#writingonesdreams-main

[quinnharperwrites]

50 FOLLOWERS EVENT

A couple days ago, I hit 50 followers. I've only been here for a month and a half, so all of this is crazy to me.

I decided to set up an event with 60 questions. The first 30 are from a book edition ask game by @iknowitwontwork. The final 30 questions are from a new wip development ask game by @writingonesdreams. If you've been seeing me around your dashboard, then you probably know about my new WIP, The Isles of Blirrosia, which I'll be using for questions 31-60.

To play, just send me an ask with the number to whichever questions you want me to answer.

Do u prefer a standalone or a series?

Your fav genre?

Your least fav genre? why?

A book which had a tv adaption that was better than the book itself?

Enemies to lovers or friends to lovers?

Your fav book trope?

Your least fav book trope?

the best protagonist u have ever seen in a book and why?

If u were stuck on an island and could only have three books w u what would they be? (series would be counted as one cuz as i said so)

the worst book u have ever read?

the best book u have ever read?

a book/book series u wish u could read for the first time ever again?

ur fav author( if u have any)?

an overrated book?

an underrated book?

the book that made u fall in love with reading?

a book to get u out of a reading slump?

a book with a strong female protagonist?

a book u came across randomly but ended up loving it?

do u prefer audio books or e-books?

hardcovers or paperbacks?

a book that u hated at first but now love it?

a book u used to love but now hate?

a book genre u haven't read? why?

a book that had u bawling ur eyes out?

ur fav quote from a book?

a 'fanfiction' trope that u like to see in books?

the last book u read? did u like it?

do u annotate ur books?

give any 3 book recs to ur followers!

What's the log line for your wip?

Describe the plot in one sentence

Describe your wip badly

Describe the main characters

What are the main themes?

What kind of readers would be fans of this wip?

What are the main emotions of this wip?

What are the vibes/aesthetics of this wip?

What are the genres of this wip?

Describe the tropes present in this wip

Any characters you had to cut?

inspired this wip

Do you like working on more wips at once?

Where will the wip start?

What do you like about this wip

What do you find frustrating about this wip

What are you worried about in this wip

What are your goals with this wip

Describe the setting of your wip

Describe your favourite location

How would you describe your WIP’s narrative style? (1st person, 3rd person, multiple POVs, single POV, alternating chapters, etc.)

Do you know your OCs personality types (ennegram/mbti etc)

How would you describe your writing style

What is the most important question to answer about your characters

Name the three most important things for you to plan

What do you still need to plan?

Look for three images which best showcase the overall aesthetic for your WIP

If you could pick three songs to capture the feel of your WIP, what would they be and why?

Books or series or movies influenced your writing style the most?

What stories are the most similar to yours / comp titles?

[duskforged-alt]

Happy WBW! What are your biggest worldbuilding inspirations? Real world? Books? How do you go about it? @writingonesdreams

Happy WBW! Thanks for the ask.

I get inspirations of worldbuilding from pretty much every single form of media I've ever consumed, in addition to real life, of course. (Which I feel is the source of all worldbuilding, really.) Here's a short list of the biggest ones I can think of.

A Song of Ice and Fire (a little)

Lord of the Rings (a little)

The Witcher (a little, and by accident, but I feel like I should credit it still!)

Naruto (I can't remember... how exactly, but I remember thinking about it before.)

Lusternia (a MUD, which is basically a text-based MMO, which I have been playing almost non-stop for the last 3 years which is why I abruptly went on hiatus on tumblr. I took a fair bit of inspiration from the very very tasty lore and then remixed it so hard.)

Not a piece of fiction or anything, but Ewa, from Worldbuilding Notes. She's a very good worldbuilder, and was one of the inspirations I've had for worldbuilding in general. (Maybe I'll have a youtube channel of my own, who knows.)

Assuming when you say 'how do you go about it' you mean 'how do you change/adapt an idea', I typically see an idea I like in a piece of fiction, and think "hey, that's neat". When the time comes to implement something into a world or culture, I don't usually think about it consciously, just let it flow out.

How can idea A fit to idea B? What affected the language of culture X, and how did that change impact their culture (e.x. losing or gaining grammatical gender)? If character C is part of a group that is 'outside' the norm, how and why is that? Is there a religion in the world that I can base off of my favorite character from media Y, and how would they change if they became a god?

etc etc ad nauseum, I'll be honest in saying I don't typically think about these questions until after the fact - I'm a very visual thinker, so I daydream more about it.

Then I refine it, with more questions and brainstorming about how it works together, and why. The SFWA's big questionnaire is a really good resource too; definitely came across some stuff I wouldn't have even thought about before.

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Happy Fab Friday^^ I thought I would jump in. I have recently update my wip Rivers of stars to be a modern fantasy with mage detectives, but it's really just an excuse to make them go on dangerous missions, come back hurt and deal with their demons. I want to focus on the relationships and internal arcs, so it sometime feel like more of a slice of life? Could that be enough XD? I have an idea for a larger problem of a entity causing massive psychosis but I'm still research that...@writingonesdreams

Oooo! a mage detective!! that sounds cool! :D

(also so happy to have you join us for Fab Friday!!! :D )

[nikkywrites]

Thirsty: How do you feel about the advice “Write the story you want to read”? @writingonesdreams

Thank you for the ask!

It’s... true to an extent. Like, I write fantasy and I like to read fantasy so that checks out. I write things that I would read. But some people may like writing a genre they don’t read and they’re allowed that. They’re allowed to write something they wouldn’t necessarily read. You have to enjoy what you’re writing, though. It helps to keep motivation and passion up. How are you supposed to finish if you don’t like it? You don’t have to like it as a reader. It’s great if you do, but it’s not needed. You do need to like it as a writer. Those are different things.

[padawanlost]

What are your thoughts on how Anakin could have been saved from the dark side? What could have been done to prevent his fall or bring him back? Was there something that would have helped?

Yes, Anakin’s fall was totally avoidable. George has made very clear that Anakin made a choice and if there was a choice to be made, by definition, his future as Darth Vader wasn’t unavoidable. 

How to avoid it is pretty simple (in theory): we do the same thing we do in real life to prevent children from growing up violent and cruel. We try our best to raise them right. we educate them, protect them, nurture and support them. we try to make the world a safer place for them. Easier said than done, I know, but, unfortunately for Anakin, people didn’t even try. 

In a galaxy where slavery, violence, crime, child labor and corruption are the norm how do you protect your children? The first thing you can do is not look away, not to pretend those issues don’t concern you and should’ve be dealt only by ‘someone else’. You don’t put politics above the a child well-being. If faced with a choice between jeopardizing your job and protecting a child…protect the child. And if you find a child struggling with trauma or fear try to empathize with them, maybe even help them instead of labeling them as dangerous.

How to keep a kid from ending up in a dark place? Make the world a better place. Can’t do that? Protect the freaking child and raise them in a way they learn they know they are loved, in a way they are not isolated, teach them how to communicate their needs, teach them how to deal with their emotions and, idk, listen to them.

More importantly, PLEASE, don’t let them spend time alone with grown men you don’t know.

[gingerly-writing]

9, 10 & 25 for the writing meta ask pls?

9) Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?

I can write drabbles or longfics, but drabbles do have a strong tendency to elongate in length ;P I’d also say I’m a plotter for novels but I have been known to pants a lot of my shorter work! so I guess because I can be both I don’t wish to be the other? I’m an ‘apply correct tools to the situation’ kinda gal

10) How would you describe your writing process?

hmm I already answered this one so I’ll try to think about answering it in a different way! I would describe it as periods of great focus where I write 1k+ a day followed by rest periods (usually enforced by uni terms lol)--when I start a new draft I like to work on it without breaks until it’s complete!

25) What part of writing is the most fun?

ideas stage!!! the freedom, the chaos, the lying in bed late at night making up brand new people in your head, the snippets of dialogue, the flashes of character description--it’s all so *chef’s kiss*

tysm for the ask!! <33

[ink-flavored]

May and august for the ask game?

Thanks! <3

🌺May🌺: What is your favorite quote on writing?

I actually have this one written on the cover of my little notebook I carry everywhere:

“It's hell writing and it's hell not writing. The only tolerable state is having just written.” - Robert Hass

Because like... what a mood, amirite?

🌻August🌻: Is there a piece of writing advice or writing technique you once didn’t like, but have since come around to?

For a long, long time I was staunchly anti-outline, for no other reason than that’s how I’d always written (that is, no outlines, we die like men) and nobody had ever explained the process to me in a way that made sense. I only very recently came around on it when it turns out that the reason I could never finish anything was because I didn’t know where my story was going! Who’d have thought, right?

I really like having outlines now, it lets me see the beats of a story and move them around and add new ones and stuff. It has changed the way I write for the better, I feel.

[send me a yearly writing ask!]

[pens-swords-stuff]

Happy STS! Can I ask you as a famous fanfiction writer, how do you go about capturing characters you like and want to write but can't seem to capture right on the page?

Oh my gosh, me, a famous fanfiction writer? I’m really not, but I’m super flattered that you think I am!

I’m actually not too great at writing existing canonical characters — I mostly write OC fanfiction for purely self-indulgent purposes, and avoid writing canon characters as much as possible.

That being said, now that I’m writing a fanfiction with no OCs in sight, I have a few strategies to help me when I’m struggling!

This definitely turned into more of an advice post than a Storyteller Saturday ask, whoops!

Re-engage in the source material

Obviously, one of the easiest ways to get a refresher on the character is to re-engage in the source material. Rewatch that TV show/movie, reread the book, replay that game, etc.

I find that it’s helpful to actively engage in the source material, rather than passively. Instead of just enjoying it, engage in it in Writer Mode. Really look at the character and how they interact with their surroundings and the people around them. Take note of their habits, their speech patterns, and how they move. How do they act around people they like, around people they don’t like, around stranger? Examine the important points in their character development arc, and dissect it. What worked? What didn’t work? Why did it have such a large impact on that character? Try to figure them out as if they were your own original character, back when you were still piecing them together.

Make a character cheat sheet

Some larger fandoms have really great resources, like massive, detailed wikia pages with every single detail about everything that’s ever happened. Other fandoms are smaller, or are just not as wikia-oriented as some others so information online might be sparse.

Regardless of the availability of information is available in that fandom, I find it really helpful to make my own personal cheat sheet full of information that is important to me.

Here are some things that I include in my cheat sheets:

A general timeline of their life, with quotes and page numbers/time stamps when appropriate

An inventory of general items that they carry around that has been mentioned in the source material

A list of physical character traits that have been mentioned/shown in the source material, including common articles of clothing

Quotes from the character that they say a lot, or I feel really captures the way they speak, or who they are

Excerpts of scenes that I feel are really important to look back on

Other details from the source material that I think are important

Practice writing them in the source material

When I say this, I mean actually go through the source material, pick a scene with that character and write it out in your own words.

If it’s a TV show, movie, video game, or some other visual medium, transcribe that scene into words. Write it out like you would in a novel; add their inner monologue, describe their quirks, add dialogue tags to whatever they say. 

It’s a little bit trickier if the source material is a book since the prose is already there. When the source material is a book, I swap perspectives. If the perspective in the original story is from the character you’re practicing with, I write the scene from another character’s perspective. If the perspective is from someone else, I rewrite that scene from the perspective of the character I’m practicing with.

This is a really good way to practice getting the canonical character in your own words, because you’re using actual canon to practice — they literally cannot be out of character here.

Read other fanfictions with that character

Everyone has a different interpretation of existing canonical characters, and that’s really cool! It’s totally okay to have your own version too.

If you’re feeling stuck on how to write a character, try reading some other fanfictions for that fandom and see how other writers portray that character. Their character interpretation might be different from yours, but it can definitely help open you up to new possibilities! At best, it might make a light bulb go off in your head. At worst, it can help diversify your idea of that character, and maybe make your idea of them a little bit more flexible.

Also I find reading other fanfictions in that fandom can really inspire me in general, so bonus points for that.

Practice, practice, practice!

Write drabbles about them, even if it might not end up in your fanfiction! Put them in a completely different AU. Have them interact with your own original characters. Find some prompts you like and write them with that character. Explore them like you would explore your own original character! The more you write them, the more you’ll be able to make them your own. Sometimes, all it takes it a lot of practice until they ‘click’.

Good luck!

I now have an updated FAQ and Ask Guidelines for Writing Advice, please check those out first if you have a question about writing or Writeblr!

Ask Guidelines | FAQ | Advice Masterlist

[fantasticalskeleton]

Endless Scrolling: Where do you find inspiration? Books/Movies, music, aesthetics, people/places @writingonesdreams

definitely music the most--I have at least 4 playlists dedicated to my main wip lol. most of the songs are just "these give me wip vibes", but one playlist is specifically for "background music" when I'm imagining scenes.

I also get inspiration for AUs specifically from movies and games (that's where I got my Cinderella AU from, and another AU I more recently came up with based on Among Us).

[adayforducks]

✨

answering this a month late bc time is fake

Eve (from Downfall) won’t eat a salad if it has fewer than three colours in it (excluding dressings). Offer her a green salad at your own risk.

send a ✨ for a headcanon about one of my ocs

[ardawyn]

5, 6 and 10 for the magic ask game? :)

Hello and thank you for the questions! :) I’ll answer this for The Bleeding of Stars.

5. Is it active? Passive? Both?

- I would say that it’s more active, considering that it streams through the earth. This kind of magic is liquid in a way, and there are some who can connect to this magic. The valliya, who have nature based magic.

6. Is it tangible? Visible?

- No, magic by itself is neither tangible nor visible.

10. Can objects be or have magic?

- Yes, but they are rare. They are also extremely difficult to make and can only be done by mages. But those objects are not to cast magic, but rather they are functional. Locks that can’t be picked for example. Another example is Noari’s ring. She can read minds and can even communicate through thoughts. It took a lot of training to be able to block out voices, but there are days where it’s more difficult. She had a few magic infused rings made for her that helped her with that, but neither of them worked properly. Only recently, she received one that actually works.

[Magic Questions]

[howdywrites]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Why a western? How did you to this interesting genre? Having seen it around for a while😂

Happy STS to you, too, my friend! ❤️

I love westerns lol I grew up watching them with my papa. I’d sit in his lap and shell pecans for him while John Wayne was on screen. I also grew up, and still live, in Texas. One of the most yeehaw states in the US lol

So I guess it’s kind of in my blood? I love the aesthetics. Hot deserts, snow capped mountains, dangerous rivers and wildlife. Outlaws coming from all walks of life. Women taking back their agency. Tragic backstories. The inherent homoeroticism of living in the middle of no-where with your partner.

‘Westerns’ as a genre is kind of dying. Most of the western themed books I’ve read have only been published as historical fiction understandably. I, for one, think the gays and POC should take over the genre and give it new life! Because the wild west didn’t belong to just heroic white men - so why should the genre?

ANYWAY that’s my soapbox LOL I just really want a lesbian cowgirl to throw me over her shoulder and raise chickens with me.

[raevenlywrites]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! What are your top five favorite books in your genre and why?

less top five books and more top five authors

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, for introducing me to the genre (and shapeshifters that aren’t just wolves)

Kim Harrison, for writing an Our World But Slant that just flat captivated me (seriously, go read The Hollows they’re excellent)

Laurell K Hamilton, for showing me that sex can totes be part of the plot, and for another really well done Our World But Slant (I grew up on these three so of course they’re the most important to me)

Maggie Steiffvater, for writing about everyday people who experience extraordinary things. She balances the mundane and the supernatural in a way I truly admire, and is a master of poetic prose

and Melissa Marr for getting me interested in faeries, and again walking a good balance between “I am a normal everyday person” and “I am a Faery Queen”

[atomic-insomnia]

Happy late STS! How self-indulgent are you with your writing? Are there things you won't allow yourself to write or that you wouldn't let anyone see or just things that look fun but don't have a use in your story? (@writingonesdreams)

Thanks for the ask!

Most of my writing--let’s be real, all of it--is self-indulgent on some level.  There’s nothing I won’t allow myself to write, but there’s plenty I consider “not real writing” or just the sort of thing I wouldn’t share (obviously if you’re putting words together it’s “real” writing, but I mean in the sense that it’s supposed to be telling a story or presentable to others).

A lot of scenes in my WIPs (and sometimes entire short stories) are just self-indulgence, sometimes fluff but usually...not nice stuff, and whether I keep them in or edit them to fit or cut them depends on how well they fit the mood of the story, how much they interrupt the plot, or if they really are out of character or too strange to show someone else.

Thanks again!

[writinglyra]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! What are the major themes of your stories?

Happy STS and thanks for the ask! Usually, when I come up with stories, they dont have themes tied to them yet. It's only after I've mulled them over for a few months that an oppurtunity will hit me. Its usually only after that happens that I feel like I have enough of a seed to start planning/writing.

As for my current projects, M&M has the most concrete theme. It's about the dehumanizing effect of monarchy and the corruption that is inevitable in such a flawed system. Project Pulsar is a lot more narratively-driven, and so its themes are less central, but it explores grief and loss, with a healthy sprinkling of found family along the way.

[pluttskutt]

Worldbuilding Wednesday! What is the veil between the world and others in your wip? How come other beings can come through and why do they? How does their presence influence humans? @writingonesdreams

The veil is like a protective shield around a world. This is not to be mistaken as a different realm, which still exists in the same world. These worlds are often referred to as different realities, though it’s more complicated and bigger than that.

Some worlds, however, are so close that only one veil exists between them and this makes for easy travelling if one knows the way. Beings such as spirits and legends can come through veils rather easy because the space between the veils doesn’t affect them the way it would a humanoid creature.

They come through for various reasons but often because they feel a connection to something, or someone, beyond the veil. This is often a connection linked between souls and often occur when worlds are close to each other. Other times they are escaping a dying world and take refuge in the first they can find.

Advanced worlds, think sci-fi, have their own way to open the veil between worlds and travel. Even so they can never travel to magic worlds without severe consequences because the veil will implode on itself and swallow the world and every world nearby.

The presence of these magical beings differ. Some blend in as humans and call themselves witches. Others are incapable to blend in due to their nature and hide, or hide other beings that needs it. They mean no harm when they come through but if the veil has been hurt, shadows can come through with them. Shadows that are from no world anyone knows about.

Thank you for the ask!