#but as a writer that’s just super demotivating

[iwaasfairy]

hello friends it’s been said before but I think it bears repeating: content creators are already doing all they can to add to fandom.

me and I’m sure a lot of other writers often get the question “any fics similar to yours/any writers who do more of what you do/hey please recc people or fics” and,,, I hope you can see that all these sort of asks are asking for more things to consume, more to read, preferably exactly like what they like about you as a writer -and while I don’t get upset over these messages- I also don’t love them. ༼ ் ▽ ் ༽つ

because the truth is that writers read less than readers. seems pretty obvious hhahshdh . we’re writing for you all, so we don’t have time to go dig through the tags and find new fics or writers we like. so getting messages like this just reminds me that when I’m actively making content for others, I don’t get the time to enjoy fandom. luckily I enjoy writing, so it gets lifted somewhat. but I would like to say this:

if you want more of a certain thing, how about instead of taking more, you try to give? it’s so so rare to receive back as a content creator, and it’s honestly pretty draining. it kills fandoms. genuinely. you guys have to understand fandom is a two way street.

if there’s a fic you really like, send it to a writer you think will enjoy it, and maybe that writer will get inspired. if you know someone likes a certain topic, send them some blog recs! If someone’s having trouble writing, send them an ask about an idea they might enjoy. It’s really really not as hard as you guys seem to think it is to make fandom more enjoyable for both parties. Because I promise you, I promise you!! If a writer is inspired and happy, you will get a lot more content to read too, than when they’re not. It benefits you to interact with, and help out your fav writers.

unless someone specifically has a rule not to, help us (writers) out a little. and ofc this isn’t calling out people who already interact, and reblog, and leave nice comments on fics. yall are little muffins whomst I love the most. but I wont answer asks that want more, because one, I don’t know many other writers to rec and two, it’s not fun to know you’re sending another writer a bunch of readers who will just pass by to read everything they’ve poured hours into, and then most likely ask them the same thing and move on

[chryblossomjjk]

and on today's episode of community labels are driving fic writers out n killing fandoms bc tumby uses it to shadow ban ur content n make u lose all engagement

[espithewarlock]

I'm giving you the biggest hug darling🩷🩷🩷

Thank you my dear! 🫂 not hard to guess who this is but I'm sure you put it on anon for a reason 💚🩷 I appreciate you so much!!

[fox-on-the-moon]

i really love prompt events but. finishing a piece of writing every day for 30 days in a row is just absolutely not possible for me. even if the prompts are posted sooner for “prewriting” its usually just a month and 2 days for a fic when i got irl shit to do and am not trying to get a burnout is still A Lot (no shade on the event makers here - those are great, just not for me At All lol.) Even if its just a week long event it’s usually the same problems. I love writing with prompts and in events but Man are they just not accessible for me.

[byoldervine]

Why No Writing Advice Seems To Work

There’s millions of tips out there for writers, but so much of it just doesn’t apply, and it often feels like nothing ever works because you have to wade through a million failures before you find a success. But why is that, exactly?

1. Implicit phasing. Seeking advice while in the drafting phase of your writing can be difficult when many popular tips are more important during the editing phase. It can build on perfectionism struggles that a lot of writers have, but a lot of people genuinely don’t realise that this advice will suit them better for editing rather than drafting. If it’s about improving what you’ve already got, or just improvements in general, don’t touch it until you’re editing; you can’t improve on something that doesn’t exist, so you’ll just be going over the same draft a gazillion times without making progress. What you need to look for are tips for brainstorming, getting out of a funk, etc

2. Concept to blueprint. For me, literal thinking has kept me from understanding a lot of writing advice and, even when I’ve got the gist of it, I struggle to figure out how to take it from a general phrase (e.g. “Show don’t tell”, “Make it a habit”) to something actionable that tells me what I need to do. If you’re misunderstanding what the advice is saying, or you don’t know what actions it’s implying that you take, of course it’s not going to be helpful. Sitting down and dedicating a minute or two to considering it can really help, and if you’re still unsure then always feel free to ask other writers; there’s bound to be others who were in the same boat that can share their own interpretations and the actions they took that helped them

3. Hobbyist approach. If you’re only writing for fun, and especially if you don’t consider yourself a ‘real writer’, it’s easy to think that some of the advice doesn’t apply to you. For me, I always thought that the whole “Write every day, make writing a habit” thing was just for people who were super serious about it or on a schedule, not for people who were just writing for fun and didn’t mind it taking forever. But after trying out NaNoWriMo, I realised I actually quite enjoy having a set routine that allows me to see consistent improvement, and even after NaNoWriMo I experimented to see how often I could write without it feeling more like a chore than a fun activity. It’s definitely worth it to at least try out tips that you think may not apply to a hobbyist just working for fun; sometimes you might learn something else about your writing style, even if the tip doesn’t work for you

4. Unique takes. Ultimately, we’re all different people with different experiences, habits, interests, styles, physical abilities and neurotypes; not everything will work for everyone. And that’s a good thing! Yes, it’s frustrating when we try a popular tip and it just doesn’t work for us like it does others, but that’s one more thing we know about ourselves and how we work, and maybe it’ll lead us to a new discovery that makes it easier going forward. If everyone was the same, all our writing would be the same, and that would be boring. You’ll stand out as a writer by working differently to achieve unique results. And if you find something that works for you, make sure you share it in case others benefit, too!

5. Customise. Finding your own tips and sharing them can lead others to you, and it all starts with experimentation; try new things, mix and match existing tips you’ve tried and figure out what can be adjusted to make your writing process better. I can’t keep to NaNoWriMo’s 1667 words per day demands, it’s too much work in too little time, but I can do 1000 words every week and be much more consistent than I used to be. Or maybe watching your word count all the time demotivates you? Try changing your measurement from X words to writing for Y amount of time - or you could even try both and say you’ll write for a max of Y minutes unless you can reach X amount of words beforehand. Even if it’s not something that was originally intended by the tip, can you find a way to customise it to work better for you?

[neowinestainedress]

considering i'm super demotivated and going through the biggest writer block of my life and i don't even know if any of these fics will see the light of day...

*based on an anon ask, it linked a tweet that doesn't exist anymore but it was "my dad telling me how him and my mom tried to kill each other in uni to be #1 and how he dated my mom to distract her from school so he gets to be the smartest but instead he got distracted first"

°voice actors

they're all mostly written, i just can't finish them so i hope that maybe if i see some of you are interested in at least one i could finish it.

[em-writes-stuff-sometimes]

Haven't heard from you in a while, hope you're doing well! <3

Hey, nonnie - I'm doing alright. Personal ramble below the cut. Skip if you're just here for fanfic reading and don't care about my silly little melodrama.

Not going to go into too much detail, but I've been really feeling the depression lately. For context, I have clinical depression and take a really high dose of antidepressants, which fuck with other aspects of my life (i.e. weight and lack of sleep). Medical consensus is that I'll need medication for the rest of my life as my brain does not perform the appropriate mood-regulating functions (I'm not super sure what the specifics of this are). I've struggled with low feeling, demotivation, SI/SH etc. for nearly nine years now. I've slipped into a bit of an episode lately - not necessarily related to being online but Tumblr is a part of it - but I'm trying to work my way out of it by picking up some new-old hobbies, such as crochet, and doing things that I like and that don't stress me. I'm safe and don't have the opportunity to action any of my feelings, so please don't worry about me!

Unfortunately, Tumblr has been a source of stress for me since I've come on here. I've made some downright terrible choices in friends, in behaviour, in the amount of energy I commit to this space, and the only one who can really break this cycle is me. This site hosts a really wide range of personalities, and I just... feel like I've encountered some of the absolute worst among all of that, and it's done me absolutely no favours when it comes to making good choices. We all say that as adults, we should know better, but there's no sudden switch that flips, you know? We spend our whole lives making mistakes and learning from them. Adulthood isn't the abrupt entry into moral infallibility, and that's been something I've had to address and work through when it comes to my own failings.

To be perfectly honest, Tumblr isn't a supportive place. Or the people aren't. I don't really know which. To clarify, I do generally speak of the community of artists and writers in this, not the people here who just want to enjoy art or read someone's fanfic. I suppose there's a certain level of - I don't know - self-centredness? - when it comes to creating an online presence and sharing one's own creations on the internet. That mentality, I think, bleeds over into feelings of entitlement in creative communities. Entitlement to other people's time, to people's attention, to people's promotion, and when one doesn't get that, the problems start: (best to worst =) transactional interaction, badmouthing, hate anons, public bashing, and the list goes on. I've definitely been someone who has been upset by people's lack of interaction. I've responded with "oh, I'm not reblogging until they reblog mine" more than once. We all know that I've been involved with badmouthing and publicly bashing others. I continue to be very ashamed of this, and I am honest with myself about what I've done and how I got there in my journey working through my problems and making meaningful change in my life.

Anyway, point is - I'm trying to divorce myself from the entitlement, and I think to do that I need to divorce myself from the notion that we exist as a community. I've put far too much effort into that idea, and it's gotten me absolutely nowhere. There are more people who dislike me than not. Most just straight-up ignore me. I deserve it, sure, but (or maybe and) I have no intention of continuing to engage in a space that either doesn't exist or where I'm not wanted. I've felt anxious and upset at the mere thought of going on Tumblr the past few months. It hasn't been bringing me joy anymore, and that was the whole point of it. There's so much bad blood associated with being on here, but I love writing. I love this show. I can't give up something that makes me so happy in every respect other than this one site.

So I've taken some time off, reassessed the way I'm intending to use this space, and I've essentially decided that I started it for me so I'm going to do it for me. I'm going to interact with who I want and post what I want and damn absolutely everyone who tries to police me (of which there has been A LOT - apparently I have a "responsibility" to support others which I now know is actually code for "I'm jealous that you're getting any kind of attention online, so instead of addressing my issue with this, I'm going to vaguepost about/anon/DM you to try and guilt you into giving my work attention so that maybe it'll transfer to me").

For the casual peruser, no change at all. But I'm done giving my effort to the idea of 'community'. It doesn't exist, or I don't belong. I am going to do what makes me happy now, and only what makes me happy. That's the whole point. I'm sick of focusing on negatives. I'm sick of posting about them, to be honest. I think this mindset will do me good.

If you've gotten this far, I hope that it's okay that I've decided this. I'm feeling positive about it!

[luaspersona]

hey y’all, how have you been?

i know it’s been a while, and i know i promised a fic that was supposed to be posted earlier this month and that it’s been some time since i dropped a review. but a lot of stuff happened and i realized that i needed some time off. during that time, i reflected a lot and considered not returning, maybe only posting the seoul town road story and going offline for good. eventually tho, i understood how much i missed reading and how much i couldn’t really stop coming up with ideas and outlining some stories — i like this and for the most part, it makes me really happy.

but i wanted to talk a bit about the stuff that made me second-thought coming back. i wanted to be open about stuff that’s depressing and demotivating in this community, especially because i’ll change a lot of things about how i interact here.

this will be a long text, but it’s really important if you follow me. i wanna make it clear tho, before anything, that i’m speaking for myself here, and myself only.

⇢ the first thing i wanna say is that i’ll be generally less active. i used to think that in order to become a popular blog or whatever i had to be chronically online, posting all the time and all. after giving it some thought, i can't really tell if that's true or not, but the thing is: i don’t have the mental health for it. so i won't push myself. but also, if you write something and want me to read it, please send it to me! shamelessly and guiltlessly promote your work! i probably won’t see it on the feed, but i’m always open for recommendations, i just don't have the time to look for it anymore.

⇢ i’ll also go through my followers and block anyone who doesn’t have their age displayed or looks like a bot. no questions asked. this isn’t a blog for minors, and i wanna protect myself. understand how tumblr works if y’all wanna be here.

⇢ i will finish and post seoul town road soon. please be patient. 

⇢ lately, i’ve seen a lot of wonderful writers deactivate due to lack of interaction and support. i understand we’re here working, writing and sharing for free because we *chose to*, but it's hard to speak to the void. so please, don’t let this become a place where authors are talking to themselves while feeling unsafe due to plagiarism or hate. i understand the reasons why someone might be a silent reader, but... just don't make the authors you like feel alone, y'all (i can write some tips and general guides for reviewing and interacting with writing blogs if y’all are interested).

⇢ ok, so… i thought a lot about whether or not to talk about it. it was already super messy, even if i wasn’t online at the time and didn’t see it happening (i'm sorry if this is just repetition, and i bet y'all are sick of it). but ultimately, the main reason why i hesitated to come back was because of what happened to M, so i kinda need to vent about that.

M was one of the oldest blogs here, always open to chat and interact and doing god's work for our horny and sentimental souls (shape of your body is actually one of my favorite stories ever and made me realize a bunch of stuff about myself to the point where i quoted some of it to my therapist at the time), and y’all came for them in such a nasty, violent way, misgendering and attacking a person that, upon first being called out for writing something insensitive, was immediately open to discussion and hearing what y’all had to say (regardless if it really was insensitive or not, the discussion was more than welcomed by them).

what shocks me the most, is that y’all are supposedly from a fandom of a bunch of dudes who once wrote problematic stuff, but educated themselves after accepting criticism and changed. if y’all understand that our oppressions are systematic, y’all have to understand that everyone has stuff to learn and stuff to let go. i say that as a black woman, who once used to perpetrate racist shit because that was how i was raised and taught. i say that as a bi woman, who once used to perpetrate biphobic and queerphobic rhetoric because that was how i was raised and taught. i say that as a human being, who once used (and probably still do to some capacity) to perpetrate prejudice and problematic behavior because that was how i was raised and taught.

this is not to say we should forgive and forget whenever someone says stuff that’s wrong or suspicious, but sometimes people really don’t understand that what they’ve said is offensive or from a place of unfamiliarity (not sure if that's a real word), and if we gave the boys the benefit of the doubt and still supported them (and are now being rewarded with their care and attention) why can’t we do the same for ourselves? not to mention how transphobic most of y’all were, all while calling someone out for doing something you deemed problematic, like ??? fuck y’all tbh. seeing how they were treated, and learning about the tea blog made me physically sick. someone who has always been such a light in this community being dragged from one (debatable) mistake — which they acknowledged and apologized for — made me depressed af.

it all made this look like stan twitter, where every interaction feels like an attempt to expose someone and draw hate towards them. this makes me feel unsafe as hell. and i don’t know… this whole environment is not as it used to be. there were a bunch of nice projects i wanted to share, i was working on jade’s profile for a nice little thing i wanted to do to support the writing community, i was working on monthly recs, but… idk. i’m not saying i won’t do them, just saying it might take longer for me to feel comfortable here again.

⇢ i know i'm no one. i'm a little blog from the corner of our community, and i barely have enough followers for all of this to mean anything. but this is still my blog, and it's still a place that was supposed to feel good. and i want to have some control over it, even if no one cares necessarily.

anyway. i’m depressed, and i’m saying stuff i might regret, but. yeah. that’s it ig. i'll return slowly and i missed y'all, especially on discord, and i'm sorry for vanishing. i'll also be rb this for the next days to make sure that i reaches everyone i want it to reach.

[jaylaxies]

SEMI HIATUS ANNOUNCEMENT‼️

i’ve been contemplating whether to take a break or not for a while, and i’ve come to the conclusion that it’ll be the best if i do take one! here are a few reasons for the same:

— it’s hard to take out time for writing, especially when i have a tight schedule because of uni, i didn’t want to leave in the mid of kinktober but it’s practically impossible for me to write and post a fic each day now my tests have started, not to mention the never ending list of my assignments.

— i honestly prefer writing longer fics with a plot! i’ve tried to write purely smut based small fics, however it’s not giving me the happiness i get after writing a long fic with a solid backstory and the character development! so the next time i come back, i promise it will be with a long fic :3

— it’s festive season + i’m going on a trip soon! the preparations are keeping me busy.

— i thought it’ll never come down to this but the interactions and the reach have been super low lately and it’s beyond demotivating. maybe it’s because i’ve been posting each day? not sure about that but i had been debating whether i should discuss about this, and i did because feedbacks of any sort are so helpful in motivating us fanfic writers! it’s my request to you guys to appreciate writers. not just me, but all my moots and fellow writers who take out their time to write such masterpieces for y’all to read.

— i’ll still be active at times, hence the semi hiatus. i will come by and scream about enha loml anytime! will also randomly check in or answer asks! and you can always find me on telegram or on my personal tumblr account :3

that’s all! i hope you guys will understand and i’m gonna miss you! i’ll be back soon with more stuff for you guys to read <3 take care, my angels and thank you sm for 8k+ of y’all!

it’s like a dream, and i’m so happy to have such supportive people around me. iloveyou all <3

[lemonadesoda]

i gotta be honest, i've been feeling pretty negatively toward drawing for a few months, in a way that i just don't about writing despite the writer's block, and i think it's because with writing, the actual act of writingcraft is satisfying in itself, regardless of whether i finish or whether i think it's any good and i'm starting to think maybe that's not true for drawing...i definitely don't really feel satisfied until the piece is done and after all that effort i know i crave some kind of engagement, which tumblr has been pretty shit for so i feel demotivated to bother sharing it, but because the process itself wasn't super rewarding, it feels demotivating to not share it too. like writing i dont really care, i write a lot of shit just for play that i never share with anyone and i still feel pleased to have done it, but drawing rn feels too hinged on that dopamine hit of getting response which isn't good. at the same time i don't feel like i want to give up on drawing either, so i guess there is some feeling of satisfaction in there somewhere but idk how to untangle it.

[seriouslysam8]

would you consider reposting Legerdemain in ao3? i love next gen, and it’s really hard to find them, especially ones with lily.i would love to it, i love your others fics!

Short answer: no.

Look, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you like a story while it is being posted, you need to show your support to the writer. I write as a hobby, for free, and I get my motivation from knowing there are others who like my story. I need that validation to keep writing. Because if I don’t get it, I become discouraged. It doesn’t mean I stop writing, I just stop posting.

Towards the end of Legerdemain, I was at that point. I got so much flake for the way I portrayed some of the next gen characters, I had people tell me they would skip entire sections of the story because they hated one of the characters and then would complain the story made no sense (no shit, Sherlock), and I just had a very tough time even finishing the story. I mean, honestly, I didn’t finish it. There was supposed to be an epilogue I just didn’t write because I couldn’t find the motivation. I’m sure the last 10ish chapters probably weren’t my best work and sucked because I was severely demotivated.

I just wasn’t happy with the story. I wasn’t happy with my writing ability with it because my lack of drive to finish. And there was another external factor of something happening around that time that made me want to delete the story but I’m not going to get into that. So I deleted it for my own piece of mind. I deleted it for my mental health.

I don’t like criticism on my work. I just don’t. Mainly because it’s a hobby and I do it for free. I just want to gush about these characters we love and put them in heartbreaking scenarios, you know?? I had two people send me hate for Brontide not that long ago (I mean I wrote that two+ years ago) and I responded back to be kind and not discouraging. They had the gall to tell me they were trying to make me a better writer. No, you were nitpicking and had nothing nice to say so fuck off. One even told me they helped fanfic writers become real authors but they don’t want to bother with me if I can’t take criticism. Like yeah fucking right. They were so full of shit it wasn’t even funny. And, at the end of the day, I’m not doing this professionally. This is supposed to be fun, you know? And Legerdemain, towards the end, became not fun for me.

If you like a story or an author, leave a review. It doesn’t have to be an essay. It doesn’t have to be super long. But it helps motivate authors to finish stories. It helps authors not delete stories they are self-conscious about. It doesn’t take a lot to be kind. If you don’t like something, there’s an x. Don’t comment or criticize. Never criticize unless an author says, “Please, give me constructive feedback.” But that also doesn’t give you the right to be an asshole about it either.

So, anyway, I will never repost the story. Ever. I hate it. It’s just a stain on my fandom time to me. It was the least fun experience I have ever had. Be kind. Be supportive. And if you don’t like, don’t read.

[moondal514]

Weekend WIP Game

Tagged by @read-and-write-

It’s still the weekend for me so hopefully I’m still somewhat on time for this 😂

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more). (questions for artists/gifmakers here)

1. WIP List

Lol I’ve got too many of them so I’ll just list the ones that I talk about in this ask:

Ballet au (AFTG)

Hunger Games au (AFTG)

secret Yuletide fic

twinyards au (AFTG)

First 15 Lives of Harry August au (AFTG)

The Wind Is Changing (AFTG)

Homewrecker Legally Blond Court (AFTG)

Demi pondering (AFTG)

Qin Su dark soulmate au (MDZS)

Nie Huaisang character study (MDZS)

Self-indulgence (AFTG)

Lan Yuan’s dad’s got it going on (MDZS)

Orchestra au (AFTG)

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

AFTG Ballet au has the most, like, actual story words (and not just a plot outline) written for it cuz every time I take a ballet class/go see a ballet/watch a dance competition I get inspired and write something for it. Unfortunately none of it coherently fits together so I can’t yet piece together a fic from what I have written so far

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

AFTG Hunger Games au. Every time I turn around my outline for it has somehow gotten longer. Currently I have 9 separate arcs planned for it (and ngl the fact that it’s so long lowkey demotivates me to write for it sometimes but that’s neither here nor there)

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

My WIP for Yuletide is my current actual favorite WIP but I can’t talk about that cuz it’s a secret, so my favorite WIP after that is prob the twinyards au cuz I really like the writing style I’ve adopted for it

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

The AFTG First 15 Lives of Harry August au. This is one of those situations where I’m living in fear of the fic not being as good on paper as it is in my head. Also the outline for it is really long and ngl that sorta demotivates me every time I try to write for it

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

The Wind Is Changing. It’s the sequel to my AFTG Big Bang fic No Stranger To the Wind and I struggle with it cuz I keep changing my mind about how dark I want the plot to get and also how many liberties I want to take within the world of Cinda Williams Chima’s The Seven Realms series (of which this fic is an AFTG au of)

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

If I ever finish any of my WIPs for any of the Chinese fandoms I’m currently in, I’ll prob seek out a cultural sensitivity reader for them because in previous fandoms I’ve been in, there have been so many fics I’ve read where I had to back out of and stop reading in the middle cuz it was super obvious that the writer has never talked to an East Asian person irl/has any idea of how East Asian families work. And since I’m Korean American and not Chinese, I don’t want to be that person in a Chinese fandom

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer’s block?

Literally all of them have been struck by writer’s block at one point or another. Currently the worst is Homewrecker Legally Blond Court, a murder mystery au I’ve literally been bouncing around in my head and sorta on papers for 2 years now. Mostly I struggle with it because I just can’t make any important plot decisions about it and it’s causing me very bad writer’s block

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

I somehow don’t have any oc’s in any of my WIPs lol

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

Demi pondering. It isn’t quite smut (cuz I haven’t figured out how to write that yet 😂) but it’s verging (HA) on that territory

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

Qin Su dark soulmate au. For those of you familiar with MDZS, I’ll give you 3 guesses as to why 😂

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

Nie Huaisang character study. I mean it’s a character study, it’s gotta have good characterization, right?

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

Self-indulgence. As the title suggests, this WIP is my most self-indulgent WIP as it is an AFTG canon-divergence packed full with my guilty favorite tropes. I’m quite proud of how I’ve set up the canon-divergence in this one though, hence why I think it’s my best scene setting (though if I’m being honest, scene setting is really not one of my writing strengths 😂)

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

Honestly I work hard on all of my WIPs cuz I don’t let myself post anything unless I’m satisfied with it. With that said though, I think from a craft standpoint I’ve worked the hardest on the twinyards au cuz it’s got some of my favorite writing of all the writing I’ve ever done

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

Twinyards au. I think it has some of my best writing so when I finally finish it and post it, I hope it’ll get the love it deserves

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

Oh yeah. One of the scenes I’ve written for demi pondering literally came to me in a dream

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don’t?

Not really? I mean it depends on how you define “complexities.” Like in terms of the character work I do, I’ve written a few fics before that had imo pretty complex character work (for example: sometimes i wish i kept some of my feelings in the basement, a 2nd person Andrew Minyard pov) so I wouldn’t say character-wise that my WIPs have anything more complex than that. But if you mean in terms of trope deconstruction…Qin Su dark soulmate au, which is basically about the pitfalls of automatically assuming soulmates have a romantic connotation. I think it’s the only WIP of mine where I am purposefully deconstructing a trope

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

Lan Yuan’s dad’s got it going on. You can tell from the obvious Stacy’s Mom-inspired title that this is not a serious fic lol

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

Lan Yuan’s dad’s got it going on. It’s a modern au from Lan Sizhui’s pov and consists of a bunch of junior shenanigans and Wangxian. So far my main struggle with it is I’ve given myself so much 2ndhand embarrassment

20. Tell us one thing we don’t know about one or more of your WIPs.

Most of my WIPs start as very niche inside jokes that only I understand/find funny. For example, the joke that started my AFTG orchestra au:

Aaron looked pointedly at Andrew’s neck. “I wasn’t aware you’ve started playing viola.”

(To explain the joke: violists sometimes get a scratch/rash/bruise on their necks from playing their instrument and it can look very similar to a hickey. Andrew doesn’t play viola. He has a hickey on his neck. Aaron knows this and is pointing it out)

No pressure tags: @mostlymaudlin @seasy33 @quensty @frickenpasta @bisexualbard-writes

[woahjo]

hey i read about your advice to other anon about writing. really nice. i want to ask if you have any advice for a writer that's just starting? i want to start writing because the made up scenarios in my head i feel are just so good and would be perfect for certain tropes but when i realize i would actually have to WRITE write it (me everytime i get that realization 🤯) i get so demotivated because when i actually try to, my brain stutters within the first two sentences i put out because i am very much not confident in my english skills, i see so many other good writers and when reading their work i go like, 'wow i have never thought of it that way before', 'wow, how did they even think to phrase it like this?' and then i start doubting my knowledge in grammar/vocabulary because i think what if i really barely know anything if there are so many things i never thought of putting it in a way that they do, how can i start if i am not as skillful as they are with their words? i lose that spark everytime i have that thought and then i'm back to just daydreaming about these little fun scenarios in my head that i really want to put out but can't bring myself to have enough courage for to actually just go ahead and do it whether i mess it up or not

i thought of using grammarly and start paying for a subscription just for my writing to be improved better in a way i never thought to do lol 😅

(tldr: english is not my first language and i really want to start writing but i fear i lack a lot of knowledge in my vocabulary which will result in a bad story that won't make sense, how do i find confidence to just start regardless of?)

hi anon!! glad u enjoyed it LOL

the nice thing about writing is that no one just wakes up one day knowing how to write and craft beautiful stories!!! it's a skill built up with time and practice, but it starts with an idea and the desire to write it. everyone starts in a similar place and yeah!!! it's amazing reading something and thinking "wow i haven't thought of it that way before i wonder how they did that?'" experiencing that feeling is one of the great joys of writing and ofc it can be intimidating, but it can also be SO SO inspiring with a small change of perspective. besides, you never know if someone will read the work that you want to write and have the same thought.

as for the language barrier and vocabulary worries, vocabulary grows with practice even when you're speaking in your native language. the more you write, even if you don't post it, the more comfortable you'll become. that AND you can always look it up! if you're not sure about a word or want to use something stronger / with more variation, you can ALWAYS ALWAYS access an online thesaurus and find synonyms. i do it all the time, thesaurus.com is literally my holy grail.

the best advice i can give you for starting is to just start writing. i know that's super obvious, but the only way out is through!!! what helps me when i've hit a block or im feeling less than confident is reminding myself that i love writing, i love storytelling, i love fanfiction, and that when i write, i do it for myself. it sounds so corny, but if you center your driving force for writing as yourself, it becomes a lot easier to do it just because. my advice would be to imagine writing as a stream of consciousness at first rather than something fully developed. just try and let the words come out you without worrying if they're good or bad because you can always go back and change it later!!

i hope that you do start writing and that when you do, your anxieties surrounding it recede into the background!!! have a good day!!!

[4beomy]

idk if anyone even enjoys my work enough for this sorta ...update? lol but just in case..

im writing something completely new right now T-T im gonna finish with Totally Not Endgame probably by the end of this month..heh.. (so much world building and character development its a big project) and ill update get over him! a week from now!! (i think. hopefully)

but anyways, it was in the spur of the moment and i got super super inspired and made a roommate!au oneshot for yeonjun. yes, yes im writing for another member that is not beomgyu lmao. i was abt to make it a beomgyu oneshot since i thought the personality fit him but then...idk cute whipped yeonjun is something i've been looking for on here FOR SO LONG. so i was like, why not make one myself! so i made it. and i got carried away with it.. but whatever, i think its genuinely my best work so far T-T (out of all my drafts)

heres the synopsis if anyone sees this and is curious ^^

choosing to live with a complete stranger was...not the smartest thing you've chosen to do. but it's okay! it can't be too bad. well, except it is. it is bad. especially when you're kept awake with music blaring through the walls of your room. just what's up with your roommate?! (this can be changed later on) genre: fluff, crack, enemies to lovers (kinda) word count: IDK BCS IM NOT DONE YET T-T w my layout in mind, i think this will probably be really...really long.

if anyone wants to be in the taglist (though im not planning on making one lol but just in case <3), sending an ask would be great </3 but anywho this is just an update to show that im working on something hehe

edit: ok. what if i include smut. and a fwb relationship. im contemplating rn. bcs like this is the idea i have rn, when they get over the enemies arc (which wont be that important honestly) and become friends, they get like super close, super intimate bcs both oc and yeonjun like skinship then boom, one day, they're both super drunk and !! yeah. then they have this whole thing abt whether or not it matters, and they both decide nope it doesnt. but but but, it happens again, and its like the inevitable atp. so they decide on having sex casually cuz they realize they both enjoy it, sowhat!! and yk how those go, someones gonna catch feelings eventually but im thinking i wanna make them as oblivious as possible and also include one jealousy driven sex where yj just lets out his feelings ??? idk.

the issue is, im not the best smut writer LMAO and its hard for me to convey sexual tension UGHHH IDK ANYMORE THIS IS BASICALLY JUST A RANT

honestly, id prefer to make it just fluff and some angst ig because its comfortable and easy for me. but then theres this thing with long fluff fics getting barely any traction so im kinda demotivated in that aepsct of it all T-T and i do know theres some kinda demand for long smut fics with plot, so in terms of growing this blog thatd probably be the best option.. idk if someone can give me their preference and ill just base it all on that lmao

[jayflrt]

hi this might be annoying but im a new enha writer and i just wanted to ask if u had any advice? i did try getting into it a long time back but got demotivated so quick :/

hihi love !! dw its not annoying at all! welcome to the enhablr writing community 🥰🫶 hmm i would say i'd advise that you write for what interests you + go at your own pace because it's super easy to get demotivated when you're writing for the sake of putting something out 🤧 also forcing yourself to meet certain deadlines can be more stressful than encouraging so i like to complete at least 50-60% of a fic im writing before i put out a teaser :')

[taegularities]

Hi babe, its me hi! I hope you’re okay wherever you are. Reading you say how demotivated you are recently because Tumblr has been empty disheartens me for some reason. You saying you want to leave.. well its really your decision if you want to, if you think its best for you and if it will make you happy. Then I will support you even if its going to make me sad that one of my fave writers will go. Tbh a lot of writers just left without a trace and I wonder where they are, hoping they’re ok regardless. We all outgrow something at some point in our lives and if you want to focus on something else, that’s ok too.

Took me a few days to reach out because when I saw your post I was sad.. maybe disappointed. I wished you would have been happy with “just us”, and accept that people come and go. But I realised after a while that you’ve given us so much happiness and love the past few years you’ve spent with us and sharing us your stories. And that’s enough. I just hope if you decide to leave the platform, that you’ll tell us!! So i dont go crazy wondering if you’re okay. Im okay as long as I know you’re okay!! Hope that makes sense 🤣🤣 ily my dearest angel, cheers to 2023 🫶🏼

awh babe.. i feel so incredibly bad for making you feel like you're not enough or that i'm ungrateful :( the truth is, the one and biggest reason i'm still here is because of you guys. if i was to leave, it would 100% not be bc i'm not happy with you, i can promise that!! the reason i got demotivated was because the dash was super empty. i'm super okay with ppl coming and going, but since this summer (?), it's been a ghost town and i wonder what happened (not just on my blog, but in general). :( it's like, logging in and not knowing what to do bc nobody's around...

but it's absolutely not bc of any of you 🥺 you've given me so much love, care and support the last few years and i will always be grateful for it. like i'll legit be 40 one day and thinking back to all those wonderful moments we shared!! i love love love you all so fkn much, and i'm not kidding when i say that you all showed me that someone does care. i feel valued and even idk... precious, you know? so please know that if i left, it wouldn't be bc of you and like.. this love you've been giving me genuinely has the power to change my mind 🤧 i'll never dip like that, pinky promise. i keep having ups and downs all the time (wanna stay forever... wanna leave tmrw.... wanna stay..) but either way, i'm gonna update you, no matter what 🤍