#we should start a new literary genre like this

[philcon-programming]

Philcon 2024!

Do you love Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror? Are you a Writer, a Gamer, a Costumer, or a Filker? Are you looking for a weekend of distraction in your life? If you’re in the vicinity of Philadelphia- or more specifically, Cherry Hill, New Jersey- there’s an event coming up on November 22 – 24, 2024 that we’d love for you to come check out. If you aren’t already familiar with PHILCON, here’s what you should know: * We started out as a literary-centric SF convention in 1936, but have grown to embrace all mediums of storytelling (movies, television, comics, podcasts, etc) as well as expanding to cover the Fantasy and Horror genres. Most of our participants are authors, and there will be Readings by them and Autograph sessions all throughout the weekend, in addition to their participation on discussion panels. * While many of our Literary panels are about SF, Fantasy, or Horror topics in general, we also have an emphasis on panels discussing the craft side and business sides of writing, for those looking to develop as authors. * One of our content tracks for the weekend is dedicated to Science & Technology itself, not just how it is used in fiction. * We will be screening several movies over the weekend, and Anime will also be shown in our Anime & Animation room at certain times. * There will be Workshops and Demos for Costuming (including "Fabric Manipulation", "How to Make Foam Armor", "Make-up for The Stage", and "A Pox on Patterns!") and Art (including "Using Alcohol Inks", "Block Printing With Your Own Designs", "How to Make A Controlled Color Palette", and "Making Wire-Wrapped Jewelry"), and if you’ve got an outfit you made that you’d like to show off on stage, we’ve got a yearly Costume Contest. * If you are a Filker- or just enjoy listening to other people sing and play music- Philcon has a room dedicated Filk room, and this year’s Musical Guest of Honor is Cecilia Eng. As Cecilia is not often on the east coast, if you’d like to see her play in person, now is an excellent change to do so without flying to the other side of the country. Lynn Gold, another west-coast Filker, will also be joining us this year. There are also Concerts scheduled for Sirens & Liars, Half a Slime Devil, Brenda and Chuck Shaffer-Shiring, and Sara Henya. * Since the Gaming track moved from an upstairs suite to the “Gallery” room on the first floor, it’s had the literal room to expand the number of games it can run, and we’ve got a bevy of them on the schedule for 2024, as well as a bank of games for you to choose from during Open Gaming hours. There's also a LARP Workshop Series being run by Spectacle INK. * Our Artist Guests of Honor for 2024 are Gina Matarazzo and Matthew Stewart. Each will be giving a presentation on our Main Stage on Saturday afternoon, as well as having their art displayed in our Art Show. * Our Principal Speaker for 2024 is MAX GLADSTONE, and we also have Nghi Vo as our Special Guest. Both will be doing Readings, Autograph Sessions, panels, and a main stage Q&A session. An interactive version of our schedule can be found HERE. While a simplified, static overview, organized by track, can be found HERE. Our LinkTree can be found HERE. We would especially value your support this year, as Philcon’s Covid-19 policy in previous years (which required both mandatory masking and proof of vaccination in an attempt to avoid becoming a super-spreader event as several other conventions had) has led to a slow but noticeable decline in attendance. While masking in public spaces is still heavily encouraged, neither proof of vaccination nor masking are required to attend the convention in 2024. We’d love your help in making this year a success, so that we’re in a good position to bring you all something really fantastic for our upcoming 90th anniversary. We’d also love to give you a great weekend right now, for reasons I doubt we need to explain. Here’s to surviving the next few years! ~ Lynati Head of Programming, Philcon 2024

[baby-yongbok]

Poetry

Chapter Two - It's a Date

Hyunjin x Fem!Reader

Genre: Fluff, dare I say slow burn? The type that tickles your heart.

Word Count: 2,661

A/N: Ya'll voted for a part 2 but I honestly would've probably made this a mini series regardless 😭. I love this story with my whole heart and I hope you do too. I decided that I'll be uploading the chapters for this series on Thursdays at 6pm EST. Anyway, Enjoy! Any and all feedback is appreciated!

Summary: That cute stranger that you met at your favorite bookstore cafe is anything but a stranger now.

Part One

✧Poetry Series Masterlist✧

✧Main Masterlist✧

(Reading part one before reading this is highly recommended)

“Six o’clock on the dot. We should start paying you for coming here.” Amanda, the cafe owner, joked as you walked through the doors of the small bookstore. 

“Yeah? I think I’d like that, I could use the extra money.” You smiled at her as you clutched a stack of books to your chest. “Oh, these are donations by the way. All brand new, my brother is cleaning out his office and business management isn’t exactly my cup of tea.”

You place the stack of books neatly on the counter in front of Amanda and she flashes you a genuine smile. “This is why you’re my favorite customer. Here, your next drink is on us.”

Amanda hands you a coupon that you gratefully accept. You’ve learned a long time ago that declining her offers is futile. “Oh and I think that someone is here for you.” 

She wiggles her eyebrows teasingly and you furrow yours. You turn around and a soft smile spreads across your face. Your eyes land on Hyunjin’s tall frame sitting cross legged at one of the free tables in the nearly empty cafe. An iced americano in one hand and a book in the other. 

“He’s been here for thirty minutes.” Amanda whispers over to you and your smile spreads wider. 

“Of course he’s early.” You shake your head, chuckling a bit. “Thanks for the coupon.” 

You wave your goodbye to Amanda and start to make your way over to Hyunjin who seems to be completely engrossed in his book. You steal a glance at the cover and raise your eyebrows at his current literary choice. 

“Life is so constructed, that the event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation.” Your voice catches his attention causing him to sit up straighter as he takes you in with a smile. 

“You’ve read it?” He asks, referring to your quote as he places his bookmark and closes the novel. 

“I’m a bit of a Charlotte Brontë connoisseur.” You reply with a shrug. “I did my thesis on that novel for my senior year of college.”

“I’ll have to pick your brain about it once I’ve finished it.” 

You watch him as he stands and stretches a bit. You take a second to drink in his appearance, his orange and black crocodile print sweater and black slacks fitting his frame perfectly. You have no doubt that it’s expensive just like everything else that he’s worn during your Thursday evening meetings. Once he’s satisfied with his stretch he pushes in his chair and circles the table to stand in front of you. He holds a hand out to you and you slip your fingers over his slender ones. He brings your hand up to his mouth and kisses the back of it gently, a grin pulling at his lips. 

“You look lovely tonight.” He looks you over slowly, taking in the form fitting glory of your black pencil skirt and the contrast it has to your baggy maroon sweater tucked in just in the front. 

“You say that every Thursday.” You playfully roll your eyes and Hyunjin smiles, shaking his head in agreement. 

“Because you look stunning every Thursday. I can’t wait to see you on a Monday or a Tuesday.” You blush a bit, looking away from him in an attempt to hide your reaction. 

The two of you have been meeting at this bookstore cafe, Adore, for two weeks now, today being the third. You’ve found yourself planning your outfit for this day of the week as soon as you wake up on Friday. Each time that the two of you say goodbye you can’t help but to think about the next time that you’ll see him and all of the questions that you’ll ask him. Hyunjin was no different, he found himself thinking about you like a teenager who just asked their crush to prom. His roommates started teasing him for the extra work that he’d been putting into his appearance. Every Thursday he’d spend an extra thirty minutes in the bathroom making sure that his hair looked just right since you complement it every time you see him. He’d gone on for about an hour asking his roommate Felix for his opinion on different colognes even though he normally doesn’t bother to wear any. He even took on an earlier work schedule so he’d be available for your meetings. Anything to see you again. 

“Thank you.” You whisper and he nods in response. He grabs his bag from the back of his chair and packs his novel away before grabbing his drink. 

“Shall we browse?” You nod your head, lacing your fingers together behind your back before taking a step forward. It seems that you both had the same idea since the two of you bump into each other softly. You both chuckle lightly and Hyunjin moves his free hand to the small of your back to guide you in front of him. “Ladies first.” 

His words come out in such a whisper that you could barely hear him but that could also be due to your heart thumping in your ears as a chill runs over you. You shake your head trying to play off your reaction to the small physical contact but you can’t help it, his touch is electric. The two of you trail off into the poetry section and you know exactly what you’re looking for. 

“I take it that you have someone in mind?” Hyunjin asks with a curious glance as you browse the shelves. You nod, your gaze never leaving the organized spines lined up on the shelves. 

“There!” You reach forward quickly, plucking the book from the neat stack and holding it up to show Hyunjin. 

“Rupi Kaur, I can’t say that I’m familiar with her.” Your face twists in disapproval causing a small chuckle to fall from Hyunjins blushed lips. “Why don’t you introduce me to her work.” 

“ If you like R.H. Sin then you’ll love her.” You look down the aisle both ways to make sure that no one is around before kneeling down and sitting on the dark carpet. Hyunjin looks down at you with furrowed brows as you take off your bag and place it next to you. Once you’re settled you look up at him returning his confused expression. “Are you coming?”

You pat the carpeted floor next to you and Hyunjins confused stare quickly melts into a gentle look of admiration. He nods his head before joining you on the floor, sitting next to you with his back resting lightly on the book shelf. He glances over at you as you study the hardcover book in your hands, your fingers tracing over the embossed words. He takes in the steadiness of your breath and the way you hum ever so slightly when you notice a new detail on the cover. He doesn’t notice the grin that’s creeped across his lips until you look up at him, he looks away quickly as a blush creeps across his cheeks. You mimic his actions, blushing a bit yourself. A few seconds of quiet surround the two of you before Hyunjin breaks the barrier. 

“May I?” He asks, gesturing towards the hardcover in your hands. You let out a deep relieved sigh and nod at him. You hand the book over to him, the tips of your fingers brush lightly against his and you both still momentarily at the contact. You both had to have felt that shock run up your spines right? The two of you decide to shake it off quickly, concluding that it was merely a case of static electricity. Hyunjin looks down at the book in his hands, turning it over and taking in the words on the back cover. He clears his throat a bit before reading the text on the back.

“This is the recipe of life, said my mother as she held me in her arms as I wept…” You listen closely to each word that his voice carries. Sinking into your own little bubble, this time that the two of you reserved every Thursday served as a calming ground for the both of you. Nothing else mattered right now, the only thing that exists is the two of you and the poetry that you shared. 

“The sun and her flowers.” Hyunjin read the title as he flipped the book back over to its front. “I have to admit that I’m very interested.” 

He opens the book to its contents and reads off the name of each section. “ Wilting, Falling, Rooting, Rising, Blooming.”

You nod as you look over the grayed out page with him. “Which section do you think you belong in?”

Hyunjin looks over at you, a bit taken back by your question. Your large doe eyes stared back at his shining narrow ones patiently waiting for his response. “Uh, I don't really know.”

You nod, catching on to his hesitance. You look forward for a second, your eyes mindlessly scanning the spines of the books in front of you before you do what you wanted to do last Thursday. Slowly and carefully you lean your head to the side gently resting your temple on his shoulder. You feel him tense a bit at the sudden contact but he quickly relaxes into your touch even leaning over a bit to give you better access to his shoulder. 

“I think that right now I belong in falling.” You watch as Hyunjin silently flips through the pages before landing on the first page of the section you mentioned. He licks his lips before reading the poem. 

“I notice everything I do not have and decide it is beautiful.” He lets out a deep sigh that he wasn’t aware that he was holding before shaking his head. 

“I think that maybe I belong here too.” 

His fingers run over the picture placed under the poem, imitating pencil strokes as he studies it. You turn slightly to look up at him, studying his slow blinks as his brown orbs focus on the page. The gentle air escaping his nose tickles your lashes as he exhales but you don’t dare blink, too afraid that you’ll miss a moment of him. What is this that you’re feeling? 

“But I don’t think that I can say that everything that I don’t have is beautiful, not yet.” His eyes don’t leave the page as he continues to imitate the abstract strokes. “Well, there is one thing that I don’t have.” 

His words come out in a whisper and his gaze suddenly shifts over to you. His brown orbs are looking deep into yours. Your breathing picks up slightly as you will yourself not to look away.

“And it’s definitely beautiful.” His gaze is intense yet soft as he looks over your features. You notice that his eyes wander over your lips a bit longer than everything else before meeting your eyes again. “I guess I have to convince myself that I deserve beautiful things.” 

He lets out a light sigh and you can’t help but to bring your hand to lay on top of his. 

“You are more than worthy of beautiful things, Hyunjin.” He grins down at you gently before tearing his gaze away from yours. 

“Perhaps I am.” He whispers more to himself than to you. Suddenly he lets out a deeper sigh as he closes the book. “Have you eaten yet?”

You return his sigh as you lift your head from his shoulder. You can’t help but to wonder what he meant, why would he think that he doesn’t deserve to indulge in beauty? You shake the thoughts from your mind, not wanting to ruin your Thursday night with him. “I haven’t”

“Would you like something?”

“I can make something when I get back to my place, money is a bit tight for me right now.” 

“My treat.” He hums out simply as he studies the spine of the hardcover in his hands.

“I’m alright.” You chuckle and he looks over at you with a bit of concern drawn on his features.

“Really it’s no problem. I know that I pay every Thursday but it makes me happy that I can provide you with something as small as refreshments every week. It gives me peace of mind.” You blush a bit at his confession, so he does think about you as much as you think about him.

“Well if it means that much to you..” He smiles down at you with a nod.

“It does.” He shifts suddenly as he moves to stand. He holds his hand out to you and you take it, allowing him to help you up. “They make an amazing tomato caprese sandwich here.” 

“I’ll try it.” He nods at you happily before taking the lead out of the aisle. You follow closely behind him when suddenly you remember something. “Oh!”

You catch Hyunjin’s attention as you walk up a bit faster to stand beside him. You rummage through your bag until you find what you’re looking for.

“I have a coupon for a free drink!” You muse excitedly and Hyunjin can’t help but to laugh at your sudden elation. 

“Keep it, I appreciate it but I’ve got this.”

“Oh come on! Let me help.” You pout a bit as the two of you reach the register and Hyunjin puts in the order for the two of you, he’s already memorized your drink order so little discussion is needed. Once your order is placed and paid he turns to your pouting face with a warm smile.

“You know what? There is a way that you can help.” He slides his hands into the pockets of his slacks and you perk up a bit as you listen to him. 

“Anything.” You smile up at him, wide eyed and eager to be of use. 

“How about next Thursday we… meet outside of this place. Maybe I could take you on a date?” 

A deep blush creeps onto your swarthy cheeks as his question sinks in. Your lips pressed together in a thin line and you shift the position of your feet slightly. Hyunjin looks down at the dark tile nervously as he waits for you to say something, anything. His nerves began to creep up his spine, spewing doubt into his mind. Just as he was about to retract his offer and apologize you let out a breathy chuckle. 

“I’d really like that.” A toothy smile spreads across his face once he hears your response and you instantly wear one to match once you take in his reaction. 

“Uh, great! I’ll text you the details.” He takes his hand out of his pocket, offering his phone to you. “I can’t believe we haven’t exchanged numbers yet.” 

A shy chuckle escapes him as the two of you exchange phones and input your numbers.

“There you go.” You hand his phone back to him, your giddy smile still present on your red painted lips. 

“Alright, well um, I’ll text you everything you need to know once I plan it.” He says as he stares down at your contact for a second too long, he bites his lip slightly to try and hold back his smile. 

“It’s a date.” You both stand in front of each other smiling like enliven children at an ice cream parlor. “I’ll go grab us a table.” 

Hyunjin nods at you as you turn on your heels and make your way to your usual booth. He watches you as you walk away from him with awestruck eyes. He allows himself to smile now that you aren’t looking, his eyes turning into shining crescents as excitement builds inside of him. He glances down at your contact one last time before locking his phone and stuffing it back into his pocket, He glances over at you before turning to face the cafe counter and whispers to himself.

“It’s a date.”

← Previous Chapter ♡ Next Chapter →

[winterandwords]

💀 Spin Cylinder (story summary)

Bound by desire and destruction. Contract killer Noah and white-collar criminal Brett retire from successful but stressful careers to build a home together on a foundation of obsession, shared secrets, and murder. But when they start to feel restless and the downward spiral beckons them deeper, how far will they go to find their way back to themselves?

🗓️ POSTING SCHEDULE Spin Cylinder chapters are posting on winterandwords.com twice-weekly on Sundays and Thursdays from 1st September - 19th December 2024.

📝 BASICS Spin Cylinder is the sequel to November Breaks, which is short novel length at around 52k words. If you haven’t read November Breaks yet and would like to catch up, it can be read in full here. See tag #spin cylinder for writeblr games, WIP snippets etc.

✅ GENRE Transgressive, literary

📖 AUDIENCE Adult

👀 VIBE Slice of life, but life is drugs and crime. They deserve each other (derogatory). Violence as a substitute for therapy. Very elegantly wasted. My favourite mistake, my weapon of choice, and the parts of ourselves that we can’t leave behind.

⭐ MAIN CHARACTERS

Brett Archer is hedonistic, devious and charismatic. An expert at filling empty spaces with temptation, his early morning runs and questionable life choices are fuelled by the vodka he promised not to drink anymore. Boredom is the enemy, but novelty is just another drug among many. He knows exactly how to get what he wants, especially when it’s the last thing he should have.

Noah Thurston is refined, charming and not quite as in control as he appears. Still waters run dangerously deep and there are more bodies down there than even he can count anymore. Conscience will always be a stranger, but at least he sleeps better than he used to…sometimes. He can’t stop noticing the details and he’s in it for the moment your heart stops beating.

📸 IMAGE CREDIT Original photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash, edited under license

🏷️ TAG LIST Please comment here or send me a message to be added to or removed from the tag list. The list will be tagged when new chapters are posted. I don't use it for writeblr games.

@indecentpause @pertinax--loculos @revenantlore @talesfromaurea @thegreatobsesso

(new line to appease the Tumblr link gods) @thespacelizard

[walks-the-ages]

Hey nanowrimo, what the fuck does this mean. What is this article about.

Why do you have an article that sounds like an angry tumblr post that is *clearly* about some incredibly serious allegations, but you're trying to sidestep them by..... acting like people questioning your endorsements of clearly shitty people/company is somehow the same thing as belittling the romance genre or people who became published authors after starting out with fanfic??

Full text from September 2nd, 2024 so they can't edit it later:

"I can't believe NaNoWriMo is endorsing a person/company who does ______________!"

3 days ago Updated Not yet followed by anyone NaNoWriMo is not in the business of telling writers how to (or how not to) write, taking a position on what approaches to writing are legitimate vs. illegitimate, or placing value judgments on personal decisions that are a matter of free choice. Opinions about "correct" ways to write or "right" vs. "wrong" kinds of writers should not be brought into our spaces. Our priority is creating a welcoming environment for all writers. There is no place for that kind of virtue signaling within NaNoWriMo. This position extends to our partnerships with sponsors and affiliates, with authors who we invite to write pep talks or serve as camp counselors, and to people who we invite to participate in events. NaNoWriMo is a global community of more than 550,000 writers who we fully expect to have different values, different needs, different preferences, and different curiosities. Because Wrimos are not a monolith, we don't cater to a specific author archetyope or ideology.  We take this position firmly, and we take it seriously. NaNoWriMo is a 25-year-old organization with staff that has been in the writing community for a very long time. We've seen tremendous harm done over the years by writers who choose to pick at others' methods. We've seen indie authors delegitimized by traditionally published authors, highbrow literary types look down their noses at romance authors, fanfiction writers shamed for everything from plagiarism to lack of originality; the list goes on. Not only is this sort of shaming unnecessary and often mean. It's proven itself to be short-sighted. Some of the most shamed groups within the writing community are also the most successful (e.g., Romance is one of the highest-grossing genres; an increasing body of data shows that indie authors do better than trad-pub authors, and some of the biggest names in publishing started out in fanfic). NaNoWriMo's mission is to "provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people use their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page." We fulfill our mission by supporting the humans doing the writing. That means not judging them and not allowing judgmental dynamics to enter into our spaces. 

this just reads like an angry, desperate attempt to downplay a serious issue by pretending people are just being misogynystic or looking down on indie authors when clearly that's not what they're responding to lmao, considering probably 99% of Nanowrimo's participants are aspiring writers who probably started out with fanfiction and are probably going to be self published?????

[hayatheauthor]

How To Answer Some Common Literary Agent Questions

Writing a book can be hard, but querying can sometimes seem harder without the right resources! If you’re an author who feels like you’re jumping into your queries without any guidance, here are a few tips to help you answer some common literary agent questions. 

Before we get started, I would like to put out a disclaimer stating that this is not a list of rules for what you should or shouldn’t do when querying! The sole purpose of this blog post is to help my fellow #amquerying authors get a general idea of how to write a query letter and answer common literary agent questions. 

This blog post is based on the research I conducted before sending out my queries and the feedback I received for them. I might not be an industry expert, but I have spent the past couple of months querying agents and received a dozen partial and full requests (which I am eagerly awaiting a response for). 

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s get started! 

The Author Bio

The author bio is possibly the most common question you will see when querying. Most if not all agents prefer to know at least a little bit about their authors before they jump into your manuscript, this is so they can gain insight into your past experience and credibility as an author.

A writer’s author bio is directly affected by the genre they are writing for and should be adjusted accordingly. What might sound like a good bio for your nonfiction memoir might sound ineffectual for your YA fantasy novel. 

Here is a general guide on how to write your author bio based on your genre. 

Nonfiction 

When writing a nonfiction author bio it’s important to mention two things: why you chose to write about this topic, and why you’re the right person to write this book. I would also mention a little bit about why this book should be written, why you think people would read it, and why now. 

If you are a debut author then talk about any past experience you have in the industry you are writing about. For example, if you’re writing a biography about a prominent historical figure who you previously researched for work, a thesis, etc. then consider mentioning that. 

If you are not a debut author then talk about your past experience in the literary industry. Sales, platforms, what type of nonfiction book did you write in the past, etc. 

Fiction 

When writing a fiction author bio it’s important to mention any and all marketing and writing experience you have. So long as it is relevant. 

For example, if you’re writing a fantasy novel and have a booktok account where you post about it, then consider mentioning that. Or if you previously wrote a popular rom-com but are now trying to write a chick lit, then mention who you published with and why you decided to write for this new genre. 

Struggling to find the right words for your query? Consider checking out my blog on how to get out of the slush pile and make your agent say YES.

How To Write An Author Bio For Your Debut Novel

Writing an author biography as a debut author might seem pointless to most, but I implore you to take the time to type out an appropriate response to this question. 

When I was querying agents I received several rejections during my first and second rounds of querying, but do you know what I didn’t receive? A form rejection. Each and every agent who asked for an author bio responded with some sort of praise for my marketing or writing prowess as a teenager. 

Some even went out of their way to provide me with referrals or agent resources, which helped me secure two agents who requested a full manuscript.

My author bio wasn’t overly grand or impressive, in fact, it was quite simple. Here are some things to mention in your author bio as a debut author: 

Any relevant past writing experience. 

Outside of writing my book, I also work as a content writer for digital marketing agencies, blog about writing advice, and previously wrote a couple of ‘viral’ e-novels and fanfictions on online platforms. None of these have anything to do with my WIP or author journey, but they help prospective agents know that I: 

Have gathered a sum of readers with my past work. 

Know how to create professional content for marketing purposes. 

Can stick to a writing schedule and provide them with new content/WIPs when needed. 

This can all help convince them to work with you. 

Any social media platforms 

We’ve all heard of those lucky few authors who went viral on social media and landed a book deal because of it. It might be a little hard to follow in their footsteps and make a publisher reach out to you because of your platform, but having a social media presence can help you in the long run. 

It also shows your agent that you have a pool of readers interested in your book and a couple of industry connections, whether that be other authors or book reviewers. 

A thousand followers might not seem like a big achievement when compared to an influencer with a bigger platform, but think of it this way—when you mention your platforms in your author bio, you’re basically telling your agent you have a thousand prospective readers. Most bestseller lists need a minimum of five thousand purchases. 

Target Audience 

Knowing your target audience is important in order to establish a concrete image of your WIP. When establishing your target audience, here are some things you should take into consideration: 

The age group. Your target age group might not seem like a big concern for an author writing adult books, but if you are an author writing for a younger audience it’s important to acknowledge your age group before you send out queries. This helps ensure you don’t query an MG agent a YA book, but also makes it clear whether you’re writing for teenagers, new adults, tweens, or children. 

The type of audience in that age group. Once you know your age group, it’s important to figure out your type of audience. This can look like something as simple as ‘teenage girls’ or ‘new adults graduating from college.’ 

Authors with a similar book. One easy way to establish your target audience is by saying ‘readers of (insert author)’ or ‘readers who like (insert book). I would recommend mentioning two to three books and authors if you decide to go with this method. 

Readers who like a certain trope. If you can’t think of any authors with similar books to yours then try mentioning a trope from your book. Something as simple as ‘people who enjoy reading about mythology’ or ‘found family lovers’ is good enough. 

Similar Books

A quick Google search can help you find a couple of books similar to your manuscript. These titles don’t have to follow the same plot as your WIP or have all the same tropes. The point is to find books with similar tropes and themes that can give your literary agent a sense of what they’re getting into. 

You can either mention a couple of titles and leave it at that or go on to explain why you chose these titles. Something as simple as ‘my manuscript is comparable to books like Six of Crows because it features a thrilling heist’ will suffice. 

Remember to keep this section short. The point is to help your agent gain insight into your manuscript. 

Need help finding the right resources to perfect your query? Here are some websites and writing apps every author needs.

Elevator Pitch 

An elevator pitch is essentially what you would say to your literary agent if you were trying to pitch your manuscript to them during an elevator ride. It needs to be short yet impactful and hook your agent with one or two sentences. 

Look at similar titles and search up their elevator pitches or blogs. Take a look at the first few sentences of their blurb, figure out what helped them hook their readers, and then start drafting your own pitch. 

I would recommend writing down five to ten pitches and reading them out to your family or friends who are readers, then ask them which pitch hooked them the most and why. 

Why Us? 

Literary agents often don’t bother to ask authors why you want to work with them, but a casual mention of how you found out about them can go a long way. 

Use direct quotes from their manuscript wishlist or website page. Mention something they seemed proud about or a factor that stuck out to you. Maybe they have a fast response time, maybe they collaborate closely with their authors or work with their authors even after the first project. 

If you can’t think of anything to say, then talk about one of their past projects that seems similar to your WIP or has similar tropes and topics. 

 I hope this blog on how to answer some common literary agent questions will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and subscribe to my email list for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.  

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of my blog where I post writing and marketing tools for authors every Monday and Thursday. 

Want to learn more about me and my writing journey? Visit my social media pages under the handle @hayatheauthor where I post content about my WIP The Traitor’s Throne and life as a teenage author. 

Copyright © 2022 Haya, you are not allowed to repost, translate, recreate or redistribute my blog posts or content without prior permission

[encrucijada]

PÍA RAMBLES #8

you might have seen this post or this wip intro. i'm here to talk about this book because i think it's really cool @teddywriting and i wrote almost 40k words by simply playing dolls with our ocs.

(yes i will be using screencaps of before sunrise, 1995 for any and all subsequent updates regarding this project thank you very much)

what's weird about this book in particular is that, despite maripaz and theo taking up way too much space in my brain, it's also incredibly hard to talk about them?? i know every single detail about them down to what they might order to eat at a mcdonald's, and yet i feel no one outside from teddy and i really knows these characters. their lore is weird and a bit convoluted and explaining it feels like i'm trying to explain the plot of a television show with like 18 seasons of character development you just had to be there to witness to understand even a fraction of it.

but first some basics about the actual book

title: babylon boy (book 1 of the home habitat duology)

genre: literary fiction

category: i say adult because there will be no censoring of topics but in this first installment our protagonists are around eighteen years old. you might consider that ya but i wouldn't

a small summary: having independently run away from home for their own reasons, theo and maripaz meet while homeless on the streets and form an alliance of convenience to survive. while theo vehemently denies the drug addiction he’s nursing, maripaz tries to deal with the way both want and revulsion seem to exist in her at the same time. falling in love is probably the easiest thing they do.

teddy and i are co-authoring, as in we both write the words. they will be primarily working on theo's chapters and i will be primarily working on maripaz's chapters but we'll both be involved in fully crafting this story.

talking about your book is hard when all that happens in it is character work so even whether someone gets sick at one point feels like a spoiler you want people to be surprised by.

we created mari and theo in 2020 on a whim. i can't even remember what prompted it exactly. we wanted a new pair of characters to play with and we decided to make two assholes to bicker and be mean to each other. this iteration saw three reincarnations before we put the characters on the shelf and almost resigned ourselves to them being a miss... if not for one important detail... i really, really believed they should have kissed. this first version of them would eventually be known as the homeless au.

looking back it's Wild thinking about how different mari and theo used to be. we moved onto new aus to play around with, landing on a superhero-type beat that became their new canon for a while. we had fantasy and sci-fi and musicians and hadestown and the raven cycle (that last one did so much for us it's insane). every new thing we tried shaped them more and more until they were unrecognisable from their original versions. one day i really want to go through their threads from start to finish and look at that change in real time.

there was a new thesis to their characters and it was no longer "what if two awful guys with issues were forced together and tried to bite each other's heads off". instead we were looking at two characters that through every new incarnation became more sincere and gentle. they had meta-narrative character development.

(every new au also gave us more characters to populate the world including but not limited to theo's twin sister, maripaz's seven siblings, alex, philip, a whole lot of parental figures, a quirky cast of friends... but i'll talk about them some other time)

then i did it again. in the 2.0 version of the homeless au there was one scene i loved beyond words where an argument between our two protagonists resulted in maripaz punching theo right on the mouth. when she tried to swing a second time he stopped her hand and warned her that if she wanted to hit him he would hit back. they fought and the scene ended. i said to teddy: they should have kissed. we laughed and imagined how homeless au would go now that their characters had changed so much. we started thinking about it more and more until we were moving the pieces of their cinematic universe around to fit this new idea... and suddenly we had plot for a book that would revamp that original homeless au... and a sequel too! (but more on that second one another time)

teddy started a rp thread of what came right after the opening scene of babylon boy, where theo and maripaz would shoplift and he would steal the angel necklace she wore (<- this is important)... and we just kept going... and going. we'd already had a few keys scenes to work towards, one those being that punching scene that started it all, as well as the ending. teddy added two new scenes we began calling the halo scene and the church scene, and we moved something we called the pool scene into this book from another au. we just had to fill in the blanks... fill in the blanks we did.

these right here are the names i gave each individual thread of the roleplay-ification of babylon boy. their purpose is not so much to be chapter titles but to make specific scenes easy to find for future reference. though obviously i had to be a bit artistic about it.

i don't know if babylon boy will have chapter titles, and if they will have some sort of theme going on (usually i like just putting two words together to create some imagery). "angel face" is probably what i would title chapter 1, but i also hesitate on that decision because i think i would like to save angel for later.

these threads are less of a draft and more the skeleton of a draft, that's why i called it a draft 0. its purpose is to give teddy and i direction and reading through them i already know how i want to shift the timeline and how i'd rewrite some of the scenes to make them a lot better, but it did give us a great cause and effect look of things. the way teddy and i approach our roleplay threads is more loose than what i do with @on-the-river-lethe (with whom i'm currently roleplaying draft 1 of our book lupine trail and also a giant hunger games au). fluffy and i write responses between 1k-4k words, they are basically chapters. teddy and i instead do a quick call and response, mostly focused on dialogue, we build on top of each other and neither of us really knows where a thread will go when we start.

there are no actual non-roleplay words written for babylon boy thus far. teddy is in charge of chapter 1 as we open with theo's pov but we are both busy or focused on other things. right now we're enjoying the playing around stage of the process (which i don't see going away even once we start seriously writing, i know for a fact we'll probably do various roleplay-type passes to babylon boy).

you've probably noticed the christian imagery is rampant here. it happened kind of by accident and the already mentioned halo scene is entirely to blame for it. like i said, teddy and i have this very "yes, and," approach to storytelling together where we kinda build on top of what the other puts down. teddy gave me the description of one (1) scene where theo sees a halo of light around maripaz's head and i decided "well, this is now i thing that is here to stay". church scene really brought it all together and there is a scene in book 2 adeptly nicknamed the angel scene that is kind of the culmination of this.

the imagery is almost exclusive to theo's pov as mari is more the subject of the imagery than the one pushing it forward. teddy and i will be doing our most to fill this book with visuals: characters lined with stained glass windows, lights shaped like hearts, signs and graffiti that say meaningful stuff.

babylon boy, as the title suggests, is more theo's book. both he and maripaz have meaningful arcs but theo's is really at the core of it, mari takes centre stage in book 2 (titled gossamer girl). i think i talked about this somewhere before but the titles just kind of... happened. gossamer was relevant for that superhero au and it's just a word i really adore so i wanted to use it on the title. you can't go wrong with alliteration so gossamer girl it is. and because i love when books in a series match i had to do something with boy. like gossamer i adore babylon for some reason, and so we got babylon boy. i wasn't sure about that one because while gossamer girl made sense with the theme, what did "babylon boy" even mean, exactly? teddy came in clutch and analysed the title for me. they connected it to theo's drug addiction and now i can't think of any two titles that are more perfect for this series.

like i said, there are no actual words written for this book so sadly i cannot share any excerpts. but i will share

Festival was very much the result of teddy and i having just watched before sunrise, 1995

we watched before sunrise, 1995 because the mannerisms of the two leads reek of maripaz and theo

"until a miracle happens" became a recurring thing said in the draft and it wrecked me

Our Fears is probably my favourite thread both thematically and visually. followed closely by Church Angels, though that one is mostly visually

The Pool is the longest thread with about 90 responses and all of it is beautiful. i would probably consider it the companion to Our Fears

"mutual pining they're both just idiots"

the closing image is probably my favourite one of the book

the core themes are very much trust, love, and communal help. we've got such an array of npcs who simply... help. i love the human race.

i'll probably do another update before we start properly writing talking about maripaz and theo as characters specifically. a bit of a crash course on who they are, really.

anyway. i'm giving you a golden star if you read all of that ⭐ do ask me or teddy about this story!! we'd be happy to talk about it. or even just about the characters.

cheers, pía

[foxofninetales]

How do public libraries choose which books to stock and which not to?

Somewhere, all of my coworkers just felt a shiver run down their spine because they KNOW what I'm like when I start talking collection development. Oh dear.

(As a disclaimer, I am answering this very specifically from the viewpoint of an adult fiction purchaser for a public library, because that's what I do. There are other considerations for nonfiction, juvenile, etc that I can't speak of with as much experience.)

The short answer is: our goal is to develop a collection that meets the needs of the local community.

The most obvious facet of this is purchasing, and the most obvious driver for purchasing is demand. How you calculate that demand varies: mine involves a combination of 1) fancy analytic software 2) pulling specific reports from our ILS data 3) patron requests 4) seeing what terms are being searched in our catalog 5) getting input from front-line staff about trends and chatter and 6) longterm knowledge of the general likes and dislikes of our community. Longterm authors are known quantities and pretty easy to predict, while new authors require reading reviews and evaluating their potential. It can vary from "this genre/author always circulate well in general" to "I know this book will be read by these three specific people". Bestseller lists are useful and you definitely need to pay attention to them, but those are national trends, and a good collection development librarian who really *knows* their community can look at two books that are selling almost identically nationally and know that locally they need to buy ten copies of one and one copy of the other. Heck, I buy for a multi-branch system, and I can tell you which genres and authors will do better at one branch versus another 20 miles away. Local means. *local*.

Anyway... another facet in meeting the needs of the community is providing representation. Here's where you get into fun things like GIS maps and census statistics and keeping up with local populations trends, etc., as well as just paying attention to who walks through the library doors, and who doesn't, and why that might be. Communities are diverse and you want everyone to be able to see themselves represented in your collection. This is where budgets really come into play, and how much money you have left after purchasing the must-have bestsellers. (See again: James Patterson rant.) This is also, unfortunately, restricted by what the publishers are putting out that is available to purchase - sometimes the representation you want to buy just isn't out there, especially if your supplier isn't good about small-press books.

"Quality" is a factor in purchasing, but sometimes people misunderstand this and think that this means that the library should buy nothing but classics and literary or educational books. NOOOOOOO. We evaluate books for quality before purchasing, but it's "quality as a representation of what it is" versus "quality against all books of all time". What this basically means is that yes, if the demand is there, we are going to buy that lurid potboiler that is written on a third-grade reading level, because that is that is what provides enjoyment for a specific level of reader, but it's going to be the best example of that genre that we can find. Those category paperback romances? Excellent examples of category paperback romances. The goal of fiction isn't foremost to educate, but I do get particularly excited when I find what I call "eye-openers", which are books that are absolutely typical genre fiction *except* they have one little facet that exposes the reader to something they aren't usually exposed to in that genre - a different race of protagonist, a queer sidekick, a facet of history that is looked at in a slightly more nuanced way.

Besides purchasing, another aspect is collection maintenance. For the most part, this is "weeding", which is the process of removing older books to make room for new ones. Collection space isn't infinite: for new books to come in, old books have to leave. This is comparatively simple for adult fiction, as it is largely based on what is still circulating and what has been gathering dust for three years, though the physical condition of the book also comes into play. For nonfiction, you also have to evaluate whether the information the book contains has become old/outdated/downright dangerous. Because i am fortunate enough to work in a library with ample collection space and a good budget, collection maintenance for our collection also involves strategic replacements where needed, not just of battered classics, but also of older series books that are still popular. (Agatha Christie is still one of our top 20 circulating authors, nearly 50 years after her death!)

The overall goal is to have a collection where everyone in your community will be able to walk through the door and find a book that appeals to them and is what they need right then, whether it provides a moment of startling revelation that shapes their life or just gives them the companionship to get through one more sleepless night.

[thehorrortree]

Deadline: August 1st, 2024 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry Theme: Story must begin with: "When she was eight, Alice Henderson briefly held the world record for filling her mouth with marbles." Fall: When she was eight, Alice Henderson briefly held the world record for filling her mouth with marbles. Due date: August 1, 2024 We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we've notified you as to our decision (usually four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don't want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line. Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that's cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions. One more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense. Fiction: All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The story should be between 300 and 5,000 words (this is more like a guideline and not a hard-and-fast rule; going over or under the word count won't get your story tossed from the slush pile). The sentences can be found on the home page of The First Line's website, as well as in the prior issue. Note: We are open to all genres. We try to make TFL as eclectic as possible. Poetry: We do accept poetry, though rarely. We have no restrictions on form or line count, but all poems must begin with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way. Non-Fiction: 500-800 word critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work. All Submissions: Writers should include a two- to three-sentence biography of themselves that we can use in the journal should your story, poem, or essay be accepted. Multiple Submissions: We don't mind if you want to submit multiple submissions for the same issue. However, it is unlikely we will use more than one of your stories or poems in the same issue. Four-Part Stories: If you think you are up to the challenge, you can write a four-part story that uses the spring, summer, fall, and winter sentences (five parts, if you are brave enough to include a fifth story that ends with the last line). However, all parts must be submitted at once (a single e-mail or snail mail) before the February 1st deadline. (If selected, each part will be published in its respective issue.) Submissions: We prefer you send manuscripts via email to submission (@) thefirstline (dot) com. We accept stories in MS Word or Word Perfect format (we prefer attachments). Please do not send pdf versions of your story or links to Google docs. Make sure your name and contact information, as well as your bio, are part of the attachment. Stories also can be sent to The First Line's post office box. No manuscripts will be returned without an accompanying SASE with sufficient return postage. Notification: We don't make decisions about submissions until after each issue closes.

We typically send notices four to five weeks after the issue's deadline to everyone who submitted. You can also check the website's home page for each issue's production status. Payment: We pay on publication: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction (all U.S. dollars). We also send you a copy of the issue in which your piece appears. You'll receive your money and issue at the same time. Note to our international writers: Postage cost for sending author copies overseas is a little high, so we are reducing international author payment by the amount it would cost to send one author copy overseas. However, if you would like to receive an electronic version of the issue (PDF) instead of a hard copy, author payment will not change. Via: The First Line.

[aerodaltonimperial]

Got some sads today.

I've written 12 books. I've been trying to be traditionally published since around 2008, give or take some spots of time where I wasn't writing. Book #10 is the only that finally got me a literary agent, and I got two offers on it. I chose wrong, but hindsight is 20/20.

During the time my ex-agent was actually doing much, which wasn't a lot, I almost got there. I got to second reads with an editor we had subbed to. Part of the rejection feedback that came back was that it "wasn't queer enough for readers looking for a queer romance." It was not a romance. My bisexual protagonist ended up in a M/F relationship. I'll never forget how it made me feel, as a bisexual woman. It was the closest to being trad published I've ever gotten, and it felt like I was being rejected as a person for not being "enough."

I left my agent last fall because they had stopped responding to emails or meeting deadlines or even doing anything with submissions. Once I left, that book was dead. My ex-agent had rejected book #11 I wrote and given me no feedback on what was wrong or how to change it. I had still not gotten feedback on book #12 when I terminated our contract.

I started querying with book #12 to try and find a new agent. One of the agents I reached out to was the agent who had offered rep on the other one, the agent whose offer I refused. They said to send it over so they could read. Today, they rejected it. The feedback was blunt. I guess I deserved that, for rejecting them two years ago. It was the last possibility for the book, as all the others have rejected it.

I think I'm a good writer, but trad publishing does not want anything that I write. I've spent so many years chasing this goal, and I've failed every time. Maybe I'm not good enough. Maybe the industry just doesn't want my genre. Maybe I'm just unlucky. Maybe it's all three. In the end, this was the end for me. That should have been an easy offer, if the agent liked my writing to begin with, but it wasn't.

Part of me is relieved. I think I want to be done with this. I've spent a decade feeling like a huge failure. In truth, I just want to write fic, because at least people can read that. At least I feel like I can impact people with my words. Maybe I'm not good enough to be published. But I'm happy that people read my words here. I'm so grateful when people engage with me on my fics.

I put on one of my Hoodlum shirts today. I'm feeling scraped raw and flayed. It's hard to watch a life goal fizzle to a miserable end. But maybe, this was all I was ever meant to do: be in fandom. Maybe this is just all I was ever good enough to write. I still love writing fic. I want to create things for the people I care about, these silly, goofy, weird little people that I have parasocially attached myself to.

If you have read my fic, thank you. If you have left me feedback, thank you SO MUCH. I'm being serious when I say it is the only thing that has kept me writing. These were my only wins. Here, at least, I feel like my words mean something. Thank you for being here with me. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face. Thank you for flailing and capslocking and being full of excitement with me.

This is a hard day. I hope there is some sunshine on the horizon. I'm very grateful for you all.

[flowersofevilvn]

I'm reading flowers of evil because of you BTW. It's really good! I was never one for poetry because I thought I was just too stupid to understand it, but I feel I have been missing out.

How have you been? Any development or life issues that we can help with? I think your game is really something special. Take care. 💚

I'm so glad to hear that!! I'm a firm believer that art and writing is for everybody and it always makes me happy to hear people are expanding their genres and experiences :) there are lots of resources that provide annotated versions of classical poetry so flowers of evil is actually a great text to look at if you're wanting to break into the romantics a little bit more! Different translators also change the tone of the work significantly, I have 3 separate copies of Flowers of Evil in the printed English format by dofferent translators, some with and some without original french text and annotations, but my favorite of all time is Ruth White's 1969 early electronica album based on the text! your personal experience with the writing is more important than an "objective" truth some people may try to convince you is true of the thing- historical context and literary analysis only go so far. Your enjoyment of a text doesn't have to have anything to do with what is academically accepted. I like flowers of evil the poetry collection mostly because of the visceral descriptions! Other people might enjoy it more because of its peculiar place in its time period, its relevance in the modern goth scene or the classic gothic literary scene, its gorgeous bound editions in book collecting circles, its raunchiness, its holiness, whatever! all that is to say, I don't believe in stupid people, and I belive even less in a stupid way to approach poetry, writing, and art- art is for everyone, and there are lots of ways to feel and interpret an artists work!

I wish I had good news on the development front- I had a week off of work I was hoping to dedicate to working on the game but I mostly either slept or cleaned. Being disabled and working has. Significantly altered my trajectory on the game. I wasn't expecting to have to use my body to work and it's been affecting me pretty brutally. Unfortunately because it's been so long since I started it up I'm wondering if I should gut and reproduce it entirely into something newer and cleaner instead of continuing to roll with a framework I've come to find pretty flawed and hard to work with. I haven't dropped the project by any means but I'm struggling to find the motivation to finish it. In any case! I'm really hoping to have at least a major update by March. fingers crossed, and happy reading to you!

[bradrcook]

Story Graphing: A Visual Editing Tool Brad R. Cook

In a workshop I give to young writers, I show the image of a standard story arc. The one we all know, starts low, builds through rising action to the peak of the climax, and then has a resolution on the other side. It looks like one side of a hill. In doing research, I came across a concept I’d seen years earlier – Kurt Vonnegut’s story graphs.

Kurt Vonnegut, an American literary giant who liked numbers and was a bit of a math guy came up with a theory that stories had different shapes, and those shapes were a good way of interpreting a plot. Now I will say, many have spoken out in favor and against this theory saying story graphing was too subjective to be real and similar stores will have wildly different shapes. Watch him graph Cinderella –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3c1h8v2ZQ

I think Vonnegut was on to something. Maybe not the end all, be all of breaking down a story, but graphing is good for showing a few things. First, stories do have wildly different shapes, but stories within genres tend to look similar. The graphs show if the writer’s story is similar to others in the same genre or style. Two, as an editing tool for visual learners a story graph can show what parts are doing well and which parts need more work.

I like it because it allows me to see the whole forest instead of only the trees. This isn’t some magic wand to solve all your plotting problems, but it is a tool that can be helpful.

What is story graphing? Simply, it is a visual representation of the positive and negative points of the story.

1 – Choose Points to Plot – Writers can go chapter by chapter, scene by scene, or by major plot points. More points mean more detail in the graph. If you’re looking for an overview do 10 points, if you want a detailed graph of the story, use 20-40 points or more. The number is determined by how many scenes are in the story.

2 – Make the Graph – The vertical line is for the good and bad things that happen in the story and the horizontal line represents the beginning to the end.

3 – Assign Values to the Points – I suggest a scale of +5 and a -5, you could use ten, and I often use half points for accuracy. The key is to be consistent. Pick the high point and the low point of the story, they become the +5 and -5 of the point spread. The third point is the starting point - where does the story begin. Is it a 0, a normal day, or are they enduring hardship so it’s a -1? Maybe start at a 1 because life is good. Now, the next point, is the next scene, but is the character’s life improving or getting more challenging? Do the same for each new point, does the story get better or worse than the scene before?

One note, I suggest only having one or two +5 and -5. There should only be a couple of truly amazing or heartbreaking scenes in a book.

4 – Connect the Dots – Once the story is graphed, it can be analyzed for several factors.

Peaks and Valleys – All the peaks should be good moments or the emotional highs of the book, and all the valleys should represent the character's struggles. What a writer doesn’t want are plateaus, which means nothing has changed in the story.

The Overall Shape – The shape should be similar to other stories in genre or the tropes of the story. Depending on the story it could look like a roller-coaster, a descending arc, or maybe a deep valley with a high ending. There are several shapes that Vonnegut outlined.

What Needs Editing – Not enough peaks and valleys, could be a muddy middle. Does the low moment come shortly before the climax? Is the action too close together? Look at the story’s structure because the graph is the story.

Now graph everything. I like to graph the main plot, the main characters emotional arc, the secondary characters arc, and the villain’s arc, but anything can be graphed.

When these graphs are laid over each other they show data as well. Where the dots all come together usually are the big moments of the story. When the lines parallel each other that means the story is in harmony. The differences can point to parts that need work or parts where the story might be confusing to readers. How do the emotional arcs compare to each other? Do the emotional arcs connect to the main plot at the right points?  

Things to Remember – Consistency is key. +1 has to mean the same throughout the whole story, but you are the one making these determinations. Be honest, don’t try and make a graph that fits some mold, plot the story, and see what it looks like.

Everything is relative. It’s the Whose Line Is It Anyway mentality, “It’s all made up and the points don’t matter.” What matters is that the writer knows what they mean.

Each new story will have a different set of values. For different graphs of the same story use the same scene point values. New points will be needed for different books though.

So why listen to Kurt Vonnegut and me? Story graphing can be fun, but it can also help edit, help plot, or help you see that your book is just like all those bestsellers and classics.

[preggo-ace]

hey there! :)

since i'm new here, i figured i'd introduce myself

y'all can call me A if you'd like, and this is an alt blog i'll use for rp and to just explore my more nsfw interests, which will for the most part include pregnancy and birth

if you'd like to rp with me, here's some guidelines before you drop me a message (keep in mind i'm new to this scene, so these may be subject to change as i discover more and get more comfy)

LIKES/OKAY RP'ING

literary rp ; lengths of replies might vary, i'm a writer though so i may get quite descriptive

fpreg, afab nbpreg (this includes ftm don't worry!!)

semi-difficult birth as long as it doesn't end up severely hurting carrier or baby/babies

fantasy scenarios (magic, witchcraft, deities, etc) so long as it's within the bounds of the established universe of our rp ; this can include rapid pregnancy, again as long as it's within established bounds

i'm comfortable playing either the carrier or the carrier's partner, or if we're both carrying simultaneously ; i'd prefer fem x nb/fem x fem in terms of coupling, but if your character is transmasc for example that's okay with me, or we can keep the relationship strictly non-romantic as well

homebirth/medically unassisted birth

birthing multiples ; for now, i'm only comfortable with twins if i'm the carrier, no more than that please

using ocs ; for the time being, i'll be creating entirely new character to better fit our specific plot theme, so i'll more than likely be making up their personality as we go ^^;

LIGHT sex during pregnancy/labor ; i've only recently gotten comfortable writing nsfw myself, so if we rp this, apologies if i'm not very good or am inaccurate, i'm asexual and a virgin please remember!

lengthy rps, though we can start with short scenes to get a feel for things if you'd prefer

long births ; like spending a good chunk of time pushing for example

romance/fluff, especially during birth ; the comfort and encouragement from the carrier's partner yes please!!

clothing birth under specific circumstances that we can discuss ooc

birth denial ; again, under specific circumstances that can be discussed

DISLIKES/WILL NOT RP

mpreg, amab nbpreg ; i'll read it depending on story, but i'm not comfortable rping it

egg laying of any form

monster/creature (mostly referring to aliens, i am down for vamps/werewolves as long as we establish how they work as a species within our rp's universe)

horror preg in general, i don't really care for horror as a genre (except artistic horror and video games)

r*pe/non-con ; absolutely cannot and will not, genuinely makes me sick

video/picture format rp ; i still live with family, plus as stated i'm new to this, and i've only ever done literary rp before, so this format is off the table

anything bdsm related ; i can't name any specific bdsm kinks off the top of my head right now, so i would say in general avoid it if you wanna rp with me

vore, unbirth, anything like that

stuffing, food-related inflation, honestly inflation in general

feces/scat, piss, etc (genuinely find it gross)

anything to do with minors being carriers, sorry not sorry but i won't do that under ANY circumstance ; this isn't to say our plots cannot include characters under 18 (i mean, it IS pregnancy after all), but it'll be a hard no from me if said -18 character is pregnant within our narrative (mentions of a past pregnancy by a character when they were -18 is fine, just don't make it a present plot point is what i'm saying basically)

anything sadistic, i will not do it i don't care

public birth ; idk why it just messes with me, that might be my autism tho lol

detailed gore/injuries ; this includes heavy blood loss, tearing, or anything else in that vein that has the potential to happen during birth (we can further discuss this ooc should the need arise due to our plot, but in general, i don't want it)

hyper-preg ; the 'tism only allows me to suspend my disbelief so much

GENERAL REMINDERS

please be patient with me as i try to gain my footing in this scene

constructive advice on how to create better responses or even drabble prompts are always welcome in my ask box

i am autistic/have adhd, so be aware of that in case i take some time between responses as i can get distracted very easily

^^^ adding to this, i am physically disabled, so if responses take longer from me, there's a good chance i might be at a doctors appointment or just simply don't have the energy to work my brain enough for responses (though i'll do my best to reply as soon as possible!)

i would prefer if we plan out a general plot beforehand, with a few basic beats we wanna hit through the course of rp, just to keep on track

if you want to rp anything i don't have listed in my likes/dislikes, be sure to ask me before implementing it! more than likely, i'll be willing to try it, but that may not always be the case

IF YOU'RE UNDER 18 OR DO NOT HAVE AN AGE IN YOUR BIO ANYWHERE, I WILL NOT RESPOND TO A MESSAGE YOU SEND ME. it's nothing personal, i'd just rather only speak to/rp with fellow known adults here

i live in CST and am unemployed (due to physical disability), so i'm active more often than not, however i tend to go to sleep around 1-1:30AM CST. my wake-up times vary, though it's usually around the 7:30-9AM CST range

i don't rp for kink/fetish reasons, which is ironic, i know. but that's not what i'm stepping into this scene for, i'm here because it genuinely fascinates me and i enjoy fantasizing/writing about it (not in a sexual sense) even if i never want to take part in it irl

if you'd like to rp with me, shoot me a message !! promise i don't bite, but i might be a bit awkward at first ^^;

[sempaigreg]

꧁༒☬𝓦𝓮𝓻𝓮𝔀𝓸𝓵𝓯 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓻𝓼☬༒꧂

Are you afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

You should be.

You will be!

𝙄𝙇 𝙇𝙐𝙋𝙊 and 𝙆𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘾𝙐𝙍𝙀

Supernatural thrillers by Gregory Alexander Sharp, links and reviews below.

Get yours here:

Reviews

IL LUPO

A gripping supernatural thriller with deep messages!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 May 2023

Wow, I wasn't expecting all the things this novel throws at you and I loved it!

Supernatural thriller is not a genre I usually read but I'm glad I took the plunge with this as I thoroughly enjoyed all the vicissitudes of the protagonists and the various backgrounds between the UK and Italy.

We follow the story of Charlie and Nicholas (Nick), two friends that after losing touch for some years, get the chance to reconnect after the death of Nick's father. As Charlie is clearly struggling with anxiety whilst Nick wants to grief his dad properly, they launch into a journey to the Amalfi Coast where Nick's family owns a home where many holidays where spent during his childhood.

But during this journey is where the more serious problems begin and not only Charlie starts experiencing severe panick attacks but they both get involved in a series of accidents that will end up changing their lives forever!

Full of folklore and vivid descriptions of the places the characters end up, such as Pompeii and the Scottish Highlands, this was such a page turner and the story took always an unexpected turn whenever I felt confident of its direction.

I loved all the characters, and I felt sympathy even for the antagonist! The writer's ability to create such deep characters is what impressed me, together with the great description of the places and their atmosphere that it was like being there! As well as the writing flow, resembling a play with the action unfolding in front of my eyes as I was reading.

Thanks to the author for the opportunity to read it and this is my honest review.

What I enjoyed is also the deeper messages of this novel which explored mental health, grief and life's changes and the importance of addressing them and taking care of oneself, highlighting that anyone can be affected and money don't make you immune, but friendship can help, which really transpired through Charlie and Nick.

I really recommend this book and I hope for a sequel as we're left with a nice cliffhanger!

KILL AND CURE: IL LUPO 2.0

An edge of the seat ride

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 September 2023

I read Il Lupo 2.0 with the idea that it would be like the first. I was looking forward to returning to the big sweeping storyline of the last book, a rolling literary piece. This was not the case at all. Il Lupo 2.0 was vastly different in so many ways. This, I have to add, was not a bad thing. This was great. I was constantly engaged constantly on the edge of my seat, trying to work out what was going to happen and did not guess all. The Author was now working with established characters and their relationships, and they worked through a new set of problems raised by the Werewolf curse. If you work out the twists, you are a better person than I. Especially the big one that got me totally.

This Author has written two great books with differing writing styles. What is so impressive is that he has done so, so very well. He realised that the two books needed these differing styles, and both worked so well.

He also shares a love of the subject material and brings personal experiences to his work. He deals brilliantly with personal interactions between his characters, the difficulty of friendships and mental health issues carefully and with an understanding whilst chucking a werewolf in the mix for furry fun.

[chloeinletters]

Hello! I'm wondering if you'd be willing to answer a couple of my questions regarding writing. I've been feeling so stuck recently since I've had to drop out of school for financial reasons :( P.S. I admire you and your writing so much <3

Do you consider your main genre of writing to be creative non-fiction? We have similar writing styles, but I've been unable to classify what I've been putting on the page.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to start freelancing with no article writing or blog experience? What kind of projects should I be looking for and how should I create a portfolio with nothing to show?

Thank you!

I'm sorry you had to drop out. That environment is irreplaceable but I hope you know it's not impossible to grow as a writer without it! It's just different! and I mean that in a good way. Most of my growth happened outside of school. I know it doesn't make it all better, but I wanted you to know that I had an unconventional journey as well. I dropped out for a year for mental health reasons and it took me six years to complete my degree. So you're not alone! Anyway to answer you questions.

I consider it creative nonfiction yes. Everything I write unless specified or obvious speculation is stuff that has happened to me. My mind doesn't really work to create fiction truthfully! Every creative writing class we had to do it in I was like banging my head against a wall.

My advice would be to write a few articles or pieces for your own personal blog so you have a bit of a portfolio. when I was taking courses my teachers were saying list everything when you begin. Like it doesn't matter if its your own personal blog or whatever just list it. If they check the owner of the blog they check but then you at least have something on a resume that says hey I have XYZ experience. Do not hold back on your experience. I also had someone write out my resume with me after I graduated and we started by listing like every possible accolade I could think of. Do that for yourself too you'd be surprised what you've already accomplished even if it seems to you insignificant.

Go to Chill subs and make an account. This is like the best possible resource I wish I had it when I first began. Its a database of like genuine publications that arent just going to have your stuff sitting in their submission database for 3 years. it's user-submitted and suggested and runs on donations. But it's phenomenal if you want to begin following and finding literary mags, zines, or websites taking submissions. You can sort it by prestige of the publication if it's intimidating to submit somewhere "big" they have like up-and-coming to Paris review level. There are a lot of filters its just great. That is the one thing I would truly take away from this. USE CHILL SUBS!

What to look for is an interesting question. Look for the projects that excite you. Often literary pubs will give a theme. Notice which ones get the gears turning for you. If you were to write something right now what theme would entice you? Love? Friendship? growing up? What stories do you like to read the most and what do they all have in common? Lean into those things and write as much as you want about what you uncover. tell the same story three times three new and different ways. There are people who have made careers out of writing about friendship. You do not need to venture anywhere you don't desire to go. Personally, I love writing about love and mundanity. The everyday is so boring to some people but to me its beautiful and I write about it anyway. it took a few years for me to realize this and to feel good about doing what I wished, but it's worth it. Any anxiety that I have about writing the same thing over and over is remedied by the fact that stories set in the more we tell them. They get better and more poignant.

Best of luck to you. You can do this. You already have everything you need to do it.

[librarycards]

hi friend! i have had a dream of creating a publication of some kind that uplifts artists/writers in my area. i have been so lost at what i want to or should be doing, so i think this might be a good time to strike!! i'm reaching out to the student magazines at local colleges to see if they have any advice, but i wanted to see if you had any advice to offer as someone who might not have had something so significant (like a school) backing you and your litmag! Thank you so much for everything!!

hello anon, and thanks for your patience!! [full disclosure this was completed last week but in my drafts im sorry!!]

the first piece i have is to read: read mags that print a variety of types of work, those that are established and upstarts and everyone in between. this isn't only to get a sense of what the literary landscape is like rn, but also to find patterns: what do these sites have in common? how about their submission guidelines, norms, expectations?

^ in regard to the above, i also *strongly* recommend you submit and go through the publication process in at least a few mags before starting your own. maybe you have already! in any case, think about what kinds of editorial support/communication/practice you've liked and disliked. what kind of editor are you/do you want to be? if you're not sure yet, consider joining the reading team at a magazine, or editing a folio or guest issue! going from no experience to EIC is not a great plan, in no small part because you learn who and what you are as an editor, and who and what you want to edit, as you gain more experience. joining an established publication in some capacity is something i recommend to *everyone* interested in starting a lit mag. that is, i do not recommend attempting to start a publication if you have no experience on a masthead already.

presuming that you do have this experience, you're going to have some new considerations for your new publication in addition to those you're familiar with:

probably-familiar things to consider:

who is my demographic (do I have any restrictions on who submits?)

what are my values? (this is what you put in your about/mission statement/submission guidelines. for example, I don't submit to magazines who do not make their antizionism/pro-palestine stance clear)

who are my coworkers (do I want to run this thing on my own, or get multiple editors on with me? do I want to just make a quick squarespace site or have a designer onboard?)

what genres, lengths, and other specifications do I want for submissions (docx vs pdf vs rtf? how much do you actually have time to read? what do you feel confident in your ability to assess?)

where can people find us? (social media? twitter/x is still a home base for a huge portion of publications, despite everything. ig has a fair few. tumblr hasn't been very successful in lit mag world - but maybe you'll change that? there's a fair but niche showing on bsky and mastodon. facebook, as with everything else, is for boomers with shit politics.)

probably-unfamiliar things to consider:

what's your title? is a domain available for that title? how are you paying for the domain?

how about website hosting? (squarespace, weebly, google sites, wordpress, something else? is your site accessible? do you need to make extra access considerations, e.g. if publishing visual art?)

do you pay? how much? (without institutional backing, the money will either come from your pocket or donations, or both. if you want to pay but are broke, you could set up a fundraiser - but no promises on people following through.)

what submissions platform will you use? (email? manywor(l)ds does this, and we like it. submittable? pricy, but streamlined. moksha/oleda/duotrope? i mean....you do you but i find them weird)

how often will you be open for submissions? will you solicit any, or be all-slush? (I take a 90/10 approach in favor of slush, personally. slushpile 4 lyfe xoxo)

do you charge fees? (hint: DON'T)

where are you listed? (chillsubs, duotrope, the submission grinder, and other sites aggregate lit mag opportunities. you should get yourself here!)

how often do you want to publish? how many pieces per issue? (consider how much time you actually have. this is all unpaid work, too.)

(if you have an editorial staff beyond yourself) how often are you meeting? how are decisions being made? how are you handling conflicts of interest?

there are also things that become relevant as you begin your mag: like, keeping track of published pieces eligible/nominated for prizes, making editorial friends/comrades (CRUCIAL), managing harassment and spam in the submission process, and other issues you'll encounter just in the daily practice of operating a magazine. remember, more than anything, that you're part of a community - or more accurately, an archipelago of communities and subcultures. this is why participation is so important, and imo necessary, as a pre- and continuous co-requisite to 'having' a lit mag. you're there to fill a niche, not pick out and publish All the Good Writing Ever. This will help you let go of great pieces that 'don't quite work' or just 'aren't a fit' (editors are serious when we say we reject a fuckton of amazing pieces every issue) and let go of submissions you yourself receive rejections for.

anyway, i hope this helps give you a few places to start. in short, focus on community, reciprocity, and building slow&steady experience and expertise (as well as your own editorial styles/techniques) vs. launching into developing your own thing right away!

[dragonofeternal]

So this year has been really, really good in terms of like... reminding/validating that I'm actually like smart and good at what I do?

Like.

First off, I got my new job which whips ass and is super fun and challenging and pays way better and where my ability to do nine million different things is like very valuable. Like oh yeah, I can reformat this word doc/that powerpoint. Do you want me to do a little bit of graphic design to make this actually look nicer? Oh, you need this video for a presentation but it's on a site other than youtube? Yeah sure, I'll rip it for you. And also just the day-to-day of being able to take good notes, and being able to help copyedit training materials, and generally being a pleasant and mostly on top of things person in the office.

THEN, I took one of Killian's creative writing classes along with them. Which, for one thing, was super fun, good teacher, nice to have an organized space/time to hang out and talk about writing. But also it was really validating to have someone outside of the internet/my inner circle of friends read and critique my work who was like... I dunno another adult/serious writer type person? Our teacher is a published poet -- Though more specifically she's prolific as a TRANSLATOR of poetry. A fair number of the translated Palestinian poets you've seen being posted around tumblr recently are most certainly her work. -- and when she realized the level I was writing at she started critiquing my work a lot harder. Still had nice stuff to say! Just also being willing to dig in and point out places where I could improve.

We actually hung out with her last night at a fellow classmate's band's show and she took both me and Killian aside for expanded critique/thoughts on our final pieces, and said some really nice stuff which included that she sees both of us as like professional-grade writers who should continue to hone their craft and who she really wants to see succeed/get shit published/etc. I'm currently letting a short story (that is... probably gonna end up as a novella orz) that I wrote for class sit before I do another draft of it, and then she's offered to do a more critical line edit for me so I can shop it around and get it published somewhere really good.

(Which is also interesting because I see myself as working very much in genre spaces and she's very in the "literary" sort of mode, and she said that she saw a lot of literary prowess and style in how I wrote which she could see getting it published in a more literary type journal. And that's like a weird/wild thought bc of my complicated thoughts on the way the literary/publishing world looks at and treats genre writing blah blah blah....)

At the SAME show, though, our teacher had brought along a friend, who is also a teacher at the community college. Said friend works for the theatre department and recognized me from volunteering to act at a one-day event last semester for Killian's playwriting class. Like this was an event where I was acting for MAYBE a grand total of fifteen minutes. And she basically said "HEY YOU'RE REALLY GOOD, WHY HAVEN'T I SEEN YOU AT ANY OF THE AUDITIONS?" So then I chatted with her some about how I've done a lot of theatre over the years but time/jobs/money meant I haven't had a chance to in a long time...

But now my job is a 9-5! So I gave her my number and I'm now basically the understudy for if/when someone drops out of the productions currently going on. Apparently they have a lot of issues with people dropping suddenly so it's likely that I'll end up doing something next semester! Which is good cuz like. Damn, do I love the theatre, and I've missed it A LOT.

I dunno just having two different people being really impressed about my creative work in a short time was really, really mood/ego boosting? I dunno. When I last did theater in Pittsburgh I ended up feeling really burnt out by the exhausting sense of always having to hunt for work, feeling like I wasn't good enough, etc... And last year I was struggling a lot with feeling like all my writing was futile/unwanted/etc... So having people remember me and be super complimentary was. Nice.