#part of it's also been me ESCAPING into trt

[pastafossa]

as someone who has written over 130 chapters for TRT (big fan ofc omg i love you and your writing and your story so much) what's your advice for someone who's feeling burnt out after only the 3rd chapter. Like the plot is clear and I want to write it so bad but I just...don't write. And it's getting annoying

is this like a substance you're injected with? Is it the same as the determination in undertale? what keeps you going?

I am indeed an experimental subject, injected early on with a proprietary blend of ADHD Hyperfixation and Crow Brain Wanting To Show Readers The Shiny Thing conveyed into my brain by a base blend of high-caffeine coffee, you too can have this blend for the low low price of Procrastinating Household Tasks While Also Being Distracted By Shiny Things. Act now and we'll give you the free gift of Insomnia (tm)!

Ok but in reality - first, thank you so much anon! I'm so happy you enjoy the story!

First, I have good news - on TRT's full page index, you'll see: I burned out early on when things got busy in my life. I went almost two years after chapter four before I came back in Jan 2021 and began updating every week. So it happens to everyone sometimes, me included!

There are a couple of things I learned to help prevent burnout though, little things that have helped me keep going this long:

For me one of the blocks was perfectionism. I was editing as I wrote, essentially, judging the literally unfinished product before I was done, and that was stressful and exhausting. It's a bit like moping over a cake's appearance while all the ingredients are still in the bowl. 'This doesn't look like a cake, it's going to taste terrible, why do I bother' but I haven't even baked or frosted it yet! Once I learned, truly, that it's ok to have a messy rough draft, things got easier and less stressful, and it made burnout less likely.

I like to think happy thoughts about the chapter! I think about how exciting it will be for readers to read a romantic moment, or what they'll do with clues I leave, or how they'll react to a wicked cliffhanger. I basically pump myself up for chapters when needed the same way I would when I'm going to give someone a surprise gift or cook them something.

Include in the fic tropes you want to see! It's no secret with TRT that along with the more serious plotlines and romance, it's also me exploring some of my absolute favorite tropes - cuddle for warmth, slow burn, drunken almost-kiss, the Big Declaration Of Love While Unconscious, the mad scientist, etc. I get so excited about the chance to write those tropes, and because I've outlined the plot, I know how close they are, and I try to sprinkle them through at regular intervals as a treat for myself. These are carrots for you to help prevent burnout because holy shit you want to get to the treat, you want to chase it like a cat with a laser pointer, it's right there, all you need to do is go through a few more chapters, go get it! gogogogogogogogo

This is the hard one - there are some days I'm just like ggrrrr don't want to. And whenever possible, I force myself to do it anyway. It's miserable and it sucks, each word is like pulling teeth in the beginning. But the good thing I've found is that once I pushed through it early on, I was able to build momentum, and it got easier. It was like my brain figured out, 'well she's going to make me write anyway so I may as well just get it over with.' It's very important to remember point 1 when you do this - a chapter you're struggling on will most likely feel bad or terrible, you'll be convinced no one will read it. BUT everything can be fixed in editing, and most people will have no idea you struggled with it. I've got some chapters I wrote out like that in TRT and they fit in perfectly!

Outlineeee, outline outline outline. I hate outlining but it's important for a reason - because when I'm like 'I LITERALLY DO NOT HAVE THE BRAIN CAPACITY TO PLAN THIS' I don't actually have to. Because I have the outline, the roadmap, and I've already figured out what needs to happen. All I have to do is write down what happens, and then make it pretty, the same way going by a recipe is easier than trying to come up with a new dish yourself. <3

Honestly I don't judge anyone who struggles with chapter fics, and what I've done with TRT is very unusual. I won't lie though, it teaches you TONS about writing. This is most of the stuff I've learned and use to avoid burnout!

[pastafossa]

The Red Thread Tarot Spread

Had some interest in the tarot symbolism in my fanfic The Red Thread so I figured I'd share this fun six-card tarot spread I made a bit back. You can use this for yourself or for a character (sidenote: tarot is a LOVELY way to develop characters or create storylines).

I. The Thread: What deep connection supports you?

II. The Devil: What should you protect?

III. The Hound: What are you searching for?

IV. The White Coat: What challenge are you avoiding?

V. The Ferryman: What can your shadows teach you?

VI. The Zookeeper: "Can I give you some advice?"

As an example, below the cut I’ve done a reading for TRT's protagonist.

(Deck: the Oriens tarot. Please pardon the bad lighting, my usual well lit area has had all the furniture packed up)

I. The Thread: the Judgement card, a cicada offering up its old shell. As the sole Major Arcana card in the reading, this will influence all the other cards. And it’s quite fitting considering her subject number is 20, chosen for this card specifically. The Judgement card isn't just about judgement. It's also about rebirth and redemption. The old life we lived has come to an end, and now we have a new beginning. This is very much a Matt card—the person who's leading her into a new life and believes so very strongly in redemption, as well as the connection she values the most. Additionally, the image of the resurrected cicada carries shades of her giving up her old life so that she can find a new life with Matt. This thread, connection, and love she has with Matt is transformative, and it is changing everything in her life for the better, which I think is beautiful and something I definitely wanted to touch on in TRT.

II. The Devil: the Knight of Cups, a bird of paradise rising. There are a fair number of possible meanings with this—proposals, good news, etc—but I think in this case, it refers to gentleness, affections (traditionally of a romantic nature), vibrant emotion, and diplomacy. This reads as a Hound-related warning to me. Our dear girl needs to make sure she protects her ability to feel emotions and her diplomatic skills, and practice caution when retreating into the Hound mentality. Also fitting as the Devil would well understand and give the message of, "protect your humanity". The image of a vibrant bird of paradise here would depict the bright and warm emotion that needs protecting, especially as part of her rebirth and redemption (Judgement card).

III. The Hound: the Four of Cups, in which a nautilus ignores three golden cups. One of the meanings of the Four of Cups is missed opportunities. Anyone who's read TRT knows just how many normal experiences and relationships our Reader/Jane has missed out on. Not just relationships, but a home, too. I read this as her searching for every opportunity she was forced to pass by, with the shell of the nautilus nicely representative of the hard shell she had to grow to protect herself. And in her new home, she’ll likely find it as a part of this new life she’s forming (Judgement).

IV. The White Coat: Ace of Cups, an otter floating along while holding a chalice and surrounded by lilies. HEY LOOK, THIS ONE IS NEW RELATIONSHIPS AND LOVING CONNECTION. Obviously Reader/Jane is repressed and has been too afraid to form loving connections for years, and this has been a recurring theme in TRT. So in this, she's being directed to keep going and expand even further. Part of her transformation (Judgement).

V. The Ferryman: Knight of Wands, a dolphin with a scepter hey look Ciro likes the ocean and is a ruler. This is a card of bold action, of letting nothing stop you, of motivation and of leaping forward to chase your goals. In this case, I think Ciro the card is reminding Jane that when she escaped, there was no way for her to plan for everything. When the moment came in which she could escape, she had to simply take that leap and let nothing stand in her way. She likes to rely on plans, but as her terrible past has shown her, sometimes it's time to stop thinking and start acting, especially when the stakes are high (her personal transformation, re: Judgement).

VI: The Zookeeper: King of Pentacles, a mighty, powerful golden bull above a pentacle. (Foggy: "So I'm a giant, strong, glorious bull that dispenses practical wisdom? You know what? Yeah. That is 100% me. I'm glad the deck is recognizing my level of awesomeness."). The King of Pentacles is a master of planning out a clear plan of attack, gathering his resources, and putting that plan successfully into action. There's a strong focus on material resources, and this card encourages diligence, responsibility, and attention to detail—Foggy: "Wait, I got this. First of all, yes, I am all of those things and I'm just saying, I'd could have had more material wealth and better bagels if I hadn’t let Matt talk me out of it. Second: if this were me, yeah. You want my advice? We've got all these resources—SHIELD, creepy rich mob murdery guy that scares the shit out of me, Daredevil, my absolute genius, Karen who is literally a force of nature, and the notebooks. We need to get a plan going so that when the time comes, we can use all of these together and keep things running smoothly. ‘Cause I don't know if you've ever done a group project before, but there is zero chance of everyone linking arms and singing Disney songs if we do this without planning. Except for me, I love Disney, you want me to belt out Be Our Guest? Cause I can. Oh, and to go with your whole rebirth, Judgement thing, call me an optimist, but something tells me all these people, this stuff you’ve gathered? It’s going to work, and that new life you want is yours, as long as we do this right. So let’s get it done. We’ve got this."

now i need to do a daredevil spread