queenie-the-writer

[queenie-the-writer]

three years, and words escape me now. get your copy today!

[queenie-the-writer]

i have 99 problems and a bigger bookshelf would solve 98 of them.

[queenie-the-writer]

i’m sorry but if you read you’re automatically hot

[queenie-the-writer]

“how are you?” i would rather be risking my life in a fictional world thanks for asking

[queenie-the-writer]

little miss has a problem with spending all their money on books

[queenie-the-writer]

i don’t have “trust” issues, i have “too many books, not enough time” issues

[queenie-the-writer]

writergram spends 99% of their time on instagram and 1% of their time on pinterest.

[queenie-the-writer]

do you prefer rainy days or sunny days? personally i think i have way too many books on my tbr and i have no idea wth i’m going to read next but i also need to stop buying more books and booktok is not helping in the slightest and honestly i should probably be spending all this time writing instead of reading but oh well what are you going to do about it. anyways i always enjoy a good rainy day.

[queenie-the-writer]

what is “meant to be”? (pt 2)

this is the second part to my collection of six poems i wrote for english class earlier this year. y’all finally get to cry at the ending ur welcome <3

4. THE START OF THE END

she is sick

a hospital bed

a diagnosis

a bottle of meds

he

is

strong

for

her

but really

he is scared

will i lose her?

he holds on

to hope

grips it as tight

as he holds her

like he might

stop her

leaving him

alone

she catches him

once

head in his hands

tears down his cheeks

wrapping him up

in her arms

mist

in her eyes

“i am still

going to

marry you

one

day”

a promise

she plans

on keeping

5. A SHADE OF ROUGE

she is better

she is worse

so

much

worse

they say

“there is not much time”

time

he thinks

it was never on our side

soon

her hourglass

will run out

but his

will keep

pouring sand

drowning

crushing

burying

him alive

“what do you think

happens

when

we

die?”

the words

strangle their way

out of her throat

the question

she is not afraid of

but wishes

she knew

the answer

in this

he is unsure

how to comfort her

his arms

her haven

his voice

her beacon

his eyes

her ocean

his heart

her heaven

she is

at peace

when

she leaves

6. IN PERPETUUM

he wants to rage

to scream

to fight

anything

to bring her

back

but all

he can do

is exist

she was

his will

to live

and now?

they all say

“it’s ok to grieve”

“don’t block it out”

“give it time”

that word

again

time

“what did

time

ever do

for me”

he yells

time

is vicious

merciless

murderous

humanity’s

incorporeal

antagonist

every day

he feels

her absence

like a ghost

with a hand

pressed to

his cheek

and a heart

that beats

in sync

every year

he visits

the damp earth

beneath which

she sleeps

he brings

a red

carnation

whispers

“i love you endlessly”

and sits

with her

in the rain

it looks like

young love

surpasses

even death

[queenie-the-writer]

what is “meant to be”?

HI ROYALS i wrote these poems for english class a few months ago and i’ve been dying to share them with you. there’s six total that tell one story, i could only fit half of them in this post so part two will be soon! or you can just go read it all on my wattpad link in bio <3

1. WHEN FALLING

they met

one summer

held hands

in the fall

winter brought

warm smiles

spring showers

long kisses

she was fearless

he was perfect

and the world

kept spinning

spinning

she cried

“we can’t just stand on it”

he said

“then let’s dance”

took her hand

like it was meant to be

but does young love

really last?

2. ORBITING

she waits

by her phone

for a number

she has memorized

no name is attached

to his contact

just ten digits

and she’ll know

she waits

two minutes

five

eight

her finger hovers

over the green button

before she decides

to press it

his number flashes

across the screen

sitting on her bed

phone at her ear

his sweater warms her

his scent comforts her

his voice soothes her

soon it’s late

1 am

her head on the pillow

she smiles

yawns

says

“goodnight”

but neither

hang up

she falls asleep

to the music

of his timbre

and when

he does not hear her answer

he softly

calls her name

a smile

curls his lips

he listens

to the peaceful

sounds

of her breaths

for moments

then

whispers

“goodnight, my love”

into the microphone

with only

the moon

the stars

the night

to hear

3. UNBEKNOWNST

she runs

out the door

to meet him

in the drive

“where are we going?”

but he shakes

his head

a secret smile

just for her

hiding in

the corners

of his lips

he wants

to show her

every wonder

in the world

the sand

is funneling

d

o

w

n

he tells her

“i will marry you one day”

she lays her head

on his shoulder

and believes him

[queenie-the-writer]

heartstopper: a rant

don’t get me wrong i f*cking love heartstopper but i found some things problematic, specifically in the show and i need an outlet so here we are (don’t come @ me or i’ll come @ you *respectfully*)

ok. so. i read the heartstopper books 1-4 in two days and binged the show the second day. therefore, i got a pretty direct comparison between the two and found that a lot of the things that were handled beautifully in the books weren’t done so well in the show.

keep in mind, ofc i wasn’t expecting the books and the show to be perfectly the same bc ik that’s simply not possible. no hate to anyone who loves the show, don’t get me wrong i did too!!! i just feel like it’s important to point these things out bc some of them are just not ok.

1. SHOW NICK VS BOOK NICK

I. LITERALLY. LOVE. NICK.

i relate so much to his character and he is such a sweetheart. but to me, show nick came no where near as good as book nick. let me explain.

let’s start with book nick. he was always so nice and respectful to everyone, and wasn’t afraid to stand up for what is right. we can see some of these same qualities in show nick, although book nick didn’t care as much abt being seen with charlie.

there’s this one scene that i always come back to when making a comparison between these two versions of him. remember the scene in volume 2 when they’re at a rugby practice and charlie gets passed the ball(?) and then tackled? some of the dialogue is “sorry, charlie” and “i forgot you were so light” as charlie is dazed on the ground. next thing you know, nick is shoving past everyone and yelling “CHARLIE!”, then proceeds to help charlie up and away like they’re the only two people there. he also stays and helps tend to his injury.

this all happens a little bit differently in the show. ep 4, rugby against the buff team which quickly turns into rugby against the buff team in the pouring rain. also in front of a bunch of kids from school, including charlie’s friends. at one point, the dude with the ball(?) is running for the end zone(?) (sports lingo amirite) and charlie’s there and ofc now’s the perfect time to decide to tackle him but instead charlie basically gets punched and falls down. everything just kinda like stops and nick is just standing there like ten feet away from charlie on the ground for a solid five minutes as everyone starts leaving and what does he do? absolutely nothing. nick just watches as ppl help charlie up and away and i think you see my point right?

then show nick has the audacity to say he’ll go out with a girl he doesn’t even like in front of a crowd of kids from school. like, no no no sir.

anyways. book nick >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> show nick

2. CHARLIE IS HISPANIC, RIGHT?

i guess not in the show bc he’s kinda super white. not that joe locke didn’t do a terrific job with the role, but just a missed mark by the casting since i feel like that’s an important part of the diversity and rep of the series.

3. TARA AND DARCY’S PLOTLINE

imo, a big part of nick’s character development is because of these ladies and their experience with coming out, which was lost in the show since they were also still figuring it out. it also felt kind of unnecessary to change it so much in the show, but oh well.

omg but the shot of them dancing at the party with the lights >>>>>

4. ELLE OUTING CHARLIE AND NICK

this is my biggest point and the one i found the MOST problematic in this whole thing.

when someone decides to trust you with their sexuality and / or the privacy of their relationship, one of the most important rules to follow is DONT TELL ANYONE. it’s not your responsibility to tell others. everyone’s journey is different and it’s up to them how and when they want to tell specific ppl, even if they’re also a part of your life. ITS NOT YOUR JOB. it’s a huge crossing of boundaries and grossly disrespectful.

this wasn’t an issue in the books, which makes me wonder why on earth they did what they did in the show.

i believe it’s in the third book that charlie decides to finally tell tao about his and nick’s relationship. though tao is the last one to know, it was still charlie who initiated the conversation bc he was finally ready to trust tao again.

in the show, nick and charlie tell elle when they’re out on a triple date with tara and darcy while tao is away from the table. so now tao is the only one who doesn’t know and when he shares his suspicions with elle about nick and charlie, SHE DOESNT DO ANYTHING. doesn’t deny anything, doesn’t even try to switch the subject. she doesn’t do anything to protect nick and charlie’s privacy and that’s what gets me so worked up.

again, don’t get me wrong—i loved the experience of reading and watching heartstopper. i just thought bringing the things i noticed to light was important bc some of the things represented in the show are just not okay. imo, the books are 110% better than the show and i highly recommend reading and also watching the show. it’s a great easy queer read with lots of amazing rep!!!

[queenie-the-writer]

personal updates

so yeah about the whole unplanned hiatus thing…

i never meant to disappear, especially for so long. ig i just didn’t realize how burnt out i was what with dance, school, and my social life too. luckily, dance is over, school is out, and now i have more time on my hands than i know what to do with.

not to say that the break wasn’t nice. i was definitely able to focus on what mattered most in my life at the time. but i think it’s time to come back to this account. and to start, i wanted to update y’all on what i’ve been up to the past few weeks :)

1. BOOKS

i’ve found a lot of time to read recently so i thought i’d share my june reads and what i rated them!

the spanish love deception ★★★★☆

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo ★★★★★

verity ★★★★☆

boyfriend material ★★★☆☆

ugly love ★★★☆☆

heartstopper 1-4 ★★★★☆

i’ve read 27 / 40 books this year!!

2. WRITING

i actually haven’t been writing a whole lot recently since i’ve been more focused on finishing my school year, though that doesn’t mean i have nothing to say.

you may remember back in april i applied to a program offered during a semester at my school that would allow me to write and publish the first LoB book. well, i’m SO pumped to tell y’all that it’s happening, i got accepted and if everything goes as planned the first book in my series will be published by february 2023!!!! i still have a lot of work to do to get there, but that’s the dream royals <3

also, since i’ve been thinking a lot abt publishing, i’m pretty sure i’m going to be changing the titles of the LoB books. the series is still going to be called League of Blood, but the books themselves will have different titles! i prob won’t be announcing what those are for a little while :)

i have a goal this summer to write 50k of the second LoB book, which—if completed—should give me an approximate first draft to work with after the first one is published. i also want to plan out everything i want to do with the first book before school starts again.

3. ACCOUNT

i don’t think i’m going to be doing a whole lot of changes rn, i switched up the theme since i wasn’t feeling the previous format and i may tweak my posting schedule later.

queenie’s gauntlet s2 is still running! contestants are currently competing in the second event, so the gauntlet will go into july.

other than that, i hope to be active again!! i love y’all sm and missed you beyond words <333

[queenie-the-writer]

how i make my posts: what should be a simple guide

i’ve gone through various formats of posts and i’m going to try to cover as much as possible in seven slides of text so bear with me

— FORMATTING —

there are so many options when it comes to choosing your format, and you can even combine some together which is what i do.

custom (most of my covers and my light academia theme)

twitter (my early posts)

tumblr (came later in my themes)

notes app (i haven’t done this myself but i’ve seen it before)

right now and for my past few themes, i use a combo of custom covers that i design myself using canva, tumblr to write my posts bc i find it the most versatile and easy to use, and twitter for my call out posts!

another thing to think of when it comes to formatting is how you want your account layout to look. a classic is the checkerboard, where you switch between too different formats of post covers like i do. you can play around with this too!

— ACCESSIBILITY —

one of the most important things is making sure that your fonts are readable, especially when it comes to making custom posts.

there’s nothing wrong with using stylized fonts—i’m a sucker for pretty fonts too—but if you do decide to use a font that may be harder to read, i strongly advise you to include an alt text as while. you can see this on my post covers too :)

i normally try to incorporate 4-6 different fonts that compliment each other well: one stylized font for titles, a sans font for alt text, a serif font for other text, and sometimes a few others.

also consider the colour of your font against the background. usually i go for a darker background image and a white font bc i think it looks more elegant, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own style too!

— APPS —

canva. that’s it. the app that will save. your. life.

i use canva for literally everything related to my account and i have since i started it. it’s very user-friendly and the more you use it the better at it you’ll get!

canva offers so many options even if you only use the free version like me. it has so many fonts and graphics and effects, the possibilities are endless!

i also use pinterest for photos and a feed preview for instagram that lets me see my post layout before i actually post anything!

canva!!

pinterest

picsart

feed preview

— CAPTIONS —

can you believe i put almost as much work into my captions as i do my posts. what can i say, i like pretty things.

the basics to include in a caption:

a space for what you want to say

qotd + aotd

follower count (if you want!)

the date

a mini promo space

hashtags

there’s a lot more you could put if you wanted, but i think starting off with the list above is the way to go.

i have font keyboard apps that let me stylize the caption further, and i also use online text divider sites where you can copy and paste the text dividers and add them where you want.

— ADDITIONALLY —

to increase reach and engagement, you can share your new post to your story to alert followers and remind them to check it out themselves!

another thing you can have is a tag list. this is a list of account mentions consisting of followers who have asked to be on it that you post in the comment section of your posts. a simple poll on your story for ppl to ask to be on it works great!

don’t add people to your tag list who have not asked to be on it. especially if they don’t follow you. it won’t encourage them to engage with your post and it’s blatantly disrespectful imo. so just pls don’t do it!

at the end of your posts, you can have a promo slide, commonly called an end card, that encourages ppl to follow for more of your content. i will do another post on how i make my end cards soon! <3

[queenie-the-writer]

queenie’s gauntlet (SEASON TWO)

HAPPY ONE YEAR ROYALS!!!!! and the moment that you’ve all been waiting for is finally here once more…

what?

you may remember (though a lot of you weren’t around then so maybe not) that back in july when i hit 500 followers, i hosted an event in which sixteen contestants competed in various challenges over the course of a few months. this event was queenie’s gauntlet. things this time around will be a bit different—most things will be done on a discord server and i’ve created new challenges for the season two contestants. that being said, this season is sure not to be any less fun than the last!

how to apply

this process is also a little different but no harder than previously.

selection of the sixteen contestants is done completely randomly. what you need to do to have a chance:

— make sure to be following me!

— save the post for future reference :)

— share to your story so more people can have a chance to be interested! (@ me so i can see pls!! <3)

— answer the qotd in the caption bc why not?? it’s fun???

— tag some friends in the comments! maybe you’ll be in it together….

AND fill out the contestant application form that’s linked in my bio!! THIS MUST BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO BE A VALID CANDIDATE!!!!!!

the deadline to apply is may 24th. contestants will be announced may 29th. the gauntlet begins june 1st.

let us RULES

see, this section is vv important. my account and everything associated with it—ex. this gauntlet—is a safe place for ALL. i do not tolerate poor sportsmanship or any form of hate. i also do not tolerate haggling or disrespect, especially towards myself. the amount of effort i put into this thing is immeasurable and i do my best to make everything as fair as possible.

the following is the rules you as an applicant agree to abide if you are selected as a contestant:

there is a no cheating policy and every contestant, moderator, and myself will be treated with respect. unsportsmanlike behaviour will not be tolerated, including racism, homophobia, transphobia, gaslighting, harassment, threats, insults, or any rude / harmful remarks at all. i, queenie, retain the right to suspend or disqualify contestants as i see fit if suspected of violating these rules.

prizes!!

now that that’s out of the way, time for the rewarding part. bc what kind of competition would i be running if there weren’t prizes??

1st place: title of CHAMPION, a permanent shoutout in my highlights, three post requests, three aesthetics of your choice OR a theme template (includes theme divider, end card, faq, and help card)

2nd & 3rd place: a permanent shoutout in my highlights, two post requests, two aesthetics of your choice OR a theme template (includes two of the following: theme divider, end card, faq, and help card)

4th & 5th place: a shoutout on my story, one post request, one aesthetic of your choice

final word

GUYS. ONE YEAR. holy shit. i can’t thank y’all enough. we’re entering a new chapter of my account and i can’t wait to see what is going to come of it. i’m so excited to share this journey with all of you, you literally mean the world to me. tysm for the bottom of my heart royals <3333 NOW GO APPLY FOR QUEENIES GAUNTLET SEASON TWO WOOOOOOOOOOOO

[queenie-the-writer]

appreciation post — 4 days to one year!

@/starpillow_

where else could i start but with one of my first, longest, and closest friends. to think that if i never started this account i never would have met you, my platonic soulmate, loml. you’re there for me in the good times and bad and everything in between. you are one of the strongest, most selfless, beautiful, and kind souls i have ever encountered. words cannot begin to describe how much i love you

@/persephonewritess

PERSEEEE. literally from the moment i saw your account i knew i wanted to be friends with you and i wouldn’t change that for the world. we haven’t known each other long but it doesn’t feel like it matters. you’re just super nice and fun to talk to and I LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCHHHH

@/mayawritesstories

(HEY LOOK ANOTHER ONE OF MY POSTS YOURE TAGGED IN!) our friendship is a blur of account tips, life ranting, chaotic lateeee night convos (i’m talking 1am, possessed washing machines yk), screaming, fangirling, and a lot of other crazy shit. the fact that you literally just messaged me as i’m writing this at almost 12am proves my point i think. lmao love you to death cookie monster

@/roza_loveswriting

you’ve literally been here since the beginning omg. honestly the sweetest person i’ve ever met through my account and to think we’ve been through this entire journey together is crazy. you beta read LoB and are one of the first and most hardcore fans of the story and characters (#ambriacult where u at). i cant even begin to express how grateful i am for you <3

@/aurorae_writes

sadly you aren’t active rn and idk if you’ll see this but i could not leave you out if my life depended on it. you’ve also been here since the start and are one of the most supportive friends i’ve met here. you beta read LoB too and became an instant fan, joining the ranks of the fandom and the #ambriacult, and i love you endlessly for that. i wish you all the best in your writing and your life and whatever comes next!

@/thenovelcorner

HI JORJA, MY WRITING BESTIE THROUGH AND THROUGH. it has been such a ride with you gsjdhskdbc i lwk trust you with my life. i am OBSESSSEDDDD with your wip and this is my formal request for mira’s hand in marriage (dw caed is welcome too as you know polyamorous relationship and such ;)). i love youuuuu but also hate youuuuuuu but also love youuuuuu at the same time

@/hjwritess

it was the bonding over sjm, more specifically crescent city and the release of hosab and ruhn danaan for us. ugh but no ilysm even tho we’ve only known each other for a few months you’re literally one of my besties and idk what else there is to say. you’re brilliant and funny and talented and so nice omggg ily hj <3

@/fictionalturtlenecks

idk when i became the person you went to when you needed help brainstorming for your freaking IMMACULATE posts (i still don’t know how you post 24/7 maam) but it happened and it’s always when it’s late and i’m just abt ready for bed so my brain is wacko and yeah. you get it. granny needs her brian to rest. lmfao. tired brains + chaotic convos + post brainstorming = cOnTeNt and some great besties >>>

a bunch more amazing friends who deserve shoutouts <3

@/fallonswriting

@/calliopewritess

@/sailorwrites

@/jenwritess

@/rox.writess

@/the.writing_corner

@/liv.for.writing

@/mcpending

@/_fableandink

and one last thank you

which would be to you, wonderful reader of this right now. whether you’ve been here since day one or found my account just now; whether you left a like in passing or shared one of my posts to your story bc it made you laugh or you related to it or it helped you; whether you took the time to write me a comment or replied to one of my stories or sent me a dm just to say hi or how much you liked my account; thank you. if it weren’t for any of you, i would not be where i am today. i love every single one of you so much <3333

[queenie-the-writer]

genevieve laellynar — main character intro (adosat)

name: genevieve laellynar (nicknames: genie, vi (by alistar which annoys her to no end))

role: protagonist + pov in adosat

age: 20 (birthday: november 9th)

pronouns: she/her

species: Fae

nationality: kingdom of allaernnal

gender identity: female

sexuality: bisexual, demiromantic

skills: all manner of combat, magic, deception, being dramatic, accomplishing an ungodly amount of things in high heels

appearance

long chestnut hair, dark blue eyes, deep golden skin, freckled face, pointed Fae ears, decorative ear piercings, full lips, 5”7, healthy and fit, long torso, left eyebrow piercing, enchanted plain silver ring on right middle finger that cannot be removed, tattooed letter R beneath right ear, and twin daggers on the outside of forearms

general

occupation: assassin, Queensbury Guild

likes: weapons, partying, sunshine, success, high heels, black, dragons, sweets, red wine, a challenge

dislikes: silence, open water, failure, Fae, yellow, literally anything Alistar does, being talked down to

religious beliefs: faith in immortal goddesses, hannelore and krayja

moral compass: morally grey

social type: ambivert

zodiac sign: scorpio

mbti: istj-t

enneagram: 8

relationships

close friends: elowen gessele, faro eswaran

other friends: ellis vxan, klaus lajald

rival: alistar feyrer

romantic interest: nice try guys

parents: N/A unless you count toren as a shitty father

siblings: N/A

backstory

Genevieve was born in the Immortal Kingdom of Allaernnal, but after a traumatic accident, her Fae parents abandon her at seven years old in the streets of the mortal capital of Beahia to die. instead, she is collected by Toren Rhanval—the Head of the Queensbury Guild Assassins—and fostered in the Guild.

she spends the next thirteen years training and honing her Fae abilities into a lethal weapon, taught to kill a man swiftly and painlessly or leisurely and tortuously.

her Fae magic grew as she did, and Genevieve forced herself to get a handle on her impressive powers without any help from her kind.

she became the youngest graduate from her training the Guild had ever seen, highly regarded to deal with the Mortal Queen’s more difficult opposers.

quotes

— “While your concern flatters me, I will go wherever I please and do whatever I please, thank you very much.”

— “Since when have I ever listened to you?”

— “What say you, o fearless one? Up for a challenge?”

— “Unless you die on the way there. In which case I won’t be sad to see you go.”

— “I’m not your dear anything.”

— “Devil to some. Angel to others.”

— “I’m not human, therefore I do not require sleep.”

— “Well, we all want things we can’t have.”

— “Don’t call me that.”

— “Fuck you.”

— “I am what they made me.”

[queenie-the-writer]

giving your characters unique voices

now, i’m not only talking about speech and dialogue. body language, physical traits, actions, mood, goals, thoughts and personality—these all contribute to the defining factors of who your characters are and how they appear on the page. there’s a lot that goes into character creation, and we’re going to peel back some of the layers in this post!

first impressions

a character’s voice will tell the reader a lot about them. readers will pick up on subtle clues that help them judge who the character is. this can also hint to them the character’s arc, mental state, personality, opinions, and much more.

you want your characters to be as realistic as possible so that readers can truly picture them as real people. you need their voice to be consistent and genuine (even if your character isn’t being genuine).

as writers, we often have the habit of letting our own style and behaviours leak into our writing. while there’s nothing wrong with having your own writing style, you have to make sure that you don’t take away from the characters’ own voices and spotlight. knowing your characters down to the most minute detail will help with avoiding this.

shaping a voice

a lot of things go into making a character, and it’s important to know everything about them. like real people, they should have quirks, opinions, hopes, history, culture—and that’s only a few. here’s three key points to keep in mind when character outlining:

— actions: how they speak and act in certain situations and come to decisions.

— thoughts: how they view themselves and others, as well as they’re inner monologue and how they process challenges and emotions.

— descriptions: how they see and experience things, their appearance and physical traits.

a good way to start off would be to create character profiles. these will help immensely when it comes to understanding your characters. list things like their name(s), appearance, personality, backstory, religion / culture, flaws, goal(s), and any other important information you can think of.

when it comes to arcs

over the course of the story, your character (and their voice) should undergo some kind of change and/or development. people tend to change over time and grow, especially during great moments of distress or conflict, like the plot.

because of this, you’ll need to consider a character’s personal arc when discerning their unique voice. one strategy is to think in stages, for example what is the character’s mental state at the beginning of the story compared to the middle and then the end? this will give you a better idea of how they evolve from start to finish and let you apply that knowledge to your writing.

final word

knowing how your characters will react to plot points and come up with solutions will significantly aid the process of creating your character’s unique voice. just because we put them through hell and back doesn’t mean they’re any less than true people who feel pain and happiness and remorse. i mean, they aren’t real exactly but close enough to it imo. anyways, love y’all royals queenie out <3