angelinasway - Tumblr blog

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It's my 11 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

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[angelinasway]

Fanworks vs. Published Works

Okay, so, I was on Reddit and there was this discourse of fanfic v. published work, and how the lines are beginning to blur more and more, particularly among readers, and how dangerous this is for fandom spaces because fanfic is not designed for the same sort of engagement one has with a published work. They look similar and feel similar, but equating them can be devastating for fanfic writers, particularly if people start reviewing and critiquing fanworks the same way they do published works.

The comparison on that subreddit—which I had never encountered but might well have been around forever and new to no one but me because sometimes I do live in a cave—was that fanfic is like a potluck. And I love that because it's 100% accurate.

At a potluck, you make something for people to enjoy out of love. It’s really shitty to go to a potluck, then walk up to someone who made what you believe is a subpar casserole and start in like you’re a food critic. You’re missing the point of the potluck. And you’re kind of a dick.

In a restaurant, the rules are different, just like in the publishing industry. You select a restaurant, you pay for a meal, and if the meal isn’t to your liking, you can leave the restaurant a review on Google or Yelp or the platform of your choice (assuming you didn’t just throw a tantrum in the restaurant itself, but that’s another discussion). And sure, YMMV from other diners’ experiences, but even if everyone loves this restaurant and you don’t, it’s perfectly acceptable to leave a subpar review listing the reasons why it didn’t meet your standards. It’s fodder for future diners to consider at this point, less for the restaurant itself. The way book reviews are meant to be for readers, not the author. The author will see it, they might get annoyed, but unless they want their career to go up in smoke, they won’t respond. Just like restaurant owners who go nuclear on bad reviews, word spreads when someone can’t take criticism.

And no, it’s still not cool to critique someone’s potluck dish even if that person is a professional chef. They still elected to invest their time, talent, and creativity to bring that dish to the potluck and are getting nothing out of it but the satisfaction of their dish being enjoyed. The potluck should be a safe space for everyone—the chef knows to expect unsatisfied customers at work; when they’re at play, when they’re relaxed and enjoying something with a chosen community, it’s really shitty to start acting like a customer in the restaurant. You don’t have to love what they brought but keep it to yourself and go try something else.

As a published author, it bothers me a lot more when people invade my fanfic space to be critical than it does any of the 20+ works I have for sale on Amazon and other vendors, and this is why. Fanfic is more personal because it’s unpaid labor created out of love and a desire for community. It’s not a commodity, and treating it like that is how you murder joy and, for some creators, sometimes the drive to ever create again.

So don’t be a dick at the potluck, okay?

[angelinasway]

[angelinasway]

RIP Anthony Bourdain

[angelinasway]

Coming into a fandom late

[angelinasway]

Pre-Writing 101: Outlining Your Plot

Once you’re confident in your premise, it’s time to start fleshing things out. The plot is the chain of events that make up your story. Even if you’re not writing a plot-driven story, things have to happen to your characters. Understanding the traditional ways of structuring stories will help you to give form to your own ideas. Outlining your plot is the easiest way to get organized.

But What If I Don’t Like Outlining?

Pretty sure everyone is aware of the great debate between outliners and pantsers (folks who write by the seat of their pants). If you are a pantser and proud, then you might be thinking this post isn’t for you. But here’s something to think about: you have a general idea of what you want to happen in your head, right? A vague conception of your main character and an inkling of how things will turn out for them?  WRITE IT DOWN.

There’s nothing worse than having to start over because you lost track of what you wanted and wrote yourself into a corner. Trust me, I know. Writing down your basic ideas is the bare minimum, but it can still be considered an outline.

Also, I highly recommend creating an outline after the fact to help with the revision process. So you’ll still want to know how to do it!

Keep reading

[angelinasway]

[angelinasway]

the way seals move on land is so special evolution really outdid herself with that one

[angelinasway]

Best Quote ever 😂👍🔥🔥

[angelinasway]

How To Actually Get Writing Done

– I’ve seen so many posts on how to feel productive, but not too many on how to actually be productive. I do firmly believe in the power of mindset but that only does so much if you’re not actually going to sit down and get to work. I hope this is helpful to those who need it right now, whether you’re facing the end-of-the-year deadline or you’re trying to finish an essay before Christmas break is over or if you’re just trying to get out of a writing rut. This, as always, is my advice derived from personal experience and it may not work for everyone, but if this can so much as point you in the right direction, it has served its purpose.

Get Your Priorities Straight

Do you really want to spend this time writing? Or do you need to get that essay done? Is the laundry piling up in your closet, forming into the shape of a demon that’s going to scare the crap out of you tonight? If there is one thing I can pass onto you as advice, it’s to write with a clear mind. I’m not saying that you can’t write if you have other responsibilities, but writing to escape the million other things you know you need to do is not going to make that weight leave your shoulders and isn’t going to allow you to create good content either. it is much easier to be creative when the boring chores of reality aren’t nudging at your brain whenever you get stuck on a word that sounds wrong.

Eliminate All Distractions

Social media is not the only distraction there is that’s keeping you from writing. If you need to get stuff done, realize that maybe it isn’t wise to have two friends over to “study”. Be honest with yourself when the situation is starting to get critical. Do not set yourself up to fail by turning Netflix on in the background because “the noise just makes me feel more comfortable when I’m alone”. That’s what ASMR is for. Don’t make excuses for the fact that creating distractions is a form of procrastination.

Say No To Yourself

Your brain is going to tell you “Just one more YouTube video” or “Just a 30 minute power nap” or “I’ll have more time to write tomorrow anyway”. Ignore that voice. Recognize that that, forgive me if I offend you, is BS. You cannot have faith in the convenience of the future if you want to be a successful writer. If you constantly depend on the cozy belief that you will feel it tomorrow or that you don’t have anything going on tomorrow so you can spend today doing whatever and shove it all on future you, you are going to get slapped hard by reality a lot sooner than you think. Train your mind to hear that voice and respond with “no, there is a good to fair chance that something unexpected is going to pop up tomorrow and that right now is the only time I’ll get to get this done, so I’m going to power through and do it now” because it is much better to have it done early than be worrying about it later on.

Write What You’re Excited About First

So, it’s common sense that you’ll be more motivated to start writing when you’re excited about what you’re writing, so start with that. This is one of the oldest pieces of advice in the book, but it’s popular for a reason. If you need to, start at the end or the middle or a scene you’ve been thinking about a lot recently or whatever. Even if you go back and edit one of your past scenes to throw yourself back into your own story, it’s ok. It’s allowed. Do what you need to do to get into it.

Just Get Started

I promise you that writing is more fun and exciting and a lot easier than you think when you just do it. Even if you know that what is coming out of your pen is garbage, just enjoy it. Fool yourself into thinking it’s the best art there has ever been and sometime into the writing session it will become such. If you tell yourself what you’re writing is golden, it will become golden. Confidence is pretty much everything when it comes to writing, because the confidence shows in the final product at the end of the day. Just remember, like everything else in life, you just have to fake it until you make it.

Face Reality

You’re not going to get 10,000 words written and edited and ready for publishing in one day. You’re not going to wake up tomorrow any more motivated than you are right now. You aren’t going to suddenly feel ready to write your entire book if you spend an hour scrolling through inspirational quotes on Tumblr. You are never going to be more ready to write than you are now, so stop making excuses and procrastinating and read this as a sign: start now. Don’t second guess it, don’t spend time making your surroundings perfect and outlining the chapter ad nauseam. Just write. Right now.

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[angelinasway]

All of this!!!

I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy a scene was cut from a show

[angelinasway]

Snape out here tryna keep Potter alive, maintain his cover, and not have a nervous breakdown. The last three DADA teachers have nearly killed Harry, his mark is growing darker, Karkaroff is having a meltdown, and he’s gotta deal with Alastor bloody Moody breathing down his neck; and the kids are like “yeah he’s probably just salty cause he didn’t get to teach defence”

💀

[angelinasway]

"You can't ship that!"

lol what are you gonna do, climb inside my mind and shut off the imagination switch?

[angelinasway]

Severus | Commission for @miss-medusa-1​

Thank you! ☽

[angelinasway]

they're everything to me

[angelinasway]

Gentle commission for @quaintlullabies :) 

Hermione Granger and Severus Snape.