#i can NOT keep rewriting this wip in different formats!!!

[bluberimufim]

My brain keeps telling me to rewrite "Black and White" as one of those novels that are more like a collection of documents (whatever tf it's called) and I'm like!! Bestie, writing a novel as a series of documents is exactly what made me write the second draft as third person in the first place!!!!

(ok technically it was just Darius's normal POV + Diedrich's diary for some reason, but still!!)

[snickerdoodlles]

buckle up butter cup, i have QUESTIONS: 1, 2, 3 (👀), 11, 12, 15, 17 (👀), 22, 24, 32, 38, 40

I'll take your essay in MLA format plz <3

ah shit, i forgot my citations 😭

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

my current default is Libre Franklin! i actually cycle through fonts a lot? i like the editing trick of changing your font to help catch errors and clunky writing, and sometimes i'll switch the font of my doc if i'm feeling particularly stuck while i'm writing. idk how many people know this, but you can change the default font/formatting/color of google docs, and i do it constantly 😂

2. If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

I write by hand a lot actually! I went through 2.5 notebooks alone last year iirc. I always write in pen -- writing by hand helps me gets ideas out of my head faster, and part of that is that i can't undo/backspace what i write. i just gotta move on. and since i'll have to rewrite it anyways when i type it up, writing by hand really helps me get that first rough draft mess out. it also helps me discard the really crap ideas from that first draft -- sometimes the typed doc that it distills into is completely different than what's on paper, and we're all grateful for it.

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

WRITING IN FRIENDS DMS!!!! nothing gets my ideas flowing better than a friend to bounce them around with, and nothing helps me solidify and distill ideas like needing to explain them to someone. i am so bad about sending friends multiple screens worth of written scenes in their DMs (i am very fortunate to have friends who let me do this). this ritual is cursed because my preferred DM platform is tumblr, and i actually rarely remember to save these writings to something more permanent like a doc (pour one out for the many, many, MANY writings lost in DMs <3)

11. Do you believe in the old advice to “kill your darlings?” Are you a ruthless darling assassin? What happens to the darlings you murder? Do you have a darling graveyard? Do you grieve?

*stares at writing notebook* *stares at lost DM fics* kill your darlings

real answer lol: if there's something i really like, i can usually find a way to bring it back into a WIP. i'm really good at that sort of adaptive thinking, but part of why i'm good at that is because i am a ruthless darling killer. all of my editing is very much focused on how all the pieces of a story work in harmony to each other and if something doesn't fit within that, that's not the story for it. but sometimes the reason why a thing doesn't work in the story is because its in the wrong place and since I have no issue removing things that don't work, it's a lot easier to find a better place for it if you're not fixated on keeping it in a specific spot. and for any darling that never makes its way back to its home story, it goes into my mental compost heap to possibly seed into something new for a future story.

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

fool proof way to write in the shower, perfect recall when im trying to remember a story idea i laid out in DMs, the perfect cure to my adhd executive dysfunction.

15. Do you write in the margins of your books? Dog-ear your pages? Read in the bath? Why or why not? Do you judge people who do these things? Can we still be friends?

i'm an avid annotator but only for like...general knowledge? all of my textbooks, reference book, and journal articles/papers are littered with annotations and other marginalia (this is partially why i have so many colored ink ballpoint pens actually 😂). there was a hot minute where i tried to do this for general story/poetry books, but...ehh???? i never quite got into that because usually i just lose myself in the story and my external thoughts come out better in friend DMs or post tags ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

as for the others-- dog ear, no, i don't like the look of bent pages. plus i have a loooot of bookmarks i'm still not using because they're one of those Cheap Art Merch things lol. i absolutely read in the bath (if i take a bath, because ya girl gets BORED), but usually im grabbing one of my travel edition books jic something happens to it, anything electronic i hold over the edge so it won't fall in.

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

will respond in a separate post so i can be extra annoying!! lmk if there's a specific WIP you're hoping to hear about XD

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

hrmmhmMm define organized?

zero organization to notebooks. those are for Throwing Up Ideas, organization would give me writer's block or anxiety. similar for anything that winds up in my phone notes -- even if i could organize them better, i probably wouldn't? they're kinda like a part 2 to the writing notebook for me jotting down ideas, esp stuff that i don't think will become proper stories. proper stories are on google drive because i don't have a better option. fics there are separated by fandom. series and multi-chapter fics get their own folders, individual stories stay out in the general folder. i also have a folder for posted/finished one-shots and a compost folder for discarded story ideas to help keep the clutter down

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

...how much does friend DM yelling count? i love plotting out stories in friend DMs, it's one of my favorite things to do, but i don't like. force myself to stick with anything either. i don't like rigorous story outlines, i prefer a more organic and flexible approach to writing stories. the best i can manage for a story outline is a general bullet list of story points i hope to hit. i like research a lot (wikipedia rabbit holes my beloved <3), but i don't usually worry about going too in-depth for it. it's really good fuel for story ideas and the brainstorming process, but like. i write fic. i care a lot about being sensitive and careful with other people's cultures and histories, but otherwise i don't fret the details and minute because my goal here is to share silly stories.

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

uuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

this is really hard for me because i never read stories as individual lines. that said, i was thinking earlier of that poem (poem line?) "a hand has five fingers. five fingers and five thousand wants." because talk about kim-core, but i don't remember what its from and google isn't helping.

that said, hope y'all are ready for me to reblog this and this 583478 times when we finally hit proper hogswatch season <333

38. What is something about your writing process YOU think is Really Weird? If you are comfortable, please share. If you’re not comfortable, what do you think cats say about us?

..........i had an answer in mind when i first saw this question, but i just forgot everything now that i'm here (am i even a writer?? surely not.)

maybe this will come back to me later.

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

you get "the more loving one" by wh auden because i am ALWAYS thinking of this poem. #predictable

[[ writer asks ]]

[pupyr0arz]

Snippets

(Soulless Sam/Vamp Dean, Stalker JohnSam and weecest slow burn wips)

soulless sam + vampire dean.

Dean, at his core, is a simple creature driven by simple needs. Lust and loyalty drive him, silly wants and the bone deep need to serve and fight for those he deems worthy. For John, for Sam.

 These moments, when his base nature, stark and clear, shines through….that is when Sam understands him most, when he’s slipping into another skin to pursue a girl eyeing him at a bar, the sparkle of want in his eyes when they find a good place to eat, and the occasional longing glances Dean shoots towards him when he thinks Sam isn’t looking. The way he sticks by his side without prompting, the drive to throw himself into danger for the safety of a nameless person. This is the most familiar shape his brother can take, burned into Sam’s eyelids, carved into what remains of his tattered subconscious.

But his time with Lisa has muddled his brother, and Sam’s time spent away and <i>different</i> has already made Dean a stranger to him. He can’t predict him as accurately anymore, can’t steer the conversation with the simple ease he once had. Can’t figure out what to say to make Dean agree, what to avoid to set him off. Sam is stumbling in the details, the little things he has found so bright and sharp since his return everywhere else. Sam finds Dean looking at him with more and more suspicion and dawning fears. 

Sam doesn’t find himself strongly…motivated much anymore, but Dean slots neatly back into his life despite rough edges. All Dean needs is careful trimming, guidance. He’s Sam’s perfect partner, born and bred for him and Sam finds the idea of having to settle for subpar distasteful. He’s back to being used to Dean at his side, back to being able to glance and find the definition of safety spanning his whole life a step behind. He isn’t nearly as stupid as he was before, doesn’t buy into the hype, doesnt have that stupid boyish statue of a superhero in the shape of Dean he had kept carefully polished since boyhood looming over him anymore. He knows just how falible Dean is, knows how to look at it head on. But with the clarity of Dean’s failings also comes with the clarity of his successes.

Dean is a talented hunter. Obviously. One of the best of this age. 

Dean would happily lie down and die for him at any given moment, has before. Dean would protect Sam from any accusation if he stayed loyal to Dean. As long as he kept Dean at that pedestal, replayed the devotion with his focus, Dean would do anything for him or die trying.

Math is becoming his strong suit more and more by the day as he has to deal with peoples baffling stupidity, and this is a rather simple equation. Insert Sammy, receive Dean. 

Easier said than done.

There is a solution. It will fix all of his problems. Rewrite the equation in a solvable format.

Problem : the Campbells and Dean will not allow Sam to work with them simplgi get rid of the Campbells, and rewrite the equation in a solveable format.

Sam kills Samuel and keeps his brother a vampire.

Sam didn’t stop growing when he left. It’s a thought that haunts John as he prowls the Californian streets. He welcomes the angry sting of it, the bitter darkness to stain his thoughts, make him grip the wheel a bit too tight. Better than guilt. Anything is better than thinking about why he’s even here. 

He has his goddamn reasons. He doesn’t need to explain himself, least of all to Sam who up and left him and Dean for this. Dean wouldn’t dare ask, not really, and John has no one left to peer at him suspiciously through windows or loudly complain that he isn’t being transparent. All he has are quiet hours in his truck and in alleys, places to slip out of his skin where no one can see the gleam of teeth and shining eyes he knows he carries.

He worries to look in the mirror that one day his hands and eyes will find some blue and blacked mark, where fang rended flesh and spread infection, seeded darkness in him and carved the creature out of his core and into his bones. John never does. It’s only always him.

The last day of school is a drawn out affair, activity after activity, slowly drawing to a close in their classrooms.

“Everyone, gather around,” Mrs (name) calls, taking out a bag on her desk. Sam doesn’t jostle to the front, lets himself drift at the back of the pack as his classmates form a rough circle around the desk.

“We’re going to be doing a goodbye exercise I’ve done with every class I’ve ever had.” She tells them like it’s a secret smiling. She has dimples and a wide, cheerful smile. She’s one of Sam’s favorite sorts of teachers, warm and plump and cheerful in a way he imagines would remind him of his mother. “I want everyone here to pick a rock.” 

Not lolipops then. She dumps the bag out on her desk, and it’s mid to small sized pebbles. Sam recognizes some from around the area, others must’ve been bought. Geography.

He steps up as his classmates head back to their desks or squabble over the coolest looking rock, and spots his. It’s small, and with blackish spots, sitting off away from the pile. Sam feels sort of silly picking it up, but it feels right for a moment, like he’s a character in some great novel and this is something meaningful, something that will matter later and be representative of him.

“Now, I want everyone to sit down quietly at their desk. We’e going to go around the room, and everyone is going to hold one person’s rock and think good thoughts. Happy memories or things you like about them. They’ll be good luck charms, reminders of your year here at (school name).”

Sam looks down at his rock, thinks of how he will probably never see any of his classmates or teachers again, and even if he would he wouldn’t be able to recognize them. How their faces and names, aside from the most notable, will fade away into a blurry mess. How he will quietly pack away his friendships and leave them abandoned at the side of the road, mewling in some cardboard box, and this rock in the bushes beside the school. 

New state, new life.

He passes it along to the teacher, and tries to think of something for Adam Summerland’s rock.

❁

The sky feels rounded out here, curving to meet the grassland and covering everything in a blanket of powder blue. The Impala runs smooth even as the roads get worse and Dean starts wincing. Sam’s not sure why he’s so obsessed with making sure nothing touches the car, he’s half convinced it’s indestructible by now and the other half of him is sure Dean could repair it if it was a pile of scrap with a toothpick and rubber bands.

❁

Sam wiggles the doorknob of their motel room, easing it open. The door jams seemingly every time it closes, but he can’t expect much more from any place that lets a twelve year old live for weeks alone.

Twenty-eight days John and Dean have been gone. 

❁

He scrubs at his eyes with his sleeve, furious with Dean for being such a jerk, even more furious with himself for crying.

❁

Sam doesn’t go far, he’s mad at Dean but the pulse of anxiety at the thought of coming back and finding him crumpled on the floor wins out.

❁

Three things Sam can see. The yellow white of the bathroom tiles, Dean’s blood on the floor, the needle in his hands.

Three things Sam can taste. Sweat, tears, and iron.

Three things Sam can hear. The soft moaning of his brother in the bedroom, the low tones of his father, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

❁

The Impala waits for them at the end of the road proper. Dad’s leaning against it, hands in his pockets as he watches them come back to the house. 

He can’t have seen anything, wouldn’t look so calm if he did but a chill runs through Sam anyways, putting out the fire Dean lit in him. Suddenly the sunlight is cold on his skin, the warmth leached out of the land.

Dean climbs up the porch steps and doesn’t look back, leaving Sam standing in the grass, lips tingling. He can feel the weight of his brother's hand where it rested on nis shoulder, like it burned a scar there.

They’re going to Washington this time. New state, new life.

[bettsfic]

Your advice is always so helpful! I'm in the process of trying to organize my own WIPs based on your tips from your newsletter. Now that I've successfully convinced myself to finally abandon some work, I want to follow your advice of holding onto writing for later reference in case you ever find a new use for it. Out of curiosity, do you format that type of writing in any particular way or just have one large document of it?

that's something i'm working on. right now i keep separate trash documents for each fic, and for specific sentences and paragraphs i've gotten rid of but still like, i highlight them in yellow. and if i think "hm hold on i've written that sentence before" i just keep searching my drive until i find it. otherwise, most of time i only end up writing the flavor of what i'm taking from my abandoned works and rewriting it completely.

here's an example. this dialogue is from an older draft of Acquittal, which i just posted but wrote before Digging for Orchids in 2020.

the original exchange, which didn't make the cut for either fic:

“What if I want something you can’t give me?” Xie Lian asks. “There is nothing I can’t give you.” “You would really give me anything?” “Anything.” “What if I wanted to cut off your pinky finger?” He holds up his pinky. “It’s yours.” Xie Lian hooks his own pinky into it. “Where is the line, San Lang?” “With you, I have no lines.” “You would let me kill you?” “My life is yours to take.” “You’re just saying that. You’re not serious.” “I have never been more serious about anything. Let me prove it to you. Cut off my pinky.” “I’m not going to do that.” “Then do something else.” “Like what?” “Something you think you’re not allowed to do.”

even though i like this bit of dialogue, i rewrote it multiple times and it became this:

“Last night,” Xie Lian says, “you said I could do what I wanted to you. Did you mean that? I can do what I like to you?” “Anything.” San Lang squeezes his hand. “Even hurt you?” The dim lamp light seems to glint off his wide smile. “I am yours to hurt.” “San Lang,” Xie Lian says, taken aback. “You can’t say things like that.” “Would gege like me to stop?” Yes, he tries to say. That would be the right thing to do, to stop…whatever is happening before it goes too far. “No,” he admits. San Lang leans a little closer. “What else would gege like to do to me?”

in 2020, i lifted the original exchange wholesale for an early draft of Digging for Orchids, thinking i was never going to post Aquittal. but after multiple revisions, it turned into this:

“My husband’s pleasure is all that matters to me,” Hua Cheng said. “I would do anything he asked.” “Anything? No limits?” “None.” “I’m being serious right now.” “As am I.” “You would really do anything.” “Anything, at any time, for any reason.”

both exchanges started from the same dialogue in my trash doc, but the initial exchange never made it to either. and even then, that came from an original story i wrote in 2017:

Two months into their arrangement, during the snuggle portion of the evening, Cody asked, “Would you cut off my pinky if I asked you to?” “Sure,” Todd said. “But I’m not driving you to the hospital."

this makes me sound like i have some kind of fetish for cutting off fingers, but really it's just an image to connect to my ongoing exploration of codependency and boundary issues.

i'm not sure if this is helpful at all, but hopefully it made sense. in the next issue of my newsletter i'm hoping to write about keeping a disorganization notebook, which is different than an abandoned WIP trash doc, but might have some helpful principles in terms of how to organize the unorganizable.

[writeblrcafe]

Digital interview with Arista Holmes @author-a-holmes

Arista Holmes comes into Writeblrcafé and orders a coffee. With a hot mug of coffee in hand, they sit down on a bench. We start talking about their writing journey. They are currently writing a book and sometimes flash fiction in their favourite genres fantasy and fiction.

What got you into writing?

Honestly, I don't truly know. I've been telling stories since my earliest memories, so around the age of 2, where I'd pull out old second hand toys and use them as characters. The first time I remember actually writing down one of my stories, I was about 7 or 8, and wrote a story for class called "Rosie the Rabbit Goes On An Adventure".

What inspires you to write?

I get my inspiration from all over the place. Observing the world. An interesting character trait. Overheard snippets of conversation. But what usually starts an idea is something that makes me wonder: "What if... XYZ happened?"

Which are recurring themes in your writing?

Slow burn romance, found family, and protagonists getting into more trouble than they know how to handle alone!

How would you describe your writing style?

Oooh, that's a tough one. I know how I hope my style comes across; clear, fun, whimsical, realistic. But whether I successfully pull that off? I think that's up to the readers to decide.

How do you deal with writer's block?

Depends on the source of the block. The first thing I usually try is stepping away from the manuscript for a couple of days in case it's the start of burn out. If I recover quickly, that's usually what it was, and I can get back to work. If I'm still feeling blocked a couple of days later, that tells me there's something wrong with the manuscript. I've gone wrong somewhere, and need to tweak something. I'll usually read back over the current chapter, or if I'm near the start of the previous chapter, and see if I can spot where I went off the tracks. As a last resort, I'll rewrite the previous chapter from another point of view. More often than not, this trick solves my block, either because it's given me a different perspective on the scene, or because it's just managed to get the words flowing for me again.

Do you have a wip? Tell us about it:

I do! My current work in progress is called 'Darkling' and it's book two of my debut series, The Fey Touched Trilogy. Book one launched last month, and is available at all the major stores e-book stores, and as a paperback and hard cover via Amazon.

Have you already published your writing?

Changeling (book 1 of the Fey touched trilogy)

You can tell us more interesting stuff about you here:

I'm an English writer living in the south-east of England. When I'm not cuddling my demon cat, or drinking coffee, I'm usually writing, reading, or playing computer games to relax.

Thank you for the good talk and keep writing!

Get interviewed by Writeblr Café!

Any writer can participate. Just fill in this form by clicking on the link below. Maybe we will host interviews in an audio format if you are more interested in listening to an interview than reading it.

[monsterkissed]

⭐⭐ directors cut! For any of the fics from the diadop week prompts this year!

ohoho Excellent. it's late so these will be a bit brief but i absolutely cannot sleep on this (furute!tadhg note: nevermind this is actually obnoxiously long and detailed and i am absolutely going to wake up late tomorrow morning, worth it tho)

i'll cover you: i really loved writing this one... Eventually. i drafted and re-drafted it over and over. it was originally a lot more standard in format and i had these ideas i wanted to do but they just weren't clicking. i don't remember why i decided to try the format i went with but it just immediately made it all come together, the one-sided conversation and all the implications in that were so much fun. the penultimate trish-twist was also iirc not in the original outline but it felt so perfect in the moment. i love doppio as a villain and it was so much fun to lean into that.

stranger in a strange land: blame @mistytpednaem. entirely. we'd spoken about the pinks and foof and the Genders a lot and i'd always wanted to write something so this was my excuse. another one with a big rewrite, that one more my own fault. originally i'd been trying to think of ways to get foof out of prison to meet the diadops and it kept not quite working, but that was because i had broken one of my own rules: never throw away an inconvenience. characters and scenes tend to work best when there's something getting in the way, it adds bite and bounce that keeps things moving. prison is about as inconvenient as it gets, and as soon as i put them all into the same difficult situation it just all flowed. i liked writing a more mature, post-VA diavolo here who has clearly had to chill on a few things but is still essentially his own terrible self. also: loved to sneak in a lil boss!trish.

(as much as someone like me could love anyone): i had this vision in my head for king crimson requiem (or at least diavolo's ideal version of it specifically) for a long while but nothing specific to do with it. this one came out of that, trying to dig into the fundamental flaw with diavolo, which is that he believe in nonsense and the things he wants aren't sustainable or good for him. i genuinely believe that of the main villains he's the one who would truly fail to thrive if he ever "won" his part and i wanted to see what happens when he's gone for so long that even he is starting to realise that, but far too late to fix it.

inside out: my beautiful awful hot mess au. i use present tense in this one and honestly every time i write diavolo it's a real struggle not to, the metaphor is too tempting. i love role reversals for these two and there's clearly not enough so i must once again do everything myself. i really wanted to thread the needle of the switch, keep them both still recognisable but with their dynamic uprooted, and i'm pretty happy with the compromise i came up with? i never wanted diavolo to be completely meek and without any of his grandiosity or doppio to be cold and calculating. diavolo believes so firmly that he Must exist as a uniquely chosen creature, and moving that fixation slightly lower, from king of everything to the king's right hand, breaks him in a fun way. he also can't sidestep the nature of his feelings for doppio as easily as dop can in their original configuration because of how closely doppio is tied to his own ego, resulting in pretty much every line he thinks about him in the narration being one of my favourite things i've ever written, but particularly his contrasting of their different "sharp edges" and his reaction to doppio telling him that he's not angry with him. also: another sneaky trish...

paper boats: i knew i wanted to do an ot3 fic but this one was at the bottom of my list of considerations because i thought, probably accurately, that nobody would care about a spin-off to my big wip that was so entangled in it (far moreso than steady as she goes or gasoline, which i think can broadly stand alone). i think what clinched it was the summary, which is odd because i usually write those last because they are nightmares. but i had started trying to give myself a headstart by drafting rough notes on them as i wrote, and there's such a fun, punchy simplicity to "leone abbacchio is losing his fucking mind." i think before this i wrote his POV all of once, for a few hundred words of another fic, so i was a bit anxious about it, especially as he's on the low end of my tier list out of the main cast and i care a lot about writing characters i am less hype about in a way that still does them justice (this is part of why he gets some of my funniest lines in bngn, and also is objectively right about doppio being sus like, every single time he brings it up). but bngn had already kind of challenged me to get in his head (lol) and i'd been having fun with that and wanted to dig into it a bit more than that fic had allowed, and the whole notion of being possessed is obviously fun and flirty content to me. the secondhand attraction and the combination of soft and repulsive feelings around it was just a delight and the repeating and recursive past stuff was already a big fun theme in bngn but worked even better with abbacchio as a character with his abilities and backstory. i really put him through the wringer on this one and it was great. i think my favourite individual parts would be him summing up doppio's improvised, rough and ready guile and nerve and the section about his ptsd vs mista's gun-based abilities. another aspect that i didn't get to really explore in bngn is that his own idolisation and affection for bruno, giving up his moral autonomy to a person he believes can use it Better, is a parallel to doppio's feelings. they both are willing to give it all to this person they think is remarkable in ways they can't be, and that gives them a lot of strong feelings for that person but a fundamental inability to truly connect with them and see what their issues are and how to fix them because of the pedestal they have put them on and the inferior position they've cast themselves in. so they're stuck going through the motions unable to genuinely meet them as equals. it's messy and unhealthy for all involved and i live for that shit.

land of the dead: another concept i'd wanted to write for a while but couldn't find a way to latch onto. this was very loosely inspired by a piece of fanart that is now probably buried under years of content in my jjba tag, but if anyone dms me i can dig it out of my (extensive) fanart folder lol. for this one the key was revolving it around doppio talking to the original VA survivors, that was the structure that the idea needed to come together, and from there it just worked. it was also a lesson that i need to remember to trust my readers, i was Very worried that people would get frustrated with the mystery and tap out or not understand what was happening. i do worry a lot that when i play with big ideas they will sound smarter and more interesting in my head, lol. but people seemed to really enjoy the process of everything coming together? when you write, never pitch it at an imaginary reader who gets confused, annoyed or bored, and try to fix the imaginary problems they might have with it. always write for an imaginary reader who Gets you, who is on the same page, loves the things you love and is just as excited about the work as you are. it really helps! i think my favourite part of this one is pretty obvious when reading back, because the sadistic glee i'm taking in giorno and doppio's argument is palpable, lmao. it's a whole mess of awful miserable feelings coming together, at each other and themselves, and the moment i wrote that i knew it was gonna work.

there doesn't seem to be anyone around: i used to worry that i didn't have the ability to write sex scenes and that this was a flaw in my writing the way that any glaring omission would be. nowadays, i am certain that i don't have the ability to write normal sex scenes, and i'm kind of okay with that. i just can't talk romantically about the more blunt, mechanical, biological aspects of it; it's probably telling that i never have this problem with gore or violence but i cannot find a way to make some wholesome masturbation sound Vibrant once i get into the nitty-gritty detail. i think it's noticeable that i spend more time talking around it and even the feelings and sensations tend to be a bit more abstract (tho that's not unusual for my style in general). maybe one day i will figure it out. for today, i write fics that are more about self-image and dissociation and asymmetry and playing with power and security. it does amuse me that tho both parts are almost equal if you put them side by side, diavolo's is a bit longer because he is incapable of not making every single thought and feeling The Most Important Thing. the author's note was also originally way longer because i could not shut up about that one scene in hate plus and how it changed my whole view on not just sex scenes but writing entire relationships. i really must get on with the Other sequel fic to 'i think we're alone now' sometime...

[helloasha]

My Initial Writing Process

⚠️Disclaimer⚠️ Obviously, there is no right way to go about writing your story. Some people plan every minute detail beforehand. While others fly by the seat of their pants. I'm somewhere in between. I need enough structure to keep things on track but not so much where it stifles my creative process. As I get to know my characters and their personality develops, I allow them to tell their story.

1. It starts with either an idea for a plot or an idea for the M.C.

For my current WIP, it started with an idea for the plot. Before I settled upon this current plot, I came up with quite a few potential plot ideas. I think my brainstorming document has well over 20 ideas.

2. Flesh out the character or write a synopsis of the story.

Since I started with the plot for the story, I wrote a synopsis. Typically, I limit my synopsis to no more than 3 paragraphs. Then, I rewrite the synopsis once or twice. Writing it from a different perspective allows me to play around with point of view, subplot, and sometimes genre without having to rewrite the whole story.

2B. High-level view of the main characters

Now, at this point in my writing process, my characters aren't fully fleshed out. In some cases (especially this one), my characters' names aren't even determined. I will often give them a temporary name if I don't have something specific in mind. However, there are a few things that are concrete:

Role in the story: Are they the M.C., antagonist, love interest, best friend, henchmen, etc.

Main motivation/purpose in the story

Key words that summarize their personality.

3. General Chapter Outline

I mean, I feel like this is self-explanatory. But once I am happy with the general plot, I then write a few sentences about what takes place in each chapter. The number of chapters depends on how long I want the book to be and if I plan on having a sequel. In this case, since I am outlining a manga series, I think about how many books will be in a series. As we all know, this number can vary, but I feel like somewhere between 10-15 books, a series is sufficient. The current plan is for this story to be a one-shot. However, I am not married to that idea. By this point, I have a potential ending (or two) in mind.

4. DETAILS ...DETAILS... DETAILS

World Building, Character profiles, Magic systems. I could go on and on about these topics. If you'd like me to go more in-depth, I can always create a specific post. However, for this story, their world isn't too magical or fantastical. The story takes place in a world much like our own with a few differences.

Once the world and characters have more substance, then I'll start outlining each chapter. The chapter outline will include the main events that take place. It may include dialog but doesn't always.

5. First Draft / Script / Storyboard

Now, there's not much left to do except start on the initial draft. Writing a manuscript is pretty straightforward. For formatting, I will choose a template and start writing the story based on the chapter outline. During this initial draft, my goal is to get words on the page. And try to stick as close to the outline as possible.

When working on a comic script, I will note things like page numbers, panel numbers, panel size, scene location, shot angle, sound effects, and dialog. Once I complete a chapter, I will then go back and create the storyboard. When storyboarding, I am not worried about detailed illustrations. Often, during this process, inconsistencies are made more apparent. There is also a bit of editing that can take place if need be.

6. Editing, Revisions, Final Artwork

Yeah, there's not much to say here. I will often ask a friend or someone to review it. So far, I've only ever written stories for fun or for an assignment in university. So, I've never gotten a professional editor or beta readers or anything like that. However, since I plan on publishing this work, I will definitely consider hiring someone to review it.

Like I've said, I'm no expert or anything like that, and I've only written mostly for myself or the occasional fan-fiction. I plan on sharing more parts of this process as time goes on.

[trexy225]

So! I feel like people who have been around a while wonder how I write so much. And honestly I have no idea but I can try and guess. This is basically me trying to figure out why and how I write so much 😃

I feel like it’s a combined force of spite, wanting to tell my stories, organization, and comments from people that keep me going. I’ve always been a creative person and it wasn’t until recently that I got back into writing. I use it as a coping mechanism and instead of lashing out at people or you know focusing on the negativity in my life, I channel all my creative (and frustrated) energy into my writing. So honestly when you can see me updating a lot, something is going on haha. I’m extremely busy and it’s hard to find time to write, usually I will open up my laptop and jot down like 100-500 words when I have a spare five minutes. I’ve started to write in composition notebooks and I’m able to write more if I have like a minute so I have several chapters written that I just gotta write down on my google docs lol. Usually write during the weekends, lunch, and at night but tbh sometimes I just don’t have energy. I just have a lot of energy and I finally found a way to channel what I have.

I also write for my readers, not just myself. When I was at a super dark time when I was younger, I used reading fanfiction as an outlet. (Not sure if it helped or made things worse Imma choose the first option) and I know that everyone is struggling. I hope that my fics can make someone’s day and show them that they’re not alone. I’ve always had positive intentions and I hope that it’s been reflected in my writing.

NOW I think that how I organize and format my writing also plays a huge role in it, I have a fic template that I use and it helps me plot out my ideas. Basically I figure out what I want the ending to be and I write an outline. And then I write ^^. If I’m unable to figure out what to write, I will use a wheel of names or look at the ones that I didn’t update recently. Usually I try to do like a cycle of updating but I’ve decided to just write whichever fics I feel like writing. All of my WIPS have endings, and that means that imma finish it. Sometimes I run out of steam but in the end, I always want to finish my fics. I have many fics that I’m working on the outline and just basic stuff that I’ve been working on in the background.

I also use several methods to start writing when I have time. A lot of things I’ve learned from writing accounts on insta and tumblr. I am always working on this writers toolbox with vocab and how to write certain things, if anyone wants that hmu. However it’s a huge WIP and it’s not complete. I work on it when there’s time to do things but I don’t feel like writing. Some things I do to start writing is write three sentences, change the weather, change the POV, write a different part, go back to a finished fic and rewrite a chapter, ask for constructive criticism, look at comments and also Fanart for inspiration. For my AU’s sometimes I will watch movies and TV shows, like for POYW I’ll watch little mermaid and princess movies or for Kraken’s Callin’ I’ll watch Treasure Planet and the pirates of the Caribbean or OFMD. For stranded I’ll watch horror survival movies and so on and so on the list goes on forever.

If anyone has any questions pls ask, I love to help ^^ I’m an amateur and I’m learning new things everyday. But at the end of the day, I love to write and I’m always working to be better and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

(Might update this as life goes on idk I’m so busy)

Ok slay bye bye

[stephaniemayauthor]

All About Editing

I believe it was Robert Graves who once said "there is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting."

That is why I both love and hate the editing process. By the time I've released a novel, it can feel like I've read the thing about 79 times. But editing is a crucial step between make or break. I've seen 1 star reviews because the reader found grammatical errors.

Here are my steps of the editing process :

1. As soon as I've finished typing the first draft, I head straight back to the beginning and do an edit on the laptop. I am well aware MANY people advise against this. Why? Because it's too fresh in the author's mind; they're bound to make mistakes and overlook issues. However, I feel BECAUSE it is so fresh and I now know everything there is to know, there isn't a better time to catch mistakes. Full disclosure: I am a panster, which probably has something to do with it. I need to write in order to flesh out characters. I scarcely know the universe I'm creating. I don't want to know what will happen on page 50 if I have not yet written page 5. To me, it's like reading the ending first. So with that, I do an edit on the laptop, also because it allows me to keep multiple tabs open at a time - Google, Macquarie Dictionary etc. It also gives me a chance to fix spelling errors, and time to cut filter words/redundancies/over usage of taglines.

2. After I've cleaned up my WIP (work in progress) with my laptop edit, THEN I put it aside for months before I pick it up again. I get the good people at Officeworks to print out and bind the pages with a coil. My preferred method is working with actual paper. For my next round of revisions, I use a good old red pen and different-coloured highlighters. There's no limit to these edits. It can be 5 or 10 rounds, all depending on the subject matter (like historical fiction).

3. At this stage I will start looking for manuscript critique partners. Their job is not to fix spelling and syntax, but for finding lingering issues, and working on important aspects such as: pacing, plotting, character development, overall feel, lingering/unanswered questions and inconsistencies. I feel this is a necessary step in the beginning stages, as by now I feel I'm shaping up the novel well, but may need a bit of guidance.

4. After taking their advice onboard and making appropriate changes, I then run my manuscript through ProWritingAid. Chapter by chapter, I copy and paste and let it run a report on my WIP. I don't always agree, but this has proven to be extremely useful in more ways than one.

5. Next I use the 'read aloud' function on Word. This is one of my favourite stages. It takes a long time, sure. But worth it? 100%! Our eyes can be deceptive, but the ears cannot. I can't recall the amount of mistakes 'read aloud' uncovered. It's astonishing, actually. Anyone not having a system/app where you can hear your own words is only doing themselves a disservice. Trust me. Do this!

6. One of the final stages is sending it off to my editor. I don't believe there's a substitute for having a professional read over your work. Some say you can bypass this round if you cannot afford it, but by God, I'm begging indie authors to find a way to pay. Even if you have excellent spelling and grammar skills, there are still other things to look out for: continuity, redundancy, filter words, crutch words ...

7. After following my editor's strong advice and making changes, I read through my WIP one more time, then lastly do another 'read aloud' edit (sometimes this can be a simple thing like using 'scrapping', when really I meant 'scraping').

8. My favourite part of the process: sending it off to the formatting team. Once I receive this back and it looks like an actual novel, I then read one more time to check there are no lingering mistakes and pesky errors.

I don't expect anyone to follow what I do step-by-step. I believe we should take or leave advice as we see fit. At the end of the day, it is YOUR novel, including styling and author voice. But, I have been asked about my steps before, so if this helps in any way, then I can rest easy.

To emerging indie authors: good luck, and God speed with your editing process ...

[firesong-writes69]

WIP Notes/World Building

Hello~ Since my latest post about “The Far Side of The Moon” got some recognition, I thought it’d be nice to give you all a little background about the story. I’ve been working on it for over five years, and it’s gone through MANY rewrites, and character changes, but thankfully the version I’m presenting to you is the one that’s sticking. I’ll be swiftly diving-head first into this when I finish “August McKenna”. This week I’ll see if I can make a power point for the wip, to keep all my ideas in one place. For now, have them in bullet-point form. 

Enjoy! 

“Lumina” is a habitable planet, also known as Trillia in the Delphic Star System. It has mostly rock formations and water, where the Zurian - the main intelligent life form - tribes have taken over. It is larger than Earth and rotates on its axis around its three suns. There are thirteen known and reported planets that the Zurians have colonized in the Delphi Star System. Dr. Harlem and Colony Alpha’s team currently only have plans to invade Trilla 247d, the fourth out of thirteen in the Delphic Star system. 

Terra was born in the year 2490 with the story taking place in the year 2510. She’s 20 years old. Link is 9, and he was born in the year 2491. Wyatt is 27, and he was born in the year 2483. To put into perspective of their ages, imagine that if this were modern times, Terra would have been born in 1990, Link’s birth year would be 2001, and Wyatt would have been born in the year 1983. I’d imagine that since the year 2500 is the turn of the 25th century, the humans will be quite different. I’m taking creative liberties here. The book takes place over a decade, so it starts in the year 2510, and ends in the year 2520. (See what I did there, huh? HUHHH? I’m so clever). 

Wyatt and Terra originally called the boy “Red”, until Terra and her new charge went on a daring mission to bring back his deceased friend, who was named Lincoln. They were the last remaining survivors of their Colony. When the Mayor gave his friend a proper burial ceremony, the boy took upon the name, and promised to continue his friend’s journey. The boy decided to call himself “Phoenix Link”, as an homage to his friend. 

When Link’s fate is being decided, Terra becomes a likely ally to the young boy. She notices his face during the meeting and notices just how lost he is, how alone he is, and for once in her life, she realizes that like her, Link is alone. Despite being unable to explain his past, as his memory is gone, his repressed emotions indicate severe trauma.

A follow up post will delve more deeply into my aliens, the Zurians, and their home planet - Lumia, or Trilla of the Delphic Star System. I’m at a loss as to how to do that, though. Should I write it like a brochure? Or an informational piece? OR - a journal entry through the POV of Terra? Tell me ur thoughts, I’m curious. 

taglist under the cut.

@silent-creed @howdy-writes @piyawrites @chayscribbles @writingamongthecoloredroses @the-writing-rat @reininginthefirewriting @august-iswriting @azepci

[concerningwolves]

Firstly, I'd like to say your stories sound amazing and I wish you all the best with them! Secondly, you might've answered this (or it might be difficult to answer) but how do you go about just starting a second draft? I've got a few first drafts scattered around and I'd like to edit them but... there's just so much and I have no idea where to start and then I just end up not doing it because it just seems like an insurmountable task. Help, please?

this went into my drafts with the idea that i would work on it next weekend, but,,, it has since been several months’ worth of weekends, and i’m only just getting to it 😅

Starting Second Drafts  

For me, the second draft is less about editing what I’ve written, and more about refining what happens. You’ll probably find your own way of working as you redraft more of your stories, but here’s six key points that have really helped me: 

1) PRINT IT OUT & CHANGE IT UP

(I’m assuming here you’ve typed your first draft; if you wrote it longhand, ignorethese next two paragraphs)

Most of writing is just playing mind games with yourself, and there’s nobetter way to do this than change the font and/or text colour from one draft to the next. It gives your writing a new look and tricks your brain into paying attention again, which helps when you’re reading through the first draft and deciding what’s going to happen to it.

Printing it out is a large part of this – having your story in a different format lets you look at it from a different angle, both literally and figuratively. It alsomeans you can make notes and cross out chunks directly on paper, which is avery satisfying process (and as writers, we need to take our satisfaction wherewe can!).

2) SCRIBBLE ALL OVER IT

I think that the reason the second draft seems so daunting it because there’s this pressure to Make It All Perfect, and attacking your first draft with coloured pens and post-it notes alleviates that somewhat. It doesn’t have to be neat; it just hasto make sense to you.

Don’t try to filter your ideas, either – if you think of something that could change, or that you want to add, write it down, even if it conflicts with what you’vealready got. Keeping all your options open will help when you get to later draftsand revisions, and want to look back see how else scenes or plots could playout.

3) FOCUS ON THE BIGGER PICTURE

Following on from the last point, it’s also important to remember that the second draft isn’t about making your prose nice and clean, or about finalising those littledetails like what houseplants your characters keep or what the café they eat atis called. The second draft is still very much Bigger Picture territory, i.e.,getting plot events in the right order or weaving through character growth and subplots.

Here’s a picture of what When Dealing with Wolves’ first draft looked like when Iwas working on it:

[ID: a printed-out manuscript, headed with the titles “Second Draft” and “Chapter One”. I’ve messily written all over the text in red pen, circling large chunks and indicating changes with arrows. /End ID]

And here’s one of draft two/three, for comparison in the editing style:

[ID: a second printed out page, this time with more detailed notes correcting grammar and rewriting sentences. Lots of words and lines are crossed out in thick black pen. /End ID]

In the former, the focus is on moving around scenes or details so that they made more sense; in the latter, I was paying more attention to sentence form and prose, as well as restructuring.

4) REFINE YOUR NOTES

Once you’ve got this lovely scrawled-on mess, you’ll probably want to make some decisions re: what’s going to happen in draft two. Take your scribbled notes from the first draft and decide what you think will work best, thinking about:

Plot events

Character growth

Worldbuilding changes

Subplots

(How detailed these notes are depends on your writing planning style. Whether you do a few bullet points as a vague outline or plan each plot point meticulously is entirely up to you).

5) START FROM SCRATCH

Okay, not quite from scratch. You’ve got all those notes, and you still have your first draft to refer to as well. What “start from scratch” means in this context is “don’t just work directly onto the first draft document”.

What you want with your second draft is freedom to let the story grow, and you can’t get that if you edit straight into the confines of your first draft. Re-typingscenes instead of copy and pasting also makes you think about them,getting your brain to approach any problems in new ways.

And, last but not least—

6) GIVE YOURSELF SPACE TO EXPLORE

I’ve seen this said about first drafts countless times, but it goes for second drafts, too! If you want to write several different versions of scene, do it. Want tochange a character’s name for the sixth time? Go for it. I don’t consider theplot, or even the details, of a WIP fixed until I’m into the final revisions ofthe last draft.

The only thing to remember is always, always keep track of your changes, be that via an Excel spreadsheet, notes in a separate word document, or novel journal entries. That way, if you decide later that an old idea actually works better, you can go back and retrieve it with minimal fuss.

I hope this helps, and sorry for the late reply! 

[Ko-Fi | FAQ | Patreon]

[lee-jinkis-ponytail]

Something they don’t tell you is that the writing process isn’t only different for every writer, but for every *book* too.

My previous WIP, The World As It Should Be, had such a detailed outline. I had 20 chapters listed carefully and I stuck to that exact format until the very end. It made the writing process so breezy and fast, and I finished the rough draft in only a few months. The finished product is exactly how I envisioned it.

I have two more WIPs I’m working on now, At the Meeting of the Rivers and an untitled Robin Hood horror tale.

The second one I have generally outlined--not chapter by chapter, like I did with TWAISB, but the major plot points are there.

But for the other... I have no idea. I have a specific beginning and ending in mind, but only a vague idea of the middle. So I’m pants-ing it, which is a completely new experience to me. I don’t know if I like the experience at all, and it’s making the writing process slow and clunky. I’m also pretty sure it’ll require heavy rewrites once I’m done with this first draft, unlike TWAISB, which will only require a broad edit checking for plot holes/typos/etc. I have tried a dozen times to create an outline for At the Meeting of the Rivers, but the story simply insists on coming to life organically/lawlessly.

And honestly? There has been a big toll on my confidence to get to the place where I can finally admit to myself that that’s okay. Not every book is the same.

When I was still a newbie writer, I always thought: “If I can just finish writing one book, the next one and the next one and the next one will be so much easier to write.”

That’s a lie. I’ve been writing stories since I was 6 years old (that’s, uhh, 21 years--almost 22!!--for those of you keeping track, holy shit) and I still have no idea what I’m doing. So if you’re feeling that way too, you’re not alone.

[howdoyoudothedew]

Another long SPN post

This time it’s notes from my WIPs. I never actually really wrote any of these, but tags and titles are included. Anyone can use these as starting points for a fanfic, have fun

Henry/Balthazar Summary: When Henry’s mentor, Benny, doesn’t return from the war Henry is saddened. He refuses to believe Benny died. Won’t even entertain it. On the way to find his missing mentor/father figure, he meets Balthazar. A strange man with a british accent and a habit of flirting with everyone, especially him. He finds Benny. He finds love. THen Balthazar tells him he’s from another time period and has to go. The last chapter is Balthazar saving Henry from Abaddon. Side note: Henry has blue eyes that Balthy apparently likes to wax poetic about Chapter One The day’s circled on his calendar. ‘Benny comes home’. That would be today. Or, it would’ve been. He had gotten the letter a week ago. ‘Benjamin Lafitte died in the war. We send our condolences.’ The letter, of course, wasn’t actually as cold and unfeeling as that. But it didn’t matter. Because it felt like that. It felt like someone had taken him and shoved him in an ice bath. He couldn’t believe the letter. He wouldn’t believe the letter. Benny had promised he’d live through this war. And if he had to find him, then by golly he’d find him. Even if he had to do it on his own. Henry snuck out of the bunker that night. A pack of food was the only thing he brought with him. That, and a picture of him and Benny. No one caught him on the way out. He knew the passages too well. He stole a bike from the garage, and left. There would be no note left in his absence. No trace of where he’d gone. Because if he’d left one, he worried that they’d try to find him. Find him and drag him back. But he couldn’t go back. Not now. Not without Benny. New section He’d been on the hunt for four days now. Had traveled from Lebanon, Kansas to Chattanooga, Tennessee and was slowly making his way to the Georgia coastline. His plan was to check coastal cities first. Then he’d work inwards till he covered all of the US. He only hoped Benny would return here and not go to another country. This is where he runs into Balthazar It’s when he’s asking a bartender if he’d ever seen Benny, while showing his picture Balthy comes up to him and says “Are you from around here, because you’re a perfect ten.”

----

Don't Make Bets With Love Goddesses Five chapters Alternative meeting, canon divergent, Gabriel is Loki, Aphro has her son arrow multiple people, but Gabe bypasses them all “You cheated!” “That never seemed to matter to you before, now how did I cheat?” “Eros shot Sam with an arrow!” “My son’s arrow never touched the Winchester.” Everyone has what the humans would call a ‘soulmate’, not everyone finds them and they're not always romantic. It looks like Gabe found his, though.

Chapter One Explains how Loki has messed around, yet has never fallen in love “I will never fall in love” the Norse god boasted. He was talking out of his ass, and Aphrodite knew it. Loki bets Aphrodite that he will never fall in love She accepts with a wicked twinkle in her eye Aphro has never been able to pass up bets, especially when they deal with love He was close once, with Kali, but it ultimately fell flat It didn’t even actually fall flat with Gabe, but with Kali who could sense his growing attachment and cut off their involvement before it could happen. They had made a promise to each other that their thing would remain ‘no strings attached’. Then years where nothing happens

Chapter Two Sam enters the scene He’s tall and handsome; funny, sarcastic, witty. And he’s one of the only people Gabe has ever met that won’t take his crap. That will see right through it. Gabriel vows right then and there that he won’t fall in love with Sam.

----

Different Circumstances Summary: Where the first meeting isn't of a boy with demon blood and an archangel, hidden as a trickster god, disguised as a janitor. Nor is the second meeting, or the third, or even the fifth. Until suddenly it is and the world seems just that much more messed up. Six chapters Tags: Canon divergent, Canon universe, 5 + 1 format, fluff, angst

Chapter One High school Gabe is the ‘bad kid’ They bond over pranks, and Gabe teaches Sam a few tricks

Chapter Six Sam connects all the dots and realizes the few people he had met in his life, the ones other than Jess that he had clicked with on automatic, were all the same person. Where all the trickster, Loki the god of mischief, and Gabriel the messenger of God. He hadn’t even clicked with Jess as quickly as he had seemed to click with each and every version of Gabe he had met. And now he was gone.

----

To Heal A Soul Summary: Castiel isn't the only angel who tried to save Sam Winchester from the Cage. But while Castiel got a body, the other found only a soul. Tiny and broken, frayed at the edges, yet still somehow alive curled up in the corner of the Cage. Gabe keeps and heals Sam’s soul until he feels that it could be replaced with minimum consequences, when he does replace it there is still a battle. Gabe can’t help him with this battle, none of Team Free Will can. Gabe's dog is Max Chapter One Gabe gets Sam’s soul, just his soul, from the Cage because he knows what’ll happen if he puts his soul back in his body after Lucifer had ripped it out Sam gets a different… form type thing. Like, I don’t know Gabe uses pagan magic to give Sam a body like his own Explains to Sam the situation

----

Stacy’s Dad (Lafittz) Tags: help me for i know not what im doing, i love this song and had to do this though, babysitter!garth, single father!benny, female teen oc, benny is older than garth by a few years, dilf!Benny, Notes: I'm sorry for the dilf tag, but I thought of it and it was too funny to me to not include it. Garth’s turned twenty a day ago, and is babysitting Benny’s kid (she’s twelve, so it’s not exactly babysitting) Benny’s thirty (his wife and him had Stacy when they were eighteen, they married right out of high school) Garth asks Benny out, saying that he promised him when he was eleven he’d go out with him when he turned twenty Stacy and Garth go to the pool, where Benny may work as a lifeguard Or, Stacy met Garth during her freshman year and they hit it off immediately as friends But Stacy liked Garth, and when he met Stacy’s dad it was practically love at first sight. (Because he's mushy like that) Or Benny and Andrea had her at sixteen, and Benny was estatic. Sure, it was early and he wasn't sure if he was ready, but he'd be damned if he didn't try to be a good father.

----

Scarecrow Summary: Remake where Cas is a “hunter” who Dean picks up on the way to ----, he's working the same case and they decide to pretend to be a couple to solve it. Also, instead of Meg, Sam runs into Gabriel because he picks him up on the road before he got to Meg. Sam’s part is inspired in part by the honeythief amv. Tags: s01e11 Scarecrow, rewrite, i tried, canon divergent, canon hopping, beginning unchanged, fake/pretend relationship, bonding(????) Dean picks up Cas either along the road (a parallel of their brothers) or at the food place he and Sammy split A man slid into the seat Sam had vacated, black hair Dean could only describe as bedroom hair, piercing blue eyes, and a trenchcoat. “So you're going after the missing couples, too?” The other couple isn't there, instead the people there immediately assume they're a couple Cas immediately goes with it and when Dean asks about it later he simply shrugs and explains that this job seemed to require some falsehood

---- Short ficlet where they find Narnia. “I thought you'd already been to Narnia given how deep inside the closet you are,” Gabriel joked.

----

Sabriel Anniversary Sam: Gabriel, I figured we could go where I first fell in love with you. Gabriel: Sam, I'd rather not… Sam: Why not? Gabriel: I have bad memories there. Sam, in surprise: Bad memories? I mean , sure we tried to kill you Gabriel: Lucifer killed me. Sam: Oh… Oh! You were thinking Elysian Fields? I meant Crawford Hall! Gabriel: What? Sam nervously rubs the back of his neck while looking away: Yeah… Could never really get you out of my head after that. *looks back at him* Even when I really wanted to. ----

Everytime they find Gabriel again, Sam wants to ask Gabriel to help. He wants him to stay. Though he tells himself it's not for him, but the world. But then they leave him behind in that ring of holy fire. And he… dies. At the hands of Lucifer. Sam thinks that's it. But then he shows up again, only to save him and leave him. (But it wasn't just him- it was Castiel as well, he has to remind himself for the next few weeks till it sticks.) So this time Sam swallows everything down, and he tells himself it's okay. Gabriel would've never stayed. And that's fine. Then Gabriel's back again, and he finally agrees to be on their team. He finally agrees to simply stay, even if it isn't for him. So of course he has to die all over again. ----

A rebound. Gabriel knows that's exactly what this is. After knowing Sam for all these years, he can read him. Read him easier than he can read himself. Heck, he knew Jess and Sam’d date the second he saw them together. And just as he knew, a month later they were dating. So yeah, Gabriel knew how to read Sam and how he felt about others. Romantic feelings just weren't there for him. Sure, Sam sounded sincere. He truly believed he liked Gabriel, and Gabriel knew that. But he knew his best friend and he knew the feelings were just his body’s half-assed attempt at fixing whatever hole Jess had left him with that he refused to recognize.

“I'm not ready.” It's not a lie. Gabriel isn't ready to date anyone, even if he loves Sam with all his heart. But he refused to be a rebound. He told the girlfriend Sam has before Jess- Ruby- as much when she gave him her twisted blessing after Sam broke up with her. If Sam knew that's what he was looking for in Gabriel, it would crush him. The poor kid would feel terrible, and Gabriel knows it. That is something he won't allow. Sam deserved happiness, but it couldn't be with him. Not now. Maybe not ever.

---- Crime Cleaners crime scene cleaners sam and dean who get roped into something well above their paygrade by two particular Novaks, possible villain being Luci and Lilith, who is his 'queen' they definitely get help from their friend Bobby and the Novak's friends Charlie, Rowena, and Rowena's girlfriend, the coroner Billie Or, serial killers God and his Righteous Man, who are secretly Dean and Cas. Gabe and Sam are the ones trying to find them.

----

John Winchester and Chuck Shurley meet the parents thing. John first meets Cas, and Dean explains that Cas is his husband. Then he meets Gabriel, Sam’s bondmate-husband- and an archangel. When he mentions how weird this is, Gabriel is the one who points out that “If you think it's weird that your son in laws are angels, just remember that their father in law is literally God.”

----

Normal au, Gabriel shows up out of nowhere because he has to do a blood sugar test to check for diabetes or some shit and he just grabs Sam: “I need your blood.”

[justkindaoverhereobsessing]

I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU TO REBLOG THIS SO I COULD ASK. YAY. 1, 5, 11, 14 (WAAO), 17 (croissant croissant oui oui oui plus baguette), 18, 22, 25, 36, 49 and the most important of all, 50. ❤

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction?

It was more than half my lifetime ago—I was 10!

5) If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi chaptered stories, which would it be and why?

I only have a couple, lol, but I’d have to say We Are an Ocean. I’m not sure if I love it or hate it at this point, but I’ve put so so so so much effort and time and love into it! It’s my baby! 

11) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

Not on major plot points, but... About ten years ago, I wrote a oneshot based in the late 1940s, and someone pointed out to me that seatbelts in cars weren’t really a thing back then. I did go back and change that, lmao. Fly free, kiddos, you’re on your own in a car crash! 

14) How did you come up with the title for We Are an Ocean? 

I HAD SUCH A HARD TIME WITH IT. I knew I wanted it to be friends-with-benefits turned lovers turned partners in every aspect, but the gradual change there over the course of the story makes it hard to choose a single theme... and I almost always name my fics based on theme! I literally spent two days scouring quotes in about twenty different themes, and finally found the quote I used and decided it was good enough. It was defeatism more than anything, lmao! Here’s the whole quote from which I got the title of the fic: "Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean." -Ryunosuke Satoro. 

17) Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on. (I cheated and did three from my ‘oui oui oui plus baguette’ story, as you put it, lmao.)

“Où sont lez… what was it, again?”

“Forget it. Stay close to me and avoid getting lost, because I do not think you will never be able to speak French, Tony DiNozzo.”

“Why would I ever need to, when I have you?”

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

I have one! It’s a long and sordid tale of heartbreak and drama, lmao, so I’ll spare you the details, but basically, I co-wrote it with someone I was very close to. When we had a falling out, I rewrote much of the story for my own sanity but didn’t post it—it was just for me. Eventually, when I’d gotten whatever closure I needed out of it, I stopped doing that, too. The story still exists somewhere in the format of text messages on an old phone shoved in a drawer somewhere, but what was posted back when that person and I were still close is all that will ever be published. (I did get a tattoo because of the whole experience of rewriting by myself, though... song lyrics from Hamilton! “I picked up a pen; I wrote my own deliverance.”)

22) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

SO MANY. Actually, I keep meaning to go back and delete pretty much everything I wrote prior to 2019, lmao. Thanks for the reminder! 

25) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

YES. As you know, I’m an incredibly easy crier. I usually don’t, though... I like to say that I hurt my own feelings instead. When I’m writing, I’m usually so focused on the forest that the trees can’t make me cry, lmao. There’s so much going on in my head—plot, dialogue, word count, staying IC, timing, descriptions, continuity, throwing in pianos to piss you off, pacing, grammar, keeping track of clothes if I’m writing smut, etc. It makes me a little removed from my story until I give it a read-through when I publish it. Once, though, during my RP days... my partner and I were writing a story that I KNEW would make me cry but I still wrote it when I was in public. I was on a long-distance overnight bus from London to Amsterdam with 100 strangers and there were NO TISSUES. I got snot all over myself. Gross. 10/10, would recommend embarrassing yourself that badly in the name of art at least once in your life!

36) Can you give us a spoiler for one of your WIP’s?

Sure, I’ll give you a few! For WAAO, spoilers with no context: guilt/grief/fear/rage all wrapped up in one devastated character, the worst international trip in the world, a therapist, Anacostia Park, and a baby that wants to be passed from person to person every 90 seconds. 

49) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

I can, lmao, cause I’m scarred for life. I was roughly 8 years old and even back then, I was very shippy... I was looking for a Harry/Ginny story to read. The one I found involved Harry cheating on his wife with Cho Chang and in the end, Ginny got pissed enough that she straight up murdered him. Wtf. I’m still not okay. 

50) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

WAIT THIS ONE’S HARD. WTF SOFIA. Ummmmmmmmm... shit. I guess I’m going to go with fluff, because angst is no fun if it doesn’t resolve into fluff anyway, and it’s hard enough to write the occasional smut fic without it being the only thing I’m allowed to write! Yeah, okay, my final answer is fluff. But I don’t like it and you’re on thin ice for asking this question, lmao. 

Fanfiction Writer Asks

[its-r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s]

Call Me A Freak- Chapter 1: Welcome To My Wicked World

Words: 1,946

Warnings: vandalism, gang activity, mentions of death, manipulation

A/N: Hey everyone! This is my rewrite of Descendants! I wanted to see a darker take on the Disney story (one that follows the lines of some of the grim tales they’re based off of). You can find my summary on the wip intro, if you’re interested, but basically be warned that this is a look at the story from the perspective of abused and lonely children who feel powerless against their villain parents.

Intro | Ch 2

~ ~ ~

My boots held me steady on the patchy stone walkways.

There was a thick layer of smoke that lay heavy on the streets that morning. Perhaps a nearby gang had gotten angry and burned down another house. Or one of the experimental types had caused an accident. Or maybe I was imagining things and the smoke was as it had always been… lingering.

Shouts rang out down alleyways. Stupid people who had left the house with something valuable on them and lost it a minute later. Or maybe one of the core villain kids had lost their temper and taken it out on a passerby or a shopkeeper.

It didn’t matter to me. I smirked, taking in my hometown.

I was a bit out of my neighborhood, but no one would touch me here anyway. These streets were full of lowlife villains who never made that much of an impact. I could have someone murdered on the spot just for looking at me.

And even if it weren’t for my status, I was very resourceful. Everyone knew it. My mother would have never let me leave the house if I wasn’t. She wouldn’t have let me live if I wasn’t…

I glanced to my right and found exactly what I was looking for.

I pulled off the street, veering towards the empty, carved out area between buildings. There was just enough room there, and it was smooth.

I dropped my bag to my side and pulled out my spray cans. It was time to go to work.

~ ~ ~

I didn’t keep track of time as I worked. I never did. I was well aware that I was supposed to meet up with Evie, Jay, and Carlos, but it was of no consequence to me if I was late, so I didn’t worry about it.

Lucky enough, Jay found me fairly soon after I had finished.

“Nice work!” he shouted at me as he approached. Jay knew to warn me that he was approaching while I worked on my art. I often got lost in my head and my defense instincts went onto autopilot. So, if I sensed someone around that I wasn’t expecting I would happily spray them in the face with my paints.

I didn’t turn to look at him, just began to pack up my belongings. The bottles were covered in different colored splotches from my dyed fingers.

As I stood up and threw my bag over my shoulder, I noticed Jay standing next to me, admiring my work. It was a simple design. I had made a silhouette of my mom in black, then surrounded it with green fire. Inside the silhouette were the words “Long Live Evil”. I had put up many similar signs around, ones I knew Jay had seen before, but he still liked to appreciate each design for its differences.

“Earth to Jay,” I muttered. “I assume you know where Evie and Carlos are?”

He nodded, bringing his focus back to me. “You up for an adventure?”

I crossed my arms. “I guess.”

I followed him out of the alley silently and back onto the main road.

“Carlos is pissed,” he explained.

I went to answer, but got distracted as he grabbed a piece of sheet metal along one of the walls and pushed it aside, revealing another alleyway.

“Alright,” I responded. “Is Evie also upset?”

“Nah.” Jay stopped suddenly and looked at me. “Evie was flirting with some salesman when I left.”

I rolled my eyes, then mumbled a quick, “Why are we stopped?”

Jay smirked, then patted the ladder attached to the wall beside us. “Because we’re going up.”

I groaned inwardly, watching him climb, before pulling myself up to the rooftops with him.

~ ~ ~

“We’re back!” Jay shouted, then slid down the side of someone’s roof and landed in front of Evie and Carlos.

Jay was a smooth sort of guy. Socially and physically. I had to wonder where he got it from, considering his dad was a slinky snake of a person who sat around in his early life trying to steal power from a senile sultan.

I rolled my eyes, stomping down far less gracefully

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the latest of them all?” Evie jabbed.

I didn’t respond as Jay helped me get down from the edge of the building.

“What do you want me to say? I’m rotten to the core.”

Neither Evie nor Carlos was amused by this response.

I simply pushed past them and into the large warehouse. We had gotten word that some of Wonderland’s best were hanging in there. Jay had convinced us that it was worth raiding because of some of the strange and antique goods they collected. Jay lived for stealing things and the rest of us didn’t mind. The more mischief we caused, the happier our parents were with us.

People didn’t take notice of us as we strolled through, splitting off in different directions.

As I walked through, I started to callously knock things off tables and destroy stands.

“Freak!” someone shouted.

I turned around and winked. No point in getting angry. I had heard some pretty foul words. This meant nothing to me.

I reached into my bag, pulling out a random can and shaking it. As I passed through I started spraying certain vendors and curtains purple.

A couple people ran after me, but froze when they saw the green dragons on my back. I reached the back of the warhouse and noticed Carlos riding by on a wagon filled with hay.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet!” he snarled, before jumping down next to me.

Jay and Evie were quick to follow, leaving commotion in their wake. Jay was carrying a dirty teapot as he shuffled past and opened up the back door for them to escape.

“Welcome to my wicked world,” he chuckled to himself as we all ran out and made our way down the road.

As we went, we created a formation of sorts with me front and center. The three of them flocked me, looking around as we went.

People watched our gang walk by. We had all the confidence in the world. After a moment, we stopped, deciding to talk about what our next plans were.

The people around us lessened by the minute. I wondered if we frightened them off. Four of the most powerful teens in all of the Isle of the Lost, with connections to the most dangerous villains the world had ever seen.

But the hope of such distinction was lost as the rest of the stragglers disappeared and left our gang facing a group of men in the same, ratty, brown outfit they’d worn since I was born.

I clear my throat, trying to signal to her goons that I recognized them, before mumbling, “Hi mom.”

I would never drop my demeanor in front of my friends or my mother. I need their respect, their fear, for my own survival. But this isn’t good. My mother doesn’t step out of her “castle” just to visit her daughter. She had a reason for being there. An important one.

She pushes through the two men who were previously guiding her through the streets and faces me.

Those who had met my mother would never forget her face. She was all angles, as if made of slabs of metal. Her expression was never changing. It seemed as though anything you could say or do would ricochet off of her like it was nothing. I was perhaps the only person in the world who had truly seen her react to something and survived it. And that was only because she wanted me to see her like that. She wanted me to know what true fear felt like, coming from her eyes.

My friends didn’t move as her guards, who previously surrounded her, moved to surround the five of us. 

“Hm. What have the four of you been up to?” Her voice is deep and steady like a long drag from a cigarette. “I hope more than simply walking the streets and stealing from children.”

I didn’t respond. Why give her an answer she doesn’t want to hear?

She doesn’t question my silence and continues. “You know, Mal, when I was your age I was cursing entire kingdoms.”

I do my best not to roll my eyes. As if I hadn’t heard that one a million times.

My mother liked to remind me of her power at all times. The barrier that surrounded the Isle of the Lost prevented any use of magic while inside it. But that only stopped some of her cruelty.

“Oh! There’s news!” she finally said. “You four have been chosen to go to a different school,” she points between all of us, a smirk lit up her face, “in Auradon.”

The three behind me tense up. Carlos looked seconds away from running for his life.

“What?” I exclaimed. “I can’t go to some boarding, full to the brim with prissy, pink princesses.”

My mother looked almost excited, though. Her eyes were lit up and I realized that this is something she wanted. All that arguing would get me was pain at this point.

My friends refused to say anything. A look from my mother would silence them, even if they tried.

“You’re thinking small, pumpkin,” she informed me. “It’s all about world domination.”

She always carried her head as if there was a crown on it. I suppose those thick horns had some weight to them, but whether or not it was necessary, it gave her a sort of regality. It forced her to look down upon those around her and made the snarl of her teeth that much more frightening.

She swung around and left, her goons quick to follow behind and surround her once more. That was their main job. Protect her in the city. Because people like these would happily murder her to take her place. Not that they could if they tried.

I didn’t move from my spot. I was happy to watch her walk away and get some distance from her.

Jay slid up behind me, leaning over my shoulder, before saying, “She’s joking, right?”

I laughed at him, but there wasn’t any humor in my face. “You obviously don’t spend enough time with my mother. She would never joke. And by the look on her face… she’s got ulterior motives.”

“Why would we be invited to Auradon?” Carlos asked, walking around to face us.

I shook my head. “Who knows.”

Evie was basically straining every muscle in her body to contain her excitement. “Think about how many castles there are in Auradon! And princes!”

I scoffed, and almost immediately her face dropped to match my disgust.

“Listen,” Jay added. “I don’t do uniforms. Unless it’s leather, you feel me?” He joked, holding up a hand to Carlos, but he was far too distracted to reciprocate the high five.

“I read somewhere that they allow dogs in Auradon. Mom said they’re rabid pack animals that eat boys who don’t behave…”

I rolled my eyes at Carlos’s naive comment. It was fairly well known that Cruella de Vil, Carlos’s mother lied constantly to Carlos as a way of manipulating him. He was so sheltered that he hung off her every word about what the rest of the world was like.

“We’re not going,” I insisted. “I just… need to find out why she wants us to go so bad and convince her she’s wrong.”

It was Jay’s turn to laugh. “You? Convince your mother, the ‘Mistress of all Evil’? I doubt it.”

I glared at him. “Let’s see.”

[aaeoluss]

Nano Closing Thoughts: 2019 vs 2018

+ November 29 WC: 2,179 // November 30 WC: 5,562

WIP blog: @thesecondmoonwip // Previous nano updates: week one two three four

If you’re interested at all about the details of these graphs, I keep all my nano stats in this spreadsheet

Total WC: 2019: 50,198 (2018: 50,051) 

Average daily WC: 2019: 1,673 (2018: 2,176 [avg not counting the obvious outlier of day 23: 1,880]) 

Average daily WC not counting days with WC of 0: 2019: 2,092 (2018: 2,275 [not counting day 23: 1,969])  

Most words written in a day: 6,027 Nov 27 (2018: 8,700 Nov 23)

Least words written in a day not counting 0: 347 Nov 22 (1,000 Nov 16)

General Thoughts 

Nano is really interesting because I think it’s a really fast way to learn things about yourself. When you set a goal, do you mean it? Are you good at making plans and schedules that work for you? And when you make a plan, do you stick to it? Do you procrastinate, are you always writing furiously right before bed or trying to write 15k on the last day? I’ve noticed that when I answer these questions, they don’t apply only to nano, but to writing and actually lots of things in my life. 

You can tell by taking a quick peek at my graphs up above, but my nano this year was a little more chaotic than last year’s. Last year, I sat down and wrote the same amount every day, but this year I tried to be fancy and set different daily goals based on my work and school schedule. It... sort of worked. It worked really well the first week, but what ended up was I never got in the habit of doing it, and I ended up getting behind. At the start of the month, I was like, “oh, I know I couldn’t write 1,667 words every day, I’m too busy on Thursday, and I have so much more time on Wednesday” and etc, but by the end of the month? Writing  1,667 words seems really easy and I was cursing myself for not just sitting down and doing it every day. 

I’m a better writer than I was last year. I’m better at writing itself, and I have more stamina, I can sit down and write faster and I can write for longer without getting tired. However, I’ve realized that nano isn’t really about that. Last year I went in after finishing my first book, and I was used to writing 400 words a night. I still walked out victorious, and it was because nano can be easy if you just sit down and write 1,667 words every night. That’s really not that many words when it comes down to it, and that’s the fun of it. Anyone can win nano (some people have really really busy lives and literally do not have the time to do it, but I’m not talking about that). It’s just about dedication.

Last year my takeaway was that you can write a lot more than you think you can if you set your mind to it. My takeaway this year is that the most important thing really is sitting down and writing every. single. day. That’s something I used to know, I used to hold it dear to my heart, but The Second Moon is my fifth book, and I think sometimes I get too caught up in trying to be cool and write a lot in one day and stuff like that and I forget about the basics. 

What next?

Although I hit 50k, and I’m counting that as a win in terms of nano, the book actually is not finished. There are only 40 scenes in TSM, and some of them used to be two scenes but now they’re one long scene, or they’re important so they’re longer etc, but as a general rule, my scene comfort zone used to be about 1k, so that’s what I planned for. Most of the scenes in TSM are longer, though, so I hit 50k without actually finishing all the scenes. I’m not far off, I’ve only got one scene left, but I’m a little bummed, I didn’t really want this issue to run into December. I think if I can get it on my shelf before winter break starts (Dec 14) I’ll be alright with that, though. 

Once I format it and design a cover, I’m going to use Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing to get my book printed. If you haven’t heard of it before, I’d highly recommend it, it’s super cool. I used it to print out all my books, and they all sit proudly on my shelf.

I know it’s bad practice to write a first draft and call it done, but I see nano as more of an exercise than anything. It would take an immense amount of time and effort to turn this draft into something I’m really proud of, and I’m honestly just not passionate about the project to do that. 

I’ll be jumping back to my main project, Pseudonyms! I haven’t worked on it for a hot second and I am so excited to get back to it. I finished the first draft around six months ago (?), and it’s time for a complete rewrite! I have a lot of ideas, and I’ve grown as a writer a lot since then, and I’m really excited. 

As for doing nano in the future, I’m unsure. Now that I’m done, it’s easy to look back and say, “hey, that was easy, and we got to get a book out of the WIP queue.” (because I have a lot of books I want to write, and when I can take a month and get one out of my head, that’s always great). However, I vividly remember a lot of times over the month where I told myself I would never do nano again. It’s difficult to say. 

However, if I do end up doing nano again, I think I’ll set a higher goal for myself than 50k. Nano really lacked spice for me this year, I went into it feeling very complacent that I would hit 50k and I was rarely too stressed about it. Idk. I just feel like it’s not nano if you’re panicked for the whole month, + I don’t feel nearly as accomplished as I would if I had set a higher goal. 

And that’s all I have to say on that! I hope everyone who participated in nano had a good month!