#so wrote totally useful writing advice instead

[sarahreesbrennan]

I remember reading in one of your blog entries (years ago??) that in the new book you were writing, the main character's *sister* had cancer. Does that mean that Alice was originally the main character of Long Live Evil? Was she going to go into the book to save Rae, instead of Rae going in to save herself?

How extremely kind of you to remember!

No, that was actually a YA murder mystery that I wrote while ill, revised while recovering, and sent out into the world where it died on submission. (Which means we sent it out to about 12 editors and the editor either said no, or said yes and took it to acquisitions - a group of people at the publisher including sales and marketing - and acquisitions said no.)

One editor told me she really wanted and really tried to buy it. Another person who worked in publishing (and has since changed jobs, or I wouldn’t share this) said the response at her acquisitions was - if you like this writer, find the next her (implications about health and youth were made).

I was terrified my agent was going to ditch me too, but she said ‘We’ll sell that one day, for now let’s write the next thing.’

I remember another writer telling me she missed my work that wasn’t a tie-in, and I felt ashamed to tell her it wasn’t that I wasn’t writing other things - it was that I couldn’t publish them.

The tie-ins meanwhile were paying the bills (they still are tbh!) and I was and remain so grateful for them. But I also really loved writing them - especially my Sabrina tie-ins, you don’t forget the first, and it reminded me I want to write horror and poly one day - and how they got me to love and sympathise with so many fandoms.

I see the burnout of caregivers all around me, and I wanted to write the story of one. But maybe I also wanted to take a step back from cancer. I didn’t think I did, at the time. I had a whole lot of things I tried writing before Long Live Evil, and I think some of them were really good. One of my critique partners gave me a lipstick with the same name as someone in the murder mystery. There was a romance novel another critique partner said was her favourite thing I’d ever written. But none had someone with cancer at the heart of the story.

And even though Rae isn’t much like me, maybe I had to start there. You can’t make real magic using someone else’s liver. Maybe I had to wait to be brave enough to use my own liver.

I do get requests for advice on how to cope with rejection of your writing, and I always worried I didn’t have anything else to say, but I suppose my example says - if you can, (and I know it’s hard, you feel so terrible at writing and so useless) (and you love the work you’ve done so much and you don’t see a way forward to loving the next thing) (but still, if you possibly can) write the next thing.

Even if the first thing sells, you’ll want the next thing one day. Writing the next thing is more writing practise, so it’ll make you better. Write the next thing.

Ultimately I’m really glad Long Live Evil was my comeback book. I think it needed to be. It took the time it took.

But maybe it was a shade of that past book (where the heroine’s sister with cancer was six, so not much like any of the Time of Iron characters) that made me think of the YA version of this book, which I always had in my mind as something I was intentionally hewing away from - a more straightforward book, a book that might have sold better - in which shy reader Alice was the hero. She’s the one with the suggestive hero name - Alice through the looking glass - the heroine looks, and the more projectable-upon personality. She’d get called annoying less often (though still some, because she’s a girl), partly because she is (with love, Rae knows I’m right) a genuinely less annoying person. Much kinder, much sweeter, and much better at in-depth reading! Her sister being in trouble would’ve been a backstory, a catalyst point, and - you’re totally right - a great motivation for her to get the Flower. Saving a family member is a much more sympathetic and heroic motivation than saving yourself and one I do love (the Hunger Games, Labyrinth, Mahy’s the Changeover, and I write it a lot!). I think Snarky While Tragically Dying Rae would’ve been a pretty popular side character, too. I think it would’ve been a good book! Just not mine.

I love your question because I love thinking about POV, and all the decisions that are the building blocks of a story. To me, the Alice centric Time of Iron is a version that exists. As are several versions of the Lia centric Time of Iron. And versions centring other characters exist to me, too. (Eric, absolutely.)

Speaking of POV musing, I think Rahela the wicked stepsister featured more in the musical than the book. If the Time of Iron series ever became a TV show (and at this point in time I think I’d rather a movie because it wouldn’t… get cancelled…) and I got to write it (don’t know why I would…) I would start with the beginnings for three characters about to go on a journey to somewhere strange to them: Key in the Cauldron, Rae in the hospital, and Vasilisa in the icelands. There are so many possibilities! And I really wanted the sense that there were so many possibilities, too.

But I wanted the chronically ill one to be the centre of the story, and for it to be her villain origin story, and to ask a lot of questions (hence a lot of villains!) about who gets villainised and why. And I thought hers, to my mind, would be the most fun of all the possible stories.

So that’s the one I made. But Long Live Evil has a lot of origins. Thank you for remembering one of them! I don’t think I would’ve dared tell the story, if things hadn’t worked out for me (so far, fingers crossed).

And I also tell it to be clear my publisher was taking a RISK with me and Long Live Evil, and I really appreciate that, and I’m so happy it’s worked out for them (again so far, early days, fingers crossed, etc).

I hope some writers - whether in the process of submission, rejection or making the choices that are the building blocks of story - find this helpful, and some readers find it interesting.

Let this be one of the universes in which your story is told.

[starlit-clouds]

Hello writers!!!

It has come to my attention that many of you are making grave mistakes in writing. And when I say grave, I mean the absolute gravest of grave mistakes.

And that mistake is:

I see so! Many! Common! Words! Being! Used!

But don’t worry! I have some advice on how you might be accidentally using them and some words you can use to replace them!

Let’s start simple, shall we, with the word: The. Now the is an unassuming word. It’s often overlooked. It’s often very overused. Did you know that the makes up about 7% of all printed words? Think of all the other words that could be used! And did you see that? I just used the word the. Even I am using it, even when I know what to look for, so don’t feel too bad if you find yourself accidentally using it as well! Now let’s get to the words that you can use to replace it to help spice up your writing!

Instead of using the, try using: a certain, specific, important, or maybe even all three! (For example, instead of saying the banana sat on the pedestal, instead say a certain specific banana sat on an important pedestal. Wow! Look at that! That second sentence has such a higher word count! Using this method, you’re sure to reach that 1,000 word go— I mean. Using this method could help you spice up your writing by not using such a boring word.)

Pronouns— we all have a problem with this. Pronouns make it so hard to know who is who and what belongs to what. So solve this problem by not using them at all! Instead of using pronouns, instead use the name of your character! (Ex: Bob grabbed the chair with his hand and sat down in his spot —> Bob grabbed a specific chair with Bob’s hand and sat down in Bob’s spot. Look at how much clearer everything is! Wasn’t that first sentence just so confusing? But by just changing any pronouns to Bob’s name, everything just flows so much more smoothly.)

What— ahh, what. The word used to convey confusion. Too bad everyone is so confused on how much they are overusing it. Since it is used to show confusion, instead of using what, just have whatever you write be completely wrong :). As it will be wrong, it will clearly show confusion over the topic. (Ex: Ava stared at the stray cat her friend had brought into the house. “What is this?” —> Ava stared at a certain stray cat Ava’s friends had brought into a specific house. “Is that a dog?” Look! In both, you can clearly see that Ava is confused! And I’m sure that Ava’s confusion absolutely is directed at the same things in both sentences. They both absolutely have the same meaning. Except that one is clearly using a superior word than the other.)

And— now as am sure we’re all aware and could all quote off the top of our head, and is the word used to connect words of the same part of speech, clauses, or sentences, that are to be taken jointly (definitely didn’t copy and paste from google, haha. I know this off the top of my head like I’m sure you all do as well… right?). Anyways… and is used all. The. Time. Literally all the time. So imma be honest here, there’s not really one word that can replace and, but there are a lot of phrases that can! So instead of using and, use together with, along with, as well as, in addition to, what’s more. Also, you can use these all in the same contexts :D! You can trust me! (Ex: Steve would need his knife, the tarp, bleach, and an alibi —> Steve would need Steve’s knife, an important tarp, bleach, what’s more an alibi. Or Oliver needed to get away from Steve and when he said that, he meant he needed to get away now —> Oliver needed to get away from Steve together with when Oliver said that, Oliver meant Oliver needed to get away now. Look at how much of a difference replacing a specific word and can have :). Using this tip will surely make your writing stand out from the rest :). In a very good way.)

(Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any writers using these tricks who may or may not be harmed by editors reading their stories. Any writer using these tricks listed above are doing so of their own free will and are thus fully responsible for whatever potential bodily harm may potentially befall them.)

(Stated again to be made clearer: any writers doing this are doing so of their own free will. I do not have access to their google docs (or other writing programs). I do not have access to their emails. I do not have access to their addresses. I am not in their homes. I am not in their rooms. I am not behind them. I am not watching them type. I am not watching them write. I am not under any circumstances forcing them to use my tips :). I am simply providing them because I wish to help.)

[ada7201]

what do the blue lock boys do for you on valentine’s day?（╹◡╹）♡

Shidou, Rin, Sae, Kaiser x reader (seperate)

→ part 1 ⭢ part 2 ⭢ part 3 on the way!

gn! reader, google translated German for Kaiser’s part

don’t forget to suggest me things if you have any ideas! happy early valentine’s day (๑>◡<๑)

Shidou Ryusei

he gets you a TON of sweets (which he eats half of)

Sae once told him that love letters were a common thing for valentine’s day, so he tried to make you one.

it was a piece of paper, which was poorly folded and drowned pink glitter glue. he used scented gel pens to write a few “i love you’s” and smiley faces… it’s the thought that counts?

wrapped a ribbon around his neck and called himself your valentine’s gift.

decided it would be fun to wear your lipstick and kiss your cheeks - staining your skin with kiss marks

for lunch, he brought you to the park where you both played around, and afterwards sat down somewhere on the playground and munched on sweets (of your choice!)

the two of you watched those romance dramas together in the evening and fell asleep on an episode you weren’t paying attention to

“come on sweets, it’ll be fun!” Shidou whined, clinging onto your arm like a monkey, smushing his cheek against your shoulder as he pouted. why wouldn’t you let him do your makeup? “im great at makeup! you know that! i’ll do a special valentine’s day theme〜”

“Shidou- no!” you groaned, attempting to pry the taller man off of your arm. “you will not do my makeup, and that’s final!”

“fine…” Shidou sighed dramatically, letting go of you and falling to the floor in a pathetic manner. “guess you just hate me… and you’d even do this on valentine’s day?”

you huffed. he could be such a pain sometimes…

“alright, you can do my-“ your voice was cut off by Shidou’s big hand on your lips, a grin on his face.

“no need to talk more, bae - let’s get started…” he’d chuckle, almost evilly, before pulling out your makeup bag from the pocket of his sweatpants.

“how did you—?” you were cut off once again by his hand, and that stupid smile on his face.

“ah-ah,” he’d wiggle his pointer finger, before poking your cheek.

“let me do my magic!”

by the end of that hour, your face was decorated with sparkly stickers and hearts drawn in pink lipstick. your eyeshadow was almost terrifying, with the way it was so bright - brighter than Shidou’s eyes.

“perfect.” he’d giggle, hand on his mouth as he tried to hold back from full on cackling in your face.

surprisingly, Shidou isn’t bad at makeup - he just wanted to be a little silly for you on valentine’s day!

he posted a photo of you and your makeup, along with cute photos of the two of you throughout the day - like one of the heart engraved onto a bench with your initials, or maybe the photo of you sleeping peacefully with a bow stuck to your forehead - totally not Shidou’s doing!

he also baked with you - but it didn’t turn out great so you both decided to order takeout instead.

takeout wasn’t the most romantic meal, but it sure best whatever you both made…

Itoshi Rin

poor baby didn’t know what to do at first.

he spent a couple weeks planning and brainstorming ideas in his free time - even considering asking Isagi for advice.

instead of turning to that lukewarm freak, he chose to go with what he thought you’d like the most.

he bought you a sweet and simple bouquet, assorted with flowers of your favorite colours and type.

he wrote you a card, and got a plus he’d toy with it too.

he placed everything next to you in the morning, since he wakes up considerably earlier than you do.

when you woke up, you were pleasantly surprised with everything. thanks Rin!

when he got back home, he made the two of you some lunch.

he didn’t want to admit it, but he had been waiting to use the cute little heart plates you had bought especially for valentine’s day.

“this bowl is so cute!” you’d smile, admiring the pretty white plate decorated with pink and red hearts. “is this the one i got you valentine’s day?”

he simply nodded, placing down his plate - and sitting on the chair opposite you.

posted a photo of the two of you holding hands, along with a pretty sunset you both witnessed on your evening walk.

he definitely wasn’t too embarrassed to include the photo he took of your plates! he just wanted to be the only ones to see them

yes, he took you out on a walk in the evening - and when he noticed you shivering, he was quick to wrap his scarf around you and drape his jacket over your shoulders - not realising he just exposed himself and the pink shirt you had gotten him.

his face turned the same colour as his shirt! cute!

“Rin, why is your face so pink? are you getting cold?” you ask him, worried gaze focused on the way his cheeks were pink. “do you want your jacket back—?”

Rin quickly cut you off with a small peck, cheeks blushing even more after the small gesture.

“i was just… blushing.” he mumbles, looking away from you as a teasing smile made its way onto your face.

“aww, you were blushing〜”

Itoshi Sae

bought you a bouquet of purple roses.

purple roses mean love at first sight. <3

he also got you a matching set of earrings, a necklace, bracelet, and an anklet.

along with jewellery, he got you a piece of fancy clothing that he saw you eyeing. (example: dress, suit, button up, tie, skirt, and more! your decision)

got you a pack of cupcakes as a desert for lunch (or any yummy food if your choice)

he spent most of the day taking photos of you and admiring how beautiful you were - even with morning hair, even if you were still in your cheesy pyjamas matching that Sae got you, even if you had your face stuffed with sweets - you were beautiful and Sae wanted to capture that moment. (this is a regular occurrence, but was feeling it a bit more today!)

either takes you to a beautiful and expensive restaurant, or hosts one at home with candles lit nicely.

this valentine’s day, he chose to eat out with you - and brought you to one of the newest and most expensive restaurants in town.

“wow, Sae! this is really nice!” you smiled, placing your fork down next to your plate before looking up at Sae, who was sat opposite you.

“you deserve 10 times more.” he’d respond simply, shrugging off your words with a slight blush on his cheeks.

he watched the way your smile grew. cute.

could it be the perfect time?

“y/n.” Sae said, almost quietly - before pushing his chair back and standing up.

his slim fingers reached into the pocket of his nice dress pants - and you couldn’t help but feel your heartbeat quicken. what was he about to do?

“i have loved you since the first day i met you.” he started, hand wrapping around a small velvet box, before pulling it out of his pocket - he wasted no time on getting down on one knee, eyes looking up at the way you stared back down at him. “do you think that… you could make me even happier, and marry me?” he asks with a small smile on his face.

im sorry, but i definitely feel like he’s the type to propose on valentine’s day!

on the drive home, you had to remind him to her his eyes on the road because he kept admiring the pretty ring on your finger!

bought you another pair of cheesy pyjamas - this time, they were pink cat onesies.

he took so many photos of you and your cute little smile!

he posted a photo of your hand with the ring, being held by his

it took him a good 15 minutes to decide what photo to choose for the ring photo

along with the ring photo, he posted a picture of the two of you in your onesies, a photo of his hand on your thigh as you were both in his car - along with some others of the two of you having fun

Sae was stood in the jewellery shop, looking down at each glimmering ring in the display case.

his cheeks blushed as he imagined each one of them on your pretty hands, how could he ever choose?!

he just could not wait to hold your hand, and look down at the ring.

“um, Sir?” the accountant could ask, waving a hand in front of Sae’s face - who was currently spacing out and fantasising about holding your hand.

oh, guess he got caught up thinking about you.

just then, his eyes caught the most beautiful ring. he could practically see the happy face you’d make when he presents it to you!

he wasted no time pointing to the ring, neutral gaze looking back at the woman.

“i want that one.” he says flatly.

no woman other than you deserves to even look at him. how dare that saleslady even talk to him?

(this wasn’t on valentine’s day, but he practically danced out of the shop when he finally bought the ring)

Micheal Kaiser

how bold of you to assume he’d get you something?

jokes!

he bought you a bouquet of blue roses (a little cliche, but you it’s his thing!)

like Sae, he bought you a lot of pretty jewellery.

got you the prettiest piece of clothing, one that would match an outfit he bought for himself.

he absolutely insisted that it was a coincidence.

for lunch, he brought you to a diner he knew you liked - but when you asked, oh you liked this place? he never knew!

made sure to show you off more than usual the whole day, saying things like “they’re the only person worthy of my love” and other egoistical love confessions, if you get what i mean

for dinner, the two of you dressed up in your matching outfits

he practically begged you to be able to do your hair. (he’ll never ever admit it though, not with his ego)

when you were both finally dressed, you went to a party that his team was hosting.

when the two of you got home, he basically fell asleep on you!

“i’m not falling asleep.” he’d huff, unconsciously nuzzling further into your stomach as her hugged your waist. he just … wanted attention.

“sure,” you’d tease, fingers threading through his hair gently. “is that why you’re cuddled up to me right now?”

“ruhig sein,” he’d huff. “or you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

ruhig sein = “be quiet” / “pipe down”

you simply giggle at his words, patting his head gently.

“i’m sorry.” you’d pout playfully, before leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead.

Kaiser had always loved being babied by you.

it was somehow… comforting?

posted a mirror selfie of the two of you, and maybe, just maybe, a photo of your cute smiling face - if i felt like it!

The next morning, Kaiser woke up to his phone buzzing constantly - and you clinging onto his side. he couldn’t help but bask in the glory of being so famous. he had a pretty person next to him in bed and his post has most likely gone viral once again.

he reached over to the side table and picked his phone up, u locking it quickly to read the comments left on his newest post - which was of the two of you yesterday.

“best couple!” “they’re made for each other.” “y/n looks so pretty!” “they’re matching!?”

was very excited to have so many compliments.

he realised that he gets a lot more when he posts photos of you

[what-eats-owls]

Show vs Tell, Or: Please Stop Making Things Difficult for Yourself

I said a while ago that I'd write a brief essay about the most misused craft advice in writing once I wrote 10k words, and for once I actually held myself to that! So now, I'm here to tell you about Show vs Tell, or why people make it more complicated than it needs to be.

First, a basic primer for anyone who hasn't heard this term before: "Show vs Tell"/"Showing vs Telling" refers to "showing" the audience information instead of "telling" it to them. You may be thinking, gosh, that sounds unspecific to the point of being readily misapplied, and you would certainly be right! Lots of folks throw it around without fully grasping what it means, how to use it, or when it doesn't actually apply. And I'd really like everyone to stop making it harder on themselves when there's a very straightforward way to conceptualize it.

So for starters, Chuck Palahniuk has an old but good essay about eliminating "thought" verbs from prose that holds the hell up. But I'm going to tell you an even simpler way to conceptualize the difference between showing and telling:

Eliminate the inner thoughts entirely.

Ask yourself, if my narrator's interior monologue was inaccessible to the audience, how would I convey the same information—literally showing it?

Forget for a moment that your medium is the word, and imagine you only have dialogue and visuals. If this was taking place on the screen or in a graphic novel, how would you convey that this character has a crush on someone in their class? That they're hotheaded? That they're struggling with a decision?

Here's a perfect example of this from the opening scene of Howl's Moving Castle.

Devoid of context, we have a girl trying on a hat in a mirror, and also trying on a fake smile. Then her expression sours and she pulls the hat down over her face until we can only see her frown. She's wearing a plain dress and the hat is simple, despite the elaborate hats and ornaments on display around her.

You don't have to know anything about this character to understand what's being conveyed in this moment: This girl is deeply uncomfortable with trying to be pretty and flirty, but in the safety of privacy she wants that, even though she feels inept and self-conscious about it. She's in this world, but she's not part of it. Even brushing up against it for a moment makes her shut down and reject it with hostility.

More importantly, it's all communicated with a simple gesture and design choices. Not by Sophie thinking to herself, I wish someone would take me dancing—no I don't! I work too hard to have time for dancing!

That's showing. And it's more resonant, because we've all felt silly trying something on in a mirror! Or, say, if you want to show a character has a crush, having them get flustered and laughing too loud. Or showing that they're a hothead by having them snap at a simple disagreement, etc. etc.

This also extends to worldbuilding, dialogue, and stakes.

Worldbuilding: If your story is set in a town run by a crooked sheriff, you could have the narrator say "everyone knows Sheriff Smith is squeezing the shops for bribes." Or the sheriff can stop the narrator for "smelling like weed" while the sheriff's drunken son speeds by, about to total his third BMW.

Dialogue: If your character is angry, they can say "I'm furious." Or they can slam dishes in the sink and insist "I'm not angry" while openly crying. They can snap "I'm not discussing this again." They can demand "What is he doing here?"

Stakes: You can have an all-seeing oracle say "If you do not return the Mystic Orb to the Sunlight Altar by the solstice, the world will plunge forever into darkness." (And as we'll get into it below, sometimes you actually need that.) You can also have intermittent but increasing periods of total darkness occurring as the party travels to the Sunlight Altar. You can have the Mystic Orb start cracking the longer it takes, and the sun getting a little dimmer with every fracture. You can have people's shadows growing bigger and bigger and acting autonomously.

But showing isn't the end-all-be-all; telling absolutely has a place. Sometimes it's better to quickly and plainly state information and move on, such as a little earlier in the scene, when the other hat shop girls have spotted Howl's castle:

"Look, it's Howl's castle!"

"I've never seen it so close!"

“Do you think Howl will go into town?”

“He’s gone!”

“No, he’s just hiding in the fog from those planes.”

“Did you hear what happened to that girl, Martha, in South Haven? They say Howl has torn her heart out.”

“Now I’m too scared to go out!”

“Don’t worry. He only preys on pretty girls.”

This tells us some stuff directly: Who owns the castle we see in the first few seconds, that he's hiding from soldiers, that he has a reputation for preying on beautiful girls. We can infer also that he's a bit of a coward, he stays away from civilization, and that his reputation for cruelty has spread over multiple regions.

This happens so quickly, and it's couched in enough character between the teasing and the gossip, that it doesn't stand out as capital-t-Telling. That's exactly what expository dialogue should do. "Showing" us all that information would take a lot of screen time that can be saved in ten seconds of dialogue.

It's also not just about saving time; it's setting up an image that Howl initially fulfills when he helps Sophie escape the soldiers... only to be punctured when she actually goes to his castle and sees the real Howl. Telling is good for setting expectations that you know will be subverted later.

So yeah, tl;dr: If you're tied up in knots about "am I showing?? am I telling??" just ask yourself how you'd convey the same information in a movie or graphic novel, without access to interior monologue, and evaluate if that'd be better. Most of the time the answer is yes, but not always!

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

Do you have any advice for writing your first draft?

I’ve just finished an outline for a fic of mine, and like all my projects I abandoned them at the first draft because I lose interest in the story.

So, how can I stay interested long enough to complete my draft and move on to actually finishing the story?

HOW TO WRITE A FIRST DRAFT

A first draft is the hardest draft you will ever write; it’s creating something from nothing, without the benefit of using a previous draft as a base. Obstacles such as writer’s block and motivation may oppose you at every turn, and it can be easy to get sidetracked and frustrated when you have ideas for the “middle” of the story but somehow can’t get to it. 

Just know that everyone is different and writes in a way that works for them, so don’t feel pressured if these tips don’t work for you or don't fit your style of writing!

1. Start With a Good Outline

Since you don’t have a previous draft as a foundation for your writing, your outline will take the place of this! Refer to my posts below:

How to Outline

Plotting for Pansters and Pantsing for Plotters

You can also refer to my FAQ, which includes a variety of resources on getting started. This includes posts on how to get into writing fiction, how to write consistently, and how to combat writer's block!

2. Know that You Don’t Have to Write in Chronological Order

Write what inspires you! If you have no idea what your first scene is going to be but have very specific ideas about a coffee shop interaction during the middle of the book,  write the coffee shop scene instead of staring at your blank word doc for an hour and giving up!

Writing is better than not writing, even if it’s not the part of your story that you “need” to get done. In fact, it can be easier (and more cohesive!) to write all of the major scenes you’re excited about first and connect them together, than to write out everything in the order from start to finish.

3. Give Yourself Permission to Write Incomprehensible Garbage

This goes hand-in-hand with the tips I highlight in my post about overcoming writer’s block. When it comes to a first draft, DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT, and QUANTITY OVER QUALITY. It is totally okay if your first draft is covered in placeholders for scenes and conversations that you don’t feel like writing.

For example, rather than getting stuck on writing about your characters on the car ride to the carnival, just write and highlight in red “THEY DRIVE TO THE CARNIVAL” and come back to it later. That way, you can have fun actually writing the carnival scene instead of struggling to write the stuff leading up to it. Momentum is the key to getting your first draft done, not producing writing that “sounds good.”

If you’re just going to go back and edit it later, why bother getting stuck on that now? This leads me into my next point:

4. STOP EDITING!!!

When it comes to a first draft, opening up the doc and editing the things you already wrote for the 712123979843th time is not progress; now you just have one REALLY good scene and no rest of the story. Save the editing for later; you’re more likely to lose steam and feel stuck if you keep getting caught on the same things over and over again. 

I am calling myself out on this one, as I am INCREDIBLY guilty of using editing and rewriting as an excuse to not write new material, but unfortunately it has to be said. Having it in your mind that you’re making progress when in reality you’re using editing as an avoidant technique will not help you in the long run (as much as I wish it would). 

This can sometimes be helped by writing each chapter (or scene that’s getting you stuck) in a new document so that you have no choice but to focus on what you’re currently writing; sometimes the temptations of editing are too great to resist when you have all of your writing in one place!

5. Set Specific Goals and Document Your Progress

Setting goals helps you break up the huge task of “writing a book” into more manageable chunks. 

For example, heading into a writing session with the goal “finish this chapter” or “finish this scene” or “write this dialogue” can make it easier to overcome writer’s block; you are solely dedicating your focus on doing this specific task, and are less likely to get distracted. It’s better than barging head-first into it with no direction, and may also have the added bonus of keeping your writing cohesive.

Documenting your progress can help hold you accountable for reaching the goals that you set. If you like to perform under pressure, maybe you can document your progress online or with a friend; that way, you feel a bit of a pushback from outside sources to get things done! Keeping consistent will also help in maintaining a steady flow of inspiration—you’re always thinking ahead!

However, you should remember that life happens, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re struggling to reach your goals or deadlines! Nobody is a writing machine!

Hope this helps, and happy writing!

[earlgreytea68]

I admire your writing SO MUCH. What is your writing routine? Or do you have any writing tips you might like to share?

Awwww, THANK YOU! That is really so lovely to hear!!

My writing routine changes from time to time, which I mention because sometimes it's worthwhile to switch up your routine if it stops working for you.

I always advice trying to write at least a little bit every day, even if it's just a sentence or a paragraph. And rather than framing it that way -- a sentence, a paragraph, a hundred words -- I set aside time to write. Even if I only sit down for five minutes and spend the whole five minutes re-reading what I wrote last time, keeping the story there in my mind is useful to me.

Because I think you should try to find time to write every day, I try to have a time set aside each day to write. When I was younger, I used to write at night. Then two things happened: (1) I got busier, which meant I was sitting down later and later at night for my writing time; (2) I began to be so tired at the end of the night when I finally got time to write. I didn't really notice that I was tired, what I noticed was I was having a hard time writing. The stories felt like slogs and I wasn't getting anywhere.

So! I read somewhere about someone who used to get up early in the morning to write. Look, I am not a person who's waking up at 5am to write. But some mornings I wake up fifteen to thirty minutes earlier than I need to, and I sit up in bed and I write, and this has worked really, really well for me. My brain is much more awake at the beginning of the day and the words have come more easily and it's been a nice way to ease into the day. The problem is it's not a very long period of time, but it's better than nothing. Again, when I was younger, I used to find the time to write for hours. Life happens. Rather than lamenting the loss of marathon writing sessions, instead I cherish the time that I get.

With that said, you might be like, "Hang on, sometimes you very quickly turn around a fic right after some event has happened, how are you doing that in 15 minutes at the beginning of the day?" Oh, don't worry, I'm definitely not. Because this is my other piece of advice: Sometimes you get an idea that just, like, goes, and when that happens, I write. Now obviously you can't do this if you have other commitments, but anything that I can procrastinate to the next day in favor of writing a fic that feels right there, I do, and I do it without guilt, because I can do it the next day, and who knows if the fic will be there the next day. I don't know if that's exactly advice, because I know I have a much more flexible schedule than many people do, but I did want to explain that I promise I'm not lying when I say usually I only write 15-30 minutes a day lol

So that is my "routine." As for "tips," my main writing tip is to write what you would like to read. If it interests you, then it's done its job. For this reason, I think writing is very personal and there are almost no universal "tips," because different things work for each person. I, for instance, cannot outline and hate to do it; it messes me totally up. I start with a vague idea and a first sentence and I go from there. This works for me. I'm unbothered by not having a plan. It wouldn't work for everyone, so if that idea freaks you out, make an outline! But if you feel like you get stuck at the outline stage, this is permission from me to ignore it entirely and just write.

Other things that personally work for me: I try to trust my characters. If I'm struggling with a story, it's probably because it's wrong, and I need to figure out what I did wrong. Like, the characters are in the wrong place and don't want to do what I'm trying to make them do, that's why they're fighting me.

I try not to write "boring" parts. Like, if I'm bored by what I'm writing, I assume everyone else is, too. Just skip to what you want to write and write that. The "boring" part can't be too important to the story if it was boring.

If you're writing a love story, give your characters time to fall in love. That is not the boring part, I promise. If they had a good date, tell us what they talked about on the date. Write the actual dialogue. Whenever I find myself writing, "They talked for hours," I stop and think if I can put some of that conversation in. That, to me, is the important stuff.

I happen to be an auditory thinker, not a visual one. I think in words, not images. For this reason, my first drafts tend to be a lot of dialogue. When I read them over, that's when I add in beats here and there to pause the flow. A dialogue tag can be a nice beat to make the reader pause and not be overwhelmed by the conversation. If you're struggling with dialogue, sometimes I try it out loud, playing both parts.

Identify what writers you admire do well. Not just "writing." Like, I think some writers write excellent descriptions of kissing, for instance, and I wish I wrote better descriptions of kissing. Once you identify the more specific thing they're doing that you admire, really study how they're accomplishing the effect that you like. What makes that description of kissing so good? Thinking about what makes something seem "good" to you can help you to think about using those same tricks in your own writing.

My only universal rule of writing: Resist epithets. You almost never need them. Just use their name or a pronoun. It will read better, trust me.

I hope some of this is helpful!! I will say that I got a comment recently (I read ALL of your comments and they are all wonderful and also so deeply helpful to me in your reactions to things, even if I'm often terrible about responding to them, they are lifelines for me, please know I read and appreciate so much EVERY SINGLE ONE) and the comment said something like, "I used to read your Sherlock stuff! I can't believe now you're in FOB fandom! Your Sherlock stuff was fantastic, but your writing has gotten EVEN BETTER!" I put this in not to brag about this comment lol, but to say that I agree with it, I think I am a better writer now than I was ten years ago and a better writer than ten years before that. You're always getting better, because you're always practicing and learning for the next story. You might not feel like it's happening -- it's not like I'm like, "Let me go PRACTICE writing now!" -- but it will!

[thescarlettbitch]

Craft a Good Luck Spell With Me!

Hey, I'm Red. I'm currently in the process of trying to find a place to live and also a new job, so I'm trying to make a spell jar/candle that is going to provide a boost in luck.

Pick a vessel and intention - a spell can be anything, a sugar scrub, candle, jar, food, oil, etc etc etc, and it can be for anything, good luck, career boost, money attraction, protection, etc etc etc.

Find Ingredients - I have a word doc of a bunch if different herbs, foods, flowers, crystals, animals, etc and their correspondences. If you don't have something like that (which is totally fine and normal) a simple Google search will do. My advice would be to jot down a list, and then go back through and Google each individual herb or Crystal's correspondences, just to be sure that you're correct. Also, be sure to check toxicity, and make sure that whatever you find is safe to be used together.

Gather said ingredients - once you have a list of what you need, go and get it, within reason. Due to things like the place you live, it might be unavailable, like I do not think anyone can legally buy or sell belladonna. If it's not, don't worry, there are going to be plenty of other items you can use.

Assemble! - depending on what you are doing, be it a jar or candle, cleanse your space and your materials, get into a good mindset, and get to it.

So, for me, this is what the steps look like.

Vessel - jar ; intention - attracting luck and money

Find Ingredients - I went to my Google doc and made a list of 22 herbs used in good luck, using what I know I have available or can acquire easily, I wittled the list down to 8 (allspice, basil, orange peel, coffee, alfalfa, cinnamon, comfrey, peppermint) I also decided to use a chunk of clear quartz, and then some fresh lavender I had lying about (long story) to add some peace.

All of those things I have in my house! Other than orange peels, so I went to the store and grabbed some oranges, ta da. I don't usually have alfalfa, comfrey, and peppermint, but I had some leftover from a spell kit I bought a while back, so why not toss them in as well.

I meditated for about five minutes after a 12hr shift and lit one of my tealights, focusing intently on getting a new, better paying job, and moving out. I used incense smoke to cleanse the jar and then put all the ingredients in there. I took a green index card and put a pen to it, ready to write out my plea, when I felt this overwhelming feeling. Inanna told me to Affirm, not Plead. So instead of writing "please let this happen" I wrote "this will happen." Folded it and put it in the jar. While waiting for the oversized tealight to burn and wishing I had a normal sized tealight instead (again, I've been at work for 12hrs and have to work 9hrs again tomorrow) I cleaned up my room, changed my clothes, and such. Then I dripped the wax all over the lid to the jar, and I do mean all over. Made a little mess, but it's all good.

Ta da, all done!

[maochira]

Ok so we've seen many younger sibling readers, now what of older sibling reader

Like imagine if nagi had a semi protective older sibling, who does want people to use their younger brother, since he is talented. And when they meet Reo, they don't like him, but Nagi is just like, "We're kinda using each other" (he gets money/spoiled & reo get a soccer star)

And a bit after that reader kinda just adopts Reo as their younger brother as well. And when blue lock comes round its kinda sad since instead of saying bye for now to one brother, they have to say bye to two, also with the *fun* aftermath of what goes down in blue lock between the two

Also, older sibling and Nagi having matching cacti just seems very cute

This sounds fun to write!! Thank you very much anon! I'm totally open to writing older sibling!reader headcanons more often if I get requests for it!

Tags: older sibling!Nagi!reader, some fluff I think, idk what else to tag I wrote this after eating a bagel

-you're older than Seishirou by a few years, and you've always been fairly protective of him. You know he literally can not take care of himself on his own so you live with him while your parents are travelling

-you've noticed his talent ever since you were kids and always hoped he would use it for anything in his future, but Seishirou being Seishirou, he didn't (until he met Reo, of course)

-you've always been concerned about Nagi's lack of friends, but he would always tell you making and keeping friends is way too exhausting

-but when he does start bringing a friend home very now and then, you can't help but dislike that guy. Reo Mikage.

-to you, it seems like Reo is only taking advantage of your little brother, so you kind of start shit-talking Reo towards Seishirou

-Seishirou doesn't care for what you say about Reo, though

-and the more often Reo comes over, you can't help but let him slowly grow onto your heart. The older sibling instinct really kicking in

-and soon, you're their biggest supporter when it comes to their soccer careers! Especially after Reo told you about his parents and their opinion on him and soccer

-when they leave to go to Blue Lock, you promised yourself you wouldn't cry while saying goodbye. But that didn't really work because you end up as a teary mess, but reassuring both of them that you'll be fine

-and while they're in Blue Lock, yeah we all know what happens. You've got both of them telling you their side of the story and you try to be there for both of them. You know you really can't make them communicate and fix everything, especially because you want them to learn and collect experience on their own. You do try to give them advice, though

-I struggled figuring out where exactly do put this, but omg I love the thought of Seishirou and you having matching plants. But instead of a matching cacti, I think you would have another plant like a succulent!

[jayietheriverwarrior]

First: Here

Next: LINK

Background again belongs to Disney, and was edited for use over here.

Annnnnnyway, y'all might remember the story I wrote back in dinosaur times about Zira's life growing up, "Fall to Hatred", where she grew up as a princess of the Pride Lands and was absolute best friends with Nala's mother Sarafina. I've majorly reworked my TLK headcanons and story since writing that, and while I don't have it in me to write a whole multi-chapter fanfic about it anymore, Zira and Sarafina's friendship, and Sarafina's personality and story, were definitely something I thought about a lot and I figured I could draw a few pieces about their lives and briefly explain the story for each one. So here we go!

First though, you might wanna read this piece about Zira's father, it'll explain a lot of the context.

~-~-~

Princess Ziara is the second born cub of the mutinous King Jadi, behind her older sister Princess Dunia. Sarafina is born and raised in King Jadi's pride alongside Zira and the two become inseparably close (yes they’re totally crushing hopelessly on each other.

Since Ziara is the second cub of the King, she becomes the leader of the Lion Guard (no magic roar in my headcanon, and the guard marks are brushed/stenciled on instead of magically appearing), with Sarafina as her Bravest. 'Fina is devoted to her best friend and will charge into any danger to protect her. She is a very stern, reserved, no-nonsense kind of lioness, hardened by the hardships of life in the Outlands (we'll get to that in a moment), determined to protect those she cares about.

When Sarafina and Ziara are young/middle teenagers, King Jadi dies in his attempt to take over the Pride Lands through tricking Taka, and King Ahadi finally takes full control of the Pride Lands and casts those still loyal to Jadi into the Outlands. Jadi’s furious widow, Queen Sharifu, vows revenge. She changes her name to Queen Shari (anger) to match the anger she feels in her heart and begins putting her pride through harsh training to become stronger to eventually take the Pridelands back.

Later on Shari arranges marriages among the young adult lions of the pride to create plenty of cubs to train to take over the Pridelands. Sarafina is betrothed to a fellow Guard member, a skinny but swift little male called Kimbia who serves as the Swiftest on Ziara's guard. They’re not in love, but they are friends, and neither blames the other for the less-than-ideal situation. Princess Dunia is also betrothed to one of the guard, the Keenest of Sight, a male called Tumbili, but she seems oddly reluctant to announce an engagement for Ziara.

Sarafina still loves her best friend, but over the years she becomes increasingly concerned about their queen’s violence and how Ziara seems to be swayed by her mother’s harsh training and desire for revenge. The scene in this drawing is one of probably many conversations they had with Sarafina trying to get her friend to see that her mother’s obsession with revenge and her harsh and often violent treatment of the pride was wrong, and a nervous Ziara who loves and respects her friend’s advice but won’t be convinced away from her mother’s teachings insisting that it’s fine ‘Fina, yeah mom can be harsh but she just wants everyone at their best, Ahadi and his heir have to be taken down, everything will be better when they get their home back. Sarafina, however, isn't fooled, and as time passes and more conversations like this happen and become more tense and fraught, her concern only grows...

~-~-~

So yeah, this time Zira leads her own Lion Guard of the Outlands, and Sarafina is her bravest!

I'm super super happy with how the drawing part of this turned out. Admittedly I did trace part of Sarafina's head from a screenshot of the movie to get it to look right. Oh well, I never trace, and it's from a movie not another independent artist, so... yeah. Sarafina's got a scar on the underside of her jaw (about the only place I could justify fitting one that wouldn't have been seen in the movie based on her angles we see her head at). She got it protecting Zira from something.

How did Sarafina end up in the Pridelands instead? How did Ziara end up becoming Zira? I'll get into all of that in the next drawing. ;)

[aquagirl1978]

Hi Aqua! You seem so nice and down to earth so I have to ask if you have any advice for someone struggling with self doubt about their writing. I have spent some time in the tags, specifically the IkePrince tags because my favourite character is Clavis, and I was reading different fics but instead of feeling inspired, all I can think is how I can't measure up. My writing isn't "pretty" or very descriptive. I know every writer has value but I'm having difficulty finding mine right now.

Hi anon, thank you so much - every single word you wrote, I have felt that way at one point or another tho change Clavis with Chevalier lol. And I am going to offer what might seem like odd advice.

Stop reading other fics.

Take a little break. At least for now. Reading fics when you're in the headspace like that, you might only tear each fic apart and compare it line by line with your writing. You might only see that one writer used an amazing metaphor. Or another had a great line of dialogue. And anything great you wrote will only pale in comparison. Sound familiar?

While I think you can still be inspired by reading other fics at some point, there are other places you can look to find inspiration.

I find myself more inspired by chatting with friends. Take a look at the posts that are more rambles and brainrots. Find the posts from non-writers who wonder aloud...what would happen if? and then ask them if you can help flesh out their idea. And if you don't see any, write one yourself - pretty descriptions and metaphors are not required when rambling about the brainrots in your head. Who knows, maybe someone will respond and you'll find some inspiration that way.

Another thing you can do is to join a discord. These are more casual groupings of friends, usually catering to one or more of the games in the series. And some of them have spaces to discuss writing and ideas. I have my own Ikemen Discord and would love to invite you to join. I get alot of ideas there - yes, I am looking at you @yanderepuck right now.

Another great source of inspiration is the game itself. So often, Cybird starts what sounds like a great story, but then it falls short. It's a wedding event and there's not even a proposal, let alone wedding. Maybe the story mentions some past action that happened off-screen. Fill in the blanks to one of those ideas that speaks to you. (totally not doing this with will's current jp event)

As a writer who does not write with metaphors or "pretty descriptions", I urge you to not stop writing. There are stories inside you that only you can write. There is nothing wrong with being a "simple" writer.

[xxnashiraxx]

numbers 4, 14, 17, 27, 41, 65, and 77 for that q&a 💖

Thank you so much for asking!!! 😍🩵

Answering questions from this post!

4. Where Do You Find Inspiration For New Ideas?

Whew uh... they sorta come to me out of the blue! For example, during mundane tasks- often at work- I'll try to think up where I'm going in the work I'm currently engaging in and try to plan out conversations and dialogue in my head! I did this with an Act 3 scene today while plugging away through my boring accounting routine, and I figured out an entire conversation to solve the Ascended vs. Spawn debate between Ofelia and Astarion later on in With Stars to Fill My Dream! Sometimes stuff really just comes to me out of no where- I often just daydream about the story or future potential oneshots. ❤️ Sometimes, I discuss existing ideas with my partner and he and I go back and forth and he'll offer an outside perspective (and he's great to bounce D&D questions off of since he knows even more than I do) and it's wonderful. I'm really lucky to have someone like that who looks at me and doesn't think I'm crazy for writing all this Astarion stuff and instead beta reads my chapters and offers advice. 🥰❤️

14. How Do You Write Emotional Scenes? Do You Ever Feel What the Characters Feel? Do You Draw From Personal Experiences?

I answered this one in a previous ask, so I'll copy and paste it!: I love writing emotional scenes, they can be gut wrenching or joyful and I like to try and emulate what I'd feel when the characters I'm writing about are experiencing those things. I have a lot of angst history, unfortunately, but that's been great in helping me realize what happens to me when I go through those feelings. I like to touch on the senses- smell, sight, sound, touch, all of that. I try to immerse myself in it all like how a panic attack can leave you scattered and how your chest feels tight and that there's not enough breath in your lungs, or how a kiss can make you feel like there are butterflies in your stomach (cliche, but hey it happens) alongside the less glamorous descriptions of sweating profusely and feeling like everything is on fire. Emotional scenes weren't always my strong suit, but I've never looked at them through the lens of how I would feel in that moment, and doing so has really helped me improve.

17. What Do You Do When Writing Becomes Difficult? (Maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

I actually experienced my first bout of it this past weekend since really delving back into the hobby and it kind of freaked me out a bit. I used to experience it back in the past, but I don't remember how I fixed that... I didn't write again for 6 years so maybe it just needed a long rest? This past weekend I was visiting family so that may play a part in me staring at my laptop vacantly for 2 hours, because the space I was in wasn't usually one I wrote in but instead socially engage through. After watching some movies with my partner and taking the long drive back home, I came back and was able to write again though it was a rough start haha. It's hard for me to totally say- I don't have the most healthy of coping mechanisms for other things, so I really just hope and pray I don't feel like it again and go another 6 years without writing 😭

27. What is Your Most and Least Favorite Part of Writing?

My most favorite would be getting to a scene I've really been looking forward to and have put a lot of planning and thought into. It feels like I get possessed and thoughts aren't even getting past the thinking part- they're just going straight to the keyboard. I feel most in tune at that point, usually with some music and a cup of coffee and it's almost like drugs. Love that feeling! My least favorite? Probably when I start to get stuck... smut can be the bane of my existence here because while it's fun to write, and I know I'm beating a dead horse with this saying, using the same 3 words to describe a penis is not so fun lol. I have to get so creative and honestly smut fics are the hardest for me to write and get out because of the heavy editing I need to do to make sure they're polished. But alas, I love them too much to ever quit.

41. Do You Tend to Reread Fics or Are You a One-And-Done Kind of Person?

I'm a huge rereader. I have fallen in love with many fics that I have bookmarks of either just on my device or on AO3 and I love going back to them and reliving the feelings they gave me the first time. ❤️🫂

65. Tell Us What You're Most Looking Forward to Writing- In a Current Project or a Future Project.

I'm most looking forward to writing some Act 3 Orin stuff in With Stars to Fill My Dream as well as the epilogue I have planned! I've brainstormed a lot of ways I can keep Act 3 fresh, and I'll have some fun (the word fun is completely subjective/sarcastic) scenarios the tadpole gang will have to deal with before the end of the game. I also don't mind hinting at this bit either too much, but because Ofelia is only a bard, a certain Act 3 fight will be incredibly difficult for her to come out victorious in, so I plan to have her make a pact as well. She's lightly inspired by Ofelia from Pan's Labyrinth, and I have an excellent idea for who her patron will be and all the little details surrounding their first meeting. I'm actually so excited for this!

77. Do You Have a Favorite Scene You've Written from [With Stars to Fill my Dream] story/chapter?

I do!!! I really wish I could share it right now- it's from the tiefling party and it's the scene I originally imagined back when this fic was just a twinkle in the sky. I listen to a lot of music, and an old favorite of mine (Crazy on You by Heart) was on my playlist when I was thinking about potentially starting a fic for BG3. I didn't even plan to share it at the time, I just wanted a fun little isekai story to indulge in as I obsessed over the game, and I thought up a bard Tav singing to the group and party goers, and also to Astarion. That bard then became Ofelia, and thus WSTFMD was born. I wrote that scene a couple months ago and I'm honestly so happy with it- once it was finished I almost cried a little- it's amazing when an idea you never thought you'd actually put on paper comes out and then to not fuck it up and it sounds great too? Priceless ❤️ I can't wait to share it- it'll probably come out mid-November or beginning of December going off the update schedule, though my brain isn't working atm so I can't go in and make sure!

Thank you again for asking me these!!! I enjoy answering little questions 🫂🩵💙

[nothing-but-paisley]

20 Questions for Fic Writers! ✨

tagged by @monstersinthecosmos and @hekateinhell thank you! 🖤

1. How many works do you have on A03? 28, all public

2. What’s your total A03 word count? 70,744

3. What fandoms do you write for? Vampire Chronicles & AMC IWTV. I also write Hannibal fic and dabble in Star Trek (need to get into some ds9 fic one of these days.) I also have a twitter account (@murdertherapy) where I give advice as Hannibal Lecter, but I've back burnered it for the time being due to The Horrors. Might make a tumblr for it one day.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? Touching and Touched, Only a Name, That Essence Rare, Amnesiac, By Any Other Name

5. Do you respond to comments? Absolutely, they make me so happy! But I get a little self-conscious about how to respond to them since I don't know how to take compliments, so I'm always just like, thanks 🙂

But I really do cherish all of them 😭

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Gotta be Gethsemane, the fic where I did what Anne maybe ultimately wished she did and killed Daniel. This is one of my favorite pieces I've written in fandom or otherwise and it really helped me process some things.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I'm sure it's my spirk fic Touching and Touched, they are so fuckin sappy I love them.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I've been pretty lucky in that I've never gotten a mean comment on ao3 or any shade about any of my fics (that I've seen lol).

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Listen, I think that horniness is the engine of all drama. All fiction is inherently erotic. What is a Greek tragedy but a super drawn out communal orgasm?

But yes, I write smut almost exclusively lol. People are (usually) at their most vulnerable and raw during sex, and this is an incredibly powerful way to explore character dynamics as well as their inner lives, traumas, and hidden drives. I'm especially drawn to BDSM/kink in general.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Yes! I just wrote a VC/X-Files crossover called Amanuensis in which Mulder and Scully investigate the Night Island that was tons of fun, but it's not something I make a habit of for whatever reason.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but it's something I would definitely be open to!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Devil's Minion, Hannigram, Garashir, Spirk, Mulder/Scully. They all make me insane in unique ways! I'm also partial to Armand/Marius/Daniel--any Armand ship really! Super normal about him :)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I WANT to finish my Knight of Swords series one day, but I'll try keep plugging away at it.

16. What are your writing strengths? Dialogue, 100%. I want everything to be a screenplay lmao. I have written multiple fics that are just text conversations, transcripts, etc.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I can be impatient when it comes to writing descriptions/actions, so a lot of that stuff is as bare bones as possible. I would like to become better at creating a sense of depth and scale and grandeur rather than just sketching things out (and writing longer fics instead of just oneshots all the time).

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Neutral, I think it can work when used sparingly (but then I've dropped a few caro mios in my time).

19. First fandom you wrote for? Doctor Who in the ancient pre-ao3 times.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Apart from Gethsemane, I was really happy with how By Any Other Name turned out (the fic where Armand roleplays that Daniel is Marius without his knowledge). Basically anything that's a combination of heavy angst and smut with an optional lil sliver of comfort--that's the good stuff.

tagging: @fofoqueirah and @butchybats and @desertfangs (feel free to ignore if you've done this already lol)

[jenanigans1207]

Hi, i was wondering if you have any advice for a first time smut writer? Especially when the writer doesn't even have experience kissing?

I've had an idea for a bonus nsfw chapter for my long term GO wip, and over the months, I have created a detailed account of what will happen with dialogue in my head. But I'm worried that only reading NSFW fics will not be enough to help write it well.

I would ask in a discord server, but may end up gifting it to a friend, and they're in all my servers 😅 Getting advice there might ruin the whole "surprise! I've written a sexy fic!" if I do end up gifting it.

Hi!! Oh man, I don’t know how much help I’m going to be, but I’ll sure try!

I think the biggest thing I can say, and I genuinely can’t stress this enough: you’re going to feel awkward as hell the first time you write smut. To this day I still feel super awkward when I write smut, like I need to look over my shoulder in case someone is looking at my computer screen or this happens to be the moment I’m finally proven right that mind-readers exist and one is reading the smut straight from my brain. So if you feel that way when you write it, don’t panic! It’s not a sign that you aren’t meant to be writing it or that you’re doing a bad job writing it!

My second biggest piece of advice is to remember that this is part of a larger fic. And I hope this makes sense when I say this! It’s not just smut that you’re writing, it’s a natural progression of the dynamic that you’ve been building up for all those chapters. By now you have the character voices and personalities in your head— trust those! Lean into it a little, let them take the lead a bit. If you don’t end up liking how something is written, you can always rewrite it! (Though I will always advocate for simply pasting what you’re getting rid of in another doc instead of outright deleting it just to be safe!)

Third: remember that they’re people. Whether it’s an au where they’re human or they’re still celestial beings, the boys are disastrous idiots at the best of times (that’s why we love them). So don’t be afraid to let it be awkward or uncoordinated sometimes. If you feel like one of them doesn’t know what they’re doing, okay! A lot of us don’t!! And depending on the scenario you’ve put them in, maybe one of them hasn’t ever kissed before either, which allows you to lean into it a little and hopefully make it more comfortable! The point is, nothing is ever perfect. It’s messy, it’s full of emotions, and it’s usually clumsy and heartfelt and it’s okay to write it that way!

If you don’t have a deadline or need to post/send to your friend right away, I recommend taking a few days away from it and reading it again. It’s hard to look at anything you write objectively when you’ve been so close to it for so long. Taking a step away and coming back gives you a better chance of seeing the story the way your readers will— and I guarantee you that you’ll think it’s even better than you remember it being. Even if you thought it was the best thing you ever wrote, you’ll love it more when you are able to look at it a little more objectively! If you can’t take the time away, totally fair. Find someone you trust, someone who knows the rest of your fic so they have the whole story, and ask them to read it.

If you get stuck, and you have someone you trust enough, you can do what I do with my writing friends which is playing Questions! You talk a little about where you’re stuck at in the plot and they just ask you any question that comes to mind. Not always huge, plot-relevant questions, but questions about how a character feels, or how an outside character would respond, etc. and in working out the answers to those questions, I think you’ll find the bits of plot that you’re looking for! It’s always been a huge help to me, and it’s tons of fun!

Oh, and lastly— I think it’s absolutely phenomenal that you wrote an outline of everything! I’ve never been great at plotting or outlines so I’m jealous. But remember not to hold yourself too rigidly to the outline. If you forget something or veer off of where you intended to go for a bit but you like the outcome, don’t beat yourself up over it! Like I said before, you can always rewrite something you don’t like.

So I guess my biggest piece of advice is don’t take it too seriously and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s still writing and it’s a natural progression of a story you’ve already spent all this time telling. You know how the story goes, you know how the characters act, you got this!!!

I don’t know if this ended up being helpful at all, but I hope it is! It’s lovely that you’re doing this for your friend and I’m sure they’re going to adore it!!!

[frannyzooey]

Kelli. I have been DEEP in baby life, and reading anything other than articles about every minute detail of human development hasn't really been on the table, much less anything even vaguely smutty. BUT. I happened to open up my dash and see Devour the other day. I actually managed to read the whole thing, which I haven't been motivated to do in a few months. (Don't look at the 250+ drafts I have saved as "to read". Shhhhh...)

I was a little unsure about some of the tags, but *gods*. As always, you and Ezra have me totally enraptured by the most INSANE things that I would NEVER think to look for on my own. I debated sending this as just a message, and you can totally ignore it or reply with a message, instead of a post. I just needed to let you know you woke me up a bit. I should've known one of your Ezras would be the jolt of spiritual caffeine I needed. 💜💜💜

Also, that reference to Din was just fucking brilliant. 🩶💚

First of all Tess -- baby life?! ❤ I am so fucking excited for you! Babies are 100% one of my biggest weaknesses and it makes me so happy to think of you being immersed in that love! Congrats!!

Second of all -- I can't even tell you how much this ask means to me. On so many levels: thinking of you still taking the time for your hobbies after children, having faith enough in my writing that you would read it even if you were unsure about the warnings, knowing that it woke you up a bit (??!!) -- I wish I could come and kiss you on the mouth right now.

Tbh, you and I are in the same boat because I never knew a concept like that existed! I was vaguely aware of it but I never knew it had a name and certainly had never read anything with warnings like that, so I was really nervous writing it? @hier--soir was the best help (as I had seen concept posts on her blog before, so I reached out to her for advice) and without her help, I'm not sure I could have done it. ❤

Ezra makes fools of us ALL and I am so, so, so fucking thankful that you took a chance on this one, and so very glad that you liked it. There is more where that came from (in terms of canon Ezra) in 2024, my lovely 🥰

That reference to Din was purely inspired by the brilliant brain of @wannab-urs, whom the gift was for - she wrote some amazing parallels between them on her blog, and said she was looking for more of that pairing....which, given by the amount of people saying they liked that part, she is not alone! ❤

Thank you thank you THANK YOU for taking the time to send me this ask, for being such a kind human being and for reading. Happy New Year, my love!

[literaticat]

Hi Jenn. After all these years agenting, do you still find it exciting and challenging (in a good way) or do you sometimes have to find new ways to keep it from becoming mundane at times? Hope I'm asking this right. I guess what I mean is, what advice do you have for others in the publishing field - agents, editors, authors - or even any job (!) to keep things fresh and stimulating without becoming dull and repetitive?

I find it exciting and challenging, and very rarely would I characterize it as dull or repetitive or mundane, actually. (Even theoretically "dull" activities like data entry or whatever -- while maybe ANNOYING sometimes -- are still of short enough duration that they aren't really any of those other things!)

There's just always some new project, challenge, puzzle to figure out, and one day rarely looks just like the next. (I guess it might from an outside perspective -- like "okkkkkay, she's sat at her computer for 8 hours... the next day she's sat at her computer for 8 hours..." these seem the same! BUT I PROMISE THEY ARE DIFFERENT!)

So where MY problem comes in is not in boredom or anything like that -- it's more: A) PANIC because no matter how much I do, there's literally always more to do. I can't get to inbox zero, the inbox doesn't have a bottom. I can't finish a to-do list this week, or any week, things are just getting added as fast as I can do them. and B) PROCRASTINATION - like right now is my "day off" but I started to low-key panic about the things I have to do. Like, I have to -- HAVE TO!!! -- do my taxes and clean my house, because my mom is coming in a couple of days and the house is a wreck AND I know while she's here I won't have time to do my taxes and whatever whatever -- so instead I'm SCREWING AROUND ON TUMBLR. -- so B is both a result of, and cause of, A. That's my struggle. (And if anyone has advice, hmu.)

I guess my advice if you DO have a repetitive job is, try and break it up into smaller bits, and do other things in between? Like, I can't give notes on multiple books in a row, or read multiple contracts in a row -- I can do ONE, and then I have to do something entirely different, using a different part of my brain. Like I can edit a book, then update social media -- then I can do a contract, but then go outside and just read a published book -- then I can look at queries, etc. But if I tried just editing a book or reading contracts or looking at queries all day long, I'd die.

So if you are a writer, maybe you have dedicated time that you know you can be head down, butt in chair, just writing your face off -- a time when you are by yourself and don't have to worry about feeding any children or animals or anything like that. Focus on that for that dedicated stretch of time -- no looking at email or the news. Then take a break that is totally different -- walk the dog! Make an omelette! Call your mom! -- then, go back to work, but this time, you are editing something you wrote last week. Then, give yourself a treat, have a cup of tea, look at social media. Then, go back to work, but this time you are doing admin -- updating your website, or getting shit together for an event next week, or whatever.

ALSO, I got this piece of advice from a productivity expert (paraphrasing, and also, advice that I should actually take myself but I just remembered about it right now!) Basically, rather than having a lengthy to-do list that feels daunting -- your daily to-do list should be THREE ITEMS. Pick three. ONLY. THREE.

Then when you do those three things, you're done for the day -- you can give yourself a gold star and stop -- OR, you can try for another three.

I do find that when I actually focus -- like, OK, I have ONE HOUR to do this task and only this task, head down, timer on -- or OK, I am going to sit here and do THREE AGENDA ITEMS -- then I actually do them. Whereas if I have a nebulous long list, it's much harder to do!

OK NOW I AM GONNA GO DO MY TAXES BYE.

[icedteaandoldlace]

20 questions for fic writers - tagged by the fantastic @frosty-the-killer-doll ☃️🔪🪆

How many works do you have on ao3?

13.

What's your total ao3 word count?

72,472

What fandoms do you write for?

The Flash, Glee, and Gossip Girl.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Flying Free (or Free Kurt - Emma Pillsbury Style) ((Glee obvs))

Heartless (Glee)

Smoke and Mirrors (Glee)

Maybe Our Real Soulmates Were The... (Flash/Arrow)

As Frightened As You (Glee)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

It depends. Direct compliments, yes, I'll reply to say thank you. I'll also answer questions, or drop little bits of behind-the-scenes info if there's something fun attached to a detail that a reader pointed out. If the comment is simply "wow!!" or "oof" or something else that doesn't really call for a response and that I don't have anything to add to, I'll just leave it as it is.

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Toss up between two:

Heartless ends with Kurt getting hit with another wave of grief after having Finn's letterman returned to him, and while he's hugging it and sobbing, for a second it feels like Finn's hugging him back.

The Longest Distance Between Two Points Is Arm's Length ends with Cisco accidentally vibing a moment from earlier in the fic, and misunderstanding what's happening in it. If he'd had context, he would've realized he was seeing proof that his mom loves him, but instead he takes it as a painful reminder that he'll never be enough for her because he's not Dante.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Alive Again. Just two dorks playing in the rain, on the brink of falling in love.

Do you get hate on fics?

None so far.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Absolutely not.

Do you write crossovers?

Not usually, but I have a few. Maybe Our Real Soulmates Were The... is considered a crossover fic by AO3 and FFN's standards, but not by mine. My most ambitious crossover (and the one I'm most invested in) is Preppy In Pink, which is gonna be so much fun when it's ready for posting.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I certainly hope not. Doesn't look too likely, though.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Pretty sure I haven't had that happen, either. It'd be cool though.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Smoke and Mirrors started as a few lines of dialogue that @kurtbastian-land had sitting in her notes app that she didn't have a full story developed for, and posted on Tumblr for anyone who wanted to expand on it. I wrote a very dramatic continuation (the majority of chapter 1), and then @jwmelmoth gave it a happy ending (chapter 2). But then she realized we left a couple loose ends untied, so the two of us collaborated on how it should end, and wrote a few more chapters together.

What’s your all-time favorite ship to write for?

I honestly don't know. I think I have the most WIPs for Kamisco at the moment, but Barrisco and Kurtbastian are both incredibly fun as well.

What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I started a crossover AU ages ago where Kurt Hummel ends up with Eric van der Woodsen. I don't think I'll ever finish it, but I like to reread the snippets I've already written every now and then.

What are your writing strengths?

Viscerally describing emotions, setting a scene, nailing characters' voices.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Titles, titles, titles, and titles. Oh, and also titles. They HARD!! Also, I'm very bad at following my own advice to write badly and edit later. I want everything to sound pretty immediately! This is how I get stuck on the same paragraph for weeks with a whole big chunk of the fic still unwritten.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Not something I'm going to attempt a whole lot of in the near future. I have already slipped a little bit of Spanish (+1 word of French) into a couple fics, but only like a single word/phrase at a time, spoken by bilingual characters in mostly English sentences. There are also a few spots where a character says more in Spanish, but I don't write the actual dialogue, I just imply a general idea of what they're saying. I'd love to include more, but I'm not about to make a fool of myself with Google Translate—I'm sticking to very minimal Spanish until I can speak it better.

First fandom you wrote for?

First fandom I finished a fic for was Gossip Girl. As for first one I started writing a fic for, it was either Gossip Girl (not the same fic) or Boy Meets World (a still unfinished Shawngela fix-it).

Favorite fic you’ve written?

I mean, A Little Help From Your Friends is pretty hard to beat. It's got everything—humor, angst, fluff, ambiguity, movie references, ROOMMATES!! And funnily enough, I gave it a title with a little help from my friend, @daftydraw (and by "a little" I mean she suggested the whole title and I ran with it).

And tagging: @starstruckpurpledragon @fictionandmusic @orangesunsets12 @thequeenofshebasays @queer-cheer @elledelajoie