#writerly memes

[moonlitinks]

daily reminder that if you HAVE A PLOT IDEA, A PLOT TWIST THAT COMES IN THE FUTURE, DIALOGUE YOU WANT TO WRITE, or ANY SCENE, whether it be a LINE or ONE WORD, WRITE IT DOWN.

this is your sign to write and enter your book again, even if it's contributing a single word for your draft.

JUST DO IT, OKAY. ramble if you even have to. <3

(ps. let me know what you wrote hehe)

[thegeekybeing]

Dear Grandma.

In a quaint, weathered cottage nestled amidst the rolling hills of a serene countryside, the legacy of a remarkable woman continued to weave its intricate threads long after her physical presence had departed. The matriarch had transcended the realms of mortality, but her unwavering devotion to her sons and the entire family endured as a silent, ethereal force, manifesting in the most tender and subtle of ways.

Within the walls of the cottage, memories lingered like the soft fragrance of wildflowers carried on a gentle breeze. Every creak of the floorboards seemed to whisper her name, and the flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows that mirrored her indomitable spirit. Family photographs adorned the walls, each frame capturing a moment of shared joy. Among them, a portrait of her radiated a timeless warmth, her eyes twinkling with love and wisdom.

Her sons, now grown with families of their own, often felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance in the midst of life's challenges. Little did they know that Grandma was the source of this solace, her unseen presence wrapping them in an embrace of unwavering support. During moments of indecision, a subtle gust of wind would carry the faint aroma of her signature seasoning. The scent, a comforting reminder of her nurturing nature, guided them through even the most tumultuous decisions.

As the seasons turned, Grandma's influence painted the canvas of their lives. In the verdant embrace of spring, the garden flourished with a riot of colors, much like the love she had sowed in their hearts. Vibrant blooms seemed to reach for the sky in an unspoken tribute to her enduring legacy. The rustling leaves of the aging oak tree in the backyard carried whispers of her laughter, as if she were relishing in the moments of playfulness shared with her children.

Summer evenings brought soft, golden sunsets that mirrored the glow of her spirit. Fireflies, like celestial messengers, would gather near her favorite reading nook, casting a shimmering halo of light. Her sons found solace in the quiet company of these luminous creatures, unaware that they were her chosen emissaries, conveying messages of love across the veil that separated their worlds.

Autumn leaves painted the landscape with hues of amber and scarlet, and as the family gathered for their annual harvest feast, the aroma of her secret recipe stuffing filled the air. Amidst laughter and stories, her essence mingled with the clinking of glasses and the joyous chatter, a reminder that her love transcended the boundaries of life and death.

Winter brought a cozy embrace, as the family huddled by the fireplace, sharing tales of days gone by. The crackling embers seemed to dance to the rhythm of her favorite lullabies, creating a symphony that resonated with the deep bond she had cultivated. The eldest daughter, overcome with a sense of gratitude, would often find a tear sliding down her cheek, a tear she could not explain, but one that carried the weight of her unspoken presence.

In this realm where the tangible and ethereal converged, Grandma's legacy remained woven into the very fabric of their lives. Her love, immeasurable and timeless, continued to guide her family through the intricate tapestry of existence, an ever-present reminder that bonds forged by love extend beyond the veil of mortality. And as her family found comfort in the moments that mirrored her essence, Grandma's spirit danced on, an eternal caretaker of her beloved sons and family, forever watching over them in the embrace of the universe's silent embrace.

[the-golden-comet]

Writerly Questionnaire

The very lovely @sableglass , @the-letterbox-archives , @nczaversnick , @drchenquill , @thecomfywriter , @thatuselesshuman , @glasshouses-and-stones , and @theink-stainedfolk , tagged me in this one. (I absolutely relate to your love of escapist romances to read alongside the beach 💖✨)

I’ll answer the best I can. Bear in mind I’m a little bit of a chaos gremlin :)

About Me

When did you first start writing?

About 12 years old. I always took a liking to Disney animated classics, which have inspired me to write and draw similar to the style.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

Actually, the two are very similar. What I love to write is what I love to read. I’ve taken more of a fancy to writing romances now as opposed to a decade ago, though :)

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you’re often compared?

Not that I’m aware of. Everyone has taken a little bit of inspiration from different sources, whether knowingly or unknowingly, so there are probably some authors or writers that I share similarities with. I know for a FACT that a lot of my stories draw heavy inspiration from Disney, which has influenced my art and storytelling styles ✨

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

Ahhh, yes. Couch, coffee table, writing laptop, coffee. Soft throw draped across my lap as I get perpetually cold. Thankfully, it’s nice and quiet in this writing space and it allows me to let me do string-of-thought writing for hours. The only thing is sometimes I lose track of time this way, so I have to set an alarm for breaks and meals.

What’s your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Watching movies, listening in on my friends’ DnD campaigns, or reading stories from friends and mutuals :)

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Not really. I keep my personal life and writing life pretty separate. After all, a great thing about writing fantasy is that it doesn’t HAVE to tie in to the real world, or personal life. It can be whatever I want it to be ✨

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Recurring themes? You bet. I either write a high fantasy BL Romance, or low fantasy slice-of life RomCom. My favorite writing tropes are Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Found Families, Romantic Comedy, Magic in the Mundane, Slice of Life, Call to Action/Prophecy, and Absurdism.

Do they surprise me? Absolutely. I can have a beautiful plot all planned out, and then my characters say, “okay I see the route, but what if we take a sliiiiight detour? :)” and then soon enough I’m on a totally unique and unexplored path in my writing….and that’s exciting. An adventure all on its own ✨

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character? (Current WIP, past WIP, never used, etc.)

I fear if I don’t say Peter here, he’s gonna kill me. In my current WIP, my favorite character is Ali because he’s a lovable goofball genie that wants the best for Noah. Overall currently (side eying) Peter because he’s a chaotic-neutral, anti-establishment, insane pirate captain that makes my life entertaining 😂

Which of your characters do you think you’d be friends with in real life?

Ali. Hands down. Dude gets along with just about everyone.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

Any of the villains I wrote, but going off of main OCs? Gosh that’s tough….probably Tyr because he’s really angry all the time (for good reason, but too much of that is toxic)

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

Oh boy. That’s a big one. Let’s see….

Character building kinda happens simultaneously to Plot Planning; it’s a bit hard to describe, as there’s no “right order” to my world building. But usually it’s: “Okay, who is my protagonist? Who is the antagonist? What do they look like? Is the protag a hero, or villain? Is the antag a hero, or villain? What is their ‘general moral alignment?’ What are their characteristics? What are their strengths? What are their flaws? What are their goals and aspirations? Etc.” I do this for each major character. Then, secondary and supporting characters, who get a little less polish but still enough to be human (or relatable) in nature, start getting fleshed out.

Once I get the Core Plots and characters made and planned out, I start piecing the events in chronological order in the story. This becomes my “roadmap” that helps drive the narrative. Then….well, the rest just kinda falls into place. Once I have a “Plan of Events,” all that’s left is writing the story around the plan. And, as I’m writing, new ideas may come, and I get to explore that a little further during the writing phase.

tl;dr: I do the “Tree Approach.” Characters are the foundational trunk. Branches are the Core Plots. Twigs are the Conflicts. Leaves are the little details of each conflict (i.e. how characters react, where the conflict is set, what this means for each character’s aspirations, etc.)

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

Yep :)

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc.)

Like this:

My Writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Personal enjoyment, mainly. And how far I can stretch and challenge my creative mind ✨

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

Any story reactions and positive engagement is always appreciated. Just don’t be a dick and you’re good 👍

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who “gets” the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

I loathe this question. As long as people enjoy my stories, that’s what matters. I’m just one silly little guy writing stories for my own enjoyment. The fact that other people can enjoy my wild ideas as well is a blessing in of itself.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Comedy and Dialogue. And comedic timing.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

Same as above. Also have been told that I have wildly entertaining and outlandishly creative ideas portrayed in “insane, chaotic, and ballsy ways.” Coolio 🤙

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

I’m proud of it. I’ve successfully written stories that I wanted to read, and reading back through my stories is really entertaining and motivating :)

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

I’ve already been writing stories on my own for well over a decade, nearly two. It was my husband and friends who finally pushed me to go public, and I’m very glad I did :)

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

I write solely for my entertainment, and my personal opinion is that’s the best way to do it, honestly. If I write stories that I want to read, I enjoy them, I spend more effort on them because I WANT to, not to please anyone other than myself. I don’t inhibit myself or censor myself, allowing me creative freedom to write wherever my heart takes me….which has led to some WILDLY entertaining plots. Even if writing is a career to some, if you find yourself enjoying what you write, you’re gonna motivate yourself beyond your wildest imaginations ✨

Man, that was a lot! Thank you @davycoquette for starting the chain, and thank you again Sable for tagging me!

I will gently and no pressure tag the following people as well as my tag list: @nczaversnick , @lavender-gloom , @cowboybrunch , @noblebs , @words-after-midnight , @saturnine-saturneight , @marlowethelibrarian , @aintgonnatakethis , @coffeexafterxmidnight , @astramachina , @justabigoldnerd , @pippinoftheshire , +open tag! 💛✨

✨👇Tag list for writing tidbits below. DM me if you’d like to be added 👇✨

Tag List for writing tidbits (lmk if you want + or -)

@talesofsorrowandofruin , @alinacapellabooks , @gioiaalbanoart , @deanwax , @dyrewrites , @honeybewrites , @paeliae-occasionally , @kaylinalexanderbooks , @katenewmanwrites , @billybatsonmylove , @madi-konrad , @houseplantblank , @far-cry-from-finality , @froggy-pposto , @fractured-shield , @avaseofpeonies , @topazadine , @thecoolerlucky , @theaistired , @willtheweaver , @rivenantiqnerd @somethingclevermahogony , @noxxytocin , @leahnardo-da-veggie , @addicted2coke-theothercoke , @illarian-rambling , @mysticstarlightduck , @ominous-feychild

[deadpluto22]

Me rn making the most heart-shattering, soul-crushing, sob-inducing backstory for a character, all while meticulously plotting an even more emotionally devastating future for them:

[taxonomist]

11, 24, 30 🎶

11) WHAT BOOK FANDOM DO YOU AFFILIATE YOURSELF WITH THE MOST: .....Gaudy again? That's genuinely just my friend group. The Master and Commander books probably count for this one.

24) FIRST BOOK YOU REMEMBER BEING OBSESSED WITH: That would be the 104-book Kentucky Thoroughbred racing young adult series "Thoroughbred."

30) ONE BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ: 84 Charing Cross Road, a short and sweet collection of letters between a classics-loving screenwriter in New York and an antiquarian bookshop in England in the 1950s. Helene Hanff's writing is charming and evocative, and you grow to love the bookshop staff as much as she does.

(original meme)

[somerandomblog69]

[firstelevens]

because I know you do; number 11 for the fic writer asks

Phil you knew exactly what you were unleashing on the dash and you asked this question anyway and I love that about you.

11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics?

DO I EVER!!!

Starting from canon and working outwards, I have a playlist for the Delacroix/Wilson family home vibes called songs to fix boats to, my playlist of songs that I think Bucky might have discovered and enjoyed while finding his way through the 21st century entitled why this, and my magnum opus DJ White Wolf, which is a playlist of songs that I imagine Sam would have compiled for Bucky as part of a survey course in music that he missed over the past century. I also have a general Sam/Bucky playlist for when I need to pick up the right vibe while writing them, and my big damn heroes playlist for when something action-y needs to happen.

The Bake Off AU has its own set of playlists, too: overworked and underbaked, which was for the overall story but also another way of outlining the narrative so I could be sure I stayed on track, waterside wooing, which is the playlist that I wrote chapter 16 to, and eleven cakes and a capri sun, which was basically a playlist for Steve and Peggy's wedding reception in the prequel fic.

And then for the Formula 1 AU, we all know Bucky's douchebro playlist a walking ed hardy ad, but a lot of chapter 7 was written to my go-to 'there are babies here and we're all very tender and protective' playlist which is literally jut called SoftTM, and then chapter 9 was written to my most eloquently titled playlist of all: bruh.

Thank you for asking, sorry about how long this answer was.

[xxxtosoxxx]

[setaripendragon]

Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

[From this ask meme]

Oh! Um... You know? I can't think of one? I... don't tend to resist when a new idea strikes me? ^^" Even if I haven't published it, I've at least started writing it.

There are... less tropes, and more techniques I want to try that I haven't found the right idea for. I really want to play with flashbacks, and how to work them into narration in a way that flows? I want to practise working symmetry into my longer stories.

But tropes... Like, the closest I can think of is Body Sharing, but specifically how the characters would deal with romantic relationships that they don't share while body-sharing (complex and weird polycules are my jam), but... I've written (started writing), uh... three fics with that premise, it's just I didn't get as far as I'd like into them before I got distracted? So I didn't get to the really juicy bits of interpersonal shenanigans I had planned ^^"

-

Oh, um... I'm sure there must be? XD Uh... infidelity plots? I really don't like writing that at all. Um...

Oh! Blame the Bastard! I hatehatehate that trope. Haaaaaaate it. I'm pretty sure I'm never going to write it, not unless I plan to subvert it. Not even if the Jealous Wife is the obvious villain. I hate that this is even a trope, tbh, that it's prevalent enough in our stories, and realistic enough to human nature to be that prevalent. Blame the person who did something wrong, ffs. Argh!

[elenscaie]

@ellorypurebloodculture

Current mood

[moonlitinks]

i think trying to fall back in love with your own writing hurts more than falling out of it - because you realize what you had and you're trying to get it back, but it's not coming together sometimes

[pseudotsugas]

7 years late to the party on this one, but: butterfly soup is really really good

[nebulein]

I have been so severely writer's blocked and I'd like to break out of it. Absolutely zero promises but if any of y'all got some prompts, send them my way? 🥺🙏💕

[xxxtosoxxx]

It's totally a possible thing to do 🤡

[emmailene]

modern art

[dionysiaproductions]

As the Destiel confession meme is all over my dash, I've been thinking about the writerly thing of wanting to have a character respond to "I love you," with silence, anger, "I know", an action, "Don't do this, Cas," etc even though most of us irl say "I love you too."

I think it's kind of unfair to cheat characters of getting to say "I love you too." And of getting to hear it.

But I am obsessed with how the Supernatural fandom has made a meme out of filling that unfair silence with every bit of living the fans have done since the scene aired: news, events, joys and sadnesses all plastered across Dean's face.

Lowkey, I think that's why we're seeing so much of the meme this particular anniversary. A lot of us are terrified and everyone's screaming "I love you too."