esmariwrites - Tumblr blog

[esmariwrites]

New blog post!

https://esmariwrites.com/2023/02/25/join-my-short-story-club/

[esmariwrites]

I'm so tired of seeing writing takes from people who were too busy drawing an eye to pay attention in english class fr. Like "Stories don't need conflict: some stories are about adapting to change, coping w grief, discovering new things, etc" bestie those are all conflicts. All of those are issues that need a solution or adaptation, all of those are problems that drive change whether that's within the world, the other characters, or protagonist themself. The actual definition of the word "conflict" is "disagreement", not "battle", not "explosion", not "fight". Just two or more elements that don't quite fit together that need to be resolved in some way. Two things clashing doesn't always mean clashing like two cars going in the wrong direction, sometimes they clash like a bad furniture arrangement.

[esmariwrites]

To add to this, it’s also a statement about a population when there are no older buildings in the mix of new ones. Many cities/townships/etc have historic preservation societies and local laws that limit new construction in certain neighborhoods or even in entire incorporated areas. On the main street in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, the historic building facades have to be preserved if at all possible, so the entire building behind the facade might be torn down and a whole new one erected to work with the historic one. In other parts of town, any renovations that are done to the exterior of an existing building must be “period appropriate” for when the building was built. Then there are areas where it’s more of a free-for-all, with a modern house built on the lot where a Victorian one burned down, so it’s all clean lines and right angles squeezed between two massive painted ladies with widows walks and gingerbread decor. So, the mere presence of a shiny new neighborhood with no history in sight means it’s a new city that developed very recently or the city’s leadership intentionally knocked down historic buildings to create space for new development.

something the retro art people forget is that the past still exists in those time periods. Like those photos where every single iconic 80s thing is in the kid’s bedroom–no one lived like that outside of the very wealthy and/or the movies.

Someone kicking around in 1985 was probably living in a house built decades prior, and their parents last renovated in the 70s before the kids were born–because there’s no money for that when you had kids.

I mean look around today, there are plenty of people 10+ years behind the times. Old cars are out there, old fashions, old music–the present day is haunted by the past around every corner, the date doesn’t roll over to a new decade and all the old stuff doesn’t just disappear–it’s all still here.

Those achingly period-appropriate homes you see in movies and TV are just that–sets. Unless you just moved into a brand new home and all your stuff was lost in a fire so you had to replace it your home is not going to be all modern present day shit.

This is also something a lot of future-fiction doesn’t get–the future will have a lot of the past in it, because as humans bumble through life they pick things up and they don’t discard them–Someone who is 40 in 2040 is going to have shit from the 20′s when they got their first apartment or whatever, their home may have been built in 2000 and last remodeled in 2030…what I mean is cutting edge fashions and styles exist on TV but rarely in real life.

[esmariwrites]

IT’S ME!

Reader: omg I’m so excited to read what happens next

Panster: me too

[esmariwrites]

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

— Somerset Maugham

[esmariwrites]

Health care includes abortion.

[esmariwrites]

#WritingCommunity

I few years ago, I decided to join Twitter despite the fact that I loathed the platform. Why? Because the writing community seemed to be worth it. I’ve learned so much there and found more connection than I ever expected to. Now that Musk seems bent on destroying it, I’m one of the many who are looking for the same kind of thing, ideally with less of a Mad Max hellscape vibe. I opened a Mastodon account thinking that was the closest thing I could get, and because a lot of the writing community seemed to be making it their destination. But with the decentralized platform comes an entirely different kind of community, one with a culture I don’t particularly enjoy. Where in most social media, if you don’t like what you see, it’s on the viewer to block or unfollow the poster. On Mastodon, the poster is expected to follow arbitrary and (to my mind, at least) somewhat draconian rules about what should be hidden behind content warnings. Like politics, which is 90% of my personality as a human. I’ve spent $$$ and hundreds of hours on therapy to shake the trauma-induced mindset that I need to make myself small or hide parts of myself to be palatable. Accepted. I have no interest in spending a large amount of time on a site that makes me feel like I have to hide again. It doesn’t seem healthy to me, so fuck that noise. I mean, I’m still there for now, but we’ll see. Maybe Twitter will straighten out. Maybe Musk will learn his lesson. Who knows? I sure as hell don’t. In the meantime, I’ll be testing the Tumblr waters as well. Fingers crossed that I’ll find my community again. #Author #Writer #Writing #Reading #Querying #TraditionalPublishing #SelfPublishing #TwitterMigration #Mastodon

[esmariwrites]

HOW TO: WRITEBLR;

so youve migrated from writing twt to writeblr -> what now?

the following is my masterpost on the ins and outs of navigating the writeblr landscape! while it can be scary to deep-dive into the world of writing on tumblr for the first time, there are a few actions you can take to make it a lot easier to interact and share your writing.

psa: this is neither an extensive nor complete list of writeblr tips! but i hope it can help :)

INTERACTION;

interacting with others is one of the most important aspects of writeblr. im going to be splitting this section into a number of sub-sections because there are several topics relevant to creating a system of communication with other writers on here.

likes and reblogs; unlike twitter or other social media sites, likes do not hold the same weight on tumblr. as well as liking a post, the most important step you can take is to REBLOG. reblogging will share a post to your blog and thus your feed. in doing this, your followers and anyone who checks out your blog are going to see the post, rather than if you just like or comment. reblogging allows more people to interact with a post. content creators (including writers) can be motivated to continue posting when their posts are reblogged because it shows there are enough people interested in their works. the same goes for you! the more you reblog other people's works, the more likely your own posts will be reblogged, thus gaining more traction for all your hard-earned efforts.

taglists; you might be asking: what is a taglist? a taglist is usually featured at the bottom of your post when you share your writing. it includes people who have shown interest in your works - all you do is simply @ them. it means that people who are keen won't miss out on seeing the things you post about your wips! it is essentially an opt-in type deal, where people can choose to be added or removed from being notified about updates, excerpts, and the like.

don't abuse your taglist. don't tag them for every little thing you post about your wips - try to keep it to major posts like excerpts or new art, etc.

**** A HANDY HINT: writeblr etiquette states that you should never just add people to your taglist. only add them if they specifically ask.

tumblr tagging system; the tumblr tagging system is going to be your best friend as a writer. tags allow you to manage your posts + can act as a navigation system for your blog.

when tagging, make sure to not replace characters if it's for a trigger warning. 'assault', for example, should never be replaced with '@ssault'.

if posting an excerpt from your wip, i would suggest the following tags as the bare minimum: 'WIP NAME', 'WIP NAME EXCERPT'. if you're posting it as part of an event, you may also wish to include 'EVENT NAME'. you can also have a specific tag for things your friends write, for resources you may find helpful, etc. the possibilities are endless. a hint: the first five tags are the only tracked tags. the most important tags you want to add should be your FIRST FIVE TAGS on a post. furthermore, only the first twenty will show up in the search function.

tags are a good way for you to interact with other writers! when you reblog a post, OP will be able to read your tags where you can add how much you loved their work, etc.

POST FORMATTING;

do; - add trigger warnings to your posts if they contain sensitive topics. - add a plot, characters, etc. other writeblrs want context for your wip beyond just a number of dot points about tropes. - put your post under a 'read more' if it is a long post. - tag any nsfw content. - add a transcript of any photos/images under a 'read more'.

don't; - use any sort of fonts beyond the regular when writing a general post. using the 'chat' font, for example, reduces accessibility to your posts and makes it difficult for people to read. - just post dot points of your wip. - plagiarise. - use other people's posts as a place to self promote.

PINTEREST IS NOT AN ART SOURCE;

this is one of the biggest differences between tumblr and other social media sites: pinterest is. not. an. art. source. the truth is that people aren't going to care if you post a moodboard with nothing beyond a few random photos of a castle and a knife, etc. sure, they may look pretty, but don't do it for a number of reasons.

first, you should always post art directly from a credited source (e.g. unsplash or picrew).

second, it doesn't show enough about your wip! people want context! not just random photos!

thirdly, most photos or art on pinterest do not CREDIT their sources. this is theft and this is bad. which leads me onto the next topic.

CREDIT YOUR ARTISTS;

CREDIT ALL ARTISTS. if you use any sort of artwork, i swear to all things holy, give credit to the ORIGINAL sources. pinterest, as mentioned, is not an art source. most artwork on that site is stolen or posted without credit, which, funnily enough, is a form of theft. if you're going to post any form of photo or art, please give credit. it doesn't matter what form it takes; link to the original artist or photographer in a way that is not hidden.

MOODBOARDS AND GRAPHICS, OH MY;

one sad truth about being on tumblr, as with a lot of social media sites, is that your posts will gain a lot more interaction if you use some form of graphic or photo along with your writing. graphic making may seem daunting but it doesn't have to be! they don't have to be complicated or anything more than a few photos - as long as they have relevance to your wip. moodboards are not necessarily a bad form to take when making graphics for your posts. however, if it just features a random collection of photos that tell your audience nothing about your work, they're not going to care. writeblr is all about actually imparting information about your wips, rather than just vibes. ****as mentioned, any form of artwork or photography needs to be credited to the original source. however, etiquette is also to not repost art without express permission from the artist. if you don't have permission to use someone's art, DO NOT put it in your moodboard or graphic.

BLOG AND BLOG THEMES;

tumblr is a really great site for expressing yourself through your blog, especially if you use custom themes! if (like me) you're terrible at javascript and any form of http coding, there are a number of blogs you can search for to find custom made themes that are easily adaptable for your needs.

but why use a theme beyond expression?

one of the best aspects of using themes is the navigation aspect. most writeblrs have some form of navigation page (beyond just simply using the tumblr tagging system) to allow their audience to find information about their wips, writing resources, and the like! it makes going through your blog easier for both you and others.

also: make sure to include information about yourself on the blog (but of course, not to the point of doxxing yourself). most tumblr users, especially those on writeblr, will think you're most likely a bot if you dont include at least some things about yourself. the most common things to add are name, age and pronouns! also a dni can be used.

WRITING TIPS AND TRICKS;

titling your wips by @crtalley

plot structure by @nouveauweird

how to blurb by @yvesdot

notion templates for writers by @atelierwriting

the tropes guide by yours truly

so you're missing a plot by @seasteading

novel length by @serpentarii

thank you to everyone who helped me in writing this post! love you all <3