#it's just fun to craft a sentence after sentence to create a story you know

[lenievi]

one of the thing that is uplifting for me personally in this book is his “write sentence by sentence, revise while composing the sentences” because that’s the way I think I prefer to write

but in 2020, I’m not sure if it was after I finished my first spones fic, or if it was during it, I started to look up tips on writing because I felt inadequate and then I fell into the whole “I shouldn’t use X because a rando on the internet said so” etc. which really hampered me imho then “you gotta write everything down and only then revise” came, then seeing people just writing a one-shot in a day and immediately publishing it came, or seeing people writing 10k of a story in a day or two came, and I started to feel as if I wasn’t good enough since I couldn’t produce a lot of words in one day/in an hour

and since then writing has been frustrating at times. Especially at times when I tried to follow these popular notions - don’t edit, write without thinking, edit and revise later

but here’s a guy who’s like don’t rush the process, think about each sentence, don’t wait with revisions - and better yet, revise in your head before you even write the sentence

I know that these days the above mentioned process is frowned upon, but writing everything down and only then starting the revisions and edits never spoke to me. Like, why should I write 5k and then rewrite it again when only like 10-20% would stay? When I can make changes gradually? Not to mention, I would just end up rethinking the sentences during the revision anyway so…

It just doesn’t speak to me, but spending a relatively long time trying to emulate that process probably hindered me. So hopefully, I can get rid off this “gotta follow what a majority of people does” way of thinking and just start working on and perfecting my own process. Because I do have fun when I write my own way, even though it’s slow.

I started to read Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg, and it really speaks to me, the way he talks about writing. I think many people would find it extremely unhelpful and not true, but because he puts into words a lot of things I’m thinking and feeling, I’m really enjoying it

[cilil]

Hi, do you have any advices for budding writers on AO3 or here?

Hey! :)

I've given this some thought and compiled what I hope might be some helpful pointers, but if there's anything else or anything specific you want to hear more about, feel free to ask again. Also I'm assuming this is about the amazing craft of fanfic and not, uh, building a platform or whatever (I wouldn't be very helpful with that, I'm a nobody x)).

Share what you feel comfortable sharing.

So since you're asking about budding writers on AO3 and Tumblr, I take it you're at a point where you feel comfortable sharing your writing online, which is amazing. Nevertheless, I feel the need to once again mention (just for anyone who may be in the same or a similar situation) that it's completely alright not to be comfortable with it (yet) or not to share everything you write. I share almost everything simply because I'm annoying and it makes me feel accomplished and since I've grown pretty comfortable with it, I might as well; but not everyone feels that way and feelings also change. It's completely alright to write just for yourself or a small circle of friends.

Don't worry too much about "being good".

I will be the first to admit that I deeply relate to struggling with perfectionism when it comes to writing (and other creative pursuits). However, as someone who's been reading fic for many years, tends to be into quite niche and obscure things sometimes and is rarely spoiled by big fandoms' abundance of food, I want all writers, especially new ones, to know that you don't have to write the most amazing, perfect, publishing-ready pieces. What matters is your passion and creativity, which will show in your writing regardless of skill level. Not to mention that fic is free and in fact a tool for many to experiment.

That's not to say you can't strive to improve or be good - by all means, I find it admirable if you want to hone your craft and make progress as you continue to write. Just don't let perfectionism ruin your fun and stifle your creativity.

How to get better without trying overly hard.

Aside from just writing, writing and writing (that is the most important part though), how do you improve without making it a point to do so? Well, if it works for you to read/watch guides or you enjoy specific writing exercises, that's great, but one thing that I find gets overlooked a lot in writing spaces is simply: Reading. Just reading for fun.

I find that I often discover little things in other people's writing that I really like and then I think to myself "wow, that's really neat how they did that, maybe I could take a page out of their book" (pun intended) and make it a point to pay attention to these things when I write. Essentially, it's like creating a nice patchwork blanket which is your style, made up of your own voice and preferences as a writer and cool stuff you picked up on the road.

Let me just name some examples, which, yes, are also an excuse to shamelessly blow some writer friends of mine a well-deserved kiss of appreciation. @sauron-kraut writes incredibly polished short stories with beautiful wording and atmosphere that have a lot of little hidden things to discover and dissect, and I want to steal her ability to set the stage and hide those easter eggs. @a-world-of-whimsy-5 is an absolute legend when it comes to writing medieval and medieval-adjacent stuff, and I learned so much from her fics. @i-did-not-mean-to has a way of writing with such esprit and wit that I always end up in a good mood after, a style of narrative voice I've adored for over a decade, and I've greatly improved my humorous writing in particular thanks to her. @crackinthecup has the marvelous ability to craft extremely emotionally evocative scenes, which have encouraged me to be more courageous and experimental in my sentence melody and structure. @tragedybunny has a way of writing that reminds me of coming home to a warm and comfy place, and I will find out how she did it and how I can do it as well.

So as you can see, it can be super helpful to compare notes with your fellow writers. Never be discouraged by someone else's ability; instead learn and expand your own.

Feedback, criticism and community.

Let me just get one thing out of the way: You don't have to take criticism from everyone. Or at all. As far as I understand, the fanfic community has come to to agree that we're doing this for fun and don't give criticism unprompted/when we aren't sure it's wanted or welcome. As a general rule: Take criticism from those you would also seek advice from. Ask for feedback if you feel comfortable, and if not, that's a valid boundary to have and I will gently smack anyone who presumes to pick apart writing that was made for fun and generously shared with the community for free.

The community aspect, however, should be taken into account on other fronts. While I won't tell anyone they have to interact and believe that, in an ideal world, everyone's writing would just speak for itself, it is helpful to engage with the community. Things you can do (both on Tumblr and AO3 if also applicable/possible) include: Respond to people interacting with your works, interacting with other people's works (for example while you're doing your reading sessions and looking at other writers' styles) and just overall being present, being talkative, going with the flow.

Again, this is not a must. But I will say that pretty much all of us want positive responses and interactions on their work and that just won't work if you expect everyone to show up for you all the time and never show up for anyone else. Engagement, passion and community are our "currency" in the absence of money and reciprocity is an important element of that. A lot of friction and complaints in the fanfic community regarding lack of interaction or entitlement are rooted in misunderstandings of this fundamental principle.

But don't take this in a cynical manner. Seek out what you enjoy, share the joy and passion and you'll make friends just accidentally - which is the part that I find makes fandom on AO3 and Tumblr so much fun! (I don't even want to be a "traditional" author anymore, I want this instead😁)

Find your groove and groove along.

Lastly, make sure your writing is fun for you or else it'll become a chore and eventually get ruined for you as a hobby. This is unfortunately a continuous task as your needs and interests shift - for example you might be in the mood to do an entire drabble challenge one month and during another month you feel so drained that you couldn't do another one. Or you might want to write something different for a change. Or whatever it may be.

Either way, one recent lesson I've learned is that I got too tied up in obligations and it left no space for spontaneous inspiration, so I never got to write what I wanted to write in the moment and it pushed me quite close to burnout. Do yourself a favor and always hold that space for yourself. In practice, this could for example mean that you do one event and on the side write this cool new idea you had, instead of doing three events - which is fun and games until it starts getting too much and you don't have time for your passion projects.

Finding your groove also includes the whole technical aspect, such as which writing programs you use, which device (or none at all), where you write, how to make yourself comfortable, how to get in the right headspace for things. I would also like to encourage all of you to be a bit crazy and whimsical about this: For example I've gone to the perfume store, picked out a scent for a specific character in a specific scene and sniffed it while writing the description several times now. Do what it takes. And say goodbye to your squeaky clean search history - you will research some weird stuff just to get that one line right.

So yeah, these are just my random thoughts on fic writing and what has been helpful in order for me to have lots of fun with this hobby. Happy writing!

[witchblood-if]

“A Macigian never reveals their secrets. A Witch even less so.”

Well, you had a good run. For the last 70 or so years that you've had your little shop in Esmar's capital, nothing overly exciting happened. Apart from the occasional political changes and economical shifts, you could mostly carry on business as usual. But when the Fae calling herself your "best and only friend" invites you to pull a heist on your rival's home you didn't realize what effect that stunt would have on your immortal life. But damn, you really wanted that statue back.

Play Demo

Witch Blood is an upcoming urban fantasy interactive fiction story where you take on the role of one of the last proper witches of Esmar, hoping to resolve a very time-sensitive mystery that might cost you your own life if you don’t get on with the investigation soon.

Does it have to do with random people’s head exploding?

Is this the reason you seem to have more prophetic dreams than usual?

Why are there so many strangers storming into your shop demanding answers you couldn’t possibly know?

And why does your familiar keep eating your receipts? You need those for your taxes!

Create your very own witch. Appearance, personality, gender and sexuality...  All that Jazz

Choose a furry (or non-furry) companion for your immortal life

Become a master of 5 witchy skills that may or may not help you along the road

Keep your business afloat (you got bills to pay, after all)

Solve a mystery, save a bunch of people, and meet the Gods (???)

Find love, friendship, or rivalry (or maybe all three of them at the same time) with 5 different people who will. Not. Leave. You. Alone.

And for the love of the Gods: please stop spitting coins

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So far it will probably be a 16+ kind of rating for:

Mentions of violence, blood and gore

Strong language, cursing

Suggestive language

but things might change. I’ll keep you updated in any case.

The Best Friend: Faith (f)

Flirty and flighty, Faith is certainly living her best life. And while she’s not always the most reliable of friends, she always shows up for your weekly tea and gossip session (and more often than not with baked goods as well). If you’re looking for a fun night out: Faith is your gal. Don’t ask how she pays for all of it without having a job though.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Knight in Shining Armor: Isaac (m)

A stranger visiting your shop and ... flirting with you? Thankfully you’ve lived long enough to see through his ploy and stay unaffacted to his charms. Mostly. With a quick smile, a stance almost too relaxed and some really suspicious questions you can’t quite get a read on him. And you have the feeling he is also not really a tourist interested in your special sale items.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Loyal Advisor: Eli (f/m/nb)

Another stranger. This one seems much more honest than the last one but somehow you haven’t decided yet if you appreciate that or not. They say there is a problem their employer has sent them to hopefully solve and after some extensive research you seemed to be the least untrustworthy person of your craft to potentially help. You can’t quite tell from their stoic face if that sentence was supposed to be a compliment, a joke or very subtle sarcasm. But the pay they offer is nothing to turn your nose up at and you’ve worked for way shadier people.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Crazy Mushroom: Mezilkree (f/m/nb)

Mezilkree has been a frequent visitor of yours for quite some years. Mostly they just hang out at your shop and try to scare potential customers. When you try to make them leave they declare they are a customer, throw a bottle cap on your counter and shove a handful of candy from the jar you keep for kids in their mouth. Sometimes they even do buy something if they’re on an errand for their family, but as their community grows more and more resentful of non-mushrooms this occasion becomes rarer and rarer. In the many years of botherment, you have found Mezilkree to be a mischievous but sweet troublemaker. Some of the time, at least.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Other Witch: Levan (nb)

An Enemy. A Fiend. Your Immortal Rival. Most of the time you and Levan stay clear of each other, as is agreed upon in your Contract of Geniality. But now they have decided to steal a very valuable artifact you have spent months on locating. At least you’re pretty sure it was them, who else would be skilled enough to enter your home. Even though you don’t particularly get along, Levan is a witch you have known for the longest of time. But because of their spiteful nature and (admittedly somewhat deserved) arrogance you have long decided to avoid them, lest you burn down the whole town in a fit of anger. They really know how to push your buttons.

ROs Physical Appearance 

Witch Types

Demo

#ro ask ----> Scenarios and asks including all ROs

#ros ----> unspecific general info about ROs

#ch: [name] ----> info about that RO, often paired with #ros

#ch: carter ----> facts and info and rambling about the author

#mc ----> anything to do with your character, customization and so on

#lore and #lore ask ----> anything that’s about worldbuilding

#story and story ask ----> anything to do with plot

#lovely ocs ----> readers showing off their ocs

#lovely readers ----> lovely words from lovely people

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello my lovelies! This is a first attempt at Interactive Fiction, and on an even more important to note: a first real attempt at writing. I hope it doesn’t suck too much! Also please forgive orthographic and grammatical errors, English isn’t my first language :) (if you see something, say something tho)

Currently the prologue is in the works and will face some editing and expanding.

Until then,

Love, Carter

[loftec]

Last week's Weekly Tag Wednesday!

Because I was festival prepping last week and had zero time for anything else but now I'm back and ready for some tags! Thank you @wehangout @mmmichyyy @michellemisfit for the tag (and also @deedala & @jrooc for the picrew tags!) <3

Name and A03 handle: lofty / loftec

Current Location: Sofa, living room.

Favorite picrew (don't have one? you can skip this or do this one)? I can't remember if I have a favourite one, so I'll just do this one!

The "SF" probably stands for something, but I immediately thought of Svensk Filmindustri and thought that was fun.

What's one thing you want in a picrew?

MORE GLASSES OPTIONS omg please. Colour and shape. I also really love it when I can build the hair in sections so I can colour my roots differently than the rest of the hair. Also, worse hair options. Come on, normalise 'I've got no hair texture or interest or time to do anything about it'. I feel like an imposter whenever I pick one of these perfectly swooshy dos.

Favourite thing you’ve created (or seen created) for the fandom?

None the wiser

Why is it your favourite? It's mad to think about but it was the first thing I decided to make for this fandom, and I'm still working on it (very very slowly) I don't know if I've ever spent this much time and effort on anything else. It's very special to me.

Did it come easily or was it hard to create? Both, right now it's very hard, but it usually comes back around.

Last ao3 fic you commented on? A Dead Boy Detectives fic, I'm pretty sure.

Biggest WIP heartache you’ve ever experienced? I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't usually read WIPs, not really because they're unfinished but because I don't often read long fic lol. My ideal fic for reading is a concise 5k oneshot, I am a terrible hypocrite.

Favorite trope or head cannon you like included in a fanfic? I do love a good outside perspective on Ian and Mickey's relationship not fully getting their dynamic and misunderstanding their special flavour of love. Also really like different canon-divergent stories where they get separated in different moments and then reunited in the future in various ways.

Least favourite? For most ships / fandoms I read fic of, I usually develop a set of icks that cause me to click out more or less immediately, often it's to do with a certain nickname or expression or act that I can't physically stand, or, you know, which signal a fundamental mismatch between mine and the author's focus/interests/views. Unfortunately, any mention of anything happening after season 5 has become a bit of an ick for me, which is deeply unfair to writers who embrace the later half of the show.

Secret or surprising kink or trope? No, I'm extremely basic tbh. My favourite time to read fic for a new fandom is always at the very start when everybody is writing the same super basic story over and over again.

Describe how you feel after you’ve created something new? The best feeling is when I know I've written the last sentence of a story or a chapter, it's always so clear that this, this is it, that's where it ends. I feel really accomplished and complete in that moment and it's great. Then there's still hours and hours of editing after that and it's usually 4 in the morning and I'm feeling slightly unhinged when I actually post.

Top hype man you have that always helps you get across the finish line: I tend to keep to myself when I'm working on something, but I can always rely on @mittimellan @wideblueskies & @the-rat-wins if I ever need to ramble about anything.

It's been a bad day, you turn to the fandom and you _____? Lurk and enjoy the good vibes and crafts. I probably also find something in my bookmarks that I've already read a thousand times and read it again.

[nietp]

CALL OUT POST: Prime

So after months (years?) of anticipation, I finally found 2 bottles of Prime, the new energy drink by Logan Paul. The only bottles I could find in France were 15€ and my dedication to the craft doesn't go that far. Today, I managed to buy 2 bottles of Prime because I wanted to give an honest review of this alpha male creation. The flavours I tried were Lime, which is usually a safe bet in the energy drink world and Ice Pop, which sounded horrible and stupid from the start. I will make a joint review for these two flavours as they don't deserve any detailed account.

Prime Lemon Lime and Prime Ice Pop: It SUCKS!!!! I can barely believe how much it sucks. I was ready to separate the art from the artist and give a positive review if it deserved it, but this is such a major scam I can only condemn both. And yeah, just like for people who buy Tesla and die in them, you could ask me: what did you expect? But unlike electric cars, energy drinks are NOT that hard to engineer!!! The fact that there are dozens of energy drink brands that basically taste the same is proof of this. So what went wrong here? I can only imagine that Logan Paul thought he was different and not like the other boys, and could change the classic recipe for something totally new and unexpected. Well maybe it's new and unexpected because it sucks and no one ever wanted this.

First problematic moment: there's no taurine in Prime. I'm honestly appalled? I don't even know what the reasoning behind this was??? I'm guessing this is basically false advertising, because Prime is sold next to other energy drinks in stores and is advertised like an energy drink, but as there's no taurine in it, it technically isn't one. I looked it up, and apparently there actually is a Prime energy drink with taurine in it, but it's not the one that's sold and advertised everywhere, so this is all just a lie. So this drink is worthless from the start. Still, as it's advertised as such, I will continue this energy drink review.

Second problematic moment: it's not carbonated. I don't know why I'd want an energy drink with no taurine and no sparkle in it. Maybe if I was someone who hated fun, pleasure and happiness?

Third problematic aspect: the taste is horrendous. The main ingredient is reconstituted coconut water, which doesn't sound very alpha male to me, and mixed with the artificial Lime flavour, it's a complete disaster. It smells exactly like dish soap. The Ice pop flavour was surprisingly marginally better, but in a way where I'd still rather drink puddle water.

Fourth problematic aspect: Mr. Logan Paul clearly wanted to imitate Monster and create a little story to put on his packaging and market his drink. I can appreciate that and I congratulate him for this endeavour. Unfortunately, you are not Monster, you can't be Monster, and you will never be Monster. The little message on the side of the drink is the sorriest little paragraph I've ever read. I quote:

"Prime was created for those that strive for iconic. To fill the void where bold, in-your-face flavor meets legendary experiences. Intense and refreshing, prime is the ultimate quencher to conquer your day. We're confident you'll live it as much as we do. Humbly, the Prime Team"

Everything about this is a) cringe b) a lie. "Strive for iconic"?????? I might be striving for it but I sure as fuck didn't find it in this bottle!!!!! What the hell does this even mean??? The flavour is NOT "in your face", it's actually not anywhere, because this bottle is actually just filled with coconut water and an absence where taurine should be.  "The void" you're trying to fill is empty for a reason. The fact that you use "legendary" earnestly in a sentence like this as if you were living in 2011 and still talked about how epic the bro-code is is painful. I GUESS you can say Prime is kind of quenching since it's 90% water? But it won't help me conquer anything without taurine in it, Logan!!!! And finally, thank god you're "humble" about it because there is nothing to be proud of in this bottle.

In conclusion, what can I say? You can think I'm a hater and I only hate this because it's the Logang!!!! Drink, but I swear that this could have been a blind tasting and I still would have despised it. To show you how magnanimous and fair I am, the only thing I can compare it to is the Zero Ultra White Monster, the only Monster I hate and can't finish. It's kind of the same taste, but worst and stupid because it has no taurine and isn't carbonated. Obviously, both Prime I tasted are hard DNF, same for my gf, who can be more forgiving that me.

This drink is a shame to the energy drink world, it doesn't deserve to be part of it, and it shouldn't exist. 0/5 stars, a mess from start to finish.

[novelember-official]

Novelember is here!

What is Novelember?

Novelember is completing 1 writing task/day. It can be anything: idea generation, research, worldbuilding, etc. There is 0 pressure. Your goal could be to write one word per day!

 Every writing task is part of creating your novel. Researching, crafting world and character, plotting, editing, and sharing are all part of the writing process, and they count toward a finished product.

Novelember is about having fun writing and celebrating each part of the process. Enjoy exploring your world and characters!

Novelember is about quality over quantity. Rushing, concentrating on only word count, can destroy quality. It can help you get words down, but there are other ways to spark your writing. After all, one of the first requirements of a novel is that you are writing about an idea you're excited about. Sometimes that takes some exploration. Sometimes characters require some chiseling to figure out their true selves. 

Writing is not just for one part of the year. It's a year-round activity. Sometimes, though, you need to jump-start your novel. 

That's where Novelember comes in. It's not about completing a novel in a month. It's about enjoying every dimension of writing a novel. It doesn't matter what part of the process you're at. It all counts. 

Novelember is for people who haven't started their novel yet and need some inspiration. You can explore ideas; you don't have to jump right into your story. Discovering ideas is one of the most fun parts of writing.

Novelember is also for people in the middle of their novel, for example, and who want to work on the rest of it, perhaps finish it.

Novelember is for people who don't want the stress of deadlines. Sometimes they can help, but sometimes you don't have enough time to complete 50,000 words, for example. Life happens. That's ok. You can complete 1 writing task-- such as write 1 sentence, research 1 setting element, etc. 

Novelember is for immersing in the writing process and enjoying it. Rushing can destroy the rhythm and flow of your writing. It can destroy your enjoyment. Sometimes, you just need to immerse in something. Create. Explore. Have fun.  

Your writing goal can be anything. As long as you're doing 1 writing task/day. However, don't worry if you miss a day. The overall idea is to foster a writing habit. And any writing task counts. Sometimes, research can take the form of visiting a park and writing down a description of what you see. Many diverse things can count as writing. Because it is all part of the process which will end up in a finished product. 

Your goal could be to write one sentence per day. In the end, you will have several paragraphs. Perhaps a short chapter. It may help you learn more about your character and world, and this will spark ideas for your novel's plot. Or perhaps you will find that writing some sentences inspires more sentences and they build off of each other and the novel takes off. 

Part of writing is finding out what works for you. You can take this time to play with writing tools so you know how to use them once you start writing your novel in earnest. You can explore novel ideas, write potential scenes, research topics you're fascinated in. You'll learn the kinds of effects different techniques create, and you'll learn the kinds of tools you like and the ones you don't. Because every person has their own writing style. You can develop yours now. 

You can use this marvelous month to begin your writing journey. Follow your inspiration wherever it takes you. 

And share your journey, your discoveries, and snippets of your writing, if you like. Someday perhaps you will also reveal your finished novel!  

[bakedbakermom]

are fic writers aware of the term UFO as we use it in crafting spaces?

we all know WIP stands for Work in Progress - a thing you're actively working on that you expect to complete, or at least continue to expand and explore.

but in my knitting and crochet circles, we also have the term UFO - UnFinished Object. these are things that we started with great enthusiasm, got part of the way through and then, for whatever inexplicable reason, stopped. i have 5/8ths of a cardigan sweater in a bag in my closet, which i started to keep me awake during a college class; i graduated 11 years ago. another bag contains most of a baby yoda doll, who will probably never get his arms. the sleeves of a pullover for my toddler, who is now 8. nine balls of yarn and a sock finished to the heel turn.

no one knows when or why or how a wip becomes a ufo. maybe something more fun stumbled across your consciousness and drew your effort away. maybe you reached a snag that you couldn't work out and had to move on to something else until you figured it out, and then got distracted. maybe there was a bit that was tedious or complicated you took a break that turned into a decade.

but it's there. waiting, patiently. wondering if it will ever know completion.

the great thing about a ufo is that it can become a wip again any time you like. you can dust it off years later, dig out the right size needles, and pick up right where you left off, even if you've moved on from the time of your life when you needed it. the cardigan that was meant for you can become a gift for your teenage niece; the baby sweater for your 2nd grader can go to the newborn down the street.

or you can choose to unravel the yarn and work it up into something new, keeping the bits you like and creating something else around them. the armless yoda can become a cat bed, the partial sock can be a pair of mittens or a hat.

and also? it's completely okay for ufos to remain unfinished. there is no shame or guilt in starting something, and then moving away when it no longer works for you. you still learned something in creating. you still honed your skills in the act. you still took joy in the planning and the work that was done. the fact that it's unfinished does not take away from that. be proud of your ufo stash - you will see its influence in future projects.

my fic folder is full of partial drafts that have been sitting there gathering digital dust for years. i have a box of index cards with sentences and ideas gathering actual dust, too. i may never touch them again. they are ufos, and they float through the skies of my dreams and shine their little beams on everything that comes after. sometimes i glance through them and see the PERFECT line, already there and written, as if it was just waiting for the right time, for me to be working on the right story. waiting to be needed.

don't be ashamed of your ufos. let them be, and maybe one day they'll show you what they were meant to become.

[delopsia]

Void seriously may be the best fic I’ve read in idk how long and I just wanted to give it some love since I saw you were bummed about it’s performance. I’ve re read it more than I like to admit tbh I love the concept so much!

This actually made me tear up a little bit, lmao. I'm so happy that you've enjoyed it 🥺💐I had a lot of fun sitting down and detailing their backstories and setting up where it could all go. There are so many pages of notes and details on how Rhett and Bob met, how they found the Reader and a whole action sequence that took place directly after Void ended, but I don't have the heart to write it. I'll give you the summary of it all💕

The events of the AU were kicked off in 2016, seven years before Void. A hole had appeared above the ocean, and the Navy was investigating what happened when someone was sent through it because cameras failed the moment they got close to it. Phoenix and Bob were the names pulled to fly the mission and were only told they would be flying through a black hole that was created by highly specialized projectors.

Instead of coming out the other side, the two were swallowed up by the hole, and for four years, nobody knew what happened to them. The Navy crafted a vague story about them going missing, gave them a funeral, and eventually, they were legally dead. Bob and Phoenix only felt like they were in the hole for a few minutes, but during that time, chunks of the "ore" that powers the hole flew by and struck them, Bob in the head and Phoenix in the chest. And though Phoenix was able to fly directly after emerging from the hole, the ore clogged an artery in her heart, and she suffered a heart attack after they landed.

They never told her family about how she turned up four years later; she was buried in an unmarked grave, and any witnesses were legally silenced. But Bob was still alive; the ore was trapped and manifesting in his head, tormenting him with violent visions, but he was as alive as ever.

What do you do when the media finds out a pilot appears from nowhere four years after going missing? You accuse him of deserting the Navy and fabricate elaborate evidence to sentence him to five years in prison for it. Because prosecuting an innocent man is easier than admitting you lied.

The thing about Bob is that he's crafty. He knew he was fucked, so he vanished from his apartment shortly before the trial, headed in the direction of his family, and then veered north, up into Montana and Wyoming. Places disconnected from technology, small towns without internet and cell reception. He found himself a small job as a ranch hand, and for a while, he was fine.

Until the visions started leading him places to an old mine, where a chunk of gold had been hidden by a miner who had long passed. They told him of the investigation that was catching his scent, helped him to know when to skip town, and what clues were setting him off.

And then it took him to the hole. Bobby didn't know it when he stepped in, but the hole took him to the exact universe that the Reader existed in. Nobody knew him here. There was nobody to hunt him because Robert Floyd quite literally did not exist. The laws were so loose here that faking an identity was easy, he sold the gold, got an apartment with the money, and took up shop working in the tech industry. Not his ideal job, but it worked.

At the same time, Rhett and Perry got into a fight in the pit bar parking lot after Rhett had suggested moving on from Rebecca. They thought Perry had killed him. And Royal, fearing the loss of both sons, took Rhett's body out to the hole in the west pasture. Rhett woke at some point in time, begging, pleading for his father to quit dragging him to the hole, but it was of no use. Because if he got away, there was no chance in hell he would ever trust Royal again, and he would surely tell the police of what Perry did.

So Royal pushed him in.

The hole spits him out on an unfamiliar sidewalk, and in his bedroom, Bob is struck with a violent vision that leads him right to that old cowboy, and he takes him in. Rhett's beat to hell, his fists are bloody, and when he recalls what happened, his hands turn pitch black.

Royal is the son of Chronus, born with the ability to create and manipulate the ore used for time travel, and Rhett inherited that ability. It simply didn't activate until he entered the hole.

Just weeks later, the Reader goes on a cabin trip with some old friends they haven't spoken to in years. They were meant to rent a different cabin, but between work and the stresses of life, the Reader forgot and unknowingly pissed off several members of the group. Those friends thought it would be funny to get back at the Reader by locking them out in the blizzard, but it was miscommunicated about who let them in, and by the time they realized the Reader was still outside, they were gone.

One friend called the police, but by morning, nobody would say who had gone missing. If they pretended not to know the person who had vanished, then maybe they could escape the legal repercussions of their actions. And those small-town police truly weren't cut out for such an investigation. They got away with it.

The Reader had wandered off into the cold, searching for help, and during their frostbitten haze, they didn't notice the hole until they fell in.

Just like with Rhett, Bobby had a vision that led them right to where the Reader had been left, on the concrete. They only meant to warm the Reader up and take them to the police, but their story was similar to Rhett's; they didn't want to recount the story anymore than they had to.

But the thing about trauma is that it bonds people. These three didn't drift apart; they stuck to one another like glue. With discovering Rhett's new powers and gradually opening up to one another, it shouldn't have been a surprise that things got warmer in that one-bedroom apartment. Shy cuddles became hesitant kisses, and kisses morphed into whispered I-love-you's.

Until the Reader was recognized in public by one of the people who locked them out, and suddenly, they were being accused of intentionally going missing and wasting police efforts.

What do you do when the law is after you? You run.

They went to Rhett's timeline, hid in small towns, stole from other timelines, and sold those things until they could afford a house in the mountains in an unnamed country. Far away from society, where nobody could find them. The house lit up with security systems, cameras, and motion detectors, fearing the day someone caught their scent once more.

But that wasn't enough. Because the Reader was angry with the people who couldn't seem to get enough of tormenting them, Rhett couldn't get over how his family protected Perry, and Bob had finally learned that Phoenix never even received a proper burial.

They crafted together evidence and anonymously sent it to Sherrif Joy's front door, damning Perry as Rhett's killer. He got sentenced. Rhett made a joke of showing up in his cell to frighten him. Forever angry about the life he lost.

They time-traveled to copy the security footage of the Reader being locked out, and they went to find and copy the documents that detailed what had been done to Bob and Phoenix.

This is where Void took place. Bob had intentionally timed their appearance to coincide with the time his old Navy friends were in the building. His every intent had been to get them on his side. But Maverick was on the side that viewed Bob as guilty, and there was no getting through.

Royal appeared because he had finally figured out that Rhett inherited his ability. He searched every timeline for him, and had every intention of hauling him back home to free Perry from his prison.

The ore in Bob's head acts like a sort of trip wire. It reacts when there is a change or a threat. So when Royal stepped into the timeline, a vision triggered. But Royal could have never expected that Rhett's ability was stronger, wilder. It manifests around his body and allows him to turn into the ore; he can move as an intelligent mist and reform at will. Where Royal can only access the hole from certain points, Rhett can open it as he pleases.

They escaped, but it left Royal in contact with Maverick and Bob's old friends. They had something in common, and an alliance of sorts was formed. Seeking justice, as they called it.

Bob, Rhett, and Reader gathered in a city and watched as a video was placed on every screen. Full of detailed documents and truths that they hoped would set the story straight. They weren't criminals. They were people who had been hurt time and time again. They were only villains because others had forced them into that corner.

It could have been perfect.

Even though it would have painted them as monsters to the people hunting them, it could have given them a chance at a normal life together of settling down and growing old. They had never done anything wrong.

But it didn't.

Those painful truths were bared to the world, and in return, they were painted to be villains who were trying to start an uprising based on falsities. They had some support, sure, but they were labeled as the enemy. Marked as wanted, dead or alive, like this was the Wild West, and they were the bank robbers.

So they ran.

They move from place to place, timelines and worlds, but Royal continues to find them. They change identities and appearances, but they never split up. Are chased through cities, Rhett opens portals as quickly as he can, carries them through hell and back. He draws more ore from Bob's head to stop the visions and fights to keep the Reader from fading back into their timeline.

It's hell, but they're together, and that's all that matters.

The ending of Void was meant to split into two. One hurts more than the other, but they're both happyish endings. Both started when Rhett found the ability to travel into his past self. The person Reading got to choose which they experienced, depending on how they wanted the story to go.

The "good" ending involved Rhett going against Bob's wishes to step into the past. He told the Reader and Bobby of what happened to them. Their persecution, what chasing vengeance and exposing the truth will do to them. In this ending, the evidence is never mailed to Sherrif Joy; Perry gets away with attempted murder, and none of them will ever see a sense of justice.

They will live their lives happily ever after, but they will never be able to forgive the people who hurt them and have to live with that knowledge forever. Sometimes people can hurt you so bad that it ruins your life, and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it. They'll never see their families again.

They make the decision to move far into the future if only to be sure that nobody will ever find them. Where their families have long since passed, and they bring flowers from the garden to their graves. It's not perfect; they hurt every day, but they have each other, and that makes them happy.

The story ends with them much older. Bobby has begun to lose a little bit of his memory, and Rhett's a misty presence more often than not, but they're together. Settled on a bench, gazing off into the sunset. There is a void left in their hearts, but at least it did not overcome them.

TW for multiple major character deaths and gun violence:

The "bitter-sweet" ending involved Rhett choosing not to travel into his past self because Bob feared what kind of time conundrum that would cause. They were fine. Until Bob's eyes turned black in the middle of the kitchen, struck with a vision. But before it could take hold, a gunshot had rung out. And he just

dropped.

Royal had shot him. Point blank in the head. And he had every intent to kill again if that meant hauling Rhett back to face the law. He didn't get one word out before Rhett just...lost it.

Rage does something to people that turns them into monsters. And for that moment, Rhett was the monster. He lost control over the ability inside of him, and though Royal kept firing that gun, he didn't feel it. Rhett didn't just rip Royal apart. He ripped a hole in every timeline. Until the anger subsided, he realized Bobby's body was lost to the hole, and not only was the Reader fading out of existence, but he was bleeding out.

The Reader slipped out of existence before he took his last breath. They slowly emerged to the timeline they belonged to, and though their body is taken to court and tried for whatever charges the court could boil up, their soul isn't quite...there. They wander the Earth detached from their own being, grieving in a ghostly sort of manner, and at some point, they come to rest at Phoenix's grave.

They've only seen her in pictures, but they know it's her ghost who appears and holds out a hand. They take it, and the world fades to white.

It's in the afterlife that they hear the sound of their name being called. They don't get the slow turn, the chance to recognize the two faces looking back at them; they're already being swept off of their feet. In a big hug with their two boyfriends. Soulmates, the two lovingly refer to themselves as. Together at last; dead and alive all at the same time.

This story ends with them smiling; forever young, looking down into a courtroom from the clouds. Though they never lived to see justice served, Rhett's rage had merged the three timelines into one, and through the chaos of it all, the secrets of the Abbotts, the hole, and the Navy were revealed.

Perry escaped prison, sure, but he lived a life in social exile, for everyone knew what he had done. Royal found himself in federal prison. Nat, Reader, and Bob's families finally got to know what happened to their babies. The people who locked the Reader in the cold were prosecuted. The Navy was forced to answer for what they had done.

Finally, the record had been set straight.

They cry. They laugh. They fall into each other in a big hug. And it leaves off with the three chasing each other, racing to be the first to get one of Nat's freshly baked cookies. The void consumed them, sure, it took everything from them, but in the end, it made them whole again. They'll spend the rest of forever together.

I truly don't know how the story got so fleshed out, lmao. One moment I'm trying to weave three tragedies together, and the next, I've got the most elaborate, beautifully painful story I've ever written. Void didn't get to become the series I hoped it would be, but hey, at least I get to share what it could have been lmao.

...that last part wasn't meant to be a joke, but now that I'm re-reading it, it is too perfect to delete 💃

[thepedanticbohemian]

Go fan fiction

Props going out to all of y'all folks starting your writing careers with fanfic.

#Farscape fans know me, or used to, as PKLIL. I posted my work on my pklil.com and craischronicles.com sites. I wrote a novella and four novels in that universe. I created an AU told from Bialar Crais' POV.

I learned a great deal from that process that started in 1999 for me. I found that "villain" isn't necessarily what people perceive. Is the villain truly bad or misguided? I learned you can write an OC into an existing story without her being Mary Sue. My joke was always that Senna Romero was "Mary Sue with the numbers filed off." The Greys kidnapped her, prostituted her, and she commits suicide to fuck Scorpy over in his attempt to use her against Crighton and Crais. Then, Scorpy uses her DNA to clone her to capture Crais during a wild rescue in the heart of Peacekeeper territory. When the PTB killed Crais, nobly or not, I had the Builders rescue him and Talyn, setting in stone the rule they must follow or die. It took off from there.

I had as much fun writing these books for my fellow "Scapers as I did my professional work. The thousands of emails/comments fed my creativity. Writing is lonely after all.

So, my point is? WRITE THAT FANFICTION, PEOPLE! No writing is ever wasted. It's good, bad, and informational. If that's all you can write currently? Do it. As you mature in the craft, you'll turn to your own genre and characters. You'll take what you've learned about character development, plotting, themes, and create your own worlds.

I always keep a small spiral in my purse, just in case an idea hits me when I'm not at my desk. Think about doing that, too. It's a fallacy that you'll remember and get it on paper later. And definitely do not go to sleep on your ideas without writing them down. Cell phones notes apps are great for this, too.

Now, y'all, go do that putting words into sentences thing.

[aragarna]

🌿💞

🌿how does creating make you feel?

Powerful! LOL no but seriously, when I first writing fanfictions, it really felt like I discovered a magic power. The power to visit my favorite universe at will. Writing means I can stay with the characters after the cameras stopped rolling. I can stay with them a little longer. Hold their hands, a little longer. And of course, I can fix things, I can imagine the future, I can imagine all the happy reunions, the happy-ever-after, the kids growing up. The AUs, the craziest crossovers.

And writing, the act itself of thinking a sentence and typing it down, it feels like a shot of endorphine. It makes me all fuzzy inside as I'm spending time with my beloved characters, just as if I was watching the show.

For some reason, it's a bit different with art. When I'm making art/manips, of course, working on a subject or with a model that I appreciate staring at is always a bonus, but generally, making art, for me, feels more like craft, manual work. Probably because (for me, who can't actually draw) it's more about mastering Photoshop tools than anything and finding the best starting material, so it feels more technical. There's a whole process, that is actually longer than the creative part of coming up with the ideas and the design. But it is also a relaxing activity in its own right, and there's a real satisfaction in looking at the finish product on my screen.

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

The FEELS. Angsty or fluffy (ideally angsty then fluffy!). So I guess it's the characters, and giving them challenges to overcome. Plots (or more accurately, settings), are just a way to set that up. Even if I come up with a plot idea first - like say, what if I was writing a WC/Forever crossover - then I'd try to figure out what would make it "fun". Someone has to become immortal. There's potential for angst there. Peter's been shot, dying. Neal's desperate. Neither of them know it's gonna be fine. Oh all the usual angst. You're my best friend, take care of El, etc... And he *really dies*. But disappears. MORE ANGST and confusion and dispair! But, then, twist! Peter walks back naked and wet, embarrassed and furious. Confused and cold. Comfort, happiness, fluff, and of course, LOLz. Gotta have Diana and Jones making fun of Peter. Or, depending on my mood, I can go a more fluffy way right away. In a world where Forever and WC coexist, Mozzie and Abe *got* to know each other. They'd totally be friends. Henry would have a lot less patience for Mozzie's excentricities. BUT Mozzie would totally figure out Henry's secret. So from there I just set up a meeting. Mozzie forge fake papers, Henry would need new papers every 10 years or so.

See, it all writes itself! (it just needs a lot of rework cause I'm stuck with plot, cause clearly plots aren't my favorite parts!)

Character interactions and feelings, I think that's the main thing for me.

Though I also have to note that all those different aspects are important in the final product. I do care about grammar. I do care about finding the correct phrase, or a coherent plot/setting. And I also very very much care about keeping characters in-character.

Wow that got longer than expected! I guess those were good questions! Or maybe I'm just procrastinating LOL Thanks for the ask <3

[reyesstrand]

fic origin story

thank you for the tag @welcometololaland and @carlos-in-glasses <3 this is such a fun idea, lola!!

1. what was your first fandom (reading and/or writing)?

reading wise….probably teen wolf AJDNSKS and as for writing, i dabbled in fic for the magicians and movies like the old guard, but 911ls has been my first big love with creating content (and consuming it too!)

2. what was the first story you ever wrote (even if it was never posted) and what made you decide to write it?

i was one of those kids writing stories in dollar store notebooks at like seven or eight, and in high school i took every offered english class including a writer’s craft elective, so a lot of my early “stories” were just for school or for fun.

3. what’s a piece of advice you would give to your younger fic-writing self?

don’t feed into the monster that is imposter syndrome, create what you want to create, don’t get caught up in your idea of perfection, and read read read! i’ve always got both physical books and tabs upon tabs of fic waiting to consume, and i feel like it only helps you as a writer—whether it’s original work or fanfic—to absorb yourself in other people’s stories.

4. what’s an early fandom interaction that stuck with you (be it a nice comment, a friend you made, a fic that got a lot of feedback, etc.)?

almost every interaction i’ve had in the ls fandom has stuck with me and allowed me to curate the best experience possible, both just as a fan of the show and as a creator. my first lone star fic was a little spec fic written i believe right after episode four aired, and the fandom was still relatively small then and getting some of the sweetest comments from people i’m still mutuals with today makes my heart warm. those early comments definitely fuelled me to keep writing, just as much as those on my newer fics do. i’m also so thankful that me posting my silly little fics have allowed me to meet and talk with some truly amazing people every single day.

5. post a sentence or two from one of your older fics, and a sentence or two from a newer one (if you want).

from my very first lone star fic:

TK shrugs, though his mind starts racing. "We've...hung out a couple times. We're seeing where it goes, dad, I don't know if I'm ready for much else. It's just dinner."

Owen gives him a knowing look. TK sighs. He wants to open up to his dad and tell him about how Carlos was so unexpected. He wants to tell his dad that he has this way of seeing right through him, and they've known each other for two months and already feel in synch. There's that numbness that just clouds over him and being with the team and being with Carlos seem to be the only sparks of light he feels, but he doesn't want to let himself get hurt again — and he doesn't want to bring Carlos down with him.

from my latest, a 4x01 coda/4x02-4x04 spec fic:

TK sets his shoulders and shakes his head at himself. He slides the door open and steps inside, kicking off his shoes and dropping his backpack by the door. He hears Tommy's words in his head as he stares at Carlos' back, his fiancé focused on stirring the contents of a sizzling pan. You love him. He loves you. It's the undercurrent of everything they've ever gone through together, isn't it? That magnetic pull; that invisible thread that held them together. A love TK never thought he'd find but can't imagine existing without now.

tagging you back, @welcometololaland! and no pressure tagging @strandnreyes @iboatedhere @marwani-strickland @sunshinestrand @doublel27 @tailoredshirt @maxbegone and anyone else who wants to do this!

[kae-karo]

Hey kae, just wanted to drop by to say I really love your fics! The characters always feel so in character, and I love the various ways you describe things. I was wondering if you had any general tips for writing for beginners? And any tips for writing characters that feel in character? Thank you so much, and have an amazing day!

AWE hi dear this is so sweet omg ????? 🥺🥺🥺 i'm so so glad u feel that way !!! this got long so uhhhhhh most of it'll be below the cut lmao

honestly i think my biggest overall writing tip (both for beginners and anyone, really lmao) is to follow inspiration and just write. write the scene you can't get out of your head, write the thing some song lyric inspired, write the silly situation or dialogue that some meme made you think of, write the heart-shattering angst that spilled out from a 'what if' scenario, just write anything that you're inspired to write. don't worry about the quality of it, just get it down somewhere

fr that's the most critical part of writing, so like. first and foremost, just write. i mean it's the most memed one too, like every other writing meme is abt blank gdocs and managing to get down three whole words and whatever, but like. that's the biggest hurdle tbh? everything else can come after

and in the after part is where u can focus on improving the """quality""" (quotes bc quality is subjective !!!!!!) honestly this is a twofold thing, cause honing both writing and editing skills takes time and that's okay, but as with a lot of creative crafts, it helps to seek out what you enjoy - the authors who write with metaphors you really like, or who describe scenes or characters or clothing or whatever it is in ways that really appeal to you, the ones who write the most interesting or fun or heart-wrenching dialogue, the ones with worldbuilding that feels so seamless or intriguing, the ones that know how to build suspense or craft a really compelling character/relationship arc, whatever it is, work on honing your senses to seek out those specific things in those fics! how are those authors doing it? what word choice or sentence structure or narrative closeness to or distance from the character's point of view gives the perspective you prefer? how are they foreshadowing, if at all? what methods are they using to create the emotions or feeling that you notice?

and honestly figuring a lot of that stuff out takes time and it takes reading!!! which like. probably as a writer you're doing anyway!!! but doing it with some focus and going from 'oh shit i loved that story' to 'oh shit i loved [these specific aspects of it]' to 'oh shit, this is the WAY they did those things i liked, maybe i can try them sometime' is really powerful when it comes to building your writing wheelhouse and shepherding it toward writing you personally enjoy. and i mean this very seriously, look for what you personally enjoy. not everyone is gonna appeal to you, and even some of the 'best' writers are not going to do things in ways that you personally like!!! please don't strive to write in ways you don't like just cause someone else thinks they're great!! there are some incredible writers out there that i just personally don't vibe with their writing style and i don't want to write like them!!! but that doesn't mean they're not good, it just means they aren't for me personally! (and on a side note, knowing what you dislike is also helpful and can point you away from writing tactics or methods that u don't enjoy)

i'll also add that what's probably tricky (as it is for a lot of creative endeavors) is the 'i'm not where i want to be yet' feeling - you know what you want, you know what you're going for, and you feel like your writing hasn't hit that point yet. and this is the hardest piece of advice to take and to do, but like. you gotta just write it anyway lmao. like you have to get comfortable with going 'this isn't what i want it to be yet but i'm going to write it and i'm going to be proud of what i've done even if it isn't perfect'. and maybe that includes posting if you're planning to post stuff !!!! post the stuff that isn't perfect !!!!! i'm so so serious about this btw like. get comfortable with writing stuff (and posting it) if it's not perfect. this is critical. it will never Be perfect but that's not the point the point is to have fun while you're doing it and work on guiding yourself toward writing you enjoy even more as you go

cause like (and this ties back to my point about seeking out things you enjoy while reading and analyzing how they're accomplished by other writers) the more you enjoy what you're doing, the better it will be. this is just. like. a genuine and sincere fact, if you are having a good time with it, it'll be fun to read. so aim for that feeling and you'll be in a good place, i promise

as for writing characters more 'in-character'! i'd say this has two key parts, the first half is just dipping a toe into their canon dialogue, canon experiences, interactions, etc. having a good general sense of their character can help pave the way for the 'in-character' feeling!! if it's helpful for you, it can be nice to put some thought into a brief summary of the character in question - i'll use kaeya as an example, i often focus on his tendency for keeping his cards close to his chest, the internal battle with honesty and revealing anything personal, and his outwardly carefree attitude as some key goalposts when i'm writing. and sometimes there are others that are more relevant to specific stories i'm working on, or some of the goalposts can change or be less significant to a story, but i generally aim for having a few key markers that allow me to set up the second half of the 'in-character'-ness

the second half then being motivation - basically, once i have my character staked out, i want to figure out how their motivation in this particular story fits within those goalposts. and sometimes it doesn't completely fit, or the goalposts it fits in are different from what i originally was considering! or there's some aspects that get a little less important based on the motivation in a specific story! but the key i think to really making a character feel 'in-character' is consistency - do their motivations make sense for how they're being portrayed? cause at the end of the day (and some people may feel slightly different about this but i think it's a good rule of thumb if 'in-character'-ness is a concern) there's never going to be a perfectly in-character character, right, like the whole point of fic is that you're putting them in New situations that didn't happen in canon lmao. but if you can convince me that the character, with their motivation influenced by these key goalposts of their characterization, would do or act or think a certain way, that is what truly makes a character feel 'in-character'

and the way this manifests would be something like, a couple really straightforward examples:

kaeya choosing to hide a wound from the knights because he doesn't want jean or lisa or anyone butting into his shadier interactions because they might get hurt, and he can handle himself (playing on his evident care for others in spite of his cool attitude, his typical carefree facade, and his desperate self-reliance)

kaeya threatening someone for scaring klee (leaning into his darker and possibly dangerous side as well as his protective nature, especially toward klee)

kaeya battling with some fallout of his khaenri'ahn ancestry coming to light (playing on his facade and its possible fragility, his uncertain relationship with his past/his family, and his history with diluc the night of their fight)

ANYWAY all of that to say that motivation based in key points of a characterization can be extremely effective in convincingly painting a character as 'in-character'

also in a broader sense, and depending on how 'close' to a character's perspective you want to be (i'll just add that i prefer to be as close to a character as possible, so if you're more a fan of writing omnisciently, this might not be as helpful!!) it helps to think about how a character might think or speak in a broader sense beyond just exact dialogue/etc?

like, a good extreme example would be zhongli - he tends to speak with a more archaic or formal vernacular, especially when compared to childe, for example. depending on the scenario, childe might use some more formal vocabulary (ie around the tsaritsa), but it doesn't seem as likely that his internal monologue would feel super formal

another extreme would be writing from a kid's pov! they aren't likely to use huge words or complex sentence structure (take a look at klee's canon dialogue from the event!) and their metaphors/analogies might be a little different from an adult's or a teen's

all of that really just helps put the cherry on top of a convincing characterization though! i personally don't find it particularly offputting to a characterization if the internal dialogue is a little different from what i personally would imagine or assume lmao

PHEW okay all of that said i will do my lil tl;dr which is:

WRITE oh my god write!!!! follow your inspiration and put words down somewhere!! do this as much as you feel inspired to do so!!! (and take breaks!!)

HAVE FUN do whatever u gotta do to make it an enjoyable time!

READ stuff from writers you enjoy, and practice picking out the things that seem to contribute to what you enjoy

BE CONVINCING with consistency between a character's motivations and the things you're painting as key parts of their characterization in a story. 'convincing' beats 'perfect' characterization every time i promise

HAVE FUN seriously i'm saying it twice cause it's so important if you're writing and it doesn't feel fun, take a step back and consider what about it would make it more fun. then do that instead!!

tyty for the ask dear and i hope this helps!! <3

[suninmypocketmooninmyhand]

I have a lotta thoughts. I don’t even know where it’s all gonna go, cause I’m a verbal processor (and a teensy bit sleepy), but I guess buckle up for the ride?? (seriously though I might unintentionally double the length of this post without meaning to by just rambling about how much I love this hot take but oh well and here we go!)

When I first started this blog of mine, I had the initial thought that maybe I’d use it to compile inspiration or ideas about writing. But then it steadily evolved to the point where I was entirely too focused on the supposed “rules” of writing. Instead of experimenting with the stories that are in my head and actually creating, I got so bogged down. Because I was so caught up in this bizarre need and desire to understand the “right way to write,” I joined the “stopping before I even began” party.

And then Clove popped up on my feed. And each post was so refreshing and the more I read, the more intrigued I was. To the point where I messaged this complete stranger on the internet to maybe soundboard and share some of my ideas?? Maybe to keep myself accountable to write something? I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

But after messaging back and forth, after actually writing something and then sharing that writing (which was a bit terrifying at first), my entire concept and understanding of writing and creating a story shifted.

Like what’s proper for me in a story is only something I can figure out. It’s only something I can discover as I experiment with telling the stories in my head. And it felt life changing?? I’ve had these stories in my mind for YEARS and was always overthinking and overcomplicating things because it didn’t feel like I knew the “proper way” to tell a story. But then I STARTED WRITING. And I rolled around in some dirt in my brain and splashed in the creeks of my mind and it was so much fun.

I don’t even know how my story (maybe stories? who knows!) will evolve, but I’m so stinkin excited to figure it out as I go. And while I might still occasionally reblog l things that spark an idea every now and then, my perspective on writing and creating has drastically changed for the better.

So I guess I just wanted to share how invigorating (not sure if that’s the word I’m looking for but my sleepy brain doesn’t want to cooperate with a thesaurus right now) this view on writing and story craft can be?? Cause it’s honestly been so life changing and thrilling (maybe that was the word I was looking for a sentence ago?) and spectacular.

And if you were kinda stuck in the “quitting before you started” party like me, you got this. Challenge your perspective and just go have a blast with your rad ideas. Take that incredible imagination and run wild. It’s so fun.

I've been meaning to say something. (100 follower hot take)

Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you've had a nice day. Why don't you rest with me for a while? I made some chocolate chip cookies - with shortening instead of butter, so they're very soft and very chocolatey. I made way too many and they aren't my wife's favorite, so I could use some help in eating them.

You're probably a writer, right? Or maybe you think about how you could be. Browse the tags here, or on other social media platforms. Maybe you used to write stories as a kid. I bet those were fun. Teachers might've thought they were impressive, or they dissected them line by line until the words didn't make sense in your head anymore. Either way, if you're here you're probably here for a reason.

(rant alert)

I dipped a toe in online writing communities on and off. My last attempt was forty-five minutes scrolling through the writing hashtag on Youtube Shorts (so TikTok, I guess? I don't know). I didn't like it. I really didn't. The thing that sticks out the strongest in my mind is one particular video where a woman claims that every story needs a second act plot twist.

Huh? Every story? All of them? Why? Since when? Who are you? What qualifications do you have to make a statement like that?

That's the common thread that makes a lot of writing spaces very uncomfortable for me. Successful writers are really only successful in their genre and for the given moment, so they don't have that much objective authority in the craft. And yet I see a lot of people deciding the things that you can't do in writing. Or the things you have to do, and how you have to do them. It was so much of Writeblr at first glance that I almost dipped out once again. I didn't, though, and I'm glad I didn't because now I get to watch some of the next great storytellers from across the world grow and examine and forge their way forward.

No one can teach you how to write. No, that's not true. Teachers teach literacy. Handwriting. Typing maybe - do schools still teach typing? Let me try saying it in a different way - no one, not one single person on this goddamned planet, has the right to tell you how to make a story.

I was supposed to get my MFA in creative writing before my first breakdown. My uncle stayed in the program I was meant to be in, and a few years after I dropped out he graduated. Recently I had the thought to look up his thesis novella, and as I searched I found myself regretting my decision to leave school. If I stayed and got to develop my writing in an actual class, with other writers and a knowledgeable professor, how much further along would I be than where I am right now?

It was bad. His novella was terrible. It was so bad I had a small existential crisis for, like, three days. He spent so much money on years and years of professional education and came out with a truly soulless story that read as if you prompted an AI to write the next Great American Novel. So if you think you need a writing degree to be a legitimate author, it could help connections-wise, but it ultimately won't be the thing that does the work for you.

Not all advice I see online on writing is bad. I find the people who are able to capture the "I" statements of therapy and phrase advice as things that have worked for them, or things that they personally enjoy, to be fine. Some writing advice can spark inspiration.

But if someone is the type of person to boil every story down to troupes and cliches, and then immediately say that every story that uses the trait they don't like is automatically bad for everyone? I'm dropping the kindness for a second - that's trash. That's a trash take and I see far too many writers use it as a reason to stop before they begin.

I don't like whump. I say my reasons in previous posts if you go back through my blog. But you will never hear me say that any story with whump in it is bad, because I don't know that. You might prove me wrong. I am an adult human being and I have the humility to admit that I can like something I didn't expect to. I genuinely enjoy the direction of The Human Centipede (only the first one) and if you cringed just now that probably means you haven't seen it.

There are so many types of books and movies and plays and comics out there. To enjoy a specific genre is fine, to ignore the existence of everything else is a really, really, really odd thing to do. Maybe someone will hate your story because they think everything should be Neil Gaiman, and therefore have no way to understand your epistolary high-Western. You are not the wrong end of that situation just for existing.

And at there is a definite threshold on how many writing tips you can gather before they stop being useful. If you find them interesting, that's one thing. That's fine. But if the culture of creativity online has made you feel like you need to educate yourself on every possible angle before you can write a story, you are actively harming yourself.

Imagine taking the level of structure you put on yourself in that way and putting it on children playing pretend in the backyard. Oh, Susie, don't you know that it's overdone for your Kitsune have dead parents? Xyler, shouldn't you ask someone else before you decide how Spiderman would react to this? It would make no sense and they do not need it. Kids will make a whole world out of nothing and it's the most fucked thing in my heart that at some point they get access to Reddit and dipshits start insisting that's wrong.

They aren't wrong and you aren't either. Your favorite creative influencer can't tell you your story, strangers on the internet can't tell you your story, your teachers and loved ones can't tell you your story. They can influence it, but they can't write it honestly the way you can.

You do that. That's the thing you do.

Man that makes me upset. I can't tell you how to make a story, either. If anyone sends me asks for writing advice the most I'll do is say what I've done before hopping into your DMs and starting a direct conversation. it's so personal to each individual artist, and I'd like to think that the people selling these classes and software and promoting these platforms haven't thought about that before. Otherwise it does feel manipulative. If you have a willingness to practice and imagine and really experiment with the possibilities, you are ready to write your story.

And if it doesn't work? Try again. That's what you do.

Stephen King has written roughly a thousand books and maybe five of them have decent endings. He is unimaginably successful.

I'm rambling now. I think I got that out of my system. I was really worried to say this out of fear of being too weird or somehow reverse-gatekeeping so hard that it circles back into also being a bad thing. I've just spoken to a lot of people who I still think of throughout my day, and I truly ache for them to get past the fear of creation. Because it's worth it. It's worth it and it's fun, even when it's messy and you're tired.

Let it Be just came on. Beatles. I haven't listened to The Beatles in a long time. Feels a little apropos.

I love you, reader. Reader, Writer, Colleague. Take care of yourself. Especially the little you, still sitting there in the backyard of your soul, bathing in the sun with their bare feet in the damp earth.

Consider joining them, maybe.

[queenie-the-writer]

how to outline your novel

every writer outlines differently, from hardcore plotters who go into heavy detail to laid back pantsers who prefer to go with the flow. this post will be about simple tips to plotting and you can interpret them as you will! personally, i am a plantser who tends to loosely outline my scenes before jumping into the writing part. that being said, i am working on documenting my wip info in one organized google doc :)

pros and cons

there are some disadvantages to the advantages of outline your book to be considered carefully.

benefits:

keeps your plot on track

helps you stay more organized

can help diminish writer’s block

clarifies the middle to avoid the “muddle”

drawbacks:

can produce a stilted narrative

may lead to more show and less tell

limits spontaneity and creative during the actual writing process, which can create an air of boredom

characters have less freedom in their choices, degrading their authenticity and taking away natural reactions

formulating the premise

the premise will be main plot of your story, which can be easily established by asking yourself these three simple questions:

who is the protagonist?

what do they want more than anything?

how can i prevent them from getting it?

there are also the five w’s (where, when, who, what, and why) that should be taken into account when crafting your premise.

character profiles

imo, making character profiles is one of the most fun things about outlining. this is where you compile all there is to know about each and every character in your book—from the main character to that baker who only appears once in the first chapter and is never seen again. start with basic attributes like:

full name

age

physical description (add every detail you can think of!)

personality traits

likes

dislikes

after that, feel free to go much deeper into a lot more personal things:

familial situation

important events in their past

insecurities

regrets

morals

religious beliefs

…the list goes on!

constructing and placing scenes

there are many different approaches to this part of outlining and it all depends on how specific you wish to be. from a loosely outlined note to a fully developed google doc, the possibilities are endless. there are a lot of different softwares and apps out there to help create your storyboard and outline, here are a few to check out:

Milanote (free)

Evernote (free version)

Dabble writer ($10/month)

Trello (free version)

Workflowy (free version)

Coggle (free version)

for every scene, i would advise at least a single sentence to encapsulate what happens in that scene. think back to the five w’s mentioned earlier and use this sentence structure if desired (you can modify it as needed):

[ when, where ], [ who ] wanted [ what ] but [ conflict ] because [ why ] so [ result ].

conclusion

so that’s it! i hope this helped you get a grasp on outlining at least a little i honestly feel like this post is a mess but- we’re gonna just take a moment to appreciate all the hardcore plotters and my fellow plantsers and the majorly underrated pantsers out there. you’re doing amazing sweetie and ilysm <3

[merakiui]

Oh, um, wow. Thank you for replying to my ask before. This will feel more like I'm asking for writing advice and I did say I have lots of questions, so in case you don't feel like answering it, feel free to ignore it ^^

I'm mostly interested in the dual narrative (is that the correct term) because both of the narrative/writing style is so different from one another. Where did you get the inspiration to do so? And what goes on in your mind when you design this?

And may I just say, woah you're so cool and the way you're able to pull the tale and mixing it with the actual events ✨✨✨ It added to the characterisation and the atmosphere you're building and the way that you do it without making it feel repetitive. The tale complements well to the actual story that's being told ✨✨✨ How do you craft a narrative that tells us all we need to know in 4 paragraphs only? What's your consideration in the process? And how do you makes it different than the actual story that's being told?

I hope I'm not burdening you too much. I'm so excited to hear your answer (if you do ^^) Thank you so much, Mera! 💗

- the anon with questions on Winter's Bride :)

I'm happy to answer your questions, even if it's about writing advice! I don't mind it at all! :D I'll put my answer under the cut just because it got somewhat long. I hope you won't mind!

1. Dual narrative is the correct term! The story itself is told from reader's POV, both past and present. The four paragraph fairytale is written in the POV of an individual known as Sir Winter (and at one point it gives some focus to another character known as Lady Snowflake). These two are meant to be parallels of Childe and the reader along with their situation.

When it comes to inspiration, the idea first came to me when the weather started getting really cold and it became apparent that winter was coming. I thought it would be really horrible to find yourself trapped in a forest during the frigid winter months with no way out. Babuchan's Frozen Girl also has the vibe of a very desolate, helpless place with snow and ice. Listening to it gave me some inspiration for the overall feelings I wanted to convey in the story.

Once I had the basic premise in mind, it didn't take that long to start writing it out. I think I wrote the entire first draft within a few hours before I went back in to subtract or add scenes. I put myself in the shoes of the reader and tried to imagine how she might feel and what she’d do after having fought with her father and then leaving her house in a frustrated rush. Her being out in the cold for three days mirrors Childe's three months in the Abyss and how when he emerged only three days had passed. 

Lots goes on inside my head when I’m making these sorts of additions to the story. Sometimes I won’t write anything substantial and will instead write out various ideas and connections to use within the story before I start it. Luckily, I had most of the plot crafted so I could write it with ease! But some stories aren’t so easily created, which often has me back at the drawing board to look at new angles. 

2. Ooh, the four paragraph fairytale!! Some of the lines went through various changes before I settled on what you see now. I wanted it to feel like a mystical rhyme with dark undertones. What’s fun about short narratives is that your brain often fills in the empty spaces for you, which allows you to create your own interpretations based on the little information you were given. You’re free to associate Sir Winter’s character with Childe’s because of their similarities, but you can also separate the two based on their differences. I considered using one sentence per part, but I scrapped that idea when I realized it would be better to use four paragraphs to tell the story.

My main consideration for the fairytale was that I wanted to write a tale that’s as cruel and cold as Snezhnaya is often described as, yet it still holds that whimsical feeling of a fairytale. I was going to take inspiration from the story of Snegurochka for the tale, but I thought it would be an interesting challenge to create something entirely different. I think what makes it stand out from the actual story is the gothic nature of everything and that in the end Lady Snowflake has always admired her groom, even if she’s just beginning to see the monstrous qualities he has. As for the reader, she can’t love Childe because she doesn’t know him well enough and she can only view him as a monster because that’s the side of him he chose to show her.

Thank you for your nice words, anon!! I’m very happy you like Winter’s Bride and that you were curious about my thought process. 💕 I hope my reply makes sense and is helpful advice! 

[ljandersen]

For the writing ask 12, 15, 16 and you can write more than 3 sentences for 15 because it would be hard to answer in just 3 sentences.

More questions! Yay! Thank you for sending me some fun ones. It's always interesting to dissect our writing craft, I think. This is from the Writer's Ask.

12. Any suggestions for making editing easier and/or more fun?

Oh, wow. I wish someone would share the secret, because I hate editing. I suspect it depends on personality and writing style how much editing is either enjoyed or hated. For me, the main things that help are: 1) letting a long time pass between the first draft and editing and 2) focusing on the eventual reward.

I know a lot of writers recommend letting your first draft cool because it gives a fresher view of it on re-read. I think that's true. I find myself catching more things. More importantly for me, though, with time passed, I'm more excited to read the story again and revisit the parts I loved. Being my own reader, I want to see what will happen and editing along the way is how I get there. That works at least for the second draft.

Delayed gratification is important for me. I only edit, because I intend to share the story with others. The first draft is for me. I enjoy it. After that, it's a chore. I keep readers in mind and the reward of their interactions while I edit. Reader interaction may not influence my currently posting project, because I don't post until I'm finished, but it does influence future projects. The current gratification I feel by sharing my finished work motivates me to edit my unposted stories. I think anticipating the gratification is key to keeping at it.

15. Summarize in 3 sentences or less what is important for you when it comes to climax scenes.

I think I can summarize this in one actually: Is it the most satisfying ending possible?

"Satisfying" encompasses so much. Was the pay out for the build up proportional and worth it? Is it the "best" imaginable ending? If it's not, then I'll change the whole story to match the most satisfying ending. It's important for me to identify barriers to it feeling satisfying. Are there elements that nag at the ending and take away from the sense of satisfaction. I try ot address those barriers through the course of the story, slowly peeling them away or maneuvering pieces to relieve the ending concern.

A lot of this is only possible for me, because the story isn't posted and can still be changed, even in major ways. Since I'm a discovery writer, there's a heavy burden on editing and rewriting to streamline the story. Though I always know my ending, I don't know how it will look and actually develop. I have to make adjustments after I can finally see the story as whole.

In the end, the most important part of a story's climax is how it leaves the readers. Are they satisfied? Does it feel like the natural conclusion of everything that lead up to it?

16. Share one piece of advise for how you create tension in your stories.

Foreshadow. I love subtext and double-meanings. I love hinting. I love giving half-answers. Foreshadow, foreshadow, foreshadow -- I say! Don't shine the light right at the object, but bit by bit unveil it until the dim outline reveals itself in full. Anticipation and mystery are some of the most important elements of a story to me as a reader.

Thank you for the ask!!!