#Writer Q&A Tag Game

[rowanmgrey-author]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

Thanks to @mthollowell-writes for the tag! Find their original post here.

1)What motivates you to write?

Mostly reading fantastic stories and becoming inspired with ideas about my own work. Also the people in my life like my sister who is also a writer; her vivid words inspire me all the time. I am also heavily motivated by my love of my characters, and a little bit of my guilt that I have not finished one of my novels (the first one) that I have been writing for soooo long.

2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

Shared my own work from Bloodlines.

Every day she fought the wolf for control. Every day to stop herself from hurting anyone. The wolf was the worst, most animal parts of her, and most of those dark parts wanted nothing more than vengeance. To cause the chaos and suffering done to her. Before Eron and her suspension from The Order three years ago, that’s what she did. The wolf that now sulked beneath her flesh missed the blood. Every day it tried to take control, to turn her back into a monster.

3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

Jackal Bellare from my WIP Bloodlines. He is always my answer because he is just so fun to write. He is that character that came fully formed. Nothing to change, nothing to define, he just appeared. He is a smartass, deceptive and manipulative. He at first is very selfish because he was forced to grow up fast and was abused by his father for many years. He pushed him to achieve his own goals and basically taught Jackal that no one would love him, not even his own family. So he grew up thinking he couldn't trust anyone and that everyone he met would be angling for something. He is also ridiculously powerful as a demon and can be impatient and even petulant. And he's classist too, thinking he's better than anyone who's not at his power-level. These are all fairly awful traits, but I love him still because I know the depths of his character and that all he truly wants is friends that he can trust, a surrogate family that actually gives a shit about him.

4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

I love the discovery/investigation phase best I think. Imagining the world and then researching and defining what I need to. I love to learn new things, and I always do in that stage.

5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

I would say action scenes and dialogue are my greatest strengths. I can plot as well, but I am more of a character focused writer so most of the plots are pretty simple in concept and execution. I am also not too shabby with the NSFW scenes, but I don't write detailed smut. It's not my thing anymore.

6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

Doing tag games! no really. I love answering questions and seeing other's posts about this stuff. I also just appreciate the vibes, everyone is very friendly and inclusive and it's refreshing.

7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

Microsoft Word has always been my go to. I really appreciate the formatting and how easy everything is. It's also great for editing. I have also used fighter's block to help me reach my goals in a fun way.

8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I would say Pandemonium from my novel Bloodlines. This is the planet where demons live. I really just like the lore I have built around demons in general because they are inspired by lots of things but not tied to any real-world religions or mythology. Also in that story one of the types of demons are dragons (Draconem) and they have the power to shapeshift from their real form (dragon) to a human, and change their mass even. There are also these garbage disposal-like demons that have no heads and a mouth on their chest. These are heavily inspired by Blemmyes. I even have a separate dominion for Hell, which in my series is unusually referred to as Gehenna. The realm is a prison obviously, but instead of one place, or several levels like the circles, each Hell is a separate dimension governed by Warden that has a particular specially for punishment. I also have demons that are kind of like Valkyries, they are basically the law enforcement and are super scary even to other types of demons because they can make you tell the truth just by looking into your eyes. There are Demon Kings (which in my novels is a non-gender term, just go with it) and each one has a different rank and they serve as military leaders as well. They also have cool titles, like King of Slaughter (he's the war general and most powerful warrior). I could go on for ages. I spent a lot of time on the lore around demons because originally the novels were going to take place there exclusively and the main character was a Demon King.

9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

I usually step away for a bit, and look at it again later. Sometimes it sparks new ideas and even makes me appreciate what I have already. I would really just advise that you don't be too hard on yourself. It's better to go slower and work smarter, so you don't burn out and end up in an uninspired state of procrastination. Goals are important too, but don't compare yourself to other writers. Make goals you know you can achieve and set times and make space to work.

10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters:

Obviously @dyrewrites needs to be first. She is my sister and was the one that got me on writeblr in the first place. And what an amazing community! I haven't been here long, but I can say that I get a lot of attention and really cool asks from these amazing people:

@stesierra - @aziz-reads - @digital-chance - @mthollowell-writes - @quantumlandbooks - @anonymousfoz - @another-white-hole @inkytealeafwriting - @schepper-wubs-wips - @hottubraccoon

You all are lovely people and if you want to join in on this tag please do.

[3gremlins]

not to keep having astarion thoughts but i was thinking about how it really would be a curse to be a vampire if you're already an elf. like for humans, it might be okay b/c we don't canonically live that long (relatively) and are squishy/underpowered af compared to the other peoples of faerun, so the win/loss of being a vampire isn't quite so bad (tho generally i feel like in the dnd universe there's way better ways to achieve durability/immortality if that's what you want).

but he was already a high elf- elves already have super long lifespans (up to 750 years per the wiki), can see in the dark, don't actually need to sleep and have inborn magic usually. like being a vampire really would be much more of a curse for an elf -esp a vampire spawn versus a full vampire since you've essentially got most of the bad and little of the benefits and are now beholden to someone else forever. so you go from being a creature with all the freedom in the world to one with very little.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC/WIP Q&A

Thanks to @mysticstarlightduck here, @urnumber1star here, @paeliae-occasionally here, @leahnardo-da-veggie here, @illarian-rambling here,

And @willtheweaver here!

Rules/Premise: Open the floor for questions about your Stories/WIPs/OCs/creative processes, etc.

I'm doing The Secret Portal! Intro Post linked at the bottom!

Important characters of Part One--

Lexi Morgan

Maddie Morgan

Ash Hathaway

Gwen Amante

Noelle Bishop

Rose Hernandez

Kelsey Newman

Robbie Stafford

Akash Singh

Jedi Moon

Carmen Asghar

Carla Baxter

George Baxter

Settings:

Alium (general other dimension)

The Gateway

Sector 9 (general) or Taabe (the town)

Baxter Base

Asghar Base

Falcon Intermediate (it's just a middle school)

Anyone's house

Things of note:

Raissa Kamanzi and Atsila McLain, leaders of respective sociopolitical ish parties ish

There are 20 (22) powers

Alium is connected to Ceteri (our world) via portal

Question prompts:

Any questions about the world building

Any questions about the characters (including who is this and/or what is their deal)

Any questions about my process

Alright ask away in comments, reblog, ask box, whatever :)

Tagging @mundanemoongirl @little-mouse-gardens @buffythevampirelover @awritingcaitlin @winterandwords

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[theeccentricraven]

Writer's Questionnaire

Thank you @poethill for the tag! I'm glad I finally found a window of time to get down to this.

About Me

When did you start writing?

When I was six years old, I wrote my first stories. My first story was called "Puppy's Birthday". It was about a puppy named Puppy.

Are the general themes you read similar to the ones you write? 

Good question. The books I read often deal with similar themes that I like to dive into, especially Dystopian fiction. The themes I write are inspired more by my personal experiences in life and philosophies I’ve formed. I like to deal with themes that other writers might have not considered before. 

Is there an author you’d like to emulate or be compared to? 

I hope to be like Brandon Sanderson, a writer with exquisite writing skills who produces highly entertaining stories.

Can you tell us about your writing space? 

Wherever I can bring and set my laptop.

How do you motivate yourself to write?

Thinking about the prize at the end - a published book that says, “Created by a good writer.”

Does your childhood influence the characters and places you write?

Yes, a lot. Many of my stories, like Columbus Day and The Star House Club, take place in my home state of Oregon. The fantasy world of The Keeper of Maralla is largely based on Oregon. My characters in The Star House Club were based on characters I created when I was a kid. Some characters are based on friends and enemies alike. 

Are there any recurring themes in your writing?

Self-esteem. The fight for liberty and opposing oppression. The exploitation of children. Humility in recognizing we are not as advanced or erudite as we think we are. The quest for redemption. Finding faith when surrounded by secularism. The disgust I have for hatred toward both sexes, misandry and misogyny alike. These themes matter a lot to me on a personal level based on my life experiences.    

My Characters

Who is your favorite character and why?

Hard to choose. Probably Jorem because he is so book smart, handsome, and rebellious. I could also say the same about Justin who is street smart, handsome, and rebellious. 

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life? 

Probably Maralla because she is the ideal comfort character.

Which of your characters would you most dislike irl?

Most of my villains, especially President Fidel who is a master gas lighter and manipulator. 

What is your process with creating characters? 

I come up with characters in the same way that I come up with story ideas in general. When I get an idea, it starts with “What if…” or “How about…” I often think of the MC who is the driving force of the idea. The Blood Cleaners resulted from my thinking, “What if there was an occupation for people who had the sole responsibility to clean up blood?” I quickly imagined the MC who made this story possible - Justin, a street cleaner who wants to be a blood cleaner more than anything. Columbus Day resulted from me wanting to write a first contact story where Avatar meets Pocahontas on earth. I immediately thought of my two protagonists - the human girl and the alien whose friendship would be the center of the story. Sanctuary Calling resulted from my wondering, “What if the human race abandoned earth but left behind primitive societies like some Native American, African, and Middle Eastern tribes, as well as the Amish?” I quickly thought up the MC who would be a girl that made the dangerous trip back to earth and would meet someone from one of the societies left on earth - an Amish boy.

Much as I like my characters, I confess I’m still struggling with flat character development. I’m still learning. My current strategy is to make profiles using Gail Carson Levine’s character dossier sheet that she provided in “Writing Magic”. I then cherry pick from various character sheets I find from various resources. I don’t make full profiles for all characters. I try to think of how a character would react to a situation and what they would say that defines their personality. I love to use the Tumblr writing prompts where characters rephrase a line in their own way. This is just all part of the preparation phase. I’m drafting, I often end up pansting or discovery writing a lot of my characters.

Do you have recurring themes/traits in your characters? 

Again, I struggle too much with flat character development. I often have characters who are shy and insecure, which describes me. I try as much as possible to have characters be different from me. I also have to be careful of Mary Sues as many of my characters are smarter than me, but I know I shouldn’t go overboard. 

How do you picture them? 

I used various pics I found on the web. Origins are linked in the photos.

Justin

Joselyn

Clarice

Jorem

Maralla

Juva

Julie

Nari

Abe

My Writing

What is your reason for writing?

Throughout my life, I’ve come up with thousands of ideas that can’t leave my head. I have to get them on paper where I can mold them and craft them to a shape readers will enjoy. 

Is there a specific type of comment that you find motivating coming from your readers? 

I haven’t shared much of my work, but it’s motivated me when I share snippets that make fellow Writeblrs curious. It makes me want to finish my book and send it to beta readers as well as publish it so that the curiosity will be satisfied.  

How do you want to be thought of by those that read your work? 

I want them to love my characters and consider my writing to be good. I don’t feel I’m at that level yet, but am working hard to earn the compliment, “I love the characters! The writing is superb!”

What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Coming up with imaginative stories and settings. I go into extensive brainstorming that mixes ideas in a soup to form a fascinating story.

What have you been told is your greatest strength?

Much as I lack confidence in my character development skills, I have been well complimented when I have my characters say something proactive and in character. 

How do you feel about your writing? 

I’m not a master, but more than an apprentice. I’m a journeyman. I’ve significantly improved my writing. I am only fairly decent at writing for now. 

If you knew no one would ever read what you wrote, would you still write? 

Yes with 110% confidence.

Are you influenced more by what the reader might like or what you like? 

Good question because I struggle with this. To name one example, I want to have a love triangle in my current WIP. However, all throughout social media, readers and writers say they hate love triangles. The love triangle serves a significant purpose in my WIP. I’d hate to cut it. The best I can do is try to play out the love triangle the right way, not the badly done way that angers readers. In the end, I try to write the type of book that I would like to read, believing there must be readers out there with similar likes.

Tagging (sorry I don't know for sure who has already been tagged for this one): @buffythevampirelover @rickie-the-storyteller @happypup-kitcat24 @jay-avian @leahnardo-da-veggie @pluppsauthor @oliolioxenfreewrites @tildeathiwillwrite

[the-down-upside-finch]

Notice Me, Reader! (Tag Game)

Thank you for the tag (in this post), @ahordeofwasps! It's fun to see that this one has been going around a bit!

Rules: Share 3 (or more!) small details from your WIP that you feel have gone/will go unnoticed. (You can choose whether or not to share why the detail is significant!)

I feel like sharing some random details from Minding Q's! Here's a few:

It's mentioned that Sterling is allergic to latex, as well as kiwis. This is actually correlated, and so is his unmentioned allergy to bananas and avocados. (The thing that is a coincidence is that Max also happens to be allergic to kiwis.)

In chapter 7, the video game that Max is playing is actually Splatoon. (He gets jumped during Tower Control and keeps missing his shots thanks to controller drift, hence why he yells at the TV.)

Josh has a Tumblr account, as revealed during his intro sequence in chapter 13, when Celain tells him she likes his shoelaces and he tells her that he stole them from the president.

In a similar vein, the webcomic that Celain and Josh mention reading in chapter 13 is a real webcomic (and I spent way too long deciding which webcomic I thought would tie together their fairly different personalities).

I'm going to no-pressure tag @my-cursed-prince, @charlies-storybook, @veneritia, @maddstermind, @bisexualfantasyfox, @faeriecinna, @innocentlymacabre, and @basalamander-corner! Also leaving an open tag for anyone that wants to play! If you see this, you can consider yourself tagged >:}

[ayjadasblogforeverything]

Fic Writer Q&A

Can you imagine that *I* got tagged at a *fic writer* q&a? Yeah, me neither! Thank you, @sirenofthegreenbanks!

Perhaps I should precede this with saying that I barely write, I have published 5 works or so. And when I write, it is very short, perhaps because I am a mathematician, perhaps because I talk so much on a daily basis. My longest work is <1k and three of the five works are drabbles (like, the old school 100-word pieces). Also, I can ironically already feel that this is going to be an essay. You were warned :)

How many WIPs do you currently have?

I usually don't have WIPs, or if I have a WIP, I usually only have it for a few days, as my pieces are very short. I have fragments that I wrote for myself that I do not intend to publish. There will not be progress there, so they are not WIPs. But currently I actually have not only one, but two fragments that I would consider WIPs! That's infinitely more than on average!

Which one are you finding the hardest to finish?

Most of my fics so far are based on more or less stupid jokes and are in general light-hearted, funny or cracky. I think in general, I find it hardest to write earnest stuff to a satisfactory level. Perhaps that is because that might be inspired by me projecting, which leads to things being too out of character. Perhaps I just find it hard in general to hit peoples' voices, which might have a greater impact in serious topics. Perhaps it's also that writing always feels like a striptease of my soul and I deal badly with the perceived vulnerability that it brings, which is worse when it is about more serious topics. So out of the two WIPs I have, I expect the one that deals with some insecurities to be the one that is harder to finish or to finish to my satisfaction, even though it is the shorter one.

What does it usually look like when inspiration strikes for you?

Öhm. If it is about how I find inspiration, I don't know. It either comes or it doesn't, and I am very chill about that because I am very much not ambitious with my writing. Once I have a situation in my mind, I aim to note the gist of it down on my phone, but I am a master procrastinator but also forgetful, so that will take some time.

Then if I feel like I want to get creative and challenge myself at some point, I look up my list of ideas and pick one that feels doable at the time. (Rarely, I sit down immediately to write up a first version, but it needs to be a special idea for that to happen.)

Do you curate playlists for each fic or is your process different?

No. With the length of my fics, it would take way longer to curate a playlist than I would have time to listen to it.^^ I tend to not have any music on when I am writing or only music without lyrics. I think I wrote the last few drabbles late in the night when I procrastinated going to bed or something and some invisible force possessed me to open my document with my drabbles and I just started writing and stopped when I had a decent not-quite drabble. I was just in this pretty weird, awesome mood you sometimes get into when it is in the middle of the night and you don't know what the time is even if you check the clock and you feel like you are the only alive thing in this world and it is just somewhat... tranquil? I tend to not be in the mood for music in this state of mind.

Do you go balls to the wall and write as you go or are you more organized?

With the length of my fics, there's no other choice but balls to the wall XD. I think this is also a big reason why I prefer extremely short formats - you don't have to plan. Sometimes, I picture the entire situation in my head and collect a few phrases I could use beforehand so that most of it is already in my head, in case that counts as being organized.

I used to have a list in my mind of situations that I wanted to collect in a longer fic, but I think by now, I forgot it all. Damn. Why did I not write it down? But then, the fic would never get written because I am still not creative enough for a some overarching plot to my collection of situations.

Overall, I feel like I am not enough of a writer to answer these questions, actually, but for that, I wrote a lot I guess XD

Of course, I am curious about @deneb-al-giedi's answers. And about everyone else's that wants to talk about their fic writing process.

[cacodaemonia]

20 Questions for Writers

Thanks so much for the tag, @lyntergalactic! :D I feel like I've done this before, but it must have been a whole ago. It looks fun! (also, I'm pasting just the questions at the bottom of the post if anyone wants to copy those)

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 247, though I'm not really sure what the ratio is for images versus fics... Okay, apparently, 97 of them are tagged with 'fanart' and have fewer than 100 words, so somewhere around 100 image-only works and 147 fics.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 1,141,145; which includes a few collabs and fics for which I just contributed an image.

3. What fandoms do you write for? TCW exclusively 😅 Though I've done a handful of images for other things like Arcane, Dune, Trigun, The Expanse, House of the Dragon...

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? A bunch of my works with the most kudos are images, but if we're talking fics, then I think it's just some of my oldest ones...

That’s Not How It Happened (This Is How It Happened) - Fives arc fix-it and my first fic.

Orbital Decay - Codywan that I haven't edited since I posted it, so I can't vouch for the quality.

Modulation - Another one I haven't touched since I posted it, but it's an 'Echo gets rescued much earlier than in canon and he and Fives reunite' fix-it of sorts.

Will You Walk With Me? - Waxer's pov from the start of the war to the (fix-it) end, and it mostly focuses on his and Boil's friendship (Waxer & Boil or Waxer/Boil pre-relationship - take your pick). Even though this certainly isn't the best thing I've written, it's my baby. 🧡

Interference - Umbara fix-it featuring minor canon characters and some necessary OCs in the first chapter, then more major canon characters later.

More stuff below the cut, since this is a long list...

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Probably You're Just Harder to See Than Most, which ends very sadly on its own, but it's part of a larger fix-it including Modulation above, so Fives and Echo get reunited.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Pfff like basically all of them, idk XD;

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, just on one sketch dump, where someone went through 6 chapters of spicy cloneshippy images and then decided they needed to complain about it being gross and immoral 🤣 It was hysterical kjlksahfg

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Oh yes, I'm a certified smut goblin. Not really sure what the question means by 'what kind,' but I guess 'porn with feelings' is probably the AO3 tag that would most accurately describe all of the smut I've written XD

10. Do you write crossovers? Nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! :D

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Hm, I suppose if we're defining that as like, "what ship have you intensely shipped for the longest amount of time," it would be destiel? I was veeeeeery into that ship for many years.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I've had one wip sitting around for over a year, and for a while I was thinking I wasn't going to get back to it ever. But I made a little vibes playlist for it and had some help brainstorming, so I'm hopeful I can start tackling it again after I get some current stuff drafted.

16. What are your writing strengths? Starting something and working on it until it's finished.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I have a lot of trouble generating ideas on my own.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I think it's fine as long as it's either A. very short and clear from context or B. for some reason, the writer is intending to confuse the reader and obfuscate what was said. I know I've said it before, but I'm not gonna scroll to the bottom of a fic every few paragraphs to find the translations for whole phrases or sentences. If the amount of 'other language' starts making the dialogue difficult to follow, I'm just gonna nope out.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Technically, I wrote one thing for Gundam Wing back in like 2000, but I can't even remember what I did with it or what it was about, exactly. Other than that, TCW.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? flsdlfg that's really difficult... idk man, if it's quality we're talking about rather than sentimentality, I'd say it's a toss-up between these three 😅:

My Heart's Red Muscle - Canon-divergent AU where Waxer is a cyborg.

Kinktober 2022 - Character studies/development through smut, where Waxer and Boil find a list of sexy things to try out, so it's kind of meta. It's from my main Open Skies AU, and I'm weirdly proud of this one XD;

We Could Breathe Underwater - Force-sensitive Waxer and Boil AU

Phew! Okay this took me like three sessions to answer, but it was fun :)

No-pressure tags: anyone who sees this and wants to do it, plus @lizardberries @elismor @bilbosmom-belladonna @valkeakuulas @petrifiedforests @marbled-polecat @writegowrite @sophronist @marbled-polecat @ivalane

20 Questions for Writers

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

[elhuei]

Writer Q&A | Tag Game

Thank you to @mthollowell-writes for tagging me! 💞You can find their original post here! :)

1) What motivates you to write?

(Stories are like ghosts that haunt my thoughts and writing is the only way to exorcize them) I'm motivated to write the kind of books I want to read + the sort of characters I want to read! Not enough black lesbian girlies in fiction so I gotta do my part by releasing them into the wild 💅🏾

2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

I'll share the first few paragraphs from Little Infernos! Its old + I shared it before but it lives in my head rent free <3

Possession is an impossible skill to grasp. The doctor told her as much. “Think of yourself as a ghost,” he’d said, with a chuckle and a thin-lipped smile. Play pretend. A game to take her mind off the terror of stealing back her body from whatever’s taken it the night before. Remember, start small. The tips of a finger, a big toe, maybe even a whole pinky, if she was feeling so bold. Slip back in, one part at a time. This time, Dante is sprawled out in a bed of Ponderosa pine-needles. Bitter moss and loamy soil weighs down her tongue, pebbles rolling hard behind her throat. Aftertastes of pondweed and eelgrass. A ring of trees loom overhead, peaks fading into a dark and stainless sky. She moves her right index finger first, dragging in a breath of dirt and timberland air as she revels in the prick. Something small. Next is her left finger, then her pinky and middle. Soon, she is grabbing a fistful of earth and leaves and morels, propping herself up on empty arms. Another fight to push herself back into her body. The thin-lipped doctor says it’s sleep paralysis. Her father says it’s demons, the ones which drew her to Beau. Web M.D. also says sleep paralysis, so it must be true.

3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

Hmm Dante from Little Infernos! She just like me fr (in an alternate universe where I'm a little freak who has little freak things happen to her.) Since I focus on my fantasy projects so much I don't often get to explore more contemporary characters. I love Dante because she's the kind of black girl we don't often see in media (shy, quiet, introverted, ✨feral✨) and I get to aspects of myself in her that I can't quite replicate in my fantasy wips.

4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

Worldbuilding! I love building out worlds for fantasy projects, and thinking about all the little intricacies that go into developing a fleshed out world. It's super time consuming, and if I don't reign myself in it can become a never-ending process, but it's so much fun regardless.

5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Hmm I think I'm fairly good at scene/setting descriptions! Ironically enough I do suffer from White Room Syndrome during first drafts because I tend to focus more on dialogue/character interactions, but during editing I think I do well setting scenes + making the worlds I'm writing about feel alive.

6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

I love how friendly and encouraging everyone is! We're all here to write our silly little stories and obsess over our silly little characters together :)

7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I used to use Scrivener to compile all my worldbuilding notes (personally I don't enjoy drafting in Scrivener lol) BUT I've recently started using Notion and I love it so much! Very easy to use and satisfies my urge to make all my notes ✨aesthetically pleasing✨ Its like having secret wip pages just for myself and I love it sm <3

8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I love the magic system I've built for A Killing of Kinfolk! Mayhaps one day I'll make a more in depth worldbuilding post but tldr; all living things have magic (Kin) within them, some people can wield Kin while others cannot. A person's magic (regardless if whether or not they can wield it) essentially works like antibodies, protecting from outside sources of magic. Casting/using magic on another person is always going to be a painful, invasive, and if prolonged, deadly process. This makes the most prominent use of Kin, healing magic (Mendwork) extremely difficult. Healers have to work slow and meticulously to ensure they exert enough Kin to heal their patients without too much pain or further harm. There are other schools of magic within AKOK (seedweaving, bonewielding and banework) but Mendwork is by far the most complex and interesting to me. I really liked the idea of a magic system that's actively hostile to its user—a healing magic that hurts just as much. Very fun <3

9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

READ! I feel like this is overused advice but I know all my worst writers block moments come when I haven't read anything in a while. I'm trying to be better about reading regularly and revisiting old favs when I get stuck to inspire me and remind me why I want to write.

10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

I'm continuously inspired by writers such as @coffeeandcalligraphy , @fluoresensitive , @yvesdot & @seasteading, and I have to shout out @aninkwellofnectar , and my beloved @harehearts for being such kind and supportive writeblr friends 💞

I'll no pressure tag: @cuntylittlesalmon , @serenanymph , @thepixiediaries , @meerawrites & @tragicbackstoryenjoyer + anyone who'd like to join in!

[cheeto-flavoured-pasta]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

I was tagged here by @bluberimufim and here by @squarebracket-trick!

Gently tagging @hyuccubus, @sunset-a-story, @full-on-sam and anyone else who wants to join

1 - What motivates you to write?

I'm going to sum it up like this: I have ideas hopping around in my brain. At some point, they hop around too much to the point where I go feral over them and know they have to be turned into something full and whole and tangible because I love them too much to just keep dreaming about it forever.

2 - A line/short snippet from your work or someone else's (please credit).

(I'm going through a "I hate my writing and everything looks like it sucks but I can't figure out why aergsgdfkjhgjh" phase, so maybe doing this could help.)

[CW// Mentions of suicide.]

"Yeah." He swallowed. "Big surprise. I chickened out last minute, but the others actually went for it and succeeded. They were too determined." Through the crack in the door, I spotted him burying his face in his hands. "Sorry, this is so sudden. I just… I can't deal with this place. Hate it. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Can't stand it here. So I thought the only way to get out was to just — oh, fuck, what's the point of trying to explain?" His voice cracked. "Nobody's gonna get it." I paused, biting my lip. Comfort wasn't my strong suit, but I'd dealt with suicide before. I knew what it was like, sitting next to someone who tried to end it all. I'd sat next to my sister on the balcony of our old home, next to the kitchen countertop where all her pills lay, almost swallowed whole, listening to her vent her heart out and hold onto me. This was something I had experience with. This was something I could handle.

3 - What OC makes you smile each time you think of them?

I'd say either Marie or Cillian, or both, since they're kind of a package deal; you can't have one without the other.

(Skipping ahead a little bit, let's head to question six).

6 - What is something in the writeblr community that is most enjoyable?

It's hard to pick one, so I'll list a few. Personally, the writing positivity and encouragement/support blogs (e.g @iloveyou-writers) tend to be my favorite whenever I'm going through a tough time, and with that are the wide range of advice and perspectives you can get from different writers. I find it hard to find other writing friends in real life, so having a community on Tumblr makes me feel like I've found my people, and I'm grateful for that.

8 - What's a piece of worldbuilding in your story that you're proud of?

Worldbuilding has always been a pretty daunting task, but creating the history and past conflicts in my world, despite it sounding so simple, is something I'd say I'm proud of. Not for any grand reason, but just for doing it and finally getting over that obstacle I didn't like before.

9 - What's some advice you'd give to other writers going through a rough patch?

Personally, I'd say that the best thing you can do when going through a rough patch with writing is to read. And I know it's not a very deep and profound piece of advice, but whenever I'm going through a rough spot, I find that taking a break and perusing someone else's work is what I need for my brain to start working again (no wonder I feel like shit lately; I've been neglecting this myself...). Writing is, essentially, reading your own work back to yourself as you're creating it, and sometimes, your brain needs a break from that. It needs variety, and the best way to achieve that is to read other things.

[hyuccubus]

Writer Q&A Tag Game!

Tagged by the cool+radical @cheetoflavoredpasta!

1. What motivates you to write?

I'm in a unique position to answer that with a snippet from Target Practice, because it's practically what keeps me going.

People in things I like always have something to say. Profound, deep things that make me think about how I live my life, or change how I make decisions, or what I do, or even how I think. They don't need big words to move me. I want to say something like that before my life is over. I want someone to hear it, or read it, and their life to change because of me. I want to be the first domino that crashes right through the life of someone who needs it, so they can pass it on to someone, and they might pass it on to two people, and then I'll have been something.  I'll have a whole pile of people that I changed, in a good way.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

This comes after a particularly harsh twist that closes out Book 1. I am so proud of what is said here that I can't help but want to share it, though:

“Love?’ she croaked, her voice hoarse from screaming and then saying nothing.

“Huh?” I managed to mutter, confused at that being what she’d taken away.

“That’s what you think you felt for her? Love?”

“Ira, I don’t-”

“Let me tell you something." When she spoke that threatening line, she was up on her feet with the agility years of martial arts had granted her, those strong hands that had saved me from drowning now gripping my shirt with white-knuckle fury. She yanked me close, so close that my eyes couldn’t possibly avoid those hazel irises, smoky in the dusk sun. “You don’t know a fucking thing about what it’s like to love a woman who didn’t birth you, you dense motherfucker. You wanted someone to validate you. Someone to help you believe that you have value, that you matter. You wanted to use her, and who was I to say anything? Doing something physical to a woman without her consent isn’t the only way you can use her, so you can feel bad about what I’m saying all you want, but you can’t pretend I'm wrong. I could see it in your eyes, Swift. I could see it in the way you let her walk behind you, in the way you didn’t make sure she was eating well, in the way you tried to impress her before you really knew her. You didn't care how she was feeling, you just wanted to know how she was feeling about you. And if you had the chance to go through with what you felt for her, maybe act out your little fairy-tale romance, she would have gotten sick of you always wondering how she felt about you, always absorbed in your own impossible fantasy. And you would have had the nerve to tell her she broke your heart when she told you so. That’s all men like you do, before you know any fucking better. You think you’re so special, so unique, that you’re above making a juvenile mistake like that. All we can do is hope you learn something when it does happen, rather than hoping it doesn’t happen at all. All you’d do if I told you was rebel against me, and then end up hurting her anyway. So don't say that shit to me. Don't talk about love. Just don't.”

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Definitely dialogue. I don't do much worldbuilding in the way so many of my peers that write fantasy do, and settings end up being the backdrop for the character interactions that really satisfy my writer's itch. I do take pride in the way my prose flows sometimes, I've developed a style I'm quite proud of, and I think I can only get better with time.

6. What do you enjoy most about the Writeblr community?

Everyone seems equally as invested in the art of creation as the results of that passion. It's a unique perspective I really value, as well as it feeling a little more tight-knit than Twitter, where I immigrated from.

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I'm gonna cheat here, I couldn't write without a music player, silence is like kryptonite for my flow. I will say, I switched to Obsidian, and it's really helped my focus, since I was using Google Docs before that and the urge to click off to another piece of internet was always high. ... that still happens when I'm doing research, though...

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

This is such a silly, inconsequential detail, but idk I love it

...There was a boy playing NavBall with another friend of his, pinching his fingers together over the display of his NavWrist and letting the projected ball fly as if out of a catapult, disappearing outside the radius of his unit to land in a projected target on his friend’s.

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

The bad feelings always go away. Whether it's a battle with impostor syndrome you feel like you can't win, or a fear that your writing will never be noticed, nevermind hated, or a block you can't seem to escape from, it all goes away if you give it time. If you give up, if you ball up that paper or delete that file in an impassioned moment of despair, you don't get that time back. You don't stop caring about it. So take a breath, have a snack, take a walk, grab a shower, and let the bad feelings see themselves out. And then, keep trying 💜

Tagging some new folks I've gotten to know at the writblr-cafe! @the-down-upside-finch @hippiewrites @lexiklecksi, and anyone else who wants to participate, feel free to use this!

[rowanmgrey-author]

I was tagged by the lovely @quantumlandbooks

Thank you for including me! Please check out here Q&A.

1) Are you named after anyone?

My middle name, Marie, that's my great grandmother's name on my mother's side. She passed away before I was born.

2) When was the last time you cried?

Last week I think. I cry often usually over my favorite media because I am a nostalgic person who has too many emotions.

3) Do you have kids?

No.

4) What sports do you play/have you played?

I have played basketball as a young teen and did love it, but as an adult I don't have any athletic hobbies at the moment due to back pain.

5) Do you use sarcasm?

Oh definitely. Sarcasm was a well spoken language in my household growing up, I will blame my sister for most of that honestly, she's a master.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Eyes; I always look at other people's eyes first. There is a lot to see in there, and I find everyone's eyes to be quite beautiful.

7. What’s your eye color?

Hazel.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Scary movies. I usually like some of the characters to end up happy when it's a fantasy or sci-fi, but I also don't like books with stakes to have overly happy endings.

9. Any talents?

Humor? I don't practice that I just have good timing. Also I can sing, but I do practice, however, it's just for fun. I would also say I have very strong instincts about people and I never had to work at that. I just know the intentions of people when I meet them. (especially if those intentions are bad).

10. Where were you born?

Santa Ana, California.

11. What are your hobbies?

Reading, gaming, puzzles and making clay art.

12. Do you have any pets?

I have one cat named Saphira.

13. How tall are you?

5'5

14. Favorite subject in school?

History

15. Dream job?

Full-time author. I would love to work at home and alone, I am tired of customer service haha. No, but honestly, I think being able to indulge in my creative side for a job would make me much happier overall.

no pressure tag @aziz-reads, @inkytealeafwriting @anonymousfoz @schepper-wubs-wips and anyone who wants to join in!

I also want to tag my sister so she can answer these for her followers @dyrewrites.

[materassassino]

Fic Writer Q&A

Tagged by the lovely @dangerouscommiesubversive

How many wips do you have currently?

Far more than is wise, to be honest. I fear the Star Wars ones will languish forever in the Pits of Abandonment, since I can feel the urge to work on them ebbing away. I have some Old Guard ones to finish, of course, but honestly Even in Another Time ate all my momentum and I feel a little burnt out. Too many wips, no energy at all.

Which one are you finding the hardest to finish?

Apart from the Star Wars ones, the Pride Flag Colour Collection. Since the fics are based around the meanings of the original Gilbert Baker flag colours, obviously each one needs to have a Theme and boy am I struggling with some of them. I need to actually sit and talk them over with someone instead of just waiting for inspiration to bonk me over the head.

What does it usually look like when inspiration strikes for you?

A fit of madness. True inspiration is 7000 words in one day, banged out in a state of semi-coherent mania. Those times are rare, but tbh I feel like I'm always chasing the high of emerging from the hole I crawled into about ten hours later, dehydrated and shaking.

Do you curate playlists for each fic or is your process different?

I think the only fic I ever wrote that had a playlist connected with it was Ever Decreasing Circles, and that was for a very specific part of it (the Reclaiming of Mandalore). Even then I don't consider it strictly part of the fic, it's just vibes that went with it. I don't listen to music as I write anyway, I need total silence.

Do you go balls to the wall and write as you go or are you more organized?

It depends on the fic. In general I have specific beats I want to hit, but how the characters get there is entirely up to them, so things can change as they go. Other times it really is just whatever goes. I'm not usually a multi-chapter writer so planning is a nebulous process for oneshots, however long they are. My plans are usually

<paragraph of actual fic> [This happens, then that happens. Thing??? With person. Profit!]

And my way of working is very much a patchwork. I'll write the scene that inspires me and then move on to something else and sew them together in the end. I had the ending of Ever Decreasing Circles written basically from the very beginning, for example, but the middle changed forms so many times.

--

Tagging @wingsofbadass, @non-un-topo, @emmalostinwonderland and @raedear! Do this, because I'm nosy.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Hello, based on the ask tag:

Can you tell me about Alium? How does someone access it from the first dimension?

Hello! Thanks for stopping by! (From my TSP Q&A tag game)

Ceteri is the dimension that's essentially our world. It and Alium are in a duoverse system, meaning two universes that are connected. Imagine if the multiverse was its own void, but in the void floated giant bubbles. Each bubble is its own universe. There are an infinite amount of bubbles, but typically they are closer if they're more similar. But the bubbles float around and move. And sometimes, they crash into each other. Ceteri and Alium are essentially that. Alium is very similar to Ceteri, but also very different due to having humans on its Earth with powers.

This collision created the portals. At certain points of the universes, two identical points could be traveled between. However, the laws of physics in each universe are different, so while Alium welcomed the portals, the element the portal was made out of, plus its function as a portal, were rejected by Ceteri. Gateways were created by powerful dimensiokinetics at one time to keep the portals stable in Ceteri, which would help both universes. Gateways are essentially pocket dimensions that surround the portal that were created so only Alii could pass through, as Ceters who came in contact with the portal were essentially destroyed on a molecular level.

So if you're not Alii, sorry, you're not getting through that portal. But if you are: find the Gateway, go through the portal.

Thanks again!

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[eusuntgratie]

Fic Writer Q & A!

tagged by @cuprun thank you !

How many wips do you have currently?

i have 6 kiss prompts left, 2 rnm fics started, and 8 bigger/in progress wips across 3 fandoms, i think. i have many many many more documents in various degrees of disarray but lots of those will never get finished.

Which one are you finding the hardest to finish?

elliot x marco is definitely giving me some hell. i don't know the characters as well as i'm used to and i also started with vibes but tripped into plot which always causes some chaos. i have some great notes from a friend to get it back on track but i also struggle with having multiple wips across multiple fandoms and having very little time to actually write.

firstprince exes is also challenging bc its outside pov which makes it difficult to tell some parts of the story, but i really love that one and i'm determined to finish it i just need to focus on it (and stop starting new wips)

What does it usually look like when inspiration strikes for you?

i get ideas everywhere all the time. i'm getting better at letting some of those go and trying to focus on the ones i have more motivation to write. i do keep a giant doc of ideas to come back to.

sometimes i get a huge burst of inspiration and could sit down and write for a really long time, but i just don't have a lot of free time available for writing. i write more and better when i have bigger chunks of time, but that's frequently in the evening when i'm tired and its harder to write.

if i have the inspo and get in a good zone i can sit down and write write write, but those opportunities are pretty rare lately!

Do you curate playlists for each fic or is your process different?

it depends. i'm not great at creating playlists but they do help my writing process a lot. i love having them but i don't always make them. i do listen to them while i write but will also listen to them throughout the day if i hope to have time to write later because it will get ideas percolating and get me in the right headspace.

Do you go balls to the wall and write as you go or are you more organized?

i do a lot more planning now than i used to. i do typically just dive into a scene to get the feel for it and see what the characters are like and want to do. i don't do super organized outlines but i do usually plan out the rest of the fic in just sort of casual notes spread out visually by scene. i like doing that because then i can work on the fic out of order and i can throw in notes and ideas as they come to me. longer fics i do more planning, but still leave room for things to change, or new ideas, etc.

tagging: no pressure tagging @voxofthevoid @jbarneswilson @taste-thewaste @firstprincehornyramblings @onward--upward and open tag for anyone who sees this and wants to do it!

[bottombatch]

Fanfic Writer Questions

thanks for the tag @optiwashere!

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged! But here is one more for the road: @collegeoflore

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Apparently I have 20? That's news to me lol. I would have guessed like 10 to 12. I've used this AO3 account for a while, I guess.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

62,119 words, according to the statistics.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, only Baldur's Gate 3. Before that I was writing lightcanon for League of Legends.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. And They Were Roommates

2. To Muzzle a Gith

3. Misfit and Nomad

4. I Thought About You

5. Workouts in a Winter Hellscape

Damn. Some of these are callbacks.. Not too surprised, though. These either have popular ships or popular fandoms. LoL lightcanon in 1, 3, and 4 make sense to me, even if I'm embarrassed by the writing in them. Continually shocked by To Muzzle a Gith. I guess Shadowzel is that popular? I don't know. I have so little desire to write for them again and the writing in it makes me cringe, tbh. Same with #5 LMAO. You couldn't pay me enough to reread the fics I wrote in highschool.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, always! Well. If someone comments on something really old I might not? But only because im scared they'll ask me to update it lmao. But in general, yes! I love talking and hearing what people liked!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

If I'm including the 20 QOTD Challenge fic (and i am because this is my post), I'd have to give it to Nerves, ch19 of that challenge. I mean, its a flashback scene about killing a childhood friend (and maybe lover) for a crumb of an uncaring goddess' attention.

It's pretty much the only piece of angst I've written that doesn't have some overtone of hope to it. I'm hoping to work it into my act 1 rewrite because I like it so much.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

To me, its Savoring Seconds from the challenge. It's bittersweet but after everything those two have been through... It's the happiest I can envision them ever being. Maybe that's just my bias tho :P

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No? Do most people get hate on fics? I haven't had anything of the sort. Hard to imagine what that would even be like..

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, I do. Outside of To Muzzle a Gith, I think I write pretty tame stuff? More emotional than anything.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

A Common Song was really the only crossover, but even then.. it was really just a League of Legends fic with a cyberpunk2077 au. It had some good ideas tho.. maybe I'll return to it some day.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I've noticed?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. I've helped with brainstorming before but that's really all.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

This.. is tough. I change fandoms too often for something like this 😭 If I had to pick a bg3 ship... Laz/Karlach. Is it cheating to say my OC ship? Probably. But fuck you, its MY post. I've cried multiple times on the bus just thinking about these two, no one else had quite the strangle hold on me. (I was thinking abt Karlach's funeral btw).

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

A Common Song. I was cooking on some of those ideas but I was FAR too ambitious lmao

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm... Not totally sure, to be honest. Its hard to read your own stuff and see what's uniquely strong. If you have any thoughts, please let me know!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I don't think my writing has much rhythm to it. I'd like to work on that. Also my grammar is shoddy at best. English classes were always my lowest grades :,)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

For fantasy languages I think it's fun! It can add a lot of depth and creates a lot of insight to a characters culture. Dabbling with Drowic for example was a lot of fun.

But like, a real language? Naw. I don't know any other languages so unless it was a phrase I knew a character said in canon.. I wouldn't want to risk a shoddy google translate.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Uh. It was either Invader Zim, Mass Effect, or SAO? I'm not totally sure. This would have predated AO3, when I was in middle school or something. I've tried to find those fics but I think they're genuinely lost.

Probably for the best lol.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Currently, it is Snowfall. Once I post it, I think it'll be the act 1 rewrite.

[the-down-upside-finch]

What's in Your Bag? (Tag Game!)

I'm starting a new tag game! (It probably already exists somewhere but I couldn’t find it so IT'S MINE NOW MWA HA HA /j) Anyways, does your OC carry a bag? Do they have pockets? Well, then this tag game is for you!

What sort of items (maybe it's just one thing) does your OC always have with them, either in their bag or pockets?

Gently tagging @my-cursed-prince, @athenswrites, @worldsfromhoney, @card-queen, @k-v-briarwood, @harleyacoincidence, @da-na-hae, and I'll leave the tag open for anyone that sees this and wants to play!

Okay okay I'm going to do this with the MCs from Minding Q's because these characters would bring their whole house with them if they could:

Celain doesn't usually have a bag (besides her school backpack), but when she does, it always has: - Chapstick - Pair of earplugs - Granola bar or some other snack - Microfiber cloth to clean her glasses + lens cleaning spray - Phone charger - Umbrella - Hygiene products

Sterling literally always has a backpack with him, either his big bag for school or a smaller one for errands and stuff, and inside of it he always carries: - Box of adhesive bandages (the fabric ones) - Several pairs of earplugs - Pack of disinfectant wipes - Notepad and pen (for when inspiration strikes) - Fidget cube - Mini flashlight - Cloth face mask - Travel sewing kit

(I'm also going to include the two almost-main-characters because they're probably a better example for this haha)

Katelyn will bring a small purse with her, and inside she always carries: - Tylenol and Ibuprofen (in case anyone is allergic to either) - Lipstick (or lip gloss, depending on the day) - Small stick of deodorant (she gets self-conscious)

Max never carries a bag outside of school, but in his pockets he always has: - His hearing aid box (and the charging cord) - Folding pocket comb - Notepad and pencil (for certain situations)

Anyways, yeah! Go wild, y'all! Hopefully this one will be fun. :}