#rephrase my paragraph

[ai-sentence-rewriter]

How To Use AI Paragraph Rewriter tool For Blog Post Optimization

Utilising the AI Paragraph Rewriter couldn’t be simpler. The only thing you have to do is enter the text you want to change. The AI will start analysing the text after it has been entered and will then rewrite it automatically. The AI can change word orders, rearrange sentences, and even offer superior synonyms that are better suited for SEO.

[ai-article-rewriter]

Achieve Clarity and Conciseness with Our Paragraph Rewriter

One of the main advantages of using a simplified paragraph rewriter is that it makes the process of rewriting entire paragraphs much faster and more efficient. By automating the process and suggesting suitable replacements in real time, these tools can help you save time and energy while producing high-quality content that meets your needs. Additionally, a simplified ai paragraph rewriter can be a great way to experiment with different writing styles and see what works best for your audience.

[mercymaker]

man, maybe going to bed after 3am was not the best idea knowing that I never sleep past 8am

[nbstevonnie]

so like. i'm not as hardcore anti-ai as it seems most on this site are. but i am BAFFLED at some of the things people irl will be shocked that chatgpt and it's ilk can't do. they'll say things like 'i asked it to write me a logic puzzle but the answer didn't make any sense :(' or 'i asked it to tell me the relevant bit of law for the situation i'm in but it was totally wrong :(' or 'i asked it to make me a recipe from the things in my cupboard but it tasted disgusting :('

like. no shit!

as soon as you realise that current ai is literally just an algorithm trying to fit new data to the limited number of examples it's been shown, i.e. trying to work out what "most likely" comes next, you know that it just cannot do these things.

of course it's going to give you a logic puzzle with no logical answer! it knows what a logic puzzle sounds like ("a man lies dead on the ground, no footsteps nearby...") and it knows what an answer sounds like ("he died of a heart attack"). that doesn't mean it knows how to connect the two.

of course it's going to tell you a law that's completely irrelevant or just made up! it knows what a law sounds like ("an extension of time of three months is available upon request"). that doesn't mean it knows the law or can apply it to a specific set of circumstances.

of course it's going to give you a recipe that doesn't take taste into account! it knows what a recipe sounds like ("1 tablespoon of rosemary"). that doesn't mean it understands how an ingredient or the amount of it affects a recipe.

the thing that's frustrating about this is that if you're aware of this, you can use ai for things it will do fine at. ask it to write you a speech. ask it to suggest something to eat. ask it to write you the pros and cons of some piece of technology. it will give you enough ideas to tear apart and re-use as your own just fine with any of those prompts. ask it to actually be creative or provide real-world advice? a fool's prompt.

[transsweets]

Just spent like maybe 2 hours metiulously writing out a reply to a post I've never read before. By the time I finished the OP had turned off reblogs. Gonna take at as a sign to just not say anything. Even if they were wrong. on the internet (very serious).

[jamespotterismydaddy]

Lord Husband (Chapter 9)

cregan stark x reader

A/N: this is the chapter that i have been looking most forward to writing. I have thought about it again and again. I'm sorry if the major angst wasn't what you were expecting but i added an extra paragraph at the end so it isnt too traumatic <3

Series Masterlist

WARNINGS: smut (not the fun kind), forced marital consummation for them both...

WORD COUNT: 1,334 words

You look so small in his arms as he carries you to the bedchamber, like a delicate flower that will fall apart if he holds you too tightly. No words are shared between your husband and yourself during the walk; an air of uncomfortable tension surrounds the two of you. Even when you enter the room and he places you down ever so gently, there are no words for a few moments.

“Perhaps you would like some water? Or some time to allow the effects of the alcohol to fade?” You’re drunk. He knows it. You know it. You’re swaying occasionally as he speaks.

“I would rather not.” You breathe out. The drunkenness is intentional. You don’t want to remember this night if you need not to.

“Are you quite sure? I think it would just be beneficial if-”

“I would like to have it over with.”

He cringes. It’s not the words a man wants to hear from his wife on their wedding night. He had always assumed his wedding night would be the best of his life, something filled with love and passion. He sees now that he was dreadfully wrong.

“If this is not something you wish to do today…”

“The marriage must be consummated.” It’s a practiced thought.

He thinks for a moment… then gives in. “I will do my best to make you comfortable. Come.” He beckons you over to him and you apprehensively make your way to your new lord husband. 

His hand moves your hair out of the way as your back faces him. His fingers move to the ties of your dress and he starts to undo it. You feel cold when it’s tugged down, even with the fire heating the room. You stand in front of him now, only in your slip as he gazes down at you. You thought he would look more hungry, more lustful.

“May I take this off?” He murmurs, his fingers toying with the strap of your slip. 

You know it is traditional to be bare for the act but just the thought of a man seeing you naked, even if he is your husband, makes you shudder.

Cregan senses your unease and speaks again, “Perhaps I should rephrase myself. Do you wish for me to take this off? You need not say yes just because it is expected, my love.”

“I-I would rather not.” You say with a shaky voice.

“Then you will keep it on. You will have to take off your small clothes though, but I think you should do that yourself.” He says carefully before unbuttoning and removing his tunic to give you a sense of being on the same level but looking at his bare chest does nothing but make you feel… strange.

You move slowly and he looks away as you pull your underwear off from beneath your slip. He then takes your hand to lead you to the bed but you pull it out of his grasp and crawl onto it yourself, looking at him with as straight of a face as you can muster.

“Will you have me on my front or back?”

“Pardon?”

“Would you like me to lie on my stomach or my back?” You ask emotionlessly.

“Um… well whatever is preferable for you. I thought, perhaps, you would allow me to do something first, to prepare you?” He kneels before you, between your legs. His fingers play with the hem of your chemise, ready to lift it and place kisses up… up… up. “You would enjoy it, I promise.” The look in his eyes is warm, an attempt to be comforting.

“No, I don’t want that.” You move back like a spooked mare. He may be about to bed you but that is far too intimate. “I want it done with.”

“You’re trembling. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“You don’t frighten me.” You protest, almost offended, even if you are afraid. 

“I won’t hurt you… or i’ll try not to.” You’re tense and a virgin, it would be lucky if he didn’t hurt you a little bit. “I’ll be gentle. I’ll take care of you.” He tries his hardest to reassure you but to no avail.

You roll onto your stomach so you don’t have to look him in the eyes, so he can’t see the tears that are threatening to fall. “Please just make it quick.”

Quick and gentle aren’t usually two things that go hand in hand but he wants to do his best to make it easy for you. Over and done with he thinks as he lifts your hips to place a pillow under them so you’ll be more comfortable.

“It will sting at first but we’ll go at your pace. Tell me if you need me to stop, okay?”  You don’t say anything for a few seconds. “I need to know you understood me, darling.”

“I understand.” The short statement is enough for him.

 He lifts your slip until it only covers your bum. Usually he would feel himself harden at the sight of such plush thighs but your discomfort makes it difficult to arouse himself. He pumps his hand along his shaft, feeling it finally get stiff. He then spits on his hand so he can at least provide some lubricant even with you refusing his attempts of preparation.

You almost shiver when you feel the head of him against your folds and your eyes screw shut when he starts to push in.

The resistance. The resistance of your body makes him feel sick to his stomach. He’s never had a time with a woman where he didn’t just slip in with ease and now he’s just forced himself into his unwilling young bride.

“I should stop.” He breathes out.

“That is all it is?” You thought it would last longer.

“No, but you don’t like it.”

“I won’t like it anymore another day.”

Gods he feels worse now. Will it always be awful for you? Will you never be happy as his wife?

He starts to thrust in and out of your warmth anyhow. If he can’t please you then he at least won’t prolong your misery. It stings no matter how slow he goes, your body isn’t used to such a stretch. He holds your hips carefully, wanting nothing more to kiss you gently and tell you how beautiful you are, how good you’re doing. He just knows that such sentiments would fall on deaf ears.

It goes on for a few minutes. The tears that were held in your eyes are now fallen as you bury your face in the pillows. You don’t want him to see how weak you are. It’s pathetic to cry over something that every woman goes through. Your tears won’t make you feel less ruined, they won’t stop the mixing of his seed with your maiden’s blood. When it’s finally over, all you can do is hope that there is a son in your belly so you’ll never have to warm your husband’s bed again.

He hears your muted sobs for only a few minutes before you’re quiet. It’s been more than a long day and he’s pleased you have found your rest. You shift in your sleep, your body never used to the cold as you turn to face him. He wishes he could make you as content in waking day as you are in sleep. Cregan’s hand brushes the hair off your face. He knows there’s no woman in the world so beautiful. Any man would be pleased to have you… but you’re not truly his.

Your brows furrow as you feel the chill in your sleep. You subconsciously look for warmth and you unintentionally find it in the man that lies next to you. Cregan isn’t sure what to do when his delicate bride starts to cling to him but he can’t prevent the small smile from crossing his lips. At least an unthinking part of you finds solace in him.

taglists (comment to be added): General: @valeskafics @urmomsgirlfriend1 @girlwith-thepearlearring @darylandbethfanforever9 @lovellies @juhdoche @papichulo120627 @watercolorskyy @ophelialaufey @aerangi @ravenclawprincess33

Lord husband: @feyres-fireheart @possiblyafangirl @hb8301 @marihoneywk @youn-jo @velvet-spider @janelongxox @ninastyless @nyctophilic0vitnir @m-a-s-h-k-a @delicious-xx @weepingfashionwritingplaid @happinessinthebeing @betelrus @joliettes @black-swan-blog27 @mxtokko @valeridarkness @karolalolla @satan-s-ass @synindoodles @a-beaverhausen @petertingle3000 @lunnnix @hermaeusmorax @cupcakesminicakescupcakes @purplegardenwhispers @aesthetic0cherryblossom @katiemars @yourwonderbelle @callsignwidow

[haxyr3]

Language Learning Tip: Embrace Authentic Texts

My high school English teacher once quipped, "If you rely on a Russian-English dictionary, you'll end up speaking 'Russian-English'." She encouraged us to use Merriam-Webster instead, even if it meant chasing down ten new words for every one we looked up. After months of sweat and frustration, our whole class reached a conversational level in English.

To rephrase her wisdom for Russian learners: if you stick to materials designed for foreign learners, you'll speak "Russian as a Foreign Language." Too often, I see learners hit a wall of disappointment when they transition from simplified storybooks to real Russian texts. Even those who can breeze through long tales in learner's books might struggle with just a couple of paragraphs in a Russian social media post. It's not just the slang; it's the deceptive syntax of Russian that throws learners off.

But that's the language in its natural habitat. To save yourself time and frustration, start reading authentic materials as soon as possible. Trust me, you'll thank yourself later.

[fieldofdaisiies]

Some writing real talk below

In 2023 I pushed myself sooo hard to write good fics, I would take hours to write a few paragraphs because I spent such a long time searching for synonyms and phrases to use instead of the once I always used. I looked up so many words, I constantly tried to find new phrases and spent soooo much time one pages to help me desrcibe things, amd rephrase things because I thought I had to do better than I had done before. I know these focs were often stylistically better, sounded better, but it was getting exhausting and I lost my love for writing.

So, this year I made the plan to just write again, not looking up that many things, just using what I have, and let me tell you, I fell back in love with writing. It is just a hobby and I want to enjoy what I am doing.

I enjoy doing it this way so much more than with trying to get everything to be perfect. My English is not perfect, my word order isn’t perfect, I often can’t think of the right word or good phrases to describe something but I enjoy writing so much again. Just getting my thoughts out and on paper.

I am still trying to get better, and I still look uo things to help me, but I am often trying to figure out my own way to describe something…

Don’t know why I felt like sharing this, but it feels good I did. And maybe it helps one or the other who is struggling with that as well.

Good night 🌟

[ai-sentence-rewriter]

Top 10 AI Paraphrasing Tools To Improve your Copywriting You Need to Try Now

One of the best ways to improve your writing skills is by using Free paraphrasing tool. With their advanced algorithms and natural language processing abilities, these tools can help you to rewrite text in a way that is more engaging, easier to understand, and error-free. By using these tools, you can gain insights into how to improve your writing, identify common mistakes, and enhance your overall writing style.

[qoldenskies]

Do you have any writing tips? Especially for characterization/dialogue :>

uhhhh i am not a professional so take this with a grain of salt. here are things i think about a lot at least

i dont have any solid ideas on how i get my prose to be Like That, i am not super confident in it, but a thing ive tried to focus on it rhythm. this goes for dialogue too; if it sounds clunky in your mouth, unless its supposed to, it might be a sign to change it up and rephrase a little.

really long paragraphs are really, really, really really hard to read. fics that consistently have paragraphs that go beyond like 6 lines are borderline unreadable to me. i stick it out sometimes but a lot of the time the sight of a fat fucking Block will just make me click out immediately

its also always good to be punchy imo. i mean it depends on what style you're going for but i notice some of the best lines from my writing are just simple, single sentence-paragraph statements lmao

false starts and filler words are what i notice the most when it comes to stuttering, which is a thing pretty much everyone does unless they're speaking very intentionally (i keep it in mind for characters who are motormouths especially because our brains move faster than our mouths do sometimes). especially when people are stressed, they'll usually start with a sentence fragment and then say something completely different because they just found a better way to rephrase it <- its probably the thing i utilize the most. in general though people repeat words more than they t-t-talk l-like t-t-this, and even when i write more dirrect stuttering dialogue i try to make it. idk consonants i guess? sorry idk if this is helpful

i script a lot of my scenes before i write them out, which usually helps me keep things well-paced. i really only include action in the scripts when its in the midst of an action scene or if its relevant to the conversation in some way (or if i just have an idea and want to keep it in mind)

TAKE NOTES WHEN YOU GET IDEAS

save all your cool ideas for your active in progress story instead of storing them away for later. got a line of dialogue or an interaction that you want to put SOMEWHERE? see if you can fit it into your multichapter first, it might help you with ideas. more will come to you in the future with your later projects!!!

you dont need to plan everything out meticulously, most parallels in cw came to me in the midst of me writing them. the motif with raph and donnie and doors was a complete accident, as a good example. it fucks hard though lmao

also when plotting out multichapters i think in what i want to progress before anything else, so there's a sense of direction. with cw it was mostly what parts of cl i wanted to address, although i originally planned to make note of shelldon in like chapter fucking three and then it didnt happen until seventeen LMFAOOOOOOOO

okay thats all i got. im not a good advice giver .... im sowwy

[sunscreenstudies]

A Step-by-Step Guide for Socially Anxious Email Senders

Read the horrible, horrible email you have to reply to and then feel relief at the fact that "well, at least it's not a phone call!"

Determine what parts you have to reply to i.e. if they asked you a question about something or if there's a part where you need to ask them a question about something

Set a timer for 2 min, 5 min, or 10 min depending on the importance of the email, but no longer!

Write your greeting: "Hi [their first name]" for friendlies, "Dear Mr/Ms/Dr [their last name]" for acquaintances

Write your ending (Yes, we're doing this now before we write anything else): "Best wishes, [your first name]" for friendlies, "Kind Regards, [your first and last name]" for acquaintances

Write "Hope you're well!" This is a game changer because now they know you're thinking of them BUT they don't feel like they have to answer in the way that typing "How are you?" does. Plus, the exclamation mark always helps to lighten up an email that otherwise might feel stuffy.

Answer their questions. If they asked multiple, then split up your answers with filler phrases such as "In relation to...", "In regard to...", "As for...", etc. Finish your paragraph with "I hope this helps, but if you have any further questions, please feel free to ask!"

Ask your questions. If you don't have any questions, then find the most complicated/unclear part of their email, rephrase it, and throw it in after a "Just a quick note to confirm my understanding of the project: [the rephrased bit]". This will let them know that you did thoroughly read their email, and it also provides them with an excuse to email you back with "yes, you're right" or "actually..." which removes the awkwardness they might be feeling as to whether there's any need to reply to your email or not. Finish your paragraph with "Thank you!" (it never hurts to be nice)

Check for spelling or grammar mistakes (if you don't have an extension like Grammarly, then copy and paste your email into Google Docs/Word doc/LibraOffice doc/etc. to check for errors there. Once you've corrected them, copy and paste the corrected text back into your email, replacing the original text)

Reread your email three times. Look at me. Look. At. Me. Three times. That's it! No more and no less! Your timer should have gone off by now, so times up, tough luck, you have to send it, the timer said so. If your timer hasn't gone off yet, then congrats! You beat the clock! Now let's celebrate by sending that horrible email immediatley.

Check your "sent" email box once - just once - to make sure that your email did successfully send and to shut up that part of your brain that's going "but what if they didn't get it?!" They got it. Exit your email browser/app.

Turn your phone/laptop on "do not disturb", leave your desk, make yourself a big mug of something hot (I personally prefer black tea, but you could make tea, coffee, hot chocolate, soup, etc. - whatever you enjoy the most!). Bonus Points: If you're at home or in an enclosed office, then throw on your favourite song or a dancing playlist, and spend five minutes dancing and shaking off that nervous energy before getting back to work. Congratulations: You did it!

[writingdotcoffee]

Writing Challenge: Fast Drafting

Fast drafting, or vomit drafting, is a pretty self-explanatory approach to writing. You try to get the first draft down as fast as you can. Contrary to what the name suggests, it's not all about speed (or, well, indigestion).

In this post, we'll go over the benefits of fast drafting and why you should try it at least once.

Why Fast Draft?

Although you write faster than usual when fast drafting, speed isn't the point. For most writers, speed isn't a concern at all. Who cares whether it took you three, six or nine months to finish your book?

The problem many writers face is getting bogged down and never finishing at all. You probably heard the stats before. Nine out of ten writers who start working on a book will never finish the first draft.

Often, the issue isn't time or energy. These aspiring authors are paralysed by self doubt, second-guessing everything.

I still remember my first attempt at writing a novel. I spent weeks writing and rewriting the first few paragraphs — about 700 words. And that's it. I never got beyond that.

It starts by going back to edit stuff — rephrasing a few sentences here and there. Any bigger issue you can't fix right away will gnaw on you. Suddenly, you've got this feeling simmering inside of you that the story won't work.

You go back to your outline and start moving things around. Maybe you killed the sidekick too early? Isn't the build-up too predictable? Ugh! The whole thing is a mess, and you don't want to be working on it anymore.

How Fast Drafting Works?

The goal is to keep your mind focused on making progress. You don't want to give it a chance to second-guess anything until you've finished the first draft.

It's surprisingly difficult to do if you haven't done it before.

Your first draft will be a mess. All first drafts are. But you will have to ignore that and keep ploughing ahead. Your inner perfectionist will be in agony.

To stay disciplined, many writers don't allow themselves to fix anything. Mistyped a word? It stays in. No exceptions.

Editing is a slippery slope. You fix a typo here and there. Next, you're fixing the odd structural issue, moving a few paragraphs around. Before you know it, you're outlining again, wondering whether you should rather kill the sidekick in chapter 24.

That said, a messy first draft can be a blessing. Instead of seeing your first draft as this seemingly polished thing, you see it for the mess that it is. No matter how much you edit during the first draft, it will never be perfect.

When you start editing, you'll fix the typos and obvious issues. That will help you get into the flow and be ready to tackle the big things next.

The Editing Lock

Writing Analytics (the app that I built) has a thing called the editing lock. When you enable it, you won't be able to delete anything from your draft.

Every time I use it, I'm surprised just how much I go back to edit stuff. It's so helpful.

It was a suggestion from one of the readers of the blog a while ago (massive thank you 🙏).

If you'd like to try it, the app is free for everyone for the first two weeks.

The Challenge

Spend an hour or more this week fast-drafting a story. Come up with an idea and stick to it until the end — no matter what. Put the editing lock on if you're struggling and crush all the self-doubt that comes up with a steamroller.

I set up a challenge where you can write along with me (and others):

https://app.writinganalytics.co/challenge/646c860be7b6ddfbda016a9c

[unknown-cold]

Yeah I’m pretty sure most of them are teenagers and probably don’t want to feel responsible for their actions/have someone to blame - like Jinx. They can blame it all on Vi. I’m one of the few that doesn’t want the reconciliation between the sisters as Jinx is here to stay. Which is okay but that’s toxic for Vi, who is still trying to let go fully.

As far as Caitlyn goes, it sucks to see people diminishing her grief (i don’t think that’s a spoiler) , I’ve seen people actually mock her(like wtf). Many of these characters are suppose to be morally grey as it is. It’s heart breaking but reasonable. We will obviously see her snap out of this “change” and be “redeemed”. It’s just crazy that people think that isn’t a possibility but it’s possible for Jinx to be “redeemed”.

Sorry for the delay in answering your question.

I'm really sorry but I didn't understand your question in the first paragraph, English is not my first language as you know. So I didn't understand what your question was. You can rephrase the question in another way if you want.

As for the second paragraph where you talked about Caitlyn, I am also shocked like you by people who do not care about her suffering and ignore everything she has been through, as if she is not a main character at all.

They care more about Jinx and sympathize with her as if she is the only character who is traumatized, although if we watch the show more closely we will see that all the characters suffered Vi, Viktor and Ekko.

And back to the subject of Caitlyn's character, we must not forget that Caitlyn saw death many times from Jinx, she almost killed her many times, all this and you do not want her to hate Jinx, I mean the same way you hated Vi for what she did to Jinx, you should hate Jinx for what she did to Caitlyn, right??

(For me, I don't think in this ridiculous way, and I don't hate Jinx, Vi, or Cait. Every character makes mistakes and has reasons for making these mistakes, and that's what makes the show special. There is no perfect character. But my words here are for the hypocrites who accept the behavior of a certain character and not another character. And when you see their posts, their words are strangely contradictory and unbelievable)

And another thing I want to say to those people who say: How can she change or take revenge, this is clear hypocrisy guys. We have to understand her character and the painful event that will happen to her, just like you understood Silco and Jinx's character, can't you understand Caitlyn too??

[professorspork]

⭐️the triple meet cutes pls >:)

well, here is where the downside of the way I outline -- i.e. putting it directly into the document and then just replacing it with the prose itself as I go -- shows its head, because I'm not sure I can stitch the timeline on this together as perfectly as I'd like. luckily I can for some of it because I narrate the vast majority of my life events to @alexkablob thanks for being my searchable diary pal

lol gonna cut this too bc I AM VERBOSE

the true meet cute was always going to happen at a bar. "My friends are being jerks right now, can I sit with you?" is a line that was actually used on me (collectively, addressed to my friend group) at a bar, and it remains one of the BEST lines I've ever heard (love that poor little meow meow rizz), and it was always going to belong to Yang. I knew they'd begin there, and they'd end at "So you don't date. Do you make friends? I've been told I give great friend."

the question then became: how the fuck was I going to get Blake to go to a bar when I knew she's sober and a total hermit?

I considered her going to see a band she likes play, but didn't love that because it would put Yang in the rude position of interrupting something important that she was there to enjoy. I considered it being an open mic night, maybe something where they had an overlapping friend in common and didn't know it, but again-- that directs the scene, and suddenly it's about their mutual buddy rather than them and their chemistry. I considered several different settings (coffee shop? the park?) instead of a bar, to try and make it read smoother, but bar just Felt Right. as someone who's gone to bars to watch baseball when I didn't have access to cable, that cropped up as an idea, and then it was just a question of coming up with a sporting event Blake would possibly have interest in, and ice skating seemed feasible enough. back when I lived in the East Village, I had a corner bar I'd go to down the block from my place that had amazing fried pickles and I'd often do my homework there before it got busy, so that's where that came from.

the "last ferry out to Menagerie" paragraph, in which Blake recontextualizes and basks in her attraction to Yang after learning she's trans, is hands down the single excerpt I worked hardest on. the first step, as I was drafting it early last august, was coming up with the right metaphor in the first place. I wanted something which would help me avoid it reading like a "well you can always tell with those transes" cringefest

me: so now the thing i'm chewing on is-- is what we talked about before, which is figuring out how to write about blake being attracted to the parts of yang's appearance that are sort of self-evidently trans without it accidentally becoming a weird bioessentialist screed me: the best metaphor i've come up with so far is glasses, like-- like putting on your glasses after cleaning them when they've been smudgy for a week, and you suddenly have this wonderful appreciation for crisp little beautiful details me: but blake does not wear glasses and i'm not enough of a hack to give her glasses JUST FOR THIS (i did consider it) so now i'm trying to think of other ways to talk about that, like-- moment of dawning clarity

(sorry I did not give blake glasses. similarly, this past march while writing the big sex scene in chapter 9 I was like "well yes i'm 123k into this but what if I went through and edited everything to give Blake a nose ring wouldn't that be hot" and alexis talked me out of it so blame her.)

once I came up with the "last ferry" concept ("me, rollerblading down Main Street, AO3: HAVE YOU MARVELED AT THE CELESTIAL BEAUTY OF TRANS PEOPLE TODAY") I worked on those two sentences for over an hour. i am particular about my language and cadence always, but even for me this is uh absurdly excessive. WORTH IT THO, because it's the most important passage in the whole fic. i deleted and rephrased it probably a hundred times, trying to get the right flow, the right lyricism, and crucially not say "stars" 8 different times.

Blake's deep dark secret being that she's a country fan has been baked into this fic's essence from the very beginning; the title, "something wild and unruly," is from a Dixie Chicks song for this reason. IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE RELEVANT, and I had to get it in early.

as I've told several people, the "deck building game" joke also comes directly from my life. Helen and I went to New Jersey last June to do wedding errands -- tastings, fittings, engagement photo shoot -- and while we were there we visited a very cute bar in my hometown as a potential night-before-wedding hangout space. she casually mentioned that her sibling was texting her about... oh gosh, I can't remember the name of it, but I went "what's that?" and she said "a deck-building game" and because I was home, and thus around my mother and how she has HGTV on all the time, instead of oh, like Dominion I went "like a porch?" and then she laughed and laughed and I said "well that's definitely going in the fic."

luckily my wife is used to that, because I stole from our lives a great deal. she first started having car battery trouble in January of 2023, and then we opened up the hood and found scary corrosion and my dad talked me through how to clean that out the way Neptune does. from then on it was sort of floating in the back of my mind that this could be something I used in the story-- Blake's car is 100% based on Helen's car, which she bought at a police auction and clearly had a Rough Backstory-- but it was three weeks later that we finally got tired of jumping it all the time and called AAA. the guy really DID come like 2 minutes after I put the request in on the app, so shockingly Yang's fast turnaround time is actually based on life. and about ten minutes after that happened I declared:

me: no real-life anecdote is ever wasted and this is DEFINITELY happening to blake after she and yang have their meet-cute and it's yang who shows up and has to be like WELL HOW ABOUT THAT SERENDIPITY :D

about three months later I then had my OWN battery troubles, and that's when I went out of my way to ask the tech who came about a million questions about what the multimeter read and how cold crank amp tests worked. I pretty much wrote our conversation verbatim into a note on my phone, which became what Yang said. (the fellow who came then also had a very sharp and snazzy work shirt, and that's when I thought about how cute the little Yang on her breast pocket would be)

only it would be--

Yang

:) okay anyway

I don't know what it is about competent service professionals that make me go "you're Yang Xiao Long actually" but I've done it twice now, with my wedding DJ and with the AAA people

I went back and forth on whether the library meet-cute would come before or after the car scene, but in its earliest incarnation the idea was just that Yang would come up to the circ desk to check something out and oops Blake's standing there. at one point I even considered having Yang ask her out to lunch. once I realized it behooved me to have Yang and Pyrrha already be friends, so Pyrrha could vouch for her, I knew it had to come at the end to tie everything in a bow.

[wingsoverlagos]

Lewisohn vs. Preston

I've begun posting some additional Tune In citation comparisons on actual hellsite WordPress. I've been using it for a few days, and we have already built a deep animosity between us - it eats my posts, in whole or in part, and finding a simple, readable layout was a chore - but now there is a place to view my source comparisons without scrolling through twelve pictures of Paul McCartney circa 1974, which might be a plus to some people.

It also allows me to document many of the noteworthy but not terrifially unique Lewi-sins I've found without clogging up the dash for my dear followers. I'll continue to share highlights and anlysis here, plus an occasional round-up of anything that isn't crossposted, but this should save you some tedium.

I have brought a highlight to offer you today: Lewisohn's adaptation of Billy Preston's piece in Memories of John Lennon (2005).

Memories of John Lennon (2005) is a collection of short pieces about John Lennon, primarily by people who knew him. I say “primarily”, because Mark Lewisohn himself also has a piece in this collection! Unsatisfied with his own Lennon memorial, Lewisohn decided Billy Preston's words needed substantial edits.

Tune In 34-4 vs. Billy Preston

In Tune In:

In Memories of John Lennon (p.219-220):

This quote is altered extensively, though the meaning is more or less preserved. I’ve highlighted in yellow the parts Lewisohn quotes, and marked in red any additional changes Lewisohn made to the quotes text. There are several omissions – one a full paragraph long – that are unmarked.

The only marked change is the bracketed “[the Beatles]”, and even this isn’t done correctly. Lewisohn writes, “I made sure they [the Beatles] were well fed and watered,” indicating that “they” is the term used in the orginal source. Not so. Preston’s original piece reads, “I made sure that the soon-to-be Fab Four were well fed and watered.” There’s no “they” in the quote – Lewisohn introduces ambiguity with his own rephrasing, and then adds a bracketed “correction” as if it’s Preston’s words that lack clarity.

It’s particularly galling to me that Lewisohn found the need to extensively rephrase Billy Preston’s own recollections of a departed friend. Preston’s memories about John don’t meet whatever benchmark Lewisohn uses, so he alters them – Lewisohn never knew John Lennon himself, but he’s the authority on how his friends and colleagues should remember him.

Sources:

Lewisohn M. 2013. The Beatles: All These Years Vol. 1: Tune In. New York (NY): Crown Archetype. [ebook]

Ono Y [editor]. 2005. Memories of John Lennon. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. [ebook]

[apopcornkernel]

11, 19, 23, 39 !! sending u kisses back MWAH !!!

from these writing asks

11. Three tropes that are fine but overrated.

e,, ene,,, enemies-to-lovers (audience gasps) YES i know i cannot believe I'm saying this as one of the most ardent lovers of etl. but likeee i don't think it suits some ships at all (and kinda kills what i love about said ships) AND I've been feeling super let down by recent portrayals of it that has actually just been straight ass

other than that, i guess fake dating and arranged marriage 😭 i do still enjoy those tropes done well! but lately I've been wanting more canon-based fics & quieter tension but tension all the same. like yes give me 20k of them running this country together, i don't even want a confession at the end or any sort of kiss, just show me their chemistry and their deep trust!!!!

19. Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

I LOVE U FOR THIS

When she woke, her head was clearer, the haze of drink all but burned through. It was not yet light. Yukong turned, and in the darkness Caiyi’s eyes were like that of a cat’s, fixed pinpricks of direct brightness.

No. Not Caiyi.

Ruan Mei blinked back at her, still watching. The memory of everything that had transpired, the touching, the kissing—

Yukong uttered a low, fierce curse.

23. Dialogue or description? Why is the other one so hard?

it depends, but usually its dialogue :( i am really bad at writing very very colloquial characters and when it's for more formal (?) characters its slightly easier if only bc i know the rules better? but its still hard, like... like this for example, I'm still unsure how to rephrase this ����:

The Seer Strategist had on a look of such put-on innocence that it only missed an affronted hand to the chest. “Why, Diviner Fu, I’d never. ☰ ☲ Besides, it’s not good for us to have infighting among ourselves rephrase.”

yeah, that rephrase is my note to self 😭 it's why writing stuff like jingfu takes doubly long.

description can also be hard for me bc i forget that people need them haha. like i just want to skip ahead and go to the good stuff (interaction! talking!) but then im like. shit. the readers don't even know where they are rn 😭 it's a little tiring to describe too, like idk how yall are writing multiple paragraphs when one alone is a struggle for me

39. Wildest AU scenario you have written?

it's STILL jingfu propaganda movement au where i made jing yuan a chinese mestizo and fu xuan a newly arrived chinese immigrant who lived in binondo during the philippine propaganda movement and the ensuing revolution 🥰