#oops too many adverbs

[thecheesywritingcabin]

Third Draft Editing

So, it's been a hot minute since I talked about Cryptologists. During the Christmas period, the three of us had a blanket agreement to take a break, and take a break we did. I buggered off to the US for a spell, then came home jetlagged and ready to get back to editing.

At the moment, we're in the third draft. It is the most excruciating part of the editing process thus far.

At this point in writing The Case of the Crawling Shadow, there's really only two big things we're fixing narrative wise. That <i>should</i> be a good thing. Sure, it'll be a lot of work, if the three of us just fix <i>that</i> we're good to go, right??

Nope.

You see, the problem I've been reading The Cast of the Crawling Shadow for so long, that I keep catching myself skimming. Given how this is meant to be our last draft, if I don't catch any dodgy spelling or weird sentences before this draft is done, it's probably going to end up in the book. Sure, we have beta readers, but it seems unfair to give them a book that isn't ready to be published.

One way I've tried to get around it is using Hemingway, doing the structural edit one chapter at a time. For people who've never used it, it's designed more for short form writing and not-so-much editing a novel. That said, the change in document layout has been great for my tired eyes and its focus on clarity forces me to reassess our chunkier sentences.

Unfortunately, Makoto, Alex, Cissy and Tim all use a lot of adverbs in their dialogue.

To be fair, that's just how people talk - in fact, it's how I talk. That said, I can't help but cringe every time I see the word "just" shoved into a sentence. While I'm not aiming to remove them all or even get to the limit per chapter, it's significant enough that every time someone opens their mouth I wind up going "can they word this differently and still sound natural". If the answer is no, it stays.

One of the big jobs I've had the last few weeks is changing a major plot element in the book. Originally, we wanted to have Scott appear after his murder and confuse Makoto about his time of death since for the first half of the book he's working under the assumption ghosts aren't real in this setting. Due to a change in focus, we ended up axing this idea so the last 3 weeks I've been going in and removing references to ghost Scott.

I'm doing this at the same time as the structural edit.

My general rule right now is doing 1-3 chapters a week since right now that's all my schedule is allowing for. With any luck, all 3 of us will finish our read throughs and edits soon.

[idontknowreallywhy]

A little Teeny Scott wip snippet because the little Scooter popped into my brain as he often does when I’m a bit overwhelmed.

Tis another snapshot of my OC Primary teacher POV (oh oops I have two! No, not THAT one the other one! The one who taught teeny Scott rather than the one who trolls adult Scott)

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

Like many a primary class store cupboard, the one in Felicity Miles’ domain was crammed full of everything under the sun that could plausibly be “useful for craft one day” alongside all the more formal stationery supplies, brightly coloured sports equipment, first aid items, cuddly toys with their own bandages (often deployed to greater effect than the official first aid items).

She also had a small shelf, high up, she kept for the special pieces of work, the ones which demonstrated where a child had suddenly Got Excited - technicolour art, poetry with unashamed overuse of newly discovered adverbs, science projects, Scott Tracy’s poster about Pi. She always smiled to remember how after his initial disappointment about what the little squiggly symbol DIDN’T mean, how Absolutely he had adopted his new “favourite number”. She had a few from each class and when teacher life all got a bit overwhelming she’d take half an hour at the end of the day and reflect on why she did this in the first place. Retaining the space meant her marking piles were rather more crammed together and higgledy piggledy than ideal - her more organised colleagues would certainly raise an eyebrow - but it was worth it.

There was also a space about half a metre wide and about the same high on the very bottom shelf which it was important she kept empty. Again, the independent observer might have queries as to why, when space was at such a premium, this was necessary. She would probably just smile enigmatically and point at the tiny masking tape sign in wobbly 7-year old handwriting that said “The Octopus House” and leave them with more questions than they were ever going to get answers to.

The Octopus House wasn’t a secret but she didn’t advertise its existence. The few kids who knew about it found it because they needed it. The ones who needed to hide away for a moment, but not be too far away from the safety of their peers or the ones who needed to squeeze up small to process the big feelings without their limbs causing trouble.

It had received its name three years ago on that memorable day when she Lost a Student. He was just gone for at least 20 minutes which must have cost her at least a year of her life. Between the three adults in the class that day they’d subtly searched the corridors, the toilets, the lunch hall, the library and what could be seen of the playground but it was like the child had evaporated. Trying not to panic she’d sent the rest of the class out with the experienced TA and the very-green-but-compensating-with-extreme-enthusiasm NQT to do Olympic relay races on the playground (thank you Ancient Greek class project).

She leant on the back of the door for thirty seconds to catch her breath and psych herself up for the inevitable crisis meeting with the head and the moment at which that would turn in to needing to break the news to his Father.

The silence crowded in on her and she felt herself beginning to properly panic.

She didn’t even know exactly when he’d disappeared. He was there at the start of the lesson, seemed happy, seemed engaged. He’d been very excited about the task they had been given to recreate the Parthenon out of craft paper and had taken charge of his small group so naturally… they’d all been given their part of the mission and they were actually DOING it! Very effectively it seemed! She’d made a mental note to add “leadership skills” to the list of positive things she was going to put on his school report (because the previous few she’d read had made her nauseous with anger) and turned to assist a wailing child with no less than three glue sticks embedded in her hair. And that was… half an hour before? Oh hell that was a long time.

She and the other adults had been so busy mediating the minor battles breaking out in other groups that when a little voice piped up “where’s Scotty? He was sposed to make the lintels!” and her blood had suddenly run cold.

If he was hurt or in danger because she took her eye off him…

She blinked back tears and had just composed herself to pick up the phone to the head teacher’s office when she heard a tiny sniff and spun around to identify the source. Nobody was there.

Hardly daring to breathe, she tiptoed through the room checking under desks already checked three times.

Just as she was concluding she’d imagined it, there it was again - the tiniest noise but definitely a sniff and seemingly from the direction of the cupboard he couldn’t be in because the thumb turn bolt was still in the locked position.

Feeling like she was going crazy she unlocked the door and looked inside anyway.

Obviously it was empty. Her wishful thinking was wasting time. They needed to get a proper search party organised.

She turned to leave and heard it for a third time.

And it was that day, in her 5th year of teaching, she discovered just how small a ball a tall child could make themselves into. Seriously, the octopus had nothing on this kid.

The space was much smaller then, barely 30cm wide and only there at all because she’d taken out the long, thin box of baton-shaped sticks that had been wedged tightly in between stacks of who knew what. All she could see was a tangle of uniformed limbs and a mass of sweaty chestnut hair.

He obviously knew she was there and was holding his breath, clearly hoping not to be seen. Expecting to be in trouble.

Felicity picked up her phone and sent a quick “crisis averted” message to her TA and then, after ensuring the door was wedged wide open, she slowly lowered herself to the floor. Pulling her knees up to her chin to mirror his posture she rested her back on some boxes a few inches to the left of where he’d tucked himself away.

And she waited.

[dakogutin]

fic writer questions

tysm for thinking of me @squintclover<33 this was so much fun! i'm so late to this but here we goo

🍓 How did you get into writing fanfiction?

-read fics at first then craved specific flavours so decided to provide for myself

🍇How many fandoms have you written in?

-2

🍈 How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

-oh god. i started in 2017...

to be fair it was p inconsistent like how rarely im active here lmao

🍎 Do you read or write more fanfiction?

-atm i read more as i dont have the headspace to continue my wips

🍌 What is one way you've improved as a writer?

-my overuse of adverbs/adjectives lmao. it's quite the challenge writing in my non-native language so i used to overcompensate a LOT and i noticed it turned out to be painfully obvious oops.

🍑 Do you have any bad habits as a writer?

-how i over stress about perfection so much that it would keep me from finishing scenes and sometimes even whole projects. i'd go back again and again to reread and edit and it'll become an endless cycle

🍍 What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

-how chamber pots and the pipes worked in regency era houses lmao. there might be something weirder but it's the only thing i rmr off the top of my head

🍉What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

-that they reread it or that they really appreciate my plot or characterizations

🍐What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

...im going to assume that's actually 'cringe'.

-it was prob the daddykink one or any wip of mine with the presence of a very alphamaleChristianGrey!dom character lol i cant do it

🥭What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

-this is going to sound bad for me, but it's the stories where everyone is happy and it's all fluff no plot. i found it soo difficult. feel free to decide what that says about me.

also infidelity and pregnancy tropes. and anything with themes of sexual abuse.

🍏What is the easiest type?

-hurt/comfort, banter, the angst where i get to go into a deep dive of their thoughts and emotions

🍑Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

-gdocs in my pc, usually during the night where it's the most quiet.

🍋What is something you've been too nervous/ intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

-i'd love to do a canon divergent and do my own take on the canon plot and the worldbuilding... someday

🍇What made you choose your username?

-it used to be something else but i wanted to separate my tumblr acc with that username so i changed it into something so random and stupid, which is 'bigdick' in my native language

no pressure tagging @thomasbrodiesandwich @asterhaze @pinklume @welshremus and anyone who hasnt done this yet:")

[rosesakura]

Hi! I’m here for the questions for fic writers :)

How about!!! 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 13, 14. I know this is ridiculous and a lot so feel free to pick and choose!! I’m just very curious and passionate about your writing. Sending hugs and lots of love <3

I literally forgot all about this ask omg!! Okay woo let's gooooo. Under the cut because, you know, it's me.

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Unequal social status. The whole Princess and the Pauper thing I kinda vibe with. It depends a lot on the characters I'm working with tbh -- some tropes fit some fandoms better than others. But in terms of hq, definitely this trope!

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

Love triangles, particularly like if it’s the Main Plot. I have been scarred from the 2010s where every teen piece of media had a fuckin love triangle like bitch I am OVER IT. Plus it’s like, someone always gets their heart broken and I don’t like that. I actually could go on and on about this but I won't make you read an essay haha

5. Share one of your strengths.

I actually hate you for always making me reflect on my work -.- I have no idea what my strengths are… I guess I’m good at idea generating lmfao I always have a million ideas?

9. Which fic has been the hardest to write?

Haaaaands down the stars are already dead. Not only because it’s such a heavy topic and I’m so worried about how I handle it, but also because it’s shifted away from romance, which I’m more comfortable writing, into a study on grief, which is much more complex. 

10. Which fic has been the easiest to write?

Oop I’m gonna mention 2. Unravel was relatively easy because I had so many scenes and specific ideas I wanted to write out. I planned it out pretty okay and had so many details in brainstorming that I could draw from if I was stuck. Though my one story, Something Safe was written in less than a day when I was at work. I had so many feelings about those characters and the video game that it just flowed right onto the page.

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Show emotions; Tell feelings. Came across this on a tumblr post on pinterest. I mostly use it as a reminder to ensure I don’t ramble too much with descriptions or get carried away and to remind myself to focus on the emotions of the characters, because that’s usually the most important part to me. It's really more of a guideline.

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Don’t use adverbs. You can pry adverbs from my cold dead hands. I actually dislike writing advice that so specifically says Do Not Do. It makes me immediately feel bad if I see something on the list that I do when I write and I think writing is so specific and personal to each writer that advice like that just isn't that helpful.

[sleepngwriter]

Stephen King’s writing tips

Unlike me, Stephen King can afford to give writing tips. He can write an entire book about how brilliant and superior he is. Because he’s brilliant. He’s superior. He’s a king.

So, what does the king of contemporary horror literature suggest to his young aspiring writers?

First, know the grammar, read a lot, talk to people. That’s it, this is the first tip. Pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Use active verbs, he made it perfectly clear that he hates the passive form, just as he hates adverbs. How to blame him, everyone should hate too many adverbs. Another thing to avoid are all the steroid inflated synonyms of the verb to say. If you can’t write “he/she/they said” don’t write anything, it’s not always necessary.

Find yourself a place where you feel comfortable and set a daily goal, a routine. If you can write every night, do it. If you can write every afternoon, do it. If you want this to be your job, you can’t write only when you feel like it.

Write what you love to read, not what other people love to read.

The story is not the most important thing: the situation is, then the characters. They need to be alive, they need to trace their own path.

Explain things with dialogues, the famous show don’t tell golden rule.

Experience boredom. It’s perfectly fine to sit and stare at the wall if that’s what you need. Don’t force yourself, the world won’t collapse if you don’t write 20k words a day. The best ideas come by themselves.

Don’t tell everything about your characters, leave some mystery. 

Before being an advice, this is a reminder. Not everyone will like you and your stories, no matter how much you implement these tips and that’s fine. We’re all different, we all like different things so it happens to be criticized (oops passive form alert). That doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer, don’t give up!

[sunriseverse]

For the fic writer asks: 13, 14 and 15 if I may :)

And you know I'm always here for 37!

putting this all below the cut because it got long, oops!

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

hmm...................the only piece of writing advice i can think of that i would actually go "yeah, that's true" about is the fact that most of the time, you do not need to find alternatives to "said". "said" is not dead, but in fact a vital tool in any writer's repertoire, and oftentimes trying to cut it out for other, more "interesting" options can make a piece come across as clunky.

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

95% of all writing advice i've come across ranges from "this is only applicable in certain situations and trying to generalise it is nonsensical" to "that's just downright stupid and will hinder you". my "favourite" piece of writing advice is every piece that tells you to mercilessly cut out 90% of adjectives, adverbs, and other descriptors—most people do not want to aspire to ernest hemmingway's writing style, and many people, both readers and writers, enjoy descriptives because they help paint a mental scene of what's happening. you know—the very thing writing is meant to be doing? i for one love using many, many descriptives, because i find they help to set the emotional tone of the scenes i write, and i've been told by multiple people that my habit of describing things helps them to imagine my stories set in a more realistic, convincing world rather than just characters on a blank background.

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

oh this is hard. this is very, very hard. i think......................oh god, i forget the title to this, but years ago (so in like.........2020), i wrote a pacrim fic that was vaguely set in the victorian era, featuring magical elements. it's at an even 20k, and i wrote it all in one sitting, and while i don't think it's the best thing i've ever written, i do think it's the most film adaptable of everything (that i can remember, at least). that said, while it wouldn't work with the film format, i have some very vicarious daydreams of the sunrise verse being adapted to live action.

37. Talk about your current wips.

it would be easier to talk about what aren't my current wips haha. well, let's see........................i'm not actively writing anything, but basically anything i've got more than a few sentences in concept of counts as a wip to me. in order from most important for me to get started on to "less important but i'd like to make a crack on them before 2024":

immortal ba ye au - what if instead of zhang rishan taking over as head of the jiumen association, it was an immortal ba ye, who has lost just about everyone he loves in his life (fo ye, qi yu, zhang rishan), and had to make himself in an entirely new man to survive the modern world and the position he's in? what if after the wang compound battle, he found out that zhang rishan hadn't died as he had thought, but actually been kept in a cursed sleep after being experimented on by the wang? what if—well, you know the rest. this is my big writing project i really need to plot out properly so i can work on it.

multiple sunrise verse fics. i'm putting these all together because they're too interconnected by being in the same verse to separate them. i want to write a heihua fic in this setting, plus the fuba fic, plus a much larger sunrise verse!version of the events of sha hai, and then a fic about xiaoge post changbaishan rift/when he returns from beyond the bronze gate. unfortunately i cannot write the heihua fic until i get through more of canon, but the others are all more doable. (i went and plotted out the sunrise verse timeline specifically so i could make all these fics work—even the fuba one, which required me to make the both of them significantly younger than in (show) canon (though funnily enough, fo ye got retcon'd to around his novelverse age rather than show canon age).)

the weird fucking vampire au that has far too strong of a hold over me for something that i am 90% sure will have to be tagged as "blood kink" if (when) it ever gets written. tl;dr: ba ye gets poisoned, they try and heal him with qilin blood, it............does not work and instead he winds up craving it (it being zhang rishan's blood). once he gets cured it doesn't go away. the inherent homoeroticism of blood drinking, having someone's teeth sunk into your neck knowing they could kill you but won't, you know how it goes.

lesbian luo fei/qin xiaoman fic. i have got to finish detective l before i can write this but the mental images for this in my head are very strong. country dyke xiaoman-jie representation. alas, this means i have to relegate luo fei/ben jieming to a platonic relationship, but i'll write them as canon gay people some day to even out the scales.

the iron triangle visiting baima's grave. that's it, that's the fic. (that's a lie—the concept has so many fucking feels attached for both personal and narrative reasons. taking the people you love to meet the person you lost. the acknowledgement of that loss and the love that still continues in you. you know how it goes.)

[bisamwilson]

f, h and i! <3

thanks for the ask, a! (from this list)

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

this is long so it’s going under a read more lmao

from intergalactic

“I bet you were the kid that knew all the constellations,” Sam says, nuzzling into Bucky’s neck. 

Bucky squeezes Sam’s waist, pulling him in impossibly closer. “Oh, I had all the books, sweetheart. I knew what they all were, what cultures they came from, where each one was in the sky on any given night.”

“Couldn’t have been all that many stars to see in Brooklyn,” Sam says, craning his neck to look up at Bucky. 

Bucky looks back down at him, dropping a swift kiss on his forehead. “There weren’t, but we went back to Indiana to visit family often enough. Little farm town, middle of nowhere, stars as far as the eye could see. Becca used to groan every time I’d run outside at night and drag her with me whenever we’d visit our grandparents.”

Sam thinks about all the stars he can see from the docks back in Delacroix, imagines a young Bucky’s face full of wonder if he saw them all. He thinks he wants to listen while the Bucky sitting next to him rattles off all their names and stories, as if he read those books yesterday rather than almost two decades ago. “Come see the stars in Delacroix with me,” he says, looking Bucky right in the eyes. “Promise they’re better than whatever you had in Indiana.”

If Sam didn’t know him as well as he does, the look on Bucky’s face might actually convince him he’s offended. “Have you ever seen the stars above Shelbyville, Indiana?”

Sam lightly purses his lips and shakes his head. “Sure haven’t.” He leans up and takes Bucky’s lips with his, kissing him easy and languid. “But everything’s better in the bayou, baby.”

i don’t really know why i like this one so much tbh? it just feels very them, at least how i see them. sappy and nostalgic and so interested in each other while still teasing and flirting all the while. wanting to get to know the other but still wanting to have fun and play, not to mention i love that last line

also, for what it’s worth, i just met you (and this is crazy) is VERY dialogue-heavy, and i’m supremely happy with pretty much all of it. there just wasn’t a particular bit that stood out to me quite like this one did

h. How would you describe your style?

i don’t know how to shut up!!!! my style is throwing a lot of words together with lots of adjectives and adverbs and somehow it all works together lmao. 

in all seriousness, i feel like i try to keep a pretty even mix between lots of description and lots of dialogue? my sentences are generally pretty long, i think; i’m a big fan of commas, semi-colons, colons, dashes, etc etc etc etc. if an extra clause or two can be added, i’m probably adding them

i also feel like a lot of my work is pretty character centric? i almost always write from a single POV (and everything i’ve published on ao3 is a single POV), and while i try my best to flesh out both sides (and i hope i do!) i feel like one character usually ends up with the focus bc of that (and no matter the POV, that character is usually sam oop)

i also make use of line/page breaks often and very liberally. hopefully this isn’t too much of a pet peeve of anyone

i. Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)?

i mean, i definitely have a couple specific kinks i enjoy reading (and writing!) that i’m not going to admit to here lmao. i’ve written some of them, and some of them i haven’t

in terms of writing (and also reading, to an extent) i take a few liberties to make sam as southern as possible, even if he isn’t shown to be quite that southern in the show lmao. also bucky using various pet names constantly

oh and you all know i’m a damn sucker for enemies to lovers. i’m not guilty about this though. unapologetically pro enemies/annoyances to lovers

[elf-trash]

Writing Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @bubble-bones!!!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

Only 5, currently, but I have a couple more planned. :>

What’s your total AO3 word count?

241846! Which is crazy because I only started writing and publishing fic in earnest like... 5 months ago.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Rebel Rath - 269 (heh heh heh)

Little Dark Age - 57

Persuasion of the Undecided - 38

Isometric Air - 21

Wildest Dreams - 38

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to respond to every comment! I know as a reader I like it when the author responds to comments, and I like to acknowledge the fact that someone took the time to read and comment on my hot garbage hahaha

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

LMAO literally all of mine are angsty. All three of my one-shots have pretty angsty endings, and my long fic isn't completed yet and it WILL have a happy ending eventually but as of now it is just........ angst.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

The Rebel Path will be, once it's finished! And its (planned) sequel, too. Everything else is just a massive angst bucket.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the strangest one you’ve written?

I never have, and crossovers don't typically interest me that much, but there are always exceptions and sometimes a really good concept will sway me as a reader. But I don't have much interest in writing them, generally.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Actually, no. I've gotten a couple troll comments but they weren't trashing my fic, they were trashing someone else's fic in my comments (which honestly still really grossed me out bc... ew don't do that).

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Hell yeah I do hahaha. My long fic has a ton of smut in it, and I've written a couple smutty one-shots as well (and will probably write more). I've written F/M, M/M, and F/F as well as various threesomes lmao so at this point I've kind of done everything LOL

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, thank god. At least, not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I'd be open to it if anyone ever offered!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope! I write original fiction with my sister sometimes and I have a bunch of friends I'll workshop ideas with for fics sometimes, but I've never actually co-written anything with someone.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Probably Johnny/V at this point because, well, my word counts speak for themselves lmao. But Solavellan is definitely a close second, and Shenko will always have a special place in my heart as well.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

As of now, I have plans to finish all my WIPs, but truly who knows!

What are your writing strengths?

I think I have a natural sense of pacing within a scene? Like I can kind of intuitively make the action and dialogue flow well. Also my grammar and punctuation are usually very clean because I'm obsessive as fuck and also my mom is a professional copywriter/proofreader so she REALLY drummed that shit into me hahaha

What are your writing weaknesses?

I think I can get repetitive sometimes or lean too much on the same sentence structures or adverbs. I try not to do it, but sometimes I get lazy lmao. Also I tend to prioritize fic writing over other, more pressing work sometimes, oops.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I've never really done it! Some of the characters in my fics will use a word or two of slang or something in another language, but I don't really count that. I've never flat out written dialogue in a language I don't speak.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The first one I published to Ao3 was my Dragon Age one-shot like 6 years ago (which was the only thing I had up until this year when the Cyberpunk brainworms took hold), but I think the VERY first fic I ever wrote was a fucking Rent (the musical) fanfic I wrote as a literal tween hahaha but thank god that has been lost to the sands of time.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Probably The Rebel Path because it's my biggest, most popular fic and is also my current WIP so it is my main focus right now.

Thanks for tagging me, I had fun filling this out!!!!

tagging: @hellvira, @trashcatsnark, @skippygiraffee, @nunyabizu, and @k9effect

[pintsizemama]

Writer Interview

Thanks for the tag @just-here-for-the-moment. This was fun!

How many works do you have on AO3?

13 right now…many more to come

What’s your total AO3 word count?

107, 725…Holy Shit! I have way more written that’s not posted yet, but crap, that’s a lot!!! Heroes & Heartbreak just hit 93K—but I’ve only posted a little over 60K.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Narcos (Javier Peña)

The Mandalorian (Din Djarin)

Equalizer 2 (Dave York)

Kingsman Golden Circle (Jack Daniels)

Triple Frontier (Frankie Morales & poly with all 4 boys)

We Can Be Heroes (Marcus Moreno)

The Mentalist (Marcus Pike)

Criminal Minds—Mentalist crossover (Marcus Pike)

Bloodsucking Bastards (Max Phillips)

Wonder Woman 1984 (Maxwell Lord)

Marvel—DC Crossover (Maxwell Lord, Loki, Bucky Barnes)

Game of Thrones (Oberyn Martell)

Lights Out (Omar Assarian)

The Great Wall (Pero Tovar)

Red Widow (Jay Castillo)

Nikita (Liam)

The Good Wife (Nathan Landry)

The Fall of Sam Axe (Comandante Veracruz)

Brother’s & Sisters (Zach Wellison)

Suicide Squad (Rick Flag)—coming soon!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A Little Rusty

The Unexpected Lunch Date

Heroes & Heartbreak

The Ride

Oops

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes…though sometimes I feel like my genuine excitement and appreciation doesn’t always come through on my responses…I feel like a generic dork…but I do love and appreciate everyone who reads and comments on my work, so I always want to let them know I noticed that they took the time to comment. It means the world to me!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

None of them have ended yet…I don’t enjoy unhappy endings though, so I doubt there will be many!

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Yes—I have my Marvel/DC crossover, but I’m working on a Marcus Pike/Criminal Minds one…not sure if I’ll ever get back to that one though.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not yet, and I hope I never do…let’s be nice to each other, please. It takes a lot of courage to put your work out there…respect that. If you don’t like something, keep scrolling.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes…all the smut! I write anything and everything. Though I guess I’m now known as the “Queen of Squirting”…so there’s that. Lol

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. Don’t do that. Seriously. That is so fucked up it’s not even funny. Write your own shit or move on. Don’t steal someone else’s hard work.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but that would be cool. Side note—I would DIE of happiness if someone made fanart for my work!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet, but I did get a TON of requests to collaborate with some others on Tumblr…so maybe one day soon! @anaaaispunk was requested like 8 times! LOL

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Hmm…I don’t know. I might have to think about this one more.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

My Marcus Pike crossover with Criminal Minds

What are your writing strengths?

I feel like my dialogue is spot on…it sounds very realistic and natural. I’m getting better at smut too. It was weird as hell to write at first, but I got a system now, and it’s made a big difference.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Whew…transitions, too many italics, too many adverbs…descriptive writing/imagery…lots of stuff to keep working on. But that’s one of the reasons I write everyday. Practices makes perfect…or, well, in my case, practice makes your writing sound better. LOL

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Absolutely. When the story calls for it, I do it. Though I do warm people when I’m not fluent in said language, and I welcome constructive criticism and help to make it more authentic.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Narcos (Javier Peña)

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

OOoooh…that’s like asking which child is my favorite! I LOVE Heroes & Heartbreak. I’m also working on an Omar Assarian series and a Jay Castillo series that I adore. My Marcus Moreno A/B/O is hot too…fuck, I can’t choose just one! I love them all!

[luck-13]

Day 23: Read up on intersectionality in the LGBTQIA+  commumtity,

Until the moment of the typing next words (after challenge part), I have had no idea what is asked here (Yeah, my English isn’t good enough.) Oops, I’ve thought it’s “Intersectionally,” not “Intersectionality.”  Not much better, but at least not an adverb is easier.

Based on a definition of the *happily* noun, today’s challenge is easy.

I’ve read A LOT of it over the years and a few days ago too (on Tumblr and wherever on the Internet, but partly accidentally as it’s something that I like to read about. Minorities, YES.)

Of course, a famous light-skinned homosexual or bisexual/pansexual can have a good life (just like straight individual). But when it comes to a dark-skinned person (even if light or mediium brown colour) who is also not famous, the life is muuuch more diffictult than for straight people with equal skin colour. The same can be said about nationality.

If a personal example . . . A lot of people are agains Jewish people. But how about a Jewish woman who is lesbian? Minority twice. There are many of us around the World, but the most importanmt part is to stay true to self, not to chamge self or something to belend in to be accepted. A person can be not out, but my advice can be, to be self no matter what. If some people are bad, to not pretend they’re friends while they offend you impersonally continiously (You = i.e. same-sex preference / trans etc. whoever you are, or all together.) A lot of people are bad, and if a not straight and/or CIS person (1) knows somebody (2) (education/work/neighbours etc.) who would be bad to them (1) if they (2) know, it’s better to not communicate with them (2) at all. When it comes to serious situation as necessary communication (education/work), a person needs to do it in a civil manner, but no friendliness at all.

Actually, when day’s challenge cannot be related to any (famous) person, this is the best day’s challenge so far.

[lilaccatholic]

11. & 15. ✨

Thanks for the ask! Keep ‘em coming!

11. What "don't ever do this" writing rule are you guilty of constantly breaking?

I. Like. Artful. Fragments. 

(also I use too many adverbs poorly and I can forget to vary sentence lengths oops)

15. We all project onto our characters. Where has your personality or life choices leaked onto the page the most?

I share a lot of Monika’s interests and honestly she and I have a lot of the same fears. Oliver’s relationship with a certain relative is also a blown up, extremely aggravated, way worse version of one I have with a relative, but a lot of his response to those issues closely image my own. Also I have a bad habit of making all my characters Catholic. 

[lynneshobbydomain]

7, 8, 9, 11?

I already answered 11, but I’ll c/p it. 

11: What don’t ever do this am I guilty of breaking?

Oh gosh. That’s a good question. I think my biggest one is there are times where I write in a passive voice more than I do in an active (I am trying to get better at that) and adverbs. I tend to use a lot of adverbs. Oops.

7. Something I hate to see in dialogue:

Out of character dialogue, or emotionless dialogue. (Stilted is a better way to describe it. The conversation has to flow, even when you’re talking. If it’s stilted, the uncomfortable has to have a reason (a breakup?, first meeting? Awkward floundering to figure out a common ground?), if it’s just 

“Hey.”

“Hey.” 

I can’t stand that in real life either. Dialogue is your best showcase of what a character is like. Not being able to do a conversation is going to really hurt your story.

8. Something you love to see in dialogue

Organic chemistry. There is a fanfic that I was reading not too long ago where the dialogue made me feel like I could stumble across the conversation in real life. If I remember correctly the conversation was about getting a ride from another character, and there was an instant *click*. I knew that this character was kind and that he had a “wholesome” personality despite his appearance, and the other character I could get was very business-like, formal, punctual, without having to be shown that or told that. We know from the conversation right there.

9. My fandom’s most overused trope?

Currently Phantom Thief/Detective for one certain fandom

The other fandom is: Missing scenes/Time Loops (How many behind the scenes fanfics have I read? enough. Time loops too. The poor kid)

[tesscsanders-blog]

No Need

FREE WRITE AT DAWN IMAGINE A TWITTER PAGE KEPT BY GOD  THERE IS NO NEEED

God is without the kind of communication

that requires it. God’s voice is automatic and omnipresent it is rich truth below the other waves of sound. my gratitude is true. My aim is true and my high power is leading me where I am meant to go. I have known the difficulty of stringing words together.

How screenshots tell stories

How I search for TRAUMA

seek to define PORTENT

How the Lord is my light and my help, so whom shall I fear? How I get up and say “I’m ready”

I find proof and reminders of gratitude. I find encouragement humble and stoned. I find typos in wedding vows. Is this interesting content? Yes, Tess yes yes it is very interesting.

You are so beautiful.

HE WANTS ME TO SAY IT  remember the sun inside of me in Danville

I will have that sun again flowing up my vagina, that orgasm. The cellulite kissing dawn I saw the sun rise once and I lived to tell the tale  At the tail end is this exquisite dropping in,

how cool

the internet, how lucky, the living!

How blessed is my maker whom Phaedra prays for, too. The extent of my freedom is the extent to which I am willing to be not understood

Not understood  when I am not legible what happens?

This wrenching this wretched second-guessing and third helpings;  I have

belabored the metaphors of grief buffets

pretty sure I coined the term

grief buffet

is it a term of art?

a new business franchise?

People are ready for that kind of honesty, honestly, they are, even if they do not know it intellectually yet…. it’s all Grace, but especially the unbecoming

Am I doing this right? Yes. Less less less less more more more more more gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme some of that green sugar stuff it in there mmm mmmm ooohhh ohhhh deeper harder faster slower oh yeah just like that that’s right deeper this orgasm will save humanity this orgasm will right all of the wrongs mmmmm uhhhuh that’s the spot the redemption of all human kind right there, yup yeah yum yes that

In truth, the disgust is close to the surface. I am proud of who I am. Voice quaking like Tracy Chapman’s in the live recording of DONT GIVE UP with weird old Peter Gabriel

voice shaking

I think my friends are people. It scares me. I know my friends are human, it terrifies me.

Who are they? I have no idea! Humans as they are, they are foreign all the way. More alien than Foreigner mixed up in my psyche like the Greeks at the crux of breaking all of this up, are we? Once and for all

a free write to end all grief?

no thank you!

I know about waves and wires and tunnels and pummeling pummeling pummeling until I’m clenched in the womb. It doesn’t rhyme, but it’s my pain, it’s my loss, my potential my light to shine  BE KIND REWIND in my opinion not such a good film

when I realized ariana was following franky o the path of less resistance all-capsing the names of poems instead of italicizing

interrupting my flow state to call my sibling my unconscious mind wants their approval so bad wants simultaneously to dishonor their identity shout from the rooftops this isn’t about you sis this ain’t about you cuz it’s about me it’s about meeeee meeeee meeeee meeeeeeeee the way i am deep down convinced some nonbinary people are just flexing egos controversy the give and take of corn flakes replete i am afraid of that content i might delete THAT content

for sure deep sea fishing with sharks i’ve never been how imagination is procrastination a rose by any other name etc

My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

a need greater than water a truth deeper than phishing a spam harder than rock He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone

i’m afraid of hurt feelings hurting feelings causing pain no you’re not, Tess, you have torn up too much to open Photo Booth now. don’t you dare do it. God

grant me the serenity

Once I tell God I won’t do something, I usually don’t do it. exit clause escape routes

pretty sure I didn’t coin the phrase escape valve and that it is a term of art, like the

wind carrier in tommy boy

i mean the

mail shoot

in tommy boy

the wind that blows his boat in the last scene

or is it the

pen

ultimate

scene

wherein tommy is on the water (shit i am gonna cry ) talking to his dad “I could use a little help”

son of a

that’s gonna leave a mark    

i want to leave

a mark            we all do

so badly so needily our fingers

pressed in every ink stamp the well has run so dry and then

though, all of these people i want to be are menstruating while i am not how hungry i am for my own blood  the manifestation of shakti who drinks from her own blood stream

opens her whole head up

this free write will not ‘save’ the world

this free write may even induce carpal tunnel

but i won’t be alone for it

SIC SIC SIC SIC SIC SIC SIC

we’re all so sick

so sick and so sick of the latest and worst and sick of being sick and tired  

la la la

it’s funny, not haha but haha

okay

sure

the way my mind chases its tail around i find myself sitting where i’ve been

cozying up to a mug from SEA WORLD

i have never been

the name elizabeth printed on it

I believe in the Resurrection. i can’t explain it to you and I don’t want to. I believe in the visitation of the angel Gabriel to Mary and I want so badly to be understood by one poet in particular. these minds these minds these minds  to whom I want to prostrate myself

SEE ME SEE ME PLEASE

It is enough, it is finished, I see you, Tessa I see you i see you baby i see you i see you you’re brilliant you are making so much sense you are making so much sense you don’t have to worry about publishing truths or falsehoods because that isn’t what you’re talking about here i relieve you this noose   | lifted |

this is not about political correctness an invention you hate and this is not about bigotry either because we both know you are not a bigot in any direction by any stretch

stretch

stretch

stretch mark of the imagination

cellulite dream we could be heros  just for one day

the need to justify when i said ego flex i meant

how precious our personhood is. when i am high and think only of how, deep down,

my pronouns are

she her he him his

how language  is nothing but everything  bang bang saxophone solo how your mind reading this does a different thing altogether how i bought a blanket 100% acrylic made in Ecuador how what other people think of me

nun of my business

none of my business that’s why I can’t let the right hand know what the left is doing. When I catch on is when the tail snakes back around

how i

felt like

Jessica was passing the torch of menses to me

how much shedding how much shedding

the baby voice,

sweet blessed infantilization of my poor old soul !!!!

{i mean it, Tess, you are flawed if you’re not free. oops that sunk in wrong i don’t blame you, jenny lewis

cat power I DONT BLAME YOU  my ex’s penis is still the sweetest penis that ever played inside my vagina}                                  alone together  a hashtag to build a dream on   give me a hashtag to build a dream on        i miss you God

not for sentimental reasons

but because being ripped from you is too easy to mistake for the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God

in other words, tracing my entrance back to your absence is not the work of my life is not the meat of being but it is easy to make the mistake of seeing the hole as the center when at the center is the Life itself

come on rude boy boy boy is you big enough

come on rude boy boy boy is you big enough

just now  already I nearly broke the no Photo Booth promise funny how quickly that happens EH

EH?

canadian bacon is a john candy film i have never seen    my adverbs of choice

holy

go

lightly

mmmmmm sweet sweet boredom the fear of ending is about the fear of dying? no, that’s not quite it. about the fear of being alone? yes! that’s it, that’s it.  traces back to the fundamental fallacy of Godlessness

of being separate it’s the whole platonic two halves bit

to have and to hold, till death do us part that’s the

traaaa   la la laaa laaaaaa

how can i trust myself without hyperlinks?

don’t let me be understood, God. just for today, grant me the serenity. Don’t let this be understood. Yes, I’m your angel. Yes, the reader does not need to know you’re thinking of a yoko ono song, that you’re worried about not attributing due credit to rihanna, that you have not looked at kim kardashian’s instagram since the

“pandemic”

“began” but that she showed up in your dream last night and that your sibling ‘got into’ with her, lightly, casually, cooly, wearing denim — my sibling was leaning in close to kim kardashian

AND SHE WAS

the tail of my mind is snaking back to ordinary complaints like

WHERE THE HECK ARE MY MISSING ALBUMS

1999

and

LITTLE CREATURES

they’re my favorite and they’re gone gone gone

how much of a new revelation

Janet Jackson’s song any time any place is to me

How inconsistency is at the heart of

not giving too many hoots

in certain contexts how meaning is relative how language is everything

nothing

how Jesus spoke in parables and contradictions how I never liked puzzles  literal ones    but how I walk around like I alone am meant to be solving the deepest puzzle of all

Reconciling myself back to the Source, i mean, to God Godself how a proliferation of healers come out of the woodwork into the email inbox offering discounts during this crisis and

who

am

I to judge?

There is one thing I ask of the Lord,

for this I long,

to live in the house of the Lord,

all the days of my life.

am i his temple? yes, no, maybe so, dawning on me is dish soap   sweet like the night inside

like the beginning of doing nothing

remaining alive. remaining human.

DONT JUST DO SOMETHING

SIT THERE

friends, i am still overwhelmed by your humanity. i find it so threatening, i can’t even begin to tell you. i don’t mean your mortality, moreso the fact that you’re just as deep

just as pulsing

just as curious just as in possession of some heart (human or not; shoutout to my girl elena with a porcine pulmonary valve) as i am

what that amounts is not fear of being not unique but rather that  the belonging we are called to is such a tall order such a tall order such a tall order  drive through window on foot people like memes

the readers in 3408 are like,

what’s a meme?

who can say if they will ‘google’ it?

I doubt the empire will rage that long …. the Empires on adderal the Empire fucking all millennia long on HARDON shoot i  am

not even trying

to be funny i can’t think of the name of that erection drug

i swear all that keeps coming up is PROZAC

leave it in the comments below, what’s that ED drug?  all my life

[plogan721]

What the Heck is Well-nigh and Other Ponderings

                       Subtitle-how to use rewrite software

I want to interrupt your normal reading of this blog for a very important message:

THIS BLOG IS MOVING SOON!!

No, I mean it this time.  I have been meaning to move it to a WordPress platform for some time, made several announcements only to not do it, and frankly for even me, it is getting quite annoying.  This is one of the reasons why I do not have traffic on this blog anymore.  I am working on that.  Later on this blog post.  I promise…..

                                  That is not why this post is being interrupted

Disclaimer: P. Lynne Designs is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Today, I want to talk to you about one of the bad subjects in the writing world, and that is rewrites.  After all, the world is full of rewrites, redo, remakes, sequels, and so forth.  There is nothing so far that has been done that has not to be tested, tried, fried, dyed, laid to the side.  Oops, wrong subject and wrong blog (At Home with Tricia's Baskets needs to address this subject on hair).  But the point is that if it has not been on the market before now, THEN it is new.  Otherwise, it has been done before, EXCEPT in a different way.

I am currently working on a blog post called “How to write a 500-Word Blog Post” or “How to start a blog”, depending on which title I am going with.  It is my new, “I am not writing like I am mass-producing blog post” campaign challenge I am giving myself for 2020.  Here is the backstory:

    Image by skeeze from Pixabay

 (Pensive Female) 

I was feeling bored with this blog, all of my blogs.  One of the issues I am having is being honest with myself, and the honest truth is I was not liking my posts.  Some are great and I love them, it was the rest of the post from all three of my blogs that made me say, “ugh” to them.  It was a combo of things such as editing issues to I was not really feeling the subject I was writing about.  At times, I was feeling rushed, that “I got to make this deadline or else” feeling.  I did not like the links to a blog post, I did not like the photos, etc, and the low numbers from clicks proved it. So I decided to take the time to evaluate each blog and each blog post and main subjects. 

Tip:  If you are feeling bored with your blog, do a re-evaluation.  Do not beat yourself up about it, just find the places that need improving, even if it means to start over with a fresh blog. 

Now, before you start saying to yourself, “she is going in a different direction and talking about something else”, the answer is “no, I am not”.  I love all my subjects on all of my blogs.  From writing about “how to write a blog post” to “journaling” and now adding using planners with your writing with My Ambiance Life, Traveling to Disney to homelife and organizing with At Home with Tricia's Baskets, and finally crafting tutorials and product reviews with P. Lynne Designs, there will no change in that.  I was unhappy with my approach to these subjects.  If I change anything about the subjects it would be to split At Home with Tricia's Baskets to where the traveling would be separated from the homelife and organizing sections, making it two blogs again.

I decided that I did not like the flow of the “500-word blog post” post, so I turned to a blog post rewriting software program or site.  I must say that it was an eye-opener, and depending on how I feel, I may do it again.  Word has a feature now that allows you to rewrite a line or a whole post, but I do not think that is how this feature works, and I have to research it a little more.

This is when I came across the word, Well-nigh, which sounds like something that a British person would say, not an American, still wet behind the ears writer like me.  The word is an adverb, and it means “almost”.  So I am going to show you two sentences from my post that I am still working on to see how this word is being used.

This is the original sentence:

“Have you ever wanted to write something you are passionate about or have a unique skill that others crave they had?”

Now for the rewritten one:

“Have you overly wanted to write well-nigh something you are passionate well-nigh or have a unique skill that others require they had?”

 “Dear rewrite software maker:

I do not think that in my original sentence I did not have the word “almost” in it.  Why do I need to use the word, well-nigh”?”

This is what I would ask the website creators.   This is one of the sentences, and believe it or not, “well-nigh” is used a couple of times throughout the post.

Then I decided that I must replace the word.  Now, keep in mind that what I was about to use was Word’s synonym checker.  This was against the website’s rewrite copy of my post.  The words used were:

·         Nearly

·         Almost

·         Virtually

·         Just about

I am sorry to say this but just about every word in this word list does not match to what I was trying to convey in the original sentence or the entire post.

Tip:  The first sentence in a post after the title should set the tone for the rest of the piece.  It is not the means that ends it all, but it should give your reader some idea of what you are trying to arrive at.  Your title tells the reader about your subject matter.

So, what am I trying to say about rewrite software, websites, and all related items:

I have nothing again rewrites at all IF it is your original and YOU wrote it. What I have a problem with has to do with plagiarizing:  Those that do it are too lazy to come up with their own articles for their own blogs.  Now before I get any further, this is different from ghostwriting and guest posting.  

With Ghostwriting, the original author is willing to not take the credit for anything they produce for you or your company.  The only difference with the post, article, or book is the original author’s name is not on the byline, the individual or the individual’s company is on the byline.  This is not considered cheating at all, and in the contract, you draw up with the author, it states that the author is not allowed to use the copy on their blog o resell it if the post is in book form.  It is now considered the property of the individual and cannot be contested in court. 

Guest posting is when the author agrees to post an article for your site.  It works the same way as if the post was written on their blog.  It is not considered a rewrite, but the author can do a rewrite of that article for their own blog post.

Cons to rewriting a blog:

As I stated before, rewritten posts can be a problem if a person plagiarizes the original post. 

Say you want to write an article about cats and the benefits of being a cat mommy or daddy.  You have never owned a cat and you have not interviewed a person who owns a cat.  You just thought it was a good idea because cat ownership is a trending topic because everyone is doing it.   So, you decided to do some research on the subject of cat ownership, and in your research, you find this great article online about me loving being a cat aunt.  Gizmo is not mine, she belongs to my nephew and his girlfriend who both live with me. (True story) Instead of emailing me to as if I would give an interview on why Gizmo makes me happy (and I would be happy to do an interview, BTW), you take my article, use a rewrite software, and have it rewrite the whole article for your blog.  This is still considered stealing.  It may not look like the same post to the naked eye, but if I run across it, and it sounds like the same post I wrote, I could sue you.  This is one of the reasons why I do not like them.

So, use rewrite software and websites with a grain of salt.  Use them for your own posts to do a comparison on which version of your post you like better.  When you read the rewrite, make sure that the copy flows the same way that the original flows, if not, change it within the rewritten copy or be willing to combine the two. Never use it to copy someone’s idea and post. If you do, you could come off as a lazy writer, or you will be hearing from the original author’s lawyer.  If you are a writer, there are ways to check to see if someone is copying your work or if you have copied a passage that sounds like someone’s work. This will be the subject for this topic next time

That is all I have to say at this time.  Next subject….

Traffic and Promotion

This is one area that I have the most problems with.  It is not that I do not get it, it is… well…. Let me explain.

I am currently on Blogger, in reality, it does not matter what platform you are on, as long as you do the following:

1)       Write

2)      Write consistently, meaning GET A SCHEDULE!

3)     Promote what you write.  Meaning promoting your work on social media, groups of social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram). Even YouTube and newsletter count.

OK, I get it.  What I do not get is how many subscribers, followers, viewers, or visitors you need to have on your blog visiting daily, weekly, and monthly in order for brands to even consider you to write a sponsored post.  For months, and sometimes even now, I am baffled to the number of clicks needed and so on.  On social media, you cannot lie about these numbers.  You can sometimes exaggerate the numbers on your actual blog, but not on social media.  The brand liaison can look at your profile and tell if you have over 1000 viewers or not.  My question is often, “why so many?” It is the same question I ask about my credit score, “why 800”, but that is another question for another day, and I am not a financial guru, so I will leave the question here.  But, if anyone knows to “why I need a score of 800 to have a chance to get a new home?”, comment below, and I will try to understand it.

 Image by Mary Pahlke from 

Pixabay (Marketing)

Tip 2:

Write

Write consistently, meaning get a schedule

Promote what you write

I want to go over this more in detail.

1)       Write

This is obvious.  Get into the practice of constantly writing something if you are not used to it.  It does not matter if it is digital (computer) or pen and paper, but write something.  This is where I suggest that you get a writing journal, and write down things such as goals you want to achieve in the year or in your life, a bucket list, decorating or organizing pieces in your home or office, even spiritual aspirations and affirmations. 

Write them in paragraph form, a proper paragraph form. This means correct spelling, grammar, and the whole nine yards.  The reason for this practice is one day you may have to write something for business, or you might get a promotion on your job.  Anyway, companies do not understand the need to write “Tyme” for “time” and other things like that.  It may be good for social media, but not good for business.  Plus, some readers do not like reading blogs that have mistakes in them.

2)      Write consistently, meaning get a schedule

One of the problems I do have is being consistent with my writing.  I get on a roll, and for a while, it seems like I have a habit of staying on that schedule.  Then I have a falling off period, and I do not write for a while.  This comes with discouragement. I want to have big numbers, but I also want to see the comments as well. One tip I find that helps with every time a person views a YouTube video in the comments.  The vlogger always asks viewers to like the video, comment, subscribe to the channel, and share the video.  Well, I am good at doing just that on my YouTube channel, but the same is not said on my blogs. 

For schedules, you do not have to write every day, which is what some bloggers strive for.  Do not kill yourself to try to get a blog post out every single day.  You also have a life as well.  For 2020, I am going to try to get both blogs and videos out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week.

3)     Promote what you write:

Promote your writing.  It goes back to what I said earlier in this piece.  It also does not matter if you are an established author, guest poster, or even if you are a ghostwriter.  Use your social media outlets as mentioned before to promote your work.  It is crucial, especially if you are looking for clients for freelance writing, or if you are trying to drum up sales.  If you an author, have book signings.  People love getting that first edition of your book.  If you are writing more than one book in the future (think Steven King or a Star Trek series of books), your first edition could be worth some money before and after you have died.  It may not mean much to you, but it may mean something to the person who owns a copy of your first written a book or your family.

Wow, this was a long post, the first of many, many long posts.  Let me know in the comments what you think of my 2000+ words per post. I will not get mad, I promise.

Afterthought: 

Before I was about to upload this post, I was looking for some further inspiration for the word and meaning of the word re-write.  I failed to issue a positive aspect of the word. I ran upon several books on Amazon that suggests a different look at this word.  Look at the word and meaning of the word to make a character stronger than before.  In other words, in fiction and creative writing, if you made the character seem week to the reader, the rewrite would make that same character stronger. so in this case, a rewrite is warranted. 

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[notarealdisciple]

Mmm, That's Good! Using Interjections

Oops! I spilled some coffee. Hmm… Let me think about it. Woohoo! That’s great news. Let’s celebrate. To the untrained ear, sounds like “oops” “hmm” and “woohoo” may seem like nonsense. But in English, these sounds carry a lot of meaning. We call them “interjections.” And the English language has hundreds of them. Interjections are informal sounds, words or phrases that express the reactions or emotions of the speaker. There are interjections for nearly any feeling or response, such as excitement, happiness, surprise or disappointment. Because there are so many English interjections, the best way to learn them is to hear how they’re used. For example, if I accidentally spilled coffee, my reaction would probably be one of regret. So, I might say, “Oops!” Listen to how it is used: Oops! I spilled some coffee. But don’t worry—I’ll clean it up. We use “oops” to show regret for having done or said something wrong. It’s like saying, “I made a mistake.” When do we use them? Native English speakers use interjections every day. And that includes everyone from babies to older adults. In fact, a baby’s first word might be an interjection. A baby might say “ow” or “ouch!” when they touch something too hot or “yum!” when their food tastes delicious. But an adult might, too. Interjections are used in spoken English, informal writing and creative writing, including in books, films and songs. You may remember American singer Britney Spears’ most famous song, “Oops! ...I Did It Again” in which she shows regret for breaking someone’s heart. We do not use interjections in formal writing, such as essays or research papers. And, we usually avoid them in professional messages, such as business letters or emails. Yet, their informal status does not make them any less useful of a communication tool. Even respected dictionaries now include their meanings. Primary vs. secondary There are two types of interjections: primary and secondary. Primary interjections are individual words and sounds that are used only as interjections. They have no other meanings or uses, such as the words from earlier in our program: “oops,” “hmm,” “woohoo,” “ow,” “ouch,” and “yum.” Secondary interjections are words or phrases that already belong to other parts of speech, such as “boy,” “awesome,” and “oh my God.” These words all have separate meanings as interjections. For example, the original meaning of the word “boy” is male child. But as an interjection, its meaning is completely different. It is used to express a strong reaction, such as interest or surprise. Here's an example: My cat destroyed my roommate’s favorite plant. Boy, was he mad! But I promised to replace it by Sunday. Using the interjection “boy” brings attention to the extent of the roommate’s anger. Parts of speech Even though interjections are informal, they are parts of speech. They can be nouns, verbs or adverbs. Here is an interjection as a noun: Baloney! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Using the word “baloney” is a direct – and somewhat confrontational – way of saying, “I don’t agree with that.” …as a verb: Get out! The tickets sold out in 15 minutes. That’s impossible. “Get out” means “I don’t believe it” and is usually used in a friendly way. …and as an adverb: Uh-uh. I can’t make it today. I have a meeting at 5pm. “Uh-uh” simply means “no” but is usually used to emphasize a negative answer to a question, request or offer. But be careful not to mistake “uh-uh” with an interjection that sounds and looks similar but has the opposite meaning: “Uh-huh.” It means yes. It can also be used to show that you agree or understand. Here’s an example: Do you know what I mean? Uh-huh. I feel the same way. Punctuation Interjections do not follow usual English rules of punctuation. They mostly have no relationship to other parts of a sentence. So, they are usually written separately and followed by an exclamation point or a period. This is because their meanings alone can often express a complete thought. Earlier in the program, for example, we told you that “oops” means “I made a mistake.” That is a complete thought, so it does not need to be part of a sentence. Still, we can follow them with a comma. You could, for example, write, “Oops, I spilled some coffee” with a comma following “oops” instead of a period or exclamation point. The punctuation usually depends on the emotion you are expressing. To show excitement, we usually use an exclamation point after an interjection, which keeps it separate from sentences. Common interjections OK, now let’s learn a few more common interjections: If something is generally unpleasant, whether in appearance, taste or smell, you can say “yuck,” “eww,” “ick,” or “blech.” If you want to say something tastes or smells good, you can use “mmm” or “yum.” If you are frustrated or upset about something, you might say “ugh” or “argh.” One thing to note: Different parts of the United States may use different interjections. Listen again to the example with “baloney.” Baloney! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. The word “baloney” is most common in the northeastern United States. And, other forms of English, such as British English, share only some  interjections with American English. Listen for American English interjections the next time you are watching a movie or television show or listening to music. And let us know what you find. I’m Alice Bryant.   Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Now, you try it! Try using a few of the interjections from today’s program. You can also use the table below. Write your answers in the Comments section. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   informal – adj. relaxed in tone : not suited for serious or official speech and writing phrase – n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence essay – n. a short piece of writing that tells a person's thoughts or opinions about a subject dictionary – n. a reference book that contains words listed in alphabetical order and that gives information about the words' meanings, forms, pronunciations, etc. original – adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning emphasize – v.  to give special attention to (something) punctuation – n. the marks (such as periods and commas) in a piece of writing that make its meaning clear and that separate it into sentences, clauses, etc. frustrated – adj. very angry, discouraged, or upset because of being unable to do or complete something Source: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/mmm-that-s-good-get-to-know-interjections/4537773.html

[mxlxdroit]

things i read in fanfic that are weird

ok i’ve been reading through the top kudo-ed fics on ao3 and

there are things i keep reading that.. don’t make sense and they’re very noticeable because the rest of the story will be amazing and the things that bother me are few and far between and so they stick out a lot

1. people finding someone’s shirt riding up... attractive? wyd people

2. tenses changing. seriously i will beta for you to fix your grammar it helps stories flow SO MUCH BETTER

3. fake s.o. situations. they’re usually really funny and lead to good character development but nobody does that in real life. do they? i don’t know

4. people’s eyelashes resting on their cheeks. at least for me, my eyelashes wouldn’t touch my cheeks unless i squish my cheeks upwards

5. using WAY too many adverbs. again i will literally beta for you it is so easy to remove adverbs and in many cases it reads much better

6. people texting with proper grammar. does anyone do this please tell me

7. “mentally shaking” yourself to like wake up. i’m sure there’s a better way to phrase that, y’all. it sounds weird

8. “audibly” or “visibly” *does something,* especially if it’s not the narrator. if the narrator observes it, it’s audible or visible or whatever

9. using too much passive voice (ok this is a personal thing i just don’t like it)

10. just... phrasing things in obtuse ways like the clearer and more to-the-point you are (in general) the better the sentences flow into each other

11. people saying things and then being like “oops did i say that out loud” how do you not notice you’re engaging your vocal cords

12. WHY PEOPLE DON’T JUST PUBLISH THEIR STORIES AS NON-FICS LIKE SO MANY OF THEM ARE SOOOOOOOO GOOD JUST AS STORIES AND HAVE AMAZING CHARACTERS AND PLOTS AND I WANT TO SEE THEM PUBLISHED AND RECOGNIZED AS SERIOUS LITERATURE @ fic writers you are amazing and a lot of fics i read are good as standalones and are long enough to be novels. wow

so in conclusion fics are great but people write weirdly and i don’t get why if anyone can explain good reasons for these things i’d be happy to hear