#but im really excited with some of the things i have outlined with the plot!!

[goodluckclove]

Im not writing because idk this week has been a bit mentally tiring for me but i do want to write. Thing is, next chapter is a little too straightforward except for one interesting thing, which is an idea that i've thought over so many times i'm no longer particularly excited by it

Oh shit I was just talking about something like this with @mercuryytheraven! It's sort of a theory I've been developing that I've never put into words because, up until now, I still kind of thought I was a Big Weirdo for writing entire novels with next to no plans.

Here's how my brain works, though and it's why I can't do outlines. If I plan an idea with too much detail and it sticks in my brain for long enough, I have no interest in writing it. There's nothing left to explore or change around and that's some of the most fun I have while working on a story. So I have to change it.

Not completely, not necessarily. Like in Songbird there was supposed to be a big conflict between Scott's mom and Edgar's mom in the Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. I had the whole set up planned and if I wrote it the way I was thinking it would've probably been cool. But the story no longer worked to make that happen, and I was like big dang what now?

What now is that I still have the meaning of that scene, only with different specifics. And it's even cooler. Except I purposefully can't think about it too hard or else I might lose interest, or get bummed if it doesn't fit again by the end of book two.

So yeah, if the writing isn't interesting to you there's stuff you can do to remedy that. It might involve going off script, but that doesn't mean completely changing the course of the plot as a whole. Maybe you make small shifts in structure or narrative to tell the event from a different angle. Or you switch out the people involved in the event - that changes a lot of how it goes down in a really neat way. Or maybe the event is told in retrospect through someone else explaining it.

What would be neat? What would make you furrow you your brow and nod in satisfaction, alone in your room? Perhaps even a quiet fuck yeah whispered in the depths of your brain?

All in all, don't be too precious to the ideas in your head. They are fetal and have not proved their ability to survive in the real world. I am only using this metaphor for specifically you because to anyone else I would worry about sounding utterly psychotic.

But generally if you're tired you shouldn't push too hard to feel like you have to create. You don't need to constantly produce in order to be considered a valid and respectable writer. Maybe think about what would be fun to play with tonight - no plans, just sick kickflips - and get started tomorrow!

[sarah-sandwich-writes]

for the title ask game: We Were Gods (we were kids)

I want to hear more about that one, that's a riveting title! :eyes:

Ahhh yes, so originally this fic was inspired by the song Battle Cries by The Amazing Devil. It's a duet and like a divorce song? "This isn't a break-up, dearheart, it's a season finale!" I got the title from the lyrics where one part sings the line "We were gods" and then the other part echoes it with "We were kids" and that's just *chefs kiss* perfect fanfic title thank you TAD <333

The premise was childhood friends to estranged almost lovers to supers fighting on opposite sides to reluctant allies to (finally) lovers. And it was going to be a parkner fic (peter parker/harley keener). It was going to be an epic slow burn spanning nearly their whole lives.

Then I thought why not pry it out of its fanfic foundation and stand it on its own as an original concept? Harley is essentially my OC and Peter could be shaped into an OC too and the plot I had in mind had hardly any of the source material in it so why not? I'd just tweak some names, create my own super powers and aliens and then boom! Book!

Didn't work 🙃 I wrote a 110k draft and got to the end and was like wow this sucks. I half-assed the world building and tried to hang onto plot devices that just don't work outside the mcu (they don't even work within the mcu but I digress) SO now we're back to square one: making it a fanfic. Except it's not really square one because I have 110k that I need to snip and prune and repot back into a fic.

Actually it's more like 85k bc I have to re-write the beginning since I ended up keeping that part for my book, but the rest just needs reworked into something I like with the characters that we know and love plugged back in. It's going to be a massive revision project but not any more difficult than writing the thing lol

But anyway! It's going to feature super villain!Harley which I am very excited about. He is sooooo tortured in this one and Peter has the shittest luck in the whole world <333

I don't have a good excerpt to share so here is the high-level outline for part one!

Part 1: Childhood

Peter’s parents die in a plane crash. He moves to Rose Hill to live with Uncle Ben and Aunt May and meets Harley

Harley has his hands full with… his dad just walked out. He wasn’t abusive. It was just shocking and all at once. They thought something terrible happened, but after they report him missing Scotty at the corner store stops by and says he sold him scratchers. Then a few hours later the sheriff stops over with his hat in his hands and tells them his truck was found in the lot at the airport in Nashville. “Let him go,” Mama says. “Don’t want no man who don’t wanna be around. Let ‘im go.” And that was the end of that.

Peter arrives while Harley is getting used to being the only one home after school. Abbie’s off with Mrs. Farley in town while Mama works, so it’s just him most days ‘til Mama gets home around 5.

Starts hanging out with the Parkers. They keep him ‘round for dinner. Scares Mama the first time bc he didn’t ask ahead and wasn’t home when she got there. She demands to meet them.

They get on great and once they learn of her newly single situation they offer to watch Harley in the afternoons until she gets home from work. No need for payment or thank yous—it just so happens that Peter could really use a friend right now and they’ve been getting along so well.

So it begins. No creek. No pokemon. Peter and Aunt May clash like the dickens, but Uncle Ben is always cool and rational and settles things before they go too far. It’s nice.

Peter is obsessed with planes and tracking flights and researching news of lost flights, crashes, etc. Huge fear of flying, but not of heights. This fear stays with him, even when Harley turns into a flying superhero.

EJ is Harley’s bully. Harley is a talkative little nerd with a stutter and a penchant for mathematics. He attracts the mean types and Peter has a loud bark and never has had the good sense to back down from a fight. The shared battles cement them together.

After being blindsided by his dad leaving, Harley had to reevaluate everything he thought about family. Family is no longer who you get along with, despite differences. It’s no longer who you put on a smile for. It’s who you can disagree with and still hug and laugh with at the end of the day. It’s refreshing that he always knows where he stands with the Parkers. They have big feelings and they don’t bury them, but they’re solid. They’re dependable. They’re there.

Then the Parkers move to New York and leave Harley behind and his theory on what makes a family falls apart all over again.

[violet-moonstone]

strongly considering abandoning (or at the very least putting on indefinite hiatus) my httyd vampire au. i really loved the beginning of it but now im nearing the end (and i really mean the end...like maybe 4ish chapters left) and its a slog

ive also realized that ive become much more particular about having themes in my writing -- whereas before, i was mostly interested in character interactions and setting/atmosphere. Im still very much motivated by those things, but now im also significantly more interested in combining that with a story that has something to say

and i feel like while the story im telling now definitely has a point, im no longer exploring that point in a way thats interesting to me

i think i got all the drama and angst out of my system in the first half of the story and im just left with a plot that i no longer find particularly compelling

im thinking of posting a chapter that has an outline for the rest of the story in case people want to know what I had planned

and maybe ill return to it...but honestly i just want to devote as much energy as i can to my thw rewrite and maybe some oneshots ive been wanting to write

school/work have been kicking my ass and until i learn how to balance my life better i dont want to spend what little free time i have writing something that im not 100% excited about

[rivangel]

Hi, hope ur having a good day! I really enjoy your fanfics and you are extremely prolific on top of that, I was wondering what your writing process is like (outlining or vibes), what sparks your ideas/motivates you?

wow thank you :D i’m so flattered that you would ask omg😭❤️❤️

for what motivates me… i guess this is a little exposing😭but it explains why i write a lot. out of an abundance of issues past and present, and not much support irl, i fixate on media and fictional universes heavily, and aot is my biggest fixation. i’m kind of constantly treading a riptide of emotional shit, and fiction has always helped me to cope. so when i feel any sort of way… bc im not good at working through or expressing myself… it’s easy to create scenarios out of that.

i have really strong emotions too, so feeling a certain way helps me think of plot ideas that relate. creating is my coping mechanism definitely, but it’s also vital to me being able to express myself.

with the state of fandom, i try not to look forward to interactions that will make me excited to have shared something, but it’s super rewarding when that does happen, so that’s a motivator too.

i get ideas the same way i think most creators do. based off experiences, like a single moment that kind of stains my memory that sticks with me.

DEFINITELY from other media i consume (especially fiction(??) podcasts but im getting back into reading real books). sometimes songs.

i’m really introspective in general which makes me good at various aspects of writing imo. whenever im doing anything (like going out for a walk or something) it’s really easy for me to imagine additional context / characters in a fictional scenario for some reason, so that helps.

if im doing something boring or tedious like sit in traffic i can daydream about a wip and the continuation of the last thing i’ve written for it. it’s like throwing events at the figurative wall and seeing what strikes me as fitting, engaging, or w/e.

for planning, i think im in-between vibes and proper planning lol. i would be noooowhere without outlining at least a little. stick little ideas or things i want to have happen in the order it fits, and sometimes separate them into sections so that writing it seems less intimidating and the process more rewarding. sometimes i write stuff out of order and go with the part i most want to write (which side note i believe is important, if not necessary to helping cure writer’s block).

i almost always have one chapter planned ahead of the current wip, but i play really loose with whatever ending im seeking in exact detail. because in general, it almost never goes the exact direction you planned lol.

so loose outlining! i always have a folder for a fic to throw in ideas or stuff to remember for the future. editing takes far longer than writing for me, just because i fully believe in the fact that being a perfectionist while writing is enormously unhelpful and rly creates stagnation. when i want to use a word i can’t think of, i just put in a placeholder to fix later. having the writing WRITTEN makes striving for perfection much less taxing.

when there’s several characters to keep track of, or important aspects to remember (ie, a character has a drink in their hand), i make a note so i don’t get confused or create inconsistencies.

i write on my phone and computer equally🤷🏻a lot of times with headphones in. it doesn’t matter so long as i have a set time from start to stop that im only writing and nothing else.

[causenessus]

HI SMAU ANON HERRE!!!

so ive never written a day in my life so any and all pointers are GREATLY appreciated ilysm/p

chocolate danish (title maybe?)

angst -> fluff rivals to lovers

fem! reader studying at a culinary arts school and wants to open a pasty business in the future her rival (tendo) whos studying choclatier who admires her strong will and passion tries to get in her head while not realizing his crush on her ?

im not entirely sure about the plot but i think its a start :3

again tysm i love your work sm 😭

AW ILY ANON <33 (/P) chocolate danish sounds like SUCH a cute name and i think it would do amazing as a smau!! like with the environment and world you've built <3 there's definitely so much you can do with that like having tendou's gc trying to tell him he's obsessed with her (/pos, in a "u LIKE HER BRO" kind of way) while he's just like "no no i just want to crush her DREAMS" and yn sounds amazing!! like literal queen right here I want to go to her pastry shop please!!! rivals to lovers sounds ADORABLE so i think you have a really good idea going for you my love <3 I'm not sure it you are looking for opinions on anything in particular and don't be afraid to send in another ask if you want to ask any other question!! but all I'd say is take your time <3 for me personally I like to outline my stories bc I get very excited to write them and want to know where I'm heading but that's also because of my brain which somehow is able to write entire outlines in like one day (for cold kisses) and I think love notes took me two days. by taking your time I just mean give yourself time to think! and don't stress yourself out at posting anything at a certain rate!! you have all the time in the world and it's important that you enjoy yourself!! you definitely don't have to write outlines if you want to free hand it! sometimes outlines can feel restricting or cause burnout and none of that is good </3 you never have to follow an outline if you don't like it later as well! another thing I'd say is just have sources of inspiration! whether that be a pinterest board, movies, tiktoks, music, whatever you like!! but i think it definitely helps :) like for love notes i have a pinterest section called miscellaneous texts that just

helps with inspiration for texts i imagine between suna and yn! so I think having inspiration helps keep your brain going yk, and like for cold kisses i got super inspired seeing ice skating tiktoks! so I feel like yk seeing pastry tiktoks might be cute and things like that <3 mainly all I can say is have fun with it!! and don't nitpick your own writing. I know it's hard but people WILL enjoy your works!!! sometimes you'll catch mistakes that you think will be obvious to others but most of the time no one else will notice!! they'll enjoy your fic so do not stress too much about how other people will think or see your fic!! try not to stress about numbers as well! I promise that things will blossom with time and i'm so happy that you've decided to try out writing but that's why it's important to give yourself grace!! your voice as an author and skills will continue to develop with time so don't think things have to be perfect immediately <3 I've said this 100 times but binary stars was SUCH a test run for me that smau is the bane of my existence BUT it was important that I did suffer through that smau so that I could learn from it and get to where I am today!!!!

sorry to yap <3 I hope that's a little bit helpful <3 they're just some general tips! but if you were looking for something in specific like help with outlines or plot PLEASE TELL ME!! I want to help I just wasn't sure what you were looking to here if that makes sense 😭 I am so excited for you anon and I would love to read it when you post it!! if you feel comfortable sharing it <3

[maaxverstappen]

I’ve been asking ppl cus im nosy. What’s your writing process like if any? Do u have a preferred place or time. Preferred device. Do u write rough drafts then edit or is it much more considered. How do u decide that an idea is worth fleshing out or pursuing if it looks like it’s plotty. Pls yap at length if u so wish — wiz

i love this question!! and would love to know other answers so if you want to reblog them i shall be on the lookout 👀.

i answered partly here so will just like build on that!!

the process is that i’ll have an idea and depending on how large it is write out some sort of outline. my preference for all planning in life is on paper so i have a little journal that ill write out some ideas in. kind of brainstorm / mind map style of just jotting down random ideas that come to mind.

however, with longer fics like my current post-as-i-go wip i have to do it digital bc so much changes and it’s too long (see pics in previous ask). that one i actually started planning in my notes app on a plane bc the idea had to come out of me someway and i was really excited about it. i then transferred it to a google doc and added onto my chapter per chapter outline (1st pic in previous ask). i felt like that was a bit overwhelming for understanding the overall plot so then i went and made a simple overview of the key plot points per chapter (the 2nd pic in previous ask) just so i felt like i had a better understanding of the goal per chapter.

now when i sit down to write a chapter ill get both the detailed notes and the main plot points and just write whatever i feel like in order to get to the goal of the chapter.

for shorter one shot fics i’ll either have no full outline or a one page idea list kind of thing. for instance, for worth the trouble i knew that it would start and end in the present time and then everything in between would be a flashback, but i didn’t know the flashbacks would be non chronological until i was writing it. same for the chewing gum aspect that ends up being quite an important part of the symbolism and that almost weaves the parts together, that wasn’t a *thing* until i was almost finished with the rough draft and i then went to add it in to previous scenes.

for my long fic i have to be a bit more calculated with the hidden messages/foreshadowing as i can’t go back and edit published chapters lmao so that is a little more thought out + i keep track of loose ends to tie together at some point.

editing is a bit of a harder one. for my long fic my overal editing is per chapter, but i do tend to go back and edit per section too. like right now I’m writing a texting scene and first i wrote the plain texting dialogue, then i went back to add the bits in between from characters’ pov. then i’ll read over it fully and edit where needed. finally when the whole chapter is done ill read over it and edit again, but at that point it’s mainly grammar and punctuation.

my main writing issues i’ve noticed so far is that i tend to switch tenses without realising so that’s something i look out for when editing. i also am always worried they don’t *do* enough so i like to think “hmm what action can i add in here to make them more human” when editing.

so far only worth the trouble has been beta read, the rest i do myself. if I’m stuck i will talk through a lot of it with my partner who will give me some ideas and just like help lmao (she’s also the one that beta read wtt!). but she’s not in the f1 fandom so it’s a little hard to have her beta read for characterisation and specific plot points so i do that myself. like when she beta read wtt she gave a few points of feedback that weren’t too relevant bc the average f1 fic reader would understand (like the significance of spa21, there is no need to explain it).

I’m a baby fic writer so a lot of my process will be redefined and refined as i go I’m sure.

as for deciding what to write, it’s really whatever captures my attention. the prompt for help me hold onto you is one i really liked and a trope i love reading myself. i was also ready to challenge myself to a longer plot fic and i was really excited about the idea so i just went for it! my main consideration is really just how excited i am for it.

i will say that i am currently really struggling with perfectionism / imposter syndrome. I’m having a hard time getting the words onto paper bc it feels like it’ll never be as good as my favourite authors anyway so what’s the point. (which is now also impacting the way i read fics bc it makes me sad that ill never write anything as good as what I’m reading lol)

i generally write on my laptop! in a google doc with grammarly activated and the word count on screen (which pisses me off bc i have to turn it back on after every refresh). i wrote my latest crafty!oscar on my phone (bc i was too excited to wait till i got to my laptop) but wouldn’t ever do that for anything much longer or plot-ier than that.

i fear this has gotten very long. i know u said yap away but …. i perhaps have yapped too close to the sun.

[thekuraning]

fic writing asks : 17 and 27, 28?

hope you’re doing well!! I’m just about to finally catch up with the latest chapter of moving on in a maelstrom (I haven’t checked my ao3 inbox for updates in a hot minute!!), thank you as ever for writing!

WASABI THANK YOU FOR SENDING im hanging in there i hope youre doing good too <3 and i hope you enjoy the latest chapter grelhbqughoeiqg

:') i talk a lot gomen

17. talk about your writing and editing process

so i'm definitely not the kind of person who sits down and outlines their story and all the plot points or does a ton of planning (kind of a bad habit probably!!) and mostly my fics comes from some broad concepts or ideas, vibes, or any sort of vivid scene I imagine up while im daydreaming on the way to work, and then I just kind of run with it. Actually I think from all the fics I've actually tried to follow an outline for in the past, only one has gotten past a handful of chapters (that would be Turning Point, which is shockingly complete!)

And like the scenes or vibes or ideas aren't always related to major plot points or anything either, they're just character moments and either a) do not need backstory to explain the situation, so they get to be a oneshot, or b) are VERY PARTICULAR about the backstory of the Scene and then they end up a full-fledged novella/novel/epic.

So like for example, I started on Maelstrom fic for a very specific scene with a very specific character--and you might expect it to be related to the main villain! Except I didn't even have a design for him until the day I sat down to write chapter 5 (which came to me in a caffeine-fueled fever dream) and wasn't even sure what his NEXT ability would be until chapter 8. Yeah he's the main antagonist. But this entire fic. This entire damn fic. Is a stepping stone. To a scene where Yuri is going insane under house arrest and Barnaby goes to visit him. And it's the funniest fucking thing in my head. Like I want to be so clear this is just an elaborate slide puzzle to a one-paragraph gag and I have no idea if the set-up is even worth it. But then once I get started writing things kind of start to fall into place like dominoes because I spend a lot of time overthinking the world building and the canon orz

Anyways as for editing uhhhh well!!! You have probably noticed!! I have SO MANY TYPOS IN MY CHAPTERS!!! My cat hears me say so many swears after chapters are posted :( I tend to be like constantly reading and rereading and editing... the first half of a chapter. The further I go the more excited I get to post! And the less I end up reading. So uhhh yeah if anyone ever goes back to read any fic I've ever posted EVER and you're like huh I don't remember that or huh I thought it was different yeah. yeah it was. I edited it 3 months later when I reread part and realized I had 15 typos, non-sequitors, and the worst sentence composition known to man OTL

27. your favorite part of the writing process

getting experimental with it! :') i like fucking around with imagery and description and pacing to try and see what kind of vibes i can squeeze out of something. actually i forget how long ago it was but i think my buddy isleofair sent an ask once where I went on a rant about what makes a slow burn a slow burn and ever since then I've REALLY wanted to try and write a slow burn that diagetically takes place in like. one or two hours. i have no idea how it would work but i think it would be really fun to try.

otherwise i think my favorite thing is like world building but through the little background details, like trying to squish in regional dialects or brands or in-universe entertainment franchises. I was really fucking proud of myself for Barnaby's Gatorade ad reel and his promotional coffee in Maelstrom lmfaooo or like getting so fucky with Proton's slang in my pokemon fics. Still trying to figure out how to write an entire oneshot about no one understanding what he means when he says "freezycaff."

28. your least favorite part of the writing process

>:( what do you MEAN I have to have a coherent plot!!! What do you MEAN I should probably plan to avoid plotholes!!! What do you MEAN i have to write through writer's block or take breaks when I burn out creatively!!!!! NO STOPPING ONLY VIBES ONLY GOOFS AND GAFFS!!! ONLY FICS!!!

On a more serious note. My least favorite part really is since I don't do a lot of planning beforehand :( sometimes all I got be them vibes, and getting from point a to point b can be like pulling teeth if I'm not like. manic. A lot of times I feel like I have a big picture with a lot of missing little pieces, and sometrimes I just can't figure out a satisfying way to get over it. Then the perma-hiatus hammer comes out UmU RIP in pepperonis dead fics from 2018.

Thank u again for sending!! <3

[diodellet]

*slides in*

How about 3, 16, 17 and 29 for the fic writer asks?

omg i didnt think id ramble this much (thank u for enabling me ner 🤧💕💕)

3. how you feel about your current WIP

tbh i'm not super confident about my writing any time i come out from from a long long hiatus of not posting anything. also like… i'm not super confident writing other charas aside from jamil since i don't really think ab them as much… (sorry leona-natics* whenever this drabble gets posted, but like fingers crossed the sitch will hopefully be exciting enough)

*i think it might have to do with the fact that i kinda hc leona on the grayspec++have more vv specific hc characterizations i like of him, but ig i do see his appeal (one of m'oomfs is a leona-natic and well ahu her propaganda might've been subconsciously assimilated)

but ahaha i tend to write things that i'm very personally interested in so i'll find a way to have fun with it, i'll be gucci i just get too into my head, it's a vicious cycle as a writer.

16. favorite place to write

uhhh im a very sedentary person, probably a result from the pandemic, and being a thorough homebody even after that

hmm i would say id like a nice ambient public place with coffeeeee my blood my life force Some amount of people engrossed in their own work, but like in the ph, esp in a place populated by a lot of uni students, cafes end up being hella cold (im skin and bones the cold is Evil)++noisy (which i don't see as a big bad thing esp since i like socializing with my friends...at the cost of putting off my own writing oops HAHAHA)

17. talk about your writing and editing process

oh boy. here we go. one thing to note throughout all this: my only consistent practice as a writer is inconsistency. (and ig, if i try hard enough, i can usually put out a passable 200-300 words in one sitting)

sometimes i can outline a fic and take forever chipping away at it

^^(case in point: that sebek x vampire!reader x silver fic... i joked abt waiting until book 7 would drop on EN but it has been Stuck. i wanna write bi-disaster sebek so bad though 🤧🤧)

other times my actual writing veers waaaaay into a diff plotpoint instead of what i have plotted out

^^(there're these 2 now-removed bullet points in wcidfy's outline for ch 3 that went: "do i have the balls to write a fever scene… gaguhan anhirap nito pag walang ob [tl: fuck this is hard (to write) without overblots]" and "i also keep thinking of a scene in the (scarabia) gardens…and lying about bees…weird")

and sometimes i can just shit out 1k-ish words unprompted.

^^though this last example leads to my most rough writing++editing ('ily but leave me tf alone' and 'no id rather pretend'), i only look over for immediate errors, but keep iffy-phrasings and repeated words, but sometimes i still miss incomplete sentences that i jus quickly fix after posting ahahaha.

in terms of my more "polished" writing, i edit as i write (<- i do Not recommend this style. it's very unsustainable if ur planning to do more conventional writing/publishing and it's very easy to get trapped in your writer's block)

and after finishing 80% of it, i try to get a second pair of eyes on it (thanks @jessamine-rose mwaps) because validation of works in progress feels good it also helps to have a trusted outside person look at the work with fresher eyes. also smtimes we get into bouncing ideas back nd forth that we spawn new brainrot lmao like this👇

i like to call my writing a "semi-polished first draft" partly out of self-defense and self-criticism. but really, i think i'd rather have "good enough" writing posted than "my best" because i could spend forever hoarding my wips. i think i'll always have regrets over not fleshing out certain beats/using certain phrasings and references, but i also enjoy looking back on my writing and seeing the incremental, microscopic progress. it makes the process more enjoyable than self-flagellating.

on a personal note, the writing workshop scene can be brutal. with some criticism being needlessly harsh, sure it produced some of my "best" writing but the process was Not Fun. while i get that being able to revise meaningfully is an important thing, i think the endgoal of feedback (from my short exp of betaing for friends) shud always be aimed towards uplifting the writer's aim to create/improving the writer's vision of what they wanna achieve, especially in a craft that is as solitary as writing. wait ill rb a post about making ur shitty pots, very in-line with making art in general

29. how easy is it for you to come up with titles?

very hard. i hate thinking of titles, thats why i yoink lines from songs (who cares if the vibe doesnt fit im adding layers of interpretation or sumn🥴🥴). ACTUALLY wcidfy had like 3 other possible names (it was either *rolls out list* hairtie, nonequivalent exchange, or ben franklin effect* wcidfy was the most bearable one.) *i tried to look up how to distill the psychological phenomenon of someone probably liking u more after u do a small favor for them into 2-3 words, but it had to be a WHITE MAN'S NAME 🤢🤢NAW!!!!

for few other examples:

'say what you mean' was initially titled 'oh how the tables turn'

'roommates? more like roomfoes' was first titled 'pet peeves'

'hypothermia' was first titled 'frigid' but then i thought of paradoxical undressing nd stuff and da pseudo-warmth

i've also moved a bunch of other plot beats from wcidfy's main document into a file called "part 45678 of wcidfy"

as u can see i prioritize making myself laugh wid my wip titles. i wanna put the illusion that my writing's not that serious. unless it is? idk i'm not sure how to describe my writing in terms of its vibes.

(list of fic writer asks, ahaha bug me ab my wips)

[sweepseven]

Hi! you responded to my circus post like. forever ago and i realized i had a question that a circus person might know. (sorry in advance that this is long) (also that things are a bit vague bc im trying to explain everything with as little doxxing as possible) (if this is overwhelming or whatever you are not required to read it. just say like "sorry i cant deal with this" and ill be fine)

a little bit of backstory (because idk how else to explain) is that both writing and circus are very prominent parts of my life and for the past like. six months (maybe even year) the idea of a play (because i have written some 10 minute plays) that incorporates circus as a part of the formatting has been rotating in my mind.

I saw a production recently (ish) with my school that was a play, but really it was a musical that incorporated an aerial window and aerial ladders as both set-pieces and aparatuses. they used them as windows and ladders, but at a certain point in the play, when one character was describing something that had happened, there were aerialists performing on the aparatuses. i talked to my teacher afterwards and she also thought i should write a play that incorporates circus. and i dont mean as a plot point (like they go to the circus) but as a way of telling the story.

i also saw an opera recently in which the songs were the same, and the plot was essentially the same as when it was written (several centuries ago), but the setting and costumes were all more modern. someone would sing an aria and then draw three squiggly lines on the wall that, at the third line, became clear it was the body of a naked woman. another where i swear it was a legit clown skit (he climbed up the stairs. flumped down and gave up, then slid down fully flat on his back, climbed up again, slid off sideways, then crawled up, all while operatically singing (used clown rule of three etc)also it was very exciting when he spun a hat on a cane like plate spinning cuz id just learned how to do that a week before). it made me think of just the contrast between a formal format (like a play or opera) and modern, comedic, and otherwise circus-y flares.

ANYWAYS. the main question arose with a convo i had with my dad the other day about this same thing (we've taken to asking each other if we've been thinking abt anything interesting lately) and he knew someone who was in the circus. he asked if there was a structure of the circus (like the three act structure of stories) and the guy said yes absolutely. it was something like starting with the least amount of people each act and then ending with the most. however, i think there was more to it and i wanted to find out to see if i could work with that. unfortunately my dad hasnt spoken to this guy in years and doesn't want to ask again.

so the question: whats the structure of a circus performance?

Hi! Sounds like you get some really cool shows in your area!

Some shows vaguely follow the structure your dad's friend outlined, but I think he's speaking in the loosest possible terms. Yes, the finale act of a show is usually the biggest and grandest, both in terms of spectacle and the number of people involved. But many also open with an extra energetic first act to welcome the audience to the show and set the expectation for what's to follow (think Kooza charivari, Kurios Chaos Synchro, Echo cube suspension). You also see lots of acts opening with solos or duets (Mystere aerial straps, Quidam German or cyr wheel, Amaluna unicycles, etc.). It's definitely not a hard and fast rule, but it can be an element in deciding how a show is paced.

I'd say the most successful base structure is one that balances a natural narrative flow, human attention span, and rigging needs. I use "narrative" here very loosely, because a story isn't a guarantee in a circus, but like a story you don't want to go from nothing nothing nothing to ACTION ACTION ACTION and then suddenly it's all over. It's unnatural, unpredictable, and disengages the audience, and circus is trying to do the opposite. Similarly you don't want people to have to crane their necks for four aerial acts in a row - eventually they're all gonna look the same and people will feel bored. Acts that demand more complex rigging need to go at a point in the show where they can be gracefully set up and taken down without disrupting other things taking place. All these factors may change if your show has an intermission - if it does, you want a kind of "mini" flow that keeps people excited about coming back for the second half.

Alegria IANL is a good example. It starts with a bold opening number with lots of participants, which makes sense because it's a show about revolution. Then we slow it down to a solo act followed by a duet. Fire knife dance is a solo too, but it really ramps the energy back up. The first half closes with Snowstorm, which is a huge spectacle and makes us excited about what they're gonna do with all these tiny paper snowflakes in the second half.

Then you come back from intermission and discover the answer is: see the most gorgeous romantic aerial straps act of your life (a duet). More peaks and valleys follow in alternating smaller and larger acts, all of them on the ground, and all of them with distinctly varying paces. Then close with flying trapeze, which pulls the focus upward, has the most complex rigging in the show, and uses a net they can get away with leaving up for the finale. Tada! A tight, engaging, well-balanced show.

[fifthrideroftheapocalypse]

Fic Writers Q&A

thanks for the tag @liminalmemories21 !

How many wips do you have currently?

so. many. do you want a rundown? i'll give you a rundown.

buck lightning: a buck/tommy fic where buck still has ptsd from being struck by lightning. vibe: psychological horror, pondering

buck's an ally: 5 times buck's an ally, and one time's he's not. vibe: silly

rwrb swimming au: high school swimming firstprince au meant to finish in time for the olympics but oh well. people already jumping on that au b/c of the olympics i saw, which reminded me of it. vibe: long

gabriel fakes his death: gabriel unwillingingly fakes his death and conducts his murder investigation underground. vibe: investigation, regret

meet me at the movies old guard fic series: 1 installment written a few years ago. follow ups in the works. nile decides to bring her family into the know but the fallout from the movie catches up to them first. vibe: going to the movies, plot heavy

shadowhunters missing moments: inspired by @paperstorm's lone star missing moment series. episode by episode fic series of missing moments, centered around alec and magnus. vibe: long. introspective

there's more i think but these are the ones currently occupying my thoughts.

Which one are you finding the hardest to finish? Why do you think that is?

all of them. these are all ones i really want to finish but it's finding the time to sit down and focus on just one that im struggling with. just have gotten really busy with life things.

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

hmm idk. opening a google doc and typing what kind of fic i think it's going to be. but sometimes my excitement about it gets ahead of itself and that's all i can muster for it because then i start worrying that it's not going to come out the way the inspiration first manifested itself. so basically, anxiety.

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

no, but that would be fun to do i think. ive found some really great play lists other authors have put a lot of thought into that i really enjoy.

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

i guess both. the only way a fic gets published is if i did just sit down and write it all in one sitting. which is why i have only published short 500 - 3,000 word fics because that's all i can handle, really. the longer ones i outline but i tend to lose momentum on them quickly and then find it hard to get back to. really hoping i can break free from that haha.

--

no pressure tagging @alrightbuckaroo @bonheur-cafe @lemonlyman-dotcom @rmd-writes @welcometololaland

@paperstorm

[chuuyascumsock]

Heyyooo how’ve you been!!! I hopt ur doin okie and stayin safe !

Just saw your reply, AND TO THE PERSON WHO GOT YALL EXTRA HOMEWORK:-DISHONOR ON YOU, DISHONOR ON YOUR COW-

Oh also i have no idea what that anon who keeps tryna say ur not a lesbian if you like fictional men is getting at…DUDE DO YOU NOT HEAR HOW SILLY YOU SOUND??? I feel the need to direct them to the nearest pond since they keep acting like a silly goose🙄

Also also on the less casual side if things, i may have been having silly werewolf chuuya thoughts….

ALSO ALSO ALSO IM SO EXCITED FOR YOUR CHUUYA VERSE SMUTSSS AHHH THE ENTIRE WEEK’S WORTH HAS BE ABSOLUTELY VIBRATING WITH EXCITEMENTTT i may or may not be dying for day one(good) but that’s besides the point! Please take as much time as you need and want! We’ll still be here waiting like followers in a cult when youre done.(i wanted to make a sorta worshippers in a church analogy but thought the cult one fit better..?? I mean your basically the deity we offer our silly goofy thoughts to sooo yh☺️)

Please hydrate and eat well and keep slaying☺️💅🏻

(Also i thought of maybe trying to leave you some little smutty thoughts every day? Idk youve been so nice i just wanna actually write you something😔 sooo id love to know what you’d want!)

-🧀

How I feel rn after your cult comment (I have a long history of starting cults in the past so I’m glad I haven’t lost my old ways 🥰😋).

But yeah, THAT ASSHOLE GOT US HW EVERYDAY FROM NOW ON I WANTED TO SLAP HIM SILLY. IT’S MUSIC CLASS, HOW DO YOU FUCK UP MUSIC CLASS 😭😭

Fr, as perfectly said by my bestie Pissbutt, I’m a fake straight and a real lesbian 😍

WEREWOLF CHUUYA⁉️ YOU’RE A MONSTER FUCKER, OH MY GOD— EW, DISGUSTING, GRO— Me too, drop the thoughts 👀 (The amount of past interests I have are wild, everything I will always be unfazed 👹).

I’m actually excited for the week of smuts too, I already have an outline and plot for all of them. I think my favorite ones rn I’m REALLY looking forward to are the Detective and University Student Chuuya ones cause I have a surprise for the Detective one. Y’all say the Voyeurism tag, right? 🤭

I HOPE YOU EAT PROPER MEALS AND SOME SNACKIES (and stay hydrated with that h2hoe 😫).

(You’re so sweet, you don’t have to leave smutty thoughts everyday, I also accept crack, fluff, and angst too if you have any of those. But if you want to, you absolutely can, but don’t feel obligated cause Ik burnout hits sometimes when thought vomiting a bunch of ideas lol.)

(And you think I’m nice 🥺? Good, my online personality is working 😈)

[ramonadecember]

Im intrigued by Wearing our get-along shirt

wip meme.

a wip in the most loosest sense, an original thing. i know like... more or less the whole storyline, but what i have written is only a whole bunch of scenes that i'm most excited about ha. it's where the oc's Sasha, Ivan, Bannan, and Cullen come from.

foregoing a tiny clip to instead 'explain' the doc name. or really it's more like... outline the relationship drama of the whole thing lmfao. under a cut because it got longer than intended.

it's soap opera-y in that Sasha was brought up alongside Bannan, a prince, so when what they had turned into something much more, it had to be secret. they'd been making it work for a a long time when Ivan, Ban's childhood friend came back into the picture under complicated circumstances. something develops between him and Sasha and Sasha learns he has the ability to love two people at once. Bannan has a hard time with that, but 1. he has always though Sasha deserved more than a secret relationship, and 2. it turns out that half his problem is that HE 'used to be' in love with Ivan back in the day and nothing ever came of it, so there was just a lot of jealousy behind what he was feeling. but when it turns out that Ivan feels the same about him, then all three of them fall into a relationship.

it's going great until those 'complicated circumstances' under which Ivan came to them come to light and Sasha learns that not only is Ivan (formerly, now...) a part of the group responsible for the death of his parents, but he himself has also had a (very bad) run in with Ivan in the past that almost killed him too. then there's the fact that Bannan knew about it the whole time and didn't tell Sasha.

Sasha ends things with both of them and is left feeling very lost. he finds comfort in the unlikely source of Cullen, Sasha's 'boss' when they were both part of the organization that fought back against the one Ivan was a part of (prior to/leading to the 'almost killed' incident), and someone he'd always butted heads with, but also someone who was also... maybe falling for Sasha back then, despite Sasha's knack for making him want to tear his hair out. it's hard for Ivan and Bannan to see him moving on, but in particular it's hard to watch it happen with the person they've listened to Sasha complain about so much for so long.

it takes a WHILE, but Sasha rekindles things with Ivan and Bannan while maintaining a relationship with Cullen as well. those two things start to blend when something blossoms between Ivan and Cullen, but Bannan remains a holdout and accepting that like... all four of them are in a relationship together. Cullen and him have some... other issues that make it hard. there's a lot of tension there.

so under like... actual plot, it's all of them trying to just... navigate what it means to like, all be seeing each other to some extent.

[keeperofthebox]

last one for now-

how do art and writing interact for you when creating works? ie i know sometimes you draw something bc you cant quite explain it, and then ur able to explain it better.

does that happen a lot with things youre seriously working on?

(and can you provide an example)

hmn... yeah! it happens all the time! i got that visual-dominant brain, so it's sometimes really difficult to translate an image into words, especially if there's some kind of nuance to it.

once i get something vaguely on paper, from there i can like, just describe what's happening in the picture? instead of trying to do it straight from my brain, and i guess that's what you're observing when you say i can explain it better afterwards

now... as for an example that you havent seen? idk if that exists, LMFAO

honestly, its not super exciting, but the most helpful thing ive done for myself is making this (now-censored) plot diagram for blink

having it in a visual like this really helped, outlining is honestly my greatest weakness when it comes to writing, i really struggle with it.

in general i think i just have a lot of trouble turning the primordial evangelion soup in my brain into actual, like, words, especially because idk if you noticed but i talk like a goofball, half the shit i say doesnt make any sense. so turning the visual into my mind into a messier, uglier visual on paper into informal plot discussion into formal prose writing is something i do in a lot of cases lol, that's something im kind of learning as i go

[maaaxx]

my wips are stressing me out so you guys have to hear about it

or not i dont care

Cots

literally fighting for my life out here with this new wip. I could have the first chapter (???) out in like a few days but like,,, i dont want to do that

but im also not getting any immediate dopamine from this so im having trouble working on it.

Im also scared of having a new audience because like aside from a set few people most of my mutuals know me from ihiap and yall are nice and new people scare me

I even gatekeep ihiap, like if you dont know me from ihiap your not allowed to know about ihiap

a lot more people read that fic than i thought and it stresses me out

off track

i do genuinely think cots is going to be better than ihiap because ive had like two years now to figure out how to interact with fandom and im friends with other writers not and have more of a grasp of my writing style than i did before.

so im really excited about this

but i have enough trouble updating ihiap idk about doing two fics at once

but if i wait until im done with ihiap thatll take like two more fucking years

and ill lose focus

and wont do this fic

again, getting off track.

theres still so much that im not sure about with this fic. Like Zuko I think is the main character

But Sokka is EXTREMELY relevant

so i think im going to split the povs

But theyre at opposite ends of the world at any given time and sokka isnt going to (physically) be doing much.

so im not sure how to approach that

also i have no clue what the fuck kataras doing

like miss girl has two options and what she chooses will DRASTICALLY change the story like SHE controls the plot not me.

Sokka and Zuko are just there for the ride

Azula is also going to be relevant

like the story is about them 4 no one else matters

except aang maybe but like hes actually the avatar in this so thats a given

my first story where aangs the avatar!!!

also outlines are hard

and prologues are hard.

Ill be back with more complaints later

Ihiap

I have a love/hate relationship with ihiap. The characters in it are amazing theyre my favorite people ever. Some might make a cameo in cots, i havent decided yet.

REasons i hate ihiap:

-I accidentally stole half my ocs i talk about this a lot and ive been reassured but im not going to get over it. I hate myself

-Its so badly written like half the time There are some parts that i absolutely love and some that make me want to delete the entire fic. Like ive actually considered it multiple times. I hate it so much, so much second hand embarrassment. Is it second hand embarrassment if I'm the one who wrote it???? -Zuko is so ooc he might as well be an oc

-I dont even know twf azula is doing Azula and Mailee is one of the plot holes that drives me nuts. Because like I wrote Ty Lee into a scene but miss girl is supposed to be in the circus by now. I forgot about that part. Also Theres a certain detail about Azula and MaiLee thats going to be very prevelant near the end of book 3 but i forgot to imply or write that in so thats going to come out of no where. -most major events were impulsive and had no value to the actual plot Examples: That stupid soldier dude, the islands thing. I hate these parts and im going to write them out eventually -PLOT HOLES Reasons why Ihiap is the best piece of literature ever written:

-Relationships and characters

So the thing is despite the fact that theres so many things im bad at doing in writing/havent had enough practice yet, there are things that I know that I am great at writing.

One of these things is delevoping relationships.

I'm really good at making people and relationships very complex and this isnt something that someone can change my mind over, like this is something that i love the way i do it.

This is one of the only redeeming qualities of ihiap.

-I love the plot.

I really want to redo this to do the plot justice because i do think it has potential.

Overall i think that ihiap has more good than bad but the mad really does bother me. If your ever rereading and there seems to be some stuff missing or changed its because im eventually going to go through and edit the shit out of it.

As of now the next chapter (chapter 14) has like 600 words. Chapter 15 has i think 445 and chapter 16 is completely done, chapter 17 had like half a sentence, then were done with twbb.

Chapter 16 is where stuff gets interesting.

Im perfectly aware that TWBB is boring but it was meant to be. I needed it to be for Zuko to not go insane and then also develop Tomnooks relationship (because believe it or not theyre not COMPLETELY self indulgement and they are important) and also Sokka and Katara and Zuko needed that sibling relationship. So i needed like a 17 chapter book in between the two main books for that stuff.

I'm so excited for the next book. Especially like the second half. Its also (most likely) going to be updated a lot more frequently than twbb. Twbb was a pain in the ass because there was very little actual plot and it was just day to day stuff. So i had nothing to go off us.

Like Book 1 was all about the crew and Zuko to kind of learn and build relationships and shit and Book 3 is going to be a lot easier because it has a lot of actual plot and a goal and shit.

Totp

" idk about doing two fics at once" miss girl you already are supposed to be doing two fics at once.

Im not even trying with this fic, if your invested, im sorry. I've thought about deleting it but i decided against it just in case i want to come back to it.

Its not looking good though.

This is what happens when i dont outline my fics

[vizkopa]

idk much on writing but i heard if you write smaller struggles its easier to get the middle to meet the end and the beginning. Because the struggle gives you a smaller idea aswell as restriction from "endless possibilities"

But im not all that sure as I've never written anything though i want to haha

How do you even do that? "Just write" never is a good indicator for me cause fine i do the ideas and i can have everything planned out but i get stuck on actually writing it. Idk what to do nor how to execute it.

I blame you for this sudden urge to write, you and your incredible character writing, awesome storylines, and plotted non plotted one shots!! How do you writers do this 😭😭😭

Nah I know exactly what I need to write, I just can't make it fit for some reason. I don't know how to explain it D; I think it's because it's the most boring part of the chapter and I started with the most exciting part so now my brain is just like "don't wanna" :P

Honestly, I have never bee able to just sit down and "just write". Story ideas have to stew in my heads for a LOOOONG time before I can even start to put it onto paper. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so if I don't have a clear outline in my head before I start writing it, I just end up staring at a blank page. So maybe the same process would work for you? Just let it stew in your head, maybe jot down some ideas or sentences that are especially clear and let it come together over time. Don't feel pressured to get it all out all at once because that just doesn't work for some people.

Writing just comes down to practice really. Read lots so you learn how to structure things, and then just learn through trial and error. It'll probably be bad at first, but the nice part is, no one gets to see the bad stuff except you :P The amount of SHIT WRITING I have in my documents folder that will never ever see the light of day hehe...

[allylikethecat]

Ally!! Can I just say you make my Tuesdays so fun because i know i get to read fics during lunch instead of stressing out over how insurance won’t cover my patients meds!!!!! 😭💀 (in the end they always pay i just have to fight with them for a couple days 🥲)

anyway— i was scrolling on your ao3 and looking at all the fics you have and i know you’ve answered before but how on earth do you decide which one gets an update??? there are so many and all of them are amazing!! how many chapters do you write at the same time and how far along do you have your current wips thought out?

todays chapter has me anxiously waiting to hear what matty and george are going to say to each other i need tears laughs loves hates basically the whole works and it ends with them being a happy family again 😭😭😭 if i were baby i would need more than a drink rn i’d be like “damn i’m staying in here my life is already insane and im not born yet” anyway—i’ll be back after i get off work to talk more

🥤

AHHH Hello my dear Smoothie Anon! As always it is such a joy to hear from you!

I'm so sorry to hear that lunch is usually spent stressing over insurance related matters (why is insurance always the worse? I just thought for two weeks to get Pop's renewed, and then when it came time for me to pay i was ghosted by my agent for a week, I was like WHERE IS MY INVOICE DON'T YOU WANT MY MONEY?! ALL THE CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN SIGNED) BUT I'm glad that a Ducklings update could be a nice little distraction!

What fic gets updated when usually varies - some fics had set update schedules (ex. All the King's Horses was every Friday) and Rid Me of the Blues was the OG Tuesday update fic (and why Tuesdays became a thing in the first place lol) now it's usually just vibes - if you come to my inbox and scream about a certain fic enough I will probably update it sooner, I also have some really great mutuals who make it very known which fic they would like next lol I try and get to the fics that haven't been updated in a while (which is why today was Ducklings instead of On a Friday.) But other times it's just whatever I'm feeling at the moment. I'm sorry for not having a more concise answer! It pretty much just is vibes though 😬

In terms of how far ahead - Ducklings the outline was tossed out months ago and we are just... seeing what happens I have no master plan (if anyone has a master plan please send it my way) but for YKWTCI (which I know hasnt been updated in ages it just makes me feel weird), On a Friday, and Forever. I do have very detailed outlines of each chapter and what is happening next. Little changes might occur but for the most part there is direction and a plot. I usually try and stay at least one chapter ahead when posting but that doesn't always happen. Forever. is the one I am the most ahead in terms of writing and posting because that is what I'm most excited about, but I also have a decent chunk of the Vampire AU written as well. (And another oneshot that is almost finished 👀) Other than when I was "broken" for a bit there over the summer I'm pretty much always writing!

AH They're FINALLY going to COMMUNICATE like ADULTS (hopefully) but yeah baby wants no part in whatever mess this is between their parents they are like ummm sort it out before my arrival thanks!

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to like reach my fics and send me this ask!! It means more than you even know! I hope the rest of your day at work goes / went well! And I hope you have a great night and a fabulous rest of your week! Thank you again for the continued support!

❤️Ally