#the writer life

[keepcalmandwritefiction]

A cool thing about writing is that the better you get at it, the more you're aware of what you want out of it, which means it gets harder, which means you actually feel like you're getting worse.

And by "cool thing," I mean "what the fuck, man"

– Sam Sykes

[simplybybea]

Did I meme right?

An idea for a romcom that became 137k of miscommunication and pining...

[jnrduttonswritingjournal]

Yes!!

Got news this morning that one of my poems got a special featured spot in a poetry showcase.

Made my day 🙂

[lhhsluttybae]

Saudade

You know that feeling of missing someone, but it's a lot more than just missing?

That feeling that leaves your chest heavy, your soul aching for the other person, that sense of warmth spreading through your body when you hear from them? So much more than missing someone?

It's called "Saudade".

A portuguese word that describes that feeling perfectly. There is no other word like it.

[caelenath]

I don't write romance, I just happen to write about two people who are in love?

[caelenath]

Writing: part cannibalism, part wild yeast.

“No writing is wasted. Did you know that sourdough from San Francisco is leavened partly by a bacteria called lactobacillus sanfrancisensis? It is native to the soil there, and does not do well elsewhere. But any kitchen can become an ecosystem. If you bake a lot, your kitchen will become a happy home to wild yeasts, and all your bread will taste better. Even a failed loaf is not wasted. Likewise, cheese makers wash the dairy floor with whey. Tomato gardeners compost with rotten tomatoes. No writing is wasted: the words you can’t put in your book can wash the floor, live in the soil, lurk around in the air. They will make the next words better.”

— ERIN BOW

[keepcalmandwritefiction]

The allure of AI entices those people who fetishize ideas but dismiss the work. They're the people who tell writers, "I'll give you the idea, then you write it, and we'll split the profits." For them, the vision is everything, and the work is just an annoying obstacle. But the WORK is everything. The work is how a thing happens, where it's made, where skill is put to work. AI in creativity is for the people who have no skill, no work, no effort, no ethic. They just want to push a button.

– Chuck Wendig

[simplybybea]

Breaking news. I just hit 100k on a fic that was supposed to be about 60-90k all in. I am two third of the way through the plot summary I wrote before all this began.

[poetryforall]

[caelenath]

Not gonna name any names, but you know who you are.

[lhhsluttybae]

Autumn's the big season for me.

The weather, the leaves, the colours, the candles, the blankets, the cozyness.

It's about the writing; about the hope I find again; about the warmth, if not from the outside, at least from within myself. It's about finding myself again, after losing myself for the endless time.

It's about the nostalgia.

It's about yourself. Alone. As an individual. About navigating through life.

[caelenath]

A+B ≠ B+A

I'm the sort who can take eight weeks to decide whether it should be written "his mind and heart" or "his heart and mind."

And insist they are completely different.

[pygmi-says-hi]

STOP DOING THIS IN INJURY FICS!!

Bleeding:

Blood is warm. if blood is cold, you’re really fucking feverish or the person is dead. it’s only sticky after it coagulates.

It smells! like iron, obv, but very metallic. heavy blood loss has a really potent smell, someone will notice.

Unless in a state of shock or fight-flight mode, a character will know they’re bleeding. stop with the ‘i didn’t even feel it’ yeah you did. drowsiness, confusion, pale complexion, nausea, clumsiness, and memory loss are symptoms to include.

blood flow ebbs. sometimes it’s really gushin’, other times it’s a trickle. could be the same wound at different points.

it’s slow. use this to your advantage! more sad writer times hehehe.

Stab wounds:

I have been mildly impaled with rebar on an occasion, so let me explain from experience. being stabbed is bizarre af. your body is soft. you can squish it, feel it jiggle when you move. whatever just stabbed you? not jiggly. it feels stiff and numb after the pain fades. often, stab wounds lead to nerve damage. hands, arms, feet, neck, all have more motor nerve clusters than the torso. fingers may go numb or useless if a tendon is nicked.

also, bleeding takes FOREVER to stop, as mentioned above.

if the wound has an exit wound, like a bullet clean through or a spear through the whole limb, DONT REMOVE THE OBJECT. character will die. leave it, bandage around it. could be a good opportunity for some touchy touchy :)

whump writers - good opportunity for caretaker angst and fluff w/ trying to manhandle whumpee into a good position to access both sites

Concussion:

despite the amnesia and confusion, people ain’t that articulate. even if they’re mumbling about how much they love (person) - if that’s ur trope - or a secret, it’s gonna make no sense. garbled nonsense, no full sentences, just a coupla words here and there.

if the concussion is mild, they’re gonna feel fine. until….bam! out like a light. kinda funny to witness, but also a good time for some caretaking fluff.

Fever:

you die at 110F. no 'oh no his fever is 120F!! ahhh!“ no his fever is 0F because he’s fucking dead. you lose consciousness around 103, sometimes less if it’s a child. brain damage occurs at over 104.

ACTUAL SYMPTOMS:

sluggishness

seizures (severe)

inability to speak clearly

feeling chilly/shivering

nausea

pain

delirium

symptoms increase as fever rises. slow build that secret sickness! feverish people can be irritable, maybe a bit of sass followed by some hurt/comfort. never hurt anybody.

ALSO about fevers - they absolutely can cause hallucinations. Sometimes these alter memory and future memory processing. they're scary shit guys.

fevers are a big deal! bad shit can happen! milk that till its dry (chill out) and get some good hurt/comfort whumpee shit.

keep writing u sadistic nerds xox love you

ALSO I FORGOT LEMME ADD ON:

YOU DIE AT 85F

sorry I forgot. at that point for a sustained period of time you're too cold to survive.

pt 2

also please stop traumadumping in the notes/tags, that's not the point of this post. it's really upsetting to see on my feed, so i'm muting the notifs for this post. if you have a question about this post, dm me, but i don't want a constant influx of traumatic stories. xox

[caelenath]

I love both. Not always equally, but definitely both. I will accept support and validation of both.

being in love with the process and not the results is one of the healthiest things in the world

[daughterofchaosstuff]

done healing my inner child. next up is my inner teen. her highness demands a sword.

[abreathlessplace]

"i wonder if we ever think of each other at the same time."