#<- that tag should give you the general vibes of that plot point

[emilywritesfics]

I swear that my plan was to take a step back after posting Chapter 8 of In the Meantime to give myself time to think through the rest of the story and also because I started a new job yesterday. But I posted that chapter on Sunday and I just wrote over 600 words for the next chapter and it doesn't seem to be stopping.

[unhappy-last-resort]

PGR Writing Game!

Pick a prompt and character of your choice and write it! There's no competing or any requirements to join, just write something!

Tag me, or use the #PGR writing game to participate! Time period is Aug 5th - November 1st

Further details and prompts (if you need them) below...

Info:

There is no specific trope or genre that you need to follow.

You can write whatever you want! Fluff, smut, action, horror, romance, whatever inspires you to write!

You can either post your work yourself, or submit a post!

Just make sure you give a pen name of some sort so I can credit you, otherwise I won't post it

Time frame is Aug 5th - November 1st

There is no word limit or requirement.

It can be 100 words, or 100,000. It's whatever you wanna write

You can post your work even if you're late

Struggling to write, or nervous about participating?

It can be hard to post your own work in fandom, maybe you don't feel like your work is "good enough" (there is no such thing, fandoms are community spaces, not corporate ones), or maybe you don't think anyone will like it.

Well, I've been there too! In fact, I think that all the time. Some things that have helped me keep posting my work despite that are...

Writing what you want to read

If you ever thought "I wish there was more X type fanfic", this is your sign! Writing what you want to read means you're passionate about it, and if you're passionate about what you're working on, it shows in your writing and other people will notice it too!

If you don't like what you've written, change it up!

Re-read what you've written and ask yourself "Would I read this?", "Would I enjoy it?", "Why, or why not?"

Identifying what's missing in your story will help you write with better direction. It could be as simple as adding more interesting and unique vocabulary, taking more time to describe scenarios or places to capture whatever vibes or feelings you want, or maybe adding something to the plot point.

Of course, these can be difficult to identify so you could try asking for help through the event tag, asking a friend, or asking me for help

What if people don't like it?

They can suck a dick. Okay, seriously though, most people won't do or say anything and if they do, I will eat them. You go post that lovely piece of art

My work isn't getting as much attention as X persons/Why aren't I getting a lot of notes?

Well, there can be a lot of reasons behind that. First and foremost, tags. Are you using all the tags that you could be? The PGR fandom is pretty niche in and of itself, so chances are that there a lot of people who would love to read some PGR fanfic, but they think the scene is dead and aren't looking for it, or they're only looking in the #pgr, #punishing gray raven, or #punishing: gray raven tags

Secondly, your font. Other fonts like

This

Or this

can be busy on the eyes which can make it both difficult to read and unappealing to look at it. Using the default font at a normal, or smaller size is generally your best bet.

Lastly, why is X person's work getting more attention than mine?

Like how writing is a hobby, so is reading. Some people may not have been interested at the time, or you just have to wait. Writing has the benefit of being pretty timeless, so that means people will come to read your work months or years after it's been posted.

It's also important to remember that PGR isn't a large fandom, so unlike other fan works on Tumblr, notes won't accumulate as quickly

Focus on your enjoyment of what you're making

Remember, fandom is a community space and this is a community event. You should be having fun, first and foremost

Everyone is scared

Everyone from a random blog who just posted their first writing ever, to your favorite author of several years with hundreds of works is scared of posting sometimes. It can be easy to fall into the pitfalls of thinking you're somehow annoying everyone in the fandom by posting a bunch of words, or being scared that a post won't do well. You're not alone in your paranoia, so try to be nice and encourage both yourself and others you see who might be struggling. You've got this!

Prompts:

You can write with any perspective or character(s) you want, I only have the "you" here to help you get immersed in the prompt. You may change the prompts as you like to fit your story telling.

The artificial sun of Babylonia's sky warms your skin. It's lively today, with children playing, couples shopping, and individuals heading for their morning coffee. You were no different, briskly walking towards a cafe you had agreed to meet someone.

You push the cafe door open and a bell chimes above you as you walk into the establishment. The golden rays of sunlight stream through the large, glass windows, cascading down on the patrons inside and giving the cafe a new sense of warmth. The aroma of freshly made coffee fills the air, pastries sit tantalizingly in the display cabinets, and a barista is busy making a drink behind the counter.

Just as you're about to step forward to the counter, the bell chimes behind you and you turn to see a familiar figure.

The Science Council is busy today, well- they're busy everyday, but today feels especially important. Scientists frantically type on their terminals, constructs and officers going in and out. Even Celica stopped by for a moment, hurriedly exchanging words and documents with Asimov before leaving just as fast. You tried asking what was going on, but everyone seemed too busy to talk to you. At that moment, Asimov walks up to you.

The scent of salt and water fills your lungs, sand shifting beneath your feet. You wander along the shoreline, various hopes and worries aimlessly run through your mind, coming and going as quickly as they came to you. You're so lost in thought that you didn't hear the soft crunches of sand coming up behind you.

The stars twinkled above you, cold wind rustling the trees and biting at your skin. You did your best to ignore the cold, after all, it was part of why you could travel without running into too many enemies on the way. Even still, the air held a strange tension, as if even the trees were holding their breaths, waiting for something, or someone.

The lounge felt uniquely quiet. That shouldn't be surprising, it was just you here right now, the other members of your squad were busy with their own duties at the moment. Even so, you couldn't help but feel a tinge of loneliness. Sighing, you stood up and wondered what you should do to occupy yourself. Should you clean and organize equipment? Maybe clean the lounge? Or...do something less productive? Look at old photos and logs, indulge in a private hobby? It has been a while since you found yourself with so much free time.

"Ah, there you are." Vonnegut's voice reverberates throughout the room, he speaks evenly, calmly, but you still feel the tension rise in your shoulders. A heavy gaze of displeasure and expectation weighing down your soul and keeping you from moving an inch.

Vonnegut sits on his throne, hands folded, legs crossed, golden mask and eyes glinting in the limited light.

"You've kept me waiting for quite a while."

You exhaled shakily, nervously readjusting your formal wear for the upteenth time. You could hear the cacophony of chattering voices, and clinking silver wear, occasionally cut through with the chime of a glass knocking against a plate through the other side of the door. You knew the moment you opened it, the sounds would become overwhelming, drowning out all personal thoughts and suffocating you.

Nevertheless, you couldn't linger in this dark, isolated hallway any longer than you already have.

The library was quiet as always, but it was even quieter now that the nighttime hours on Babylonia had begun. It was a perfect place to hide in solitude and wander in your thoughts, or even go through old memories of your life.

It felt eerie. The stained wallpaper, scattered furniture, broken windows with beams of moonlight streaming through. You had received a comms signal in this abandoned mansion, but now that you had stepped foot inside, it was gone. You walked quietly, keeping an eye out for any potential traps as you stepped through the halls. A creak of floorboards sounds above you, a door opens, footsteps...and silence. You froze, should you retreat? Call out? Try sending out a comms signal? Investigate? You chewed your bottom lip and as you're still deciding what to do, you hear another creak.

Right down the hallway.

[jessbakescakes]

🍊🍍🥝🫐 for the ask game?

Questions from the fruit ask game!

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? (They’re so interesting! But maybe you have trouble pinning them down, or keep getting distracted by another blorbo…)

Abbey freakin' Bartlet, queen of the universe. I love Abbey. I adore Abbey. It's difficult sometimes to work her into a scene or a fic. I'm sure I don't need to make an excuse, and people seem to enjoy when I write Abbey, so I'd imagine folks would just accept whatever reason for her being there. I just... need to write the Bartlets in my fics more honestly.

🍍 What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with?

So, I think in my head there are two separate AUs: one is a completely different setting/universe in general. The other is a looser, canon-divergent AU where the setting stays the same but a major plot point changes. I love lots of different AUs, so long as the characters stay true to themselves, but I will say it's difficult to pull off because so much of the show is the political aspect. I love teacher AUs, I love soulmate AUs, I love anything that makes me feel like these characters will find their way to each other in all universes. I have beef with AUs where people write Josh as an absent/deadbeat father or a bad husband. Josh is not perfect, certainly, but the idea of a kid being disappointed in him? Joshua Lyman as an absentee father simply doesn't vibe for me.

🥝 What’s your favorite trope/AO3 tag to write?

Fluff, tooth-rotting fluff, anything of that general vibe is a delight to write. I do enjoy angst, too, but like... in small doses. I have a difficult job where I see a lot of really hard/sad things, and I use fic to escape and to be a bright spot in my life. I have to be ready for hard/angsty fics/headcanons sometimes. So... literally anything fluffy is my jam.

🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

Hmmmm, this is a good question. I don't know that I have any super-original ideas, but I think we as a collective don't appreciate some of the more understated friendships in this show enough sometimes?

Hear me out.

The Chaos Twins are A DELIGHT as they should be. Josh and Sam's 'idiot brothers' situation is one for the ages. But fandom-wide, when it comes to friendship, I don't see a lot of people include Donna. This could be simply because she's a more minor role, but I adore so many of her friendships in this show.

Charlie and Donna? Pretty sure you and I have talked about the Charlie and Donna back-to-school agenda before and it has not left my brain since. Toby and Donna? The show only gives us *crumbs*. The fandom is better with Sam and Donna, certainly, because that friendship is more overt in the show. But CJ and Donna? Criminal mind like my own? How are there not a zillion more CJ and Donna friendship fics out there? (Shout out to Champagne Problems, a fic by whatsuptheregail written for me recently for a fic exchange, for helping to fill this void! A blessing, truly.)

I don't want to get on my soapbox about it, because people are allowed to write what they want to write, and I love that for them. I will spare you all of my thoughts but... I have a lot lol. More Donna in supportive/friendship roles aside from just being Josh's assistant/romantic interest/etc, please.

[bewareofthenewphannie]

Hello! This is an ask game so we can tag phan!! shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up + if you think they can be related to DnP or not. Copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals!!

this playlist is mostly based on vibes and I honestly only have a somewhat vague idea of what most of these songs are about, but I am tired af so I will be able to relate the lyrics to dan and phil and if it kills me.

I have a laptop, no filter, and a dream - proceed at your own risk

She Doesn't Sleep - Anthony Amorim

the title, which is also the first lyric of the chorus can clearly be related to dan circa any time in the past, as she was infamous for having an irregular sleep rhythm. this phenomenon is also a substantial plot device for many phanfics from circa 2013-2016.

furthermore, the general unsetteling, horror-esque picture painted by the lyrics can be compared to DanAndPhilCRAFTS, specifically the experience of a demonic entity being present as well as the looming threat of death by otherworldly forces.

beyond that, in his 2009 piece "Phillippa" Philip Lester creates the haunting and unsetteling female character "Phillippa". by the repetitive mention of blood, as well as end quote "I want to eat your soul", Lester clearly paints a picture of a seemingly innocent character with demonic traits. this mirrors the character described in the song below.

Great Vacation - Dirt Poor Robin

Already the cover of this song visually reminds of Daniel Howell standing on the steps during his stage show "We're All Doomed" (WAD). You can see a heavily backlight figure standing on the top of some stairs.

Generally the main theme of the song, the end of the world and the reckoning that comes along with it, also ties in well with WAD. Both examine phenomena of the current state of the world and humanitie's role in it. However, it should be noted that Howell's stage show ultimately ends on a more hopeful and action-focused note than this song, which merely carries a vaguely hopeful note in its melody but ultimately has accepted the end and awaits it passively.

Ship in a Bottle - fin

This song talks about mental health struggles in the metaphor of a ship trying to stay afloat in a bottle. It tackles topics such as desperately trying and failing to grapple for control and struggeling to take action. In his best selling book "You Will Get Through This Night" (YWGTTN) Daniel Howell tackles various struggles with mental health. The first section of the book, "This Night", is meant to aid in especially bad moments, emergencies, and gives tools to "cope with overwhelming negative feelings" (Howell, 2021). The song "Ship in a Bottle" describes precisely moments like this, where grounding is deperately needed.

Furthermore, Phan is a ship. In fact, it is the most popular RPF ship according to Tumblr (2024), besting even the likes of Jedus (Jesus/Judas).

Farewell Wanderlust - The Amazing Devil

This song is quite frankly too long to examine in detail, as it is past midnight now, however I do want to take the time to point out a few notable things. First and Foremost there is a similarity in the names of "The Amazing Devil" and "AmazingPhil", who has previously been dressed up as a "handsome devil" (DanAndPhilGAMES, 2023).

This song revolves around the confrontation of one's inner demons in strong relation to regrets from the past. Parts of the Phandom have been (self-)described as "demons" in the pasts, so the original meaning of the struggle with inner demons can be widened to the outer struggle of Dan and Phil with the Phandom, which is a phenomon that can largely be placed in the past.

Lyrics such as "I'm the face that stares back when the screen goes to black" and "Every time that you fumble, I'm the laugh from the back; When you think about him, my wings start to flap" can be interpreted in that way, however perhaps most devastingly the last plea of the song:

And so long to the person you begged me to be He's down, he's dead Now take a good long look at what you've done to me?

the fruits - Paris Paloma

Okay, just two words for this one:

Sister Daniel

My love, are you the devil? I would worship you instead of him I have no time for confession For I'm too busy committing sins My love, you're something special I never met someone like you You made me fall from Heaven

Like, what could I even add here?

"Angel", he calls me, does he know that I'm falling From a precipice that I tripped off long ago? "You're so pure", he says, does he know I'm forsaken? The original sinner, but soon, he'll know For if I'm going down, I guess I'll take you with me

....and good night!

[13tinysocks]

FAQ because fags ask questions.

Gimmie the basics

I'm Rea, 23, butch bulldyke, illustrator, I live with and am dating my coauthor @itsabee pronouns ??? She her I guess???? Any are fine. Art account @11largesocks

Wait are you seriously a lesbian?

Yes. I hold no attraction to men fictional or real. I think playing Barbie with them is just really fun.

Where can I find your fics?

Avaliable on Ao3 (linked) or on Quotev (just search the titles you should find us Except MDGF)

Spill Your Guts - proxies x reader - completed

The Hunt Is On - EJ, Jane, Clockwork x reader - completed

You'll Catch Your Death - proxies x reader - completed

House Of 1000 Corpses - various creepypasta x reader - in progress

My Dead Girlfriend - Invincible Variants x reader - in progress

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64802509/chapters/166529410

Uhm? Tag slurs?

Can you give me writing advice?

No🤗

Can I make fanart/fanfic based off your interpretations of characters?

Yes of course I don't own them at all and I'm happy to inspire others to get creative!! Tag us if you ever do anything like that!!

Check my #writing tag. Anything unanswered free to ask.

How do you write so much?

What do you listen to while writing?

Idk I got autism powers. Also making writing even a little everyday as a goal is a good way to form a long term habit of doing it every day.

What does the average chapter of your fics go through before being published?

A lot more than people think that's for sure! We pre draft our fics general plot and major events before starting. As for chapters: Abby and I write an outline together. Once completed I will write the chapter. After that Abby goes through to fix character interactions, add depth, and fix my awful spelling mistakes. I then go over Abby's edits and completely reread the chapter to make sure it's cohesive. Give it a silly name and add a song that's related to the vibe and then she's live, baby.

Mostly Pup, Rob Zombie, TPOF's soundtrack, Harley Poe. Sets the mood for the type of stuff I write.

What do you call each fic YN?

We named each of our yn's to refer to them more easily. Syg yn is Ryan. Thio yn is Dylan. Ycyd yn is Dianne. Ho1c yn is Joan. Mdgf is Dregs.

When is the published version of You’ll Catch Your Death coming out?

No idea. It needs to be drafted and redrafted, edited and reedited, and then I gotta query for agents.

YCYD is getting a published version??

Yes! However because of bad writing and copyright it is being completely overhauled. The story is mostly the same but better. The characters are different. Goober is even goobier. It will be split into two to three novels due to word count restrictions.

What happened to the novelization of Spill Your Guts?

SYG was rewritten as a novel but just did not work. We shelved it and started YCYD which has gone much better.

Head cannons?

I'm not a matchup, head cannon, or mini fic blog. I talk about my fics mostly. If you have questions about those fics I'm happy to answer.

Will you be writing more fanfiction?

Yes I am currently writing My Dead Girlfriend with Abby. It's our take on the Invincible variants x reader. We are still working on HO1C but due to lack of interest on our end updates have majorly slowed.

Please update HO1C!

Please understand, we’ve written Creepypasta fanfic for the better part of five years. Over a million words of free content. We were bound to be disinterred at some point. We want to eventually work on, maybe finish, HO1C but for now we are exploring other things. Do not hound us for updates it does the opposite of what you think it will.

Why haven't you answered my ask?

I've been getting a huge influx of asks recently and it's hard to take the time to answer all of them. Sometimes I just need to think on it, other times I don't know quite how to respond. I appreciate your kindness and curiosity but I am just a regular guy.

Kys

Thank you

Is there anywhere to support you and Abby?

Our Kofi

Our Etsy

[lies-unfurl]

hi! I think you’ve mentioned on your blog before that you read marvel comics, so as a sambucky fan can I ask you which comics in particular one should read for sam and bucky? I know there’s only one comic book for them, I think - the Cut Of One Head collection. I’ve read that, but I want moore. and I just don’t know where to start. (do you pirate them or do you have the Marvel Unlimited subscription?)

and I saw Mackenzie Lee wrote a Winter Soldier book, have you read it? I’m tempted to check it out. I am mostly asking all of this bc I want to be writing sambucky fic but I struggle with coming up with "villains" and you've come up with so many good villains in your sambucky fics, and just in general you get the mcu vibes just right

Hi anon, thanks for the question and the kind words! I have read some comics and am actively trying to read more, but I have a tendency to get sidetracked. The Falcon and Winter Soldier series is probably peak SamBucky. I've also read some of the Death of Captain America arc and enjoyed that, though it's been a little while and I don't recall how heavy on the SamBucky stuff it was. Sam's most recent Cap series, Symbol of Truth, does have a little bit of Bucky, but you'd have to also read Steve!Cap's Sentinel of Liberty arc to understand it.

The best resource I've found for comics is Comic Book Herald's reading order lists -- Sam and Bucky. Take a look and see where they overlap, and you should find at least some SamBucky content to satisfy you. I'll also tag this post in the hopes that more knowledgeable people might be able to help.

As for your other questions -- yes, I use Marvel Unlimited. I have mixed feelings; it's convenient, but I find the website annoying to navigate and lacking in some features, to the point where you pretty much have to use the app. If you don't mind reading on your phone, or if you have a tablet, I'd say it's worth it. Pretty much all of the older series will be out in trade paperbacks though, so if you have access to a library you may be able to get them for free.

And YES, I did read the Mackenzie Lee Winter Soldier book. It's absolutely like if a Bucky whump fic got published; he's suffering in like every chapter lol. There's no Sam due to the timeframe, and it actually gave me Steve/Bucky* vibes in a few spots. I'll put the specifics under the read since they're (mild) spoilers. But Steve doesn't actually have a huge part in it. I'd say it's worth checking out if you're interested in WWII/early Winter Soldier Bucky. It's comics-adjacent, but not actually part of the main 616 comicsverse, so you can read it without any background.

(And if you're interested in writing villains -- do you want more serious ones, or just sort of like... background plot devices to set up the story? The first one is harder, but if you're interested in the latter, I wouldn't stress it! There's so much weird shit in the comics, if you're going for a lighter tone, you can basically just make up Some Guy, give them a grievance, and let your imagination go.)

*When Bucky and Steve meet for the first time, Bucky thinks about Steve's "thick quads that strained the seams" of his pants, and his "chiseled face." A female friend of Bucky's has a line about wanting to marry Captain America, and then says she isn't sure if Bucky is more possessive over her or Steve. And Bucky flashes back to him and Steve snuggling in a foxhole for warmth, and a different time when he had pneumonia and Steve wrapped them both in a jacket and held him until his fever broke??? Like Steve genuinely isn't a huge part of the story and I wouldn't let that put you off of it if you're otherwise interested in the novel, but I did come away thinking that Mackenzie Lee had probably written Stucky fanfiction at one point.

[kirkwalld]

THE SWORD IS AT LEVEL WITH MY CHEST. IT IS ONLY STEEL. IT CANNOT HURT ME FOR I AM NOT OF MORTAL MEN.    #KIRKWALLD,  a  mutuals-only  multi-muse  rp  blog featuring isabela, bethany & anders of bioware's DA2   /  loved   by  nee

the easiest way to start a thread is to send in an ask, no plotting needed ! please feel free to continue any ask as a thread  !

RULES UNDER THE CUT. SIDEBLOG TO @abyssflown

last of all,  hi, i’m nee ( 29,  virgo, she/he/they, i like anime, video games, and comics. )  i’ve been on tunglr.hell for a long time and i promise i’m friendly, if you have any questions or want to plot feel free to shoot me a message, i tend to post plotting calls fairly often.

in affiliation with

𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐘 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 - and beg for this not to end in tragedy.

as i said, nee, 28, any pronouns, i'm friendly but please don't push my boundaries.

private, selective, mutuals-only multimuse, i'm slow to follow back as i'm usually on mobile, rarely follow first, and will unfollow after a time if i don't see us writing int he future, because i'm mobile a lot i do tend to hard block and then after some time soft-block just to avoid any confusion / thinking it's just a glitch and refollowing. if i unfollow please don't think it's because i dislike you i just hate being perceived and having a high follower count makes me deeply uncomfortable. I BLOCK PERSONALS AND FAN-THEORY BLOGS ON SIGHT

i usually prefer to get to know someone ooc before giving out my discord and i do tend to disappear periodically, i am not ignoring you purposefully i'm just bad about staying in contact. i'm notoriously bad at plotting and just follow vibes, if you have a specific vibe / genre / tone / moment you want to explore with any of my characters please reach out! I tend to write better when the general feeling of the thread has been established.

because of the nature of the source material, the characters, and the various metaphors and allegories i've associated with the characters you will find a lot of triggering topics here, including but not limited to: body horror, violence, grooming, violence aftermath, ptsd, religion, cannibalism, etc. i will try to tag all topics with trigger tw // or just trigger tw

in regards to shipping, i will never respond to shipping calls but that doesn't mean i'm not interested! i just like to do a slow organic build up to shipping and will only ever ship with someone i know well ooc, even if it's just us riffing through im or discord i need to have some chemistry between our characters before i can ever consider shipping, that said if i see the potential for it i will message! if you see the potential please message me!

it is incredibly easy not to be literal scum, i do not tolerate any bigotry whatsoever.

because of the nature of the source material and the characters written, it should be understood that if you antagonize my character there will be consequences. i obviously am not going to be writing combat with your character without asking, but i have no interest in OP characters with no flaws, where our threads have no weight.

 I'm not great with ask memes, especially one-liners, without prior plotting, i tend to be pretty wordy to begin with in replies and i just feel like i do not have enough context to reply properly. in regards to companion characters i generally do not like to have our first thread taking place anywhere after act i ( this obviously does not apply if the character is not found until after that point ) mainly because traveling together for that long implies a certain level of intimacy or knowledge of the other and i can't rely on the build up in the game because it's not a dynamic that we have built up together as writers. that being said, if you want to send asks, a short drabble in the inbox is a great way to start an interaction.

[vellaphoria]

Hi! For the writer's ask game: 25, 27, and 29 :) Also, I reread Midnight Elegy recently and it's even better then I remembered!

Hello!! :D as;lkdjfa;skldjls I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to reread it! I had such a good time writing that one. Thank you for the incredibly kind words! <3

Answers below the cut:

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on? Gethsemane in Winter, probably For context, at one point I wrote a DickTim Earth-3 series because there was a very specific interpretation of the concept that I desperately wanted to read but that didn't exist. So I set out to write it myself, knowing that it probably wouldn't get too much attention, given the number of (accurate) warning tags I slapped on it. I worked hard on it and am proud of the result, but there's still a bit of wistfulness about it because of the nature of incredibly niche things.

Though if anyone is curious enough to look at the part of the map labeled here be dragons, then the series is A Fact or a Weapon, which comes from a wonderfully haunting (and apt, for the fic) line from the poem "We are Hard" by Margaret Atwood:

A truth should exist, it should not be used like this. If I love you

is that a fact or a weapon?

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

My most favorite part is writing descriptions! I tend to be a visual thinker, so I spend a fair amount of time thinking about where things are in a scene, how they would look, and how to describe things in a way that builds the sort of atmosphere I'm going for.

My least favorite part is writing transitions between scenes. I tend to over-write them and draw things out that aren't important to the plot (one reason why everything I write spirals out of control lol). Sometimes it's hard for me to know when it's best to put a scene break in vs. when to do an actual transition via text.

29. What’s your revision or editing process like?

I tend to go chapter by chapter for multi-chapter fics. My first goal is to get the thing written, so I try not to commit to serious revisions unless there's some sort of overarching problem with what I've got.

Revisions start once I have a mostly finished rough draft of a chapter. At that point, I read through it to make sure that I'm not missing anything and then send it to my beta reader so that they can give me a general vibe check (i.e. does it make sense, does it flow right, is the tone consistent/does it work for the fic, spelling and grammar, etc.). They also do a lot of cheerleading which really gets me through a lot of the tougher parts of writing <3 After I have the beta-approved version, I do another pass through for spelling and grammar and probably tweak some things. If it's a chapter, then it probably sits for a bit while I work on other parts of the fic. If it's a oneshot, then I format it for Ao3 and finalize the title and tags that I'm using before posting.

There's also a secret step where sometimes I don't like what I have, so I tear it up and recycle the parts into other things lol (questions are from this list)

[love-bokumono-fics]

How does one write a good fic summary? What information should go in there? Any tips in general or anything you’ve seen that goes well is greatly appreciated 🩷

Hi Nonny,

There are lots of ways to write a summary for a fic, and different methods can have different results. I'm hardly an expert resource, and my methods might not vibe with everyone, but here's my general thoughts:

Keeping in mind what you want a Summary to DO is one of the most important things.

Do you want it to draw readers in with a teaser? Do you want it to tell readers what to expect in the story? Do you want to give readers a sample of your writing style? All of the above? None of the above?

Having a general idea of what you want your summary to Do will help you fill it out. I tend to write my summaries in a way that gives potential readers an idea of what to expect in the story, as well as leaving something to mystery to draw them in.

Generally I try and answer the basic questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? (How? usually gets left off, because the How is the body of the story. I leave the unexplained How as the bait to draw readers in. Or I offer the question of How? as the hook to draw readers in.)

These questions can generally be answered in a couple sentences.

Who? Is used to establish the main character(s) and/or the POV character(s). People don't always read Character tags, or they just skim the list for a certain name, so having this little bit of clarification in the summary can help a reader.

What? Can be used to establish the premise of the story. What's happening? What day is it? What's going on? These sort of questions.

Where? Can be included or not depending on your story. If you're establishing an AU or the story takes place outside of the characters' normal location, it can help to orient your readers to other details in the story. But if your story is taking place in the normal, familiar places, it's not as necessary to spell these things out. Such details are often implied in other parts of the summary.

When? Like Where? including that detail may or may not be necessary. If the time of day or the season is a significant part of your story, then include it to help paint the idea. Or if you're outside of canon times, or at a specific part of the canon timeline it can be helpful to give your readers an ides of things.

Why? Often goes hand in hand with What? helps establish the impetus of the story. Sure things are happenings, but giving a hint as to why those things are happening can help draw in readers, and also give them a clue as to what's happening.

Ideally you want to walk the the line between giving out enough information to the readers to pique their interest and draw them into the full story without giving away everything that happens. This can be employed to various degrees, and depending on things like how long your story is, and how much you the author want to share (or even know what is happening, because some stories go way off track) can greatly change how you format your summary.

Then you can sprinkle in other things to help add flavor, an excerpt of text from the story (in or out of context), the opening lines, even things like tropes, jokes, author's commentary, lyrics that fit the theme/ were inspiration.

There's a million different ways to craft a summary, and I don't think there's any one "Correct" way to do them. The formula can help provide a baseline, but if the story I'm writing hinges around not knowing Where? for example, then obviously I'm not going to spell that out in the summary. Or I'm writing a story that's so short and simple it doesn't even have the questions asked to be able to answer. giving a very simple "exactly what it says on the tin" summary works in those places.

In other places, spoilers in the summary work in ways that wouldn't elsewhere. I've written stories that included a canon compliant plot point, and included that in the summary, because the canon plot point wasn't the purpose of the summary, it was getting to that point.

My advice if you want to figure out how to craft summaries is skim through AO3, pick your favorite fandom, or go to a random fandom, and just scroll through the stories, read the summaries. Pick up real books and read the summaries that publishers put out. See what people do, how people do it. Look at the way people phrase things. Pay attention to what draws you in personally, compared to the things people might say that turn you off from a story. Look beyond characters and tropes and such when you're doing that, pay attention to the way authors talk about their works. See how you feel when it looks like authors are excited to share their work compared to how it feels when author's tear down their work. Examples and references can help So Much.

And remember, your summary doesn't have to be set in stone. It can change along with your story. If new characters come in, new relationships develop, if there's a plot point you want to tease out, add them it. Or even if the story is done, but you just thought of a better way to summarize it, then go for it!

Good luck writing, Nonny!

If anyone else has advice for writing summaries, or a method that's completely different from mine, feel free to chime in! What works for one person might not work for everyone

[ahungeringknife]

I take umbridge with some of these. Ones not in here are pretty good advice tbh but some got me like :))

1. Listen to me I would often times rather die than give up a fun line. If you want the quirky line you should get that fucking line. Rewrite the entire last two paragraphs if you have to. The joy of having your pet line is absolutely worth it. Fuck the flow. My character will have their one liner even if it kills me. And yes I have rewritten entire paragraphs to make sure they get it.

2. "Add as little dialogue tags as possible while still making it clear who is speaking. You can also describe what is happening during a pause in the conversation rather than saying they paused, unless the pause is important." Wrong. Incorrect. People do not just stand there orating at each other. We move and shift and hesitate. Use ALL the dialogue tags you want to get your vibe across. Sometimes that tag is 'none'. As in no tag. Sometimes that tag is an entire paragraph. This especially helps break up just sending works back and worth to each other. People don't just BANG BANG BANG BANG out their words at each other and reading dialogue like that can be incredibly boring.

4. 'if it's boring to write its probably boring to read'. Wrong. Just because you aren't having fun doesn't mean the scene isn't important. Just because you're bored giving exposition or doing a fight scene or some laborious conversation between characters doesn't mean it's boring to read. I have written some InCREDIBLY dry and boring to write board meetings (basically) a bunch of old men and had to grind my face into the ground to get it done but it had to be done. Many of my readers were RIVETED because it was a side of this organization they'd never seen. They loved it. The boring work is needed as much as the fun work.

5. 'here are probably lots of interesting or cute scenes where your characters are just fucking around, but if it doesn't develop character, relations, conflict, or plot, why should we care?' If your characters are fucking around with each other they ARE developing character and relations. Unless your characters are mortal enemies your characters should probably like each other, or at least know each other. And they should like being around each other. They should be able to just fuck around. If a scene is cute and shows your characters interacting that shows them being friends you 100% should keep it. Because showing your characters doing stuff not 100% related to the plot is how you make them interesting. Should this be the majority of your writing? Probably not. But it is required writing to make your readers care about your OCs.

7, 8, and 10 are contradictions. You can't tell people to write in a way that feels natural or be vague and then scold them for wanting to use words like 'felt' and use vague imagery to get a point across. Also your example is itself unnecessary in my eyes. 'Chad felt like a glass of water. So he went and got one.' You even say yourself you don't have to show all the time. Words like 'felt' are short hand for not laboring over showing every single detail.

9. "We don't need to know every physical detail of your character." Literally the worst advise. I wanna know what your OC looks like. Fanfics have poisoned your (general you) minds. You are so used to not needing to explain what someone looks like you don't do it anymore. No! Tell me! I once read a book where I thought the character was a bottle blonde because that was the one time he was ever described. HE HAD BLACK HAIR! Tell me about your characters eyes, mention their chair color when they put it up or do something to it. Remind me your characters skin tone or the shape of their face. Tell us what they look like!

I've been writing for a while so I thought I'd share some writing tips I've learned along the way.

1. Never sacrifice the flow for a quirky line.

That bit of dialogue or flowery paragraph you really like but it kinda disrupts the flow? Scrap it. I know it hurts, but you need to. If you really want to keep it, find somewhere else to put it where it actually fits in.

2. Dialogue is a dance.

Dialogue should go at the pace of an actual conversation, back and forth with little breaks and pauses. Add as little dialogue tags as possible while still making it clear who is speaking. You can also describe what is happening during a pause in the conversation rather than saying they paused, unless the pause is important.

3. Show don't tell is a guideline, not a rule.

Show don't tell is a very useful guideline, but if you're ALWAYS showing it can get exhausting to read. Skip the boring bits and just tell us what happened, then we can get to the good stuff.

4. If it's boring to write, it's probably boring to read.

If you can cut out a whole scene with little consequence to the story, you probably should. As I said before, you don't always have to show us, you can always tell us.

5. Everything needs to have a purpose.

I know there are probably lots of interesting or cute scenes where your characters are just fucking around, but if it doesn't develop character, relations, conflict, or plot, why should we care? Definitely still write them if they make you happy, but if you're gonna add it to your final draft, make sure it matters.

6. You don't need to explain everything all at once.

I know it feels tempting to put all the lore, and all the character's intentions, and reasonings into the first few chapters, but please refrain, you can reserve that for your character and worldbuilding sheets. Instead, take the time to let us get to know the characters, and the world, in the same way we'd get to know a real person. Make your exposition as seamless and natural as possible. It will take practice to know when to reveal information and when to let us wonder, but you'll get there.

7. Write in a way that comes naturally.

I know you probably have an author you wanna write just like, but that is unlikely to happen. Embrace your natural writing style and perfect it, rather than trying to be something you're not. Writing is an art, you need to find your own style and polish it as best you can.

8. Try to make us feel connected by cutting out certain words like "felt".

"Chad felt like a glass of water." Can be replaced with, "Chad was thirsty, so he reached for a glass of water." Both sentences tell us Chad wants a glass of water, but one makes us feel more connected to Chad than the other. Though both sentences have their time and place, you want to make your audience feel as close to their protagonist as possible. Make them feel like they're there, rather than just an onlooker.

9. We don't need to know every physical detail of your character.

I know you probably spent ages creating the perfect characters and you want to give us the perfect image of what they look like, but it can get monotonous and boring, why do we care that your character has brown eyes unless the colour has some sort of significance? Try to list off only the most notable features of your character and put focus only on the relevant details. Sometimes you can even not describe them at all and throw in little bits of information about their appearance for the audience to put together. We read to imagine, not to have a perfect image painted for us when we could be getting to the plot.

10. You're allowed to be vague.

Allow your audience to assume things, with some things you can just be lazy and let your audience's imagination do the work for you. Of course, don't do this with important things, but you can save so much time you might've spent researching an irrelevant topic when you can just be vague about it. You don't have to know everything you're writing about, so long as you know the bits that matter.

11. Writing is a skill that takes practice.

Don't be so hard on yourself if your writing is a bit cringe, we've all been there. The important part is that you research how to get better and keep writing those super cringe chapters. One day you'll reread something from a while ago and realize you're actually not as bad as you thought.

12. Leave your work to rest.

I know you wanna start editing right away, but once you've finished, leave it for at least a month. The longer you leave it the better, but that depends on your attention span. A month to six months is good if you're really impatient but want a good result. If you keep writing in that time your skills will continue to improve, then you'll be editing that draft with fresh eyes and fresh skills.

And if you're a fanfic author, I usually leave my chapters for a week before editing and posting.

Hope this helps anyone struggling, I thought this might be especially relevant now with nanowrimo.

I recently realized how much knowledge I've been accumulating over the years, I definitely have more but this is all I can think of for now.

I'm no writing guru, but if anyone has anything they're struggling with, I can do my best to help you out, so dont hesitate to ask questions.

[puckluckie]

Februwhumpkinkuary Lessons Learned

Remember when I said in my tags that I wanted to reflect on lessons learned from trying to do Februwhumpkinkuary? This is that post.

First of all, I wanted to give a huuuge thank you to the mods for both @febuwhump and @kinkuary. I had an absolute blast doing this.

Second of all, equally huuuge thank you to everyone who read, commented, kudosed, reblogged, liked, reached out, etc. You’re the best!! ♥

So… what am I taking away from tackling this challenge?

I am (still) capable of regularly producing words! This has been increasingly difficult for me over the last year or two, which is… obvious in the fact that I haven’t been posting much. Taking on this challenge forced me to sit down and write, even when I didn’t want to. And guess what? I can do it. By the end of the month, cranking out 1,000 words didn’t even feel very hard whether I was inspired or not.

So what are you going to do with that information, luckie?

Unfortunately, the way to make myself write more is to just sit down and do it, even if I’m not feeling it. There’s no magic trick or combination of environmental factors or planetary alignment that will do it. I have to do it.

Remember that writing doesn’t always feel good. It’s awesome when I’m really vibing and the words are practically writing themselves, but that’s not always going to happen. However!! If I can just get myself started, it ends up feeling pretty good, or if not good, then better.

WITH ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, I’m still a little nervous about actually being able to finish something longer (without it being part of a fest) because I didn’t technically finish February.

I can generate ideas when I need to! Although it was easier when I had an idea for a prompt in advance, there were days where I woke up in the morning without knowing what I was going to write about. Most of the time, the way I broke through this was by getting out a notebook and freewriting some ideas using actual pen and paper. That’s definitely a strategy I need to use more going forward.

So what are you going to do with that information, luckie?

I often get stymied when I’m writing longer fics and I get to a section when I’m not sure exactly what’s going to happen to move from Plot Point A to Plot Point B. If I’m capable of generating 19 (well, 16 if we’re talking brand new fics) separate AU scenarios in a month, I should be able to come up with ideas to close those plot holes. Next time this happens, I’m going to try taking it outside of Scrivener and scribbling in a notebook to brainstorm.

Not everything has to be perfect! There were multiple occasions where I liked the idea I came up with but wasn’t thrilled with the execution. One of those chapters in particular was very well received, and I think there was at least one person that enjoyed every installment. I’m sure there’s a lesson here somewhere!!

So what are you going to do with that information, luckie?

I don’t need to overwork/overedit every single thing I post. My standards for myself are nearly impossible to meet, and I need to lower those. With that being said, there’s probably a happy medium between some of the things I posted last month (which felt UNDERedited) versus my usual process.

I can be more succinct! I am so wordy, y’all. So wordy. Just look at this post. Just look at anything I write. Or say. The February challenge forced me to (most of the time) keep things tighter just for the sake of time. And I was still able to tell the stories I wanted to tell (…most of the time heh).

So what are you going to do with that information, luckie?

Keep an eye out for when I start lingering too much in my writing or dragging things out unnecessarily. Like the note about editing above, I think there’s a middle ground between cutting things way down because I’m writing against a super strict deadline and sprawling all over the place. I do want to be able to stretch my legs a little bit more.

Another place I sometimes get bogged down in writing longer fic is transitioning between scenes. It either stops me in my tracks or, if I skipped over writing one, going back to fill it in feels like the hardest thing in the world. I couldn’t fall into either of those traps when I was trying to crank out a fic a day, so I had to either find a way to eliminate the need for a transition, find a way to get through it quickly (in a sentence or two), or just buckle down and do it.

I still feel like I put out a stronger story when I push myself outside of my comfort zone! This is pretty self explanatory.

And lastly...

I can’t keep up this pace long term! Even though I really enjoyed doing this challenge, there were a lot of other areas of my life that suffered: my sleep, my work, the cleanliness of my house, other projects that I was trying to get done, reading other people’s fics, etc. etc. HOWEVER, if I were to produce at even half the rate as I did in February, that would be around 20K per month, so I could have a longfic written every 2-3 months. Something to consider!!

Just kidding. One more. I really do love writing.

[yellowocaballero]

Styles of Storytelling Structure

OK love of God I'm so embarrassed that every post I make gets insane long. I tried to match this explanation up with the previous ask but it got so long, so this elaboration gets its own post. For reference, these tags are referencing this post. Read that one first if you want.

I hope I can find a way to explain this succinctly and non-judgmentally. I do mean it extremely nonjudgmentally. I write both kinds and they both have their own merits.

For me, there's two kinds of fanfic writing. I call 'em Fic Style and Novel Style. This isn't about tropes or content, but about how the author composes the story.

Novel style is the 'traditional' way of writing a story. It has a three act structure, rising action/climax/falling action, tight pacing, every scene does five plot/character/theme related things. It reads like a published short story or a book.

Fic style is often reliant on the source material to make complete sense, and its plot or characterization is usually scaffolded onto the main material. For many of these stories you use the pre-existing canon structure. The story isn't as structured or tightly written, scenes are more likely to be there for vibes, and there tends to be more worldbuilding and a slower pace in general. It's worth noting that fic style can often really resemble soap opera, comic books, long-running manga, Dr Who, etc. Anything serialized, meant to continue on for a long time with no definite end point.

(If you're a frequent flier, to give you some idea: New Wave and Good Luck Jake were novel style, Hope Etc and Listen 2 Ur Heart were fic style. Twilight on Owl Creek Bridge was novel/short story style, reel to reel was fic style.)

Neither is better or worse than the other. They can be both equally enjoyable. One of my favorite fics is 'a simple thing' by iridan and it's fic style. Case fics are more likely to be novel style [I suck at case fics]. Shortly, fic style is easier to write, more likely to be enjoyable, and harder to make very good. Novel style is really hard to write. Super hard.

This is because novel-style writing just requires more skills. You need to lock down story structure, plotting, tension, connecting physical/emotional/plot/theme, pairing story beats with character beats, and dealing with a lot of different plot threads at once. I think of it as braiding, kind of: weaving three character arcs, a plot arc, growth of character relationships, and development of the themes and messaging. A scene should ideally do all of these things at once. Everything needs to be perfectly matched together so it all moves as one. The longer the story is, the more content of all of this you have to deal with, and the more difficult it is to do well. You're just juggling more balls. I had to write one bad 100k story and another mediocre 100k story before I got to a kinda-good 100k story. Forget about how long it took me to get to a decent freaking 60k story. I wrote really enjoyable 60k fic style stories before an actually good 60k novel style story.

This is why skills have to scaffold. I think a lot of beginner writers are constantly trying to fight those level 60 boss fights at level 20 and they get frustrated when they lose. You have to figure out how to write decent dialogue and decent prose before putting together a good scene. Then you have to figure out how to string a series of scenes together in a way that makes sense. Then you have to figure out how to put those scenes in the right order to make some kind of coherent and interesting story with conflict and character arcs. Then you start tossing one ball in the air and figure out how to write those 20k short stories. Then you add more and more balls as your stories get longer and more complex. You have to develop a lot of different skills individually to put together a well-structured final product that's fun to read.

Stop getting so frustrated when you can't beat out a 60k story that's Barnes & Nobles worthy when you're a beginning writer! Stop dreaming big! I know how frustrating it is not being able to put what's in your head down on paper. It's not going to be perfect. Of course you're having issues writing longer things, you're still figuring out how to put longer things together.

Pick something to work on. Figure out what skills you still need to develop. Figure out how stories work and what makes a good story, and then try and build it yourself. You do not need to write a traditional novel style story to develop your skills in dialogue, prose, characterization, tone, tension, POV, etc. You can get that stuff down first. If you're interested in working on story structure and pacing you'll have to practice doing things traditionally. No, you're not going to be happy with it. Be proud of yourself that you improved and developed a skill. Be proud of yourself that you're writing. Writing is hard. It's fun, but hard. If you aren't having fun then you're just left with the hard.

Writing isn't about the finished product. It's not about if you wrote something that people enjoyed or said was good. It's about enjoying writing. Everything else happens naturally from there.

[fire-but-ashes-too]

ive been tagged by a couple of amazing people that will be in this list because they deserve the whole world, so here we go

@holdmyteaplease (my tumblr wife) if you ever have to plot a murder or do crimes make sure to call her she gives amazing tips, other than that from what ive seen of their wip is absolutely iconic, their whole persona is iconic so if you dont already go follow her @leisoree this right here is the nicest person ive ever met, her writing is *chefs kiss* and they also have a really pretty account. go see it@yesireadbooks this guy right here. go follow him. hes one of the coolest people ive ever met so do it.@digital-chance another absolutely magnificent writer, also has a really nice blog and a really nice person. go check them out@tea-and-mercury their wip is zdvbsdnvskdn beautiful. absoutely stunning. (i love it i love it i love it i will never stop saying it kaleidoscope is amazing) @maewrites13 i swear tumblr is full of amazing people, she is one of them. go check her out her account is amazing, her vibe is amazing, i will never stop saying amazing @anonymousfoz this guy right here. he is a genius. i absolutely adore their writing and their ideas in general. go follow him. @briannaswords the sweetest person ever (she also listens to gracie abrams so points for that) go follow her she deserves the world @fioreshere aaaaa go follow her I swear her writing is amazing and she is super nice @rmgrey-author I've read her story. it's beautiful. go follow her cause I literally have no words @the-stray-storyteller *cartwheels in shaking pom poms* GO. FOLLOW. HER. all jokes aside tho, this is not a joke. she deserves all the world so go follow her :)@flock-from-the-void another super cool peep. I love love love their ideas and vibe in general and I'm sure you will to so check them outtt @caffeine-powered-aroace aaaa I absolutely adore their writing, please go follow them (I'm sorry I tagged you but I had to😭) (apology hug for you) @the-chaotic-writer SHE DESERVES ALL THE ATTENTION YOU CAN GIVE. SHE HAS AMAZING OCS I LOVE THEM AND THE WHOLE WORLD. GO FOLLOW HER.

more people you should follow that sadly I don't know that well :)

@cabbojage @canadjester @did-i-do-this-write @arcane-gold @floweryprosegarden @iannicellis @lycaens @quinnharperwrites @rickie-the-storyteller @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @writing-with-sophia @wrenofthewords @writingmargo

HEY, YOU! WRITEBLR USER! PLEASE RECOMMEND ME SOME WRITERS AND BLOGS TO FOLLOW, AND DON'T BE AFRAID TO INCLUDE YOUR OWN!

[pixiemage]

(Originally an addon to this post about Ao3 not using an algorithm)

There are FOUR WAYS to get people to read your stories on Archive Of Our Own, and none of them include relying on a nonexistent algorithm to get them to interested parties.

Choose a good title! And yes, there is such a thing as a good title, though I'll admit it's rare for me to see a bad one. Even something as simple as "The one where Martyn forgets the milk" is enough to get me wondering what kind of story earned a title like that. Sometimes a song lyric works super well if it fits the vibe of your story, and sometimes coming up with something of your own might work better. Sometimes making a joke in the title draws more attention if you've written a story that will make people laugh, and sometimes choosing a one- or two-word phrase that catches the eye is all it takes. (If I see a fic called "Poppies, Princes, and Paranoia" I might just get curious enough to wonder what in the world is in that story.)

Write a summary! Please. Please, for the love of god, give your story a summary. Every time I come across a fic that says "haha I'm bad at summaries, just read the story lolz" my first instinct is to move on. By saying you're Bad At Summaries, you're also implying that you're bad at writing, and any potential reader won't take the time to click on your fic and give it a chance when it looks like the author isn't confident in their own work. You don't have to write a masterpiece in the summary section. You can say "Tim has a no good, very bad day. Luckily his partner is there to cheer him up." And look! Ta-da! Summary! :D It's short, sweet, and to the point, and it's miles better than saying you don't know how to write one. OR! OR, if you don't like that either, then you can literally take a short and interesting chunk from the story itself and drop it in the summary box. Look! You're doing great! ^^ You've given a taste of your writing, hinted at what's to come, and caught someone's eye. THAT will hook a potential reader far more than laughing about how "bad" you think you are at writing summaries in general. Self-depreciation may work for a social media post, but it doesn't work to sell your writing.

Clearly tag your work! I'm sure I'm not the first person to say this, but putting clear and relevant tags on your story will ALWAYS bring new readers to your story. Many people on Ao3 search specifically by tag to better narrow the massive sea of stories they'll need to choose from. So tag relevant ships and characters (preferably only the ones that are a primary focus in your fic), tag the proper fandoms, define if it's "hurt/comfort" or "angst" or "fluff" or "crack", and add the main plot concepts where needed. (For example, I'm writing an Amnesia AU, so I tagged it as both Amnesia and Temporary Amnesia, because while the amnesia is a lingering factor in the plot, it WILL NOT BE later, and some people are more likely to read if they KNOW the conflict in the plot will be resolved.) And while I understand not wanting to tag certain things for spoiler reasons (though you should add those once they're revealed in a chapter), I DO RECOMMEND tagging relevant warnings, as well as specifying whether the ending will be a GOOD one or a BAD one. Some readers are more or less likely to click on a story based on that alone. I've specifically taken a chance on a sad-sounding story before because the author said it would end happily, and more often than not I wasn't disappointed! I wouldn't have read a sad story otherwise! Tag that shit!***

JUST KEEP WRITING! People will stick around for a good story! It's true that quality of writing will make a good fic stand apart from a great one, and that comes down to skill. That's not to say people won't read a story that's written by a less skilled author, because if you tag and title and summarize your story well, you'll still draw in readers, and most people will stick around to enjoy an interesting story whether it's 2k works or 20k. But the more you write (and the more you READ), the more you'll learn and the more you'll improve. Don't give up just because you're getting less attention than the next writer. If you keep working on your craft, you'll be right up there with them soon enough. I'm in my late 20's and it took me years to get to where I am. I'm not foolish enough to pretend I don't know I'm a quality writer, but I also refuse to call it "talent" because it's much more than that. It's a skill that I honed over years of writing and storytelling. I learned from my peers and I took inspiration from bigger and better writers to work my way up to where I am now. So don't write just to get hits and kudos, write to tell a good story! And when the comments come in, though they may start small, just know that those people are seeing the passion you're putting into your work...and they're just a small taste of the kind of joy you'll be able to share if you stick with your writing. <3

(BONUS: Share your fics on Tumblr and other sites. If you're worried that they won't get seen on Ao3 without help, then feel free to boost awareness by dropping a link and some info elsewhere. I do this every time I post something new, because I know that part of my audience lives on Tumblr! So don't hesitate to utilize the platforms you've got. Tag it properly on here and you'll get a few more reads from folks who are looking for it!)

***Please remember, too, that "Dead Dove, Do Not Eat" is not a replacement for any bad tags. What it actually means is "What's inside is what's labeled on the tin" ...or to put it bluntly: "Please for the love of god, read what I have in the tags, there's probably some uncomfy crap in here, so READ THE LABELS. You have been warned." If you don't add the tags you're Dead Dove-ing, then the Dead Dove tag is pointless and tells your audience nothing. Be kind and be clear. Your readers will thank you for it.

[chaosciara]

how to comment on fics

okay hi everyone! so i asked if anyone wanted a guide on fic commenting and a few people gave the idea a big thumbs up (thank you to them!) so here i am about to deep delve into fic commenting.

if you would like a more detailed fic commenting guide with a ton of helpful tips and access points please check out this post by @thebiballerina

some disclaimers before we start (because this is the internet):

1. this is not a scientific articles, extensive research based post. this is me, an avid fic reader and consistent commenter explaining my how, what, and why of commenting.

2. i will try to make this as detailed and simple as possible however i am always open to questions, additions, and revisions.

3. the basis is just enjoy fic, it's there for you to love!

breakdown:

A. why/when i leave comments

B. how/what i comment

C. general things

A. why/when i leave comments

okay so commenting is not a necessity. it should never be a task that you dread or something you feel you must do if, and when, you reach the end of a fic. that being said, commenting does become easier the more you do it.

now i leave comments on almost every single fic i read. for two reasons:

1. i have gotten very very good at using filters and tags. ao3 is amazing with this; they really give you the full range of options to cater to your wants. so when i use their filters i'm only getting things i'm in the mood to read, which already makes the experience that much more enjoyable and that much less stressful.

2. if im not vibing with a fic i generally stop reading before i get to the end. i have learnt how to stop. not to sound like marie kondo, but if it didn't bring me joy i don't keep it. as you read fic you will pick up on what is a no-go, what is a maybe, and what is a hell yes, for you. which makes it easier to tap out or keep going.

keeping these two things in mind, when i do read a fic it is genuinely and generally because i enjoyed it. which means when i do decide to comment it's with complete excitement for the fic.

and the reason i comment: i want to let the author know that i enjoyed their fic, and what elements i loved specifically. simple as that: i want to let the author know they made me happy.

commenting is a more intimate and highly appreciated way to let an author know their work was read and loved. additionally, and i think this is even more important, it gives the writer an opportunity to interact with you as a reader. which in my opinion, is the true and wanted end result for most fic writers. because fic is often written for the author (self-indulgently) or to explore topics/ headcanons/ scenarios/ etc. but it is shared for the sole purpose of the reader. writers want your interaction. they love your thoughts and opinions and i know some, myself included, have literally gotten ideas for fic directions and other potential plots, from comments.

so if you feel you're bothering the author by commenting, please know (and i say this on behalf of every single fic writer) we love your comments and you will never bother us with your thoughts.

mini TL:DR-- i leave comments because i only read things i enjoy and am therefore excited to leave comments.// comments are much loved by authors because it lets them know just how much their work is appreciated and gives them an opportunity to interact with you.

B. how/what i comment

okay now to get into the nitty gritty of actually commenting. the first question was important because it's the basis for any comment.

so, please ask yourself when you set out to write a comment: did i enjoy this fic?

that question is gonna start a flow chart that looks something like this (the examples i use are from comments i have left on various fics. they will all be linked below under the "keep reading")

did i enjoy the fic?

no >> leave fic

yes (comment suggestion: i really enjoyed/liked/loved this) [eg. Fuck this was perfect]

if yes: why did i enjoy this fic?

no particular reason (comment suggestion, in addition to the one above, or as a stand alone: thank you for writing this)

if there is a particular reason: what did i enjoy about this fic?

i liked these lines (quote lines) [e.g. *cabled, slate blue skullcap softer than a summer breeze,* Okay this feels like one of those things where it SHOULDN'T make sense but it DOES because that is the true beauty and power of amazing writers!!! basically you're the coolest ever and I can understand this so well]

i liked that plot point/scene (briefly explain it/ quote the lines) [e.g. Oh Gods okay they were so so cute and then I read "husband" and I just PASSED away like what the fuck that's the fucking cutest thing ughhhhhhh thank you for this]

i liked your writing style [e.g. holy fuck this was haunting and poetic thank you!!!!!]

i liked your use of (insert writing device; i.e. poetry, descriptions, humour) [e.g. I'm obsessed with this with your writing style with the way they interact with the poetry sprinkled in you dear are killing the game]

i liked the way you wrote the characters [e.g. Also Sukunas pet names🥺🥺🥺🥺and yuuji being so so gentle with megumi🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺stopppp im gonna scream// love the dynamic of these four. But I love the way YOU write them specifically]

i liked your regard/disregard of canon [e.g. Your characterizations are immaculate. And I appreciate that although you bring in elements of canon (for the characters) you still keep them far enough away that they feel completely yours.]

i like the way you write angst/fluff/smut [e.g. Oh my gods I adored this thank you it was so gentle and soft and sweet and ughhhhhhhhhhh my babies// Holy hell this is so sad?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! But Ughh I love it]

i like the pairings you came up with [e.g. It's them >>>>>>>>>> everything else for me]

other things to consider in a comment:

what you were doing/where you were at the time you read the fic (t's amusing and a gateway conversation opener for you, the author, and anyone else who might read the comment) [e.g. okay before I start let me set the scene (because you're used to my over excessive sharing nonsense by now): it's like 9:20 pm, I'm in bed and I've just put on my "Greek deities? no baby we're Greek tragedies" playlist.]

if you are listening to music: what song/playlist you're listening to [e.g. right now "anti-romantic" by TOGETHERXTOGETHER is playing (adore this song)// (also in the time I read that the song moved to "Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow which, side note: I think is defs something Percy would listen to and possibly also Jason, maybe even he introduces Pers to it)// Now to the next scene (song is "Slow Down" by Chase Atlantic)]

what time you're reading (it's hilarious to realise how many readers are doing a late night fic read) [e.g. Okay friend I just— it's 10:05 pm I'm in bed (I have to be up early tomorrow) and I usually read some fanfiction before I sleep]

emojis are always a good way to express your love without using words. hearts (<3 or emoji hearts); pleading/soft face; shocked faces; angry faces [e.g. This was so sad🥺]

exclamation points and question marks are easy and convey a lot [e.g. 😭Why???????]

key smashes are also well received. (the idea that the fic made you incoherent is diamond-appealing and very satisfying) [e.g. cdaaqrgbkoiutrewtikmbcsaqg YOU CAN'T JUST WRITE POETRY AND THEN EXPECT ME TO BE OKAY??????gods this was amazing// Shkoyeaxbnlotewaaasfcbmlograshh yess]

stating your emotion(s)/actions as you read the fic [e.g. "or how he never pushes him away, never far enough." never *sobs* far *sobs* enough *sobs* why are they sooo perfect????// And this fic, this specific chapter, actually made me cry. Tears pouring down my cheeks, sniffling into my pillow kind of crying.]

explaining what you think may happen or what you hope doesn't (work's best with multi-chapters but if you're like me and like to write comments as you're reading it also works then) [e.g. Oh gods I hope this fic doesn't rip my heart out because I adore these two so much!??!!!]

C. general things

1. You don't need to have extremely long comments, but also don't be afraid to blabber on into mini essays. some of my comments are legit two words and some of them are like five hundred words. there is no such thing as a too short comment or a too long comment.

2. don't be discouraged if the author didn't reply to your comment. some writers do and some don't. that doesn't mean they don't appreciate it. trust me they probably did a little dance in their room with happiness when they read what you had to say

3. your comments could never get boring. if you comment "im in love with this" every single chapter of a 30 chap fic it is still appreciated. you took the time to say something and the writer is probably extremely happy and excited that they consistently gave you the happy chemicals with something they wrote

4. if you're really stuck for commenting a simple "thank you for this" always goes a long way

5. don't comment if it feels forced. comment on what you enjoy. if you see commenting as a chore you're going to make yourself miserable and make reading fic a task rather than an escape or a dose of serotonin (or whatever reason you may enjoy fic for)

6. if you're a re-reader it's always a wonderful thing for an author to hear "I've read this before but I love it so much I'm back". it's like: wow you like this enough to always read it?? I heart you. It's like getting an extra squeeze in a hug.

7. the main rule is: be kind, have fun, say good thoughts out loud, and if you can make someone smile do it.

thank you for reading and i wish you all the happiest bubbles during your fic reads <3

fics i used in examples:

(all links go to ao3)

Here in Our Bed Until the Morning Comes. by pythia (melancholic_piegon) @stillneedsmorekissing

our year by halpsur

warm leatherette by LowerEastSide

focus by ceinno

make a mess of me by auravere

our good boy by ohmytheon

tree by jeanjacketlesbian

hokkaido by rooted

my hot blood's been burning for so many summers by brightlyburning

this thing between us by chiuwurita

the space between by ohmytheon

night encounters by akamurasaki (cxlmberry)

why did you leave? by firerose17

knb kinktober 2020 by rhapsie

you promised by firerose17

we should have each other with cream by pythia (melancholic_pigeon)

[bookswitchcraftandcats]

TSC Ships as Fanfic Tropes (Part 1)

New series, I’m bored. Send to my ask box other things you want me to write in the bullet point format. 

Jace and Clary are The High School AU. They give those vibes and most of their fics are either High School AUs or have them in some scene that is very high school like truth or dare. IDK if I just associate them with high school because that is the point in my life I read their series but they feel high school. 

Will and Tessa are Snowed In for obvious reasons. It is the definition of their relationship to have them being cute and reading a book in the London Institute while it snows. This fits them so well. 

Thomas and Alastair are the Modern AU. They would be fabulous in a modern wardrobe and the things that effect their characters can translate to a modern setting. Their character development is largely based on how they interact with friends and family and would not be effected by the time change. 

Simon and Izzy as Next Generation or Kids Fic. They have a lot of kid fics written about them and it suits them. We probably won’t get that content in canon like we did for Malec because of how the timing works out and it suits their characters. 

Ash and Dru as First Word Soulmate AU. How powerful it would be if they knew the first word their soulmate was going to say to them and then when they finally meet it dawn upon them and they have a love at first sight moment? There isn’t a lot of content for this ship and I am interested to see how they play out in TWP. I also feel like they will be big on the hurt/comfort in the fandom. 

Emma and Julian as Hurt/Comfort. They have been through some things. I feel like no matter the AU or context their characters have enough backstory to have in-depth hurt/comfort fics. They also just give he vibe for it and are always there for each other. I feel like in all the book series their trilogy had the most hurt/comfort scenes in it. 

Alec and Magnus as Angel and Demon AU. Angsty rule following angel Alec forced into an almost Good Omens AU with demon Magnus. They fit the script and it would be interesting to see them with an enemies to overs banter. They never had that in the books really and I think it would be interesting. Also gives authors room to explore an internalized homophobia plot line for Alec if they vibe with that. Add that soulmate element in there to if it sparks joy. Make it a wings! fic. There is a lot to do with this trope. 

Let me know what other ships I should do and what trope you think go with the ships. Let me know if I got any extremely off the mark lol. 

Tag list: @fortheloveofthecarstairs @thehotfaeriethreesome @shadowrunner2000 @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @surrounded-by-exquisite-clutter @gabtapia @niastormbolastairkanejsambucky @all-thestoriesaretrue