mpischasingstories

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holdup money

“The neighborhood I live in is so bad that I have to budget for holdup money”

–

Submitted by @queen-of-pinkskull

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Friendly reminder: Indie authors deserve to be paid for their work.

Yes, word of mouth is important. Yes, reviews are important. All of these things are very good, and indie authors are grateful. But they also want to be able to afford food, and clothes, and even books of their own! And the sad truth is that they can’t do that on goodwill and well-wishes alone.

Now, you shouldn’t feel guilty for not buying a book if you can’t afford it. We’ve all been there. But can you go to your local library and ask them to buy a copy? Can you ask for the book as a birthday present, or something similar? These are just some ways that you can support indie authors financially.

And if you can afford to buy an indie author’s book, I greatly encourage you to. Most of them sell amazing books for ridiculously low prices. And they do this because they love their story, and they want other people to love it, too. But they also do it because they want to make a living off of writing.

They deserve to be paid for the effort and time they put into their craft. And I think it’s more than worth saving up the money to do so.

Let’s all remember to celebrate and support our favorite indie authors!

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Look I wanna say, as writers, we put a lot of attention on how important and good reading is. We hold it above all else. And that kinda makes sense - you can learn a tonne about how to write by reading a lot and reading widely. 

But some writers don’t have the access. Maybe they have dyslexia or ADHD or are disabled. Maybe they don’t have the money to buy books. Or maybe *insert one of a hundred other reasons here.*

Being a writer means loving stories not reading. If you watch films, read fanfic, listen to podcasts, watch TV, read comics, read webcomics or anything like that, you are consuming stories. And you can learn from that.

Even if the only stories you consumed this month were your own, you’re still growing as a writer. Everyone grows in their own way.

Reading is fantastic of course it is. But as a community, we should be aware there’s more than one path to take and not put down those who don’t or can’t take the same path as us.

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how to edit your chapters

open your laptop

stare at the words that you’ve wrote

throw a blanket over your head, cause you’ll be here for a while

brainstorm ideas that don’t relate to the chapter at all

but these ideas are hella important to another story

reread previous chapters

fix the plot hole that you just found

realize that you have 23 other plot holes in your story

scream into the void

close laptop

take a sip of coffee and say “it’s fine.”

and then realize that you’re now in a corner crying

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okay let’s talk

i’m writing this because 1) i don’t mind being blunt, and 2) i’m more than a little sick and tired of seeing other writeblrs get taken advantage of or be made anxious.

so today i’m yelling about

UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING TRUTHS

and

WRITEBLR ETIQUETTE

item the first involves a lot of uncomfortable truths that any writer is going to have to come to terms with sooner or later. stick with me - it’s gonna get depressing for a hot minute, but it’s necessary.

uncomfortable truth #1: you are not going to get the attention you want.

that’s it. doesn’t matter if you struck gold and got lucky enough to have your blog blow up in the first three weeks. you are not, 100% of the time, going to get 100% of the attention you want. there will be a point - several points, and honestly, probably most points - in time where you post something you dumped your heart and soul into, and you get all of three likes and zero comments. it’s going to happen.

if you’re anything like me, it’s going to make you upset and sulky and you’ll pout in bed at night after obsessively checking your notes for something you posted that morning, and you might even cry about it. this is an inevitability you just have to accept. it sucks, but you can move on.

uncomfortable truth #2: not everyone is going to like your stuff.

honestly, most people won’t like your stuff, and that’s going to have to be okay. it’s next to impossible to garner the adoration of the majority, and the only reason i say “next to impossible” is because jk rowling happened once. and that kind of thing is a once in a millennia event.

uncomfortable truth #3: you’re going to get feedback, criticism, or even uncalled-for, irrational hate for your work.

hopefully the third never happens to you. but honestly? if you get any sort of professional and popular, it will. so if your plan is to become any sort of professional and/or popular, prepare for the unbridled rage at your very existence.

uncomfortable truth #4: you have to have to have to grow a thick skin.

this is the most important thing. yeah, i know people are sensitive, and yeah, i know anxiety and depression are things that exist. i too am an uwu sad wittle depresso bean. but if you wanna be serious about writing and showing that writing to others, you have got to get over it.

sounds harsh? that’s because it is. i’m not writing this to hold your hand and sugarcoat things, you’ll have to pay me for that service.

writing is an incredibly sensitive thing to do. you’re putting up your creations for other people to see, and whether or not you personally agree with the things you write, your audience will see those things as a part of you. they will form their impressions and opinions of you based on what they read, because your audience likely will not have the chance to form their opinion of you on anything else.

growing a thick skin is a defense mechanism. if you want to keep writing past the first time an editor or an agent or a beta reader or a tumblr troll sends back their review and lambasts your favorite scene as unnecessary, redundant, and boring, you have to be able to take it. don’t ask for criticism or feedback if you’re not bracing yourself to be told that your entire life’s work is utter garbage. become a doomsday prepper. ready yourself for the worst.

now, being thick-skinned doesn’t mean you fire back at them and tell them that they’re wrong and stupid and don’t get the point. it doesn’t mean you shut down, either, and lock the critiqued work away in your bottom desk drawer forever. sometimes it means you step back, let yourself hurt and throw a pity party for a couple nights, and then come back and look at the reasons why the person said what they did, and then figure out what’s useful from them, discard the rest, and fix your mess. 

unless you’re not here to get better. then you just go “lol kay bye” and move on with your life. no one says that to be a writer, you have to be trying to get better. the important thing is that you can’t let this weigh you down. if you’re an uwu anxiety bean, carrying around all this baggage is just going to make it five thousand times worse. you gotta train yourself to let it lie and move along.

how to fix?

support networks. you gotta have some friends. maybe you have some real-life friends (jealous), or maybe your only social interaction with other writers is on the internet. having people that let you blabber on and show interest in your work and make you write is what will save your life. however, it’s really easy to lose, or not have this at all, and this is where writeblr etiquette comes in.

disclaimer: most of this pertains to the tumblr writing sphere, but you can apply some of it to other areas.

etiquette #1: everyone is a person who has a life

except the p0rn bots, which are not people, and need to b u r n

just because someone posts on tumblr - and maybe even posts a lot, like all the time, and is really popular and welcoming and likes promoting other blogs and interacting with followers - it doesn’t mean that they have all the time in the world to cater you. because they don’t. because they exist in meatspace and have crap to get done that doesn’t revolve around you. deal with it. if they don’t answer you back right away, or even ever, then shrug it off and move on. don’t take it personally.

etiquette #2: give more than you take.

writers like to talk about their own projects non-stop. we all know this. we are all guilty of this. i, myself, am incredibly hypocritical when it comes to this point. the problem is that if you just launch yourself into someone’s inbox and yammer about your OCs and your own worldbuilding and all that, they’re gonna get tired of it real quick and probably start ignoring you.

so, instead, you ask them. wanna strike up a friendship with another writer? wanna share how cool your story is with them because you think they’ll jive with your aesthetic? be patient and ask about their work first. tell them how cool you think their latest moodboard was, and tell me more about the OC it featured? let them have the spotlight for a while, and i promise you, the stage will come around and you’ll get to gush, too.

and honestly? don’t just pay lip service to this point. actually care about their stuff. if you can’t bring yourself to care about their work, you can’t expect them to care about yours.

etiquette #3: respect boundaries.

if someone asks you not to do the thing, don’t freaking do the thing. if this writeblr says on their blog that their askbox is closed, don’t use the submission box or the IM feature instead. if they don’t like NSFW or smut things, or have known triggers, warn when your writing includes that. if they ask not to be tagged in writing or tag games, don’t tag them. if you want to tag someone, check their blog and see if they have anything saying not to, or maybe shoot them a quick message seeing if they’ll mind. everyone on writeblr is a mess of anxiety, including you, so take a moment to think about how you might be affecting them by demanding their attention like this.

etiquette #4: don’t send unsolicited stuff.

i feel like this should be obvious. if you read someone’s work and have some thoughts about how it could be better, literally just…….keep them to yourself???? unless they state very clearly that they’re looking for feedback or critique, don’t give it. some writers are cool with it. some writers are not. some writers will have an attack of sorts. 

this also goes for just going onto someone else’s blog and throwing your OCs or stories at them when, quite frankly, they didn’t ask. some writeblrs do fun activities that do welcome this, but check to make sure they’re doing it at that time. this also circles back to #3 and respecting boundaries. writers get worried and anxious when people do this, because they don’t want to seem like they’re mean or cruel when someone demands their attention, but in reality, you’re just being a jerk by forcing them to pay attention to you.

in the words of my disability sensitivity training from United Airlines: ask first, then listen.

etiquette #5: be gentle.

just. please. stay in your lane. calm down, be gentle, be nice. we’re all scared here, trust me. writing is an insecurity in and of itself. don’t demand attention. give your own time and effort to someone else, and you’ll get it back - and if you don’t? move on to someone else who will give it back, and let the first person do their own thing. not everyone can care about everyone else.

k i’m done now.

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but seriously though i’m sick and tired of those masterposts that are like “here! A reference site on Greek mythology for all your needs! Look it has all fifteen Greek gods on it!” And I’m like. tHERE WERE LIKE HUNDREDS OF FIGURES IN MYTHOLOGY YOUR CRAPPY HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL BIBLIOGRAPHY SITE MEANS NOTHING TO ME 

if you want a basic outline of Greek mythology okay sure fine??? but like. if you want an extensive fucking reference site you are looking in the wrong goddamn places

as a self-declared greek mythology snob my reference site is fucking always this fucker right here. almost every single figure ever mentioned in a Greek text is on it, it has the most obscure gods, spirits, nymphs– it’s GREAT. You really wanna extend your mythological knowledge past the basic 12 and like four others? USE THEOI.  plus plus PLUS everything is cited so you can actually read the source material written about whoever it is you’re looking at.

fucking signal boost this. i’m so sick and tired of writer’s helpers blogs referring people to sites with as much information you would get from opening a third grade mythology book jesus chriiiiiist

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PSA for Writers! Do not be afraid to ask to be boosted!

Asking for support may be seem a little daunting. Even I still hesitate. In fact, this post is… uh… half to myself!

Ask me and I will boost you! Tag me. I will boost you! There are others as well who want you and your work to be seen and successful.

So let’s support one another!

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Enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope is the shit

And anyone who says otherwise can fight me, then be forced to work together with me, then become my best friend, then marry me.

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An Actual Writing Tip From An Actual Author

Wow holy shit I’m gonna actually give you guys an actual writing tip, being a published and award winning author and all.

Anyways, a great way to work in TOTALLY UNRELATED little details about your setting or what have you that may or may not be relevant later on is through the use of metaphors, euphemisms, etc. in character dialogue.

“This cold is terrible! I’m wearing more layers than an Aenirian bride!”

Congratulations, you now know something about Aenirian marriage customs. You might not even know what exactly an Aenirian is, but you know that their brides wear lots of layers.

See where I’m going with this?

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So I changed up my writing strategy this week and boy did things get more productive around here

For me editing is like pulling teeth. I hate it, I loathe it, and it usually takes me 2-3 weeks to edit one chapter because I have so much trouble focusing. So here’s how I shook things up to get 2.5 chapters done this past week. 

1. Ambient Noise

Rain sounds, white noise, wind, crackling fire, any kind of meaningless sound that isn’t one of my favorite songs to make up WIP inspired music videos to. Epic instrumentals and badass dance songs are great for coming up with ideas and movements, but staying focused? Not so much. 

There are a bunch of different websites for ambient noises. I recommend Noisili, because it has a bunch of different sounds you can mix and match at different volumes to create exactly what you need when you need it. If you sign up for free) you can also save some of your favorites. I just realized it sounds like I’m promoting them, but I’m not. They’ve just really helped me out this week. 

2. Edit by Hand

I want to save the environment. I yell at my students all the time for wasting paper. I hate the idea of printing out an entire book, which is why I’ve never done this before. But you know what? I caught more mistakes, I wasn’t distracted by tumblr or youtube, and I was able to come up with much more creative ideas to give my chapters what they needed. Getting a red pen and a binder for myself was the best choice for my writing I could’ve done. 

Print double sided, recycle when you’re done, and try to be more environmentally conscious in other areas in your life to make up for it. I’m going to go look up composting options now. 

3.  Kill your Darlings

I don’t mean physically kill off characters. I’m currently moving from my third draft to fourth, and I assumed that I was at the point where I wouldn’t have to rewrite huge swaths of my wip like I did to get to the second and third drafts. That I could  keep most of the lovely words I wrote and just change things around here and there. I thought, because it’s my fourth draft, I wasn’t really supposed to change huge things anymore. 

Wrong!

As soon as I gave myself permission to kill my darlings and delete and rewrite, this draft just took off. I’m a  better writer now than I was when I wrote the third draft. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t show that off. Don’t be afraid scrap things if it’s going to make your book better. Don’t be afraid to kill your darlings if they don’t belong there anymore. 

4. Find a New Place to Write

I’ve always been the type of person to sleep, daydream, eat, socialize, meditate, everything, all in my bed. I have a very small living situation so it’s really all I have. But when I try to get work done in bed, my mind conflates it with everything else I do there, and it’s very hard to stay focused on one thing. Find a place where you mainly just write. When you go there, it’s for writing. Another room in your living situation, a cafe, a park. I’ve discovered my front stoop is the place for me, and I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth (aka until it becomes freezing). 

Also, this tip apparently also works with other types of rituals. Like some people only drink a certain flavor of juice or tea before they write, and it gets them in the mood  for writing, or they write at the same time every day. Try different things out to see what works for you. If you attach something physical/visual to the act of writing, soon you’ll attach the act of writing to that physical/visual thing. 

If anyone has any other suggestions for how they change their mindset for writing/editing, feel free to add below! 

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I was reading my writing today, and let me tell you, it may not be good, plot is not the best, and characters are a bit stereotypical, but boy do I have fun writing it

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Reading Fic Pre-Posting: No typos whatsoever. Reads well. Flows beautifully. I have definitely found all possible spelling and grammar errors.

Reading Fic After Posting: A typo every three lines. Ten grammatical errors. Switches tense twice. POV changes for no discernible reason. Uses the word “look” five times in one sentence.

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please kill this idea that just because a female character is not physically strong and does not physically fight that her very existence is, by default, a sexist portrayal of women in media.

the “damsel in distress” trope is only harmful when that aspect of the character is all there is to the character. if the writers give attention to her backstory, her feelings, her struggles, and her development, then she’s not a faceless prop just being used for male empowerment. she’s a person. a person who happens to not fight.

there’s nothing wrong with that. and to push this notion that this is somehow bad and wrong and that women should never need saving, even in war and crime fiction, is ludicrous. it swings the pendulum too far in the other direction and creates the problem of only showcasing women who are physically fit, or butch, or masculine.

people come in all shapes, sizes, temperaments, and ideologies. stop worrying about stupid tropes and focus that energy on questioning whether or not a character is actually well-written and cared for by the author instead.

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It takes, at least, an hour to write a thousand words. And that’s when the words flow easily and it doesn’t include editing time. At least that’s my experience. 

It’s hard. It takes time and focus and so much dedication that it’s mind-boggling. Fic writers plot while they drive to work, when they pick their kids up at school, when they take a shower, when they try to fall asleep. Basically? We plot all the time. Scenes play over and over and over in our heads until it’s like watching it on tv (this is, admittedly, awesome but also at times problematic). Lines pop into our heads at the weirdest times and we make notes on scratch papers and napkins and on our phones so we don’t forget them. We eat, breathe, and sleep our stories.

Some writers write on their lunch breaks at work instead of eating. Some stay up half the night and show up exhausted to work the next morning. Some spend weekend mornings writing at a coffee shop instead of hanging out with their family or friends. Whenever they write the fanfic you read, they do it for free and it costs them time, energy and (for those of us who camp out in coffee shops for hours on end) sometimes money.

So here it is. 

If you have constructive criticism? Great. Be mindful of how you give it. Ask if the author is open to it first. Be specific. Be focused. And balance it with good points. If you are instead inclined to leave a note explaining that you won’t be reading because you don’t care for a plot element, hit the back key instead. The writer owes you nothing and comments like these are rude, self-entitled and egocentric as fuck. That fanfic you just spent fifteen minutes reading and the author spent 8 hours writing? It’s a gift. If you don’t like it? Politely back away and go elsewhere. 

You are free to dislike anything you like, even if its a canon plot element. You are also free to express that dislike. However - and here’s the kicker - that doesn’t mean you should. 

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Writing good romance is so difficult because the entire plot is based on character interactions and producing chemistry. The readers need to believe in the love, whether the hero and heroine have known one another for a week or for years. We need to believe.

So often I see ppl criticize the romance in books and it comes off as them hating romance and I’m like no no no no no, a well done romance is an exquisite piece of writing. It’s not romance in general that sucks, it’s bad romance that sucks. Insta love with no chemistry. Relationships with no conflict. Badly written heroes. Those romances suck.

But romance books? Written by masters of the genre? Those are amazing. 

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YO WRITERS

Stop what you’re doing right now and go write 3 sentences of your story.

Every time you see this, write 3 lines.

Reblog so other writers will do the same, let’s finish these damn stories.

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Hey, my writer frens, question….

How do the write?