#so i have a few REALLY old prompts in my inbox and i've decided to answer them

[contentloadingandstuff]

heyyo :>

i've been a reading your works for a while and I've been curious on the process on how you write since I find the way you write very pleasing ! I'm curious on the steps you take once you get like an idea or start working on a request since this and trying to make up so much just from a prompt are the things i struggle a lot with when i try to write— & vvv quickly wanted to ask if you'd ever put your works up on ao3 ? thank you & wish you the bestest !

Hello, fellow writer!

Thank you! People say that sometimes, and it never fails to make me confused. I suppose the reader sees things that the writer cannot...

As you mentioned already, the first step is the idea, or the prompt. In the early days I just used Spin The Wheel for writing suggestions, but nowadays there's no shortage of ideas in my inbox.

So you could say that the idea isn't a problem, right? Wrong.

Not every one is the same. The key point in picking the right ask/idea is making it into a readable, interesting fic. In that sense, not every prompt is doable. Aside from the obvious ones that include things I don't write for, here are a few examples.

Too specific/complicated. Some asks include specific details that are hard to fit into the story as I see it, or limit the writing freedom. There are also the ones that basically are whole fics in themselves. *cough*Shrine Incident*cough*

Repetitive, and I don't mean the ask itself. Writing the exact same scenario over and over, but with different characters would lead to monotony on the blog, and very noticable shortage of unique content. Say, a wedding ceremony for every female character I write for. It would get really repetitive really fast, as most would just follow their culture's traditions with slight differences. Forcing every single one to be unique would be silly and OOC.

This may be a little harsh, but some are uninteresting. They are very rare, but they happen. Things like "their reaction to reader tripping on a shoelace" or "their reaction to getting a gift" would not amount to much readable content, as the reactions would be very limited in variety or straight up identical. Splitting the hairs would be annoying to write and boring to read.

The best ideas are those that are general, leaving much freedom for the writer, but still draw a rough framework to work within.

Now that I have the idea, I need to think it over (as every writer does). It usually takes plenty of time since I want to get solid ideas, not just any random thoughts. Not all ideas are workable into a readable fic as well. It takes longer for pure headcanons since those consist entirely of ideas. The general thought process for the more story-driven fics is something like "I want this to happen" or "I want to include this". Before I get to writing the post down, I already have a general, ordered plot line - it's only a matter of putting it into words and filling the gaps to connect the most important bits. The planning happens during my day - it comes naturally to me. Never once have I sat down and decided to think exclusively about a fic before making it.

There is also the research phase of my writing. Not all fics need research, but if they do, I won't shy away from it. I learned a lot about sepsis from an actual doctor when I was writing the old Fatui!Reader fic with Yelan, I read A LOT, and I mean A LOT about pregnancy for the fluff headcanons to make sure everything is realistic, making sure that X existed in medieval/reinessance times (it is very hard to decide if I should include it sometimes because Genshin's world is like a game of Sid Meier's Civilisation when it comes to technology), I watched a lot of pole dancing tutorials before writing the triple Sumeru smut to get a good reference point... speaking of smut, there is a lot of research going on there.

Why? Because I want to make smut hot. That is the ultimate objective, and sadly my nsfw imagination isn't that good. It has been getting better with the amount of smut I made so far, but it isn't as good as that of some authors. I also want to make sure things look and act as they would in reality. The realism, or making things believable, is one of my main objectives. That is also why smut takes the second spot for the longest writing time - I always want to make sure that things are in order and of as high quality as I can make them. Sadly, smut rarely has any comments. I know why, I understand why, but it does leave me guessing if it was really any good more often than not.

The final part of planning is choosing a format, and sometimes it is kind of hard to do. There are the obvious picks, but sometimes the request is vague enough, and the idea could work in all three - the bulleted headcanons, the mixed headcanons, and the narrative. There are a bunch of miscellany formats too, but I seldom use them.

When the planning is done, the writing part begins. It is rarely done in one sitting, since sometimes I get stuck on specific (usually liminal) points. The longer I am, the more frustrated and tired I get (the extensive planning itself is mentally exhausting, believe it or not), and I never want to write when exhausted. That said, there are some fics that I wrote like this, and people seemed to pay no mind. But still - I want to make sure I am thinking straight while putting my ideas into words. It is sort of a given, I know.

Sometimes I also pass the fic to my beta reader, but it's complicated. Then it's publishing time.

My advice here is to take frequent breaks. If you're barely keeping your eyes open, if you have a headache, if you want to throw your phone/pc/notebook through the nearest window, stop. Take a break, come back when you feel like it. (I'm assuming you write something like fanfiction) Do remember that fanfics are more about the vibe and ideas than real literary substance. If there's no willingness or passion when you write them, they may come out bland and forced. Personally, I focus on all three, but I would advise anyone to do otherwise. It's oftentimes a lot to think through, a lot to plan, and it occasionally gets frustrating.

Unless we're talking serious fanfiction, which in my writing is the Necro AU. Double everything I wrote here and you will get how much thought goes into the AU. Yeah.

As for making fics out of prompts. It depends heavily on the kind of prompt, the kind of fiction, the topic of the prompt, the characters involved and so on and so forth. Sometimes the prompt works with the character, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it gives you too little to work with, sometimes it gives you too much. I find that the ideas come to me themselves, but sometimes getting a bit of inspiration goes a long way. For example, when I was writing the smut and fluff headcanons for respectively Candace + Nilou and Candace, I went to an archeology exhibition regarding Tutankhamun's tomb. Yes, it was in my plans for a long time and yes, I used the ask as an excuse to finally go there, but it made writing that fun nevertheless. Sometimes you just need the right mood to get the ideas flowing.

I hope you find all of what I said coherent, and maybe even helpful to some degree. All of it is just my take on the matter, subjective, based in my own experiences and so on.

If you want to ask something more specific, or if you want me to help you with something, you can always DM me - I would be more than happy to help :3

EDIT: I'll post a select few of the more suitable fics on AO3, as well as Mortuarius. I was told that AO3 folk like AUs more than people do here on Tumblr.

[sunderedazem]

Prompt: "You could talk about it, you know?"

They’re sitting, side by side, with legs swinging free over a black ocean that glitters under stars. The drop would be dizzying, a yawning stretch of potential freefall waiting to grasp them, but- there’s life in the ground beneath him, he can feel it.

He wonders how he’s never noticed before. It explains so much, so terribly much.

The campfire crackles in the silence. It’s been a long time since they’ve sat on this high concave cliff, stars overhead winking like the knowing twinkle of melancholy in Mito’s warm eyes. Gon doesn’t say anything in response, breathing in the spaces of Killua’s exhales. Maybe it’s been too long. A lot happened all those years ago - a lot of pain that left festering wounds, throbbing with the knowledge he’d been left behind. Throbbing with the knowledge that he’d done the leaving.

Alluka was powerful now, though. Strong in a way the Zoldycks would never have guessed. Strong in a way he’d never predicted. That he’d never been taught to predict. Maybe Gon would have known - not that the wasted years will ever rewind and give him a chance to start again.

And so, here he was, back where he started, like a pendulum finally falling back toward its starting point. Was Gon his center? The thought makes his breath fade to nothing. Amber eyes finally flicker to his face, emotion swimming liquid through that single glance. Is there Nen there again? It’s too bright to tell, and Killua’s always been just a little lightless moon, trapped in Gon’s orbit.

That’s really what he is, isn’t it? Cold rock, little more than a husk, spinning around a living, breathing, bursting planet.

What is there to talk about, again?

Then Gon’s hand curls around his wrist, lacing through his fingers. The stubble on that tan chin is faint - he tries to keep clean-shaven, Killua can tell by the tiny nicks along his jawline.

“I know I hurt you, back then,” Gon says to him, and his voice is rough and cracking. The air has disappeared again and Killua tries not to choke. “...I just...wanted you alive. Even if it hurt you.��

He chokes anyway. There must be waves in his eyes now, rippling water waiting to break and rain down his cheeks.

“...I would have died with you,” he says, and the creaking ocean sits silent when the tears fall. Gon’s free hand cups his chin, brushing saltwater away. Somber expressions didn’t suit that wide face, the planes of bronze unnaturally stiff.

“I know that now.”

There’s no apology, not this time. The apology for the hurtful words was over and done with, years in the past. This is something else - something Gon is not sorry for. Killua takes a shuddering breath, sea salt in his nose.

“We won’t do that again,” Killua whispers. “I have other things to live for.”

Gon nods, lunging forward and wrapping time-broadened shoulders in a tight hug. His shampoo smells like pinecones and Killua closes his eyes, arms open.

“And I know what my life means now. Especially to you.”

~fin~

[bi-demon-ium]

fic in review 2022

I wasn't tagged by anyone I just wanted to do this again and I don't see it making the rounds anymore :(

anyway i'm posting this a touch early as i might write more snippets when i wake up, and it'll still be december 31st, but. oh well

Total Number of Completed Stories: total (on this ao3 account): 112. total (on this ao3 account) written in 2022: 83! wow! and that's just like works (some are compilations) and on this account (there's at least five more elsewhere). oh wait i guess this isn't. completed. it's posted. hmmmmm okay but consider i am tired

sigh okay so completed on this account total: 96. completed on this account in 2022: 68. however, this is not counting that some of the works not counted here as they're "incomplete" on ao3 are actually like, multiple oneshots in one work. i'm not going to tally them though bc some of them are kinda incomplete-ish snippets while others are just straight up full oneshots and i don't want to comb through each and decide what counts 😩

Total Word Count: total on ao3 (for this account lol) is 342,779, but in 2022 that'd be 252,803.

Fandoms Written In: The Mysterious Benedict Society, The House in the Cerulean Sea, Death by Dying, and Instinct. (On the other account, also Shadowhunters and Star Trek 2009.)

Looking back did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expect:

Hm... well, both, kind of. Less in the sense that I had hoped I would complete whumptober--both of them, rip--but more in the sense that HOLY FUCK 83 works. MBS has really reawakened me. (75 of them are MBS lol.)

What’s your own favorite story of the year?:

hmmm uh. off the top of my head, probably one of these:

cain's lament

a hope in hell

rust

shades of green

The Babygirl Incident™

pretty things

Did you take any writing risks this year?:

i let myself believe i'd actually finish whumptober 😔

also i dedicated more to nicholas/milligan which i am slowly but surely acclimating you all to, like boiling a frog. at this point i even daresay the frog is cooked

and "minotaur" is darker than i usually go, so i'm tentatively thinking about some darker aus (don't worry, still no tragedy for me lol)

Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?:

FINISH MY WHUMPTOBER PROMPTS :( and also all the ask prompts i have in my inbox

Best story of the year:

hmm. this is kind of subjective. "cain's lament" is a good fix-it, "shades of green" seemed to have had a strong positive impact, which i'm glad of. we'll get to stats in the next question, i guess, for that angle. uhhh "warm" has impressive length? surprised i finished that tbh

Most popular story of the year:

This year, the most kudos went to "technicolor" with 125, the most comments goes to "warm" with 25 comment threads, the most hits (987) and bookmarks (18) for "The Babygirl Incident™". Most subscriptions is "pretty things" at 18. (My THITCS works by far did the best, ironically.)

(These all hold the same for like. most [x] ever on this account, except for the most kudos, which goes to "paralleled", an old King Falls AM work of mine, at 139.)

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

I think most of my snippets get brushed over a little since they're compiled on one work. Particularly my daemon au. Maybe also look at these: 1, 2, 3, 5, 2

Most fun story to write:

All of my crackfics probably! They're just so fun to write; very impulsive but hilarious. I'm making myself cackle, particularly with "The Gang's Past Illicit Affairs" "The Babygirl Incident™" and "kate and her bucket sitting in a tree, S-P-Y-I-N-G". Also "dear abby".

Story with the sexiest moment:

On this account? Nothing I've published. I did, however, write some very silly smut on my other account.

Sweetest story:

Okay, I've written a lot of sweet things and I don't know if I can choose one. So here's a brief list. I've taken off a few I've already mentioned to make it a little shorter.

These snippets: 9, 12, 18, 8, 9.

holy palmer's kiss

a cacophony so immense

number two; love guru

“Holy crap that’s wrong even for you!” story:

I don't know if that's the right way to put it, but. I'd say my two darkest stories were "coward" and "minotaur".

Hardest story to write:

Genuinely, I'm not sure? I'd guess either something not published or not finished, like the sequel to "petals", finishing "minotaur" and my sleep paralysis series, ch2 of "pretty things" i've really been struggling with. Of my completed works, though, I've genuinely no clue.

Biggest disappointment:

Probably still not finishing whumptober :(

Biggest surprise:

I wrote so much!!!! Oh my god!!!!! Holy fuck!!!! 88 works!!!!! and 75 of them MBS!!!!!

I Tag:

no pressure! @peachygos @mysteriouseggsbenedict @mvshortcut @sqenthusiast @ragecndybars @tothetrashwhereibelong @thehouseofgrey @finger-lickin-fuckboy and anyone else who wants to do it!!

[jancys-blue-bayou]

Director’s commentary: “We’ll figure it out”

Fanfic Writers: Director’s Cut

Reblog this if you want readers to come into your ask box and ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story, section of a story, or set of lines. 

Or, send in a ⭐star⭐  to have the author select a section they’ve been dying to talk about!

We'll figure it out started from a prompt about Jancy having a baby. I just intended it as a oneshot, that's why the first chapter, which isn't even that long, covers finding out, pregnancy and birth all in one. If I'd know it'd end up a multichapter I'd probably had spaced those out a bit more lol. The second chapter was also spurred by a prompt, and that + people seeming to really like it made me continue it with little ideas I had. The ideas I had was pretty isolated and spaced out in time like "wouldn't x thing when their daughter is y old be cute?" so I decided to just write each chapter like a little snapshot of their lives at different points, like there was no planning to make it chronological lol. It was all just prompted by random fluffy ideas. So writing wise it's not really one of my finer efforts if I ever had any lol, like there's some parts of it I look back on and would like to re-write but unlike Duffers I'm not considering George Lucas'ing anything. Btw I just mean strictly writing wise, like I don't regret any of the stuff in it just see now parts I could've written better etc. But the process for this particular one was always very much "oh cute idea!" and then I'd write it fast without much deeper thought into it, just riding the cute fluff idea vibe. And sometimes I think we just need some pure simple fluff and there's nothing wrong with that.

At the same time it has a special place in my heart because I think it was a prompt for this fic that @iamthethumperanon sent in that was so bananas cute I gushed over it on main and she ended up sending me a dm about it and then we started dm'ing back and forth about first about just fluffy ideas for this fic then other fics and other stuff etc and now we've dm'd pretty much daily for years lol. So that was great, + people seem to really like it. I've got a few prompts for more chapters of it in my inbox that I promise I'll get to.

[the-teddy-bear-butch]

Пчелка, if i can forgive you for a little late response then you'll have to forgive me for completely forgetting this blog exist. (I feel like me joking about being a dumb of ass has never been truer)

Here's where you're wrong though because chocolate that is just a little bit bitter is the best. (opinions on pickles?)

it is pretty old! I got it from my favourite little book store. I have a bit of a thing for buying old books and they have such a good selection (second hand book stores wooo!) I have to keep myself from coming home with the whole store!

aye me too! same with Legally Blonde and Scream being on the list. I think i'm gonna watch scream soon with it being spooky season, I might even use it for my Ronancetober prompt (which means i'd be watching it in like 1-2 days so i'll probably stick to my original plan)

do you have a favourite horror movie? or just movie in genera?

You're always welcome to send me more songs for me to put the random ass colour/place association my brain gives me into words. I do gotta share one song i've been obsessed with for the last couple days or else i'll explode. Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear which sounds like a very clean but not empty (which probably makes no sense but bare with me i'll give picture reference) anyway it's a mix between a clean but not empty black, white, and gray. and even though it's not a Christmas song it reminds me of one, thus the immediate memories of me, all my siblings driving around at night looking at the crazy Christmas light decorations, it was always so peaceful and very pretty I wish I could just like... take the memory out of my head show you Giver style. Disclaimer: the only photo I took out of all of the one's i'm about to show you is the sunbeam one.

MAY I PRESENT TO YOU! CLEAN BUT FULL COLOURS

is that last one the floor is Costco? Possibly.

goat milk ice cream sounds so good? Even though i'm lactose intolerant i'd risk it all for ice cream.

I laughed a little when you said you only get a little snow because winter last from November until March which I don't really mind until March since I was Not Built For The Sun, it only get annoying in March then i'm over all the snow that's still sitting around.

wait dude congradulations (or however you spell it) on doing something about your crush very cool of you! like a week ago I seen a cute girl, tripped in front of her then hid in the bathroom for 15 mins. nothing weird or awkward friendly flirting only *thumbs up emoji except i've already mentioned my computer is old as fuck and doesn't work properly so no emoji's for me unless i'm using mobile* I love talking to you too! you can be my weird american internet friend. Not to sure about the dm thing maybe eventually (not that I don't comfortable i'm just hella shy and scared of rejection (though I don't even know how'd since you're the one always replying lol)

i'm feeling a lot better even enough to actually bake cookies!

cookie pictures as a thank you for being so nice when I was sick <333

your weird Canadian friend who's totally not freaking out about Alvvay's new album being released tomorrow

-el

HELLO

Let me start off with I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR NEVER ANSWERING

I had every intention of doing so and then October put me through the RINGER and my brain decided my inbox was a cursed place and ignored it so bad. I did NOT mean to just never reply, I swear <33

I’ll give you that! A little bitter is good! I like mine more sweet, but there is such a thing as too sweet! Also, I feel like this is the wrong answer, but I really do not like pickles 💔

That’s such a cool hobby!!! The only used bookstore we have local is… Well it’s a religious bookstore and I’ve not felt like checking it out 😅 But I love old books! My dad has given me a few of his own. I love my yellowed, falling apart, old book smell LOTR trilogy so much. I should sit and read them sometime

I still need to watch Scream!!! I did, however, finally watch Legally Blonde, and that was an EXCELLENT decision, 11/10, highly recommend. We love intelligent, badass women in this household.

Admittedly, I’m kind of a big baby when it comes to horror, less so in a blood and gore way and more in an I have anxiety and jump scares might send me into cardiac arrest ajdkdkdkksks. That said! The best horror adjacent thing I’ve watched is probably Ginger Snaps!! I have a feeling Scream might top it, just a vibe, but I have to watch it first lol. How about you?? Do you have a favorite horror movie? ���

OH OH OH I LOVE THAT SONG!!! You are so so so right, I can see it!! If you’re interested, here’s a trio for you: “Sports Car” by Valley (became a recent favorite!), “Infinitely Ordinary” by The Wrecks, and “The View Between Villages” by Noah Kahan (I love this man!!!). Also!! That sunbeam photo is so lovely!!! That belongs as the photo on someone’s playlist for sure

It is! I am also lactose intolerant, so goddamn worth it dude 😋

That’s wild!! I honestly wish we got snow more often, I just wish it didn’t come with ice ajskdkkdkd. We have… Winter? It’s like Christmas through mid February. We get ice storms and sleet and MAYBE like three snow days 😭

Thank you so much! It’s very exciting. I have discovered I am in fact hopeless when not behind a screen. It’s easy to flirt when you’re not stuttering and red in the face. I am SO MUCH MORE CONFIDENT here, it’s wild. But I guess I’m doing something right ahdkdkkddk.

Weird American friend is fun! You can be my cool as fuck Canadian friend!! I know nobody there, though oddly enough my grandparents lived in Alberta for several years! No worries/no pressure as far as DMing, this is fun too! <333 Also!!! I’m still 100% down to watch LOTR with you, and I promise not to be obnoxious and spout off facts that everyone already knows (did you know the riders of Rohan were all women in beards—[GUNSHOT])

Those cookies look delicious!!! Perfectly chewy, by the looks of it! I’m guessing you enjoy baking?? <33

THE ALBUM I NEED TO GO BINGE RIGHT THE FUCK NOW SHIT I GOT TOO WRAPPED UP IN NOAH KAHAN

- your very, very sorry, weird American friend Max/Lo