#WTWCOMMUNITY

[serpentarii]

M O R D L U S T ; september 22nd, 2024

finally getting around to doing these more often now that i'm making money moves in the draft (this is a lie, i am making moves into my friends' dms to scream) so that means i have an excuse to make self-indulgent WIP edits.

my primary protagonist vératre, formerly known as voir, has been made sufficiently weird, and i think i've found a way to smoothly integrate all of the new scenes i added when i reformatted her half of the plot.

i've also been in my overthinking era to make sure that everything from color symbolism, animal motifs, to the specific variations of words characters use has a purpose. 90% of it will not be apparent in the actual draft so, to paraphrase myself, i'm like gay sisyphus opening and closing notion.

but, i do plan on making some character aesthetic intros, tv show edits, and finally getting around to that animal symbolism post 🐯

transcript below the cut:

Pale blue light flooded into the crate as the lid was pried off, then abruptly overturned, sending Aleksander tumbling out between a set of familiar armchairs. His attention traveled up the front of a familiar desk and landed at an unsmiling familiar face.  Sitting quietly on the other side of the desk was Lady Kos, regal as a queen and ten times wealthier, with pearl droplets woven into her dark braids, dressed in chiffon and lace from trailing hem to high, starched collar.  She was melting wax, her movements swift and assured as she poured a small pool onto the folds of an envelope and stamped it with a sigil Aleksander knew to dread. She took a sip of riesling, soundlessly replacing her glass onto the wood, before setting her sights on him.  “Herr Aleksander Fox,” she said at last. 

and since i haven't done this in like 4 years, surprise bitch. i'm doing a novel prep tag in here now.

first look ;

describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch) ;

a businessman-turned-thief finds himself entangled with a pair of opposing assassins and the roles they unknowingly play in a much grander conspiracy.

how long do you plan for your novel to be (novella, standalone, series, etc.)? ;

a standalone, thank god. the technically term would be roman fleuve, since i am planning future standalone works that take place within the same universe.

what is your novel’s aesthetic? ;

ancient buildings overtaken by nature, cemeteries at midnight, poisonous flowers, venomous snakes, whispering in shadowy alcoves, masquerade balls, bloodstained feathers, veiled truths

what other stories inspire your novel? ;

the his dark materials series by philip pullman, uprooted by naomi novik, classic gothic lit, fairy tales in general, and uh,,,,,,,exodus.

share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel ;

main character ;

who is your protagonist? ;

my two main protagonists/POVs are liferuiner and wannabe businessman aleksander fox, and vératre, a notorious poisoner struggling her way through a quarter-life crisis.

who is their closest ally? ;

aleksander's closest ally, at least in the beginning, is his friend heidi, an information broker with a secret :) and vératre begrudgingly accepts the help of salicaire, another assassin, since they are both nosy and want answers.

who is their enemy? ;

aleksander vs. the ospirin family (a fight he is nawt winning) and the church

what do they want more than anything? ;

so, to be cryptic, 3/4 of the leads in mordlust are all reflections of each other, what they could have been and what they want to be. the last of them is the mirror. they see in him what they want to see. and what they want, shockingly, is prestige, power, belonging, etc. they've always felt like strangers in their own skin and will go to terrible lengths to fit themselves into a society that was not made for them.

why can’t they have it? ;

dirty dirty politics for which they are mere pawns ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

what do they wrongly believe about themselves? ;

that because they've been hurt, they are justified in hurting others in pursuit of their goals.

draw your protagonist! (or share a description) ;

aleksander is a classic dandy with a hyperfixation on his vintage fox fur coat, which he wears even when it's wildly out of season and out of fashion because it's the nicest thing he owns. he's also usually seen wearing kid leather gloves and a golden cravat pin he received from his patroness. he's got green eyes, short auburn hair, lots of freckles, and more people would find him handsome if he didn't smile like he knew your fly was down and was refusing to tell you.

vératre's lips are stained purple due to. reasons. and so she wears a veil, which is not uncommon for particularly devout women. she has medium length brown hair she keeps pinned up into tight plaits and a notably long neck. also, she has pretty privilege because shits fucked and having attractive lay servants representing the house/church is common practice. since she works as a kitchen maid most of the week, she's often wearing her uniform w/ an apron. and sometimes she wears isme's black feathered cloak.

drawing wise, i do have this chart, courtesy of alex @bitethebard:

plot points ;

what is the internal conflict? ;

aleksander and vératre, being parallels of each other, have somewhat similar internal conflicts. they both came from nameless villages out in the countryside and share a burning desire to be more. in vératre's case it's v much a "be careful what you wish for" situation, because in receiving everything she thought she wanted she's no longer herself and unhappier than ever. aleksander is younger and earlier along in his journey, but barreling down the same path. except the choices he makes fucks shit up for the people around him more than they effect himself.

what is the external conflict? ;

again, cutthroat politics (literally). everyone has something they'd kill for.

what is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist? ;

other than dying horribly, probably being tethered to an uncaring master, praying to uncaring gods, and trying to find comfort in an uncaring church for the rest of their miserable lives.

what secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story? ;

aleksander is entangled in a pseudo-liar revealed plot, which i kinda hate, but as an extremely unreliable narrator his priorities are not in proper order... vératre is witnessing the horrors.

do you know how it ends? ;

yeah

bits & bobs ;

what is the theme? ;

blind faith is dangerous. you must learn to take responsibility for both the good and the bad actions you take, and attaching yourself to someone or something at random to validate your own existence isn't healthy. holiness exists not only in gods but in small moments of happiness and in the people we love. and lastly don't fucking steal someone's skin and sell it on the black market.

what is a recurring symbol? ;

thorns.

where is the story set? (share a description!) ;

niederbrinn, the capital city of falkenreik, which is loosely inspired by pre-german empire prussia. it's filled with tons of gothic™ architecture and fun locations like cathedrals, catacombs, and creature shops. it's situated closer to the malevolent eldritch forest than most would like.

do you have any images or scenes in your mind already? ;

hell yeah

what excited you about this story? ;

mostly isme. and then the other 3 protags ig 🙄

tell us about your usual writing method! ;

these days, i usually write a rough outline and expand it using the snowflake method, incorporating ideas, themes, and worldbuilding along the way. then i make a proper outline where i figure out chapters, acts, the dreaded midpoint, etc. i don't write in chronological order so this helps a ton with out-of-context lines since i have a reference for where i want them based on the location/emotional state of the characters. getting myself to actually sit down and WRITE the damn thing is the problem, shout out to my fellow procrastinating perfectionists <33

if you made it to this point you are sexy and i love you, byeeee !!

[strangelittlestories]

"Everybody breaks."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Eve had a sad little look on her face that made her seem very far away.

"How much does he know?"

"Oh, that doesn't matter." She smiled a little, but there was no joy in it. "He won't tell them that."

"*Everybody* breaks." He repeated.

"Do you know what happens when most people are tortured?" She sighed and looked at him with blood-kissed eyes. "They'll do *anything* to make it stop. Say whatever you want to hear. You know why only the desperate and the stupid use torture? Because it makes *liars* out of people. That's what I'm afraid of."

She hugged her arms around herself and stared off into the distance.

"It's been so long since he lied."

---

A world away, there was screaming.

The screaming had been going on for days.

The guards were starting to get properly freaked out, because the screaming kept going even when the inquisitors *weren't* working on him.

He didn't eat.

Didn't sleep.

He just screamed, 24/7.

The guard outside the cell door had developed a twitch in her eyebrow. So much so that when the Inquisitors came back, they had her sent to Reeducation for showing signs of infirmity.

Even as the Teachers in their white lab coats examined her, she could still hear the screams (even though they could not).

In the cell, the Inquisitors asked their questions and received only gibbered nonsense between the screams.

"Where is your base?" They asked.

"Deep in the darkness visible." He sang.

"How many of you are there?" They asked.

"We are legion, legion, legion." He smiled.

"Who is your leader?" They asked.

And he looked them dead in the eyes. Which he should not have been able to do, but his orbs blazed and seemed everywhere.

Great, splintered things like dead trees seemed to be growing from his back.

And he grinned as he flicked out his forked tongue to taste the air.

"Better to rule in hell." He whispered.

Against their better judgement, the Inquisitors leaned in close.

---

Back in Reeducation, the guard sighed.

"Huh." She said. "It wasn't screaming at all."

"It was laughter."

[jacqueswriteblrlibrary]

Hey writeblr! Here's a challenge: can you summarize what you're writing in one sentence?

[innocentlymacabre]

Being a short fiction writer is hard. We painstakingly craft entire narratives, distilled to perfection, and when we're finally ready to publish...we slam face-first into a brick wall.

Rejections are par for the course, but we can't even get rejections if we don't know where to submit. There are so many wonderful magazines out there who are just waiting to read our work, but finding them can be difficult.

As a short fiction writer myself, I know the pain well.

So, I decided to try and help. I've compiled a list of 140 magazines and counting, with information on the genres they accept, if they accept excerpts from longer works, word count limit, pay scale, simultaneous/republished/multiple acceptance status, and their response timeframes.

And the best bit? It's free. All I ask is that you give me a commission on what you make share this with other writers so getting published can be easier for us all.

Grab the database right hereeee.

[lord-fallen]

gothic fiction delicacies 

one. byronic hero

intense eyes; solitary wanderings; brooding silence; haunted gaze; dark charisma; tragic allure; veiled mystery

two. madness

fractured reality; psychological torment; deranged mutterings; whispering shadows; eerie obsessions; unraveling sanity; labyrinthine mind; feeling trapped

three. isolation

cut off from the outside world; trapped in a remote location; abandoned footfalls; neverending empty corridors; calling out and not hearing back

four. ruin

shattered windows; statues that gaze back; freshly-cut gardens despite rusty gates and moss-covered stones; feeling time standing still

five. the uncanny

familiar made strange; sense of unease; unblinking eyes; whispering portraits; distorted reflections; unseen presence; sense of odd terror

six. death and mortality

empty coffins; silent graves; sound of a raven; cold tombstones with faded names; creaking of an old casket lid; flickering candlelight; chill of marble; pervasive smell of freshly turned soil; watched by unseen eyes

seven. forbidden knowledge and power

secret manuscripts; silent incantations in forgotten languages; rough aged parchment of old scrolls; metallic taste of a casted spell; musty odor of ancient libraries; overwhelming compulsion to delve deeper into mysteries

eight. attraction and repulsion

ominous elegance; pale skin contrasting with dark attire; soft seduction laced with danger; heartbeat racing in a quiet room; hushed conversations amidst tension; electric sensation from a fleeting touch; bittersweet flavor of love

nine. dark and unexplored places

flickering torchlight in endless narrow passageways; shadows dancing on walls; cold stone beneath fingertips; brush of unseen cobwebs against the skin; faint scent of charred wood

ten. family secrets

locked doors and hidden rooms; stains on letters; a key to a long-forgotten lock; fragile papers tarnished with old secrets; bitter flavor of betrayal and deception; tension at family gatherings

part one.

[mjjune]

TWTR: A COMIC SANS INTRO

as requested/voted on for my 1k follower celebration! thank you so much to everyone who voted and who cares enough about this story to want to know more 💕

artists featured: check them out!!!

@neapaulatan, @ichimakesart, @littlestpersimmon, @akiwitch, @vacantgodling

below the cut is a full image description and twtr's taglist! reply here or message me if you want to be added ✨

[Image Description:

A Comic Sans WIP intro of 9 slides with dark gray background and various images.

Slide 1: Title page with a dark background of green leaves with the title "TWTR: a comic sans wip intro as requested by my followers <3"

Slide 2: "So WTF is TWTR?" with an image of illustrated art of a forest scene with a tree growing through a cottage in the background, a silvery ax with a dragon design sticking out of the earth in the foreground. The slide reads, "a retelling, sorta, more of a sequel ! the prologue is a little red riding hood retelling, and the rest of the novel is the aftermath. red is not so little anymore. the wolf is back for blood and the woodsman has to finish what he started 6 years ago." In smaller font, a note in parentheses says, "and no i will not tell you what twtr stands for. it’s an ongoing joke now that half my betas still didn’t know what it meant even though it was on the signup sheet 🫠"

Slide 3: The Story. Has an illustrated gif image of the woodsman facing away from the audience, his cape blowing in the wind. He has an ax in his left hand, a raven sitting on his right shoulder in the woods. the slide reads: "the woodsman, an outsider, saves a little girl from a legendary beast, only to find out that she’s?? whoops?? the nearby kingdom’s princess and only heir??? so naturally, if you were the queen, and some strange outsider dude pops out of the evil magical forest with your 10yo daughter claiming he saved her from The Wolf™ ... uh, yeah, that’s sus. he’s arrested and has to prove (via dark shit i won’t go into) that he’s magic-free before he can join kingdom society."

Slide 4: Yikes, then what? Has a banner image of the woods with a cloaked figure in the center, fog rising from the bottom, with a raven with glowing eyes in the corner. The slide reads: "over the years, he works his way up to become red’s personal guard. he has his first real friend of his entire life?? 🥺 until the wolf shows back up, working its way through the kingdom devouring people. avery must kill the beast once and for all before it gets to red. as he tracks it, though, he uncovers lies that go deep not only within the kingdom, but his own past. he finds The Wolf™ in the woods, where it offers him a deal: the truth, for red. which will avery choose??? 👀"

Slide 5: Wait so who are these people?? Has 3 icon images of the main characters. First is "Avery, The Woodsman. known for being short, baby-faced, and a man of few words; mysterious past prior to saving red and joining the kingdom." His icon is an illustrated profile view of a short dark-haired tan-skinned man with freckles and a bit of scruff and a serious expression. Second is "Red, Princess Anara. the spirited heir to the throne; angry that she’s not included in royal affairs and wants to learn everything." Her icon is illustrated art of a young girl with blue eyes, red hair in a braid, wearing a dark hooded cloak looking at the audience. Last is "The Wolf™, a monster of legend, rumored to be immortal that lives in the dark forest surrounding the kingdom; the size of a room and devours people whole :P yum yum." Its icon is a dark image of a wolf with glowing white eyes looking at the audience.

Slide 6: Surely there are other characters, MJ??? Slide is plain with a bulleted list of info, which reads: "Honorable Mentions: MAGNUS, the elite guardsman who trains avery and has a complicated history (an unintentional fan favorite); QUEEN ETIENNE, the queen of the kingdom and red’s mom; "GRANDMA", an elderly woman who red liked to visit (secretly) in the woods and was devoured by The Wolf™."

Slide 7: Also Featuring. Slide reads "a badass ax, hand-crafted by avery’s long-deceased parents; giant trees the size of houses; giant burrowing lizards; religious coercion :); magic metal; magic plagues; magic soup; intimate platonic hair braiding; cute child cameos; southern hemisphere world (aka the north is warm and the south is cold)". To the right is an illustration of avery's ax, a dark handle with silvery ax with an etched dragon design.

Slide 8: Ok, but is it gay? with small parentheses note: "how dare you ask me this honestly." Bullet points read: "unfortunately this is classified :) (tbf even in the book i keep it loose and open to interpretation), but here are some themes which may or may not be queer: “(unconscious) true love’s kiss breaks the spell” except does it tho???; princess “uninterested in courting”; handsome shy wallflower guy gets asked to dance by 100 girls and declines them all (think cullen from dragon age lmao); shapeshifting as a metaphor for... things :); found family / family doesn’t have to be blood / adoption; lights vs. dark not being a clear-cut good vs. evil, nuanced morality etc.

Slide 9: Art credits! Slide reads: "a HUGE thank you to all the artists i’ve commissioned! they’re all linked below! check them out! in order of appearance: dark forest scene by neapaulatan; avery cape gif by ichimakesart; foggy banner and wolf icon (fan-made); avery icon by littlestpersimmon; red icon by akiwitch; avery’s ax by vacantgodling. Below the credits, it reads, "Thanks for reading! and as a reminder, all my works have a taglist! if you want a notif every time i post about this wip let me know :)"

End Image Description]

@aether-wasteland-s @annetilney @artbyeloquent @ashirisu @bebewrites

@cljordan-imperium @dogmomwrites @dustylovelyrun @elijahrichardwrites @eventideintrigue

@faithfire-writes @flowerprose @forthesanityofstorytellers @ghafasinej @helioscenic

@isabellebissonrouthier @jamieanovels @lexiklecksi @little-mouse-gardens @marlowethelibrarian

@marrowwife @mr-writes @macabremoons @perasperaadastrawriting @phantomnations

@tate-lin @thyroidhormones @verba-writing @vsnotresponding @wildswrites

[woundlight]

hello! i'm currently trying to get back into the habit of reading and writing, so i'm hoping to use writeblr as a way to keep at it and possibly make some friends!

— about me.

✦ i'm riven, adult, nonbinary lesbian, they/them ✦ neurodivergent ✦ i love cosmic horror, religious symbolism, art, swords, the occult and space

— about my writing.

✦ right now i'm focusing more on poetry and short stories, but i do have a few bigger projects coming ✦ i like writing stories with elaborate worldbuilding, fantasy meeting sci-fi, queer romance, eldritch entities, complicated morality, body horror, general weirdness and, of course, angst ✦ english is not my first language. i've been writing primarily in my native tongue until recently, but i'm eager to grow and learn!

i'd really love to meet more writers and get involved in the community, so feel free to interact or drop a message!

wips under the cut!

— my wips.

☣️ GODSLAYER science fantasy

when angels discover humanity, the solar system unites under the inquisition, a powerful agency dedicated to the defense of mankind. as they battle against the cosmic threat, the stars seem to shift; the universe is dying, and the angels are ravenous.

🌙 ONEIRATA dark fantasy

in a city where it’s forbidden to dream, a condemned mage is saved by the child prophesied to end the world. as the moon demands blood, they struggle to understand the choice presented to them: betray their savior and secure the sacrifice, or succumb to the cataclysm that is coming.

⛓️ A CITY ABLAZE soft sci-fi

a story inspired by the prometheus myth, set in a frozen post-apocalyptic world. in the last bastion of humanity, a young woman finds herself enthralled by the world outside; a desire that might have deadly consequences for both her and the city itself.

🦐 TIDEFALL pirate fantasy

a story where you play as the branded, a person gifted with a fraction of an old god’s power. marked by an eldritch prawn goddess, you are tasked with saving the gods from extinction. however, the crew of the pirate ship that sheltered you might have other plans.

— other.

✦ i'm excited to participate in tag games and events, but i may be slow to respond. i would still appreciate them though ✦ send me an ask or a dm to be added to a taglist!

[veneritia]

april 2024 camp nano wip intro - when comes the dawn

this is just something silly :)

taglist: @bloomingwrites @writinglyra @zmwrites @trapped-inadystopianovel @inky-duchess @aalinaaaaaa @seasteading @kaatiba @lazulis-stuff @serpentarii @sourrcandy @charlesjosephwrites @marrowwife @forever-and-almost-always @halcionic

Slide transcripts under the cut!

[TRANSCRIPT BEGINS]

Slide 1: Title slide

When Comes the Dawn, book 1 of 2

Slide 2: wdym my fantasy story has to have magic?

Set in a fantasy world loosely set in the late antiquities/early middle ages., where everyone alive has the capability to harness magic. But actually using it requires strict and intensive education (and maybe a phD or 5) so most people only know very basic spells.

In Trinitarian belief, it’s believed that the goddess Meidther gave her blood to bring humans to life, and because of that people are imbued with magic. No living person can be alive without magic because it’s literally impossible! Wait -- the emperor of Aetier has a what????

So there’s this weird phenomenon where on very rare occasions, babies will be born without magic. Called “deadbornes”, these babies are incompatible with life and usually end up passing away minutes to days later. With one notable exception (we’ll circle back to this later)

Slide 3: the set-up

The Empire of Aetier (or if you ask any local: “the gods’ specialist little empire”) has a very unique way of handling succession in the imperial family. That way is murder. Just murder. All heirs plot against one another in a formal-informal system called “The King’s Game.” It’s supposed to be a competition of skills, but it’s kind of warped itself into state-sanctioned fratricide (NOT to be confused with a battle royale. That’s just uncouth /j)

The last King’s Game ended 22 years ago, when Dantalion vi Aetier defeated and killed his half-sister in battle. As the victor, he crowned himself the new Vasilier of the empire and proceeded to bring in a new golden age of prosperity for his people. And nothing is wrong and everything is beautiful, and there is no way this can go wrong

... right?

It all starts on the day Fenice was born... where instead of being the healthy and uber powerful child Dantalion expected her to be, Fenice turns out to be a deadborne. Deadbornes are considered harbingers of ill omens, and siring one is a terrible way to start your new reign. And even stranger still is the fact that Fenice...doesn’t die? Someone call the priest and ask them what does it mean if your death omen refuses to go away

Slide 4: The plot

The end of the Hesperia-Aetier war brought new lands under the Empire’s rule, and with it, new ways to gain power and prestige in the Imperial Court. The biggest thorn in the empire atm is that Hesperia’s last king is still wandering the lands somewhere, waiting to strike.

Imperessa Fenice vi Aetier (who’s still alive and kicking) just lost her mom in the war, and now she’s desperate to prove herself to her estranged father that she’s more than a disappointment and wasted potential. And what better way to do that than to succeed him as the next Vasilier?

The problem? Only those that undergo an Ascension are considered legitimate contenders for the throne. The other problem? Dantalion won’t give her one.

Fenice: “Trade offer: I receive my own province to rule and an Ascension. You receive the head of the deposed king of Hesperia.” Dantalion: “Deal. But you have to marry his brother though” Fenice: “What”

[in big, bold, italicized font] disclaimer: this is not a romance

Slide 5: The plot pt. 2

Now wedded and gifted with a province of her own to rule , Fenice actually has to set-up her own power base and follow through with her end of the deal to find and kill the runaway king, as well as extinguish the rebellions he’s so keen on igniting.

But the more she looks for him, the more she realizes he’s being backed by someone much more powerful. But who?

And on totally unrelated note, there seems to be some weird rumors going around of some guy claiming to be Aretos vi Aetier, the son of the very same person Dantalion killed during the King’s Game 20+ years back. But that’s obviously fake news. Surely no one will fall for it!

Slide 6: The POV characters

[image description, the slide is split into two parts with fenice on the left and nikephoros on the right. end image description]

[heading ] fenice vi aetier

[image description: a face claim of the character is displayed on an arched frame, the model is female,has long red hair, pale skin, and an intense gaze]

20, she/her, imperessor of Aetier, Kaisarim of Isidore

the deadborne child that just won’t die

The most calculative and petty bitch you will ever meet

Has the constitution of a sick Victorian lady

Has an inferiority complex so bad it loops back around to a superiority complex

May have met god. not entirely sure

(Debuff) (unremovable) an off-putting aura that cancels out all magic in her immediate vicinity

Ginger

She’s soooo aroace

[heading ] nikephoros deominos

[image description: a face claim of the character is displayed on an arched frame, the model is male, has short light brown hair, is wearing a red sweater, and has his chin tucked into the crook of his arm, while leaning off the arm of a sofa. end image description.]

24, he/him, prince-consort, prince of Hesperia

has been having the worst day of his life for 5 years in a row and counting

his country? conquered. his brother? in hiding. his sister? captive. himself? trying not to die of liver failure

the opposite of a wife guy, the only person he hates more than his wife is his father-in-law loves his family, would be nice to see them though.

generally a nice guy but recent events has him very stressed and angry 24/7

has murderous urges almost all the time

At the bottom middle of the slide it says "married in body but divorced in spirit."

Slide 7: Major characters (spar's notes edition)

(no pictures bc face claimsare hard :(

[heading] dantalion vi aetier

47, he/him, vasilier of the empire

a living legend that all history nerds of the future would study

the dilfiest dilf to ever dilf

has many kids. is a father to maybe one of them

has many wives. is a husband to one, maybe two of them

canonically extremely pretty

surprisingly the only vi aetier to recieve the “kinslayer” epithet despite all previous generations also...slaying kin

Is a wife guy but for a specific wife only

conquered Hesperia as a pride thing

[heading] titania of taul

45, she/her, late vasilia of the empire

the most badass woman to ever walk the face of the earth

mother to fenice and first wife to the guy on the left

she dies before the book starts but she’s still present in the story because death has nothing on her

has many fun epithets such as “the strongest mage,” and “the scourge of men”

Titania is to Hesperians as Hannibal was to the Romans

A+ fighter, B+ mom

Not brought up or relevant in the story, but did you know no one knows who her mother is. One day, her dad just walked out into the wilderness to hunt and then a couple weeks or months later came back with Titania. no explanation was given

Slide 8: major characters cont.

[heading] andras vi drochona

44, he/him, imperessor of Aetier

Dantalion’s only full-blooded sibling, and also his only living sibling

the vasilier’s right hand man

lopped off his own sword arm to prove his loyalty

Designated a forever bachelor by the government

terrible at being comforting

likes to mess with his nieces and nephews

[heading] charles vi aetier

18, he/him, imperessor of Aetier

dantalion’s second child

everyone’s favorite person and can do no wrong

has to always be ok or he’ll detonate like a nuke

achilles coded bi-disaster, take that however you will

a disney prince trapped in game of thrones someone please help this boy out he just wants his family to get along

absolute mama’s boy

[heading] sola eidos

27, he/him

that is not his real name, he made it up

could be the star of his own book ngl

primarily deals in information nowadays but sometimes he misses the adrenaline rush that comes from a well-executed assassination. this is what lands him in fenice’s hands

his secrets have secrets, that’s why his hair is so big

slide 9: major characters cont.

[heading] isandros deominos

28, he him, king of Hesperia

Nike’s older half-brother

Had the worst start of a reign ever. He’s proclaimed king and then immediately has to flee into hiding

hates Aetier with a burning passion

is Stressed TM and in dire need for some hot cocoa

[heading] leda vi bryennia

48, she/her, honored fidari

long story short, she once witnessed Titania fight and covered in blood and had such a massive girl-crush she swore to be Titania’s knight the second she was asked

helped raise fenice and is now serves her as her guardian/protector. that is her child thank you very much

had a shounen-style rivals-to-friends-to-lovers arc with fellow fidari Thetis. It’d be great if it wasn’t for their explosive break-up

[heading] sartore vitae

28, he/him

he can mansplain, manipulate, and manwhore his way into and out of any situation

has a cool eye-patch

is maybe a little too invested with Fenice’s relationship with her father

he WISHES he was as cool as lelouch lamperouge

+ many more characters! (seriously this cast is huge)

slide 10: featuring

way too much extraneous worldbuilding

court intrigue

morally dark gray protagonist

family as your allies and family as your enemies

lots of near-death experiences

no romantic subplot!

too many code geass references

slide 11: camp nano goals

write everyday

2wrte 15,000 words total

reach 50,000 words on my draft

slide 12: fin

[image description: the final slide is full of discord screenshots of funny jokes and commentary about the wip. ]

[end transcript]

[welcometowriteblr]

WTW PRESENTS OUR 41ST EVENT!

WelcomeToWriteblr brings you another prompt event, this one themed around the planets of our solar system! Like our last prompt event, this month is a redux of an older event that we’d once again like to bring to the community! 

From MAY 25TH TO JUNE 2ND create something in response to that day’s prompt and post it. You’re welcome to do absolutely anything for the prompt of the day, whether it be a drawing, an excerpt, a playlist, or a moodboard. This event is aimed to get everyone involved and we will accept all submissions! 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Tag your posts as #WTWEVENT and #WTWCOMMUNITY

Format your posts like this: WTW PLANET PROMPTS - PLANET NAME: CHOSEN PROMPT

Wait for your post to be added to the queue. 

NSFW content will not be posted to the blog. 

OPTIONAL: Join our discord server if you would like to ensure your post makes it onto the blog! Tumblr’s tagging system can be unreliable and we want to make sure everyone’s creations are shared! Please note, you must be 15 OR OLDER to enter our server! 

PROMPT LIST 

Day 1 - Mercury - Locations or Travel 

Day 2 - Venus - Politics 

Day 3 - Earth - Nature 

Day 4 - Mars - War or Conflict 

Day 5 - Jupiter - Religion or Commerce 

Day 6 - Saturn - Luxury or Cuisine 

Day 7 - Uranus - History or Science 

Day 8 - Neptune - Lore or Mythology 

Day 9 - Pluto - Death 

GO BEYOND THE STARS, JOIN OUR SERVER HERE! (discord.gg/earlgrey)

[emrowene]

The Faces of Fractured Magic

Fractured Magic is a queer fantasy webserial about political and personal accountability, monstrosity, and regret. it is FREE to read online, with new chapters being published every Monday. READ FOR FREE NOW

or SIGN UP to have new chapters sent to your email inbox!

[broodparasitism]

Everything I've Learned About Querying from Talking to Agents (And Traditionally Published Authors)

Disclaimer: I'm UK based, as was everyone I spoke to. I didn't include any country specific advice, just what I think is applicable regardless of where you live, put it might be useful to know this is from a UK lens.

As part of my course I was able to go to a lot of talks with literary agents (a mixture of literary, genre and nonfiction) and I picked up a lot of useful information - a lot of it not quite so bleak as I feared! - and thought it might be helpful to compile it for anyone looking to query agents in the future, so, here goes, under the readmore:

Querying

Remember that agents want to find and publish new authors. They're not at odds with/out to get aspiring authors. They want to work with us. This is someone you're working with, so don't pick an agent you won't get along with.

Manuscripts should be queried when they are as close to finished you are able to manage. There are a few agents that are open to incomplete manuscripts, yes, but many more that flat-out refuse unfinished work. Manuscripts generally go through about ~15 rounds of edits before landing an agent.

Send query letters in batches - around five or six at a time. There is no limit to how many agents you can contact, but you can't contact more than one agent from the same agency, so make sure you've selected the most suitable one from each.

In most cases you can't submit the same manuscript to the same agent twice - so having it be as finished as possible is all the more vital.

Some of them will take a long time to respond. Some never respond at all. If it's been three months of nothing, it's safe to assume that's a rejection.

One agent said she took on about two new authors a year, which likely isn't true for them all but is probably a reasonable average. For all of them, the amount of queries they get can be in the three digits a week. I can't emphasis enough just how many they get. I take a lot of authors to mean that means it's a 0.001% chance and despair, but that assumes each manuscript has an equal chance, and they don't. Correct spelling and grammar, writing in a genre that appeals to the agent, quality sample chapters and respecting the submission guidelines (more on this later) improve the odds by a significiant amount.

One agent said he rejected about half of his submissions from the first page due to spelling and grammar mistakes and cliches, for perspective.

You'll need to pitch your book. If your book cannot be pitched in three sentences, that's a sign it has too much going on and you'll need to do some pruning.

Please don't panic if you cannot come up with an accurate pitch for your book on the fly - you're not supposed to be able to do that. A pitch takes many edits and drafts just like a manuscript.

Send your first three chapters and a synopsis (this should be a page, or two pages double spaced. It should not include every single plot point though, again, if major things end up not there at all, question if they're necessary for the manuscript).

Three chapters is the standard - as in, if the agent web page doesn't specify how many, that's what to opt for. If they say anything else, for the love of God listen. If there was a single piece of advice that the agents emphasised above all else, it was to just follow each submission requirement to a T.

There needs to be a strong hook in these chapters. If your manuscript is a bit of a slow burn, that's fine, but you can cheat a bit with a 'prologue' that's actually a very hook-y scene from later on.

Read the agent's bio page throughly and make a note of what they like, who they represent, and what they're looking for, and highlight this in the query letter.

Your query letter has to say a little about you. It doesn't have to be really personal information (but say if you're under 40, because that's rare for authors and they like that), and keep it professional but not stiff, they say. If you have any writing credentials, such as awards won or creative writing degrees, include them, as with any real life experiences that pertains to the content of your book. But no one will be rejected on the basis of not having had an interesting enough life.

Apparently one of the biggest mistakes for debut authors tend to be too many filler scenes.

In terms of looking for comparative titles, think about where you want your book to 'sit'. Often literally - go into bookstores and visualise where on the displays you could see it. It's really helpful if you can identify a specific marketing niche. Though you want to choose comparisons that sell well, but going for really obvious choices looks lazy. A TV or film comparison is fine - as long as it genuinely can be compared.

Do not call yourself the next Donna Tartt. Or JK Rowling. They are sick of this.

Don't trust agents who request exclusive submission.

Or any with a fee. Agents take a percentage of your advance/royalties - you never pay them directly.

In terms of trends (crowd booing), there's been a boom in uplifting, optimistic fiction, but more recently dark fiction has been rising in popularity and looks to have its moment. Fantasy and Gothic are both huge right now. Publishers also love what's called upmarket/book club fiction - books that toe the line between genre and literary.

But publishers aren't clairvoyant and writing to trends is a futile effort, so don't let them shape what you want to write. Some writing advice I got that I loved was to not even THINK about marketability until draft three or four.

If any agent requests your full manuscript - this is crucial - email every other agent you're waiting to hear back from and let them know. This will take your manuscript from the slush pile to the top, and you are more likely to get more offers of representation.

The agent that flatters you the most isn't necessarily the best. Be sure to ask them what their plan for the book is, and what publishers they're planning to send it to - you want them to have a precise vision. It might be that their vision misses the mark on what kind of book you wanted to write, and if so, they aren't the right agent for you.

Research like hell! A good place to start is finding out who represents authors you love (the acknowledgements pages are really helpful here). if you can, getting access to The Writer's and Artist's Yearbook is very helpful, as is The Bookseller, the lattr for checking up on specific agents. (I was warned the website search engine is awful, so google "[name] the Bookseller" to see what they've sold. That said, only the huge deals get reported, so it's not indicative of everyone they take on.

I also want to add Juliet Mushen's article on what makes a good query. I owe a lot to it, and I feel like it's a useful template!

Once Agented

Agents send a manuscript to about 18-25 publishers, typically. Most books will end up having more than one publisher interested.

It can be hard to move genres after publishing a debut novel, especially for book two, not only because it means it takes longer for you to establish yourself, but the agent that may be perfect for dealing with manuscripts for book one might not have the skills for book two.

Ask the agency/publisher about their translation rights, their rights to the US market, and film and TV rights. Ask also what time of year the book is going to come out, if being published.

It's less the book agents are interested in than it is you as an author. You will be asked what you're going to write next, so have an answer. Just an answer - you don't need another manuscript ready to go. One author said she flat-out made up a book idea on the spot, and she got away with it - just have an answer. (This is also useful to put on the query letter.)

Caveat that this is, of course, not a foolproof guide to getting a book deal, nor is it in any way unconditional endorsement of how the industry works - I just thought it would be useful to know.

[strangelittlestories]

Elodie had spent months trying to gain the approval of the local Milliners’ Guild. If the Guild approved of you, they would make you a stylish wizard’s hat or a distinguished witch’s cap. If you wore such fancy headgear, then everyone would know that you were an arcanist in good standing and of respectable skill. And if people knew this, then you could charge Guild prices for your services.

This was why she took what the papers were calling ‘The Case of Penny the Dreadful’.

Penny herself was a bookseller. She sold the kind of salacious and gruesome penny-an-issue esoteric thrillers that had become known as ‘penny horribles’, ‘penny spells’, ‘penny hats’ and (of course) ‘penny dreadfuls’. They told you all the things you already knew about magic: that it was wild, gothic, untamable and dangerous. The Guild *hated* them.

The crux of the case was this: a string of supernatural attacks had occurred, leaving its victims comatose. Each was found alone, with no sign of violent intrusion. And each seemed to have been reading one of these penny dreadfuls.

An initial investigation found two things: one, that all the publications had been bought from Penny’s shop. Two, that none of the victims or their families had enough money to hire a Guild-sanctioned inquiry.

Thus, Elodie had taken the case on spec, hoping that if she found enough ammunition for the Guild to use against the booksellers, then their fall would be Elodie’s rise. Specifically, a two-foot rise of conical fabric on top of her head.

She had chased leads across the city. She had conducted seances, scrying and divinations. She had cashed in favours from a librarian, a mortician and a flock of pigeons (and as pigeons don’t usually reveal their secrets, she considered this something of a ‘coo’).

And after saving Penny from a spectre that leapt out of one of her own books, Elodie had joined forces with the bookseller. Penny turned out to have a sharp wit, an evil smile and a seemingly infinite supply of derringer pistols secreted about her person; all qualities that Elodie found extremely admirable.

Finally, the pair of them confronted their final veiled suspect in the attic of one of the city’s largest printing presses.

The machines below them rumbled. The wind coming in through the shattered windows screamed. Tendrils of haunted ink whipped out at them and where it touched them it painted injuries in jagged lines, which sunk into their skin and became *real*. Amidst the maelstrom, Elodie kept her wits about her enough to flick an enchanted penny into the living horror story. Thus, purchased, she gained sufficient ownership to exorcise that spirit of salacious imaginings.

The culprit, now undefended, tried to flee. And Penny shot him in the hamstring.

Unfortunately, when they brought him in, it turned out he *was* sanctioned by the Guild. And they were none too pleased to have Elodie air their dirty magical laundry.

“I’m sorry about the Milliners’ Guild.” said Penny, as the pair commiserated over tea and crumpets at her shop. “I know you had your heart set on getting them to make you some of that fancy magical headgear.”

“What are you gonna do?” replied Elodie, wryly. “Hatters gonna hat.”

[moariin]

writeblr (re)introduction

hey hello again! i'm reni, 26, she/her, and i write sff fiction, more on the horror and mystery side. part of the wtw family. i've been around writeblr for ages and it feels like i never left.

if you're a sff writer or is writing horror in general, i love to be friends and chat!

all my socials is on my carrd, i also have spotify.

MAIN WIP !

a memory to hunger ; crime fantasy, koschei inspired retelling (formerly known as these hungry dogs)

a memory thief and coroner partake on a dangerous mission to solve the case behind the bodies disappearing from the morgue. what they find in the dark leads them to the truth of their erased past. wip tag // intro post

OTHER WIPS !

the killings of dreadful things ; novella, dark academia fantasy

when amalia sopko returns to the campus after her years of wanderlust, she is captivated by the idea of the afterlife and morality by a chemist. welding grief as her weapon, she forms a covenant to pursue knowledge of reconstructing life. wip tag // intro post

nothing gold can stay ; standalone, iphiloche retelling

iphiloche being gifted to son of menelaus as a bride is only the beginning. desperate to survive, she learns to navigate the strife caused by house atreus only to realize she shelters a different kind of curse. wip tag // intro post coming soon

SOME BACKBURNER WIPS !

some of you may remember i have other wips a while back but have been shelved or not writing them anymore. here's a few of the wips. heir of the alchemist (gothic fantasy); wicked 7 (industrial fantasy, eldritch horror) ; smiling ghost's favor (standalone, redacted chinese retelling)

tagging some friends @sourrcandy @seasteading @serpentarii @helioselene @ikilledmyocs

[innocentlymacabre]

THE CRESCENT OF FOOLS AND FORGOTTEN TIME ⤳ a wip (re)intro

Lucille Carmine is not one to relinquish her hold on someone once her wicked talons have sunk into them, as Jayce all too painfully learns once more. He’s pulled into her employ again, Lott jumping in after his best friend, tasked - under extreme duress, of course - to retrieve The Liminality Paradox. Previously thought to have been nothing more than a bedtime story, Jayce and Lott find themselves unwillingly heading to The Crescent of Fools and Forgotten Time, right into the heart of The Fool’s domain, a place where time and space lose all meaning, where everything that has ever happened is happening all at once and where nothing ever happens all the same. A place where the ends of the universe could be nothing more than a hop, skip, and a jump away, but the five feet in front of you could stretch out to infinity and beyond. A place where the insane rule sovereign and the sane are grinded to a dust, folded into the ripples of the Crescent. All to steal an artifact of untold power for one of the most dangerous overlords of the criminal world, and to lay even more unchecked power at her feet for her to abuse.

STATUS: querying

GENRE: urban fantasy / heist / comedy

MEDIUM: feature film

WARNINGS: description/depiction of wounds, death and pain (will be modified as necessary)

LINKS: WIP tag (x) | Ko-fi 💜 (x)

general taglist in the comments (ask to be added/removed!) // newsletter

any boosting would be much appreciated!

picture credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

[lord-fallen]

dark fantasy places to add to your work

- mix and match the places with adjectives

i. adjectives

umbral, obsidian, sinister, cursed, crimson, whispering, haunted, abyssal, enchanted, eldritch, labyrinthine, phantom, lost, wicked, forgotten, godless, hollow, endless

ii. places

forest, cave, ruin, castle, graveyard, mountain, lake, tower, desert, valley, village, bridge, chapel, garden, manor, temple, oasis, harbor

[mjjune]

Yearly & Lifetime Writing Tracker Templates

These were inspired by @letswritesomenovels's monthly writing goal tracker here!

However, this basically replaces nanowrimo style tracking, which is fine, but I don't do that anymore. Since I don't set goals for myself, and I rather do it monthly rather than daily, I decided to make one myself.

However, I know most people do set goals so I have included multiple versions.

There are THREE versions: yearly tracker with goals, yearly tracker without goals, and a lifetime tracker.

All of them have formulas embedded so all you have to do is type in your goal (if you have one) and monthly word count (or whatever measurement you go by) and the rest will auto-populate.

All tables and charts are fully customizable. I have a few notes/hints in the template if you're not sure how that works.

YEARLY / WITH GOALS

YEARLY / WITHOUT GOALS

LIFETIME

The template isn't editable, so go to FILE > MAKE A COPY to keep one for yourself that you can edit.

CLICK HERE GOOGLE SHEET LINK