#i might clean em up & add em to my character pages at some point

[raiiny-bay]

did a writing exercise wherein i tried to describe my characters only through random things i associate them with & it was hard !!!

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

hi I’m here to review the Clementine comic. it’s not good.

Does this even need an introduction? You know why I’ve gathered you all here today. You know the comic exists, and you probably know that it’s not great and we’re all upset about it. 

Myself included. I am not okay. At all. 

Skybound could’ve literally spit in my face and I’d come out feeling better than I did reading this comic, because this comic is an insult to the original Telltale games and Clementine as a character. 

This comic is a fancy fanfic. Glorified fanfiction. It’s not canon, and Skybound and Tillie can pretend that it is, but it’s not. Bold of them to assume we’d just accept this from people who didn’t work on the original games and never wrote for Clementine before, and based on this comic alone, any chance of us taking it seriously is gone. 

I’m gonna go through every single page, every panel, of this comic and give you my review. So I guess if you’re worried about spoilers [though at this point why would you?] then be warned, spoilers for the entire comic ahead. 

I also wanna add that I have nothing against Tillie Walden. I know a lot of dingdongs are harassing her on insta over this comic and that’s not okay. You telling her how much you hate her isn’t going to change anything. If anything, you keep being assholes to her and she’s just gonna block everything out, even things simply critiquing her work in hopes that it helps her improve. 

You’re allowed to be upset about the comic and share your feelings about it, but don’t take it out on the actual human being like that. Besides, like I’ve said before, if Tillie wasn’t gonna make the comic, Skybound would’ve found someone else to do. This was coming no matter what because Skybound wants that coin. 

That being said, I’m not going to hold back my opinions on this comic. Skybound and Tillie made this comic, they put it out there and asked for money for it, therefore I’m allowed to explain why it’s garbage as well as ponder over the questionable intent and whether or not Tillie actually has played these games. Y’know, it’s like how I have nothing against Kent, but sometimes he says things I disagree with and well, y’know how it goes. 

Alright, this is gonna be long, so let’s go--

The first few shots we get are of the school, two people sleeping, and Clementine’s empty bed. Nothing super note-worthy, we have no idea who is sleeping in the beds, it’s just there to establish that it’s early and everyone’s still asleep. 

The drawing of the school looks fine? Not super accurate, but I can give it a pass since it’s a few years later, I assume. What I can’t give a pass is how you managed to already mess up on the first page of your comic. 

Because..... why are you implying that Clementine’s room is upstairs? First of all, seems kinda dumb to put Clem, who has only one leg and has to walk with crutches, upstairs. Also, if you’ve played TFS and paid any attention to where her room is actually located [the dorms] then you’d know there isn’t any stairs leading to their floor. It’s the side building next to the admin building, you walk through the door, go down the hall, take a left and their dorm is right there sooo..... 

Oh right, it’s probably done this way so that we can have such a suspenseful moment where Clementine is sneaking out while the others are asleep and her foot makes a creeeeeeakk that could wake everyone up, thwarting her plans of abandoning everyone quietly so she doesn’t have to deal with any consequences. 

Because yeah, Clementine is sneaking out with all of her supplies because apparently, she’s been planning an escape from this place for a while. 

And just look at how gosh darn happy she is about it. You can’t see or hear me, but know that I’m laughing. Don’t worry, I will talk about her abandoning everyone later.

But first, I have a gripe with Clementine's design in this comic. It doesn’t look like her. This art of her right here is the most accurate we get throughout all 12 pages, and it’s the best looking, too. 

Moving on, she slams the door shut while this walker changes faces and hair between panels, so that’s cool. I will say, I like the idea of the Ericson crew putting spikes on the door. That’s fun. 

Though Clementine slamming the door shut while trying to sneak out seems counter productive but it fits with the theme this comic has of inconsistency, so it works. 

Next we have Clementine going to what I believe is the fishing shack by the river, and she’s going through some things that she’s stashed away, telling us that she’s been planning this escape for a while. 

Oh good, she has a map. Well at least now she won’t get lost out there in the woods while she makes her escape... also that last panel with her profile.... why does it look so funny? Like this page of the comic doesn’t look too bad, but there is something off putting about her eye there and how she has zero expression. 

And it turns out that rustle was a walker, and Clementine is super inconvenienced by this and gives us our first piece of witty dialogue.

Yeah you dumb walker, can’t you see Clementine is busy running away from home and abandoning all of her loved ones without a single goodbye so she doesn’t have to witness the consequences of her selfish actions?? Gosh, so rude.

Just a heads up, the dialogue in this comic is stilted, emotionless, and bland. The words have no flow, no charm, and never feel like they should be coming out of Clementine’s mouth. Then again, the upcoming graphic novels this is tied to are for young adult/middle graders so I guess we have to dumb everything down so their baby brains can process it. 

.....Why does her face look like that? Also, interesting that she decided to move her ponytail to the other side of her head.... which is a thing that happens throughout this comic, her hair will randomly change sides. 

I believe it’s a metaphor for her changing and inconsistent personality. 

So yeah, Clementine is just making off with the supplies she gathered [I’m sure Ericson doesn’t need ‘em anyway] and she’s just so gosh darn annoyed at all these small inconveniences bothering her.... because it’s just too early for this. 

.....Again, why does her face look like that?

I’m sorry, like I get it, Tillie’s style is supposed to be purposely messy yet minimal but it doesn’t work. When you do a comic in a more messy style, usually it has charm and heart put into it. Effort goes into the messy look, and when things are minimal, that usually means more clean, yeah? So you put them together and just..... that is nothing resembling Clementine’s face. 

Can we just--

Look at canon Clementine’s face. Look at the way her eyebrows are shapes, how wide her eyes are with her eye lashes. The dirt on her skin, the lines-- there is so much personality in her features. It doesn’t matter if she’s wearing a neutral expression or she’s expressing anger or joy or sorrow or whatever. 

Now, is it fair to compare a model of Clem from the games to the Clem in this comic? Well, I assume that if Tillie is doing this comic, she would use references from the game to ensure that Clementine is recognizable, especially now that she’s no longer wearing her signature hat. 

So why does she look like this? Why do I look at these drawings of her face and see nothing but a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth? You might as well draw me a simple smiley face. And I get that it’s a comic, and it’s a lot of work to draw the same character over and over again and you gotta cut corners somewhere, but maybe put some effort into the close up shots of her face so that we can actually see it’s her? 

Other fan artists have made comics in their styles that shine bright with Clementine’s personality, so what happened here? 

Anyway, surprise..... it’s not a walker annoying Clementine. 

........Why does AJ look like that??? I’m sorry, I hate to do the same thing I just did but--

Just because you put Clementine’s hat on AJ that doesn’t automatically make it him. I just.... wow. This feels like there wasn’t a single reference involved, like if someone gave Tillie a basic description of AJ and she just did this. 

But appearances aside, what is AJ saying? He says that he knew it, that Clementine’s leaving and I cannot stand this dialogue. It’s unnatural. Again, I know you wanna dumb it down for all of us because I guess we dumb.... but this conversation does not feel natural. 

“I knew it. You’re leaving.” “AJ....” “I’m coming.”

Even if you changed it to, “I’m coming with you.” it would sound more natural. Hell, he doesn’t even question WHY she’s leaving, he just stands there like “I’m coming” like??? I’m sorry, have you ever heard a single word this murder baby has said? I assume you have because I assume you actually played TFS, right? Soooo.... what happened here?

.....whY DO THEIR FACES LOOK LIEK THAT KSAJDLKJAS:LKDJLKASJD:L--

So now we’re getting into it.... into the bullshit. 

Clementine tells AJ to go back to the school, and AJ says that she wasn’t even going to say goodbye..... and then more bad dialogue that sound unnatural when you try to fucking read it. 

First off.... AJ’s reaction to Clementine attempting to leave is barely anything. Again, I hate to keep questioning if you actually played TFS, but AJ would throw a fucking fit if he caught Clementine out here ALONE like this, attempting to leave. 

And then he says “Like last time? You were going to come back?” this sentence makes my brain hurt. I just.... “Like last time, right? You’re coming back?” UGH

Wow, I feel nothing. 

I’m sitting here watching these two imposters with fucked up faces who are supposed to be Clementine and AJ and I feel nothing. 

I’m not even going to comment on the faces anymore. You can see it. You know. 

So yeah... AJ tells her the #1 rule, and reminds her that she promised.

Y’know.... she promised that she would never leave him again? Remember? At the McCarroll ranch? That flashback that was in TFS? The one you would watch if you played the game? 

Why is she looking straight at me when she should be looking at AJ as she says this? Is this Clementine’s way of telling me she’s sorry for what a shitty direction this is taking? I wouldn’t know because her face isn’t doing anything. Just because you draw a couple of tears that doesn’t mean I’m feeling the emotional heartbreak you’re attempting to convey. 

I don’t have enough middle fingers for this.

Well, my hat’s off to you. Ya did it. Ya fucked up everything single part of Clementine’s character in the span of two pages, I’m almost impressed. 

First off, the baby thing is weird. Why is she calling him that? She’s never called him that, which you should know.

Second, she’s not happy and that’s why she’s leaving. Clementine isn’t happy, and AJ can’t make her happy. Ericson can’t make her happy. So she’s going to go out on the road to.... what, be unhappy by herself? 

I’m sorry, but apparently we need a few reminders here of who Clementine is, because this isn’t her. 

This is Clementine. 

Clementine fought for years to find a home, something she hasn’t had since she was an eight-year-old girl before the apocalypse. The motor-inn wasn’t a home, the cabin wasn’t home, the ski-lodge, Howe’s, Wellington, Richmond, Prescott, none of them were home. 

She struggled for years, dealing with trauma after trauma while out on the road. She went from group to group, watching people she cared about die and she was powerless to do anything about it. Whenever she let her guard down and become comfortable, it bit in her in the ass and left her heartbroken.

She was there when AJ was born. She grew close to Rebecca while she was pregnant, she let herself do that even after everything she went through with Christa. Clementine had a bond with AJ even before he was born, and after Rebecca died, she did what she could to keep him safe, despite play choice. 

She cried when she thought AJ died and when she found him in that car again. She swore to protect him, to raise him right and love him. All they had was each other. 

And when she joined the new frontier and AJ got sick, she risked everything to save him and she was devastated when they took him away from her. When she found out he was alive, she is willing to go as far as helping Lingard overdose [INJECTING HIM HERSELF IF SHE HAS TO] to figure out his location. She did shitty things to find him, she killed people at McCarroll Ranch to find him again. 

Clementine raised him and he is her family, do you understand that? She went to hell and back for him, she taught him how to protect himself, and even though she made mistakes she sacrificed everything for him. She promised him that they would have a home of their own one day, she talked about how much she wished for a world where she didn’t have to worry about fighting and killing and AJ could just be a happy kid. 

She fought for Ericson, she watched her friends die or become mutilated by someone from her past. She allowed herself to be vulnerable enough to pursue a romantic relationship with Louis or Violet because she felt safe with them, felt safe at Ericson because it’s their home now. 

And when Clementine was bit, she thought she was going to die but she still fought to make sure AJ would be safe and happy without her and it was heartbreaking. She’s dying and the only thing she cares about is AJ. Not herself, not what’s going to happen to her after she dies or turns... no, she tries to make AJ smile again, she makes sure he remembers the rules, and she tells him that she loves him. 

Then he cuts off her leg, and she survives. AJ saved her fucking life, and she got to wake up at home and live to see her family again. She got to push AJ on a tire swing, she got to eat a hot meal and laugh with her friends, she got to make plans with her lover/best friend for what’s next for Ericson, and she got to talk to AJ and tell him the truth... and she asked him if she did a good job, and he’s honest with her right back. 

Hell, she tells him to keep her hat. Her iconic hat. The one thing she has left of her father, possibly her more cherished item. She lets him keep it. 

The last time we see Clementine, she’s happy. She’s sitting on the steps by herself, staring at her family with such fondness in her eyes and a smile on her face because she finally did it. She finally found a home where she can breathe. She has a bed to sleep in, she has AJ with her, she has a boyfriend/girlfriend who loves her and who she loves back, she has friends she can rely on. 

Clementine smiles, and lets out a small laugh. 

She doesn’t have to run anymore. 

And now you have the balls to tell me that AJ and Ericson don’t make Clementine happy anymore. 

She abandons everything to go back out on the road again, and that’s proof enough for me that you don’t understand a damn thing about Clementine or her journey. 

“ I don't even know the person I'm talking about... It's like all we have in common is the same name.” 

....Anyway.

Wow, Clementine found a car and kept is stashed. How lazy and convenient for this bullshit plot. 

And this is the part where I have to tell this comic to fuck off. 

What, you think if you throw in an incredibly inaccurate flashback next to a current pair of hugging Clem and AJ that I’ll feel anything but anger? That flashback is a slap to the face. It’s snowing, but the only time we’ve seen snow is in S2 when AJ was a literal new born, so why is he that big? Is that supposed to be from ANF because that ALSO doesn’t look like that AJ, and that’s not the outfit Clementine had on... AND there was no snow. This is cheap and meaningless. 

Any fan of the series who has played through the games could tell you this. 

So.... AJ runs into the woods and then we get this garbage.

This comic is awful. It misses the point of everything TFS, and the rest of the series, stood for. There is no heart here. I feel no happiness in reading it, and I don’t detect any passion behind it. It’s a lifeless comic that retcons everything in order to throw AJ away and start fresh with a new adventure for Clementine that makes no sense because the cow isn’t profitable unless it’s milked. 

This isn’t canon, and it won’t ever be canon, and honestly? At this point, I have no faith in the graphic novel trilogy. It will take a lot to do a turn around from this, and I don’t even know if that’s possible. 

Again, to reiterate, I don’t have anything personal against Tillie Walden herself. She’s just doing her job, and from what I’ve seen of her as a person, she seems like a sweetheart. I don’t want anyone giving her shit because I think the comic isn’t good or that you agree with me. All of my anger is directed at the comic itself, her work, not specifically her.... and a little bit at Skybound, because they’re the reason this is even a thing in the first place. 

So yeah.... there ya have it. 

[autumnslance]

how do you get into roleplaying on a ff server? like how do you do it and how do you know if your character is lore compliant? ;A; pls youre a big inspo to me

*Hugs Nonny* Getting into RP on a FF server can vary; I don’t actually RP much these days, outside of some friends I already have connections to--and that in itself can be difficult just due to Life! It can take time, and patience, and some fits and starts.

And this gets...really really long, so buckle up and go below the cut, please. :)

The cut got broken by an edit. Sigh.

In game there’s always the RP status tag, and just doing RP with folks in public spaces. There may be trolls now and then, but they can be ignored. I personally find Balmung’s Quicksand area too busy and anxiety inducing and not actually all that conducive to actual RP, even “meet at a tavern” walk-up type. But unless you already have a ready-made group of friends/FCmates willing to RP more than some random walk-ups with you, it may take some legwork to find folks you can and want to write with.

Social Media There are a couple of RP community blogs, like @mooglemeet​ and @ffxiv-crystal-rp​  and plenty of server-specific ones. There’s also some Discords for these communities. They host and advertise events and reblog people who are looking for RP contacts. Some of them have running gdoc calendars and in game linkshells and fellowships as well.

Shofie has a good post about Tumblr/social media RP blogging.

@shofie-ffxiv

It’s a fact now that social media outside game is a way to make contacts, or even a medium for RP itself. There are few centralized websites/forums for server RP communities anymore. Making connections over your social media, like Tumblr and Twitter, can help find RP. You can’t just throw your own character info out there or reblog prompts hoping others bite, though; you have to put in some work and show interest in others, too. This can be difficult and even scary. That’s OK.

RP is about collaboration and creating with other people, which means finding folks you can write with, and who see you as someone interesting but also interested in them and their OCs. If you want to keep it a solo endeavor focused on your own OCs, write fanfic (which I’ve actually made friends and gotten RP interests that way too through comment interactions, so hey).

If you reblog a prompt from someone, see others on your dash reblogging prompts, if people reblog that prompt post from you? Send them asks! Alternatively, don’t wait for prompts, just send asks, comments, or chats saying hello and things you notice or like about their blog/character/posts they make. Try to form connections with people you think are genuinely interesting and might be fun to talk with. Social media should be, well, social.

BUT respect boundaries, too. Don’t try sarcasm or jokes with people you don’t actually know, it tends to go over poorly. Unless someone’s specifically posting a naughty meme/prompt, keep stuff you others send clean and polite, especially if it’s unsolicited and you’re not already friends (doubly so if you don’t know how old they are IRL, there are laws you do not want to break). Respect if people aren’t open to random asks or chatting with new followers, or say “no” to RP, and know it’s not personal--it’s just what they have time, energy, and emotional/mental capacity for. Don’t give up on other people, though. This stuff can take time and effort to find those you click with.

Respect and communication with RP partners is pretty key.

Do curate your feeds and don’t be afraid to unfollow/mute/block folks, either. I’m selective in who I follow and remove as needed, too, for my own mental health. I miss so much of the discourse and drama and that’s fine by me. Also it costs nothing to not step in on a lot of the drama when it does pass in sight.

Profiles I have static RP profile pages for my girls here on Tumblr (and a lot of other static links and pages, but I’m weird about organizing like that). This way, if people want to write with me, send me prompts, if I sent them prompts, or they want to otherwise interact with my characters, the information is handily available. For some folks, this makes all the difference in who they choose to interact with: how easily can they find even basic info about your OC?

Some people make Carrds. Some folks have gdoc links, or use Dreamwidth, etc. Just keep the links in the blog’s sidebar menu, and/or in the blog desc so people can see ‘em on mobile. There are templates out there, or you can make your own. Feel free to snag mine if you’d like. A lot of times people also copy their profiles to rebloggable posts when looking for RP contacts. Profiles are a good way to let folks know just the at-a-glance basics about your character(s).

I picked a simple theme with a simple layout that makes it easy to add and show off links. I put them in the blog desc to make them easy to find on mobile, too.

[Images: links from my blog sidebar menu showing how over organized I am]

RP, Stories, Lore Post some stories or RP logs (with permission of others involved) or even just random little blurbs and headcanons, as well as any screenshots, art, aesthetic posts for your OCs. Have something of interest to show for your character, too, so some of those folks your interacting with have something of their own to see and ask about!

If possible, try some light RP with friends and FC Mates who are amenable. Go to events, even if just to lurk at first. When you do get up the nerve to talk to people, don’t try to throw a character’s entire backstory at them, or try to steal the limelight--RP is collaboration, back and forth, and a lot like real conversation. Maybe come up with little light things to talk about if asked; a recent adventuring job, a silly shopping incident, etc. They can break the ice or just give you something to reply with for a few minutes.

Lore Compliance is Variable. Some people really want lore compliance, others are OK bending it here and there, while still others throw it out the window entirely. If you want to be super lore compliant...read. There’s a LOT of information, in game and out, for finding lore; from official publications and website material, to tools like Garland Tools site, to compilation blogs like @mirkemenagerie.

Note what’s important for your concept. Narrow it down. Characters aren’t going to know or be or do everything, so only worry about what’s necessary for the base idea. And be flexible; it’s SE’s sandbox, we just play in it, and they can change things any time. They usually do it in the guise of characters not knowing/having all the correct information, at least, but also some places just don’t exist in game yet so we don’t have info.

I’m unspecific about a lot of elements of Aeryn’s childhood, for instance, other than “traveling merchants near Thavnair.” I don’t have to be super specific. I can keep most details vague, and focus on her family and those relationships.

Dark, as my first character, has a fairly simple backstory that I’ve expanded on and adjusted over time as I learned and came up with new info. I also bet no one remembers I originally said Dark was from the North Shroud. I’ve changed things (now from East Shroud, due to the proximity to Gyr Abania and its Hellsguards) as I learned more about the world and my character. You don’t want to change things willy-nilly, but sometimes being flexible and smoothing down some rough edges and making small changes can be fine, especially as one gets more lore over time.

Iyna has a pretty detailed backstory, that came from a basic idea, and checking dates in the pre-Calamity timeline. I based her being taken and trained the way she was not only on what info we have about Garlemald’s imperial practices with conquered provinces, but borrowed a bit from real life and the re-education schools many Native Americans were forced into (though I haven’t gone into detail on that yet, either). I tied the turning point in Iyna’s life to a major event that wasn’t the Calamity, and have left plenty of space in between for me to fill in as time goes on and I learn more about her and the world.

The world isn’t static, and is bigger and more diverse than what can be shown in the game. There’s space in the margins for plenty of weird stuff and contradictions or unusual cases. So read up on what you can, ask questions, and then find where in those spaces your OC fits. Then, find people who enjoy similar tastes in lore compliance (or non-compliance), and who enjoy playing with you and your OCs, and not worrying about the rest. Can’t please everyone, nor get along with everyone, so don’t try; just find what works for you, and who works with you, and don’t police anyone else’s pretendy fun times, either.

There’s no magic answer on the “right” amount of lore compliance, or how to quickly and easily find RP partners or break into the broader RP community.

I hope this helps at least a little bit! Good luck in finding your niche for RP, and maybe I’ll see you sometime at an event :)

[butteredonions]

I used to write a lot when I was younger, and I really want to get into it again! Do you have any advice for improving/coming up with ideas/staying motivated?

Ohhh you do ask the good questions, dear anon…

This got quite wordy (surprise, it’s me!), so I’ve tucked it beneath a readmore. I really wanted to make a joke about “let me peel back the layers of how I write for you”, but that felt a little….self-indulgent :)

Some Onion Writing Tips - Below the Readmore!

Some of these are cliche, sure, but honestly they really do work. Probably the biggest piece of advice I have is to take all of this with a grain of salt. Everyone’s advice is different, and what works for me might not work out for you. Experiment around with different tricks and habits and processes. You’ll find something that works if you stick with it.

Onion Writing Tips On: Improving

Onion Writing Tip #1: Do the thing.

Honestly, at the base and simple level: at some point you have to just sit down and do it. Writing is a honed skill like anything else. You don’t get better at playing the piano by wishing; you have to put in a few hours on your scales at least. You have to practice. There’s kind of a misconception out there that writing is Easy and Anyone can do it; maybe, but the folks who put in more time and practice are going to bring something a little different to the table. Dedication helps - but honestly so does just doing the thing.

Onion Writing Tip #2: Carve out a space where you can let that happen.

I am lucky enough in my life right now to have a dedicated space and a time where I’m able to say “I’m writing”, and the folks around me know that’s my time. I try and keep it around the same time every day. For me it’s at stupid-o-clock in the morning. For you it might be different. This is my time to shut the door, put on some music, pick up the mug of coffee and get some work done. The habit, honestly, really helps.

Onion Writing Tip #3: Give your first draft permission to absolutely suck.

A big part of improving is not only finding the time to practice, but giving yourself permission to get it wrong. Again with the musical analogies, you can’t hear what you’re doing wrong unless you try to play the piece. See where your baseline is. In the same vein, my first drafts are almost always really bad. They’re riddled with typos, with [bracketed words I don’t want to stop to look up right now], with [new planet names] and [name this character Lisa] and [feelings] and repetition and filter words absolutely everywhere. That’s okay. Nobody sees my first draft. It’s the second draft I can go in and add the emotions, the better analogies, fix the pacing, etc. I can’t do that unless the words are on the page in the first place. I can’t do that, unless I’ve got the words at least out so I can see where the problems are. I can’t do that, unless I’ve given myself permission to have the first draft suck. Otherwise I’ll just sit here, paralyzed, stuck on wishing and not on writing.

This goes hand-in hand with tip #4:

Onion Writing Tip #4: Don’t stop to edit while you’re writing.

Don’t stop to edit while you’re writing. 

You’ll get stuck on things you could fix, or things that aren’t working, and spend hours and hours fretting on how to fix them. Write your horrible first draft first, then fix it. Once the ideas are down on paper, however awful, however rough, you can fix them. You can’t fix the words if they’re still in your head.

Onion Writing Tip #5: Editing is not just for typos.

Editing is where I give myself permission to pick at exact word choice, or exact feeling or pacing. Have I used that same adjective already in the same paragraph? On the same page? Pick a different one. Are my filter words everywhere? Write them out. Searching for repetition is huge for me - not just with single words, but with ideas. Have I described clouds the same way in every single chapter? Maybe I should try a new angle. Do my characters always react the same way to a situation? Maybe I need to research some nonverbal body language a little more, or alter the situation so it’s less predictable to them and the reader. The rest…honestly, I trust my gut a whole lot on this. If it feels wrong to me, it’s going to feel wrong to the reader. If it’s not giving me a sucker-punch to the gut where I want it to, it’s not going to do that to the reader.

Onion Writing Tip #6: Retype.

On the second draft, and sometimes the third, I retype the entire first draft.

Every single time.

No exceptions.

This lets me do most of my editing as I go. It lets me find typos (and sometimes create new ones when I’m typing too fast); it lets me catch if I’ve used the same word, or if my paragraphs are all starting the same way - lots of things. Retyping it forces my brain to retravel the pathways I was on when I wrote the thing in the first place, and more often than not it absolutely helps me go deeper into character, setting - everything. For me this is the equivalent of speaking my writing out loud (to check for tone, flow, etc). I can’t recommend this method enough.

Does retyping the whole thing make a slower writer? Yes. Does all that editing make me a slower writer than some? Yes. But - like I said - grain of salt. This works for me. It doesn’t work for others. This is all about finding what works for you. Whatever helps you get the words out: do that. Get ‘em down. That’s really all that matters.

Onion’s Favorite Writing Tip, #7: Filter Words

Take them out. Take all of them out.

Filter words are anything you can fit a “to” in front of: to notice, to see, to feel, to think, to watch, to seem, to sound, to hear, to know. These slow down your writing by forcing a filter on your audience. We don’t need to know that “Hunk saw the grass was orange”. If Hunk’s the narrator, we the readers are fully aware we’re reading about what he’s observing. “The grass was orange” - that’s it. That’s all you need.

Sometimes you need to keep one, for character perspective or pacing. 95% of the time, honestly, you really don’t. I have a sticky note stuck at eye level with these filter words written on it. I have filter words in my first draft. I take them out when I edit.

Seriously.

The linked article explains it really well. I’m kind of passionate about this one, so feel free to ask if you have more questions. I could write a whole post.

Onion Writing Tips: On Coming Up With Ideas

This is probably one of the hardest things to put into words. Hopefully this helps a bit!

Onion Writing Tip #8: Don’t try to force yourself to come up with an idea.

My best ideas have come completely out of the stinking blue. If I’m stressing about it, the idea isn’t going to come. Never has. My ideas come to me when talking with friends; when I’m supposed to be sleeping; when I’m driving or in the shower. When I’m outside, or sometimes even doing something mundane at work like cleaning. I can’t predict when these ideas are going to happen. All I can really do is stay open to the knowledge that, at some point, they’re going to. And I’m ready to roll with them at least a little ways and see where they go.

Onion Writing Tip #9: Write everything down.

Everything. Once you have something in your head you really like, don’t take the chance it will be around later and you’ll remember it; if you’ve got it, write it down. Smartphones make it really easy these days to tap out a quick phrase of dialogue, or an image, whatever. Even if you never use it, it’s written down now and sometimes that can free your brain to keep thinking (rather than stress about having to retain it). No matter how small or how silly, keep track of it. Even if you don’t end up rolling with it just then, those ideas can form an Idea Bank you can pull from later on when you’re struggling or just want to write a little thing.

Onion Writing Tip #10: Talk about things you enjoy with other people who enjoy them, too!

At least 85% of my ideas come from talking with friends. We’ll be chatting about fandom or about characters - someone says ‘hey have you thought about this’ - and next thing you know the idea’s way more fleshed out than it was just by myself. Writing doesn’t have to be a solitary thing. It’s okay to reach out to others for a bit of inspiration.

Onion Writing Tip #11: Seriously, don’t sweat it.

You’ll know when you have a Good One. Something will feel different about that idea compared to others. Something about it won’t let you go. That’s the one you’re meant to write. That’s the story only you can tell. Trust me.

That’s not to say you need to Wait for the Good One before you can write. On the contrary - start somewhere! Try some little writing exercises to get the juices going. A quick google search will give you so many out there to choose from. Open your askbox for prompts - either generic, or pick from a prompt list. You might be surprised with what you get, and you very well might surprise yourself with where you go.

Onion Writing Tips: On Motivation

Onion Writing Tip #12: Find A Group Or A Friend To Write With

I can’t stress enough how vital this has been to my writing. Writing can be a super solitary field; you spend a lot of hours staring at a laptop or a notebook, working hard, by yourself. No one else can do your writing for you, right? The best thing you can do though is find other people doing their own writing too - and write together. My little writing group (the Thinktank!) has been so amazing for me in terms of staying on task and staying motivated. Usually every night one or another of us pops into chat and says “writes?” - and then whoever’s around sets a timer for 20 minutes and does the writing. Together. We compare word counts when we’re done, like it’s a little competition. If nothing else it keeps me working; most of the time it propels me to keep writing after that 20 minutes, too. It’s just about getting started. (And also it’s fun to have a great group of people helping each other stay semi-accountable with our projects. Support!)

Onion Writing Tip #13: ….deadlines

Set them. Stick to them. Try not to wait until the last minute for them, but honestly? sometimes that’s what you need. My very first longfic I told myself I had to finish by the time the school year was over. Another longfic came out of joining a Big Bang and sticking to that calendar. I’m scrambling now to get Smol Shiro done before season three (OR ELSE, good Lord). Weeks? Exchanges? This fandom is crazy blessed unique in that there are so. many. options for deadlines, framed in fun and engaging environments. If you can’t set one for yourself, try joining a group that’s already got one! A deadline can also be as simple as - oh hey season three is coming in a month, I really need this fic to be done before then. Or, I’m starting school mid-August, I need the serious writing to be done by that time. Whatever is in your life that you can hold yourself to for a writing deadline: do it.

Onion Writing Tip #14: Persevere

It is worth it.

Writing is hard work. It’s hard work more often than not. It’s frustrating, it’s upsetting, and sometimes there’s really nothing stopping you from giving up. when the words aren’t coming. when the ideas feel dumb. when you feel stranded and alone about something that used to excite you - something that isn’t working now. Sometimes it just feels like it would be easier to give up and let someone else write this story.

Here’s the thing.

No one else will.

Not the way you see it in your head. Not the way it grips at your chest. This story in your head won’t touch anyone else the way it touches you unless you write it.

The work is worth it.

You don’t have to show your work to anyone unless you want to. But sometimes - and my last piece of advice - sharing your work with people can be the biggest, stupidest, giddiest motivator for continuing to create art that exists on this silly little planet. 

It’s also single-handedly the most daunting thing about writing - but it too is so, so worth it. 

Share your work, when it’s ready. Draft it. Edit it. Get it out there. And keep going! It’s hard work, but if the story’s meant to be there - it’ll come.