#and actually i not really completely published there because of you know...writers block and stuff

[gxtzeizm]

that feeling when you found a local drama series that being originated from a local streaming platform in which the plot reminds you of a fic that you wrote 6 years ago

[carawenfiction]

So...remember how I said in that update post how I might MAYBE do a TSS rewrite and post it for free?

"Maybe" quickly turned into "definitely happening". Instead of making it outside of COG, however, the finished product that's already published will be updated with the rewritten files. This means that if you've already purchased TSS through COG, you'll have the rewritten version available. That's how I originally intended to go about things with the old rewrite and is the better option here to avoid potential complications.

I've been in contact with COG and they've let me know that I'd be able to do what I have in mind even if this results in a different wordcount and very different scenes/plot points and a different kind of main story.

I realize that this announcement is probably pretty jarring since my last post stated that I wasn't sure about doing a rewrite but that I wanted to if I had enough time. After making that post, I started creating an outline for the rewrite mostly for fun...and one thing kind of led to another. I want you all to know that I wouldn't be making this post at all if I wasn't sure about this. It's because I've already begun the process and feel incredibly motivated and inspired that I can do this that I'm making this announcement.

This rewrite is not going to be like my old attempt at a rewrite, though. It's an entirely new one that I feel much more confident about.

So far I've written the outline for the rewrite and started reworking already existing scenes from chapter 1 as well some new ones. I'm happy to say that the difference between how the rewrite process felt years ago compared to now is like night and day. It seems like those years I've taken away from TSS were very healthy and helpful in giving me some distance and letting me figure out what kind of story I really want to tell.

My plan is to rewrite book 1 and then make 1 full continuation after that. Instead of a trilogy, it looks like this version of TSS will be 2 volumes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it'll be shorter than originally intended. I think it's more doable for me to rewrite the first book (starting from scratch while also using some already written scenes, since I've been assured I'm allowed to do so) and then make 1 complete continuation of it rather than trying to fill stuff out over 3 different entries, and I think it'll serve the plot and story as a whole to do it that way.

That being said, I fully understand that some - or most of you - might have trouble trusting my word after me failing to do the rewrite I wanted to years ago and not delivering a second book. That's completely fair. This time I'm not rushing things and I don't feel any pressure to do this. It's not something I do out of dislike for the original, but rather out of love for what it could be and what I could make it into, if that makes sense. I'm taking as much time as I need to and am not putting any pressure on myself to do this.

My other project takes priority right now so I can't dedicate all of my time to the rewrite, but I'm working on it when I have time over or get stuck. It's actually pretty nice to alternate between two different stories that have different settings and has helped a bit in avoiding writer's block.

Here are some differences between TSS and the TSS rewrite (most of the changes I made to the old rewrite no longer apply):

The rewrite will be told in second-person point of view ("you" instead of "I"). The reason for this is that when I first started TSS I was really unused to the second-person POV, but after having spent years in the IF space it's now the other way around. It'll make writing much easier for for me, and I hope it won't feel too jarring for people who are used to the first person POV.

The Shadowman and Jealene (now "J") will both be genderselectable just like the main cast. The Shadowman will be genderselectable later on, though - it might sound strange but I think it makes sense when you have more context. J plays a bigger role than they did in the original and their personality is a bit different in this version.

Some side characters (such as most of the hideout) will be cut. This is because they felt really underdeveloped to me in the full game and didn't serve much of a purpose. Instead I'm focusing more on the main cast + a few key characters to ensure the story plot stays focused and you get more time to develop bonds of various kinds with the main cast instead.

The relationship system will look a bit different. Instead of bars showing a percentage of approval, I'll write a description of each character and what they think of you. The descriptions will shift when the character starts viewing you differently, whether that's due to rivalry, romance or friendship. My hope is that this will allow for a more nuanced relationship system/descriptions. I'll also adjust the options a bit to try and make choices more nuanced and am thinking of including the option of having ex. a heart next to a romantic choice for those who want to know for sure what they're getting into. The different responses (such as shy, flirty etc.) will stay but some of it will probably be reworked. Essentially what I want to do is allow for a wider range of MCs and how the characters respond to the MC.

The MC is going to have more agency in certain ways. I've included something plot-relevant to the main character that can potentially change the dynamic between them and the group a bit, but it all depends on how you play it.

The tone might be somewhat different. Not entirely, of course, but there are some parts of the old TSS where the characters sound a bit younger than they are supposed to be, where tension and seriousness has been sacrificed in favor of humor and where some of the interactions aren't the way I would prefer for them to be. I've gotten older since writing TSS (gasp) and my tastes have changed, as has my writing to some degree. In order to do a rewrite I'd have to write in a way that's most enjoyable for me and that I feel best fits the story I want to tell. That's not to say that there isn't going to be silliness etc., but I'm adjusting the tone somewhat and putting more time and effort into descriptions and the writing overall.

The narrative will be different, even though the overall story itself will mostly stay the same. I'm keeping a lot of elements and also aim to introduce new ones that I believe will strengthen the story and make it a more enjoyable game overall.

I think those are the main differences I can give away right now without spoiling anything. I'll make sure to post updates when I've got more to share! Once the demo for the rewrite is finished, I'll post it on the forums and link it in an intro post on here.

Thank you all for sticking by me throughout the years. I hope you'll find some comfort in returning to this world, as well as new things to ponder and excite you in this new upcoming version of the story <3

The Azuridia and Quaiel chibis are done by the amazing madebysalfi

[disarmd]

I adore listening to you talk writing! Truly would love to just sit in a coffee shop and pick your brain for hours about it. Since I can't actually do that, I thought I'd do the next best thing and send along some questions that you can feel free to answer or not :) 1. Have you or do you write original fiction? I'm being a bit nosy with this one but I'm so curious because of the way you talk about writing, etc, etc ^_^

2. Per chance do you have any tips to avoid procrastination? I really like writing but I have such a hard time just getting *started*, I find I do everything but the writing! And then sometimes I have the opposite problem, I'll get started but I won't be able to finish. I'll put it off and put it off and next thing you know a month has gone by and I haven't written more than a few sentences. Wishing you all the best with your current writer's block! I hope you can work through it ASAP!

You are truly so so kind for sending me this ask, nonnie, thanks for chatting with me about writing. I’m absolutely pretending that we’re having a lovely latte in a coffee shop with a massive greenwall ☕️🌿

1. I’ve written original fiction in an amateur way, but I’ve never had a go at getting published or anything. I was majoring in writing in my first undergrad before I switched, and then in my twenties I did a lot of continuing ed writing classes, and had a writing circle where we met every two weeks and workshopped each others’ stuff, but the volume of fanfic I’ve written is much higher than original. I’ve obviously thought a lot about it so I���ll just share where I landed, but I’d be really curious to hear what you or anyone else thinks on this topic!

So for me, I’ve thought before that I should try to focus more on original stuff mostly because of the secrecy around fanfic. I can’t talk about writing with rl people, so I have this hobby that I spend so much time on that's completely secret. I do sometimes wish I was able to show people the stuff I write (or like… some people, occasionally, anyway). But if I think about what you “get” from fanfic vs original, it’s like. Fanfic: community. Tons of people to talk to about the thing you're interested in. A level of interaction with people who read your stories that you wouldn’t get for original unless you’re like the 0.01% of successful writers. even if you get like three comments, i think that's probably three more than the average short story author is going to get. And you get to write exactly what you want, in exactly the way you want to do it. Vs with original, you’d be able to talk about it in real life. theoretically there would be some monetary compensation - but there is no chance I could earn as much writing as I get from my actual job. And you lose that complete freedom to just write literally whatever you want because now it’s become a commodity. For my writing in particular, I know I’m not as good as great writers and what what I write is not widely appealing, so I don’t think that it would be possible for me to be published, but that’s my rationale for not even trying haha.

Anyway, I'm so curious to hear anyone’s thoughts on this - I’m assuming it’s something many of us have thought about before and I’d be really interested in where others have landed.

2. Re: tips to write more... there are so many different facets to this! if you mean you have trouble getting started writing, maybe just create a routine. write 15 minutes every day at 8 pm or whatever. If you mean you have trouble starting a story, i think there is a feeling that comes with the wanting to write a specific story that is very motivating compared to the feeling of just want to write, in a vague way. having a particular story you want to tell and knowing all the aspects of the story, not just a concept - like you know the characters/settling/conflict/plot arc/etc. the full story. makes it much easier to start writing that story.

to the second part, in terms of finishing: there has to be motivation to go through the work of writing, so it really helps to have someone that you’re excited to share it with. It’s very common for people to share drafts with friends to get that encouragement to keep pushing through to the end. I sent Liza the first 5k of In Abidance like a month ago, and then the next 5k after that, and it helped because a) it motivated me to finish drafting those continuous sections of the story so now I’m not thinking about The Full Story; the first 10k are done and in the different gdoc with Liza where they’re safe, and b) having a nice friend say encouraging things makes it feel a lot better compared to being completely alone in the gdoc. I reread the comments Liza left in the gdoc as a comfort when i'm spinning out about writing more. and then my motivation for writing the story at all is that i want to write it for odds, who's been the kindest, and made the experience of writing this series so completely satisfying. they left this incredible comment last night and it got me so excited that i wrote 800 words before bed.

so not writing to an imagined audience or trying to please hypothetical strangers, but writing is an act of communication and i don't think anyone would finish anything if there wasn't one person they planned on sharing it with. have a writing buddy that you share your writing with every week or month can be very motivating. if there's a story you know one person wants to read, then you can write it for them... and you feel so much more motivated to actually finish it, for them.

but to also consider things a bit more broadly, if you like writing but are having trouble doing it - is it because you've been working at a difficult job all day long and don't have creative energy left when you get back home? are you too burned out from following the terrifying and unrelenting current events and don't have capacity to write on top of staying regulated? or, on the more fun side, is it that the other stuff you're doing instead of writing is just genuinely more appealing and that's where you want to spend your time? because that's fine too, like we don't have to write if there are other things we prefer. or if we're burned out or otherwise don't have capacity.

I'll be a bit more vulnerable because this is a long post and probably not that many people are still reading, but I don't have writer's block - i've been writing an average of 2,350 words/week for the last two years straight (I checked the actual stats on ao3 haha. and that's only published fic, it would be higher if we included all the wips). i'm not blocked from writing, it's just i've been feeling quite sad, which for me looks like self hatred, so the unpleasantness of continuing on while the mean voice says very cruel things. the reason why i muse about writing so much is certainly because i find it interesting, but it's also that i'm always trying to figure out how to be better because i feel tormented by all the ways i suck.

with the way people talk about productivity on social media, I could tell you that my "hacks" are to try to write a bit before bed almost every day and have some longer writing sessions on fri-mon (weekends & work from home days haha), and to move around throughout the story to write what is most urgent and interesting to me, and to only start stories when I mostly know the ending, and to set deadlines for myself that i have to stick to, and to motivate myself by sharing with friends, and all of that is sort of true, but i can make myself do almost anything because i have a nonstop internal monologue telling me that if i don't, i'm worse than worthless.

the myth of productivity is that you can reach a point where you feel like you've done enough and you just have to keep pushing until you get there, but in fact that point never comes.

so i'll just end with that, because any time I talk about anything with an achievement orientation (writing more! writing better!), i want to acknowledge the full picture.

[basilone]

Folks, I hope whichever writing you’re working on today creates joy for you!

Just this past week, I wrote a good 3k worth of words that were born from an idea 2AM me had. 2AM me is a different animal, you know. 😉 2AM me does not really care about what I’m “supposed to be working on”. 2AM me sees my prompt-filled inbox and shrugs at it. 2AM me has never met an outline she can’t ruin, has never encountered writer’s block once she gets going, and has most certainly never given a hoot about if there are going to be people willing to read the thing. 2AM me cares about one thing and one thing only: does writing this vague idea fill me with complete and utter joy?

So. Here I am. 3k words into a mafia AU that will likely not see publication beyond a groupchat with friends. 3k words into a story that features no canon characters from the shows we love, but features several of my original characters instead. 3k words into a story that is, in no particular order, doing the following: feeding my love for particular tropes, allowing me to explore my OCs in a different setting, giving me a better handle on how my OCs express certain emotions and ideas, fueling and clarifying certain aspects of the main fic these OCs inhabit, and taking away all my self-imposed pressures about needing to have a finished and publishable story as “proof” that I have spent my precious free time well by being productive.

And, friends, I’m having a blast. I’ve talked some of my friends to death about this already because I’m so excited. I’ve spent more time working on the outline for my actual fic in this past week than I have in all the weeks of this year so far because writing this silly AU gave me the confidence boost to sit down and figure that out. (That pesky outline that's been eluding me for months? Pretty much complete at the time I write this.) I’ve gained a truckload of stuff to use as special tools that will help other writing later on. And it’s all made possible because 2AM me had an idea and morning me went “well okay why not try it on for size just once”.

So, I’m writing you a permission slip. Work on what sparks joy. Work on something that inspires love in you for an aspect of your storytelling, for your characters, for the world you’re creating in. Forget about your inbox and comments and requests. Forget about your WIPs you’re either rotating in your head or threatening to smack like a piñata until the complete fic rolls out. Forget about prompts, polls, and whatever you think people’s expectations of your writing are. Work on the little idea you can’t shake, the OC that’s bugging you, the ship that won’t let go, the AU that can fit soooooo many tropes in it, and I promise you that all your other writing is going to fall into place too.

Give yourself the opportunity to love and be joyful about your creativity! I’m allowing it! 💙

[howlsmovinglibrary]

I just want to tell you that I ASPIRE to be as incredible of a writer as you. You never fucking miss. Not only that, but you are so funny?????? How???? And SMART??? HOW??? You are such a skilled human pls know that you are appreciated a million bazillion percent.

Okay now for the actual question— what does your writing process look like? Do you sit down and draft out a plot? Do you have a schedule? What do steps A-Z look like and how do you feel like a chapter is satisfactory enough to be published?

Also, do you have any tips 🥲?

Thank u supreme leader

lmaoooo this was such a lovely ask to get today after my bad day yesterday! you're so kind! i mean, i'm not anyone's supreme leader, I'm just Some Guy. But I *am* glad you find my jokes funny!!! :D

anyway, answers under the cut bc this became a Long Post and this is the non-fic blog so I'm worried about outing myself to all my kwl bookblogging pals.

...Okay now for the actual question— what does your writing process look like? Do you sit down and draft out a plot?

my writing process has two stages! typically, there's the feeling out (or the fuck around) phase, which is usually the first few chapters of a project! I 'try on' the idea and get a feel for the tone of it, and then I see where I want to take it. For Pieces, that was up to the Chapter 7 reveal, and it was up to the dinner party in Cooler than me. Once I know what the idea feels like in my head, I then sit down and draft out my plot properly, rather than just seeing where my ideas take me (the find out phase).

usually I just bullet point it. I have key reveals that have to happen, which it's always good to know bc that means you can foreshadow them etc. And I have key scenes, or tropes/beats I want to hit (a kind of kiss I want to have, a setting i want to place people in, etc.). I also formulate an ending - bc you need to know where you're getting to (at least, plotwise. where you're choosing to end the story might be different question). having a clear ending/endpoint gives you something to plan towards.

I then try to write them in order, and chapter structure happens naturally. bulletpointing also means that there's flexibility! you can begin to work out the necessary pacing and add in extra scenes, or you can move stuff around. I sometimes hammer stuff down chapter by chapter but I tend to keep it as fluid as possible.

This can also work for scenes! if i'm suffering writers block, I bullet point the bitch. I start using my beloved [...]. It is always easier to finish a half-written chapter than stare at a blank page. if you're struggling, try to bullet point what you want to happen, any snippets of dialogue or revelations that need to take place, etc.

...Do you have a schedule?

I am an autistic little introvert in her 30s who lives alone. my schedule is that I write fic on the nights where I don't have any social battery but want to have fun or work on something. typically i end up writing two nights a week as standard, bc I don't have plans. I write pretty quickly so that gives me decent output. I will sometimes keep a weekend evening or afternoon free. but this is based on enjoyment, rather than rigid structure. I write because I want to and bc it makes me feel good, a bit like physical exercise but for my brain lmao.

...What do steps A-Z look like and how do you feel like a chapter is satisfactory enough to be published?

i've covered this a little bit above but the A-Z is:

silly fun times -> outline -> draft (complete with [...]s where needed to get shit done) (usually I hate this stage and think the work is awful) -> then finesse (this no longer sucks actually) -> then read aloud to proofread as I post.

I think I know when something is satisfactory enough to be published when I don't hate it anymore. Not like it, necessarily. Just don't think it's awful. In my experience, you're typically the harshest critic of your own work, so if you don't hate it, other people probably will like it.

If I'm really stuck in the weeds (if something is insanely long, or I'm scared I haven't put everything down on paper in a way that will make sense to anyone but me) i give it to a pal to read.

I also think breathing space helps. Once I've drafted a chapter, I let it rest for a few days and go back and read it. That will mean it feels fresh, and that also means that I've left some of my hate from the draft stage at the door and come at it with new eyes.

there's also just a point where I start posting bc... lol. keeping it to myself isn't as fun anymore. staring it down isn't going to make it better. once you've written a lot you kind of know where your 'done' is, even if it doesn't feel done. either boredom, apathy, or acceptance has set in - you've done all you can. then you get to share it with others, who won't feel any of those things. they bring the excitement back!

[petruchio]

🌿 because i need tips to combat it myself 😭😭😭

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

i struggle with this all the time!!! i have a few things that i would say so let me go through them now...

often times my writer's block, when it's truly a block (as in, i am actively working on something and i just cannot bring myself to write it) comes from either feeling uninspired by the project i'm working on, or because i realize partway into a project that it's just not going to work. so i think one big thing i do for a true BLOCK is just giving myself permission to quit. even if i'm 10, 15k words into it, even if i love the idea, even if i think it really COULD be good... if i realize that it's just not working... it's ok to stop. nobody has to read it, nobody has to know it ever existed. it didn't work. that's ok. i can just stop.

and it often ends up being a good exercise and there's usually plenty of stuff i can mine for other projects later, but i think it's ok to just be like "you know what? this isn't going to do what i want and i just need to stop." that's not to say that you shouldn't push yourself to finish things, but more to say that i think the things that get finished are the ones where you actually have the drive to finish them -- and that can be difficult too, but that struggle isn't writer's block, that's just going to come from figuring out how to manage your time and developing the discipline to sit down and do the work and trusting yourself to get through to the end no matter how it ends up happening. but if it's a problem where every time you sit down, the project just looms and you start to dread it, that to me is a real block. and i think that's a sign that it's ok to just leave it be. use it as a jumping-off point to brainstorm some new ideas and work on those, come back later and try to rework it, or just completely scrap the work, reuse a couple core ideas, just do something else. it's fine to admit that it's not working. it's all part of the creative process. especially in fanwork, you're not on a deadline and there's nobody forcing you to publish it. so my advice for real writer's block... JUST QUIT! lol. but it really does help get unstuck.

for lack of creativity... well i think this is a HUGE one! i struggle with this a lot, both in my fanwork and original ideas. i think there are two things that you need to do if you want to write: you need to read, and you need to live. inspiration truly does come from the most random places. it's a cliché for a reason, but you do have to just be open to letting your muse catch you anywhere and be ready to run with it when it does! write down every idea -- there's a saying or something that it takes 100 bad ideas to get a good idea. so just practice that muscle, write everything down, and wait for that one golden one to appear. you'll know when it does -- it's the one that sticks around.

if you need help getting bad (and good!) ideas, you can always do some little challenges and exercises -- go to a park and invent a story for every third person who walks by, listen to people's conversations on the street and invent a backstory for their relationship, watch someone at a coffee shop and imagine where they're going afterward. it helps to just get the juices flowing. sometimes i like to do some writing exercises when i truly have nothing to work on, because it's a fun way to challenge your writing muscles in ways that they're not used to being challenged. sometimes it does spark something, but i usually try to approach those like i would a calisthenic workout or a drill in sports -- you're practicing the FORM of writing, but it's not really game time yet. you're just getting the muscles warmed up and ready so that when you need them, the muscle memory is already in place.

but if you really want to get inspired to WRITE, i think reading is the best way to do it. and sometimes that means a long period of rest where you are just consuming -- and that's ok! you can't always be in a state of output. you need time and energy to plant seeds before you can harvest them. so read! read widely, read something that has nothing to do with what you want to write and read something that is exactly like what you want to write. then ask yourself: what did i like about this? what did the author do right and what do i think could've been improved? was it the writing style? the plot? the pacing? and if you read and read and read, and you still can't find the story that scratches that one perfect itch you are looking for... the one that has the dialogue from that one movie you love but the pacing is better than that terrible book you read last month and the characters all act like your best friend on a perfect friday night... then you realize there's only one way to read that story, and that's for you to write it. you have to consume what you want to create until you realize that you have to create what you want to consume.

and that's where all the half-finished, abandoned projects and bad writing exercises and random poems and terrible songs and old films you've been watching will suddenly MATTER -- it's when you realize that it was all collecting inside of you, creating a huge lake of art and creativity and magic in your mind, all trapped behind a dam that you didn't know how to break. but once you do, it will all come pouring out of you, the creativity will flow out of you like a river rushing back to the sea, and at that point, the work basically does itself.

[katy-books]

Pinned Post

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Alright that's enough with the scammer DMs. Here's a disclaimer - if you DM me just saying 'Hello' or call me 'dear' or 'friend' when we've never spoken, or want to sell me something, I will not reply and you will be immediately blocked. I am not interested in collaborations on a project. I am not interested in proof reading services. I am not interested in publicity services. I am not interested in hiring an illustrator.

Website post about scammers (inc screenshots) below ⬇⬇⬇

Scammers in the Writer Community

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Katy Miller, 31, She/Her, Bi 🏳️‍🌈

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All my stories are/will be available for free. The first book in the Flight Series, Perfection, is published as a paperback too and available through the links on my website.

When it says 18+ it doesn't mean it's erotica and gore. I actually hate gore. It just means I don't have to be thinking "Is this okay for a 16 year old? 🤔" while I'm writing a fight scene, a romantic scene, an alcoholic character etc. I know YA can have those things but I don't have to hold myself back if it's 18+, partly because my characters can be adults.

Flight Series 〰 YA 〰 4th book will be 18+ 〰 Light SciFi 〰 Very Light Fantasy

The Goblin King 〰 18+ 〰 High Fantasy 〰 Very Light SciFi

Alive 〰 18+ 〰 Anthology 〰 Supernatural

Lady Fae 〰 18+ 〰 Anthology 〰 Fantasy

Clandestine 〰 18+ 〰 Historical 〰 Supernatural 〰 🏳️‍🌈

Marcus 〰 18+ 〰 Supernatural

True Love's Kiss 〰 PG 〰 Fairy Tale

Drabbles

Haiku

My Writing Posts

Fanfiction.net

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Instagram

YouTube

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If you need to smile . . .

Buys That Made Me Smile

The Resurrection of my Old Laptop

DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR BOOKS!!! 😭

The Stuff I'll Reblog Until Tumblr Shuts Down

Boopoween 2024

My Polls

❇ Labyrinth ❇ Theory

❇ Merlin ❇ Rant

❇ Defending Lilo & Stitch 2025 ❇ Rant

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❇ Covid ❇ Saga

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Black Lives Matter, Trans Women are Women, Stand with Ukraine (for ways to support Ukraine search for your local donation centres or click this linktree), Anti MLM (aka product based pyramid schemes and commercial cults) and Anti AI (I've seen reports that it can be incredible for analysing medical scans but keep AI out of art of any kind, literature and security - really, just stop).

[galadrieljones]

hiya gala!! 🎃 and 🍂? i hope you have a fantastic day!!

Thanks for the ask @myreia ^_^ I hope you have a great day, too.

🎃 pumpkin: do you have any favorite brainstorming techniques? how do you like to gather ideas for your wip?

I answered this one earlier, you can find it here.

🍂 leaves: what does your editing process look like? how does your wip typically change as you work on it?

Because I am seemingly always super strapped for time, the most important part of my process is getting started. Failure to launch is, in my experience, the only cause of "writer's block." I just need to break the seal, get started. My earliest drafts as I mentioned in the linked ask above are usually just super spare scene sketches in the notes app on my phone because of this. No details or descriptions. I just put a little (...) to note where I know I need an action, or a description, or a note on the environment to flesh out the pacing later on. I will do this sometimes before bed, or when I'm doing other things.

Once I'm ready to work on the actual story then, these days, I usually just work right in AO3 for fanfiction. It just keeps me in the right mode, since I write and read so many different things as part of my job, other projects, etc., and AO3 just makes me feel like, okay, THIS is the safe place lol. THIS is my happy place (I copy/paste frequently into a note or word doc to back up my work fyi haha). When I'm ready to write, like to actually type, I don't usually copy/paste writing from my notes. I retype it, now working in the details/actions/descriptions that I skipped before, because like I just really needed to get down the big beats, but now it's time to make the scene come alive. I find that retyping from scratch rather than copy/pasting is important, because a lot of the time, the emotional output or directionality of a scene will be a little different once I add in the details. Things almost always need to be tweaked.

Once I have a completed draft, I usually sit on it for as long as I can. An old professor once taught me that, with writing, you usually need a couple days to let a draft marinate before going back to it again. I can't remember what he called those days, but this was useful advice for me, as I'm always in a rush. Sometimes, I only have a couple hours to wait or one night. In any case, in that time, any problems with the existing writing usually bubble to the surface of my consciousness, and I can go back in and work on them later, often times on my phone, while I'm off doing other stuff or hanging with my kids or my husband on the couch, etc. I do a lot of my editing this way, like in the car while waiting for my kids to get out of school lol. I used to need solitude to write, but I have three kids and I have adapted lol. If I get too precious about my workspace, I get nothing done.

Anyway, even as my job entails editing books for a living, that editorial work is always grand scale, like finding the shape of a story. I am actually a terrible copy editor lmfao as I hate that kind of little nit-picky stuff. Line editing drives me insane. I will occasionally run things through the editor on word to make sure there's nothing glaring, but I don't get hung up on typos. You will probably see at least one per chapter with my work 😂 😭 I do usually reread my chapters after I publish them, and if I find something that's really bothering me, I'll go back and fix it asap.

Anyway, that's pretty much it!!

October-themed Writeblr Asks ❤️

[destinygoldenstar]

I think it’s important of a reminder that I personally think it’s fair to critique for what a media DID do, not what they didn’t do. Because what you expect could not be the writers goals at all, and you only end up disappointed when it doesn’t do exactly what you expect.

Cause if I had a nickel for every January release of a third act of a franchise season I’m into that I’ve been disappointed by when the rest is otherwise really good…

Blah blah two nickels.

I already talked about the Total Drama Reboot ending. In all honesty I think the reception is understandably more split than anything else. Either you love the third act or you don’t. I just happened to fall in the latter category. I loved the first 8 episodes though. It’s more of a ‘This was great until it wasn’t’ situation.

And what do you know, there’s another show that also had a January third act that had me sum up that season.

Hirogaru Sky Pretty Cure.

This season was GREAT. Until it wasn’t.

I think that’s the perfect phrase for this season.

Now for context, though I don’t talk about it much in my posts, I follow all kinds of magical girl tags.

Magical Girls are my special interest. I’ve written more magical girl stories than I’ve published online. My OC, GoldenStar, can be classified as an OC if you wanted. Magical Girl shows just press my autistic buttons so much and I can never get enough of them. (Except Magical Girl Site, that show can burn in my memory and never come back in my head)

You don’t know what the genre is, it’s a sub-superhero genre that’s (most of the time) female centric, that involves (usually) a team of girls finding powers, having beautifully animated transformations into superhero personas with big hair not suited for combat, and they, with the power of love and friendship, kick ass and save the day.

Think Winx and Lolirock if you’re western.

So naturally, I couldn’t get enough of Pretty Cure back in the day. As it was basically the perfect ‘magical girl obsessor campsite’. As every season of the show has the benefit of having a brand new cast of characters each time, and therefore different lore that keeps things fresh.

I guess best way to explain it to western users is ‘Power Rangers but magical girls, and animated’

Which is an ironic way to explain it cause Power Rangers is actually an American Adaptation of a franchise called Super Sentai… made by the same company that made Pretty Cure.

I kinda had a falling out with the franchise though. That’s because, and let’s be real here, the newer seasons are kinda lousy.

Now, hold on, it’s not all bad these past five years. I loved Healin Good and WILL defend it. Tropical Rouge was decently fun and had some great episodes. But compare the seasons these past five years to some of the older ones like Heartcatch and… yeah, there’s a noticeable writing dip.

Especially when you get into Delicious Party…

That was the first time I ever downright hated a Pretty Cure season and got angry at multiple points. And if I wasn’t angry, I Aw as bored to tears. Not a good combination. Just so so SO much wrong with this season from beginning to end. (And saying that opinion got me blocked from Fandom.)

But then Hirogaru Sky was next, and yes, wow, it started out PHENOMENAL. I was blown away again and completely invested again. This season seemed like it was doing all kinds of shake ups to the franchise and taking the entire structure in new directions. While also paying homage to the first season with the duo team structure. I loved its main characters and their dynamics throughout the show. The designs are gorgeous. The first half is thrilling and intense and some of the best of the franchise since Hugtto. Back then, I was about ready to call this an S tier season and in my top 5…

This is why you wait till a season is done before you go say stuff like that. I learned that now.

Now, I’m not actually going to dunk on the ending this time. Because bottom line is: It’s one very stupid plot twist after another to the point where it’s like they can’t make up their mind what they want, none of the build up throughout the show amounted to anything, and the final battle is horrifically paced and completely botches the character arcs of certain people. Sora in particular.

Not THAT Sora. That Sora had an amazing payoff. I’m talking about Pretty Cure Sora, not Ninjago Sora. Dragons Rising was really good and actually stuck the landing.

But I do think we’re hating on this season for all the wrong reasons. I know we all made predictions about where the story was headed, and almost all those theories became wrong.

Like, I know we all predicted, myself included, that Shalala was the twist main villain. This turned out to be wrong. But they didn’t have to do that if they didn’t want it.

It’s the same thing with Total Drama. We all predicted Damien was a finalist and that turned out wrong. But I chose not the criticize that show for not making him a finalist because, well, the writers didn’t want him to be a finalist. That’s okay. Instead I criticized how they handled the role in the story they gave him. You know, what they intended.

Just because your theories were wrong, does NOT make it the end of the world. You can definitely claim that your theory would have been the better story route than what we got. BUT fact of the matter is, you’re not the writer. You don’t get to decide what the writers want to do with their story. And saying you do cause you’re a fan is just entitlement. (Go make a fanfiction if you’re gonna be that petty about it)

I keep saying, don’t criticize what the writers didn’t do, criticize what the writers DID do. Try and see what the writers were going for. Not what you wanted.

We all expected going in that Hirogaru Sky would be this epic hero-ideology season. This big philosophy on what it means to be a hero and the ups and downs that came with it. Kind of like a Kamen Rider Kuuga type of story. There was all kind of foreshadowing that Sora was going to endure quite a bit of an arc upon realizing her hero idealism was kinda trash.

We got that about the first half, then nothing. What we got instead was NOT a morally grey complex narrative. We got a simple black and white world where Sora’s hero idealism turned out to be pretty much perfect from the start, and the villain is literally just as ‘evil for the sake of evil’ as you can get. It became ‘I don’t know if I scan grow up to be a hero’ instead of ‘being a hero kinda sucks’.

So when that wasn’t the theme we got, and it wasn’t this morally complex story that we all hoped for… yeah I can see people getting angry.

But that’s not the problem for me. Because they wanted a black and white story. So they did a black and white story. So we gotta judge it by what they were going for.

Now yes, Shalala being the villain instead of who we got would’ve been preferable, if only cause the villain we got is just awful as a character and fails as a villain in almost every front. The hero role being muddied out would’ve been juicy in angst. But it’s not what the writers wanted to do.

So instead of criticizing what it’s not. I’m choosing to criticize it for what it is. That the villain was horrifically built up and a terrible character, and the final battle is horrific pacing that leaves no satisfying conclusion for Sora because of bad pacing. She gets slapped with dark energy juice and all it takes to snap her out of it is Deus Ex Machina from her BFF? Seriously? You couldn’t think of a better way to resolve that?

Just because it didn’t say stuff about being a hero that you want them to say, doesn’t mean they said anything at all. And if you want to rewrite this season to say the stuff you thought it should have, then go ahead. No one’s stopping you.

Basically, I think the third act distaste for Hirogaru Sky is justified, but people are pointing out the wrong reasons why it’s distasteful.

I said it once, Ill say it again:

You HAVE to have a solid third act. Because that’s what people will walk away from. If you try something fancy and screw up, people are gonna remember the botched ending rather than the whole story. Even if the rest of your story is fantastic.

[aliteralsemicolon]

You can completely ignore this if you want to, but I'm stuck and needed the opinion of another writer (and I love your writing, so 🥺)

Basically, I love to write, and it's always been a big passion of mine, but I'm always worried to publish my stuff because I know I don't have a particularly 'pretty' way with words like a lot of fantastic writers do here on tumblr, and I just wondered if you had any tips on getting past that worry?

Thank you for listening 💖

Well hello beautiful! Thank you so much for thinking of me!

This is actually a mostly universal thing with writers I think, so the first thing you should know is that you aren't alone in feeling this way. Sharing your work with the world can be so intimidating, but once you cross that bridge you'll settle in to your own flow.

The beauty of writing for me is that I consider it a form of art, and like most art, it's an expression of who the artist is. No two writers truly write the same. There's always a personalised touch added to every story. When it comes to art, there's an audience for everything. So even if you don't write "pretty", there will guaranteed be people who will love the way you write.

Now as far as the mental block in your own head goes, it's honestly an up and down battle. There will be days where you feel extremely confident and proud of your work. Then there will come days where you'll see the way someone else writes, much like right now, and mislead yourself into believing that you're not as good. As we know, comparison is the killer of joy. You're not a bad writer just because you don't write the same way.

I don't have a lot of ground breaking advice for you. Truth is, it really is just a mental game. No one's skill level is truly 0 or 100. Everyone starts somewhere and once you've started, you've already progressed that skill. At the same time, even if you're a professional, there's always room for improvement. Where ever you're at, you have to be mentally secure in your skill. On days you that you have a voice in your head telling you that you're inadequate, you have to consistently remind yourself to not listen to it.

Something else to keep in mind once you start posting is to not get addicted to the engagement. Don't compare your engagement to another blogs engagement. Engagement is not an accurate way to determine the quality of your work. I've seen writers that I consider to be extremely talented but they don't garner much engagement.

I've said this before and I'll say it again:

Don't let comparison rob you of the reasons that made you fall in love with writing.

I really, really hope you decide to start posting your stuff! I wish you the best of luck!

[sepublic]

            I’m probably late in suggesting this but… King James I published a whole book about witches, a guide of sorts, called Daemonologie. Published in 1597, it saw another reprint when he became king in 1603. James was said to have a fascination with witches and demons, to the point that it’s claimed Shakespeare wrote in an additional scene with the witches in Macbeth to pander to James’ tastes. The thing is…

         James thought witches were evil. And his Daemonologie book explained how to recognize witches, how they worked, the animal familiars they used, all that stuff, ultimately to give witch-hunters an idea of how to find and kill them; Because the main solution to witchcraft in this book was execution. Daemonologie was meant to expose the existence of witchcraft to the common people, and prove it.

         Philip and Caleb Wittebane entered Old Gravesfield in the year 1613. Just a decade after the Royal Re-Release of Understanding Witches (So you can kill them). Philip documents a lot of the stuff he sees in the Boiling Isles, to a scientific degree, cataloguing, categorizing, etc. And in the first diary entry we hear, Philip ruminates on how he wishes humanity could see the Boiling Isles and understand…

         @fermented-writers-block already suggested this to me a while back, the idea that Philip initially wrote his journal as proof of witchcraft and especially the demon realm’s existence, so he could convince people to help him eradicate the alleged threat, and/or prove he went on a successful crusade that saved the world. Granted, the people of Gravesfield seemed like earnest believers by that point, but I can imagine Philip taking real-life inspiration from King James I to convince others around the globe, who may not be as receptive to his claims.

         Anyhow, I think it deeply re-contextualizes our understanding of Philip’s diary entries in a complete 180 way; Most of us were under the initial impression that Philip’s fascination stemmed from a place of genuine wonder, curiosity, and appreciation for the Boiling Isles. But knowing he’s a witch hunter, it seems his interest came from a place of condemnation; Wanting to understand the witches so he could kill them. Whether James actually believed in witchcraft, I’m not sure, but to Philip, it was lore contributing to his favorite game of destroying the Bad Guys; Cowboys VS Indians, basically. The Collector accuses Philip of having fun destroying Grimwalkers, and they’re not even his main target.

         It’s a borderline fetishistic attitude towards witches; Philip is enamored, he wants to know and understand and figure them out. But he’s so deeply committed to dehumanizing and hating them, wanting their utter annihilation. Witches exist as the enemy NPCs in a video game where Philip immerses himself into their lore and in-universe dialogue, even as he slaughters them in droves. It’s a sick and sadistic pleasure at the expense of others he loathes, paradoxical in the way fetishization is; Philip’s previously-shown interest is not a contradiction, at least not from a writing perspective.

         It works as a way to trick the viewer while still making total sense. A brief outside glimpse might suggest to the unsuspecting that Philip DOES like witchcraft, but no, he’s an objectifying colonizer who wants to own and appropriate, not learn and engage with on the same, humble level as a learner. Philip sees himself as a conqueror looting knowledge instead of riches from his victims, and he gets just that from people like Luz and the Collector.

         He doesn’t really understand what he’s playing with and he doesn’t want to; He’s the White Dude who indulges in ethnic stereotypes and cuisine, in the tourist-y commodification of cultures, while at the same time voting for minorities to be outlawed. I would even compare Philip to a trophy hunter, knowing all the stuff about his prey, writing comprehensive guides… all for the purpose of how to kill and destroy them, as part of some big game.

        I get the feeling that Philip ultimately WANTED witches to exist; Because if he was truly genuine about saving the world, about protecting people, it’d be a relief to find out there was no threat after all. But Philip wants for there to be a threat, never mind what it can pose to others, because then he gets to be the hero!!! He gets to be chosen one who goes on a sick adventure beating people up! He goes on rants about a hidden threat beneath our very eyes, not because Philip actually wants to warn people, but because he sees this as his opportunity to be the savior; So really, Jacob Hopkins IS Philip, isn’t he?

[ashleyfanfic]

For the fan fiction writer asks! 3. Do you share your fic ideas, or do you keep them to yourself? 20. Do you prefer writing AUs or canon fics? 35. What’s your favorite fic you’ve posted? 68. Are there any fics that influenced you to write the way you do? 76. How do you deal with writing pressure, whether internal or external?

Also I'm sorry you've had only negative asks lately, I hope this cheers you up 💜

First off, you beautiful angle! You put the question in the ask! Second, yeah every now and then you just catch some shit cause people are assholes who feel they can say and do whatever they want behind a screen.

Now onto the questions!

3. Do you share your fic ideas, or do you keep them to yourself? If they are Jonerys, I share them with my soul mate @justwandering-neverlost cause any opportunity we have to write together I’m gonna take. I know I’ve also shared some Dramione fic ideas with my friend, Kim, who used to write fic but now is a fucking publish author! But usually I tend to keep them to myself cause who the hell knows when inspiration will hit?

20. Do you prefer writing AUs or canon fics? AUs. Sigh, case and point, just yesterday we got a comment on our Dragon Dark and Deep fic that was complaining that our military strategy wasn’t good. For three paragraphs. Like, come on, my reasoning for writing that fic is NOT to come up with sound strategy. It was to make these two people start banging before they met in season 7 and make them twisted for each other. I couldn’t actually give a fuck about military strat. You wanna read that? Go find a book written by George Patton. Me, I’m here to make two hot people bang a lot.

35. What’s your favorite fic you’ve posted? The first thing that came to mind was Legends of Winter’s Peak. Not only because I got to write it with JW and made the best friend I could ever hope for/have, but because it’s the most complete story in terms of character arcs, relationship arcs, main and side players. The writing process for that story was hands down the most fun I ever had writing. Which isn’t to say I don’t enjoy writing other things or even other fics with JW, but that one owns my whole ass soul.

68. Are there any fics that influence you to write the way you do? I can’t say there are specific fics but specific writers. I’ve been reading fan fic since I was 14 and I started with X-Men’s Rogue/Gambit. But through all the fandoms, I’ve learned more from writers and their process that makes sense. Kim actually had me planning out stories. I was a notorious pantser before and my stories would have more holes in it than Swiss cheese. So when I started LotB (Love on the Brain) I knew that with so many POVs and relationships, I couldn’t do it that way. @frostbitepandaaaaa has made me think harder about motivations for movements and reactions. Also, I respect someone that tears so hard into something I’m writing that it makes me question why I’m doing this. Because good critique can make you question it but their suggestions can also give you new life because she doesn’t see it the same why I do cause I’m too close. JW is so fucking phenomenal about adding in emotion to blocking dialogue. I’m a dialogue whore so I’ve never really cared about the stuff between, but the way she writes it actually makes me take a step back and go “huh, this can be better. What would JW do?” I don’t get close to how good she can make it, but it does make me think.

76. How do you deal with writing pressure externally or internally? I know this might piss someone off, but I don’t care about external pressure. I have a fic I Ah ent updated in 20 years that I was working on the other day. I write what I feel like writing. Internally, I can feel bad about not updating, but I also know I can’t force myself to write anything. That’s just not my way. I can try and get close but if it come down to me crying because I can’t get the words out, let me tell you that I don’t. I move on to something else like drawing, watching things on YouTube, napping. When I get inspiration, I get inspiration. I can’t force it.

Thank you for the asks!!

[gallavichthings]

If you’ve been in the fandom for more than one week, you’ve definitely come across the name of this week’s interviewee: Shamelessquestions on AO3, or @goodkwuestion​, as Kay goes by both here and on Twitter, is a household name in this fandom, and rightfully so. With stories that rank among everyone’s favorites, such as Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Lost in Translation, Pomp and Circumstance. and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Ian Gallagher, Kay deserves a fandom just for herself, to be honest. I had the privilege to interview them this week and find out a bit more about her relationship with Shameless, Gallavich and fanfiction.

GT: Please tell me a bit about yourself. 

K: I'm not great at this, lol. I'm a young black woman. I've been a part of one fandom or another since I was about 12, I think.I'm usually a part of one fandom at a time, because that's how my focus works. I do have grand plans to become a published author one day, though I quickly get overwhelmed by the idea. I'm currently working on a sci-fi original, but recently got sucked back into Gallavich. I'm a clinician and front line worker in "real life," and I hope everyone is staying safe and making good decisions.

GT: You said you've been part of a fandom or another since you were 12. Is that when you started reading and writing fics? What was the first fandom you read or wrote for?

K: Yes, my best friend at the time actually printed out a Kenshin fic for me to read and it blew my freaking mind. The first fandom I ever actually wrote for was a soap opera called "Days of Our Lives." But those were dark times as we do not speak of it, lol. Those stories were horrendous and I've blocked them out.

GT: Kenshin as in Rurouni Kenshin?

K: The one in the very same. I think the pairing was Aoshi/Misato in that story. My first real love was Naruto though, and that's really where it all started for me as an active fandom contributor.

GT: When did you start watching Shameless and what made you ship Ian and Mickey?

K: I started watching Shameless around 2013, I think. And I just fell head over heels for Mickey and Gallavich almost immediately.Mickey's entrance with his brothers is seared into my psyche. I really got into Gallavich when Mickey returned home from juvie, and Ian (Cam, really) was a little older and had matured.Season 3 was my cementing point. Their character portrayals were amazing and unique, and their romance and it's development felt fresh and atypical. I just loved it all.

GT:When did you start writing Gallavich fanfiction? What made you start?

K:I was inhaling fanfiction by the following year and I swear, Mintsauce is like the gateway drug for Gallavich writers.

GT: THEY ARE. Especially back then. 

K: Word! I read a fic of hers called The Taste of Familiarity and it jumped into my head to write a tribute fic for it, based on the plight of poor Callum. So The Ballad of Poor Callum Scott was born and that was my entry into Gallavich fanfiction.

GT: Reading good stories is really inspiring, isn't it?

K: So inspiring! Mintsauce's stuff in particular for me back then. This fandom is filled with amazing writers; it's mindblowing.

GT: It is, indeed. There's no shortage of fics, of all kinds.

What's the most fun thing about writing Gallavich?

K: I love how I feel no restrictions when writing them. Ian and Mickey have this wealth of experiences and range that you can put them almost anywhere and it makes complete sense, you know? They're crass and messy, but they're loving, family oriented and have all these poignant moments that can meld seamlessly into almost any scenario I can think up.

GT: And what's the most difficult thing?

K: Dealing with canon.

GT: lol

K: I broke up with Shameless a while back and it's rough writing when you pay attention to some of the nonsense they trot out.

GT: That is very true.

Are you following the last season?

K: Not really. I haven't really bothered with the show since Ian broke up with Mickey on the porch and I officially checked out. I do watch the Gallavich scenes for later seasons though and I'm listening to see if they get their canon happy ending. I think I might watch the season after I get the happy ending guarantee. I'm a sensitive baby. I would not handle it well if they did them dirty.

GT: Do you prefer writing Ian or Mickey?

K: Mickey is my baby, but I do tend to write Ian's POV more.

GT: Why do you think that is?

K: From a romantic standpoint, Mickey fell so hard and is such a sure thing in his love for Ian, I think I end up trying to equalize it a bit in my writing.For other aspects, I think I approach them a little more equally.

GT: What does your writing process look like? 

K: I don't do outlines or planning, which makes me feel like a bum sometimes. I think about the story until it runs like a movie in my head, then I just write down what I see. I post a chapter as soon as I finish editing.

GT: You don't outline and you still write those amazing stories? That's incredible. What about research? How much do you research when you write?

K: I research a ton. It can get a little obsessive sometimes, especially when I'm just looking stuff up to make a silly one off statement. In TIPDIG, I ended up spending a significant chunk of time just researching the Ferris wheel for their date, for example. I read newspaper articles about its construction, checked maps, looked up what landmarks you might see from it. I'm trained in medical research; we don't play, lol.

GT: What kind of fics do you write the most? 

K: AUs, almost always. Both multichapter and oneshots. I mix genres a lot, but love to incorporate as much humour and sexy times as I can.

GT: Who are your favorite characters aside from Ian and Mickey? Do you write them too?

K: I love Lip and Mandy, and I also have a fondness for Mickey's brothers (that entrance!) even though there isn't really much about them in canon. I haven't written any Shameless fics where Ian and Mickey weren't the center of them, but I do love lots of side characters in my stories.

GT: What's your favorite Gallavich fic that you’ve written so far and why?

K: I'll be obsessed with whatever I'm working on at the time. It's probably the Increasingly Poor Decisions of Ian Gallagher (TIPDIG) tho. It is my most ambitious piece of writing to date. There were a lot of moving parts involved and a lot of stuff to remember and connect. That's the drawback of keeping everything stored in your head.

GT: It's a fandom favorite for sure. But then again, everything you write is.

What are your favorite type of comments to receive? 

K: If someone leaves feedback, I'm the happiest camper in the world. I love the ones where people try to reason out wtf is going on and what I'm planning. I love when people flail at me when I drop the angst hammer. I just love it all. Wait, the angst flailing ones might just be my fave, lol.

GT: You mentioned MintSauce... Are there any other writers you admire in the fandom? Or any fics that are your favorite?

K: Duuuuude! I did a whole tribute section of some of my faves at the end of one of my fics.

So Mintsauce is the OG and Spock, omg! Do not wander and Wide-eyed walker by Spock remain part of my holy grail. Exoskeletons, Ruinmynylons, Milominderbinder... I can do this all day.

GT: What are your favorite tropes?

K: Jealousy, hands down. Soulmate and pining

GT: What are some of your fanfiction pet peeves?

K: Crazy long monologues, sex without preparation, being overly descriptive/detailed on things I feel are irrelevant, ooc behaviour.

GT: What’s your favorite season of Shameless? Do you have a favorite episode?

K: I think season 3 remains my fave, for nothing else because it's when I truly fell into Gallavich.

Fave episode is currently the one that introduced me to bridezilla Mickey. Noel ate that. It had to be fun to shoot.

GT: What's your favorite Gallavich scene?

K: That's a hard one to choose. I currently love their reunion at the docks after Mickey escaped from prison. I will always have a soft spot for the dugouts scene as well. The proposal was also good.

GT: If you could go back and change one thing in canon, what would it be?

K: Oh lord, so much. But definitely the porch breakup. That was just a mess for me.

GT: It came out for left field. 

Ok, so what's next? Do you have and fic plans?

K: Well I recently came out of Gallavich retirement and I'm currently in the middle of my latest multichap, Old Rules for New Side Pieces. I'm playing it by ear after that. I'm also trying to settle down to get to work on my original books.

GT: Best of luck with that!

K: Thank you!

GT: That was it. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this with me! Any parting words?

K: I just think it's great that you're putting time and effort into talking to fandom contributors. It was fun and I'm sure it's appreciated.

And thanks to those who have read my work, offered support and welcomed me right back. It feels good to be a part of the Shameless fandom again. ♥

[the-passenger-if]

Hey gang, how have you been? This is a post to let you know how the beta's going.

First of all, sorry for being so silent lately, my dumb ass thought that I would have more exciting news next week, and then that didn't happen, so I thought the week after that one would be it, and then it wasn't, and then a whole month went by and I hadn't made a lot of progress.

At the moment I'm stuck on the beta stage 0.2--my beta testers have done a great job pointing out the stuff I should rework and what needs tweaking to make The Passenger a better game, now I need to sit my ass down and actually write. Thing is, I'm going through one hell of a writer's block, so I've been trying different stuff to work around said block. At first I tried tackling another story I want to write, and that sort of helped, I guess. I do like the first line because it has a good hook: “Collecting your fee is, without a doubt, the best part about making pacts with humans”. I mean, if I read that I would be intrigued (even if it's a wonky first line xD)

Then, out of nowhere, I had an idea I had to write--nothing interactive fictiony, just a scene that popped in my mind--and that idea just flowed through my fingers, taking me like 30 minutes to write. It was fun and it made me realize that yeah, that's how writing is supposed to feel like. No shit I'm stuck, I had completely forgotten how much fun I had with this.

Now, since trying to go with the flow hasn't done anything for me, this is my new plan: I will attempt to finish the fixes before christmas--talking about a nightmare before christmas. I'm hoping setting a deadline will force me to finish. It's quite obvious that TP will be published on 2021 anyway.

So yeah, this is why I haven't been around. I want you to know I'm really glad you keep sending asks, and I'm happy the hype hasn't gone away. Thanks, gang. I promise I will answer asks once the game is on its way to publishing. There's a bunch of interesting scenarios/char reactions in my inbox...

Hope you're doing alright, remember to wash your hands and wear facemasks.

Hugs!

[aconstantstateofbladerunner]

Read the notes on Moonpaw's Archive post with the “But Ao3 has fics with–”, and the responses made me shake my head so dang hard. I'm sure you as a writer who publishes their content on Archive as well you've also gotten the "It's a bad site" asks?

This is way longer than I meant it to be so I apologize in advance.

I got like one comment like a year ago when I said I wouldn’t cross post any of my stuff to wattpad, which for the record i think is a way worse site it terms of design and culture.  It’s completely reasonable to be uncomfortable with underaged RPF.  I’ve got a whole fic in the works exploring how fucked up it can be.  But that doesn’t then mean other authors should leave the site, or readers trying to pressure them into doing so.  The fact of the matter is that AO3 is the best fanfiction site available right now.  The design is straightforward and easy to navigate; it’s a nonprofit so there’s no adds, no data collection, and it takes optional donations instead of being a payed service.  Not to mention the god-tier tagging and filtering system.  I get to live almost exclusively in the Dad Might tag and block out all a/b/o stuff and just generally have a great time in the only corner of the fandom I actually care about.  That shit didn’t win a Hugo award for nothing.

Like I said before, wattpad is terribly designed with basically no filters and has a clout-based culture of trend chasing and tag scumming, both of which fold in on one another and make it difficult to find any fic not in the top 10.  Also, it’s a payed service where several features are locked behind a paywall.

Fanfiction.net has more search and filter options, but is incredibly restrictive, bad at enforcing its own rules, and not transparent about its running in the slightest.  I’m not sure if this is still going on, but fics would just randomly disappear without explanation to the readers or author, sometimes to fics that didn’t even violate the rules but just got a lot of negative attention.  And back when the site first started doing major purges of questionable content, it was the people being most responsible and leaving clear, explicit warnings about their content who got hit the most.  Leaving the assholes who didn’t care about content warnings to kept doing whatever.

I’ve been doing some personal research about fanfiction in the from AO3 era, and I really do not want to go back to that.  Every fandom had dozens of individual fanfic hosting forums, all of which had petty beefs with one another and drama was everywhere.  Infighting was constant.  Reposting was rampant.    Different forums had different requirements for being allowed to even see what was on them.  Just getting your fic seen was a challenge if you weren’t licking some moderator’s boot.  I joined fandom only just after this era came to a close, but there was just enough scorched earth left to make me know this wasn’t the better alternative.

It’s okay to not like some content on AO3.  Heck it’s okay to find that content morally reprehensible.  I know I do.  But I have it blocked.  People can’t expect authors to jump ship to an alternative that isn’t there because questionable content exists in the same place.  AO3 is a platform, and it’s the best one we have.  And I don’t see the people who complain about it leaving twitter and tumblr, even though that exact same content they complain about is there too.

[lilyvandersteen]

Fic Writer Tag

I was tagged by @forabeatofadrum (thank you, sweetie!)

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have published 33 works on AO3. Not all of them are completed yet, but hopefully they will be someday. I’m not planning on abandoning any of my WIPs, though it might take a long time until they are completed. I’m a slow writer, and I tend to get bouts of writer’s block.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

So far I have published 626,620 words on AO3.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

At the moment, I have only written Glee fics, mostly Klaine.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Puppy Eyes. AKA the fic where Blaine is cursed to turn into a dog from time to time. By far the crackiest fic idea I’ve ever had, but I had so much fun writing it, and I guess the readers enjoy it just as much.

Weave Your Magic. My very first multichapter, and still a WIP, though it’s already 287091 words long. It’s massive, and it’s written in a soap opera style that could keep it going forever and ever and ever. I haven’t updated it in years, because to continue it, I first have to read it all the way through again, and that takes me four days. I will continue it when I can find the time, though.

Stop Flirting! This fic started out as a one-shot, and then I continued it for the first Kurt Hummel Big Bang I ever took part in. It’s a famous Blaine fic, with Tina as a crazy fangirl.

Worth the Wait. I love this verse, and it seems my readers do, too :-) This story is very fairytale-like, with magic rings and quests and challenges to prove your worth.

A Shoulder to Lean On. This is a meet-cute oneshot that resonated with many readers. Featuring an obnoxious Rachel, an embarrassed Kurt and a smitten Blaine.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do, yes. I absolutely love getting to talk about plot points or providing some background information that never made it into my actual fic. Also, seeing as I don’t always wait until the story is complete to start posting, I draw inspiration from my readers’ comments to add some stuff they request or to expand certain parts. That’s what I love so much about fanfiction: that it is truly a two-way street. Readers are as vital to the experience as writers are, and I am so grateful to my faithful readers for their help in shaping my stories.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Uhm... I write happy endings, mostly. I have a few fics that are pretty open-ended, but never angsty.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

As of now, I haven’t written any crossover fics. I have written a Pride & Prejudice inspired fic, though (Out of the Blue), but that doesn’t really count as a crossover.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not so much hate, but I’ve received comments and reviews that shook me up and made me stop writing for months. I don’t deal well with criticism, I’m afraid. Fanfic writing is my happy place, so I hate it when people come in and lecture me.

That’s why I stopped writing Never Saying Goodbye to You for so long. One anonymous reviewer raked me over the coals because a movie star I mentioned in passing was wrong for the time period. “ If you want to write a story that is historical in nature, please do your research and get your facts straight.”

Whereas I was just trying to write a fun time-travelling story, and the time period my protagonist ended up was just the background for me. My friend @hkvoyage researches everything meticulously for her historical fics, and kudos to her for that, but I’m not that kind of writer. I have very limited time to write, and I don’t want to spend it doing research, nor should anyone expect me to. I’m not writing a master’s thesis in history, I’m writing a fanfiction story for my own amusement, and sharing it with you so you can enjoy it as well. If I get anything wrong, feel free to point it out and I’ll modify it, but there’s absolutely no need to get angry with me.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do occasionally. It’s not really my thing. Fluff, I can do, and some angst here and there, but smut is difficult to get right.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

That’s possible.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Oh yes, by the wonderful @klaineship2, one of the few Tumblr Klainiacs I’ve met in real life. She’s absolutely lovely, and she translated one of my fics into German.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I haven’t. I’ve betaed and suggested dialogue or plot points, though.

What’s your all time favourite ship?

Klaine. *Happy sigh*

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hmm, I have my mind made up to finish all of my WIPs, even Weave Your Magic. It might take me ages, but I will.

What are your writing strengths?

Does writing from several POVs count? You should ask my readers, I don’t really know.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I’m a pantser. I know how the story begins and ends, but the middle is always a muddle, and I need to piece it together like a puzzle.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ve used French in at least one fic. I’ve also used a sentence in Russian.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Glee. The one and only.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Ooh, that’s a difficult question ... There are bits and pieces of myself in every fic, so I love all of them. I love Weave Your Magic because it’s my first multichapter and just a story I can live in. I love Worth the Wait because it’s so much like a fairytale. I love Puppy Eyes because it’s cracky and fun. I love Out of the Blue because it heavily features the Anderson Bros and because I’m a big Pride & Prejudice fan and it was a great challenge giving this story the same enemies to lovers vibe. I love The Christmas Guest because it’s Fake Dating and that’s my fave trope. I could go on and on, but you get what I’m saying :-)

I’m tagging @hkvoyage @caramelcoffeeaddict @lady-divine-writes @quizasvivamos @whatstheproblembaby and any other Klaine writer whose name escapes me at the moment and who wants to do this. No pressure, though, if this is not your thing.