#last chapter i posted was literally on Christmas 😅

[crazywolf828]

Crawls out of my documents covered in blood. Guess who finished the next chapter of the ff/emt au

Anyway as a teaser here's the song that inspired it :)

[pebblysand]

Are you working on any new projects that you feel like sharing with us

Love castles and you

Never gonna give you up never gonna turn around and dessert u

hey anon! apologies for the delay here. this is a very sweet anon that made me smile when i got it, so thank you ❤️.

regarding your question though... i suppose: not really? i don't know. it's complicated. to be fully transparent, i've not written a word since the end of castles. i know that for you it might feel like a long time because objectively, it has been five weeks, but for me, i just haven't had that much downtime since then. i spent almost four weeks in france post-publication, most of which were holidays where i wasn't working (at my IRL job, i mean). this was so peaceful and restful and nice but also so outside my usual routine that i didn't have much time to think about writing (or to really let the end of castles sink in, for that matter). i wrote 23 in about a month, and 24 over a weekend, so looking back, it all feels like one big feverish dream i haven't really had time to digest, yet. i came back to ireland just over two weeks ago and i don't know, i guess i've been... crashing - a bit? 😬

it's not bad. like, trust me, you don't need to worry about me - i'm alright. i've been distracting myself with going to london a couple weekends and have loads of other trips planned between now and christmas, which i am very much looking forward to and should keep me busy. i've been doing a lot of podcast-y things, i'm getting reacquainted with my friends who i've sadly neglected for far too long (hopefully they don't hate me too much, haha), and with life in general (i've been going running more consistently, i've done embroidery - lol 😅 - i'm thinking about signing up for pottery classes - the works, you know).

if i'm honest, on a deeper level though, i've been finding that i'm not quite sure what to do with all the time that is now on my hands. my anxiety skyrocketed early last week, which i know is just my brain slowly readapting to this new, post-castles normal, but which still very much sucked. i am worried about my dog's health and my mum's health, and loneliness in my thirties. i'm worried about my plans for next year, i am worried about whether i'll be capable of writing original fiction, and i am worried that now that castles is finished and that the post-completion around it has stopped, everyone will forget about me and no one will read my works anymore. again, 🙄 ugh.

having said that, here are my plans for the short, medium, and long term:

SHORT TERM (BETWEEN NOW AND DECEMBER)

i don't want to start any "big" project between now and december, tbh. i need to sit and breathe and recharge (see above). i could however ever see myself doing one or two short-ish things (under 10k), that i could get done over a weekend or something. in that list are:

the aoife one-shot (follow-up to the fault in faulty manufacturing) (likelihood: 90% - i've been meaning to write this for age, it haunts me. my only issue is that i'd love to write it for paddy's day but since the beginning of the year will probably be busy with other things - see below - it might be my winter project)

maybe a fic about pansy parkinson's side of the amycus story, possibly tying into chapter 22. (likelihood: 50% - i literally just had the idea for this this afternoon but i kind of like it. i've been fascinated with the concept of pansy parkinson lately, so we'll see.)

for reasons that i don't want to explain yet, i'll probably need to have a really good 3,500 words original fiction story written by march 2025. i should probably get started on it this autumn. (likelihood: 35% - i know me and i will probably be procrastinating this as much as i can because it's not "fun" and feels like a chore)

MEDIUM TERM (JANUARY TO SEPTEMBER)

there's literally an endless list of stories i'd like to write. some of them might be written next year, some of them might never get done. the current list includes:

HP Harry/Ginny Muggle College AU (likelihood: 20% - i love the idea of it but idk about the execution)

HP Harry/Ginny FWB AU (likelihood: 40% - this one i'm more interested in. could be a sort of AU of castles but could also stand alone)

Peaky Blinders Ada Character Piece (likelihood: 70% - i need to rewatch the show, but i really like that one. i already have a few paragraphs of this i'd written somewhere)

Peaky Blinders May Character Piece (likelihood: 60% - same as above, i also have it already started somewhere. i do feel like i'm more interested in Ada than i am in May right now, but we'll see)

The Good Wife Will Character Piece (likelihood: 60% - i've been meaning to write this for, like, 10 years. i just need to brave a full rewatch which, ugh)

HP Malfoy Character Piece (likelihood: 25% - idk. same as the college AU. i like the idea, but no idea about the execution. just marginally more interested in this one cause it's a character i've not explored before)

HP Harry/Pansy AU (likelihood: 10% - i've found a fantastic fic for this pairing already in existence, so that has satiated my need to write it, i think.)

Silk Martha/Clive Children AU (likelihood: 10% - it's a beautiful fic... in my head)

HP Hermione Character Piece (likelihood: 40% - i know you all want this one but honestly i'm not sure what i would have to say. it's a hard one because i would love to write it, i find hermione a very interesting character, but it also needs to narratively bring something that isn't already in castles. like, i don't want to repeat something people already know. so, we'll see. i will write it if i find an angle for it. i was going to write it as an ode to friendship - like: the long-standing nature of she and harry's friendship, the way everyone always focuses on romance when actually, platonic friendship is also very important to us as humans - but i think i already sort of blew that angle with Lily and Naran now. so, again, we'll see.)

Black Sisters Piece on Female Rage (likelihood: 20%. i had a very, very specific idea for this back in 2023 and i never wrote it. i'm thinking of revisiting)

having said that, i also know that January - March 2025 will really be the moment i'm planning on easing back into writing more frequently, but also the moment when i'll have to focus on original writing for a while (again, reasons i can't explain). so, write that 3,500 words short story, and outline a larger project. so, not sure i'll have much time for fanfic at the start of the year.

LONG TERM

there will be a book. i have an idea. i have characters. i need... an outline, and a plot, and all that stuff. i would love to outline january 2025-march 2025 (as said above), then to slowly start writing it as life allows. i think fanfic will remain my outlet, my "fun" thing, the thing i "cheat" on my main project with haha. we all need those.

i will keep you updated on all this as it happens, and i hope (hopehopehope) you stick around ❤️.

[aldbooks]

Writing tag game by @bonecarversbestie !

Describe your writing process from idea to posting/publishing?

Ideas usually come to me in half formed thoughts which often get written in my notes app as half intelligible scribbles if I have access to my phone. Sometimes they get lost to the ether of my mind 😅

If it's an idea that sticks with me and I keep thinking about it, I'll consider writing it. Either I throw it out to some of my fellow writers as a sounding board, or I attempt to plot it out in my head. If it seems feasible and I'm excited about it I'll start writing. But those drafts don't always make it to publishing. I have a hoard of half finished drafted scenes in my files lol

Sometimes, a story starts from something as small as a bit of dialogue, whether it's something I made up, or something I heard. For instance my Gwynriel short A Friendly Wager was spawned from a tiny scene in one of the Doctor Who Christmas specials when Clara frantically asks the doctor to pretend to be her boyfriend for family Christmas dinner.

I like using prompts as writing exercises (honestly I should do another prompt request soon, they're fun and force me to think quickly) where someone gives me a line of dialogue and I write the first scene that pops in my head. It's good practice.

Some of my stories start as a bunch of random scenes I decide can flow together into a story and piecemeal them together. Sometimes I do a rough plot outline and let the story flow as I write.

I used to write in my email drafts because I had access to it everywhere but was informed that was insane and now use Google Docs 😂 Most of my writing and editing is done there before I copy it over to AO3 and do a last sweep through to make sure it looks good. Sometimes text effects like italics don't copy over and I tend to write using double spacing between paragraphs which looks crazy in AO3. I do all my AO3 editing using the rich formatting and only use HTML if I want to add something like a link.

I don't usually use a beta unless I'm unsure of how the story is flowing and want outside feedback to see if someone else agrees. No particular reason, besides I'm usually too impatient to wait for someone else to read it through before I share it lol

I like to make sure my AO3 stories are linked in my Tumblr so anyone who follows me can see when I post if they're not subscribed on AO3 and I try to keep my Masterlist up to date as best as I can.

Some stories have header pics or collages, most don't but I like to add a gif I think encompasses the vibe of that chapter or a particular scene. It's just for funsies 😊

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A little of both. I used to absolutely be a pantser when I first started writing because I would literally make up my stories as I went and they became somewhat interactive as I would often use suggestions or feedback I got in the comments on previous chapters. While this was fun, it often lead to several periods of writers block because I didn't have enough direction, so now I try to have at least a rough outline when I start writing and build from there.

Still, you often find as a writer that sometimes your plot or characters take over and you end up veering off your original plan anyway...

What do you listen to when you are writing?

Depends on my mood usually. When I wrote my Gwynriel Cinderella story, I watched Rogers and Hammerstein Cinderella from the 90s in the background mannnny times. My mermaid Gwynriel stories I had music from movies like Pirates of the Caribbean playing. I have a specific playlist I often use when writing smut that I developed while writing a story about strippers years ago lol

What’s your drink of choice (while writing)?

Water usually. If I'm writing smut there's usually wine or a cocktail at hand as well.

Promote yourself! What’s your favourite thing you’ve written?

Oh gosh that's hard to say. I think the writing I'm most proud of is probably My Jolly Sailor Bold. But my tandem Gwynriel/Elucien story A Court of Light and Shadows was a massive undertaking I'm also quite proud of.

Share a fic of yours that you think is underrated/deserves more love.

My angstiest fics are of course what I'll recommend here

Like After Images; Her Tears Like Diamonds; Should've stayed Dead

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Do the thing. I totally get being afraid to publish, we all get that anxiety. But I promise, you will surprise yourself with people's response. Sure, there will be those who says mean things just because they can, but you'll also find a lot of love and support and encouragement and, occasionally, some helpful feedback.

Remember, no one starts out writing award winning stories. It takes practice and what better way to practice that to do the thing?

What is a writing style/technique that others do really well that you'd like to get better at?

Dialogue. I feel like I often get too caught up in the story itself, wanting to show the action that I forget sometimes my characters have to speak lmao

Is there a character you were surprised you enjoyed writing as much as you did?

Cassian. Not necessarily writing his character but writing his perspective. I can't say why, because I'm not sure, but often if I'm struggling with how a scene is playing out, I'll switch to an outside perspective, which is usually Cassian, and it suddenly works a lot better.

Thank you for the tag, @sadiegirl2021; @hlizr50; @thevalkyriesshadow

No-pressure tags: @sunshinebingo @captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @shadowsxgwynriel

Writing tag game by @bonecarversbestie !

Describe your writing process from idea to posting/publishing?

I have a notes app called EasyNotes where I jot down all my ideas as I get them; bits of dialogue I think would work in a fic, interactions between characters (which always come to me just as I'm about to drift off to sleep) and very, very rough outlines of chapters.

Then, I'll word vomit onto a doc and copy in any notes I had.

Because I'm better at dialogue than describing the scene, I'll write out all of that first and then work from there to flesh it out. Like starting with the skeleton.

Once I have the first draft done, I start my editing process. I go paragraph by paragraph correcting spelling and grammar (I have a Chrome extension called LanguageTool), and then I play the whole chapter through another Chrome extension called Read Aloud. Because of my ADHD, it can be difficult to catch all my errors by reading alone, so hearing it out loud helps A LOT! Would recommend it. (Although the voices used are hilarious. Hearing your smut scene's read out by a monotone robot is slightly traumatising 😂)

Once I'm happy with a paragraph, I will add HTML coding to it - the <p> tag. In my head, it's just the easiest way to mark that a paragraph is complete. If I'm still not sure about a sentence or paragraph, I will mark it in red to rework. I also add all my <i> tags as I'm writing, so I don't forget about them later!

I realise I'm doing too much! But, I quite enjoy the editing process.

Once I get a chapter or One Shot uploaded, I try my best not to read it again so I'm not continuously making little changes.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I want to be a plotter SO BAD! I've got Excel sheets, multiple docs with outlines, plot points, and a solid plan. And then boom! The characters run off like a crazed toddler in the opposite direction, and all I can do is follow. So… I guess I'm a pantser!

What do you listen to when you are writing?

I have multiple Spotify playlists depending on the mood of the fic/chapter I'm writing. If I need to write emotional scenes, I'll put on some heartbreaking Emo songs from 2006! Or, if my energy drops while writing, I'll switch to 90s pop. Generally, though, I just listen to instrumental music. One of my fav playlists is this one.

What’s your drink of choice (while writing)?

Water. I am booooooring. It is sparkling, though!

Promote yourself! What’s your favourite thing you’ve written?

I think it's Hot Girl Summer. This was supposed to be a little funny, 5-10 chapter fic that wasn't serious. And it has spiralled into a multi POV, 40-chapter story with so much plot! I'm loving the process, though. And I think I will definitely have to get it bound when it's all done.

Share a fic of yours that you think is underrated/deserves more love.

I'm going to say Hot Girl Summer too. I think a lot of people aren't as interested in stories that follow both Gwynriel and Elucien (and sometimes E/riel or another pairing with their favourite characters) at the same time. I haven't seen many fics that do it, but they’re some of my favourites in the fandom, and I’m so happy to add to that list. If you're hesitant, I highly recommend giving them a try!

My favs are:

Call Me Home (by @propagandaprincess)

A Court of Vision and Bloom (by studentwriter666)

Best Laid Plans (by @trappedoutside124)

Do you have any advice for new writers?

First of all, just do it! It took me 33 years to build the confidence to try. For most of my life, I didn't think I was good enough to write, even though I had so many stories to tell. In my 20s, I probably wouldn’t have had the confidence to take the plunge. Writing opens you up to criticism (which I hate!), but I’m forever grateful that 99.9% of my readers have only ever been incredibly supportive and encouraging.

Don’t be afraid to use tools that help you. I know my limitations with ADHD, so I created a process that works for me. Everyone has a different method, and the right one is whatever works for you.

Finally, finding a community of like-minded people makes the whole process a lot more fun. I love helping others develop fic ideas or beta-reading for them, and appreciate all the support they give me. It really motivates me to keep writing.

What is a writing style/technique that others do really well that you'd like to get better at?

Flow and angst! I'm really working on improving these areas in my writing. I'm quite impatient and tend to rush through the plot rather than building up tension. I know I need to slow down and let the story breathe, but it's so hard! I just want my characters to kiss within the first 5 seconds 😂

Is there a character you were surprised you enjoyed writing as much as you did?

Eris Vanserra!

Gods, I love torturing this man! I've redeemed him so much in my fic that I'll be heartbroken if he truly turns out to be just a dickhead in the canon ACOTAR world!

Thank you for tagging me @olenvasynyt

No pressure tags: @sunshinebingo @avabrynne @thevalkyriesshadow @aldbooks @hlizr50

[thera-daydreams]

So sorry if you find this rude but I need to ask. Are planing to post another chapter of the sweet old lady is a witch on Christmas or when you will have a break at school? I know school can be so hard it’s literally killing me so I imagine it’s also hard for you. Do your best and remember to take care of yourself☺️

Yup! My first semester ends on like, December 20-ish so I hope I'll be able to find time and write after that. 😅

(Thank you also! Will do my best! This is actually my last year before I go into internship in hospitals and clinics, if all goes well and I pass! 🙏)

[fivedayslater]

2021 AO3 Wrapped

I wrote a lot this year!! Certainly more than last year, probably the most since 2010, so in a rare bout of self promotion I am going to tell you about them

Febuwhump (One Piece; Sanji-centric, various pairings)

I did all 28 Febuwhump prompts (all for one piece, all about Sanji, with various pairings) because I had barely written anything in 2020 and had to literally force myself to bang out a Christmas fic. I had hoped that doing a full month of prompts would get me back in the habit of writing semi-regularly and you know what? I was right.

Keeping Secrets (One Piece; ZoSan)

I first had the idea for this back last spring, just the basic idea that ZoSan is the worst kept secret of the Straw Hat Pirates, in that everyone knows but they all pretend not to. I mention in the AN that I had the idea at 3am, and what I meant was I was trying to sleep one night and suddenly had the idea of “what if everyone thought it was a secret but them???” Also stat wise this was my most popular fic of 2021, which is a shock for me.

The Only Way Out (Is Through) (One Piece AU; ZoSan)

My birthday gift to me, because I can’t get enough of knight Zoro and Prince Sanji!! I was working on another fic involving princes for a friend (and if you’re reading this i haven’t forgotten it and i am working on it I promise!!!!) but then there was a thunderstorm and the power went out, and I lost all the progress I’d made. In my frustration I started this, because when your computer loses everything you’ve worked really hard on for the past week self-indulgence is the only answer, then realized I could maybe finish it by the 14th and post it for my birthday, which I did.

Also fun fact: the title is from the song Bob Dylan by Fall Out Boy, because the first line of the song is ‘When they say you and what army/i guess they’re talking about you and me’ and if that ain’t a whole entire ZoSan Mood. To long for a fic title tho

The Fox and his Samurai (One Piece; Onimaru & Ushimaru, Onimaru & Zoro, ZoSan)

I read chapter 1023 and could not stop thinking about Onimaru and Ushimaru and comparing them to Zoro and Sanji. Then I’m pretty sure I got possessed by the fox because I’ve never written anything faster in my life.

Also this was the first fic on AO3 about Onimaru and Ushimaru, so if I’ve accomplished nothing else this year, I at least got them AO3 tags 😎

The Swordsman, The Fox, and the Onigiri (One Piece; Onimaru & Ushimaru, ZoSan)

Again with the fox. Cannot stop thinking about the fox. Actually what happened was that I have some how managed to befriend two of my favorite writers in the fandom and we were talking about this fanart, and how maybe Sanji making so much onigiri for Zoro was Onimaru’s way of thanking Ushimaru for all the onigiri, and, well. This happened. Also pretty sure the fox possessed me again because i somehow finished this faster then the first one.

Also as last time I checked these two fics were the only fics about Onimaru and Ushimaru on AO3, and while it’s nice to literally own a relationship tag, it’s also very lonely. Where’s the love for the fox people??

Sanctuary (One Piece AU; ZoSan)

I wanted to write a spooky fic in October for Halloween, so I was like “what if Sanji was a vampire and Zoro was a werewolf, how spooky would that be?” Then I was like “what if they were roommates???” And instead of being a spooky story it became a domestic fluffy with some light angst story about two people who outcast by societies coming together to make their own family.

Also the title is both a reference to the sanctuary Zoro and Sanji find/create with and for each other, and a kinda ‘fck you’ to the religious connotations of the word, since they are both considered monsters and hell spawn and all that. But also I was listening to A Lot of Kingdom Hearts songs while writing the first chapter 😅

Say Something (One Piece; ZoSan)

I had off December 2nd, I forget why, and it was ZoSan day, so I figured why not see if I can bang something out? I’ve had the idea stewing in my head for a while, ever since I saw this comic by marciaillust (which is a brilliant and beautiful and moving comic), zeroed in on Zoro’s face in the last panel, and spun off a big old What If? I did end up finishing it in 24 hours, but I didn’t get to put it through the 250 edits I usually do. I might go back and edit it later, but I also think it’s alright as is.

All I Want (One Piece; ZoSan)

I joined the ZoSan Club Discord Server in August, and it’s been a lot of fun! They had a secret Santa, and this was my gift for Yuu, an artist I admire a ton, so I was very nervous writing a gift for someone I like so much, but I had a blast writing this, and I think it came out well.

Also since I don’t think I mentioned it, her prompts were ‘Zoro and Sanji getting lost in the winter woods and having to help each other survive and stay warm’ and ‘Zoro doesn’t like holidays. Sanji shows him that they can be important’