#this wip is my greatest achievement honestly

[rita-rae-siller]

Okay this is an absurdly specific ask for Storyteller Saturday....what is one wip outside of your posted/main one you'd like to talk about? Or alternatively, what is something within your main wip you want somebody to give you an excuse to talk about?

Feel free to answer either or both!

Oooooo, I’ve been looking for an excuse to rave about my vampire WIP!!!

So this is my longest story. The Price of Blood currently sits at over 120k words in draft 1. Almost 30 chapters. I took a break from working on draft 2 to work on The Lies They Tell during a fiction writing workshop I took in the spring semester at school.

It’s my other queer fantasy novel, featuring one very tall princess (Her name is incredibly long, but she goes by her first middle name, Victoria) that’s abducted by a vampire cult to harbor the soul of the God of Shadows and Subterfuge, AKA the vampire anti-christ. Her entire homeland Halaafin, ruled by the Halaa—sort of half elves basically? They’re one of the only people in this world that have magic. Pure humans can’t use magic—is overrun by this cult and basically destroyed. She makes a bargain with a spider witch that's also been betrayed by the cult to save her life and that of her unborn child. The ritual to summon the vampire anti-christ is sabotaged, but the vampires don’t know it. She manages to escape not long after.

Queue 15 years of living alone with her son in the middle of the woods of the neighboring empire until he’s old enough to help her fight the vampires and retake their kingdom. But things don’t go according to plan. The spider witch tells her she has to get a jump on their plans to destroy the cult early, before her son is ready by Victoria's standards. Queue her teaching her son a lot about his history and also her running into her childhood best friend/almost lover, a duchess in the empire that serves the empress as a professional monster hunter. The two reconnect to fight the cult, fall back in love with one another, and also work on healing from the trauma of losing their families to the cult. It's a very gay story full of angst, dry humor, and lots of dead vampires. Also stresses the importance of family and loved ones in the healing process, and how grieving is inherently ugly. (I wrote a lot of this WIP while my own grandmother was dying, so loss is a big theme in it, as well as love continuing after death)

Also guns. Victoria has been removed from modern society for almost twenty years, so when she comes back to civilization, she's introduced to more modern monster hunting equipment used by non-magic people. And let me tell you: nothing makes this giant bisexual disaster happier than getting to shoot vampires and monsters in the head point blank with a revolver.

[carry-the-sky]

saw this fanfic writer interview by @cheeseplants floating around, hope it's okay that i'm jumping on the bandwagon! 👉👈

What fandoms do you write in?

good omens currently, but i have approximately nine million hellcheer wips collecting dust on my google drive 😭

How many words have you published in 2024?

~25k!

What is your greatest achievement this year?

i'm honestly not sure i accomplished much writing-wise this year 😅 i did join my first ever bang, and i'm nearly finished with the fic for that event (a before sunrise au, if that's anyone's jam), so i'll probably feel more like i actually Did The Thing once that's complete!

What are your top three fics you’ve written this year?

aside from my bang fic, i'm quite proud of the post-s2 one shot i wrote for the good omens song/poetry exchange, till forever falls ♡

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

i had perhaps the worst bout of writer's block i've ever had this past summer, and at one point i was genuinely like alright. this is it, i actually don't know how to write anymore. but we made it through!

What have you learned?

not writing can actually be the best way to write. i'm such a slowpoke and i'm always feeling pressure to be productive so that i can get a good grade in being 'relevant in fandom'. which is silly! i'm aware!! but i'm trying to give myself grace and step away when it starts to feel like a chore rather than something joyful. even if that means it takes me eight months to write a 15k one shot, oop.

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

i've learned that i'm a much better cheer reader than i am a beta. i'm useless with actual writing advice, but if you need someone to keyboard smash and/or shower you with love, i'm your gal.

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

Good Neighbours, Good Fences (and Other Misunderstandings), probably my favorite gomens human au

the stolen hearts of things, my dear @ninzied's firstprince heist au that lives rent free in my head

the space we'll fill with time, an incredible little fic by @garglyswoof that alters my brain chemistry every time i read it

What ideas are percolating for next year?

two semi-coherent gomens wips which i've been picking away at for over a year: a final fifteen time loop (don't boo me i have a VISION) and a 5+1 picnic fic. i would also LOVE to finish my kanthony soulmate au, lol.

Who do you want to thank?

honestly anyone who took a chance on my gomens stuff this year. i’m still a relative newbie in the fandom and it feels a bit like slinging words into the void sometimes, but i really appreciate the interactions i’ve had. ♡

tagging! (no pressure) @redbelles, @majicmarker, @ninzied, @possibility-left, @justhere4thevibez,

@ejunkiet, @evilbunnyking and anyone else who wants to play :)

[gaiaseyes451]

2024 Fic Roundup / AO3 Ask Game

Oi, so many tags! Thank you @nosferatini, @kotias and @cheeseplants!

What fandoms do you write in?

Good Omens

How many words have you published in 2024?

Not including collaborative works: 129,329. Good grief, that feels like a lot.

What is your greatest achievement this year?

Honestly, I'm proud of myself for writing to deadlines this year. A lot of my writing was for events and I'm always terrified I won't make it but I did! I also art'd for the first time for @the-literal-kj

What are your favourite top three fics you've written this year?

Ostinato - Pianist Crowley summons Aziraphale back from Heaven. This let me lean into my pianist background, I loved writing this for the High Pollen Count event.

Breathless - The breath play kink fic that was never planned but @sixbynine-da demanded. I've never had a scene flow out of me like this and it isn't angst!

A Little Life - My first long fic. Folks say it's sad and it is, but to me it also... isn't... Forever indebted to @fuzzygoblin for the music prompt for the Good Omens Song and Poetry exchange and for gamely agreeing despite all the trigger warnings (before they knew it was me writing it). <3

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

Truthfully, I'm in my lowest point of the year right now. Haven't written a word since finishing Breathless. But I've got amazing friends in this community who have my back. I'll be okay.

What have you learned?

Tell the story you want to tell. Better to write for yourself and the handful of people the story will resonate with than to force a story you think will appeal to the masses. If it's pulling at you, it's pulling for a reason.

Reach out to your idols, I've yet to find one of the people I perceive as BNF's to be anything but kind and encouraging.

I'm pretty sure I can HTML just about anything with a general guide now.

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

I still have a roughly 20k draft of 1941 that I wanted to finish. It needs to be rewritten, but I will finish it.

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

I beta for a lot of folks! I'm going to miss people, I'm so sorry. @adverbian's Is This Desire?

@kneelbeforeyourdogbabylon's Sins of Knowledge

@sixbynine-da's A Tricky Situation

@spectrallydistracted's If I Loved You Less ... We Could Have Coffee

Most everything by @the-literal-kj and @hakunahistata but particularly KJ's Show the Way and Haku's 21 Grams

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

Someone is Calling Him Shorewards by @harlotofupdog - The first fic that made me break my "I don't read WIPs" rule. Gorgeous and atmospheric and sexy and heartwrenching and mysterious. I don't know how I got the title of angst queen in our little group when Harlot wrote Shorewards.

Quite Contrary by @gingiekittycat - Poor Gingie has listened to me write honest to someone literary analysis of this fic as well as beg for multiple historical prequels. This one lives rent free in my head and will for a long time.

Play for Me the Music of Your Heart by @leviosally - There is one chapter left to go that I (and everyone else) am waiting for with baited breath, but now is a perfect time to start a read if you haven't yet. This is, in my opinion, the quintessential musician AU written by someone with a deep love and understanding of music. Spellbinding.

What ideas are percolating for next year?

@the-literal-kj and I are already working on our Heaven before the Fall story that we've been calling Bitter Things! The other big fic I'd like to get out is a Human AU where Peter Pan collides with Peaky Blinders. And, in January, expect.... wait for it... fluff

Who do you want to thank?

@hakunahistata, @the-literal-kj and @adverbian - You three cheer and challenge and cackle and cry and you make things better, both my writing and my day to day life. I'm grateful for you as beta's and I'm humbled to call you my friends.

@kneelbeforeyourdogbabylon, @dbacklot99 and @sixbynine-da - Y'all are the first real collaborators I've worked with on an as of yet unspoken project. I have so enjoyed working with you three and also becoming friends! Thank you for the randomness and the wonderful angst spirals and that utterly AMAZING Lucicrow birthday gift - Changing Keys

@goodomensafterdark community and all the wonderful folks who are following me here or have taken the time to kudos and/or comment on my work. Seeing what y'all create and hearing from you brightens my day immensely! I'm so grateful for this amazing, welcoming, exuberant fandom!

No pressure tags: I have no idea who hasn't been tagged yet, if you're mentioned above please take it as a tag. If you see this and want to play, please do and tag me!

[lavendermoonlitskies]

2024 Fic Roundup

Thanks @bellisima-writes for the tag!

What fandoms do you write for?

Only Good Omens. I can’t explain why but that show has been the only one that has ever inspired me this much.

How many words have you published in 2024?

Oh wow I just checked and I guess that would be 41,513 in total 🙈

What is your greatest achievement this year?

I was pretty proud of Dream A Little Dream of Me when I finished that, but now I guess I’d say that my greatest achievement is not giving up on a story I believe in (current WIP) despite everything that has happened in the fandom as well as in my personal life. I don’t expect it to reach “fandom classic” status, it’s probably going to end up flying somewhat under the radar, but that’s okay. I don’t need a lot of attention as some sort of “reward” for my hard work, I just want to write.

What are your top 3 favorite fics you wrote this year?

The Road Less Traveled (WIP)

Rating: unrated

Word count (current): 12,143

The road is Crowley’s only friend in the wake of Aziraphale’s departure. Endless landscapes, filled with the memories of a simpler time, becoming nothing more than a blur as the demon drove impossibly fast to avoid even a glance in its direction.

Maybe he’s running from his past, but is it truly possible to run forever?

It’s A Big, Lonely Universe Out There

Rating: Mature

Word count: 5,618

Crowley softened, watching Aziraphale’s terrified eyes imagine the lonely existence he was dangerously close to. He began to feel the drafty air in Heaven that was just a little bit too cold, a headache forming from the blinding white that covered every inch of that space. The looming threat of being tossed into the fiery pits of Hell over the tiniest hint of disobedience, with nobody there to come to his rescue. The cold stares of his colleagues, each and every one of them glaring at him with disdain and disapproval over the blasphemous ways in which he’d chosen to spend his time on earth. It was cold, so cold.

“Please don’t leave me alone.”

***

It's 1941 in London, England, and Aziraphale & Crowley have had a very eventful evening. The night is almost over when they're sat in the middle of a dimly-lit bookshop, wine glasses in hand. Things may start to go awry when they get a little too drunk, and start admitting things they probably shouldn't.

Find Me In Your Dreams, My Dear/Le Chant du Rossignol (Song of the Nightingale)

Parts 1 and 4 of Dream A Little Dream of Me. Part 1 was the first time I stepped out of my shell a little bit and had someone beta read, and I was really happy with the final product after that (thanks @serenity-black !). You definitely have to read parts 2 and 3 in order to understand what’s going on in Le Chant, but I felt better about how part 4 was written. I guess the more action-packed parts of the stories I write are not totally my strong suit, maybe I’m better at the emotional aspect; what’s going on in these characters’ heads before and after the big event.

What have you learned?

From a technical standpoint I learned a lot about formatting/basic grammar rules for writing a story with dialogue and all that 😅

But I’ve also learned a lot more about myself and what I apparently love to do. Big thanks to the GO fandom for reintroducing me to the joys of reading and writing 🥰

Also I researched a fuckton of random topics for these works, and anyways now I’m a lot more familiar with the map of Europe and I know a lot about Centaurus/Alpha Centauri

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

I tried joining one of those fic bangs this spring because I thought it would bring me more out of my shell, and it kind of did in a way but overall it just didn’t work out. I was excited about collaborating with people and making connections, but it wasn’t exactly like that and the fic itself just wasn’t sparking anything in me. It felt more like a job than something I was doing for fun 🤷‍♀️

Did you beta any fics?

I honestly don’t remember lmao

I don’t think so?

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

Phersu by JunKolt

I absolutely LOVE any fics that place Aziraphale and Crowley in different moments in history, especially when you can tell that the writer really did their research and the historical accuracy is THERE. Beautifully written, romantic, very bittersweet.

Don’t Fall Away From Me by @phoen1xr0se

Technically I read this at the very end of 2023 but I’m counting it anyway

If this fic has no fans I am dead. Fr. Absolutely brilliant. Bravo fellow moot👏👏👏

run across the river (just to hold you tonight) by hope_in_the_dark

Yk I had to throw in a short one just for good measure

Short, sweet, beautiful writing. Perfect for a lil bed time story from time to time, as a treat

Who do you want to thank?

The first one who comes to mind is @thavron who asked me to join their writing group for November (now continuing on into December ofc)! Without the little extra push that your server has given me, I honestly don’t know that I would’ve kept going with my current WIP despite how much I do believe in it. Big thanks ✌️💜

Thanks to @serenity-black (and also Aves whose Tumblr I don’t believe I have if they’re even on here) for beta-reading! It felt weirdly vulnerable to ask someone to take a look at my writing and tell me what they thought but I’m glad I did it and thank you for being so encouraging when you did☺️

Thank you to @thinkinginscripts @butterflywithsass and @manicpixiecatlady for working with me on the “fanfic book club” for the Good Omens fandom! I think it’s been wonderful so far 🥰

And a big thank you to every person who has left a nice comment on my works, you have no idea what that means to me

Happy holidays! ✌️🎄

[brenna]

2024 fic roundup

Thanks for the tag and for making this, @cheeseplants

What fandoms do you write in?

Good Omens

The X-Files

How many words have you published in 2024?

179,059. (HOT DAMN)

What is your greatest achievement this year?

Not sure. I mean, the friends I made along the way? Corny as that may sound? But also joining events and such for the first time.

What are your favourite top three fics you wrote this year?

This is hard! You would make me choose between my children?! Anyway, here goes:

Midnight Ride - I feel like this one just came together beautifully, and I love being spooky and surprising the readers a little. And it's different.

Collaborative Activities - I feel like this fic was where I kind of burst onto the scene? As much as I'm in it. I'm just a little guy. But this sex pollen was my first event, and I am still very proud of it.

Where You Roost - Because it's unlike anything I ever thought I would write, and it came out so well.

I'm going to put Essentially Exactly the Way It Happened as an honorable mention, because it's not done yet. And I am having such fun with it. Also it's XF

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

I can't recall any?

What have you learned?

That I can have a WIP and not have to immediately post it. That it can sit and no one has to know about it and I can just keep improving it? I'm very impatient usually, lol. To have it written and not share it?! Hard.

Also, the joy of betaing things and having my work betaed.

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

Agh, so many. I have several ideas vaguely in the works. Everyone always has to hear about how much I want to do an XF/GO Crossover, though. And I WILL. My other ideas are secrets. Shhh...

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

Oh, goodness. I did so many, and they're all wonderful! I can't choose among them, honestly! No one that I betaed for should feel left out. They're all lovely! I'll put three, I guess. But there are so many more!

Cayuga Blush by asparkofgoodness (this one is a WIP, but I've read ahead, and I promise you, you don't wanna sleep on it)

Intersection: the Kiss and Union: Escalation by anna_bird (counts as one, OK. Don't mind that it's listed as two parts...)

A Season of Whale Song by DrConstellation (I'm only betaing later chapters, but the whole thing is chef's kiss)

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

JUST THREE?! I want to list like everything ever, and I CAN'T. 😭 These are in No Particular Order. And know that I want to list SO MANY others.

Naked and Afraid: Jingle Hell by klikandtuna

Sins of Knowledge by anna_bird

You Don't Need A License For That by WaitingtobeBroken

What ideas are percolating for next year?

All I'm saying is that when the Monster Banger's Bang posts y'all are in for a TREAT. I am so stoked about this one.

I've also got something a little Sci-Fi-esque in the early stages that I'm hype about.

And that GO/XF crossover WILL HAPPEN.

Who do you want to thank?

Everyone?! @kneelbeforeyourdogbabylon for all the fun we always have. All my pals in the sex pollen server. There are too many of you to tag! But all of you! Everyone in Good Omens After Dark that I've recently gotten to meet. Everyone in Do It With Style Events Um, um, um. EVERYONE. This is too much pressure (runs to hide)

Anyone in my tags feel free to join in or in fact anyone at all. I'll tag a few more below. Tag, answer any Qs that suit and play along

(birddog, I'm not tagging you a second time, but also I AM). Everyone in the sex pollen server. @on1occasionfork @waitingtobebroken I don't have the patience or time to tag everyone. If I've ever spoken to your or commented on your fic I want you to do this! It's time for me to get ready for bed so I have to run away!!

[littlechameleonguy]

2024 fic round up game

thanks to @cannibalisticcorpse for tagging me! Let's do this!

What fandoms do you write in?

almost exclusively Dead Boy Detectives. At least that's everything I've published. I've also written for the Spiderverse, Sally Face, Baldur's Gate 3 and Six of Crows but none of these ever saw the light of day.

How many words have you published in 2024?

again a lot less published than written but ao3 has about 20k words form me this year so far. There is a bit more somewhere here on tumblr but since my tagging is very inconsistent I'm not going to search for it to count the words...

What is your greatest achievement this year?

honestly, publishing my writing at all! I haven't done that in a very long time besides form the occasional drabble here. Big big thank you to the Besotted Brats for all the inspiration and encouragement!!! I love you guys!

What are your top three fics you’ve written this year?

I've only eight fics to choose from that are actually public but alright. Just beforehand all of these are nsfw and shouldn't be touched by minors! Please please please check the tags before reading!

Losing All Control (Edwin/Charles/David - possession, tentacles)

First thing I've actually published and that therefore has a special place in my heart.

Under my Skin (Demonland - Tattoo au)

This thing just has my heart and soul and dick... It constantly lives in my mind...

Dipping Your Toes (Payneland - Foot Fetish)

A work I'm very proud of that caters to me alone and my none existing foot fetish.

What have you learned?

a lot actually! English is not my first language and writing this much, having support form native speakers just in general helps my writing so much!

Also finally not caring much about the feedback. I mean obviously I love getting comments but I can write something I absolutely know won't get much attention and I'll still love the whole process and just have fun with it.

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

so many things, really. I've tons of notes and half backed wips in my notes...

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

No, not really. I write back and forth with friends about ideas and occasionally edit a little for them while doing so but I'm not a native speaker and I'm dyslexic, so I'm not suited to actually beta for anyone.

What ideas are percolating for next year?

I've ideas for multiple multi-chaptered fics that I wanna try for next year... Here just the short ideas of the ones I'm most passionate about:

Edwin and Charles accidentally summoning their future selves

Edwin turning himself into a girl and Charles realizing his feelings

Collage au, fwb situation

Demonland trying to get pregnant

Who do you want to thank?

I kinda already did but once again big thanks to all the Besotted Brats!

And ofc @cannibalisticcorpse in particular! You support me more than anyone when it comes to my fics! Without you none of my writing would be out there! You're an amazing writer and a wonderful person and I love you so so much! ❤️

tagging: anyone who wants to play!! @cristalknife @skylie-spiderlillis and @thefanficsmustflow

[parameciam]

time for another one of my deeply personal autistic ramblings, feel free to skip since this one it's a bit heavy and depressing and it's mostly to get this out of my chest. a literal scream to the void. and really personal. and depressing.

so. everyone that follows me already knows I'm a late diagnosed autistic person, right? funny thing it's that because nothing ever goes right because my therapist had several tragedies happening in her personal life at the time, she never sent me the report with the details of my diagnosis xd that was two years ago but now that she's okay, she offered to do several sessions with me + adding several other mental health assessments to what we did in the past (for free, ofc. we've done half of our scheduled sessions)

it's not a surprise that the results are fundamentally that I'm pretty fucked up and need therapy. but it's still hard to have test results that confirm it, and hear a professional tell me that I need to heal a lot of trauma, and confirm that I have rejection sensitive dysphoria, and concerningly high levels of social anxiety, and depression.

and I know I need help, but I also know that I'm absolutely tired. so so so fucking exhausted of trying. and add to that I've never, ever in my life, had that internal drive and motivation to keep going and achieving things, I don't understand (not now and not in the past, probably never in the future either) why people always talks like living is so important and the greatest thing ever, I honestly am here against my will and I just keep going to avoid hurting the people around me.

but I don't have any goals or ambitions, and sometimes I think about it and feel shame. most of the time I barely feel like a human being. I have no idea wtf I'm doing here, and it's like I'm constantly pretending to be human, while actually being, idk, several traumas and a braincell in a trench coat xd

and starting another attempt at therapy would require not only money (that I don't want to use for that, and psychological/psychiatric help is so expensive! and the meds too -_-) but also to delve into so many painful things that I don't want to remove anymore.

I hate that I'm the one that has to gather all the broken pieces to mend myself. I hate how lonely I feel. I hate how much of a failure I feel I am. I hate that there's no actual way to feel better without fighting so many things first.

all I want is to stop feeling this broken and exhausted ;=; and maybe a hug and a pat in the head.

today was the first day of a music festival that my sister invited me to and I wasn't even able to enjoy it. concerts used to make me feel so alive and happy, but I'm feeling more and more like an empty husk these days. it's like I'm barely able to enjoy nice things anymore. and I know that's the depression and burnout.

the only thing that gives me some happiness is writing my silly little fics. my withered soul suddenly blooms when I write my hallucinations xd I keep adding wips to the pile to give my mind a sense of future, I guess. something that's an excuse to be excited about.

ahhh, i'm just rambling at this point. let's close this horrible rant with a song.

it's actually my favorite song ever, probably that says a lot about me ahaha

[tabswrites]

Author Ask Tag

Tagged by @writernopal here 💜

Gently tagging: @pandoras-comment-box @elbritch-kit @clairelsonao3 @thatndginger

1. What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

Don’t let the past define you. Each MC is weighed down by something in their past: A reputation, a legacy, trauma. They will explore their grief in many ways, and while some of them will overcome it and grow, some will let it consume them.

When I started writing again, it was to help me process some really heavy stuff that I went through last year, and I realized I had let the situation overwhelm me to the point where I didn’t recognize myself anymore. It happens in little ways over time, and I’m sure others have experienced the same thing. I want people to know that the things that have happened to them, the things people have done, they don’t go away. Not completely. But if we learn to accept them and confront the emotions, those things become easier to overcome, and you don’t have to lose yourself in the process.

2. What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

I’m inspired a lot by nature and animals, tv/movies I love, books, random and weird history facts, fairy tales/folklore. I also experience vivid dreams from time to time and they inspire a lot of my story ideas.

3. What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person?

Besides the whole “bring back magic” thing, I think overall the characters in ToL are trying to achieve inner peace for themselves, and I want the same thing. I do want to inspire people to realize that sometimes the greatest empathy you have should be towards yourself. Forgiveness is definitely one of the minor themes, as it has been a key part in my own personal healing process.

For the readers, I just want them to be mindful of tbe complexities of life and of other people. You never know what someone else is really going through.

4. How many chapters is your story going to have?

….more than 2, but less than 100? Honestly, I planned for 15 with ToL but it might go longer. I’m not the one behind the wheel, if I’m being honest.

5. Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Original! Both of WIPs are on Ao3 and Wattpad.

6. When and why did you start writing?

I originally began writing when I was 14 when I started role playing on Goodreads. (Yes, that one.) My classmate and I started our own 1x1 and decided to turn it into a novel just casually. I ended up dedicating way more time to it and she stepped away, so I rewrote everything in my style. I finished it during NaNoWriMo a year later and even submitted it for Script Frenzy. That was the only serious writing project I ever did, 99.9% of my time was spent role playing. When my RP buddies started to drift away I got really depressed and ending up not writing for almost 6 years. Started back up again last year and here we are!

7. Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers of Tumblr do you follow?

No one will ever love your writing as much as you do, so you should love it the most! Don’t second guess yourself, and stop comparing yourself to everyone else! You chose to write the story for a reason—if that other person was meant to write it, you wouldn’t be the one kept up at night by story ideas.

I follow so many who have been tagged by other people but too bad:

@writernopal I love her writing and her OCs and she’s always supportive 💜

@outpost51 I would love to file a formal adoption request for Atria and no one else matches my deranged commenting style like him

@writingmaidenwarrior Always supportive and up for a chat, silly or otherwise!

@clairelsonao3 I love her writing and she’s super supportive too!

@sam-glade Sam has amazing world building and gives great critique!

Others I don’t know very well yet but I have enjoyed their writing and/or interacting with:

@reneesbooks

@mysticstarlightduck

@pheita

@avrablake

@coffeewritesfiction

[dashawfrostart]

This Week In "Time & Again" #10: Colours Are Getting Colourful, Indeed!

So, just as promised and exactly as planned, I'm working on the colouring for Chapter 5. And boy, it goes very well now, let me tell you! In fact, it goes so fantastically well, I honestly don't even wanna be here right now writing this post that most people will not even bother reading (we live in the age of Likes and Emojis, after all, so longreads are usually not welcome... but see if I care!), and I just want to keep working on the colouring. Just like I do almost every day, almost non-stop. Quite possibly over 40 hours a week. And I'm not even getting paid for it. That's dedication, innit?.. But making another post on how it is going, even if there's not much to tell aside from an incredibly simple and modest yet surprisingly descriptive "'Iz gude!" (pardon my Scottish, ahem), is kind of a moral obligation for me. I decided that I'm gonna make posts about the progress - so that decision should be carried on with.

So... yes, iz goin' gude! 🤣

This time I did not bother trying to decide what approach to use in colouring the characters. I decided to aim for the same simplistic way of colouring from Chapter 4, with a lack of shading. "Atlantis" is still one of my greatest artistic inspirations, and the masterly executed balance of visual simplicity and skillful complexity in the art style of that movie is something that drives me to keep working on my own style, to strive to achieve a similar effect, because this is what I want my work to be like, too. Of course, a little experiment will also take place in Chapter 5, since I don't like my visual works to feel static and inanimate. But I'm not going to tell what exactly it will be yet. You will see. It's going to be something very obvious and easy to notice, for I've never done anything like that in any of my previous works. 😉

The question of backgrounds tho, contrary to the character colouring method, is a much, much trickier question. With every new chapter in development, I ask myself how to draw and colour the backgrounds in such a way that it's in harmony with the characters, but allows them to also stand out - but not too much (otherwise there's no harmony). And this question has not been answered fully by me. I keep experimenting. I'm still searching. For now and for this particular chapter, however, it all seems pretty straightforward to me. I opted for a simple background with a little bit of a painted, splattered "texture" to it. And I achieve this effect through layering colours and the texture with specific settings, usually using Soft Light (SVG) blending mode for the dark parts. And if I need an even darker shade - I put an additional black rectangle on top of it and play with its opacity until I get the desired effect. ("A very LARGE gif below" warning!)

For the obvious reason of spoiler avoidance, I will refrain from further explanation and I'll limit my demonstration primarily with the textual description, for now. But, just as proposed long ago, I am indeed still planning on creating a WIP thread on Krita forum. Your horribly introverted and seriously muse possessed dear artist simply should take a break from colouring everything like an obsessed maniac and finally get the Sch***e done. Eventually 😁

There's something else interesting I wanted to note before wrapping it up for today. Something somewhat technical.

Because I have increased the page size for the last 4 chapters of my crazy endeavour, suddenly I remembered that I also need to rescale the rest of the pages that serve as - as I call them - "framing materials" for the chapters. And that includes (and, as you may guess - but not limited to): the cover art, the background for all kinds of bonus materials, the back design (for potential printing on paper), the chapter title page, Vorsatz und Nachsatz, the credits page, and, of course, the Characters' IDs page... Yup, all of that stuff required to get the higher resolution variations, exactly 1/3 larger size of the original. And I forgot about it at first. I guess, my idea to turn it into a webcomic prevailed and befogged my consciousness ever so slightly. Or a lot. Not sure. But the fact is, that just slipped my mind.

Of course, a poor designer in my could've just enlarged the already existing pages by 33% to get the expected result in a few clicks hassle-free. But that's only the poor designer. Because everybody who tried to draw at least something digitally in their lives would know that that would only destroy the quality of the artworks. And that is totally unacceptable for me. And I'm no poor designer. "Time & Again" is awesome. No sloppiness allowed, I says. This is why I needed to redo everything layer by layer, file by file in higher resolution. It was that clear. Am I being too techy? Well, deal with it 😎.

But good thing I'm so practical: I already had all of the elements drawn in higher resolutions than needed. And those I didn't have - they were all vector-based, so they didn't even need any extra work. Good job, me! 😁 The moral of the story is simple: dear artists, whenever you work on something like that, just make higher resolution drawings - just in case, even if you don't need them that large for your particular current tasks. Because you might need the larger art in the future. Because who knows? What if you go crazy and haphazardly decide to up the resolution for everything, like it happened to me? This is something that I also learnt from the videogame development tutorials, and that was quite an obvious idea, now that I'm thinking about it. Drawing everything in twice the resolution you need is a truly good advice. Surely, it might save you from a lot of frustration.

But back to my circus and my monkeys. Since I always make all the geometric elements for the page designs in Inkscape, it was simply a matter of a couple clicks to re-save my older page outlines and templates in higher resolution. The same goes with text. I love vector stuffz 🤩 The only page I needed to tinker with a bit longer than everything else was the Characters' IDs page. This is my vector template:

From today's perspective, I do not understand why it was made this way - can't be responsible for my past self, right? right???... - but the colouring of the Characters' IDs was done in Krita instead of Inkscape. Which is a bit absurd, because I used simple gradients to fill in each of the "character cards" individually. And I could've easily done it in Inkscape, too. But to save myself some time, I decided not to unravel that twisted ball of yarn and did the same: coloured them all in Krita. Again. Because why not? - it's extremely easy. However, I have discovered imperfections that I was able to remove in this "new, hi-res edition".

Each "character card" has an inner circle of solid colour around the character's portrait. And apparently, in all 4 of the previous chapters, those were not aligned properly. The screenshot above demonstrates that: once I copy-pasted the new template on top of the old one for comparison, the placements of the inner circles did not match (the black one is the perfectly aligned new circle; the pink parts sticking out from behind it are the parts of the old and misaligned circle from the previous chapters). Of course, I seriously doubt it anybody would stare and measure how precise I am down to the pixel... But this time to me this misalignment was pretty obvious. And the puny perfectionist in me raged. A lot.

So that has been fixed. Hurrah for Align and Distribute options in Inkscape 😁 Remember this, pals: Align and Distribute are women's best friends - not dogs, not diamonds, and... definitely not what the rest of the internet suggests. Yikes. (and to be fair, Align and Distribute should be the best friend of everybody, not only women! Honest!!!)

Again, because I drew all the character portraits in significantly higher resolution than needed long ago, I just copy-pasted and rescaled them to the right size. And then... after a few sessions of copy-pasting and rescaling, everything was done and ready to go!

And for now that is probably enough. Once I stop colouring for a while next time, I'll drop by again to write another one typical - and perhaps, somewhat techy as usual - longread that some of you might be interested in. But for now - bah-byes, and cheer up! Valentine's Day is soon, and spring is just around the corner. Be happy just like Jeanny! See you soon! 👋

[emachinescat]

🙅‍♀️ What is one trope you refuse to ever write? 🗑 What is one fic idea that you loved at first but then scrapped? 📌 If all your fics/WIPs fell off a ship and were drowning (go with it), and you could only save one, which would it be? 🤔 What’s one genre you’ve never written that you’d like to try?

🙅‍♀️ What is one trope you refuse to ever write? I mean, I'm not sure if it's a trope, per say, but I don't have any interest in writing smut. No judgment to people who do, but it is SO not in my realm of interest!

🗑 What is one fic idea that you loved at first but then scrapped? I had this idea for a Psych fic where the bounty hunter Byrd comes back for revenge. I even posted the prologue, but then just never updated it, as inspiration never came to finish it. I think I ended up deleting it. But I still have hopes that maybe I'll actually write it someday. :)

📌 If all your fics/WIPs fell off a ship and were drowning (go with it), and you could only save one, which would it be? Ahhh, this is a hard one! I think I'd say The Finch and the Mockingbird for Psych. It's the only multi-chapter fic I've ever written fully before posting, and I enjoyed every second of writing it! I have such fond memories of writing and posting it, and honestly, I think it's one of my greatest fic achievements to this day, not just because of the story itself, but because of how hard I worked and how dedicated I was and how I proved to myself I could actually do something like this. :)

🤔 What’s one genre you’ve never written that you’d like to try? I'd like to try my hand at mystery -- like a genuine casefile mystery. I've written a few "mysteries" but I feel that they're not too complicated and they're more about the whump than anything else. But I want to write a fic that reads like an episode of Psych or Magnum P.I., a fic that leaves readers guessing and has a real, honest-to-goodness ah-ha! moment. I'm not entirely sure my brain is wired for mystery, but I'd love to give it a whirl someday. ;)

Thank you so much for the ask!! ❤️

[reggiemantleholdmyhand-tle]

Fic Writer Tag Game

i was tagged by @asirensrage and @raith-way! thank you both sm 🥰

How many works do you have on AO3?

5

What’s your total AO3 word count?

54,408

How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

7, I believe — Riverdale, Harry Potter, Big Time Rush, Legend of Korra, Teen Wolf, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and I used to write reader inserts for FAHC Achievement Hunter

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Well, I only have the 5 🤪 Buuuuut...

Through the Fire and the Flames — Teen Wolf / Isaac Lahey x OC: Pidge Kennedy had been having the same nightmare for weeks. There was something important about it, she just didn't know what - that is, until she realizes the voice she's been hearing in her dreams belongs to none other than her substitute history teacher and notorious phoenix hunter, Mr. Edgar Thorn. On top of that, one of her best friends is acting super weird, there's a strange lizard man on the loose, and a serial killer is apparently trying to kill off the entire 2006 swim team. (Kudos: 10)

The Greatest Challenge — HP / Cedric Diggory x OC: Kipper Dixon is visiting Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. It's not long before she strikes up a friendship with Cedric Diggory, after bumping into him on her way to place her name in the Goblet of Fire. When Kippi is chosen as the Beauxbatons champion for the Triwizard Tournament, she decides they can't be anything more than friends. Cedric is determined to change that. (Kudos: 8)

The Trouble with Weasleys — HP / Fred Weasley x OC: "The trouble with Weasleys," Penelope Clearwater once told Maisie Barker, as well as anyone else who would listen, after a particularly nasty spat with Percy, "Is that they never really know what's actually good for them until it's too late." (Kudos: 3)

Smooth Runs the Water (Where the Brook is Deep) — Teen Wolf / Stiles Stilinski x OC: Bimmy's life had been fairly normal - that is, until she moved to Beacon Hills, after family friend Sheriff Stilinski told her mom there was a position opening at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. The transition had been easy enough; Bimmy had Stiles and Stiles had Scott, which meant Bimmy already had two friends when she arrived. Things got a little less easy after Scott received The Bite, turning him into a werewolf, and he spent several months being hunted. Things got even less easy when a serial killer with a kanima partner ran rampant among Beacon Hills. As if that wasn't enough, right as Bimmy's junior year began, a new pack of Alphas showed up to claim Scott as one of their own. Bimmy's one wish for her birthday is that things just go back to normal. She'll soon find out that normal will never be an option again. (Kudos: 3)

Third Time’s the Charm — Riverdale / HP AU / Reggie Mantle x OC: Mabel Harlow is a tough nut to crack, but Reggie will be damned if he doesn’t try. (Kudos: 2)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! I always like to give thanks to my readers and answer any questions/theories/thoughts they have!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I am currently working on it :-)

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I write crossovers as in with other people, but I don’t write cross-fandom!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I have not!

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I don’t, that is not for me. Even trying makes me blush and makes me want to throw my phone across the room.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

That is like trying to choose my favorite child, I simply can’t do it.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?

Probably The Riverdale Chronicles. I created a monster and have much too much to tell so I don’t see that ever being done.

What are your writing strengths? What are your writing weaknesses?

My strength is dialogue. My weakness is description. I’m much better than I was, but I definitely still struggle. Usually with scenery and emotion.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I don’t tend to trust Google translate much, so I avoid it usually. Mostly I work with common phrases or one-word exclamations but other than that, I don’t usually write other languages.

What was the first fandom you’ve written for?

Honestly I think it was the Jonas Brothers when I was in, like, 6th grade ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

I really love all of them, I tend to jump from favorite to favorite and my current favorite is probably The Greatest Challenge.

tagging: @hughstheforcelou @anna-phora @akabluekat @randomfandomingwrites @randomestfandoms-ocs @ocfairygodmother @jinxsflame

[mywayornorway]

1,5,7 and 10 for the positive weiter ask please :D

1. What’s your favorite WIP you’ve ever worked on (finished or not)?

Hard to say... I loved writing that Undaaris/Lyle crack fic because I got to do Lyle's sassy internal monologue where he judges everyone and hates his life XD But I'm also having a great time writing my current piece of whump because it allows me to go off the rails and have fun tormenting Alex in the worst ways possible. All in all, I think it's every WIP where I reminded myself that I can write whatever I want and don't have to bow to anyone's expectations.

5. Tell us all about your greatest writing achievement (this is your permission to brag without judgement).

My greatest achievement is definitely getting to write again in the first place because I haven't done that in years... I've had pretty bad writer's block and sometimes felt like I'd lost my creativity altogether but now I'm more productive than ever before and I'm very proud of that :))

7.What’s the best writing motivator for you?

Honestly, it's people like you. I've always felt most inspired when discussing my interests with others who share them and are equally as passionate. I love throwing around ideas and headcanons and creating what-if scenarios which then sometimes make it into a fic. Also reading. It can be a great novel or a cool fanfic, it doesn't matter, as long as it gives me inspiration and makes me want to write myself.

10. Who do you write for? (like, while you’re writing you think “oh! [person]’s gonna love this!)

For myself and the fandom, I'd say. Like every other fanfic author, I make up scenarios when the canon isn't satisfying enough or doesn't go as much into detail as I'd like it to, so writing them myself is the only solution XD And in a fandom as small as the Alex Verus one, I think it's nice when people try and keep it alive, even if it's just for a small audience. Then there's also you of course, who leaves the sweetest comments!! They never fail to make my day and when I'm feeling insecure about my work, I like to go back and re-read them :)) I love discussing our individual stories with you and when I'm writing a certain scene with content I know you'll enjoy, I think of you like: >:DD

[pickingoutchinapatterns]

What are you working on at the moment? What do you consider to be your greatest writing achievement? Do you use a favourite word/saying/metaphor often? Whose POV do you prefer to write - Mulder or Scully? How do you feel when you write - do you experience the same emotions as the characters? How do you know when a fic is ready to post? Link us to three fics you've written that are your personal favourites and tell us why you're proud of them.

Thank you so much for sending this to me @frangipanidownunder!

I’m currently working on a little fic pre-One Breath featuring Mulder and Maggie.  I hope to post it sometime soon (just need to write more than a few sentences).  I also have another that I started (featuring jealous Mulder and Charlie Scully) that I want to finish.  I also always have my long fic still going, though it hasn’t been updated in ages.

I haven’t posted many works, but I’m still blown away that I still get the occasional like from my (I think) first fic I posted “Red.”  I find writing difficult so honestly I feel anytime I post anything to be an accomplishment.

Probably do have a fav, but nothing comes to mind at the moment (I haven’t analysed my work to really see).

I find it easier to write from Scully’s POV, though I think lately some of my fics have been from Mulder’s.  

I do sometimes feel their emotions, when I’m in the right mood.  I had developed a writing phobia years ago, so fic writing, when I can get past that mental hurdle, is very therapeutic.  (Luckily I tend to have a million ideas...it’s actually executing them that I find difficult.)

Honestly, I usually just post a fic right after I’ve written it.  I’m impulsive that way and many of my fics would benefit from editing.  

Three of my fics

Nameplate, actually my first fic according to ao3.  A huge reason why I love fanfic (mostly reading and discussing it), is that it gives me a chance to witness canon being fixed.  This is my take on one thing that I thought needed fixing.

Red, also on ao3.  I didn’t expect it to get the reaction it got (I don’t have many followers, so the fact that it got 40 kuddos on ao3 means a lot).  I got the most thoughtful and touching feedback message from someone from this post and really that’s why I picked this fic.  (I still remember that message.)

TBAAH, (honestly, I hate the title and will change it when I post all of the chapters).  It was my first time at FanExpo (first time I saw GA, waiting in line for her panel).  I was talking to another fan and it was the first time that I brought up my idea for this story, even though it had been percolating in my mind for years.  It’s still a WIP, but I have been able to flesh out other aspects and ideas slowly over the years (such as December 1989 and other little bits of fic developed in your writing workshops).  So this one does mean a lot to me bc it’s been with me for a long time.  (I just don’t think the little that I have written do it justice yet....and that has to do with my impatience of just posting instead of going back and editing).  Mostly I’m proud of all of the ideas I have for the story.

Thanks Vicki!

[modern-oedipus]

With respect to my post about WIPs, I’m actually quite a perfectionist in certain branches of my life, as called-out by my therapist. I am trying to get over things needing to be perfect, that’s why I posted a wip that I would otherwise not have posted.

It’s really hard to let go of perfectionism when you have self-respect. It is like I want to do some things in the excellent standards that I am capable of, such as writing the greatest science article I can, focusing on my gene analysis project in the greatest detail and effort, writing the most lyric fanfiction I can come up with, being the perfect friend/best friend/partner to someone with “zero” toxic sides, being the perfect, considerate daughter to my parents, etc.

I don’t compare myself with others. I don’t feel like I’m not enough either. I just know I have some standards, high ones, that I want to keep since I am trying to live my best life. However, sometimes it holds me back to a serious extend. Like, if I miss a day of not working I’m ok, if I miss a week? Or a month? I feel like I can never recover and that I failed miserably as a scientist and I’d be just fooling myself if I studied again. As I noticed during therapy, this is probably a “nonrealistic thought pattern”, but well, it IS a thought pattern right now. There is no shame in accepting my difficulties, so I’m posting it here. I think this mindset of mine is flawed. But it’s the one I have right now and I’m working on the improving it.

I just want to achieve the greatest standards for myself because I “know” they are possible if I study idealistically. Moreover, I have a parental figure who taught me so. My father is a perfectionist of his own, except he can actually achieve the things he wants. He never, ever, EVER failed me, broke a promise, disappointed me or anything. Neither in his business life. He’s /always/ a man of his word and if he says he’ll do something, he does it. My dad is... well, not your “typical” guy. He’s actually quite famous in his own area, well known and admired too. He never acts cocky out of it though, to the point it shockes me. Anyway. I’ve been raised by this exroverted, natural leader, charismatic overachiever with an utmost dedication to his parenting at every cost, so what I see— from my dad is that, if I work really hard I can keep my standards. It’s just that I’m not as mentally strong as my father. Sometimes being productive or more analytic or more stick-to-goals is easier for him. Which is ironic because he is 50 already, when I’m 21, I mean, I’m younger, but he is the excited, aspiring, inspiring one to be around. I just don’t know. I want to handle things as greatly as he does. To never break a promise I made, to always be on time to my meetings, to always done my work before deadline, to not procrastinate things, to work out regularly, to take care of myself mentally and physically, to have a business own my own, etc, etc, etc. Because I honestly think that’s admirable and respectful and I just love people like that. They have respect to themselves and people around them because they can do neat work, both in personal & professional life.

Yet sometimes this fear of “missing” a week or two makes me feel so guilty and paralysed and angry at myself that it’s impossible to move until I have barely 2-3 days to deadline. I hate it when it happens. I’m so done with it. I’m fine with minor imperfections on life (food not cooked at best, typo on text etc) but THIS level? It breaks my functionality. I hate it. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of constantly thriving to be better, not because I don’t feel enough but because I find myself worthy to have more. But I think this mindset of mine is flawed because the end results are procrastination, stress and misery (and a neat work but well, emotional burden). That’s why, next time I have therapy I will bring this up. I want to solve this issue. I want to more forward. I don’t want to be burdened by this mindset. I want myself to know that it is alright to be imperfect. But not in a way that just says “screw it”. I want to be perfect at work and shit still. God. Science is so... fucked up too, like. Scientists are expected to be perfect more than any other job genre because we are supposed to lay out “facts”. The psychological pressure is a lot too. Fucking hell, this job. Anyway. Thing is. I’m just writing them here because I learnt that writing your thoughts out helps to figure out your next path. Mental health journals are recommended, I have one I occassionally write too, but why post there when I can just post to tumblr in which I may get to share them with people who may be struggling on similiar things so they know they aren’t alone? I mean, I made this blog mostly to talk about my fanfics, so this is not the main focus of my blog and I’m not trying so hard to be heard, I’m fine, really, but I’ll just make a minimal effort to add perfectionism to the hashtags in case any perfectionist over achievers out there are looking for company to let go of this annoying habit.

[camwritesbooks]

VICTORY ! // 50,265 // words in total ･ﾟ✧*.

( statistics )

most written in one day 3,571 ( day one ) least written in one day 210 ( day eighteen ) average words per day 1,675

( what i was listening to - a playlist )

1. cherry wine // hozier  2. dead air // chvrches 3. willow tree march // the paper kites 4. gods and monsters // lana del rey 5. wicked game // lauren aquilina 6. winter sound // of monsters and men 7. infinitisemal // mother mother 8. listen before i go // billie eilish 9. in a week // hozier

( gushing )

i have a lot to say about this whole... thing, you know, me winning nanowrimo?? because it’s crazy. it’s honestly so crazy. i remember last year, during my first nano as a member of writeblr, i was so unused to writing in this-almost professional way and even my 20k word count goal was too much for me to manage in the end. the fact that i managed to write 18k in one month was absolutely insane. 

so you know what’s crazy? i wrote 50,000 words this month. what. the. hell. this year i not only did i have normal life stuff, but i also had exams and i was working, something that took up hours a day sometimes. in october i was thinking, okay, there’s no way i can do this, but i guess i’ll try. and i did try. and i succeeded! this is genuinely the greatest achievement of my life, and i’m so incredibly happy. this draft isn’t great. it’s a bit uh... shit? in a lot of ways. but it’s also pretty good? and it’s nearly done. which like i’ve said, is insane. so insane. i’m writing a novel. and that’s pretty damn cool. 

( more below !! - including the prologue )

( about the wip )

total word count 79,221 characters 430,173 pages 105

( read the prologue )

     The forest was alight. A young woman stumbled between the burning trees, covering her mouth in a vain attempt to avoid breathing in the suffocating smoke filling the air. There were tears wetting her face and her dark skin seemed almost to glow in the terrible light of the flames that danced in the bushes, in the bows of the ash and oak. She was clutching something to her chest – a bundle of fabric she held so tightly it was like she thought the world might end if she dropped it. The look in her eyes were pure and unmistakable terror.        The fire chased her further and further through the woods, blazing branches crashing into her path and forcing her to turn sharply and find another way through. She had only one thought in mind – the river. If she could get to the river, she would live. The first touch of cool water on her skin felt like coming home. She didn’t stop, not for a moment, struggling through the water until she reached the other side where the fire could not touch her. The only remnant was the heavy scent of smoke on the breeze, and she knew she had to keep going if she didn’t want the ash to fill her lungs. But she stayed there for a long moment, soaked through with the icy water of the river.      She knew what had been done. She feared – but guessed – what was to come. And she knew, above all things, what she herself must do.      On that night when the forest burned and two hearts broke, the young woman stood up and slowly walked away. She did not look back before the trees on that side of the river swallowed her, and she disappeared into the darkness.  

[mischiefiswritten]

10 Questions Tag!

Shout out to @awrenthatwrites for keeping me so well-supplied with tag games! I’ve loved having them waiting for me when I get back to my blog.

1. How did you come up with your WIP’s title?

The Calm Before actually went without a title for quite some time, including the entirety of its first iteration (which is quite different from the current version). That was pretty unusual for me because I’m one of those writers that needs things to be named, even just with stand-ins, before I can proceed with it. 

And honestly... I can not claim any kind of cleverness when it comes to TCB’s title. With the prevalence of the Stormbringer in the story’s plot, the phrase “the calm before the storm” just popped very quickly into my mind. I chopped off the end of the phrase et voila! A working title. I don’t know if it’s going to stay, but I’ve loved it for what it is.

The story for Here There Be Monsters is much the same. But that one’s staying.

2. Do you title your chapters? If so, what’s your favorite?

Typically I have not, but recently I’ve felt like I wanted to. I don’t think it’s right for TCB, but it does fit nicely into HTBM.

Since HTBM is episodic in structure, I get to title each “episode” as well as its chapters. Potentially, I could even get to title “seasons” or story arcs, if the project continues long enough. This project is still really new, so it’s only got one episode title at the moment:

“A Lost Little Wisp”

3. What’s a recent line you really like?

I have to admit I actually really like the whole opening scene to HTBM. Here’s a tiny bit that I’m proud of... 

This takes place during Gael’s desperate and foolish maneuver to escape her pursuers. Essentially a high speed ship chase.

           It was not until the ship was tipping nose first into the maelstrom that Gael realized the man in the public house had been lying. The Maw seized the ship like a demonic spirit, threatening to rip the wheel from her hands, or simply her arms from her body. Now it was the dark thing hiding at the bottom of the sea that chanted, “Give it up, give it up.” It wasn’t just hungry; it was possessive. Everything and everyone on its surface belonged to it. There was nothing it would not take for its own in the end.

           Something primeval was calling from the murk and the foam. Its voice, sonorous and terrible, slid through Gael’s very blood. It slithered along the planks beneath her feet, caressing everything in its way with oily, formless tentacles.

4. Are there any writing-related quotes you really like?

There are so many good ones! But I feel like no one is more quotable than Tolkien and Lewis. These quotes aren’t so much about the craft, but they do speak to me about the art, passion, and joy of storytelling.

“Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.” (CS Lewis)

“It simply isn’t an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons.” (JRR Tolkien)

5. Do you have an idea for a cover design for your story?

I don’t! I find this sort of thing so difficult, whether its book covers or faceclaims or castings.

6. What sort of AU can you imagine your story being?

Do you mean, if there could be one AU that would fit best with my characters what would it be? Or what kind of AU trope is my novel? <-- This was Talya’s question, and I have to repeat it! I’m also going to answer the same way.

If I were picking an AU to see my story written as, I think a The Greatest Showman AU would be a fun one for  the Here There Be Monsters cast! That iconic scene when Philip and Anne see each other for the first time would be perfect for the primary protagonists.

And if my novel was going to be an AU trope, it’d probably be a Friends-type setup where they all live in the same building and are overly involved in each other’s lives.

7. Which OC would be the most angry with you as the writer?

Are any of them likely to be very happy with me?

8. If you had to tell the story from a different POV, which character would you choose?

This is tough because I gravitate toward 3rd person limited omniscient POV. In TCB I have four proper POV characters (Rys, Hale, Aldrich, and Neja), which I feel like adequately cover all the angles I want covered for that story. If I could add one, however, I think Vidri’s perspective would be a fun one! 

In HTBM I don’t use POV characters, but rather choose whose thoughts/knowledge gets shared at any given time. If I were to pick a POV character for the story (beyond the obvious) I would probably go for the Collector. It seems right up his alley to be relating this story!

9. What would be your OC’s taste in music if they lived in our world?

Wow, this is unexpectedly difficult to answer! I’ve got nothing for the characters, but I do have a theme song chosen for HTBM! “Deep Water” by American Authors

10. What’s one personal goal you want to achieve by the end of the story?

My goal for TCB is to complete the project in a way I can feel proud of. In a way this is related to my goal for HTBM (and its very existence) because I’ve never completed a novel. I don’t know that HTBM will ever properly end or what that will look like, but my hope in starting it is that it will teach me to write without fear. One of my biggest hurtles as a writer has been that I’m so often paralyzed by perfectionism, pulled in a hundred directions because I don’t want to make a misstep. HTBM is designed for me to simply write without the fear or expectations that go with a project like TCB that I’ve become so invested in over the years. It’s an exercise in letting go.

Thanks again for the tag! I’m going to tag @pen-of-roses, @coffeescribles, @writing-for-the-stars-and-moon, @inscrutable-shadow, and @thewrittenpost if you want to!