#therentyoupay on writing

[therentyoupay]

50) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

ANGST.

fluff: thinking back to my answer for my headcanons re: well-established/long-term relationships, in which i said that i am not usually drawn to writing already-in-a-relationship!fics as much as i am to writing meet-cute/meet-PAIN!fics, i think the same applies here! my real life is quite fluffy. 🤣 so when i write "fluffier" bits (i.e., the highs) in my fics, they're usually balanced by the natural, realistic downs/lows of navigating relationships (whether they be nascent, developing, etc.). in other words, while i may include, appreciate, and enjoy fluffy(-ish) moments, i am personally not interested in writing or reading pure fluff. that said, i couldn't stop writing "fluffier" bits altogether, though, because i like exploring how highs and lows occur naturally in all kinds of relationships! (but if you'll make me choose, then okay, fine, "fluff" is the first thing to go. 🤣 byeeeeee~)

smut: similarly, this is about balance, for me! i have never personally written and don't really read PWP, for example; i love fics that are able to capture/explore/describe physical intimacy as a vehicle for emotional (dis)connection, personal and relationship growth (or lack thereof), and (lack of) closeness. these layers are what i try to portray and depict in my writing of more mature/intimate scenes, as well! 🙏 however, if i HAD to give up the use of more intimate scenes to showcase character and relationship development, then i would survive. 😂 showcasing this level of intimacy (or lack thereof) is not always necessary... (but... 😭)

angst: you can pry this style from my cold, dead hands. 💕💕

[06strawberrylemonade28]

guys college is hard

everyone says its supposed to be the best years of your life but low key this is rough

[sanfangirl-cynicalromantic]

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

Ooof, this one was hard. But thank you so much for this ask!

I would say that I blow things out of proportion way too easily. I'll have an easy, simple story idea in my head and then I'll give up on it once it passes 6k words and I'm nowhere near the point I was trying to reach. I would tell myself to focus on what I want to write, not what I think I should write. The beauty of fanfiction to me is sharing, but as a perfectionist, I often take away my own joy in my work by worrying about how it's received, how good or bad it is, or wanting to make my own writing too grand. I'm a fanfiction writer still learning to balance on her own two feet in this world, not even up to the same adulting everybody else is, so I don't have to write a historical, radically eloquent piece of literature. The allure of fanfiction is it's ease and connection that we find because anyone could do it. Maybe not everyone could touch my heart the same way some authors certainly have, but they probably touched others. So to give myself some advice, I would say breathe. Don't be afraid to get to the point. Don't over explain yourself. Appreciate your writing, and know that's it's good, that your enjoyment is the most important. Stop waking up in the middle of the night to write, for God's sake, that does not help your coherency. "Strive for excellence, not perfection," and most of all, do. The thing that inspires me the most about fanfictioin writers is the fact that they just sit down and write fanfiction in the middle of their busy lives. I've wanted to be able to write my stories and never believed I could, but fanfiction taught me there is no specific standard of writing ability needed, just an urge to share stories and ideas and the motivation and drive to do just that. I would tell myself to just write, but keep my eye on the goal that I want to reach, not the path I'm writing to get there.

Thank you so much for making me think about this!

[therentyoupay-deleted]

"kris, how extra are you??"

therentyoupaywriting.com ♡

[da-awesom-one]

hi! ✨ how goes the fic writing?!?

*Remembers that receiving asks are a thing after not getting one for so long* 😭😭😭

It’s going, thank you for asking. Took a bit of a pause to play some games that came out and are on my backlog, but still always planning and thinking about my works and how to approach them.

I actually made a playlist for the songs of the series of for my Jelsa universe fics, so that definitely keeps the inspo up. That and for my other works, of course.

Thanks so much for asking, Kris! Hope you’re doing well with your real life work stuffs!

[therentyoupay]

@callimara and @therentyoupay core

You will not use AI to get ideas for your story. You will lie on the floor and have wretched visions like god intended

[cautumligth]

"When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was him".

@therentyoupay @callimara

I made this short animation inspired in the first scene (cough cough paragraph) of "More than you know."

(The only way I can interrupt my reading without getting upset is that said reading inspires me to make a new drawing) hehe :'D

And this story is so wonderful that I only needed one paragraph to go crazy with it! (fangirl Jelsa screams).

I really love the story, and you girls for writing it. :'3 ♡

[aicosu]

13. Favorite fic from another author? (and maybe... their ship which is your fav?)

Not sure what you mean by ship! I really don't read as much as I should, frankly. Especially since I've written so much I don't leave myself enough time to consume. And a lot of the authors that imprinted on me are long deleted now. But in general, even if you don't know what they write for? Nobody writes with as much precision and punch than virusq. And if you want amazing pacing, character nuance, and showing not telling, therentyoupay is a master. And more recently, I recognize hibiscus_tea as someone with their finger on the pulse of synesthesia writing. All three I would be honored to steal some vibes from and actively try to. PLEASE read just snippets of their stuff and your guaranteed to be a better writer for it.

[therentyoupay]

Hellooo! Sending this ask purely because I need someone to kick my butt into writing gear :'D but how do you manage writing without getting bogged down with self-doubt? My brain has the tendency to cripple my creativity and then I convince myself that the writing is trash. Even though no one but me is reading it at the moment.

HELLO LOVELY! ✨ i'm so sorry it's been so long since you sent this ask; i've been bogged down with academia but i promise i have been pondering your ask for these past three months now!!

honestly, this semester i'm relying on a lot of similar strategies for overcoming self-doubt in my dissertation writing process right now that i used to experience with my fanfiction (and still occasionally do, but it was a lot more prevalent in my teenage years and early 20s). regardless of the genre and context, i totally get how self-doubt can sneak in and mess with your writing and creativity and the enjoyment of the process. here are some things i do, which i'm sure lots of people have shared before, but it probably bears repeating!!

re: "trash": first of all, even trash is good. trash is SOMETHING. trash means creation and some form of use. seriously, even if you hate what you write at first, IT IS SOMETHING. remember it is generally easier to edit (even if you delete it all later) something than to create from scratch, especially if a long time has passed and you've built up the task in your head. i say let yourself write without judgment for a set period (like 10-15 minutes). don’t worry about grammar, structure, or quality. just get out your thoughts in whatever stream of consciousness makes sense to you and bypass your inner critic. this is a skill that needs to be developed and honed through practice. second, if you're bad at bypassing the inner critic at first, name it and tell it to shut up ("be quiet, reginald"), and carry on. repeat until it's actually easy, and then reginald doesn't even talk that much anymore.

separate writing and editing: on that note, write first, edit later. trying to do both at the same time can kill creativity. write freely, knowing you can refine and improve your work later. on that that note, you can always take a break from writing one thing to go write another thing and then come back to it when your head is more clear and your eyes have freshened!

set small goals: break your writing task into smaller, manageable goals. i like to set word count goals OR "write for X minutes" OR "write Y scene(s)" goals. i do this with both my dissertation and my fanfiction and my non-fic book writing, depending on the day, the deadlines, and the vibes. remember that small wins can build momentum and confidence. another thing i like to do to loosen up and get back into the swing of things via small-goal-setting is to post baby drabbles and micro-fic on tumblr!

positive self-talk: watch your inner dialogue. swap negative thoughts ("this is terrible/trash/whatever") with positive ones ("this is a draft, and it’ll get better with revision"). this is a skill!!!! practice it!!!! related: your writing may be a reflection of you in many ways, but it is not you; writing garbage on an off day does not mean that you are garbage or that your writing is always garbage. separate the skills, performance/product, and person. (and remember: garbage is still something, and you can edit it later.)

create a routine, if you can: this one doesn't quite always work for me, to be honest, due to the nature of my workday, BUT, when I'm able to do things consistently, i do like to set up a regular writing routine! consistency can help reduce anxiety and make writing feel like a natural part of your day. when i was in grad school (the first time) and working i used to write while on my commute, every day, on my phone; those of you who were with me in 2015 remember the prolific sorcery of that year. 😂

seek feedback: share your work with a trusted friend, beta reader, fellow writer, etc. sometimes you don't want to unleash your writing to the full internet right away, and that's totally fine and normal, but you still want constructive feedback. find a friend who will beta!!! they can reassure you and point out areas you might not have noticed. (and receiving and incorporating feedback is its own skill worthy of its own post, but i shall leave it for now!!)

CELEBRATE progress: i'm so serious, recognize and celebrate your progress, no matter how small. enjoy each kudos!!! each like!! each posted fic! each drabble!! each reblog!!! each bookmark!!!! reward yourself for reaching milestones (1 kudos, 10 kudos, 10,000 kudos, 1 comment, 200 comments, 1 hit, 5 hits, 500 hits, 1 story posted, 12 stories posted) to reinforce positive behavior. 😉 basic applied behavioral analysis and behaviorist psych!! (remember: positive self-talk, setting small goals)

visualize success: i do this one all the time for basically everything in my life lol (teaching, public speaking, finishing my dissertation, book tours for my non-fic books, winning awards, finishing fics). close your eyes, and picture yourself finishing your writing project successfully. how does it feel? what do you see? who is there? how does it smell? what are you wearing? where are you? what do you hear? visualization can boost motivation and reduce fear of failure and can give you all sorts of goody feel-good chemicals. your brain literally can't tell what's real or not real sometimes, so give it something tangible to make the task feel like it's literally in your reach (because it is 😉). this is, interestingly enough, also an incredible boost for writing itself, haha.

clean something first: maybe this is just me, but clean your desk beforehand. 😂 or go to a café or something. new fresh space. but don't let yourself get distracted by that either!!

read for inspiration: read works by authors you admire to get inspired and remind yourself why you love writing. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

WRITE. WRITE WRITE WRITE. WRITE LIKE THE WIND MY LOVE.

[therentyoupay]

ah! i was feeling this feeling recently, too! for those (like me!) who have grown up in fandom through the changing platforms (old school forums, livejournal [rest in peace], personal fansites, FFNET, ao3, tumblr, etc.), i think many of us can agree that the community aspect (i.e., the relationships and support that grow from sharing our common interests) has always been at the core of fandom creation and sharing.

with original fiction, we must create new communities, or build off our pre-existing fandom communities by luring inviting them to join in our original fic journey. even if our original fiction "updates" do not have access to built-in kudos buttons, there are other ways we can build community and opportunities for meaningful engagement (and i say this with the mind of "relationship-building" rather than "content creation," which is another can of worms that is gaining discourse on this site that i won't get into here, although that's DEFINITELY ANOTHER THING TO CONSIDER). also, as someone who pretty much exclusively writes for rare!pairs in fandom, building my fanfiction audiences and my lovely and oh-so-thoughtful authorship community took time, too! 💖 don't be disheartened by any initial slow growth. 💖🙏 building valuable things can take time and persistence! (there is also plenty of meaningful things to say on 'doing things for ourselves', 'it's a marathon not a sprint', yada, yada, but i'll leave that for another thread! 💖✨)

of course, there is always the concern of intellectual property protection, so we can't always be sharing original fiction chapters the same way we would with stories written about worlds and characters we do not own, but perhaps there are other ways to share the journey. 💖

maybe this is a beautiful opportunity to join original fiction writing support groups and connect with other original fic writers?

i also made a post yesterday about how my phd-candidate colleagues and i are CLEARLY of a fanfiction-reading-and-writing generation, and how these decades-long habits transfer into the ways we share progress with each other on our doctoral dissertations, academic journal manuscripts, original book chapters, etc. (although admittedly, my phd dissertation will, likely, not receive fanart 😂)

fellow fandom-writers-turned-original-fiction writers (*cough* @aicosu, @dragonsinparis *cough*), what advice have you????

I forgot how lonely it is to write original fiction.

Where are the kudos? The subscriptions? The comments? The people cheerleading me chapter to chapter? Where are the kind words and compliments and reassurances that what I'm writing isn't complete crap? Where are the unhinged emojis? The asks on Tumblr? Where are my mutuals in my dms apologizing for not reading the latest chapter right away (side note, you know you don't have to apologize at all, right??). Where is the fanart? Where are the recs?

Where is my motivation to keep going?

It's something I've been thinking about a lot, actually, lately. How the experience of writing fanfic is so unique. How you already have an audience, willing and waiting and captive. And that's really it, isn't it? You have an audience. It's almost performative, writing fanfic. It's being on a stage, a one-person show (or two, if you do it with a friend); it's getting live reactions to your performance, it's feeding off the energy of the crowd and informing it back in a feedback loop; it's improvised, sometimes, in almost-real-time. It's building something that you couldn't have built by yourself. A thing that takes on a life of its own.

It's an experience you can't get writing original fiction, and, honestly, not having it is making it hard to write something original at all.

[06strawberrylemonade28]

guyyyysss i might start watching the outer banks???? 'cuz the summer vibes are there and the ships are lowk cute like lowk i was a hater 4 years ago but then i saw some jjxkie content (and this always happens to me -- like i get into a ship BEFORE i get into the actual content?? it's weird). but i may start watching it-- fear not i will continue writing JELSA ONCE I GET A STUPID BREAK. and i neeeed to keep consuming everything @therentyoupay has ever written of course. (on frosted sea glass rn and its so good) but i also recently got a job and im in school full time. bUT BASICALLY. outer banks. might be worth a watch.

[sanfangirl-cynicalromantic]

what would astrid do... if (23) she had to hold hiccup at gunpoint? why would it even occur?

You. Are. Evil

I don't even know what this is.

~Killing ahead~

"C'mon," Astrid grit her teeth. "Don't make me do this," she pleaded. Hiccup stood there impassively, his face shuttered and his jaw clenched.

"I can't," he said emotionlessly. Astrid gripped the barrel of the gun tighter, not daring to move her finger off the trigger under the watchful gaze of Ryker, but paranoid that all it'd take was one little hesitant squeeze and -

"Tell me they're wrong," she demanded. Please, she screamed internally, searching his eyes for answers. A flicker of agony crossed his face. "Tell me you're not - that you haven't -"

"I'm sorry," he croaked. "Its' - you wouldn't understand -"

"How could you betray us?" she shouted incredulously, her arm dripping slightly as she focused on her disbelief and anger. Hiccup, ever unruly but always with the best interests at heart contrasted with Hiccup the cold traitor before her. Hiccup with his crooked smile and warm hands and soft kisses - "You sided with the dragons?" Hiccup didn't say anything. she gaped in outrage. "They're monsters-"

"No!" Hiccup interrupted her vehemently, a wild look in his eye. She tamped back the flash of fear at his expression, horror spreading through her body like the a broken yolk spilling out of a cracked egg. "They're not monsters," he wrung his hands carefully, ever so aware of the gleaming gun still in her hand, still pointed at him.

"They've killed hundreds of-"

"And we kill thousands!" he cried. "Dragons are beautiful creatures and you're running them to the brink of extinction-"

"I am protecting people," she shot back, stung. He stared at her stonily. She could see the walls in his eyes go up, strong as the thick metal doors of this institution dedicated to taking down fire breathing threats through specialized weaponry and rigid testing. It hurt, seeing the hardened look in his eyes that was just too close to hate. He looked a little insane under the white fluorescent lights, casting stark shadows in the sharp hollows of his cheeks, the bruises and brutality showing in the unforgiving swollen blotches. She hadn't believed them when they'd told her of his treachery. She had been so sure she knew him better than this, so shocked at his admissions and Ryker's smug face. This was happening. Hiccup was defending the very dragons that had taken away his family - her family, like they hadn't joined this faction because of their want for revenge in the first place.

"This isn't you," she whispered. "Hiccup, please. There's still hope. Whatever you've done, we can fix this." He shook his head and she swallowed down the lump that rose in her throat.

"Please, Astrid," he started to babble, the desperation of a man who knew he was about to die kicking in. She'd seen this stage before, had watched other traitors be killed, had stood behind the executioner. "They're not what we think they are. I can show you! Please -" Astrid lifted her chin and willed it not to tremble. This was her chance. This was her test to advance. But at what cost? She leveled the gun right between his eyes.

Bang!

She couldn't stop the sob that escaped her throat as she inhaled the disgusting scent of gunpowder. Hiccup opened his eyes to stare disbelievingly at the blood spreading across the tile. Ryker lay instantly dead on the floor, a frozen look of shocked anger etched upon his face. His open eyes stared accusingly at the ceiling. Astrid let her arm drop to her side, horror and fatigue washing over her.

"Go," she said in a flat voice, unable to look at him. "I never want to see you again."

[morethantheycansay]

husband: what do you want to do tonight?

me: ok listen, @therentyoupay is WRITING again. we're talking new chapters, finishing WIPs, a new two-shot, AND a possibility of an at the center update in the next year. SO i'm not going to have much time for you for a while.

husband: ........ i have no idea what you're talking about but ok.

[therentyoupay]

THAT'S TODAY

Cooking something rn

[therentyoupay-deleted]

@ therentyoupaywriting.com ♡♡♡

[laurakrivera]

rules: list the first line of your last 10 (or however many you have) posted fics and see if there's a pattern! 

I was tagged by @therentyoupay

La lluvia caía casi de manera torrencial./ Rain fell down, almost torrentially. 

Ramificaciones (Ramifications) / Fandom: Naruto / Ship: KakashiOC / M / Words: 112,836 / Chapters: 32/40 / Language: Spanish

2) The glow of the city lights filtered through the office's long curtains.

Accidentally / Fandom: ROTG & Frozen / AU / Ship: Jelsa / T / Words: 16, 346 / Chapters: 7/? / Language: English

3) Lo había estado observando por un rato./ She had been watching him for a while.

Algo en Serio (Something Serious) / Fandom: ROTG & Frozen / Modern AU / Ship: Jelsa / M / Words: 2734 / Chapters: 1/1 / Language: Spanish

4) Hunter sabía que la posesión de Belos había dejado un impacto, pero era la primera vez que veía cuanto. / Hunter knew Belos’s possesion had left an impact, but it was the first time he saw how badly so.

Marcas (Markings) / Fandom: The Owl House / HunterCentric/ G / Words: 599 / Chapters 1/1 / Language: Spanish

5) La tenían agarrada por ambos brazos. / They held her by both arms.

Aquella Sensación (That Sensation)  / Fandom: MCU / Ship: NamorShuri / T /Words: 1586 / Chapters 1/1 / Language: Spanish

6) Estaba en sus manos. (He was in his hands).

Ausencia (Absence) / Fandom: FMA / Ship: EdwardWinry / G / Words: 443 / Chapters: 1/1 / Language: Spanish

7) La ahora emperatriz Kougyoku terminaba cada día más exhausta que el anterior./ The now Empress Kougyoky finished each day more exhausted than the last.

Deseos Desvanecidos (Vanished Desires) / Fandom: Magi / Ship: Kougyoku/Sinbad / G / Words: 1289 / Chapters: 1/1 / Language: Spanish

8) Los bailes en palacio últimamente la incomodaban./ Lately the balls at the palace made her uncomfortable.

Miradas de Desconcierto (Disconcerting Looks) / Fandom: My Hero Academia / Ship: TodoMomo / G / Words: 1623 / Chapters: 1/1 / Language: Spanish

9) Rápido como el viento mismo, Koga encontraba su libertad exhilarante. / Quick as wind itself, Koga found his freedom to be exhilarating.

Espejismo (Mirage) / Fandom: Inuyasha / Ship: KougaKikyo / T / Words: 1555 / Chapters: 1/1 / Language: Spanish

10) Era un día de lo más tranquilo en la capital del oeste. / It was a very calm day at the West Capital.

Después del Trabajo (After Work) / Fandom: Dragon Ball Z / Ship: Future Trunks x OC / G / Chapters 1/1 / Language: Spanish

CONCLUSSION: 

I mostly go by screen writing rules: Time and location first. 

When I’m not following that, I’m going straight to the main character’s dominating thoughts as they’re realizing an action.

In three cases I started straight at the action itself. 

My first lines aren’t particularly riveting or engaging, but I guess they’re a good way to start a paragraph or to put the reader in the mood. 

For the lines that started with rain and snow, said elements were actually important for what was happening in the scenes and they are recurring elements. In Ramifications the three most important scenes for the characters relationship to change occur under the rain. In Accidentally, the snow is the inciting incident for the story and come on, it’s Jelsa! There has to be snow. 

After Work was one of my first fanfics back in 2007, so the line was just as cartoony as I felt the show to be back then.

The most recent one shots all go straight to the character’s thoughts, since they are supposed to be quick reads I go straight to the emotional damage. For multi chapter fics I take my time. 

All in all, I guess I’m not doing so bad after all. 

I can’t really tag anyone here since the person who tagged me already tagged the other fanfiction writer I know here, but if anybody wants to try it feel free to do so. 

Here's the link to my AO3 profile https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larivera/pseuds/Larivera