#im not a very good non-academic writer but i think this will be a fun little writing excercise :')

[banghwa]

hmmmm

[fearfylsymmetry]

15 questions tag 15 friends here's to my love @nizynskis.

1. Are you named after anyone?

no, my name's more about its meaning than anything else. culture carried through the past etc etc you know how it goes

2. When was the last time you cried?

few days back i think? its uhh,, a general drama of regret, nothing i can't resolve quick

3. Do you have kids?

no. non natal milf so to speak.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

i've tried most all of them i just do not like sports. i much prefer exercise, i don't need balls to legitimize moving my legs wink wink

5. Do you use sarcasm?

this is such a good question

6. What is the first thing you notice about people?

faces because i need to build up my visual library. if you end up in my artwork well thats on you for being so drawable

7. What’s your eye color?

charred plains after the annual harvest, burnt enough for god to look away etc et al. there is a certain loss in that march lit haze, in the shifting plumes of smoke where unfamiliar faces reside

8. scary movies or happy endings?

happy endings for me, as a general trend. horror movies are always good but after a long day you just want to watch someone be happy. hope transplanted through the silver screen.

9. Any talents?

well i draw and write and try to sound very smart on my academic papers and maybe one day ill be able to do a kickflip on my skateboard. ohh i can snap my fingers really fast too

10. Where were you born?

hospital

11. what are your hobbies?

drawing painting writing reading and one day ill learn to play every instrument. ooh yeahh learning too learning is fun god bless u pdfs of academic texts, i loveee hoarding pdfs and images too. the amount of pdfs i have.... the plan is to get sooo good at these i bag oscars, palme d'ors, bookers, hugo awards etc et al ad hominem

12. do you have any pets?

no i dont think i have the patience to take care of one. i just sublimate my love to my friend's pets and any stray cats and dogs that like me and dont look like they'll give me a scary infection (spoilers i just walk by with a smile)

13. How tall are you?

compressed industrial pipe standard regulation malleable plyable and god knows im impressionable

14. favorite subject in school?

well in my school days it was english and now i think maybe possibly it'll be post colonial literature and art history.

15. Dream job?

writer artists who will eventually love off her prize money. the goal is to just keep giving it away and retiring to the moors.

this was funn, tagging @transboydororo @moldavite @bloodcoveredgf @diatesticlematerialjism @legallybrunettedotcom

@vampk1ss @creepy-scrawl sorry sorry

[mandelene]

(1/2) So, i got my grade back for one of my rhetoric essays, and i appealed to my teacher and honestly, I KNOW im taking this personally, and i KNOW i shouldnt, but im getting really annoyed. its bc im taking it personally. her feedback is true, and i DO need to hear that, in my mom's less kind words "you write like its a fanfic", but she really should say "you write like you speak". Any advice to keep your personal style while writing formally without sounding casual?

Hi, anon! Thank you so much for asking these questions because I feel like so many writers go through this struggle. As someone who writes fanfic/fiction for fun but is also a journalism student who is finishing up her thesis and about to move onto grad school, I can definitely relate to this as well. First, I think it’s important for one to acknowledge that writers wear lots of different hats. If I posted my thesis on here, you guys would never guess I was the one who wrote it, haha. I have my fiction voice, my academic voice, my non-fiction voice, and a creative non-fiction voice. They’re all connected by some elements, but they’re also distinct from each other. Sure, my thesis probably isn’t as fun to read as one of my stories, but it’s still me because I wrote about a topic that mattered deeply to me and that I genuinely wanted to dive deeper into.

Unfortunately, with academic writing, you’re always going to feel slightly as though you have a stick up your ass, lol. That’s just part of the craft. Like with fiction, there are certain standards and norms that academic writing follows, and no one will take your research paper/arguments seriously if you don’t demonstrate an understanding of the form. Always keep your audience in mind – writing for your friends and peers is a lot different from writing for scholars. It’s likely you won’t be allowed to be as creative when it comes to academic writing, and sometimes, you’re going to have to write about stuff you absolutely hate, but if your research is strong and you formulate and communicate ideas well, then your essay will stand out and won’t be boring because you’ll show you have a true grasp of the topic. My professors always stress how important “flow” is in a paper. It’s what separates the dry, boring stuff from the interesting stuff. I have to read a lot of academic journals for my classes, and I can tell who’s a good writer and who isn’t by their flow, clarity, and ability to be concise. Those skills are incredibly important in academic writing. Think “so what?” Why should anyone want to read your essay? Your reader should feel like they’ve learned something meaningful from your argument and understand why it’s meaningful, too.

As for taking criticism, this one’s tough. At first, it’s going to hurt, but even though it hurts, you have to teach yourself to take a step back, listen, and say thank you, even if you don’t totally agree – especially when you don’t totally agree. Hear the other person out. Force yourself to see things from their point of view. Your brain and heart are going to try to resist at first, but it gets easier with time. If it makes you feel any better, my thesis mentor criticizes me constantly, lol. He’s not afraid to tell me, “I really didn’t like this,” or “this part didn’t make any sense” because he knows I won’t take it personally. In fact, he recently told me the quality of my thesis “took a nosedive,” haha (which is totally true, btw). Someone saying they dislike something about your paper is not a personal attack, and they are not trying to insult your intelligence or suggest you’re a bad writer by any means. In fact, I’m flattered when my mentor is honest with me because it shows he trusts me to be able to take the hit in stride. I’m a firm believer that what separates the great writers from the decent writers is the ability to take criticism. No one is going to want to work with a writer who gets defensive and spiteful. Writers who detach themselves from their writing when taking feedback are the ones who will grow. Listen attentively, don’t try to explain your view or give any disclaimers. Just nod, thank them, and be open to edits. 

Being respectful, thoughtful, and showing appreciation will demonstrate maturity and get you very far, I promise. We live in a society right now that is fueled by emotion. Everyone takes everything personally, gets heated easily, and wants to block out those whom they disagree with, but that’s the death of dialogue and free speech. There is real value in being able to approach things with a level head. Taking a step back is a skill that will help not just with your writing, but also with future jobs and decision-making. It’s also a skill that not everyone has. Self-awareness, taking feedback, self-control – these are all parts of emotional intelligence, which is honestly sometimes more important than how much you know. 

Thank you again for the asks, and I hope things work out! Best of luck and stay wonderful. Have a great spring break as well! :) 

[psicygni]

commenting is hard and scary: general trends in the reasoning of fic readers

an incredibly academic review of answers, asks, and replies by me, 2017, tumblrdotcom

Introduction

This post concerns the super scientific survey from yesterday.  A couple of you asked, so: the reason I wanted to know why folks don’t regularly comment is a combination of things.  The first is writing for spones, which is a rather new experience, and the comparatively tiny number of comments on what I think is a pretty darn good story, compared with the overwhelming enthusiasm for the s/u piece I posted the other week- it got me thinking, needless to say.  Second is the ever present discrepancy between number of comments and read-counts on new chapters when I post them.  Third is receiving comments that start ‘I never comment, but’ and finally giving into the curiosity of what that’s like, to read all this fic and not comment on it.  Fourth is the always circling posts of ‘comment on the fics you read!’ with explanations of why and how - it seems like those don’t totally get through to people?  I don’t know, maybe they do, but it’s not like I reblog one and wake up the next morning to a bevy of comments.

Methods

Participants included the metric butt-ton of anon commenters, plus those who replied to the original post which you can read here.  Too many to respond to without clogging everyone’s dashes, so we’re doing this instead.  

Results

There were five main categories that responses fell into: not having much to say (and the temptation of the kudos button), RL issues, finding commenting stressful, perceptions of the author, and other.

The Profundity of Comments

The most reoccurring reason for not commenting (or not commenting regularly) was a feeling of not having much to say other than ‘I liked it.  As one anon wrote, “i just honestly never know what to say and other comments are so well-constructed that i feel like my random "aww theyre so cute" would be inadequate.”  This pressure to feel profound was reiterated by others, such as another anon who suggested “I think not all readers are former lit majors who may get intimidated to leave a "thoughtful" comment and are reading to de-stress or something.”

Beyond this lack of profound and interesting statements on fics, there was a general feeling that leaving a kudos, favoriting a fic, or creating a bookmark was akin to leaving a short comment saying ‘that was great’.  One anon put it this way: “if I'm just saying 'great fic', it feels interchangeable with giving them a kudos”.

RL Issues

There was a reoccurring sentiment related to feeling like one has to be profound: not having enough time to sit down and leave the type of comment the reader wanted to.  Also included in this was not having the energy to do so, either because readers were enjoying fic as a way to relax and de-stress, or because they were reading in bed and were tired.  Another issue raised was the fact that mobile reading doesn’t lend itself to commenting, and it’s awkward to have to switch to a desktop to comment.  Finally, there was the simple problem of forgetting, despite all best intentions.  Life, as we all know, gets entirely too busy sometimes.  @samttuummaa ties this all together nicely and puts words to what a number of other folks said in their own replies: “Here's the recipe: start with I read on my cell, where typing is a moth#£$&#@! of an experience. Combine that with the fact that I always had a million things to say so the reviews were rarely short. Toss that with a toddler wanting my attention. Let it all simmer in the fact that I only got to read in spurts of just a few minutes at a time… modify this recipe by adding a 2nd baby”.

Commenting as a stressful activity

This section of results fell into two main categories.  First was readers who struggle with social anxiety.  Second was readers for whom English is a non-native language, and either the difficulty of writing in english was prohibitive, or they were too self-conscious of their writing to enjoy the process of leaving a comment.

Author as a roadblock

Interestingly, many folks wrote about ways in which authors themselves were an impediment.  There was a general sense among respondents that if authors don’t respond to comments, it’s not worth leaving them a comment on their story.  One anon raises an interesting question, writing: “if the author then doesn't engage with the comments… why is a comment better than a kudos?” Additionally, readers felt that writers who don’t respond to comments might ignore the comments they leave, or commenting might be bothersome or irritating to these authors.

Some readers had negative interactions with authors which turned them off from commenting.  One anon wrote: “Actually I left a good comment to a fic arthor and she didn't reply back to my comment but replied back to everyone's else and felt so horrible.”  Another recounted a story of an ongoing correspondence with an author that went south for no discernible reason, which made them wary of engaging with writers in the future.

Another aspect of the way in which readers’ perspective of the author interfered with commenting was a perception that fic authors don’t like short comments.  A second was that authors - myself included - are annoyed by pleas for updates, but that is what the reader really wants to write. (footnote 1: there is a difference between ‘update please!’ and ‘can’t wait to find out what happens next!!’  For me at least, the latter is more than welcome, while the former does tend to feel quite rude)

Finally, @what-if-im-a-mermaid and @mizjesbelle offered insight into the feeling that authors have their friends in fandom and that fics have an ‘insider/outsider’ culture, which the reader can be very much on the outside of, or that as an unknown reader, that feedback wasn’t pertinent compared to the author’s friends comments.  As @what-if-im-a-mermaid wrote “I also remember having this vague impression of fandoms as these groups of people who all know each other and comment on each other’s work and are friends and feeling, idk, ‘excluded’ is not the right term because i wasn't sad about it, but like it was something I wasn’t part of? Like it didn’t concern me?”  @mizjesbelle follows up this comment by writing, “@what-if-im-a-mermaid I know what you mean about a comment section sometimes feeling like a club you're not part of. I follow a lot of webcomics, and there are some I don't comment on because everyone clearly knows each other. I know they don't mean to be unwelcoming, but it can feel awkward.”  (footnote 2: I have made all of my fandom friends through discussions started in comments on stories and trust me, if you comment on a story of mine, I remember you and I love you)

Other

There were a number of reasons that fell outside the above mentioned themes.  These are that a fic is bad and the reader doesn’t want to leave criticism, being overwhelmed with feels after finishing reading a fic, the story is old, as a writer themselves they don’t care to receive comments and therefore don’t leave them as readers, and not realizing how it feels to put yourself out there and publish creative work.  @what-if-im-a-mermaid writes, “I think part of it is that if you’re a casual fic reader and you’ve never put yourself out there by posting stuff you created to The Interweb it can be hard understand how incredibly rewarding receiving any feedback at all is. For the longest time I thought of fic writers as a bunch of people who find writing so easy and intrinsically rewarding that they post billions of words on line for free, because it makes them happy.  They’re obviously Real Writers, very good at what they do, so why should feedback from a random girl who knows nothing about lit and writing affect them in any way? ‘ (footnote 3: it does make me happy, it’s so asldkfjasldkjf not easy, and if you enjoyed my story, you’re not random, see footnote 2 about how much I love you)

Discussion

Overall, a number of reasons stated here have made the rounds in fandom before: old stories tend to get few comments, folks don’t want to be rude and leave criticism, English is a ridiculous language, talking to authors can be scary, commenting is just plain hard when we all have work/school/kids/whatever, and the kudos button is right there for the clicking.

One aspect of these responses that surprised me was the variability.  A lot of people have very different reasons for not commenting, which I hadn’t ever really considered before.  As a writer, I interpret a lack of comments to mean that my writing is bad or boring, and even if folks are reading it, it’s more so out of not being able to find better fic than any true enjoyment.

Another thing I hadn’t thought about was the fact that for readers, the kudos button can feel the same as leaving a short comment - I don’t know about other writers, but those two feel entirely and hugely different to me.  However, having read through all your responses I think I can change a bit and take kudos more to heart and hear what you’re all saying: you enjoyed the story and had you commented, that’s likely exactly what the comment would read.  At the same time, I’d encourage all of you to consider how it feels to see a list of names of folks who have left kudos and know full well that only a handful of them stopped to tell you that they liked your story.

I was also surprised by the way in which a writer responding to comments made such an impact.  I had no idea anyone responded until one day I left a comment and got a response back and then I started doing it myself.  I mcfreaking love talking to readers through comments, especially on chaptered fic as I get to see their reactions as the story develops.  It’s like getting to read my own story through someone else’s eyes and experience it as if I’m the reader who doesn’t know what’s coming up in the next chapter, with all of that thrill and fun.  The same goes for one shots, though I don’t get to build that rapport over the course of the story.

Further Research

One question I’m left with is: for those of you who do comment, what is the draw for you?  And for those of you who don’t, is there a way for authors to engage you so that you would comment?  An anon wrote, ““FFN has this culture of the idea of asking for reviews being tacky, probably from the occasional 'I'll post the next chapter after 100 reviews' fics” which I’m not suggesting or anything of the sort.  I don’t think that begging for comments is exactly the way through this.  I’m more curious as to whether there is anything that might change your commenting behavior - because trust me, I’ll do it.

Conclusion

Fandom is the best and continues to be one of the great joys of my life, and I imagine many of yours.  I wish I could convince everyone to comment, but I also respect all the reasons all y’all have furnished as to why that’s not realistic to ask.

[thesundaymorningpost]

The Sunday Morning Post

September 3, 2017                                                          10th Edition

Current News:

Yuri on Ice: ShitBang

On August 31st, if you love Yuri on Ice, your feed may have blown up with stories and artwork created as a means for writers and artists to come together and work on a project together.

What is the Shit Bang you ask? It is an amazing event for writers and artists to come together and write and draw about the amazing anime we all love: Yuri!!! On Ice! But a little more than that this is a direct - non-hateful - response to THAT blog. You know the one I’m talking about. Yup. THAT one. - @yoi-shit-bang

The amount of stories and artwork has been astounding. From one-shots, to multi-chapters, all written by amazing authors. Then there is all the amazing artwork that has come with it, by some amazing and very talented artists.

Please keep in mind that many subjects may trigger, please read all tags before reading a story. 

Story Recommendation: we have loved the stars too fondly by @thehandsingsweapon

“We live in a blue planet that circles around a ball of fire next to a moon that moves the sea, and you don’t believe in miracles?”

After an academic career at MIT and Oxford, Yuuri Katsuki eschews job offers at places like NASA and CERN to go work at the Very Large Array in what Phichit Chulanont lovingly calls The Actual Middle of Nowhere, New Mexico, monitoring radio frequencies from light-years away. He's loved the stars for as long as he can remember, and the universe feels so big sometimes that Yuuri is sure it would be a cruel mistake for humans to be all alone.

Enter the latest scientist to join the staff of the VLA, enigmatic Russian genius Victor Nikiforov, around whom Yuuri’s entire universe seems to bend to make room, and the strange, recurring dreams Yuuri keeps having, where something like love carries him across the stars.

Does love travel faster than light? Do souls?

“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”

"Yuri, on Stars!!   This lovely short story will resonate with anyone that lives the heavens.  Dreamscapes thought to be a figment of Yuuri's imagination turn out to be a more real than tangible science, and Viktor is patient with all his insecurities.  With just the right amount of angst to give it depth, this vignette will take you into the endless cosmos!" - @darkrivertempest

Artist Spotlight:

we have loved the stars too fondly by @shadhahvar

Comic:

Good boy by @floccinaucinihilipilificationa  (Click title to reblog)

Support: 

This week’s Ko-Fi shout-out goes to Discoursemoth | @lowercasewrites  (Click to buy coffee)

im sei! im a non-passing trans boy with unsupportive parents, and im using this account primarily to pay for things that could help me pass better, such as a packer and binder. you obviously dont have to donate but i would really appreciate it!                                

Patreon: YukiPri | @yukipri  (Click name to become a patreon)

Hey there!! Thanks so much for visiting my Patreon. I'm Kazu, also YukiPri on Tumblr. I'm currently a freelance translator and illustrator who is HOPING to support myself primarily through art. My passion is telling my own unique stories through visual media, and I love world-building, costume design, and overall extensively over-thinking all of my stories. This patreon is a step towards hopefully better sustaining myself off of art so I can continue to grow as a professional artist and produce content that you can enjoy! I am unbelievably grateful to every patron who helps me continue to do what I love doing. My wish is for the majority of my work to remain public, but I also desperately need to support myself, and also have a variety of content that I'm not comfortable posting publicly for various reasons. As thanks for your support, my patrons will get access to exclusive content, including WIPs/sketches, previews, art progress/tutorials, higher resolution art, early access, and nsfw content!

Fun and Games:

10 Questions Every Fic Writer Secretly Wants to be Asked by @wyseink  (Click Title to reblog)

There are a lot of fic questions that float around online, but rarely do they ever ask specific questions about the fics themselves. Ask any writer one or more of these ten questions to learn more about the fic and show support.

1. Of the fics you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

2. Which scene was your favorite to write in [title of fic]?

3. Which part of [title] was hardest to write?

4. If you could change anything in [title], what would it be?

5. Did you make an outline for [title]? Did you stick to it?

6. Which scenes did you cut, and which were added in [title]?

7. Who was your favorite character to write in [title]?

8. Which came first, the title or the fic?

9. Which idea came to you first in [title]?

10. What are some facts readers may not know about [title]?

Story Prompt:

Monochrome by @diamondwinters An AU where people who are sad, down, depressed cannot hide it. Whenever you get sad, you start to loose your color. Your skin turns pale, your eyes loose their color, and turn gray or white, and your hair turns gray. Like an old black and white tv show, you loose all your color when you’re very sad. A little bit of sadness might dim your natural colors, but you wouldn’t loose them. It’s during a time when you feel heart broken, or very depressed that you go Monochrome. Such as a big break up, a death of a loved one, deep depression, etc. Monochrome is the medical term used by the doctors in this AU to describe turning gray in a world of color.

Some people who are unable to get happy, may use make-up, contacts, and hair color to hide the fact that they’re depressed, but eventually even those things will loose their color and will need to be replaced.

The best thing to do is to find your happiness. Be with friends, and family who can help you bring your color back. The brighter you are, the more vivid your colors are, the happier you are.

Art Prompt:

Imagine your OTP by @bumble-beany

Person A: Are you awake?                                         

Person B: I am now                                         

Person A: I was just wondering...                                         

Person A: What do you think it'd be like to be a pregnant male seahorse?

Person B: Really?! You woke me up for that?

W.I.P. Motivation:

Liquor Stash by @severeminx​

I want him.

When the full realization hit him, Yuri felt as though he couldn’t breathe. Detached and fleeting thoughts that had passed through his mind finally took shape in these three words at that exact moment. The I being himself, Yuri Plisetsky, age 17, a Russian figure skater with a list of impressive accomplishments to his name that seemed pretty pointless right now given the context. The want being desire, the need to bury himself, the thought to consume, but never actually act out except behind locked doors in empty beds or shower stalls. The him being the person standing across from Yuri sipping coffee from a take-away cup with creased brows, the low sunlight hitting his face just so to light up his otherwise dark eyes. Someone he considered to be his best friend, who came all the way from Almaty just to spend a week with him and who was blissfully unaware of the fucking turmoil Yuri was feeling in the pit of his stomach. Or at least, Yuri hoped he was unaware.

In which Yuri Plisetsky invites Otabek Altin over to stay with him in Saint Petersburg, freaks out over his feelings and delves into Lilia's liquor stash.

Please go read and support this artist. They are looking for kudos and comments to get them back into finishing this fantastic story!

Fandom Week:  (Click each line to go to blog)

Zarkon Week! September 3rd - 9th.

Yuri on Ice Music Week! September 4th - 11th

NSFW Yuri Plisetsky Week! September 11th - 17th.

Guang-Hong Week! Voting will be Sept 15th - 21st

SeungChuchu Week! October 16th - 23rd.

Help Wanted:

Needed: Tumblr theme editor. Please contact Diamond Winters for details.

Story recommendations!! If you find a story that you absolutely love, and you want to see it get some recognition, please submit a link to it with a 2-3 sentence review of the story. This way it could get in the spotlight in a future edition of the SMP. Requirements are that it’s completed, or a one-shot.

Artist Spotlight!! If you find a piece of artwork that needs more love, please submit a link to it so it may be considered for future spotlights in the future.

WIP Motivation: Please send your support to these writers or artist to encourage them to continue their story or artwork. No good story or piece of art should be left unfinished. - If you know of a good story that hasn’t been updated in a while, and would like to offer encouragement to the author, please let me know, so that I can link to their story here.

If there is ever any section of the Sunday Morning Post that you feel you can contribute too, please send an Ask or Submit to either the SMP, or @d2diamond so that it has a chance at making in a future post. Thank you!  

@yoi-shit-bang | @thehandsingsweapon | @darkrivertempest | @shadhahvar | @floccinaucinihilipilificationa | @lowercasewrites | @yukipri | @wyseink | @diamondwinters | @bumble-beany | @severeminx