#ok NOW i have a shit ton of muse ?? i think ?? it might be drafts time

[mortalis-arc]

𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲   :   𝐚   𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤   𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞   𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚'𝐬   𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

i've   been   taking   the   time   i've   spent   on   my   own   to   kind   of   hone   in   on   the   abilities   i   want   desdemona   to   have   &   what   she   experiences   during   her   communications   with   spirits   ,   how   it   effects   her   ,   etc.

**   i've   taken   inspiration   from   various   pieces   of   media   like   hereditary   ,   the   conjuring   universe   ,   charmed   ,   ghost   whisperer   ,   etc.   and   also   put   my   own   lil   spin   on   some   things.

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄   ::   desdemona   first   successfully   contacted   a   spirit   in   her   childhood   home   in   new   orleans.   not   a   malicious   being   by   any   means.   in   fact   ,   it   was   the   spirit   of   an   elderly   woman   named   LUCINDA   (commonly   referenced   as   LUCY   )   WYATT.   she   passed   away   from   end   stage   dementia.   interestingly   enough   ,   lucinda   was   very   close   with   desdemona's   grandmother   ,   ALESSIA   CALLAWAY.

alessia   callaway   not   only   possessed   the   gift   of   the   callaway   women   (   a.k.a   mediumship   )   ,   but   she   was   also   a   gifted   witch   &   now   ,   the   spirit   of   a   gifted   witch.   

when   des   first   noticed   the   presence   of   lucy   ,   it   was   a   few   nights   after   her   tenth   birthday.   she   was   struggling   to   get   to   sleep   one   night   ,   but   found   sleep   came   with   ease   after   she   felt   a   soothing   touch   to   her   arm.   it   wasn't   human   —   much   too   cold   ,   much   too   light.

it   was   later   on   that   year   ,   after   many   encounters   with   lucy   (   who   always   seemed   to   be   there   for   desdemona   when   she   needed   it   most   )   that   des   finally   mentioned   it   to   her   grandmother   when   they   were   glancing   through   an   old   photo   album.   inside   ?   a   picture   of   the   day   des   was   born   ,   cradled   in   the   arms   of   none   other   than   lucinda.   

this   is   when   desdemona's   grandmother   &   mother   began   taking   her   on   secret   outings.   her   brother   could   tag   along   on   one   condition   :   father   was   never   to   find   out.   he   deeply   despised   alessia   from   the   moment   they   met   ;   told   his   wife   that   her   mother   was   practicing   satanism   &   witchcraft   and   that   he   would   have   absolutely   none   of   that   in   his   God-fearing   Christian   household.

the   secret   outings   normally   would   consist   of   hanging   out   at   grandma's   house   ,   listening   to   stories   from   mother   &   grandmother   about   the   gift   that   the   callaway   women   held.   a   gift   of   mediumship   &   even   in   one   extreme   case   ,   SPIRIT   CONTROL.   

**   more   things   abt   des'   childhood   &   family   will   most   likely   be   in   her   bio.   this   was   just   a   lil   ....   refresher   i   guess   !!!   if   you're   rlly   interested   in   hearing   more   about   her   childhood/grandmother/father/whatever   then   you   can   always   message   me.   otherwise   i'm   hoping   to   have   her   bio   written   SOOOOON.

𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀'𝐒   𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐓   𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆   ::   one   of   the   safest   &   easiest   ways   for   des   to   communicate   with   the   dead.   you   may   notice   that   she   always   carries   around   a   journal   with   her.   it   is   a   journal   given   by   her   mother   (   previously   owned   by   her   grandmother   )   and   it   holds   all   of   the   written   conversations   she's   had   with   spirits   before.

you   might   be   thinking   :   ok   so   how   is   this   different   from   ghost   writing   in   phasmophobia   

only   des   is   able   to   read   this   journal   with   the   exception   of   other   humans   possessing   the   same   ability   /   some   sort   of   clairvoyance   /   mediumship   ,   or   other   spirits.   to   an   average   human   being   ,   it   looks   like   a   blank   notebook.   empty   pages   front   to   back.   they   cannot   see   that   it's   actually   ,   in   fact   ,   filled   page   to   page   with   written   messages.   

so   what   happens   when   the   pages   run   out   ?   she   simply   buys   a   new   notebook   and   binds   it   with   the   same   spell   her   grandmother   taught   her   before   passing   on.   so   yes   ,   somewhere   in   desdemona's   apartment   there   is   a   stack   of   seemingly   blank   notebooks.

if   she   feels   some   sort   of   negative   energy   ,   she'll   try   to   refrain   from   using   the   book   to   protect   herself   from   letting   anything   attach   to   it.   but   u   know.   shit   happens.   (   i   was   just   thinkin   abt   her   demonic   possession   verse   ok   )

𝐀𝐋𝐋   𝐎𝐅   𝐓𝐇𝐄   𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒....   ::   so   yeah   !!   i'm   officially   settled   on   the   fact   that   des   can   experience   clairaudience   ,   clairvoyance   ,   and   clairsentience.   she   can   hear   ,   see   ,   and   feel   various   spirits.   she   can   also   channel   ,   or   use   her   body   as   a   conduit   for   spirits   to   take   control   and   relay   messages   to   the   living.   some   of   these   can   of   course   be   a   little   more   dangerous   /   anxiety   inducing   than   others.   typically   after   she   uses   her   body   as   a   conduit   ,   she'll   be   extremely   exhausted   for   days   afterwards.   she   might   experience   disassociation   ,   high   levels   of   anxiety   ,   etc.

𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐓   𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍   ::   this   is   considered   to   be   an   extremely   rare   power   that   no   one   in   the   callaway   family   possessed   until   desdemona   came   along.   and   even   with   her   ,   it   is   in   its   beginning   stages.   it   is   an   extremely   strong   ability   that   usually   just   festers   within   her   ,   grows   in   power   and   begs   to   be   freed   .   .   .

des   ,   herself   ,   does   not   know   that   she   posseses   this   power.   her   grandmother   knew   des   was   destined   for   great   things   from   birth   ,   maybe   even   knew   secretly   that   her   own   granddaughter   possessed   such   a   power.   but   she   never   told   desdemona's   mother   or   des   herself.   she   thought   ,   '   if   des   is   meant   to   know   ,   she   will.   '

so   what   IS   spirit   dominion   ?   i'm   still   looking   into   it   ,   trying   to   tweak   some   things   for   des   because   typically   it's   only   like   .   .   .   other   spirits   that   can   have   this.   but   i   imagine   that   des   could   be   able   to   paralyze   ,   influence   ,   or   inflict   pain   on   a   spirit.   maybe   not   a   demon   ,   maybe   so   .   .   .   if   it   was   particularly   weaker   ?

but   on   a   strong   entity   ,   i   feel   like   des   would   discover   her   power   and   attempt   to   use   it   ,   ultimately   fail   &   lead   to   her   own   untimely   death.   as   we   all   know   ,   i've   already   canoned   her   deathg   jfgbdfjkgbj

[hzcleski]

hello friends! you probs know who i am already but if not hello! i’m sam aaand this is my newish muse! i played hal here for a minute one time but i’ve decided to give him a huuuuge revamp so character info is under the cut! lmk if you wanna plot! messaging me @ellvie​ is probably easiest!

╰☆╮ DYLAN O'BRIEN ─ HAL ZALESKI identifies as CIS MALE and uses HE/HIM pronouns. they’re a FORMER OLYMPIAN/NHL PLAYER, and they’re only TWENTY THREE ! they’re said to be CAPABLE, but also TURBULENT. i guess that’s why they’re known as THE LEGACY in the tabloids.

quick disclaimer that this is a sideblog so i might post to the wrong account sometimes

other disclaimer a lot of my hockey information is from google ok

nathan harold zaleski jr was practically born with a pair of skates on, which makes sense considering his family is hockey royalty. his father is nathan harold zaleski sr, aka a legend and one of the biggest names in sports to this very day. olympic gold medalist several times over, beloved longtime defenseman for the toronto maple leafs, at the very peak of his career and married to a beautiful wealthy socialite when his only child was born.

listen...this is an au where the maple leafs are good or like, had one genuinely good star player in nathan sr. okay thanks for coming to my ted talk!

he’s got dual citizenship because he was born in canada even though he hasn’t lived there since he was ten, but his parents were us citizens, which doesn’t seem important but WAIT FOR IT

nathan jr, who would begin going by the nickname of hal early on in life, probably learned how to skate before he even learned how to walk because of course he did. his father’s intention was always to have another him. i mean for fuck’s sake they have the exact same name. hal’s purpose in life has never been in question, not by him or anyone who’s ever seen him play.

his natural talent for hockey became apparent from a very young age, which didn’t surprise anyone ofc. his father saw it as a sign and began pushing him even harder, hiring the very best trainers and coaches to help perfect his game while nathan sr focused on his own career.

except that he was running out of steam and fast. nothing happened like there was no huge scandal or career ending injury. nathan sr was just...getting old. fans were simply losing interest in him as newer and younger players joined the league and there was nothing he could really do about it except make sure his legacy lived on.

hal was ten years old when everything seemed to finally fall apart. his dad was hanging on to the very last threads of his career, let go from the maple leafs and almost certainly picked up by the new york rangers purely out of pity. meanwhile, hal’s parents finally divorced which he took almost alarmingly well for a ten year old, but it’s not like his parents were ever a shining example of a deep, loving marriage. they spent years settling the divorce, fighting back and forth while suing the shit out of each other across whole fuckin countries. lowkey they almost wound up being more famous for the legal drama than they were for hockey.

hal’s dad finally retired when he was twelve, won sole custody of him when he was fourteen, and pulled enough strings to get him a spot on the canadian hockey team dual citizenship! going to the 2010 vancouver winter olympics when he was just a teenager, making him one of the youngest players to ever compete in the games.

and canada won gold that year so hal was making history again in no time, being one of the youngest players to ever become a gold medalist in the winter olympics. now he didn’t actually see a lot of playing time that year. his skill was undeniable, but no one seemed to think that he was ready for the big time rush. tbh they probably weren’t wrong, but nevertheless his name and his win made an impression on everyone.

up until that point hal was homeschooled bc ofc education came second to hockey, but he always wanted to attend an actual school and he did! after his first olympics his dad finally sent him to the same private school in the city as all the other rich kids and it was...weird! he started in the middle of the year and was instantly an outsider among his classmates. everyone else had known each other all their lives so hal immediately at a disadvantage. it didn’t help that he’d never really...had a single friend before. tbh his peers were probably intimidated by him. he was just a high schooler and already an olympic gold medalist like...ofc no one wanted to be the person to go approach him and say hi.

played for canada again dual citizenship! at the 2014 winter olympics in sochi when he was eighteen and this time HE WAS THE STAR. absolutely at the top of his game. anyone who still thought that he was a joke before the games started shut up real quick when he won his second gold medal.

he got home and was eventually drafted into the nhl, so he sorta ditched school oops. technically he finished but like...barely since he went back to being tutored for the last few months.

several teams wanted him and tried to throw a shit ton of money at him, but hal settled on the new york rangers with a huge multi million dollar deal

he quickly stole hearts on and off the ice. whether fans admired his skill or followed him during the olympics or remembered his father, for one reason or another he was winning people over left and right. unsurprisingly he’d go on to win the 2014-2015 rookie of the year award, presented to him by the president of the nhl and everything.

he did not attend the 2018 winter olympics in pyeongchang as the nhl famously refused to release their players. hal himself was a major part of the uproar. the whole country of canada dual citizenship! practically threw a fucking fit bc the nhl was disqualifying their star player from winning them their third gold medal in a row and hey big surprise...canada didn’t win gold in 2018 :)

hal’s in the middle of his fifth i think? year of pro hockey rn and so far his career has been solid. his dad is really pushing him to sign with a “better team” and he has gotten offers, but he isn’t really interested. he likes playing for new york & he likes living in new york. maybe someday....maybeeee....but for right now he’s happy with where he is.

okay now for some fast facts!

literally always looks like he just got into a fight, probably bc he just did during his last game. is usually sporting some injury like a black eye or split lip or cut cheek. fortunately hasn’t completely given in to the hockey player stereotype by getting all of his fuckin teeth knocked out...yet

notice that i hardly mentioned his mom? that about sums up their relationship tbh. hal was practically raised by nannies and trainers. his mom always had some brunch or gala or public appearance she was far more invested in. literally she didn’t even really...want custody of him when she divorced his dad, but she claimed to just to be petty and give nathan sr an even more difficult time. yeah they kinda hate each other now and since hal has always been closer to his dad, his mom isn’t even really that interested in seeing him lmao. she’ll call like once a month and invites him to brunch if she happens to be in the city, but ngl hal probably hasn’t seen her in like...a couple years at the least. he’s not really broken up about it either.

right so...walking talking endless pit of daddy issues? you bet! just because hal prefers his dad doesn’t mean that they get along or that his dad is a good person. he still has his perfect public image and he isn’t complete garbage but...yeah their relationship is extremely toxic. he’s always been very harsh with hal, pushing him and pushing him to be the best bc nothing he accomplishes is ever good enough.

so what if he's won two olympic gold medals? so what if he was rookie of the year? so what if he’s considered one of the best and most beloved players in the nhl? he can do more, he can be even better. his dad is a constant voice in his head even though he’s always around anyway. he never misses a game or an opportunity to point out hal’s every flaw.

ofc as a result hal’s always been very hard on himself. every single day of his entire life has been spent basing his self worth off what his father thinks of him. it was awful for his self esteem bc no fucking duh.

HOWEVER. it isn’t public knowledge at this time, but as of right now? hal’s relationship with his father is falling apart faster and faster by the moment. they’re a ticking time bomb & it’s literally only a matter of time before they explode yikes!

fortunately hal could sorta sense the direction things were heading and did something about it. he finally moved out when the hockey season started back in october and he’s been feeling better ever since. like he has more control over his life even though his dad is still WAY too involved.

personality: a douchebag who means no harm, mostly because he's never really trying to be a jerk. tends to come across as a typical meathead jock for good reason bc that’s exactly who he is. in conversation he's usually very blunt and a little awkward bc he’s still learning how to socialize with others. hockey is basically his whole life so it’s all he knows how to talk about, which can either be endearing or annoying. a genius hockey player, but a ditz in every other area. very short - tempered and impulsive. always means well and wants the best for those he cares about, but might go about expressing those feelings in a weird way bc he was never taught how to properly deal with his emotions.

CONNECTIONS

family

step sibling he grew up with - sabrina miller

paternal cousins - warren daily and wren daily

cousin by marriage - rosalind cox

maternal cousin - open. his mom is polish for reference!

romantic

girlfriend - genesis iver

ex fiancée - ginny baker

ex on good terms - margo massey

ex who cheated on him - isla thompson

former fwb - amethyst armenta, open to more.

former toxic on / off relationship - reese monroe

exes, open to more.

hal has a ton of other exes and i don’t feel like listing them tbh all so i’m just gonna assume that y’all know who you are ok

platonic

best friend 5ever - marialena goldstein

confidant - open.

family friends - sullivan ramsey, open to more.

childhood friends - open to more.

close friends - open to more.

friends - mia kauri, chance kauri, theo cannon, angel almeida, open to more.

bickering friends - open to more.

workout buddy - open.

negative

on bad terms - kennedy drakos, jay weston, open to more.

these are just a few plot ideas! i’m most definitely open to other stuff so if you have any ideas please free to share! i think that’s enough from me soooo yeah! mssg me if you wanna plot & as always i’m super excited to write with everyone!

[naomi-l-tiessen-blog]

Tips on Staying Motivated With Writing

Hellllloooo everybody ~

Happy Thursday Blogday!

I’m not going to lie, I’m being a heavy-duty hypocrite right now. This blog is about staying motivated to write (especially when you already are working full-time in a job that is NOT writing…*le sob*), and guys, I’ve been literally dancing around my computer for like 2 hours, avoiding this blog like the plague. I have been doing everything BUT writing…paying bills (barf), cleaning the house, making lists of all the things I need to do (I love a good color-coordinated list!), anything and everything that did not consist of typing.

I am so ashamed of myself. Where’s a nun jingling a bell screaming, “SHAME” when you need one?

Alas, I am here now, and I am GETTING THIS DONE.

So, as some of you might know, I like to refer to myself as a wolf cloaked in sheepskin. Not only does calling myself this make me feel badass, but I also feel like, at this point in my life, it accurately describes who I am. I am a writer trapped in a nurse’s body, and up until last year, I didn’t realize just how badly the writer in me wanted freedom, how badly the wolf I had been hiding inside wanted to howl. But it’s not as simple as waking up in the morning, throwing open your window, and declaring to the world, “I AM A WRITER, HEAR ME ROAR!” And I know some would disagree, but at least in my case, you can’t just quit your day job and assume the role of Starving Artist (see above reference to paying bills and barfing). Unfortunately, money still makes the world go round. It is simply not that simple, not for me, anyways. So, if you’re like me, you work full-time and write on the side. Sort of like a double life.

And that is ok.

It’s ok to do both. As much as I hate nursing, I know that I still rely on it heavily. It would not be a smart idea to jump ship (my husband can be my sugar daddy, right?), not when talk of buying houses and going back to school are in the works. So, as I slave away at a job that makes me feel dead inside, I am spurred forward by the hope that, one day, I can completely submerge myself into my writing and leave nursing in the dust.

But, that’s going to take a lot of work.

And sometimes, as much as I hate to admit it, the drive is just. Not. There.

Sometimes, when I come home from a 12-hour shift, my brain is so tired, all I want to do is watch TV or do something that requires very little thinking. And don’t even get me started on night shifts. Once, I went down for what I intended to be a light nap, and BAM! Entire day gone. Oops.

I know I’m not alone in this. Sometimes that full-time job we are reluctantly committed to just sucks the life right out of you, and you feel like you have nothing left to give to your writing.

That’s where this blog comes in! And Lord, I need this now more than ever.

So, without further ado, here are 9 tips and tricks to staying motivated to write, even when you feel like life is shoving a whole bunch of suck in your face, and your job is killing you slowly.

I could have done 10 tips but I chose not to because, hey *points to self* writer. Writers are weird. Not sure if you knew that already or not.

ALSO, a wee disclaimer: some of these won’t work for everyone. Hell, some of these don’t work for me. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t solid pieces of advice!

ALSO, another disclaimer: before anyone gets their pantaloons in a jumble, I’d like to point out that I have nothing against people that have already claimed the role of a full-time writer. I know that there are people out there that had no choice but to jump into the role, whether they were ready for it or not, and actually, I’m incredibly jealous of you. That takes bravery. Right now, I can only dream of doing that *sits in a dark corner rubbing hands together, murmuring, “sooooooon”*, but I know that my time will come when I am finally able do the same. But I should mention that whether you are a full-time writer, or a wolf in sheepskin, these tips can still apply.

1)  Carve out a bit of time each day to focus on nothing but writing. This could be when you're in the shower. This could be on your lunch break. This could be when you are waiting for your bout of insomnia to pass and for sleep to finally take you hostage for a couple hours. Even if you are just tossing around ideas, or working up a new subplot, or brainstorming that next big scene, it will make the next time you sit down to write a bit easier to slip into relatively unscathed. This SORT OF falls into that saying, “write every single day,” but to be honest, I’m not terribly fond of that saying. Like I mentioned before, sometimes it’s bloody hard getting my brain working at a functional pace after a long day, but if I’ve at least catalogued some time thinking about my manuscript, I still feel like I’ve accomplished something at the end of the day. So, in my opinion, if you do something writer-oriented every day, whether it’s brainstorming, note-jotting, or planning/strategizing, that still counts, and is getting you a little closer to your goal. And that is dandy.

2)  Having said that, don’t forget that you need to be committed. Maybe some days all you can afford to do is think about writing. And that’s totally fine. But the days you can manage to sit down and actually write, I urge you to. Having a full-time job doesn’t give me a lot of free time, so whenever I see the opportunity to write, even if it’s a couple sentences, I seize that opportunity so hard. Writing, as much as it is a passion for us, it needs to also be taken seriously. Treat it like a second job. Show it that you are committed to making it a priority. Let it know that you are serious about it. Writing has feelings too, you know! So, when you are planning your week, look ahead and see when you can squeeze in writing. Maybe cut down on the video games (haha, yeah ok), or cancel that Girl’s Night Out that you didn’t really want to go to anyways. Maybe get up a bit earlier than normal, or go to bed a bit later, in order to jot down an extra couple hundred words. Any little bit helps. Do whatever it takes to get from point A to point B.

3)  Visualize your manuscript in all its finished glory. Now, I’m going to tell you right now that this tip doesn’t work for me, because when I think ahead, all my mind is doing is, “OH GOD THE EDITING, THE BETAS, THE DRAFTS, THE MARKETING, THE PUBLISHING OH GODDDDDD”. Sooooo, there’s that. But for those people that are highly visual, then this tip is wonderful! Think about your manuscript all polished and pristine, that beautiful, sharp looking cover, and your name on the front of your novel baby. You, my friend, are officially an author, and your novel is ready for the public! You are so much closer to your goal of having writing be your main career now! Can you just envision it? Isn’t it wonderful? Great, now get writing.  

4)  Don't wait for the muse to strike. if you do that, you'll be lucky if your manuscript is done in like, 7 years. Seriously, I’m speaking from experience here. I get it…it’s hard when your brain is begging to do literally anything but write. But if you give in to your brain’s pleas every single time, you will never get anything done. You need to push through. “But my work will be shit if I just push through!” Yeah, it might be. But that’s what editing is for. “But this is haaaaarrrdddd!” Uh, yeah, it is. Who said it was easy? I’d like to have a word with them.

5)  Start early. Start marketing even if your manuscript isn't done (see example: meeeee). Get into the writing community and make friends that are in the same boat as you. Let's face it...as supportive and loving as some people are, if they aren't going through the same shit as you, it's hard for them to truly understand what you are going through. "Well, why don't you just write it like this? It’s really not that hard!" Or, "Why don't you just wait for inspiration to strike?" I LITERALLY DON'T HAVE TIME TO SIT AND WAIT AROUND, DEBBIE, GAWD. But on a more serious note, finding people in the same situation as you builds community and fellowship, which helps motivate and encourage. Since I’ve joined several platforms in an attempt to become more public with my writing journey, I’ve come across many people with similar situations. It’s so nice to know I’m not alone in this. I have no idea what I’m doing, and it’s a relief to know that tons of others don’t know either! Let’s be clueless together!

6)  Now, on that note, make sure you aren’t distracted. For me, this is easier said than done. I get distracted a lot. A LOT. Like, squirrel much? I literally stopped writing this blog several times to do something else (my relationship with YouTube is an unhealthy one). But that’s where time limits come in. Time limits are your friend. Set down a chunk of time with ZERO distractions. No TV, no Facebook, no Instragram, no Twitter, no YouTube (unless that’s the source for your music, then by all means). Just you and your manuscript. For that chunk of time, show your manuscript that you mean business. If you are easily distracted like me, these time limits are generally smaller…like 30 minutes to an hour. Some people can go longer. When my time is up, I take a small break. I try to get up and stretch, see what my cat is up to, maybe grab some water or a snack. Get the body moving, get the blood flowing. My breaks can range from 5-15 minutes. But then it’s back to writing, and back to no distractions.  

7)  Make goals and reward yourself for achieving them. They can be small goals, like hitting a word count, or finishing a scene or chapter. It could also be on a larger scale, such as setting up a deadline to finish your first draft. Whatever it is to keep you trucking along, make sure they are obtainable to you (trust me, it’s pretty soul-crushing when you set a goal that you know in your heart of hearts that you can’t reach but you try anyways and crash and burn horribly). But when you reach those goals, hooray! Reward yourself, you deserve it! Maybe take a break and play video games, watch a movie you’ve been wanting to see, treat yourself to a nice dinner, or get a facial. I personally like candy. Those fat Twizzlers get me every single time.

8)  Always push yourself to do better/challenge yourself. If you were able to write 500 words yesterday, maybe shoot for 1000 today. I tend to not focus on word counts, because honest to god, the moment I hit one, I am done for the day, even if I’m in the middle of a scene that I’d been dying to finish. My general challenge is to finish the scene I’m working on. Some days, this is incredibly easy. Some days, this is really fucking hard. I once didn’t get to go to sleep till 4AM because it took me that long to finish a single scene. But I did it, and man, it felt so freaking good. Waking up at 8AM, however, did not.

9)  Be accountable to yourself. It is up to you and you alone to get shit done. Yes, you might have amazing support systems in place, as well as friends and family cheering you on, but at the end of it all, when it’s 2AM and everyone’s gone to bed, and it’s just you and your computer (or notepad), who is in charge of getting those words out? You. So when you don’t meet that goal, or more or less pull a Scarlette and get distracted into oblivion, it is your own damn fault. It’s ok to make mistakes and not meet goals. It’s ok to get distracted, just don’t make it a habit to blame others. If you transfer blame to something or someone else, you’ll never learn from your mistakes. You are responsible for you.

And that’s it!

I hope these tips come in handy. Whether you are struggling to find motivation, or you just need a bit of encouragement, or someone to tell you that you’re not alone in living the double life, then this blog is right up your alley.

If not, well, then…hah, sucker, you read the entire thing anyways!  

Until next time, happy writing!

[sungrcwn]

📱

( my muse’s five last sent texts yours )

( sent to ❝ gwen + robo ❞ — 3:37 PM ) im just going to go ahead and apologize in advance if thats ok

( sent to ❝ gwen + robo ❞ — 3:39 PM ) there might be an influx of students w/ poison ivy in ur office today

( sent to ❝ gwen + robo ❞ — 3:39 PM ) it was 100% an accident but there may have been a period of like four hours where the entire south wall of the school was kinda sorta covered in it

( sent to ❝ gwen + robo ❞ — 3:43 PM ) well okay i was trying to enhance a couple of the climbing vines this morning to make it look nice but i got distracted by this little family of ladybugs just hangin out in the grass by the bottom of the trellis

( sent to ❝ gwen + robo ❞ — 3:43 PM ) long story short i thought it was fragrant sumac but it definitely was not and i fixed it now but i cant guarantee anyone didnt touch it and did i mention i am very sorry because i am

( my muse’s five last unsent texts yours )

( drafted — 2:17 AM ) ok this might seem completely out of left field but i have a question and ive been thinking about it for like a solid half hour so i thought i would ask because youre one of the smartest people i know and most qualified probably to offer your thoughts 

( drafted — 2:25 AM ) alright so like… from a medical standpoint are people with different mutations like, different to heal? like if someone with the gift to shapeshift into animals was hurt while they were in their animal form, would you have to have to treat them in that form or does their genetic makeup somehow transfer the wounds when they shift back?

( drafted — 2:37 AM ) and what if it was like an injury that occurs in an organ that the animal has but that the persons natural human form doesnt? like what if theyd transformed into a woodpecker and maybe they try to peck at a tree thats just a little too hard and they hurt their beak how does a beak injury translate in the human anatomy if they shift back? or if they were a spider and something happened to their chelicerae? i dunno these are just random examples

( drafted — 2:51 AM ) but ok speaking of spiders okay what about if by some horrible tragedy while as a spider they happened to lose a leg? ive seen that in the garden before, spiders walking around with six or seven legs and i wonder how it happens but the point is that it does sometimes and so like what if they lose one of eight legs in spider form will they still have lost a whole limb in human form or only half because of like… fractions and science? or is it possible that they keep all their limbs and instead it manifests as phantom spider leg pains?  is that leg gone forever if they choose to shift into a spider again? what if it was a different kind of spider?

( drafted — 2:57 AM ) did your job require veterinary training?

( my muse’s last snapchat to yours )

( x ) w/ the caption  ❝ setting up giant game of twister for the students w/ callum and we need a ref !! ❞ followed by a separate text snap w/  ❝ please say yes we could always do it but now that were finished it looks awesome and we both kinda want to play ❞ 

( what my muse saved your number as )

❝ gwen + robo ❞ ( because yes, he has probably facetimed her JUST to see robocop before lbr ) 

( what contact photo my muse has set for yours )

( x )

( what ringtone my muse has set for yours )

idk why but for some reason i just imagine topher has, like… tons of different bird sounds saved to his phone?? like he’s just got a bunch of like ten second clips of various little bird songs he’s recorded around the property and he tries to collect different ones and uses them as ringtones for his friends and he actually thinks really hard about who gets which one and why?? gwen’s ringtone is the soft hoo of a spotted owl he heard in the woods one night bc owls represent wisdom and he thinks she’s probs one of the wisest ( at very least, smartest ) people he knows.

( how many times my muse has called your this week? )

probably not very often. he prefers having conversations face to face, and since they both work at the school, she’s never that far away. ( that doesn’t stop him from almost-sending her long-winded text messages in the middle of the night when he’s thinking too hard about the most ridiculous shit, though. but fortunately for gwen, topher is usually too high in those hours moments to realize when he’s not actually hitting the send button. )

( how many calls has my muse missed from yours? )

one. because after he sent her the lengthy text apology for the poison ivy incident, he realized it was a situation he probably should’ve explained in person, and he immediately started toward the nurse’s office when he saw her calling.