#my own writing style is very descriptive and flowery

[eatsbooks]

people complain about c.s. pacat’s writing in capri being sparse and impersonal, often claiming there isn’t enough access into damen’s head. i have many thoughts on this, but there are two that i need to put into words because they keep just swirling around in my brain.

one being that i think the writing style is simply true to damen’s characterization. the trilogy is almost exclusively from damen’s pov. damen, who is straightforward and blunt. damen, who does not allow himself to sit in his feelings because then he would not be able to take the action he needs to. damen, who, when he does give way to his feelings, often ends up with a sword in his hand and blood spattered on his face. things he cannot risk if he wants freedom, if he wants to protect himself and his kingdom and, eventually, laurent. would it not feel so strange if the writing waxed poetic from damen’s militaristic, straightforward, assessing mind? like really the only times the prose is more fanciful is when it comes to him loving/admiring laurent or him loving/admiring akielos, which just shows the way the writing style accords to the character we’re in the head of. even when he does begin to process his trauma in the epilogue, it’s largely unspoken, just now beginning to wash over him because to engage with it is to be overcome by it. so of course we aren’t wallowing in his emotional state; damen himself can’t even reckon with it.

two being that this style also just puts trust in the reader, which many authors don’t. in my recent experience, i feel like i’m being spoonfed obvious things in a lot of books, which detracts from my experience putting things together while reading. but the thing is, even with the writing being more pared down, you’re never uncertain how damen feels, despite it not being explicitly stated. you’re never feeling gaps in what’s going on because you’re given all that you need to understand the stakes, the world, the connections. there are layers to every word that is written, and there is weight to the ones that aren’t.

i just really love this trilogy so much and think it was so masterfully written and it hurts my heart to see ppl dog on the writing style

[the-bar-sinister]

This is a genuine and serious question, but… if the style and way I write is pleasing to me, I enjoy writing it and have fun reading it, BUT to an objective or even casual viewer the writing is actually not very good, despite how much I like it/am attached to it… what do I do? I don't have much interest in writing in a different, less flowery style (I am open to improving of course) but the thought of people disliking or even laughing at my work terrifies me to the point I struggle to keep writing at all. I'm kind of stuck :( I want to write how I write but I also want it to be good. I know I can't please everyone but I can't seem to stop trying. :((

Hey pal. I'm sorry you're feeling so down on your own writing style even though you enjoy it!

Here's the thing. There is actually no such thing as an "objectively" not good writing style.

The common writing wisdom of today (show don't tell, use third person, focus on action over description, less emphasis on poetry and metaphor) is actually VERY modern and only reflects recent trends and advice in writing.

I recommend you crack open a few books written before 1980 or so, and especially books from the turn of 20th century. You will see that historically, many, many people enjoy a more flowery, poetic style instead of an action oriented one.

There are lots of people reading and writing now how prefer that style, too!

I recommend reading some Anne Rice, some Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), some Charles Dickens, etc! I think you will feel a lot better about your writing.

[lorezhaze]

♥️🃏 Roleplay Partner Search! 🃏♦️

🕯️ Introduction -

Lo | 23 | He/They EST time zone.

Very minimal triggers and limitations

Preferably 21+ writers, only 18+ characters

mxm, nbxm or nbxnb

3rd person literate writing, at least a paragraph’s length

Discord only

I love world building and knowing the other character’s feelings. I also love getting to know my rp partners and becoming friends of sorts. I'm also a sucker for creating playlists and Pinterest boards.

NSFW scenes and/or undertones/themes at some point. I do like smut, especially paired with angst and certain dynamics, but if that isn’t your thing and our writing styles are otherwise compatible we can always keep it limited or fade to black. 🤍

CW(!): From here down, my plots or OC’s backgrounds may contain triggering content, I try to remain vague and non-descriptive given these are just outlines!

♟️ Plots I’m willing to explore ~

16th - 19th century setting ⚰️

Clement is a priest that preaches an all-loving and forgiving God, loving his job and the ability to provide comfort to people in their hardest moments. That is until somebody sneaks into the church and finds his private writings, discovering a homoerotic affair that was happening behind the scenes. Barely avoiding both death and castration, Clement works as a castle jester/entertainer for the rest of his life with his identity ripped from him. (Open-ended, suggest a plot)

The King allowed his son (Lucien) to be abused by his painting instructor growing up, all this rage builds up and explodes when Lucien tries to convict his instructor, but the King instead pardons the boy’s abuser during a set of public trials outside the castle. Lucien, a teenager and young Prince at the time, kills his father in front of everyone, unintentionally becoming King himself from then on. Despite exiling his abuser after the bloody trial, the then Prince, now King is seen as cruel and scary, not to be crossed even nearly ten years later. Meanwhile, a citizen with a sick sister is caught stealing medicine. Being on trial with King Lucien is scary enough, but medicine thieves in particular are known to be punished heavily, since the Princess, who is one of the only people thats kind to the prince-now-king, makes a majority of the medicine available. During a public trial, the thieve’s mother pleads for his life and Lucien realizes that the thief is someone he knew, that he had recognized those fearful eyes from somewhere else. He was amongst the crowd when he killed his own father. He spares the thief, and allows the best doctors to treat his ill sister. As long as he works directly for him in the castle until his debt is repaid. 

It is tradition for the royal family to keep their children within the gates of the castle and away from the public eye until they are grown enough to handle it. The Princess was introduced to society at the age of 13, but every year the reveal of their younger and troubled son (Lucien) his delayed for various vague reasons. Everyone is both eager and suspicious, which doesn’t help matters. This is when the royal parents essentially give up when the boy turns 21, allowing him out with no announcement to the public. While practically frolicking through the flowery fields, enjoying the feeling of the grass and the new sights, he has a love-at-first-sight moment with another boy (your character). This is just an ordinary boy from a hard working family, and since the Prince was never revealed, he has no idea the boy he’s immediately smitten with is the Prince everyone is eagerly awaiting to meet. That is until he finds out, obviously.

Enemies to lovers, a member of the royal family ends up falling for a knight that saves their life, unfortunately, this knight just happens to be the royal’s childhood enemy.   

The youngest son of a royal is 7th in line for the throne and has health issues, thus has no chance of inheriting the throne. in attempts to grasp onto any bit of power his father has, the royal marries off his frail and feminine son as a wife to a prince of another territory, an upcoming heir of a throne (loosely inspired by sporus and nero).

20th century - modern day setting 🎭

Reese Willow is a fledgling vampire who is sent on a mission by his sire to target and take down an infamous vampire hunter's son, only for the plane Reese was following him on to crash land. After a handful of months, only Reese and the other man are the only survivors remaining, until it's just Reese. For the next 29 years Reese remains stranded, walking along the wilderness in a daily routine like a ghost, until another vampire finally picks up his weak delusional voice amongst the many and seeks him out. 

Forbidden love, childhood friends who become estranged because of (Daniel)’s strict parents and eventually moving away to the other side of the country, then when (Daniel) comes back for college under his father's supervision (despite being over 18 now) and the two former friends are completely different from each other now (Daniel) for his public image by default just goes with the other popular wealthy students while the former childhood friend is more down to earth and nerdy and their groups/cliches clash to the point where (Daniel) is sort of a bully this friend as this 'tough guy' front. A short lived (private/behind the scenes, kinda toxic and probably on and off again) ‘situationship’ takes place in that time until the 4 year degree is finished (but Daniel transfers out half a year early) and a handful more years later (Daniel) has settled down in that old town again, slowly starting to get his life together and take responsibility for being a dad now himself but he also cant stop thinking about the childhood friend/lover.

The only son of a wealthy family clashes with their parents every chance he gets, rebels, tries his best to be untraditional and overall just piss them off hires an unconventional sex worker named Emmy an obscene amount of money to come home with him for the weekend and pretend to be his significant other and/or fiance. Feelings develop and it becomes really complicated when his father eventually like offers him an opportunity that is nearly impossible to turn down and he has the choice to either leave them behind with nothing to the life that was nearly killing them or give up his own cushy lifestyle and let love prevail. Alternatively, a older man who thinks he’s straight, has a successful career, empty marriage and multiple kids ends up falling in love with a slightly younger intersex and narcoleptic sex worker, the first and only sex worker he hires.

Post-apocalyptic setting, Celeste the final survivor of a run down camp continues to live among the undead of their loved ones. Another survivor from a nearby camp stumbles upon the ruins of the previous camp while scavenging and sees someone alive on the other side of the fence, living with the dead as if they were dead as well. Day by day they come back, bringing their new things, trying to bring some life back into them again.

Damon is a serial killer that moves around city to city state to state every year to kill another local predator in hopes that one day he'll manage to take down the number of men (whose faces he can't remember) who abused him, using his job as a criminal data analyst to not only cover up his killings but also look for new targets that may have missed the sex offender registry or dodged conviction despite solid proof against them. This time when he moves to a new city and gets settled in he finds that somebody else had already gotten to his potential target, not only that, this didn't seem to be the first killing like this in the area. But this time the perpetrator left a tiny piece of evidence that everyone else but Damon noticed, and instead of turning it in to help solve the case he keeps it to himself with peaked interest.

(Movie theme) The Hunger Games, two people from opposite teams. Queer themes; gay men, trans person called upon as their assigned gender at birth. Exploring the earlier hunger games (11-50th), escaping and/or faking deaths, etc.

(Movie theme) Ego: Character A gets hurt and temporarily loses their vision. While their wealthy parents look for a medical solution, they have them live in the guest house and hire a caregiver, character B, to stop by everyday and take care of them. Naturally, character a and the caregiver get close, but there’s a big problem: character A is a superficial, seemingly shallow and straight. As a result, character B feels pressured to lie about their identity and what they look like when character A tries to guess what they are like. 

(Android Plot, inspired by Detroit: Become Human) Advanced AI recently developed, now available to the public for purchase in the last 5 years. Man born into generational wealth has no interest in marriage anytime soon despite being good looking, smart and successful. Despite being happy with this life, his house is beyond messy with books haphazardly stacked everywhere and take out containers everywhere. Somebody in his life decides to take it upon themselves to purchase him an android, to which the first time in his life he starts growing feelings for somebody.. something? As if it wasn't confusing enough, did the android have feelings for him as well? 

I’m more than willing to hear out any of your plots/ideas as well! Anything that includes my OC lore or pre-existing characters I’m willing to write as I’ll consider! 🎭

♠️♥️ OCs ♣️♦️

Bios/docs linked to each character, each doc includes a linked Pinterest board, some also include Spotify playlists.

Lucien - Usually aged between 21-23 yrs old, cisgender male (bisexual, switch/sub-leaning). Medieval prince, alternate versions of character for different plots.

Reese Willow - Vampire stranded in the Canadian wilderness for nearly 30 years after a plane crash he ended up inevitably being the sole survivor of. 

Clement/Skeeter - 32 yr old cisgender man, former priest sentenced to be a jester/royal house entertainer for the rest of his life as punishment for being figured out as homosexual 🃏

Deana - 31 yrs old, cisgender man (bicurious, switch/dom-leaning). (Bruce Wayne/Batman inspired) Only child of a wealthy well-known family turned orphan at a young age now upholds his family's public image and business affairs while in private he works as a hitman for hire.

Celeste - 27 yrs old, gender-fluid (Intersex, queer). Final survivor of a run down camp continues to live among the undead of their loved ones.

Emmy - 22 yrs old, nonbinary/intersex (AMAB, all pronouns, queer, switch/sub-leaning. Sex worker, narcoleptic insomniac estranged from wealthy adopted family, taken away from single immigrant mother when they were young.

Daniel Laurie - 26 yrs old, cisgender man (bicurious, dominant yet flexible). Recovering addict and childhood abuse survivor trying to make it back in his home town (after being gone for a handful of years) while longing after his childhood love affair.

Damon - 24 yrs old, cisgender man (bisexual, switch). Crime DNA analyst/serial killer, CSA abuse survivor. Originally written to have a power/ability where he can feel and somewhat influence nearby people's emotions, this in turn leaves his emotions open to others, meaning nearby people can sense his emotions even if they don't know why they're feeling them.

Del  - 23 yrs old, cisgender man (bisexual, switch). Custom outlawed species character called a bloodluster (similar to vampires), after his biological father got captured/taken away his mother fled to another state where she met his 'adoptive' father and shortly after found out she had been pregnant when she left. Not long after he was born, his mother died and a good portion of his life was spent raised being experimented on in a lab. Until one day he found an opening, and ate his mad scientist of an adoptive father. Now he's off in the world, trying to get by as a normal person despite his "condition" without killing anybody.

Emrys - 23 yrs old, cisgender gnc man (doesn't mind any pronouns but still identifies as a man, doesn't take gender too serious, bisexual, switch/sub-leaning). Oldest sibling of a chaotic troubled family, natural caretaker, feminine man with motherly qualities. Works in assistive care.

Folder of all character bios: [link]

Pre-Existing fandoms/characters I write ⚰️

(Bolded characters are those I’m willing to write as)

IWTV

- Louis/Lestat

- Louis/Daniel

BATMAN

- Batman/Riddler

- Batman/Joker

- Batman/Riddler/Joker

HANNIBAL

- Will/Hannibal 

MR ROBOT

- Tyrell/Elliot:

Candy Shop AU - No 5/9 hacks or fsociety, Tyrell runs a Swedish sweets/candy store that lately Elliot frequently visits for the same fix of cherry hard candies, and to steal glances at the good-looking store clerk. After talking it out in therapy, Elliot’s therapist, Krista, convinces him to be honest about how he feels.

Post-Apocalypse AU - After the world goes to shit whatever left of New York that wasn’t completely ruin down by the undead is primarily taken over by a few different groups. When Elliot’s group becomes completely run down with major fatalities, Tyrell’s group (which he happens to lead) decides to lend a hand to an old friend. Little does Tyrell know Elliot was injured in the attack, and little does Elliot know the infection is less straight forward than they anticipated. 

UNTIL DAWN

- Josh/Chris:

New remake content, added Josh lives ending + Chris 4 Josh written in the snow. 

Those People (2015) AU! - Josh moved out of town after the death of his sisters to get some space and pursue what makes him happy, which quickly becomes lonely resulting in him inviting Chris to come move states and live with him. There’s some conflict as Josh immediately seems to avoid Chris as soon as he settles in, making Chris feel like it was a mistake.. Until he realizes why Josh is avoiding him. 

- Josh/Mike:

(Post-prank, twins live AU) Josh is the openly gay friend in the group, Mike becomes curious after walking in on Josh hooking up with someone at a party and later can’t get it out of his head. Josh thinks Mike wanting to get with him is another sick joke, causing some initial turmoil. 

TWD

- Rick/Negan

OFMD

- Izzy/Blackbeard

- Izzy/Blackbeard/Stede

- Izzy/Lucius

- Jim/Lucius

ARCANE

- Viktor/Jayce

Other beloved honorable mentions include: Sally Face, Yellowjackets, The Wilds, Scream (Billy/Stu), Sherlock, Life is Strange (Nathan and Warren) and sometimes Harry Potter (Drarry).

Discord only, please reach out to me if you're interested!

[tinypandacakes]

HIIII i love TK so much and all your writing, but as someone who wants to start writing, are there any tips on how to start? such as how do you end up with really good "show, not tell" descriptions and how did you structure such a good slowburn story without it dragging on? ITS SO GOOD j cant help but ask because a lot of slowburn story drags on but omg i love the pacing of TK, so im just curious how did you structure the story? like each chapter already assigned a part orrrr?

Thank you so much 💕💕 you’re very sweet! I’m no pro by any means, so this is just my opinion/experience and I may ramble a little — but TLDR: my biggest pieces of advice are to read a lot and then write a lot without worrying about if it’s good or not.

More below :p

I’ve written almost 800k words in the last few years, and I’m not thrilled with all of it, especially my earlier stuff. But I’m a better writer after getting it all out, good and bad and “cringe” alike.

Reading is crucial. sometimes I come across things that are SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN that it inspires me to be better too. Metaphors and descriptions that make my chest tingle.

I used to feel a bit jealous like “why can’t I write like this? What’s the point of writing if I can’t do it like that?” But then I started honing in on what I liked about it and why, and it helped me shape my writing too! it’s not about copying their exact phrasing, but examining how that author relayed that emotion or sensation and trying to emulate it in your own style. I jot down descriptors and unique and descriptive usage of verbs i come across to remind myself to look at them again later, and possibly incorporate in my own writing.

As far as “show don’t tell” I usually write a draft and then go back and look where the scene feels a bit barren. Literally sometimes it’s just “könig was cooking breakfast. You walked past him silently. You sat down at the table and looked out the window” on first pass just to get the action/placement beats in. The. focus on the five senses and where it makes sense to add scent or taste or sensation. An itch of a tag at the back of your neck when nervous, noticing a loose thread on someone’s sweater, the click of a dog’s nails on hardwood as it moves from the kitchen to the living room, cooking smells, etc. those little things that you would not think much about in day to day life make fics feel more immersive

For pacing, an outline has really helped me. Just numbered paragraphs on a page with incoherent rambling after. each chapter has certain events I went to happen that progress the story. In that outline, I throw in some of those descriptors or phrasing or verbs that I come across or think of, as a reminder to use them during XYz scene.

I’m a very wordy writer and TK is a slow burn (and people have told me they think it’s too slow, opinions will always differ) but ultimately something happens each chapter that either moves the plot or relationship forward. Ideally both, but it usually doesn’t feel like dragging on if each chapter has a goal in mind. Also a I like each chapter to have a satisfying end or a mini cliffhanger, to either give the reader relief that a little plot arc is wrapped up or anticipate the closing of that arc next chapter.

In the end you have to write the story you want. Slow or fast, flowery prose or more blunt and straightforward language. Smutty or gen-fic. Not everyone will like it, and that’s okay. But if you like it, that will come across to readers. Your passion makes the story come together. people will overlook a lot of things if they sense that behind the words — because they want to feel something, too.

Also this resource by peachesofteal has a bunch of really useful links. I use the eye color one a lot :3

[thebestofoneshots]

✩ Star

hey luvv!! can i please request a romantic matchup for marauders era :) ? you don't have to rush it, take your time in writing! 🪽💕🌸🤍

i'm a capricorn, infp, and an asexual sapphic. though i don't mind being matched up with a man because i'm sapphic and not lesbian :) maybe you can match me both with a girl and a boy hehehh

i'm 173 cm, i have brown long hair (with bangs) and brown eyes. i love doing skincare/just taking care of my body. i love the colour pink! i'm quite girly and feminine. my clothing style is basically this fashion brand called ozlana. i love wearing pearl jewelleries. i feel prettiest when i do my hair well. i also love barbie fashion! i'd love to be a fashion designer and have my own fashion boutique one day.

i'm a good listener and i can understand people well. i consider myself as open minded. i'm a huge feminist (gender equality and really just social equality in general 🫶) and i resent people that makes fun of others for being excited over something they love. i love reading (preferably english classics). i love the wizard of oz a lot. i would love someone who respects women and a gentleman.

i consider myself as quite smart :) (don't wanna be too self indulgent tho). my hobbies are reading, stargazing, and making dresses/clothing. i love plants and flowers <3 i also love fruits! my favs are strawberry, grapes, and blueberry. i enjoy baking too! love making french desserts recipes. i'm scared of being a failure. my biggest fear actually. so i tend to push myself as hard as i can to ace what i want.

i think that's all!! don't wanna make this too long. if you don't want to write this then i totally understand 🌸🤍💕🪽🫧

If you want to participate in "TBOS' 400 Followers Celebration" too, you can look at this post for all the options of prompts you can choose form &lt;3

☆ Star: send a short description of yourself and I’ll tell you who I ship you with!

Chasing Butterflies

Pairing: James x Lily x reader Prompt: The story of how you ended up dating James and Lily. Word count: 1.5 k Warnings: None, (bit angsty / what feels like unrequited love but actually isn't).

Hey beatiful! I ship you with Lily and James! The first time you saw Lily, you thought she was the prettiest girl you’d seen in the world. She was wearing this beautiful flowery pink dress and looked so in awe of everything around her that you couldn't help but stare. Having been born into a magical family, it was interesting to see it from a different perspective. You were just about to approach her when she said hi to a disagreeable-looking boy that stared down at you as you took a step forward, which deterred you from doing so. Instead, you scurried away inside the train. That’s where you met James Potter and Peter Petegrew.

James was a very well-spoken boy who saw you wandering the train by yourself and invited you to sit along with him and his friend. He had been the one to introduce you to Peter and had also bought a bunch of treats for everyone once the Trolley Witch came around. James had been so nice to you that day that you felt like a princess. When both of you were put in the same house, you became close. James was always really, really nice to you, and you liked that about him, especially compared to the way his friends treated you - Sirius always trying to flirt and Peter being so awkward all the time. You also became close with Remus, and he would lend some of his muggle books, and you would borrow some magical ones to him. It became a habit, and Sirius would call you both nerds for it. You didn’t mind it all that much; you knew it was all playful banter.

In 5th year, when you discovered your passion for making clothes, the first person you told was Lily. You politely asked her if you could design a dress for her, and she felt honored. Once you handed her the dress, she instantly put it on, and it fit her like a glove. That weekend, when you went to Hogsmeade, she wore the dress, and even though you thought she looked absolutely lovely, you couldn’t help but feel a pit in your stomach whenever you realized people were staring at her. It was as if you didn’t want them to look, and their staring was affecting you somehow.

“That sounds an awful lot like jealousy to me,” Remus had told you. You gasped in that moment, but the more you thought about it, the more it made sense. Maybe you didn’t just like Lily as a friend. Maybe you liked, like her. Romantically liked her. And it made you feel miserable because you were very aware, like pretty much the entire school, that James was absolutely hung up on her.

At Marlenes’s party, organized by Mary a year later, someone had the brilliant idea of playing spin the bottle. When Lily had to kiss Marlene, she didn’t budge, which made you both jealous but also a little curious. Could that mean Lily was interested in girls too?

You, in turn, had to kiss James, and even if he was your friend, you had to admit he was a really good kisser. You were both panting a little when you separated and awkwardly went back to your places in the circle. From that day on, James stuck to you like gum, following you around and carrying your books and bag a lot more often than he did before. And even if you appreciated how nice he was, making you feel like a princess again, you were also bothered because you felt like you were his second choice, his consolation prize after he gave up on chasing after Lily.

“I’m not a pity prize, James!” You told him one day as he tried to hold your hand.

He looked at you, hurt in his face. “I’d never see you as one, kitten. I thought you knew.”

You looked at him taken aback. “What about Lily?”

He averted your gaze. “She… She’s like a star. Unreachable.”

“And I am within reach, right?” You continued, a little angry still.

“That’s not what I…”

“James, I like her too!” You somehow blurted out.

He looked at you in shock, eyes wide open as you told him the truth. “You like–" he started, confused "–like I do?”

You looked to the side and nodded. “Yes! Like you do.”

“And you don’t like boys like that?”

“I… I wouldn’t say that either…”

“Then what’s the issue?” He said, reaching for your hand again. You stared at him with a frown, thinking of pulling your hand away. But his hand was warm, and just as James always did, it made you feel nice too.

Both you and James started to spend a lot more time together since then. People would find him sitting beside you at dinner and in some classes. He made sure to always keep some kind of contact with you, whether it was holding your hand, having his arm over your shoulder, or a hand on your waist. You actually grew to like it; you felt appreciated and loved. Maybe you really weren’t a second choice to him, maybe he really had chosen you over Lily.

But then it was Halloween, and somehow you convinced him to dress as Ken while you'd dress up as Barbie. You designed both of your outfits, and he even hung out with you while you were sewing and adding beads and glitter to both of your costumes. Even Peter was helping you with the costumes, since you’d promised to help him with his. You were all sitting in the common room, and you were on the floor, sitting between James’ legs and resting your head on his chest as you sewed some details onto a coat when Lily walked in.

You smiled and waved at her, but she just looked at the two of you, looking hurt, and stormed out. “What’s with her?” Peter asked with a shrug. You and James looked at each other with a frown and nodded, both getting up and chasing after her.

“Lily!” You shouted as she picked up the pace.

“I’ll take a short cut,” James told you. “We’ll intercept her.”

Soon enough, James was blocking Lily from the front, and you stopped her from behind. “Hey! Lils, stop running, will you?” You told her, breath a little ragged, as she tried to walk past you. Her eyes started to water, and you looked at her concerned, placing both hands on her shoulders. “Hey love, what’s wrong?” You asked.

She started to cry then, and your heart broke. Whatever you had done, you were sure to never ever do it again; you could not bear to see her cry. James looked as mortified as you did.

“Evans,” he said, not daring to place a hand on her, like you already had. “What’s wrong, darling?” He asked softly.

“I… I don’t know… I…” She started between sobs. “I just, I suddenly felt so angry at the two of you being together like that. I just… I didn’t…. I’m an asshole.” She said as she placed her hands over her face to hide it from the two of you.

Realization hit you like a truck. “You like James,” you said dryly. James looked shocked at the two of you. “You’re jealous.” You said with a bitter laugh. “I’ll leave you to talk,” you said as you started to leave.

Lily finally raised her head from her hand and shook her head, you couldn't be more wrong. She grabbed your arm. "I wasn't jealous of you!" You turned surprised. "I wanted to be James!" You looked at the two of them, shocked. James looked so confused in that moment; if it hadn't been for the situation, you would've loved to capture that expression in a picture. "Or rather, there, like… in between the two."

You looked at her even more shocked. "Does that mean you like… both me and–"

"–Me?" James finished.

Lily just looked at the two of you in desperation. "See? I AM an asshole!"

You shook your head and exchanged a glance with James. He nodded, and the two of you embraced Lily in a tight hug. You buried your head on Lily’s shoulder, relishing in the smell of her signature lavender perfume, while James wrapped his long arms around the two of you, drawing you both towards his chest. From that moment on, the three of you somehow started dating each other. Lily was the perfect companion; she understood and related to all of your girly needs, gifting you a pearl necklace on your birthday and wearing all the dresses you made for her. James always cared for the two of you like you were goddesses, giving you the best cuddles in the world and enjoying all the desserts you prepared for him. He was absolutely obsessed with the way you baked. You were so happy together; you almost couldn’t believe it was real. But it was, and it was beautiful.

A/N: Hey sweetie! I really hope you enjoy this little ship (it totally got out hand and ended up being a mini ficlet, but I hope you like it); also I really hope all the cuddling doesn't bother you &lt;3

Much Love, Lilly xx

[purble-gaymer]

F (< this is a really good one i think everyone would want to get this one), H, J (any fic), K, X

for the ask game :]

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

god that is a good one but it's also a HARD one. i feel like let me see your bones in its entirety is high up there if only because it is very personal to me. there's a lot of good stuff in wwtmk and unfortunate result AGH!!! this is so hard. i have a couple from unfortunate result i wanna talk about though

mk and the salesman's dynamic is so interesting to me and i never get to do anything with it. i loved writing this. the salesman jumpscare. meta knight anger out of fear moments. destroya confirmation. this is probably my favorite flashback in the fic

i think i'm gonna explode looking back over this fic. cafe brawl and the cooldown after it are probably two of my favorite parts. god. guys this experience means so much to me even if i completely fabricated it myself. it is such an important bonding moment for the knights especially when blade is the one breaking down because of it. and the aftermath of sword and meta knight having their little chat...is it normal to want to cry over your own work

okay okay last one. i really enjoyed writing this nightmare scene. showing first that meta knight asked for sword and blade's help above all else, his uneasiness as he realizes something is wrong, and a final call in desperation before nightmare reveals himself. i loooove writing these nightmares they're so fun. i feel like i have a really strong idea of what the realm is like and i need to do more with it

i may have gotten distracted rereading some of this fic while answering this. need to sue myself for emotional damages.

H: How would you describe your style?

i like to make things an appropriate amount of flowery. i love romantic/gothic era lit that really digs into descriptions, and it's been a goal in my writing for a long time now to get better with that, because when i started off i hated writing descriptions. i think i've improved on it a lot over the past couple years. i like to linger on little details to try and make my writing feel more immersive. i want my readers to be able to feel the breeze on their face and smell the autumn leaves, yknow? my imagination can be pretty strong sometimes and i want to do everything i can to translate those feelings onto paper. it's tough, but that's what makes it fun, and all the more satisfying when you write it out.

J: Write or describe an alternative ending to any fic.

hum. honestly the biggest one that comes to mind is that there's an alternate universe where meta knight dies at the end of know your place. i think if i wrote it today i might've followed through with that, but who knows. aside from that, for most of my fics i'm not conflicted about the ending. i know where i want the story to go, the harder part is deciding how i'm going to get there. i think i jumped between a few ideas for unfortunate result, but i don't really remember many of them. that fic had a pretty messy development, i had a lot of ideas and many of them ended up getting cut or changed into something else.

K: What's the angstiest idea you've ever come up with?

what do you think? :) i certainly have a lot of "meta knight gets tortured by nightmare" plots but one of these things is not like the others...especially once arthur gets involved.

X: A character you enjoy making suffer.

meta knight. meta knight. sword. blade. meta knight. falspar. meta knight. meta knight. meta knight

[mxopifex]

A Fanfic Writer's Guide to Writing Fanart Prompts

So it came up while chatting with some other members of a fandom gift exchange that some of the writers felt less comfortable writing prompts for recieving fanart gifts and I thought I'd try and make a guide to help out since I do both fanart and fanfic.

The stumbling blocks as I understood them were: 1) not knowing what you like in fanart, 2) not knowing how to articulate what you like (which is probably more related to the first item than you think), and 3) worrying that all your prompts are too narrative. Imma do my best to address those, but if you have other questions feel free to drop me a line. I want to help.

I call this a guide, but it's more of a series of questions to ask yourself than a how to, or rather this is a how to think about and understand what you want to ask for type guide. A good prompt doesn't need to (and maybe shouldn't) touch on every issue I bring up here. The goal is to make the person who is making your gift feel confident that they can make something you like, not to tell them exactly what to do.

What to do if you are worried that you make all your prompts too narrative heavy:

First, relax. Fanart often carries a narrative component. You can reasonably prompt something that might involve a bit of visual storytelling. That said, the amount of story you can get in a single image is much smaller than the amount you can pack into even a modest 1k short story. Imagine a single scene you might like to see; the kind you love when it pops up in a fic. "I'd like to see the blorbos on a beach vacation" or "I'd like to see character A treating character B's wounds." You can further abstract this to things like "a cozy domestic scene" or "being flirty."

Some Prompt Prompts for if you are feeling stuck on what to ask for

Tropes! Many tropes work in a fanart setting. The ones that don't are the ones that need a bit more narrative behind them to make sense. It might be tricky to convey Fake Dating with a single image, but Hurt/Comfort or Only One Bed is very doable.

AUs! Want to let the artist play dress up with the blorbos? See what they'd look like as the socialite guests in a 1920s Agatha Christy style murder mystery? or just ask for something more general like a fairy tale setting or modern au.

Set the mood! What's the vibe you like best about this character or coupling? Do you want something dark and broody? More lighthearted and comedic? Tender and romantic?

Style! While I don't advise requesting something in the vein of a specific artist's style (the person making your gift has their own style) talking about styles of art that you like can help them understand what's visually appealing to you. So mentioning like "a moody film noir type setting" or "overwrought flowery romance like in shojo manga" isn't horrible, as long as you leave the artist room to bring their own sensibilities into the picture.

Poses! Want that bridal carry? Sharing an umbrella? Something that emphasizes a height difference? Don't go too hog wild with details "and their left pinky at a thirty degree angle..." but if you wanna see someone getting dipped on the dance floor, go ahead and ask for it.

Two final thoughts. First, just like with fic prompts you want to have a couple different ones in your ask. Every artist has things they feel more or less comfortable with, and giving a few options helps to make sure that there's at least one that they can work with. Particularly if you have a more complex prompt, it would be good to also have one that's simpler or more open to interpretation. Second, check in with yourself to see if you have any art specific DNWs.Maybe you can handle written descriptions of blood but not visual depictions or maybe the character has that one outfit that you think is butt ugly. Either way make sure you are clear about it in your prompt.

[herbgerblin]

That poll you reblogged got me thinking. What would you, an artist who does commissions, consider a good character ref sheet? What do you need/consider when drawing someone's oc/dnd characters/character you don't know?

Shoutout to @ceilingfan5 for that poll because I was also very interested in the responses.

I answered a question about what info to include in the description of your character (s) here. But I can definitely expand a bit more! Disclaimer: Not every artist works the same way.

Example prompt to use for requests is under the cut!

If you have drawn your own ocs, but are afraid of using them as references, don't be! I never judge anyone's examples, and I've seen references from a wide range of skill sets. I'm not an art critic, I'm just here to interpret your work and translate it to my own style. You know your ocs best, so I try to pick up on the details that you clearly want to see.

If you can't find the exact right reference, say so before I start drawing. I keep a lot of stock images on hand and I scour the internet for references all the time. I can probably get closer to what you have in mind. Or I will just model the image myself (I have used myself as a model several times.)

Write objective descriptions. Descriptions written in flowery, poetic language can be hard to parse, especially when I need to read them multiple times to make sure I didn't miss anything. I recommend using bullet points if you require a lot of specific details.

If you have a preferred name and Paypal deadnames you, I will 100% only use your preferred name and I will ignore it on PayPal if it comes up. I don't know if there's a way to filter out customer names on PayPal. I only need the email address to send invoices. If you want to go the extra step of making an email just for commissions, that's fine with me.

I don't do a lot of dynamic scenes but if you ask, include what camera angle and POV you want the scene to be viewed from. Providing reference images of a different scene from that angle is also a huge help!

I repeat: If you have no previous examples of your ocs, I recommend using a Pinterest board or google drive folder with references. But keep them to like a 3-10 minimum (unless there are multiple characters, in which case include more than that.)

Example prompt below ->

Hi [artist]

I am requesting a [insert type of commission] for my character(s) [name(s).] I have attached reference pictures of their hairstyles, outfits, poses, and an example of the scene. I have included a description of the commission down below:

Character A is sitting at a small cafe table. They are wearing a button-up dress. A mug of steaming coffee is resting on the table near their hand. Character B is pulling out a chair opposite Character A. They are wearing a hoodie, jeans, and a silver necklace. They look a little damp and disheveled like they've just come in from the rain, and maybe blushing from embarrassment. A wet umbrella is leaning against the side of their chair. Character A is laughing good-naturedly. The background doesn't have to be detailed, but if you could make it feel like the lighting is warm and slightly dim, that would be great!

Please let me know if you would like any further details.

Thanks,

[Preferred Name]

[cr4yolaas]

hii! sorry if this is a weird ask but can you give me tips for writing?

not weird at all anon :)

going for a feeling rather than a description

in a lot of my works, i tend to avoid flat-out describing scenarios (i.e. she opened the door and walked inside the house, then placed her shoes on the floor) because it personally feels very emotionless to me. i try my best to focus on what the character is feeling in that moment, whether it’s sensory or emotionally (this could even include the feeling of sweat collecting on their palms as opposed to saying they’re anxious), and you might notice that i use “flowery” words to make this happen.

using figurative language

adding onto the “flowery” words topic, i also love to incorporate fig. lang. to expand on ideas and items. this is less to make something clearer (in the way you would use similes) but rather to make the writing more appealing or to make connections to concepts within my writing. stuff like “ribbons of sunlight” or “dripping down the walls” (to describe an atmospheric feeling) is stuff i tend to utilize more often, but figurative language is really a broad scope that can be expanded on infinitely.

synonyms

there is no shame in having to search up “[word] synonyms,” and i actually do it quite often. it helps a lot with making your writing sound less repetitive. however, i would be careful when doing this, as certain synonyms can appear off-putting with the rest of your writing. however, it’s also just super important to broaden your vocabulary through this method or even through media to minimize how often you rely on synonyms.

consuming content

adding onto the last one, reading is genuinely the best way to get better at writing imo. i don’t read as often now, but i used to read so often as a child and a lot of the ideas and vocabulary stuck to me. i generally watch a lot of kdramas and cdramas nowadays (wifty my beloved), and sometimes seeing how their tropes play out — whether romantic, platonic, or even between enemies — is super helpful for envisioning how i want characters in my fic to interact. my writing is mostly inspired by the music i listen to, however, and i sometimes like to pull inspo from lyrics (miracle musical or whatever it is by tally hall was my favorite when a few years ago) or use songs to drive a certain feeling that i want to show in my work. it’s pretty difficult to have a distinct writing style of your own without inspiration.

writing when you’re in the mood

never force yourself to write. i’m a victim of this and it’s produced a lot of my poor content. you should write when you feel inspired to do so (hence the importance of the last point), otherwise you may not come up with ideas or topics that feel right to you if that makes sense. on a side note however, don’t scrap the writing that you create midway through these bouts of demotivation — sometimes you might write a handful of paragraphs and realize you don’t really like it because it wasn’t what you wanted it to be, but it’s always good to save it for later, because it could work out well in another spot.

i hope this helped (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) if you have any specific questions about certain works, feel free to ask !! i’d love to answer :)

[shiraishi--kanade]

hi! im sorry if this is a far too personal question, it just comes from a place of curiosity — since you have aphantasia, how do you experience books/fics/writing in general?

if movement or specific body language is being described, is it harder to interpret it? can you like, ‘see’ the words in your head instead of the images or is any sort of visualization impossible? also how does math work for u…..

Hi! Don't worry, I don't mind talking about it all (I don't post about anything I would be opposing to discussing or sharing my experience with publically as a rule of the thumb), and this is actually a very thoughtful and interesting question! Because yeah, it does impact my ability to both enjoy reading and write something of my own, and I've talked about it quite extensively with other people - just not like, posted about it. But with that said my experiences don't represent everyone, every aphantasic person has a different expectations, you know the drill.

I think I approach reading more mathematically than other people, but in general I don't tend to enjoy books. Like, at all (especially adding dyslexia to the mix). Non-fiction is easier to get through than fiction - around 80% of books I've read in the past three years or so have been non-fiction. Fan-fiction is also easier because you don't have to put in effort into getting to know the characters and their environment, but original fiction is the ninths circle of hell - double if it's set in a fictional fantasy word or whatever. I can appreciate nice world building, but, my guy, those two pages you've just spend describing the castle worth nothing to me. I can't see shit (guy being a metaphorical writer, whatever metaphorical castle are we talking about here).

Anyway, back to approaching it mathematically - it is as you said, I don't interpret body language in writing. Things like people moving across the room, or standing up or sitting down, I think they don't really translate over in my brain because I never thought or needed that information anyway. However, I do understand things from narrative point? As in, I don't "see" a character crossing their arms, but as a person who is reading about it and knows how to interpret real life body language, I know the author intended to write that gesture to portray a character being defensive or discontented. This is generally how it goes for every facial expression/body language thing in a book - I notice it and analyse the intent behind putting it there, and that's about all there is to it. I guess you could say reading is more of a conversation with the writer for me in that respect? There is still merit to pointing out those things for me, and I know the purpose of putting them in the text. I think, for me, everything that requires imagination is a bit of a "blue curtains" dilemma - it's always the "why"s it's in the text, and honestly this is what I enjoy in reading, figuring that stuff out.

This also means my experience will vary depending on writhing style, on a case by case basis. Flowery language, abundance of metaphors, a lot of descriptions that don't serve an overarching narrative purpose usually amounts to Did Not Finish on a book for me. It's just not enjoyable. On the other hand, dialogue-driven, heavy-hitting "no-nonsense" and more factual writing styles is something I usually enjoy.

Also, while I do have aphantasia (no visualisation. No images in my brain whatsoever), I don't have total aphantasia - which means I still have an ability to mentally recall and imagine other senses, mostly aural for me. So I both enjoy dialogues in books overall, and especially dialogue-heavy fanfiction and such. Also, no, I don't exactly "see" the words themself in my mind either (although I think some people do?), but I can imagine how they would sound if spoken aloud - just kind of narrating everything without actually picturing it. I don't know if there's any use to it, though.

Edit: also forgot to add - math works for me in a way that it just kind of doesn't. I finished the subject with D.

[smytherines]

The new chapter is done (I think), I just read it and thought "Yes, that's where it should end," but I'm also very nervous. I write in third person limited perspective, so like a narrator that can only access one person's POV at a time.

For Owen, that was super easy. This is an autistic guy who is super inside his own head, lots of prose and flowery language (and god you have no idea how much I cut hahaha). That's very easy for me to slot into because that's how I am.

For Curt it has been much more difficult. I'm AuDHD so I can access both these parts that I consider intrinsic to these characters, but writing a chapter from Curt's perspective I want to make it very distinctly in his voice.

I've had to take an axe to the prose and try to write in a more concise, observational style. Like.. I imagine it as him just constantly taking in new information. Descriptions of colors and styles and fabrics and sensory info I wouldn't necessarily put in an Owen chapter. Much more dialogue and inner monologue. Using words differently because 1. He's American and 2. In my HC he is dyslexic and doesn't have that huge reserve of fancy words. He feels things in a huge way, but he hates that about himself. He's a little bit chaotic.

In terms of emotions and little ADHD traits, that's something I understand, but finding the voice to express those things is difficult, and I worry that the second chapter will be too much of a tonal shift?

I don't know this is probably all silly and pretentious of me to say. These characters just mean so much to me, finding their story and expressing their voices means so much to me. I don't want to fuck it up.

Also the second chapter was supposed to have some fluff, some angst, and then follow suit with the *ahem* action from the first chapter, but these two will not shut the fuck up and I think I'm going to have to write a third chapter to wrap things up the way I want to.

[vodkassassin]

Hello!! I've been reading through ur "Everyone Loves Shang Qinghua (My Canon Now)" collection on ao3 and wanted to let u know i enjoyed it a lot!! SQH is by far my favourite character from svsss and im really excited to see other people in the fandom recognising his greatness. Ur stories were very entertaining and i really like ur dialogue!! Ive also really liked ur takes on some of the character dynamics. Oh and the peak lord ocs were super fun, tho i feel a bit sad for the pining one lol. Overall u have a very nice writing style that I really enjoyed. It's pretty, but not overwhelmingly flowery and its easy to follow. I also really liked ur descriptions!! Thank u for writing and for sharing it!!

Why thank you so so much, Nonny! I’m always really interested about what, exactly, readers enjoy about my stories/writing. So to hear this detailed review is very flattering and a huge serotonin boost! I’m so happy to hear!

I also have to agree on the point of flowery words. I have read a few stories myself where the wording was so flowery on description and dialogue and just overall that it felt like I was trying to eat too big a bite of food when I was already stuffed. Always gonna be the back button on that for me. In light of that I do try to make sure I don’t go off the rails and make stuff too hard to follow in my own writing. I’m trying to feed you nice meals and/or snacks, not stuff you until you burst ;D

[vase]

Writing Tip #2: Getting Started, Part Two - The Fourth Pillar

Hello again! I want to thank everyone for the phenomenal amount of support my last post received. I'm really hoping to keep this momentum up, and I'm very thankful that so many people are having as much fun as I am.

As always, it's time for our next venture into the wonderful world of writing. Last time, we discussed character, plot, and setting. Next, I'd like to delve into what I personally consider the fourth important pillar alongside these. This fourth pillar is prose!

In writing, prose is meant to describe the manner of which a writer writes. Think of it as the writer's own personal style. Prose is specific to what is literally on the page. Prose dictates specifically the word choice, sentence length variation, grammar choices, and diction of the author. While communities around this are virile, an author need not worry if their prose is strictly "good", rather that it is consistent and fitting.

Typically, when a person (mostly literature students, because no one else gives a shit about prose) refers to "good prose", they will refer to the works of classic authors like Austen or Melville. "Good prose" tends to be filed under the same vein of books that non-literature students complain about, the ones that harp on about descriptions of a tree for an hour. This prose is praised because it excels in imagery--these hour long tree descriptions use excessive verbiage to paint an excessively clear picture of the surroundings. Often, the word choice of the author is what lends it its praise. Our average author, again, need not worry. One does not need to harp on about a tree for an hour to be good at prose. It is better, instead, to be fitting.

[ ID: MOTHER died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure. The telegram from the Home says: YOUR MOTHER PASSED AWAY. FUNERAL TOMORROW. DEEP SYMPATHY. Which leaves the matter doubtful; it could have been yesterday. ]

What precedes is an excerpt from Albert Camus's ever iconic 'The Stranger', in one of its many translations. While the original word choice is lost in translation (from dastardly French), the intent and prose of Camus is obediently transcribed by loyal translators. The main character of The Stranger, Meursault, is a man who thinks in a very objective and brisk sense. This bleeds into the prose of the book itself. Here, it would only kneecap Camus and The Stranger if the book indulged in the flowery, purple prose (term used to describe prose that is syrupy and poetic) of other notable classics, because it would go against the main character's worldview.

It's not necessarily important that your prose uses amazing words and the perfect Austenian writing, but rather that it matches the story. If your narrator character is a preteen girl, she's not going to describe things as 'Kafkaesque' (unless she's the coolest teen girl ever). Experimenting with prose is especially fun in multiple POV stories, with the possibility of different characters speaking or recounting things differently. Just as I recommended writing exercises previously when building characters, writing multiple POVs with different prose on purpose is a good way to build skill in prose. Everyone has their own specific 'prose', but developing your prose is an excellent idea, especially before writing the first draft of your project. Just like a drawing style, whereas everyone has their own style, it's better to learn to draw motion, backgrounds, and shadows before starting drawing your webcomic.

In a first person perspective novel, the prose of the book should be close to the way the narrator character speaks in dialogue, unless there's a specific reason otherwise (ie. the character is a spy and speaks differently to the people around them than they would regularly, or something along that vein). Multiple POV third person novels may also see a shift in prose depending on who is being followed, but they don't always need one. In fact, a dramatic shift may be a bit jarring for readers in these instances. Third person omniscient books need not a prose specific to the central character per se, but this brings in the topic of audience. A book with a story aimed at preteen audiences probably shouldn't use advanced prose, as it may be difficult for the preteen audiences to follow. A writer's prose, however, should be flexible enough to shift from genre-to-genre, reading level to reading level.

Don't believe me? Try it! A great way to practice prose, especially in this sense, would be to write the same general passage for different audiences: first as a children's book, then as a YA book, then as an adult book, and maybe even as an Austenian classic. A great way to practice prose and strengthen characters would be to write the same scene from many different character's perspectives, and incorporating the character's quirks into the prose. Personally, as well, I'm going to recommend writing poetry, especially rhyming poetry. Poetry challenges writers to use thinner perimeters to build word choice and intent.

Thanks everyone for reading once again! I know prose isn't a topic many find super interesting, and I'm sorry to disappoint those who were looking for a character writing or a worldbuilding tip. I promise, next time. Happy writing, prose apprentices, and thanks again for being along for the ride.

[idyllic-affections]

TADA MY LA SIGNORA POEM (La Signora backstory spoiler!)

Such a lovely tune, he said

A simple comment that made her red

How could her heart not flutter for her lover

No wonder she never recovered

Such a lovely butterfly, she said

A creation of her own, a flame that cannot be blown

She never imagined to use it for something more

But his death can never be something she could ignore

Such a lovely moth, they said

A lover out for revenge, a witch so many dread

She's quite perfect, don't you think?

As a harbinger to put the heavens to the brink

So what do you think? Is there anything i should improve on? I hope you like it and have great day/night!

(Im seriously contemplating a Dottore poem now.. would you like to see it if i ever do make it?)

- 🐱 Anon

HI BELOVED 🫶🫶🫶 btw i did see your other ask!!! i'm very glad fu xuan came home for you <3 may all of your desired characters always come home for you fr 🙏

BUT I DO, I LOVE THIS SO MUCH....... i miss signora every day she did NOT deserve that kind of brutal ending!!!!!! at least she's with her lover now though i guess AJSKFJLSHSK

my writing style has a tendency to be very flowery in certain moments. it adds another layer to my content, i think. so, if i have any advice, it would be add more descriptive words as you see fit. they don't have to be long or sophisticated! just a little additional word here or there. adding extra words that emphasize feelings or situations in your poem could help give it even more ✨️ flavor ✨️ than what it already has.

for example, "A simple comment that made her red" could become "A simple comment that made her oh-so red"

this helps to create more powerful imagery, if that's a thing you're looking to increase. i think it also helps just a little bit with the poem's flow.

the advice "remove all unnecessary words" isn't always true; it varies on a case-by-case basis, and it's up to the writer to decide when their writing is too wordy or isn't wordy enough. of course, if the minimal wordiness was intentional on your behalf, then don't mind this advice!

you totally should make a dottore poem btw. he is poem-able. i would love to see it <33

[sunriseverse]

What ARE your favorite things about writing?? And before you judge me for being awake, it's to prep for a medical procedure so I'm actually justified (this time)

@absolutefuckincroissant @owengrose thank you both for letting me ramble about this!!!

there's a lot of things i love about writing, but i'll try and put them into a couple of categories: characterisation, style, and experimentation.

characterisation is probably the biggest one for me—i love to dig around characters' brains and go over canon again and again to catch the tiny little hints and differences that give off so much information about what's going on in their head, their motivations, etc etc. probably a good half of my fanfics could moonlight as character studies, and this is why. to me, plot serves the character—when i'm writing, my personal rule is that if the plot doesn't progress due to actions a character would logically take (with some exceptions, of course), then i need to go back and rework whatever i'm trying to do, and either figure out a way to make the plot happen while keeping characterisation, or by changing what i was aiming for plot-wise. to this point, i read a lot of meta and try and pick apart characters' motivations, idiosyncracies, etc. characterisation is something that comes fairly naturally to me, but it isn't something that i just woke up one day magically knowing—i've been writing for over a decade, and probably a good five years of that my characterisation wasn't very good. like anything, it's something i've practised a lot—but it's also something i enjoy—i love working with characterisation to enhance plot, add emotional depth, and discover new and interesting ways characters would react to any given situation.

style is the other big point that i love about writing. you often see people talk about artists' unique style, but it also applies to writers. it's something that takes a lot of practise to develop, but it's one of my favourite things about writing—going over my own writing days, weeks, or even months later, and seeing the little bits of my writing that are clearly mine and going oh! :D about it. my writing is fairly dense and heavy on descriptive elements, and tends towards long and flowery, and i know that can be a bit offputting for people, but i think that it's fun and sets my writing apart from others'. also, i love to describe things—it's as close as i can get to showing the visions i have in my mind of what i'm writing.

finally, experimentation! this point isn't super big, but i love that writing allows me to experiment and try things that i wouldn't have otherwise, be it genre or setting or even premise. now that i'm a much more established and confident writer, i worry less about how my writing will be perceived, which allows me to just let loose and have fun. every time i finish writing, i feel a burst of excitement, because i can't wait to see what i'll do next!

[anneapocalypse]

🎀give yourself a compliment about your own writing / 🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

🎀give yourself a compliment about your own writing

I think I do character voices pretty well!

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

I always struggle to describe my own style, and I do feel like it changes quite a bit based on the POV character of what I'm writing. So in that sense, I'd say my writing style is heavily character-driven, and also very dialogue-heavy because I enjoy dialogue. I think I usually describe things in a pretty straightfoward way; I don't mind a bit of flowery prose, certainly, but I value clarity in visual description especially, for myself as much as the reader since I don't have a strong visual brain.