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[anastasia-writes]

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[anastasia-writes]

I love "i would kill for you" ship dynamics but what about "i would stop killing" ship dynamic??

I would lay down my sword for you. I would change my nature and go against everything i've known. I would resist the easy way out of solving my problems. I would give up the adrenaline of battle to stay by your side and make tea instead. I'm not sure I know who I am without a weapon in my hand because I've had to fight for so long but for you I'm willing to try and figure this out.

It must be hard. To put down your weapon that's protected you for so long. It's allowed you to stay alive it's kept you from getting hurt--physically and mentally. Because you've never had to worry about a real relationship if you think you'll be dead at the next battle. And you feel naked without it and it feels like you're ripping off an extension of yourself. Are you even whole without it? Are you worthy of being loved if you can't prove it by risking your life? And yet they've found someone who's asking them for something much harder than dying in battle on their behalf. They've found someone who wants them to live. And that's much more terrifying.

[anastasia-writes]

An incomplete list of tropes that make me go absolutely feral

- The fact that some characters, hero or villain, have performed specific actions so often that when someone mentions that action, the character has to say “can you be more specific.”

- Large, boisterous, incredibly friendly Russians

- The dope slap. Just smacking someone upside the head as a way of telling someone that they were being an idiot

- When the morally ambiguous character leaves just before the final throwdown only to painfully admit that yes, they do care about their friends, then turn around and go back to help save the day

- Parents that are so obviously and healthily in love with each other that it has the high potential to embarrass their children

- When the authorities have the various members of the crew in an interrogation room and it cuts between the different interrogations to the crew either giving wildly different accounts of the same story or finishing each other’s sentences/answering each other’s questions

- When a character has every right to be frustrated at something physical and appears to be walking away calmly only to lose their cool a second later and grab a sledgehammer or smth

- Incredibly grandiose/unlikely threats. IE: “I’m going to play hopscotch in your chest cavity” or “I’m going to carve your heart out with a spoon.” Bonus points if the character that makes them follows through or makes a reference to them later on.

- Someone naming their weapon. Bonus points for naming it after a loved one or a lost love.

- The relationship between a pure force of unmitigated chaos and the one person that can (sometimes) keep them under control.

- Brick jokes. Like someone drops a line in Season 2, episode 3, only to have it referenced in Season 7, episode 9. The longer the brick is in the air, the better.

- Weaknesses that are really lame

- When a character has something that happens to them that removes all sense of a filter, and they start saying what’s *really* on their mind.

- Ambiguously worded questions. No matter how you answer, it’s going to lead to more humor.

- Communication errors for the sake of comedy, just like, in general

- Slipping innuendos into kids’ movies or shows

- The whole master/loyal assistant dynamic. Bonus points if there’s mutual pining or a secret relationship going on behind the scenes

[anastasia-writes]

How to Make Your Descriptions Less Boring

We’ve all been warned about the dangers of using too much description. Readers don’t want to read three paragraphs about a sunset, we’re told. Description slows down a story; it’s boring and self-indulgent. You should keep your description as short and simple as possible. For those who take a more scientific approach to writing fiction, arbitrary rules abound: One sentence per paragraph. One paragraph per page. And, for god’s sake, “Never open a book with weather” (Elmore Leonard).

But what this conventional wedding wisdom fails to take into account is the difference between static and dynamic description. Static description is usually boring. It exists almost like a painted backdrop to a play. As the name suggests, it doesn’t move, doesn’t interact or get interacted with.

There were clouds in the sky. Her hair was red with hints of orange. The house had brown carpeting and yellow countertops.

In moderation, there’s nothing wrong with static description. Sometimes, facts are facts, and you need to communicate them to the reader in a straightforward manner.

But too much static description, and readers will start to skim forward. They don’t want to read about what the house looks like or the stormy weather or the hair color of each of your protagonist’s seventeen cousins.

Why? Because they can tell it’s not important. They can afford to skip all of your description because their understanding of the story will not be impacted.

That’s where dynamic description comes in. Dynamic description is a living entity. It’s interactive, it’s relevant. It takes on the voices of your narrators and characters. In short, it gives us important information about the story, and it can’t be skimmed over.

So how do you make your description more dynamic so that it engages your readers and adds color and excitement to your story? Here are a few tips.

(I have a TON more tips about setting and description. These are just a few. But I’m trying to keep this short, so if you have any questions or want more advice about this, please feel free to ask me.)

Keep reading

[anastasia-writes]

the promise of every romance is that the happy ending is earned

[anastasia-writes]

enemies to lovers? no, you misunderstood. I want enemies to mortal nemeses to reluctant allies to lovers to heartbroken enemies back to reluctant allies back to lovers.

[anastasia-writes]

obsessed with the opposite of the childhood friends trope. what if we were just some guys meeting for the first time with like. no significance

[anastasia-writes]

i still hate y’all bitches who say oc x canon shit is cringe like bitch you have ANY idea how flattered i would be if someone made an oc for my fantasy world? how utterly PSYCHED my ass would be they loved a character so much they fleshed out one themselves just 2 be with one of mine? fuck y’all haters

[anastasia-writes]

I saw a post talking about how Terry Pratchett only wrote 400 words a day, how that goal helped him write literally dozens of books before he died. So I reduced my own daily word goal. I went down from 1,000 to 200. With that 800-word wall taken down, I’ve been writing more. “I won’t get on tumblr/watch TV/draw/read until I hit my word goal” used to be something I said as self-restraint. And when I inevitably couldn’t cough up four pages in one sitting, I felt like garbage, and the pleasurable hobbies I had planned on felt like I was cheating myself when I just gave up. Now it’s something I say because I just have to finish this scene, just have to round out this conversation, can’t stop now, because I’m enjoying myself, I’m having an amazing time writing. Something that hasn’t been true of my original works since middle school. 

And sometimes I think, “Well, two hundred is technically less than four hundred.” And I have to stop myself, because - I am writing half as much as Terry Pratchett. Terry fucking Pratchett, who not only published regularly up until his death, but published books that were consistently good. 

And this has also been an immense help as a writer with ADHD, because I don’t feel bad when I take a break from writing - two hundred words works up quick, after all. If I take a break at 150, I have a whole day to write 50 more words, and I’ve rarely written less than 200 words and not felt the need to keep writing because I need to tie up a loose end anyways. 

Yes, sometimes, I do not produce a single thing worth keeping in those two hundred words. But it’s much easier to edit two hundred words of bad writing than it is to edit no writing at all.

[anastasia-writes]

That scenario when a character is badly hurt or sick, either way they're extremely out of it and whoever is taking care of them isn't someone they would expect to take care of them, and when they blearily look up at their caretaker they mumble something along the lines of "am I dying? You're never this nice to me"

[anastasia-writes]

reminders for writers.

nobody gives a crap if something is cliché or not. what they care about is the execution.

having a bad day of writing does not make you a bad writer.

writing in your second or third language isn’t always easy. you’re doing great.

writing advice = tools. not rules. you’re not meant to follow every advice you read about on the internet. learn the rules so you know which ones to break.

every writer is capable of writing a captivating story, but your story might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s ok. there will still be people out there who’ll adore it.

it’s ok to not excel at every genre. you can write it because you think it’s fun. it doesn’t always have to be a matter of writing something strictly because you’re good at it. it’s ok to explore.

[anastasia-writes]

“Bad writing” is important too. Even if your writing isn’t where you want it to be, it is valid and it has a lot of worth. Bad writing is better than no writing, and it paves the way for better writing.

Even if you think your writing is bad, it has a lot of value and meaning! It’s not wasted effort and it’s still something you painstakingly created. Writing badly isn’t a negative thing; it’s a good thing and there is nothing to be ashamed of.

[anastasia-writes]

A helpful list of models for anatomy and other drawing references (x)

Key: (nsfw) Nudity | (£) Not Free

Female Models 

MariaAmanda - Fantasy and fairy themed stock, mostly full body

Faestock -  Expressions, portraits and poses, many with dresses

RobynRose - 360 angle lighting and pose sets, including expressions

Mirish - Futuristic and action inspired poses, all full body

MiraNox - Gothic inspired model including pin-up poses

ImperialStarlet - Poses with props including weapons 

PrincessRowena (£) - Various poses with a fuller figured model

Liancar-art - Fantasy and medieval inspired poses

Male Models

BODYSTOCKS (nsfw) - Basic semi-nude athletic torso references 

BirdsistersStock - Various everyday poses and portraits

Mousiestock - A small collection of back anatomy references 

Justmeina (nsfw) - Nude anatomy reference portraits

Null-Entity - Different poses based on scenarios 

Anyman82 - Military and vintage themed stock

Both/Other Models

SenshiStock - Huge collection of various action and everyday poses 

Pyjamacake - Standard poses good for character bases

PhelanDavison - Futuristic and high-tech gear with action poses 

Mjranum-stock (nsfw) - Classical nude portraits, and also action poses

Auroradreams - Many poses with dresses, and others such as children

MajesticStock - A large amount of poses with different body types

Animals

HOTNStock - Mammals including large felines and canines

LuDa-Stock - Equestrian and domestic animals 

FurLined - Large and domestic felines 

EternalOcean - Mostly wolves along with other various animals  

Landkeks - All kinds of animals from a zoo

EdgedFeather - Close-ups of a wide range of birds

Other

Burtn - Natural landscapes and scenery 

ProREF (£) - Urban and rural places such as abandoned buildings

Clz - Skulls and other bones

Please remember to follow the stock owners rules, happy drawing!

[anastasia-writes]

“No writing is wasted. Did you know that sourdough from San Francisco is leavened partly by a bacteria called lactobacillus sanfrancisensis? It is native to the soil there, and does not do well elsewhere. But any kitchen can become an ecosystem. If you bake a lot, your kitchen will become a happy home to wild yeasts, and all your bread will taste better. Even a failed loaf is not wasted. Likewise, cheese makers wash the dairy floor with whey. Tomato gardeners compost with rotten tomatoes. No writing is wasted: the words you can’t put in your book can wash the floor, live in the soil, lurk around in the air. They will make the next words better.”

— ERIN BOW

[anastasia-writes]

the other day i started writing an office romance but i quickly remembered that i have no idea what working in an office is like

[anastasia-writes]

ok but is it too much to ask that i be chosen to join a secret society, from which my life is full of mysticism, romance, and occasional mortal peril?

[anastasia-writes]

tell me a pretty thing.