#and i suppose bc he is haunting the playlist narrative

[mispatchedgreens]

humbly, i present to you my collection of 'the radiant emperor' playlists:

1. i refer to you (my holy sovereign)

doomed by the narrative (but when you've written the narrative yourself); a general ouyang playlist

2. sunburst-black

alas, poor wang baoxiang!

3. misfortuned | 苦命

a playlist for the fic of the same name by hydrochaeris on ao3

[quillwritten]

25 Questions Tag

I was tagged by the wondeful @jaimistoryteller so here’s what I’ve got:

1. Is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

Oh my gosh, so many. I just don’t have the time or the energy or the storage on my computer for all the stories I want to tell.

2. What work of yours, if any, are you embarrassed about existing?

Some of my first works of fanfiction I really hate so much that it hurts to think about but I was only a baby writer and that’s really what most first fics end up being like so I won’t take them down bc some people seem to still like them even if I have no idea why (but I will not be telling you any more about what they are or where to access them).

3. What order do you write in? Front of book to back? Chronological? Favorite scenes first? Something else?

I used to write chronologically unless I had a burning need to write one particular scene or paragraph but with Silverstorm I’ve worked more on the scenes that interest me and hop around when I’m bored; if I’m not enjoying the scene, the likelihood is that neither will my readers.

4. Favorite character you’ve written?

How can you ask me this? but it’s Elva. I really want to work more with her and I’m currently tossing around the idea of saving her story for my dissertation at uni. There just needs to be so much more incidental autistic represention (tbh there needs to be more autistic representation full stop.)

5. Character you were most surprised to end up writing?

Probably Tom Pepper. He started as a kind of placeholder for all the other kids at the academy and was supposed to be really oblivious in general but he’s grown into quite a perceptive young man -- except in the case of politics, but we all have our faults.

6. Something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

Nothing, really. There are lots and lots of things that are complicated to change but I’m not even finished my first draft -- there’s plenty of time the fix the things that aren’t working.

7. When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

I’m definitely enthusiastic to tell people I write. I’m less enthusiastic when they ask what it’s about because then my brain forgets all the words it’s ever learned, let alone good words for describing the novel.

8. Favorite genre to write

Definitely fantasy. This world and it’s rules aren’t enough for me.

9. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

Mostly it’s listening to the playlists the amazing @ava-burton-writing made for me for my characters. That really helps a lot. Otherwise it’s reading books that have a similar sort of theme because it can get me worked up and excited for doing that thing better and in my own way in my writing.

10. Write in silence or with background music? Alone or with others?

Usually silence because my brain gets distracted easily but sometimes no sound feels weird so I put something on in the background. Usually film scores or the character playlists.

11. What aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

Everything has improved because that’s what practise and experience does. I don’t know what’s improved the most.

12. Your weaknesses as an author?

Long, long, long sentences and paragraphs. I’m working on it.

13. Your strengths as an author?

I think I’m pretty good with characterisation, but I don’t really know.

14. Do you make playlists for your work?

I don’t understand playlists if I’m honest. That’s what I have Ava for.

15. Why did you start writing?

I’ve always wanted to tell stories. My only two dreams ever in life have been to be an author and a performer. I’m still determined to fulfil both of those dreams.

16. Are there any characters who haunt you?

One character still haunts me in the painful ‘omg I can’t believe I wrote this character so badly’ way and she’s from one of the aforementioned fanfics.

17. If you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

Ignore assholes who try telling you “their way to write is the right way” also ignore pricks who tell you “you have to use it for those who are not male or female”

Oh wait, fledgling author me already did that, which is why I use zhe/zher/zhers/zherself.

18. Were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? What were they?

The idea of Harry Potter definitely influenced me possibly too much but I’m not the biggest fan of J K Rowling herself (#avatoreplacejkr2k18) so I’m using my own style and actually including diversity and making it all better.

19. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

...I don’t. Okay but for real I have like seven different places I make notes and then I try to collate them in scrivener and then I forget so I never know where that one particular note is and have to look in every place until I find it.

20. Do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

I used to be really good at long sit-down sessions but I’ve been really struggling lately and not writing much at all.

21. What do you think when you read over your older work?

Usually my first reaction is cringing embarrassment but I’m working on appreciating my old work more because it shows how much I’ve improved and I did think it was good when I wrote it so at least someone enjoyed it, even if that someone was only me at the time of writing.

22. Are there subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

Yes.

23. Any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

Many. 

(This isn’t so much helping my writing but I’ve just come back from a hen weekend where there were three women who all had the same first, second, and surnames and someone said ‘honestly, you couldn’t write stuff like this’ which was meant in a jokey reality is stranger than fiction way but all I can say is watch out for characters with the same names in my works from now on)

24. Have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

Not really an expert. I’m a bit of a lazy write, I admit, and whilst I do lots of research, I tend to stick to things I either know or can make up.

25. Copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of.

This is a bit I’ve shared before as part of a large excerpt but I really love it:

Avery realised why no one was calling her out for not sleeping on her second night out of the medical room: they weren’t sleeping either. She went wandering at three in the morning and found Sorrel in the cloisters calling all manner of animals to him and getting them to fight a glowing blue dummy. Avery watched in silence, her throat tight, and crept away without saying anything. The next night she woke up to Elva biting her lip as a vine twisted its way through the window and across the bed. “Sorry,” she signed. “Go back to sleep.” Avery shrugged “I had a nightmare anyway. I’m gonna take a walk.” “Again?” “Yeah. I won’t stay out too late.” When Avery found Anita in a philtre classroom with a cauldron bubbling on the table, she dragged a hand across her face and blinked away the sting behind the bridge of her nose.

I tag: @sapphicauthor @quecksilvereyes @ava-burton-writing and @boothewriter