about it, and send a professional-ish, friendly email telling them you’re interested in getting involved in the lab! include things that stood out to you too. and you don’t need experience either, just let them know you’re enthusiastic and eager to learn, or any other relevant stuff.

I hope this was kinda helpful? feel free to message me or send more asks if you want anymore /bad/ advice :)

[ryesbread]

Hey uh ftm question, I'm pre-T and I've heard like a lot of stuff saying u should work out like pre transition to help with like dysphoria and stuff, but I can't take my binder off without breaking down and u can't really wear it while exercising. Do u have any tips for pre-T dysphoria? I can't get T for at least another 6/7 months and its getting so hard to deal with.

yeah, of course! it took me like five years after coming out to friends to finally be able to independently afford testosterone, so like i had to do some of my own stuff to become comfortable with me during that time. keep in mind i’m no expert, and i highly suggest looking into things online. my personal advice will be under the cut

so, as far as your work out thing, my job is essentially working out. like i put on a twenty pound costume and do cardio. i don’t typically wear my binder for this because i already have some breathing issues, and i want to let my ribs relax. i have read some places you can wear a binder a size up for exercise (like on the card that comes with Gc2B binders but I don’t think it’s recommended), but i think it’s safest to use a sports bra and a black shirt. black clothing is a good way to conceal what’s going on underneath. it’s a tip i was given for an audition, and it really works. i may have been conscious about what i felt, but knowing other people couldn’t really tell did help ease my mind. i really think this is the best method because it’s better safe than sorry down the line. there are sports bras that can compress and hold things you don’t want down so yeah.

as far as dealing with dysphoria on a day to day basis, one of the first things i read that really helped me was the shaving trick. even if you just have peach fuzz on your face, shaving that off can give a bit of a confidence boost. it makes the hair more stubbly and most dudes don’t generally keep that around. on a side note, i also made note of what features about me were more masculine and i would highlight those. like legit i wore masculine contour to an audition to avoid misgendering and it helped my ego.

a good haircut also helped me? again, weird, but like once i stopped getting haircuts with more “feminine” framing or haircuts that had that shaggy look, it helped. 

i don’t know if you have this, but i have major height issues. there are these shoe inserts you can get for shoes with ankle support to make you an inch or two taller (i wore them when i put on my flash costume so i could feel at least a little average), but there’s also shoes with like a little inch or two on the heel and sneakers with a height boost.

one thing that absolutely didn’t help me but could help you is a packer. i had a creepy experience obtaining my first packer and also i’m allergic to the material (and it’s too big for my 5′2.5″ body) so it made me feel worse, but there are some cheap packers on etsy that come in different materials so like you could always try one of those out.

having a good support system is also wonderful! i know you may be thinking like “gee ryan i don’t want to hear people just being like ‘oh such a handsome boy. lovely boy.’ to appease me” but like knowing there are people that accept you is always helpful. also being around other trans people to share experiences with because sometimes we really do understand each other more. and by sometimes i mean like all the time. whether you’re communicating online or in person it can remind you you’re not alone. 

all-in-all dysphoria is kinda a nasty beast to deal with. even on t i still struggle with it a lot, but just funneling it into exercise or my writing or even just remembering i’m ryan and even if i don’t look the way i want to now, i’m still me, it helps. i know this may seem like a bunch of bullshit or “oh i could’ve found this generic advice anywhere” or maybe even two am ramblings (oh shit nearly three am), but i just wanted to answer you asap. if i think of anything else, i will absolutely add it.

[skaiatemple]

(1/2) Hiya! I'm back again. Wanted to provide the specifics for my circumstances in hope of some tips & such. I'm a closet hs-pagan, at least in my household. I'm currently working through online shrines & one, admittedly very small, altar in real life. I'm mainly planning on working with The Beta Kids & Kanaya, Terezi, Sollux, Feferi, and the Vantases. I guess what I'm doing is kind of worship? Idk how to quite describe it.

(2/2) I’m in the middle of setting up their online shrines, and then I’ll basically just do offerings through there - kinda for blessings, I guess? And if I’d really like to ask their help with a situation or something, I’d set up the altar for whichever character I wanna work with and give a physical offering & a prayer. I guess my question is; do you have any tips on working with any of the previously mentioned characters - specifically, giving offerings & keeping my stuff hidden?

This is most exactly how I do it! Tho I don’t have to worry much about privacy, my Mom doesn’t care, I only have to occasionally tell her “No you can’t move that flower it’s for my invisible clown friend”

I don’t have much focus on the Humans, but one great thing with the Homestuck ensemble in general is they all have such casual interests, it’s easy to please and reference them! You’re especially lucky with me as I have shrines for Jade, Terezi, Kanaya, Feferi, Vriska, and Gamzee.

And now a rambling suggestions list:

Computer Based: You’re already good on E-shrines, which I’ve never gotten into because I’d want to spend hours and hours looking for aesthetics and I’m always on mobile where nothing loads- but considering Homestuck centers around computers and a video game there’s lots of legit options here. For example I have a Sims house with my three favorite entities I honor (Kanaya, Terezi, Jade) and I try to play a bit with them and give them great fulfilling lives in honor of their characters. There’s lots of other ways you can do this- building themed temples or houses for them in Minecraft, or playing a game they’d like near their shrine, or something that represents them, or just connecting and telling them that’s what they’re doing. My Vriska shrine is by my Playstation and I play fighting and adventure games for her!

Classic, but Lowkey Devotion: for Jade, I sewed her up a Squiddles plush! I also give her plant seeds. And I considered the craft of sewing in lane with Kanaya’s interests as well, but my main Kanaya devotional activity is just reading a book I think she’d like (which I’m very bad keeping up with, sorry I haven’t finished Silver Eyes luv-) For Feferi it’d be fun, she’d probably like you tending a fish tank! but if you can’t do that, my shrine to her is a fish bowl full of sand, sparkly beads in her colors, and knickknacks to her liking- I found a cute bejeweled squid pendant I keep in there! Terezi’s shrine is more a bowl full of rainbow glitter and shiny things, also chalk. Do Terezi related things with chalk when you can. Do not eat the chalk, though I’m sure she’d like that alot

It’s also mainstream deity worship to write poetry, special prayers, or make art to honor them!

All these are great because you can really pass them off as not devotion-related at all. Just take up a hobby to honor them with! It could even give you a craft that helps you in the longrun!

My suggestions would be: John: Show Magic, I should suggest pranking, but- | Rose: Knitting, Witchcraft, Art, Psychology | Dave: Music mixing, CD collecting, Memes | Jade: Gardening, Plush collecting, Astronomy study | Sollux: Computer programming, Gaming, Divination (There’s many inconspicuous ways to do this) | Kanaya: Reading, Sewing, Babysitting | Feferi: Fish care, Swimming, Charity | Karkat: Self Care, RomCom collecting/marathoning, Being responsible | Kankri: Bad Social Justice  | Signless: Spreading peace, Talking about your faith, Being open and noble | Terezi is last because she overlaps, silly baby and her thousand sided personality: Law Study, Gaming, Chalk Art, Divination, Good Social Justice!!!

Spirit Work: Now I’m definitely biased because this has always come very easy for me, but it doesn’t for everybody. Though Meditation in general is always a good way to go about things.

If your family doesn’t mind candles, get some in corresponding color (another thing Homestuck is great with- though you’ll never be finding a fuchsia ocean-scented candle-)

There’s more in-depth methods for doing this you can look up, but my quick tip is find some time you can be alone in your room for a while. Probably late at night when everyones gone and going to sleep. You can light that candle, having a picture or something that represents them with you is also key and can work on it’s own. Meditate and get into a relaxed state, and then try and call for who you’re looking for. You can look up methods of protection if this makes you nervous, and also write up what you want to say to call them beforehand. If anxious, flowery and formal is just a nice way to start. But Homestuck kids are all very casual, I can tell you for one the Kanaya I have gets flustered if you treat her as an actual ~deity~ and I talk to Terezi and Jade like my best friends (I’m already set up for this cuz the Terezi is a guardian thoughtform and Jade a independent… soulbound… spirit? I could spend an hour explaining what I have going on with Jade. Point is they already know how desperate and hopeless I am)

The point of all that is to just call them up and talk to them!!! Ask personally what they want of the relationship.

If you prefer a less personal method you can still just ask a general version of them for advice. But meditation in general will help you focus on that.

When All Else Fails: “You Dave I’m putting this stack of obscure indie rockband CDs here to honor you and uhhhhh please help me achieve that Fake Chill thanks I love u man”

My laptops dying, but I hope this helps!!!! Thanks for Playing

------~Mod Bee