#Maybe revisiting a WIP will motivate me to finish it?

[raeathnos]

.

[pygmi-cygni]

That is excellent advice too, thank you so much! But I was thinking more like this: I am waking up, spending time with a pet, driving home from work/an outing, washing dishes, (scrolling Tumblr 😉), what have you. I want the next thing I do after one or more of those tasks to be sitting down and wrestling with that blank page. Do you have any tricks for making that happen a little more often?

ohhhh so like a motivation thing? ok lemme try again ( i just woke up lmao she's still rebooting)

writing is sometimes intimidating, which can be why a lot of people have a hard time 'getting started.' like in the previous post, it's very altered to the author, so blanket organization tips and motivators might not work.

this is something I do:

before i start a story, i pick a colored notebook and a pen color that match. this is the color of the stationary i use to draft/edit/etc. I like the colors, it's fun and it makes it feel more exciting to plan out the gross stuff. also, if I scribble down notes somewhere random I can remember what story they go to based on the ink color.

I also make a playlist, and I'll take a walk while listening to it to get myself in the mood for writing. maybe certain songs I associate with certain parts, and I'll loop those if I need to figure a scene out.

make a list for everything you want to happen to finish this piece of writing. I mean like

pick title

write draft 1

edit

write draft 2

make a header/banner/cover etc

design fanart

taglist (tumblr specific)

Like I said a couple of posts back (i don't remember which one) productivity is productivity. if you really feel like writing is the last thing you want to do, don't force it out of yourself. you'll grow to resent it. pick something that is productive to the end result of publishing and do that. maybe design a banner/cover/art piece for it. draw your own fanart. it's not cringe. pick a title. draw a map. it'll help you think about your story more deeply without grinding words out of you.

pinterest boards are also fun for me! i like picking the pictures, sometimes I'll see a post and think 'oh that could be a cool setting' or something like that. sometimes I get overwhelmed and end up scrolling for cool jewelry so it's a dangerous choice lmao.

read a book or piece of writing that mimics a style you want to write with. tab dialogue you like and setting, and then while you're writing revisit that to jog your memory. If there was a book you were reading that inspired your current project, reread a couple parts.

writertok compilations are my favorite lmao it's a guilty pleasure. I like hearing about other people writing to make me realize I should get back to it and stop ignoring my 7 wips

xox that's what I got for ya

[meddow]

Fic Author Q&A

Thank you for tagging me @curator-on-ao3!

1. Why do you write fanfic?

It’s a bit of a combination firstly wanting to share a plot idea I have with others, secondly, wanting to see something happen which I know won’t happen in the original source, and thirdly, it can be a bit of a fun puzzle – I don’t like this canon, how do I fix it.

2. Which of your posted stories do you think about the most, even though the story is “finished”?

Lately, First Solitary Separate Singular Complete. It was the first fic I wrote after a long break and I was a very rusty when writing it, so mostly what I would have do differently.

3. If you could give yourself fic advice from when you first started writing fic, what would that advice be?

There will be times when you feel you’ve lost the ability to write. It will come back. It never strays that far away.

4. What’s your relationship to fic stats?

I do check them and quite often, but just for hits. I like seeing the hit count on my WIP steadily head up and like to interpret that as it has found an audience.

5. Is there a pairing or scenario or friendship you miss writing? If so, why? If not, why not?

I wouldn’t mind revisiting Lix/Randall (The Hour) a bit more. I still occasionally find myself coming up with AUs for them. I had half a Victorian detectives AU plotted out in my head back in the day and I wish I'd had the energy to write it. Anyway, it was six episodes over a decade ago and yet they still reside in my head.

6. What motivates you to write?

Partly it’s a race against time to get things down before my inspiration runs out. Partly is that writing for me is like cooking. It’s lovely cooking for myself, but its extra special getting to share what I’ve created with the world and seeing other people enjoy it

7. Why do you write for the fandom(s) that you write for?

My muse is very much motivated by newspaper articles and non-fiction and basically shit I see in the world which pisses me off, and Star Trek remains the ultimate franchise for being able to discuss contemporary issues with a shielding layer of fiction over the top.

For example (spoilers for the next chapter of The Endurance of Light) the villains I’m writing at the moment have an ideology which is based of a whole bunch of anti-master, anti-vaxxer and anti-science rhetoric I’ve seen around – and I’m getting to show how the ruling class of that planet use that ideology to oppress the masses and keep themselves in power, while finding and exploiting loopholes that benefit themselves. I don't know if I'm weird, but writing that kind of stuff for me is oddly fun.

Strange New Worlds in particular hits that sweet spot as it has a great set up and characters I adore, but never seems to have enough time/a high enough episode order to really explore the characters and I want to fix that.  

8. If you’re stuck writing a WIP, what do you do?

Go for a walk. I get all my best ideas either wandering around the local park, or in the shower.

9. What do you wish people knew about comments?

I can’t speak for any author but myself, but I’m happy to answer questions about future developments (or the general direction at least, I won’t give a blow by blow) if someone asks me in a comment. I don’t like tagging my fics with whether it’s a happy ending or not or whether a pairing is endgame or not because I feel that ruins any tension and/or mystery I want to build for everyone, but in the comments, I can put details below a spoiler cut.

10. Maybe there’s a question you wish had been on here. What’s that question (and answer)?

As a person who has aphantasia (the inability to picture things in my mind), I’d love to know what other people see when they’re writing, and how much detail. For me, I feel like for a scene I get enough in my mind to create one blurry film still per scene. There's no movement though. I can’t picture things like facial expressions changing or what characters are doing with their hands. Often I feel like I’m just writing off vibes.

I've seen a lot of people I follow tagged already, is there anyone who has missed out that wants to be?

[graceshouldwrite]

How to Finish Your 1st Draft (underrated tips!)

instagram: @ grace_should_write

Hey y’all :) Thought I’d revisit this topic because I have been writing later drafts and revision for the last 2 years—the last time I first-drafted was literally in 2020. I started first-drafting again late last year, and am still doing so this year. 

I’m still rediscovering my plotting/plantsing process, and thought that a refresher would help me, too. I hope you find this post somewhat useful (and that these tips aren’t just for delusional people like me)!

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

1. Find your dedication

The dedication is so, SO underrated—many people think of it as just something you slap on after you’re finished the book, but I like to see it as also one more reason why you’re writing it. 

Maybe you wrote a book featuring a found family group of kids from slums because you yourself grew up in those conditions, or you know/sympathize with people who did. Making sure that readers facing a similar situation will feel uplifted when they experience your book could be something that motivates you to finish. 

For example, my working dedication for my current WIP goes something like this:

To anyone who has yearned for more and failed—all the part-idealist, part-pragmatist, ambitious, “average” kids who will “never amount to anything more,” I’m betting on you. Keep burning those dreams for fuel.  Cling onto them whenever you feel like you will become anything but great. Until you stop betting on yourself, it’s not over. 

As someone whose often struggled to fulfil my own visions, despite having a grand plan for my own future, I—like anyone else—have encountered lots of obstacles and learned to survive on my own. We’ve all learned resilience. 

This dedication reminds me who I’m writing for: myself, and anyone else who identifies with it. I hope that my book can inspire readers on the cusp of giving up. I hope this book can provide readers on their sigma male grindset with a thrilling rush that spurs them on even more. 

Whenever I feel unmotivated, this is where I go. And, for the most part, it works! 

(Of course, you can treat your dedication as a “work” of its own. Feel free to keep revising it and editing it until you’re happy with it)

2. Look at fan art

It can’t just be me who looks at fan art and gets inspired by specific poses or scenes and then adds those scenes into my book. Come on. 

Pretty straightforward. Just search up “fan art for _____,” fan art for a specific fandom you’re into, or even “character scene/pose ideas” on Google or Pinterest. 

Personally, I like doing this more than browsing those “book idea” posts that are followed with actual text explaining the idea—looking at art with little to no text can force you to do the work in describing the scene, pose, or character expression. 

These scenes tend to help you be specific, creating memorable scenes for your readers. Examples of inspiration I’ve taken from fanart is: 

A firework kiss scene

“I got your back!” type trope, where two or more characters fight back to back. IN THE RAIN! 

Gunfights! 

One character running away while slinging the other across their shoulder

Characters having fun at a festival while wearing flower garlands 

When you’re writing, this can motivate you to get to X scene faster, or to finish your book faster so readers can see your characters doing X thing. At least, works for me! 

3. Find ONE specific writing buddy 

Yes, the writing community is GREAT. But, it can feel a bit detached if you’re always only sharing progress with your large group of followers, instead of someone who knows your WIP inside out. 

Find one person or a small group of specific people. Tell each other EVERYTHING about your WIPs. This will feel a lot more personal, and specificity can also help you finish your book faster when they tell you to “finish writing this chapter to get to this scene!”, or when they hold you accountable to a group writing goal. 

You can also all form a group chat with daily progress motivation and trackers. Personally, NaNoWriMo forums are great for finding people to just overshare your WIP with and motivate each other. 

This way, you guys could also peer review your works periodically. Having another set of eyes on your draft—even when it’s not finished—could give you lots of ideas and guidance on plot direction, characterization, prose, etc.

4. Braindump while listening to a song / playlist

Write to the vibes. Literally just that. 

Are there any songs/playlists that really resonate with you or your WIP? Just play it, maybe even on loop, and type ANY ideas from prose to dialogue to scene ideas and themes. 

It could literally just look something like this (there is some purposefully bad writing just for this example): 

Listening to: [title of your song or playlist]

A: Never thought I’d see you again. B: I know you missed me. *sneer* (Dialogue snippet)

omg they bump into each other on the street and she spills her beer on him and her best friend senses the chemistry (Scene idea)

rivals to lovers (Trope idea)

SILK DRESS. FANCY CLOTHES. YES. (Character design idea) 

overcoming your greatest fear!!!!! (Theme idea)

It’s that easy. You got this, soldier. 

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

I HOPE THIS HELPED ANYONE!!! Writing this definitely helped me LOL

Let me know if you have any questions through responses, re-blogging, or DMing me at @ grace_should_write on IG.  

Happy writing, and have a great day!

- grace <3

[petruchio]

'rescue' and 'immortal city' are really drawing my eye! share a snippet for one, talk to us about the other?

yessss!!!

so "rescue" is my idea about an au where katniss is taken to the capitol and peeta is rescued and taken to 13 -- my approach is maybe a little less dark than some of the others ive read (because tbh i'm really very squeamish and i'm not really interested in investigating the super dark themes in thg in any kind of graphic detail) and i'm working on it now -- honestly i hope i can actually complete it because it's one of my ideas that's i've had half outlined for a while and i'm finally actually trying to get it written.

here's a snippet:

At the end of the hall, she leads them through a set of double doors that lead into a sort of open-air corridor that passes through a garden. Beneath them is a fish pond filled with strange, heavy-looking orange and white fish, obviously decorative. The fish all swarm towards the two of them as they cross the pond, expecting food and receiving nothing.

and then immortal city is this weird short story idea i had that grew out of this free write i started about a year ago. basically the concept is that it's a city where nobody ages but they can still die if it's an accident, so the city becomes a place where people are extremely careful and always trying to keep themselves safe from any kind of accident. the story centers around a single day where someone has recently died in some sort of accident and the whole city puts on a funeral for them.

here's a little snippet of that one:

She didn’t have much, but it would be enough for dinner, and the grocery stores would already be closed for the night. She didn’t use the stove for the same reason she didn’t drive, the same reason she didn’t use her building’s elevator and instead chose to climb the seven flights up to her apartment every time she came home. Too many risks, too many opportunities for something to go wrong. It was the same reason every car on the road had pulled over as soon as the rain had started. There was no sense in being reckless on purpose, no sense in killing yourself when death could be so avoidable.

HAHA it's so much more fun to talk about the WIPs than to actually write them!! but it is motivating as well because it forces me to revisit them and be like "well i could finish this honestly"

[shynetyme06]

1 - 23 :3

cracks knuckles okay

1. how would you describe your art style? uhhhhhhhh, maybe "safe" is the word rn. whenever I think of my art style, what comes to mind is just how little I've been pushing things with it. I wanna change that ;D

2. what's your favorite thing about your style? I realize I like to use semi-realistic proportions, its cool how comfortable I've gotten with drawing faces and bodies

3. what's your least favorite thing about your style? It's so static man. same thing I said for the first question, I don't think anything really looks bad, but it just is lacking in creativity in comparison to the older art that should be looking worse than what I do now. I prefer my older stuff ;D (looking at you inktobertale2021.. where did it all go wrong)

4. favorite thing to draw? regular ol people. human characters are def more in my comfort zone, which explains why I keep hitting skeletons with the humanization ray (also I prefer to draw feminine characters)

5. least favorite thing to draw? I can't even say I rlly dislike it cuz of how rarely I even do it, but I am procrastinating so hard on learning backgrounds..

6. warm colors or cool colors? cool colors are my fav, but i find it easier to work with warm ones (I used to put a cool overlay over all my warm toned drawings hgdhfg)

7. show us a WIP behold, the wip ever. this drawing... was supposed to be posted on august 2022. and then, it was supposed to be posted on dec 21st, dream and nightmares birthday. (atp if I do end up wanting to finish this idea again, I'll probably just scrap it and start over)

8. what's the most fun and least fun parts about your process? most fun is flat color and rendering. (though I rarely do the latter anymore) and for least fun, tbh a lot of the sketching part tends to be difficult for me, sometimes its cool tho

9. show us a finished piece alongside the original sketch example from when sketching was fun

10. how many different sketches do you usually have until your piece is finished? I think I do need to make more of at least thumbnail sketches tbh.. I usually just make one and keep editing it, trusting the process. (and that fails like 70% of the time. woww wonder why sketching isnt fun for me-) 11. show us the last thing you drew, be it a finished piece or a small doodle can this count,,

12. show us an old drawing first deltarune drawing. here's the redraw I later made of this :3 (also old hsgdhgf)

13. how long do you usually take one a piece? depends. I'll have like 276478923 wips started, and then I get a random idea that I just have to do right at that moment, and I'll get it done in like 1-4 hours. meanwhile old sketches start to rot and maybe if its lucky I'll revisit it before my motivation dies and my style is too different to wanna continue from where I left off 14. digital or traditional? digital all the way, i've gotten too dependent on the transform tool + liquefy ;D (and many other things tbh but I'd be here all day if I tried comparing them more jhdjdf)

15. if digital, what program do you use? procreate, the layouts on other drawing programs scare me

16. favorite media to work with when drawing traditionally pen on paper (am I understanding this right wdym media-)

17. what do you love getting compliments about? I like when people enjoy the humanizations I come up with, and also original designs in general 18. are you satisfied with the attention your art usually gets? hmmm yeah

19. how often do you draw? very often, I just don't have finished things to share most days

20. a piece from this year that you're really proud of :3

21. something you would like to improve on the dynamicness (well, the lack of it) of everything, as said before

22. what inspires you? Ink sans and a ton of creators in this fandom (also animated shows and movies, I love animation)

23. what's something you hope people notice when looking at your art? idk tbh, just notice it at all and I'm happy :>

[odnson]

Please, tell me more about literally all of the wips! What's cooking!

lmao oh gosh, what i have rn are like, very vague ideas and the docs are just full of lines that lead nowhere but….👀

1. jwds mafia

Before this, Joowon had only seen pictures. Dozens of them, featuring different angles and expressions, showcasing his subject in various types of clothing. Often alone, sometimes with his trusted confidante, but never with family.

Now, in the flesh, the first thing that Joowon notices is the slouch. Too relaxed and borderline lazy, and something he unconsciously frowns at.

literally what the filename says 😂😂😂 funny thing is tho, i have an ending for this and a beginning, but i completely have no idea how to stitch them together because all i have are vibes. just sth sth about jw infiltrating a rival clan to help hkh’s rise to power (pretty much the same with his motives in the show originally), going undercover but being busted from day one because lbr, he’s up against ds. but ds is weak to pretty men (canon) and lets jw do what he wants for a while, etc etc. this def revolves around the “love for jw but revenge for ds” premise, only that because i’m me, it doesn’t stay that way for ds ofc. it does, however, get messier and messier, and i cannot go into too many details without spoiling it but!!!! someday i wish to finish this, like, fr.

2. jwds5+1????

Manyang offering him a seat at a table full of people he’d antagonized more than once remains a strange phenomenon to his eyes, but sitting beside Lee Dongsik and letting his warm smile soothe him isn’t.

i got the idea for this while otw to work so hopefully i can finish this in a few days?? pretty excited about this tbh, but it’s essentially about jwds gatekeeping the other from ppl because they’re actually a little too insane for one another, as we all know!!! (the show canon is just too good, really) i think this will be my attempt to be funnier but who knows, maybe this will turn into something else entirely? again, all i have are vibes as of the moment. 🙃

3. jwdsjj

A question now sits in Jeongje’s eyes the longer Dongsik looks at him. Dongsik wonders if he’ll ask.

Then, slowly: “How’s Han Joowon?”

Dongsik blinks, caught off-guard. He thought of a number of questions Jeongje would have for him, the millions of ways he could’ve phrased what he truly wanted to know: what is Dongsik doing here?

But this—Dongsik has to admit that he didn’t foresee this.

The name sparks warmth in him, as it often does. Underneath that blanket of fondness and security is something that burns savagely, and Dongsik feels unmoored, like Jeongje is prying into things he shouldn’t.

“He’s fine,” is what Dongsik settles with. A crumb of a truth is a truth all the same, which is all he can offer for now.

Jeongje’s gaze flits to Dongsik’s side, at the obvious absence of the man in question.

Dongsik sighs. “He’s at home.”

Something seems to hit Jeongje then, like an unseen force: he shifts in his seat, a small smile sitting on his lips. He looks simultaneously victorious and resigned, as if he won a personal wager at the cost of himself.

There was a time, Dongsik remembers, that he’d ache when Jeongje looks that way. When they were young and Jeongje needed him, when he couldn’t fend for himself and Dongsik was still the taller of the two.

this is actually finished but idk, i’m not satisfied with it so i never posted it??? it sits at 5.5k words and while it does start in a way i like, it degenerates to sth that makes me go “hmmmm wait a sec” whenever i reread so yeah. 🙃🙃🙃 anyway, it’s about ds reminiscing and revisiting the love he has for jj (while jj is imprisoned) and realizing that it just couldn’t work for them that way. sounds very sad, i know, but i’m operating on what the show has given all of us lmao. i have to reread it again because i havent touched it in a while but i seem to remember that it’s also about ds seeing just how much jj loved him; it’s just that the love they had for each other didn’t happen at the same time and it was already too late when they both realized it. YEAH. now u might be wondering, how does jw fit into the picture??? that snippet is one of the many ways he does. 😂😂 (and just in case someone’s curious: no, it doesn’t end in a threesome. had i been capable of pwp, it def would’ve but alas.)

anyway this got way too long lmao but thank you, as always, for indulging me!!!! u’re amazing. 💕

[mostlymaudlin]

Hi! For ao3 wrapped I’d love if you answered 5, 12, and 30 😊

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

this SHOULDN'T have surprised me, but bangable was my first outright smut piece for aftg, and i laughed when i woke up the next morning and my inbox was POPPIN. i feel like aftg fandom is usually p quiet in the comment section (or im just spoiled by the richness of simon snow fandom), but people were SO READY to talk about this blowjob hahahha.

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

oh man LOL. theres a short answer and a long answer and im gonna go for long bc maybe talking abt it all will hold me accountable for finishing stuff.

ok so like technically i have 1 million wips. jk. technically technically i have 41 aftg wips (and ENDLESS more simon snow wips), but most of those google docs are resting in peace in my "wip graveyard" folder. they may be resurrected one day but who knows.

so more accurately i am currently sitting on four wips! all aftg.

my hs au We Can Live Forever... which i actually completed the next chapter for! but i dont want to post it until i finish the one after bc i kind of leave it off on a mean note. i might post it anyway so that people get mad at me and motivate me to keep writing though...

what i have dubbed "slut au," in which our favorite resident ace neil explores sex. its sitting at 20k rn, about halfway thru the plot. very messy atm. about 60% smut.

my secret aftg winter exchange fic

my (NEW AS OF A FEW HOURS AGO) secret aftg mixtape exchange fic

im also p much always playing w flash fics, AAAAND i have been thinking abt revisiting this old au i was working on last spring where neil works at a froyo shop. i actually wrote an entire first draft for that -- i think its sitting at like 12k but its a complete mess. i think of her tho... the found family vibes were v good...

OH and i am seriously considering doing a magnum opus andrew POV fic. i need to move into my own apartment in order to accomplish this because i want to like. really go ham analyzing the books and scaffolding that plot bc if i do it im going to tell the same story but with a very different structure i think. and i cannot do this in my current living situation. so that would probs be my Fic of 2023 if true.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

cheesy. but more than anything i think i've come to know myself as a fiction writer this year. ive always written fiction in bits and pieces, and ive done a shit ton of professional nonfiction writing. writing snowbaz last year felt good in that i was finally writing regularly, but switching fandoms upped my confidence because thats when i could finally prove to myself that i wasn't just copying rainbow rowell hahaha. WHICH LIKE she definitely continues to influence my writing but i think ive developed my style in a way where its more my own now -- i don't lean on the style of aftg the way i did for simon snow fics. and while andrew is undeniably NOT my character, ive done a lot of work around the way i write his POV that im proud of. and this makes me think that if i wanted to write original stories i could... even tho i havent rly come up with a story i want to tell on my own just yet!

from this ask meme!

[floral-force]

Oh, please, please, PLEASE tell me there will be a second part to American Hospitality!!! I’m a Chicago native too and I just love Simon SO MUCH!!! Your writing is amazing!!!

thank you for reading and enjoying it!! i so appreciate the compliment :’) it’s stuff like this that helps me stay motivated and gives me energy. it also adds 5 years to my life.

i’ve gotten a few comments asking for a part 2…i’ve been seriously considering it 👀 i have a couple WIPs and a long din djarin one shot i want to finish, so maybe once that’s done we will revisit simon and his chicagoan american girl ;)

in the meantime, i’m more than happy to fill requests for short one shots, drabbles, and headcanons. check out my guidelines and send me an ask if u so choose. thank you for reading ♥️

ps: chicago natives unite!!!

[welightthefire]

Thank you for tagging me @streamingcolors-gvf 😘

I think it might be fun to look back on what we’ve all achieved this year, let you give yourselves a well deserved pat on the back and also share what you love. When you’re done maybe tag someone else so they can share too?

1. How do you feel 2022 has gone in terms of writing?

Ohh boy. I feel like in the beginning of the year, I hit the ground running. I had a lot of ideas and motivation, passion even, and was putting out my best work. Throughout the summer, mostly near the end, I started to lose steam and imagination and that’s something I’m struggling to navigate through right now. I’m hoping 2023 brings a refreshing bit of inspiration that I can really work with.

2. What pieces are you proudest of this year? It can be a shot/blurb/headcannon, a whole series or even a specific chapter.

Table For Two, without a shadow of a doubt. It was an idea that I came up with last November and sat on for quite awhile. I knew it was going to be a huge project and I wanted to collaborate with someone on it. I’m not the most sociable on here, so I mostly just posted my other writings for awhile and then the most beautiful soul showed up outta nowhere in April and not only did she quickly become one of my absolute best friends, she became the best co-author I could ever ask for to help me bring this idea to fruition.

3. Is there anything you posted that you wish had reached more people? (No such thing as a flop here!) Shout it out, it might catch a new pair of eyes!

Again, Table For Two. I have so much love for the group of readers following along in the adventures of the twins and Syd (and poor Sam), but it’s something that I am so incredibly proud of that I simply want everyone to read it.

4. Can you give us a hint of anything coming before the end of the year? Maybe even a little taster?

You’ll definitely get an update or two from @allieboop and I for TFT, maybe even the end of the series!! I’m also working on a Danny x reader blurb that will be out in the next week or so and a little secret something else, but I can’t say much of anything about it. 🤫

5. Are you setting any writing goals for next year, or just going with the flow? If you are, what are they?

I’m hoping to build my masterlist more. I have some works already in progress which you’ll see on the pinned post on my page, however they won’t be posted until late-winter/spring.

6. Do you have any one shots or finished pieces you're tempted to expand on or revisit next year?

Teach Me Tonight will be getting a part two once TFT is wrapped up and I get some of these other works out. There are some other things floating up in the air, but we’ll just have to see how things turn out first.

7. Is there anything new you're tempted to try out? A new style/trope/AU/another person in the fandom?

I would really love to try my hand at an enemies to lovers trope!! I’m such a sucker for angst when it comes to reading, however, I do find myself struggling to write it sometimes. I have such a fluffy soul lol

8. Now to hype some other writers! What's a piece you read back in the first half of the year that you can shout out?

Amongst The Stars by @samkiszkasfacialhair hands down. It was posted on my birthday this year and to this day, it is the most gut-wrenching piece yet stands as my favorite thing I’ve ever read on this hellsite.

9. And how about something you've read more recently?

Pink Lemonade (WIP) by @garbagevanfleet

Ego (all 3 Parts) by @allieboop

Seven (WIP) by @stardustchordssammy

The Number One Rule by @streamingcolors-gvf and @allieboop

10. A fun one to finish...If you could insert yourself into any fic in the fandom, which would it be and what do you think would happen?

Boys of Summer (WIP) by @streamingcolors-gvf

My girl is in the process of writing a slow burn and confusing the hell out of me and I have NO IDEA what’s going on rn or what to expect, but I can tell you (and she knows this) that I would end up with Jake 😌

Tagging @samkiszkasfacialhair, @stardustbarbarians, and @mintysammykiszka (apologies if you’ve already been tagged)

[northpen]

Hello :) I'm a reader of Perfect Gardens after I saw my friends agonizing over how it rewired their brain chemistry and the inherent tragedy of being convinced to read a fic so good that was incomplete, you know how it is lol, so you know it's very much beloved! (It was honesty so funny, there was so much agony over it "what if it never updates again" "I will never forgive you for making me read an unfinished fic now I have to live with this" "you have to read unfinished fic its good for digestion") even if you leave it here, it will remain many people's favorite fic and rest assured, has permanently altered how they view and characterize these legos. And really!! Your interactions between the cast and child Lloyd's thought process is simply stellar. It's so beautifully complicated, and I love all the little details and descriptions, like the one you wrote for FSM, and the absolute plot twist shock when chapter 1 ended with what sounded like a game time loop. There are SO many good lines and OH- moments in here for the heavy thoughts and realizations the characters go through, I could spend the next 10 hours rereading to list them all. And the way I was slapping my forehead like oh duh when Garmadon revealed what he was doing. Your characterizations of everyone is really so so good and I especially love my cryptic legos, and I was hoping to check in with you to see how you feel about your own fic, if you need some positive engagement with the fic for motivation :D I don't know if you're stuck in editing purgatory where you're hovering over the post button but unsatisfied, in which case dw!! I'm sure its incredible, or if you're uninterested in the wip atm, which is also alright, and thank you for sharing what you had written!! but if you have any plans to revisit the fic in the future, well ;) recently, a lot of old names in the fandom have returned, so when I imagine you updating making it 3 out of 3, that would be the funniest thing ever from how much everyone would be yelling in the chat. just letting you know in case you want to throw your hat in the ring too for fun timing :) best wishes, and have a splendid day!

ahhh thanks so much for this super nice ask!!! my attention is been grabbed yet again by a sonic fanfic series i'm working on, but maybe i can revisit perfect gardens even if it's just to finish it quickly. i feel bad about leaving it 3/4 complete when i have the completed outline done. i will do my best!!

[tridentqueen]

I don’t want to give rise to anything now but have you ever felt completely burnt out? (Asking for aadd specifically but also in general). Like, I will have everything about a story planned out but I just can’t finish anything. Either I loose the motivation to write for that story or I just don’t know how to continue writing/ don’t have it in me to do so. And that happens when I'm around maybe 20k max. Embarrassing. You are nearing 300k (!!) and still going strong, I admire that hahah. Do you think you'll be able to continue giving us chapters till you finish this beast or do you feel like you need a break soon?

Pls if you have tips on how to avoid feeling burnt out or lose motivation and how to not take forever to continue a stroy, tell me 😩.

I normaly don’t read wips that may be left unfinished, I mostly read complete storys so I can be sure it does not include things I may not like (like a sad ending or sth) and I also just enjoy reading something with an actual ending. So I do get why people may get frustrated when I just abandon a fic, especially because its not 'life getting in the way' but just my lack of motivation. But I am sad too (very sad!!) when I notice writing a certain fic is not as fun anymore and feels more like a chore. I haven’t posted anything since almost a year because I have not managed to finish one single work, and I wanted to start posting my fics only if they are complete.

Very sorry for my rambling, I really really hope that you are gonna have fun writing aadd until the end! Love you 😗

Hi! First, nothing to apologize for! ♥️

I have absolutely felt burnt out both in general and writing aatdd, so you are not alone! And it’s not embarrassing at all to get to 20k and not be feeling it anymore. It happens!

One thing I remind myself when I get tired of working on the fic is “I’m not bored of the idea, I’m bored of this chapter.” And I’m sure you and any other writer can relate - some scenes/parts are just more fun to work on than others. When I do feel like I need a break, I take one! I either work on another idea or spend the evening doing something else. Sometimes you just need to not think about it.

Another thing that keeps me motivated is interaction from readers. It feels good to know people are enjoying my work, that people are waiting for me to update, and they’re excited to read a new chapter. I totally get that you don’t want to post until you’re finished, but getting nice comments really does provide motivation! I have a backlog of chapters (which is how I’m able to update so consistently), and I would recommend that for a lot of different reasons.

A good piece of writing advice I once received was “put it on the back burner, but don’t let it get cold.” Have you recently revisited a few of your fics? Sometimes time away can work wonders and you find that the idea excites you all over again.

For feeling like you don’t know how to continue, whenever that happens I skip the scene that’s giving me trouble rather than force myself to write something. That can help a lot, as well!

All that being said, you are never obligated to finish a work if you just fall out of love with the idea or have a lack motivation.

Did this help at all? I feel like my answer is a bit rambling.

[loveislarryislove]

18 and 19 for the wrapped meme!

Thanks for asking!!

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Ooh, that's hard to pick. I feel like the most recent thing is always the freshest, so my thoughts are either Zayn or Harry in my current WIP superhero fic, or Bianca/Silena in my most recent spooky PJO fic. Zayn and Harry I just want to make sure their motives and their character progression is clear and fleshed out and believable. Bianca and Silena were sharing the same body, so I wanted to ensure it was clear who was which and having things be understandable without it feeling super spelled out. Also I'm a wimp, so the spookiness Got Me XD

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

Is it cheating to pick a pairing I've written before, but just not a lot of? Cause right now I am entirely made of Critical Role brainrot.

I said at the end of last year that I was hoping to continue my soft established Vax'ilmore series, and I did write the first half of one, but I didn't finish it oops. And since the Mighty Nein twoshot this month I have been losing my shit over Caleb and Essek being adorable and domestic little reformed war criminals together (did I watch the twoshot? no. do i have any ideas what to write? no. will that stop me? maybe.)

I just want Liam O'Brien's traumatized little queer men to be happy and soft and in love with Matt's funky little purple guys.

I've also been dabbling in Shawn/Niall for an assignment this month, and it's super cute and adorable and I'd love to revisit more of that!

[omg-just-peachy]

for the wip tag game: 13 going on 30 AU 👀

ahhh okay have a (long) snippet because this au is 10k+ words and i haven't worked on it since December of last year and maybe this will help motivate me to revisit it!

This takes place in chapter 1 of the 4 chapters i have finished:

****

They don’t really talk about it, not since Tony confessed everything on a tearful night back in fifth grade, when Howard had been particularly terrible. Even then, Steve’s small face had tightened, and he looked indignant, like he might, at nine years old, take on a grown man in Tony’s defense. Tony had slept at Steve’s that night, even though it was a school night, and in a way it had further solidified their already impenetrable friendship. 

On some level, Tony knew that Sarah must have known about Howard, and that’s why she was always inviting him over, always bending rules and allowing weeknight sleepovers when things got bad, but Tony doesn’t mind as much as he thought he would. Instead, he was relieved, knowing he had somewhere else to go, a mother who would look after him when his own mother was busy crying and telling Howard to stop screaming at their little boy, but never intervening, either. 

“‘Course I’m coming to your party,” Steve huffs now, like Tony’s stupid to think otherwise, and Tony feels himself relax. 

“Good,” Tony says. “Partners in crime," he adds, like a reminder.

“...And cheeseburgers,” Steve finishes the sentence with an eye roll and a smile just as they walk up to the school building. 

“Exactly,” Tony says, nudging their shoulders together before they go their separate ways to first period. 

*

By the time the last bell rings, Tony is all but vibrating with excitement for his party. He’s not popular exactly, not really in with Ty and his crowd, and he wants to make sure everything’s ready for the party later. He doesn’t think he can swing actual alcohol, not without his parents noticing it missing, but he can make sure his video games and comic books and the misshapen computer he’d started building are put away in a closet somewhere. 

Ty is funny, that much is true. But Steve isn’t wrong for saying he uses his words to cut people down. Tony’s never been on the other side of things, and he doesn’t plan to start today. 

Tony expects Steve to be the first arrival, since he’s coming from just next door, but Ty and a group of his friends show up first, followed quickly by Bruce, Natasha, and Clint. 

“Your house is crazy,” Ty says appreciatively, looking around at the space. They’re in the basement, but it looks more like a small apartment than anything else. His dad comes down here to work or escape the family or both, sometimes. Tony worked on convincing him to let him have the party down there for weeks, and he’s relieved it paid off. 

“I guess so,” Tony says with a shrug. He never wanted to appear too eager, but Ty continues talking. 

“We should have more parties here,” Ty says loudly. “Like, real parties,” he adds with a sneer. Tony’s heart sinks. Maybe he should have swiped something from Howard’s liquor cabinet and paid the price later. Before Tony can say another word, though, Ty stomps over the stereo, clicking open the CD player and changing the music without a word to anyone. 

The basement is filling up quickly with people jockeying for control of the music and Ty’s attention, and Steve still isn’t here, and Tony feels like he’s losing control of the situation. He’s pretty sure some of these kids are juniors, people he’s only seen in the halls in passing. If his parents come down now, he’ll die. He’s wondering if he can sneak out and over to Steve’s house to check on him when he appears at his side.

“Where have you been?” Tony hisses, panicked. 

“Hello to you, too,” Steve says with a roll of his eyes. “Who are all these people? And what’s with this music?” He looks around in distaste. 

“I don’t know, Ty put it on. Even I don’t know half of these people,” Tony admits. “They just kept coming…” 

“It’s your house, you should just tell them to leave,” Steve suggests, like it’s simple. 

Tony widens his eyes at him. “I can’t just tell them to leave!” He protests. “They came! We have to find something interesting to do, that’s all. I don’t have any alcohol, so…” 

It’s Steve’s turn to look confused. “Alcohol? Tony. Come on,” he says, eyebrows knitting together. “What we need is an escape plan. You distract them, I’ll kill the lights, and we can escape to my house under cover of darkness.” 

Tony knows Steve’s kidding —at least, he thinks he is —but for a second, that’s all he wants. To leave this ridiculous attempt at popularity with people who don’t seem to even know whose birthday it is, and escape next door with Steve. They can sit in his room and play video games all night, stopping only to make fun of each other and grab snacks from the kitchen.

“Maybe I can stay over later,” Tony says to Steve over the music. He doesn’t see Ty approach them. 

“Yeah, of course, you know my mom never cares,” Steve says, smiling for the first time since he arrived. It makes Tony feel grounded, like the party is mostly just nonsense, and it would come to an end and he’d be able to get back to his real friend. 

“Aw, planning a sleepover with your boyfriend?” Ty interrupts them, his voice loud and cruel. Tony freezes, his stomach turning to ice, and he can feel Steve’s eyes on his, waiting for him to take the lead.

[wordsnstuff]

Guide to Drafting

Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress

–

Planning v. Discovery

The first thing you must decide when you embark on the journey of drafting a story is how you’re going to get it done. Typically, there are two groups you can fit into, though most writers are somewhere in between. There are writers who plan meticulously before they begin writing to create a very clean first draft, or there are discovery writers (otherwise known as “pantsers”) who find more success in choosing a premise and then using a zero draft to explore the idea before gluing down any details. You are most likely someone who falls between those two methods. Some initial planning to feel familiar with your idea before you do some of the planning through the writing itself. Having some semblance of a method will help you narrow down your own process, which is immensely important if you want to get any substantial project near completion.

Consistency

Drafting is a difficult process because it’s either the revisitation of ideas you’ve already had, or the generations of ideas in quick succession. If you want to have a draft in a reasonable amount of time, you must develop a consistency in your writing. I won’t say that it must be a strict routine because time management can be a luxury, but you must make the consistent effort to write, and keep it in the forefront of your mind. Even if you don’t write every day, it should be something you try to make time for every day.

Know What You’re Trying to Accomplish

To get a draft done, you need to set expectations for yourself and they must be realistic. That doesn’t mean they have to be easy, or an amount of work you’ve been able to accomplish in the past. Considering how much time you dedicate to writing and your skillset, it should be a goal within reality. In addition, you must accept that you cannot create a masterpiece in one draft. For each version of your story that you write, you must have a focused goal, such as maintaining consistent characterization, making the plot concise and engaging, or making the prose more fluid and efficient. If you have a specific and attainable goal that you can accomplish in a reasonable amount of time with a fair amount of precision, each draft will be better than the last.  

Designate Work to Phases

As mentioned in the last section, it maximizes your time and effort to have specific and attainable goals for each draft. This doesn’t mean that you rewrite the draft each time (though that is very common amongst writers), but that you designate tasks to draft versions. I find it very helpful in clearing my mind and soothing my perfectionist anxiety to make a “schedule”, outlining what I’ll accomplish in each version following the zero draft. For example, my draft schedules usually end up something like this:

Zero Draft: Main plot line, basic characterization, key world building

First Draft: Finalize Timeline, research for world building, structure

Second Draft: (Rewrite) Plot Development Fine Tuning

Subplot development

Foreshadowing

Build up to climaxes

Tone & Pace

Third Draft: (Intermittent Rewrites) Character Development Fine Tuning

Backstory

Subtextual Development

Making sure motivations are clear

Relationships between characters

Reinforcing character arcs

Checking dialogue

Fourth Draft: (Give to Beta Readers) World Building & Prose

Descriptions & Flow

Finalize settings

Checking grammar & punctuation

Reader Immersion

Fifth Draft: Incorporate Beta Reader Feedback

Write for Yourself First

In what some call the “zero-draft”, there are no rules. This draft is purely for your eyes. It’s you telling yourself the story for the first time. So, you don’t have to write in chronological order, or know the right word you’re looking for, or take a break every time you run into a problem. The purpose of the zero draft is to get a rough idea of as much of the story as you can and avoid getting snagged on minor details. This part is important. A lot of writers like to outline meticulously before they begin drafting and if that works for you, that’s great, but the majority of writers who attempt that get stuck in the planning phase, or burnt out on their story before a word of it exists. The easiest way to avoid those two situations is to do a zero draft, which can be as long or short as you want if it provides a skeleton for you to add meat to later.

Common Struggles

~ How do you estimate the number of words/chapters?... That depends on the genre, mostly. However, that’s usually something you decide in the second draft and beyond, and it can vary because of factors you haven’t got locked down until the plot and character arcs are firm or final. This is also something you’ll probably do a lot of tinkering with, and receive feedback on, especially from beta-readers, who can advise you on where natural breaks could occur from their perspective.

~ Why, after planning everything out, do I always struggle to write the draft?... 99% of the time, it’s because you’ve either burned yourself out, or accumulated too much pressure. When you put that much effort and time into a story, you can either slip into a headspace where you feel little excitement about it because you’ve already done all of the problem solving and had all of the revelations. It’s usually beneficial at this stage to take a step back (even if you’re not burnt out) and give your story some space, so that once you come back to it, you’re enthusiastic enough to fully realize your vision. If instead you’re struggling to write because you feel a lot of pressure to do justice for a story you’ve put so much love into already, take a step back, remember that the first draft is just for you, and work on letting go of the idea that the zero draft is meant to serve any purpose beside simply existing. 

~ How do I come up with the necessary scenes to move the story forward between major plot points?... Most writing problems can be solved by asking yourself the right questions. When you’re trying to figure out what your reader needs to see next in order to effectively set up the next major event, ask yourself “What would happen between event A and event B that would add context or make event B more impactful?”. Treat it like a real situation and try to map out all of the tiny, notable moments that would take place between the major plot points, and then assess those moments on the basis of how impactful they would be to the coming scenes, and whether they can add context, set the tone, or aide in the rising action.

~ How do I balance sticking to the draft and following my own creative instinct in the moment?... This is a judgement call. Sometimes you’ll realize that maybe you should have just stuck to the outline, but remember that you can always go back, rewrite, test things out, etc. Always save every version of every scene, just in case, and go wild. Don’t be afraid to take detours just to explore. The writing process is anything but linear. 

~ How do I maintain momentum in my writing progress when I constantly have distractions or other responsibilities that take priority?... Work at it. There’s no magic trick or piece of advice I could say that gets rid of your personal responsibilities. Write when you can, don’t make excuses on top of the reasons you have no control over, and remember that you create your own deadlines and expectations. Be kind to yourself, do what you can, and don’t spend potential writing time punishing yourself because there isn’t as much as you’d like. 

~ How should I designate space (words/pages) to specific scenes/description/conversations, etc?... Trust your instinct and remember you can always cut/add later. In the earlier drafts, I’d advise you try to create as much material as possible to work with, and in the later drafts, be ruthless when determining what is necessary and adds value, and what doesn’t.

~ How do I finish a draft if I regularly lose motivation or interest in my projects?... Accept the fact that motivation is fickle, and that no writer in history has ever maintained “inspiration” for any project from the beginning to the end. There are going to be days where you’re like “ugh this is not what I want to do right now”, probably more than there are days where you’re stoked to work on your project, but that’s reality. If your goal is to finish a draft, you must recognize that writing is work, and nobody wants to work all the time. Try to supplement the lack of motivation by setting a positive and enjoyable routine so that, even when you’re not particularly motivated, you still know that your writing time will be peaceful and comfortable. 

–

Masterlist | WIP Blog

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, or pledging your support on Patreon, where I offer early access and exclusive benefits for only $5/month.

Shoutout to my $15+ patrons, Jade Ashley and Douglas S.!

[mikhaelwrites]

Being A Writer (And the non-writing tasks that can come along with it!)

With the things that we now have at our finger tips, there are so many other things we can do to work on our stories! While our primary goal as writers should be to write, if you are struggling to start writing or finish writing, I suggest finding other tasks that can be used as a tool for connecting to your story without actually having to work on writing it. 1. Pinterest Boards! Okay, this is something that I do not do often but it really helps with brainstorming and its mainly a tip related to your characters. I create boards named after my characters and I add things that remind me of them! It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, it could just be some aesthetic photos. Sometimes, when I'm struggling to remember parts of my character or I'm just trying to connect with them, I revisit these boards or I'll work on adding more things! 2. Canva! This might be more specific to me but I like to think really far ahead when it comes to my stories. I use Canva (its FREE) to make book covers for my stories! This is something I use to get excited about my story but it also helps me pull back and think about how I want to my readers to view my story and my characters. Making a book cover made me think about writing a blurb, a summary, etc! Its a fun, non-stressful task related to your writing without actually requiring you to write. Not to mention it can just make you more excited about your WIP if you make it into a fun task for yourself, seeing what it could possibly look like if you finished it and decided to make it into a book could really help boost moral and help with motivation. 3. Talking With Your Friends! When I would get into arguments with someone, I would talk to a friend so that I could pull back, go through what happened, and get a fresh perspective. It always helped me be able to revisit the event and I was able to revisit the situation with a better perspective and with my emotions in order. I cannot say that it works the exact same with your writing but talking about your WIPs with your friends/family and just anyone who wants to listen can help you flesh out your story, it can help you think about aspects that you hadn't thought that you needed to explain and it can overall just give you a fresh perspective. Especially if this is your first time really explaining the story to your friend, you realize what information someone needs to know to understand the story and what information they don't need to understand the story. It gives you a better understanding of what fresh eyes, and non-professional readers(beta readers and editors) would see when they first read/hear about the story you've written. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm sure you have tasks of your own that you can think of! Maybe making art of your characters, knitting or crocheting something related to the plot/characters, making drinks related to the story/characters, making up dances, etc. Incorporate things that you enjoy into your story making and see where that gets you!