#ive outlined a short story with this plot

[ktkat99]

So I had a thought...

What if Tim Drake got kidnapped one day for ransom, but for whatever reason the ransom never got paid (parents were out of the country and never received the call, or failed the dropoff, etc.) and the kidnappers decide to just... keep him.

Now, what if the kidnappers were Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, Harley looking for a big payday and Ivy getting dragged into it because Harley didn't tell her the whole plan before just showing up with a whole ass kid.

They fall in love with little Tim and decide that if his parents don't want him, they do, and Tim gets two loving, doting parents out of it. And, of course, as he grows he starts taking after his moms and leans a bit more towards the eco-terrorist side of the family, which in turn means that the batkids get to have their own kind-of villian that's about their age that they all grow up fighting.

Like, just imagine:

Bruce has to decide how to handle a smart as hell kid coming up as a new Gotham criminal.

Nightwing's 'this child needs a big brother' instincts clashing with his 'fight the bad guy' instincts.

As Tim never took over Robin after Jason died, the two have a whole different relationship.

Ivy and Harley figuring out how to raise a small child, and later a teenager while maintaining their night lives.

Tim and Steph dating and his moms having a hard time being normal about their baby growing up and falling in love.

Ivy talking with him about being safe and moving at his own pace and how to talk to boys while Harley is freaking out in the background planning his coming out party when he tells them he's bi.

Them giving the shovel talk to either Kon or Bernard would be GOLD bc one is a hero and the other is basically a star-eyed puppy.

Tim being raised as an only child means that he gets ALL the attention.

Harley and Ivy raising absolute hell should any of the bats go after their son.

Tim would definitely try to recreate Ivy's lab accident and end up with plant powers leading him even more towards eco-terrorist.

Just imagine, Tim with Ivy's green skin.

Just... the three of them would be such a great family and I can't stop thinking about it.

[erythristicbones]

oh i had quite literally the angsty-est short story idea yet and i WILL sob my eyes out as i write it

[zweiginator]

imagine being academic rivals with patrick, you both have some type of work to do but you both need some answers, and you both have some pent up frustration and tension, so you make it a sort of game so whoever makes the other cum gets the answers....

oh ive thought about lawstudent!patrick many times... his father is heavily influential in your city. he's a bigshot attorney in big law and he expects nothing less from his son. his father and his grandfather are partners at their own firm, but his grandfather is getting old, and patrick is next in line.

and while patrick has daddy issues and shares the same emotional unavailability that he fosters towards his son--all he wants is to please him. he scored almost perfectly on the LSAT; he got a 4.0 GPA at a top university. and he goes into his first day of law school with the belief that he is the best. that he will continue to be the best. having the last name zweig in this field makes him a god amongst men. and it's that cockiness and academic fervor that will make him partner directly after the bar exam.

but that's three years from now, and all he needs to worry about on his very first day is making a good impression. so he puts on his grey suit and a blue tie to match Yale's colors and he paints a big smile on his face. a zweig smile.

you have your first class with him. patrick was busy chatting up the dean of students--and frankly being an ass kisser--so he was a tad short on time. there is only one seat left and patrick takes it, straightening his suit jacket. you peer down at the nametag adjacent to his collar and have to hold back an eye roll. of course, patrick zweig goes to fucking yale.

from what you've heard about him, he's had his whole fucking life plotted out from the beginning. born to an uber-rich politically connected family in suburban connecticut, he lived in a huge mansion with maids and full-time nannies. he excelled in tennis due to his father paying for exorbitantly expensive lessons and he went to the best ivy feeder school on the east coast. there, he had dozens of tutors who taught him strategies for the SAT, the ACT, the AP exams. he got perfect scores on everything and was spat out at Stanford, where he conveniently played tennis all four years, aced the LSAT and was given four pristine letters of recommendation which landed him here--at yale.

but your story is different and you didn't have au pairs or private school connections. you had a work ethic and tons of scholarships. years of grueling dedication which made your acceptance letter to yale that much more meaningful. you doubt patrick was at all surprised to make it here.

patrick notices how your demeanor changes as you glance over his nametag. and he wouldn't care usually, but something about the tick of your jaw pisses him off.

and you don't like his know-it-all attitude. how he sucks up to the professor. he uses too much cologne and he has a staring problem too.

the second week of classes, one of your professors assigns you to study groups. she tells you that these are mandatory--you must meet with your study partner at least once a week to catch up on readings, ask and answer questions, and get to know each other.

and somehow, in a lecture of thirty seven students, it happens to be that patrick is your partner. you hesitantly enter your number into his phone.

your first few study sessions are tinged in a palpable tension and a bitter distaste for each other. you don't exchange many words outside of talk about the assigned cases and outlines.

you don't like where your mind leads you, but as you sit on his couch, you realize patrick is quite attractive. his hair is messier and he wears a well-loved stanford tennis t-shirt and linen pajama pants. his glasses are perched on his nose and a yellow highlighter sits between his lips as he flips through his text book.

and patrick would be a liar if he didn't admit you're attractive too. he likes your hair up how you have it, your eyes sleepy and your voice more relaxed. you're wearing shorts and a yale hoodie and you smell good--like coconut and vanilla.

but you both chug along, until it's well past midnight and both of you are burnt out, your hands marked up with pen ink.

"i don't think i'm retaining any of this." patrick admits.

"maybe if you had some work ethic you would." it's a lot meaner than you intended.

"what the fuck is your problem?" patrick caps his highlighter. "i thought i was breaking through to you--but i guess you're still just as fucking uptight as ever."

"some of us have to be uptight." you spit. "our daddies don't pave all of our futures like yours does."

patrick leans forward, grabbing the drawstring of your hoodie. "given how connected my family is to the legal field here, i wouldn't get on my bad side."

"is that a threat?" you grab his wrist.

"maybe so."

you slap him. it's loud and harder than you thought you were capable of. you expect patrick to lash out, to kick you out and email faculty--to ruin your life. but he pulls you onto his lap and pushes his mouth against yours. his legs spread wide and you straddle them. he still hasn't kissed you and you're both intently waiting on the other to do so. patrick cups your face impatiently and moves his face closer. you feel his erection on your core.

"we need to study." you say.

patrick sighs and looks down at your lips. "do we?"

you nod. "we do."

"but i really want to hate fuck you right now."

you cup his jaw; his cheek is hot from where you slapped him. "you hate me? it doesn't seem like it right now."

patrick's mouth ghosts over your ear. "hate's a strong word. but yeah--" he pulls your hair to expose your throat to him, pressing a firm kiss there. "i hate you." he holds your ass and grinds you on his cock. "i hate how you think you know me." you hold back a whimper. "i hate how you think you're smarter than me." patrick grabs your hand, placing it on his dick. "and i hate how much you fucking turn me on."

"i'll fuck you--" you say, pressing a kiss to his lips. "if you can tell me what-" you grab your study guide. "what three causes of action are in tort law. " you read the first testable concept you can find. "but if you don't get all of it right--then i leave."

patrick thinks. he knows this--maybe. but even then, it's hard to think when you're moving back and forth, your warm cunt stroking against his cock. his eyes are glued to your lips and he clears his throat.

"fuck--jesus--" he runs a hand through his hair. "one is ne-negligence."

you nod and untie his pajama pants. "two more." you whisper in his ear. you've never seen him so pathetic and submissive.

he knows these. but now your fucking hand is in his pants, palming him.

his head falls back and he mewls.

you pull him back up. "two. more."

"fuck--uh--intentional. intentional torts--"

"what's an example of one?"

"that wasn't the fucking deal--jesus christ." he watches you spit in your hand.

"tell me an example."

"battery."

you yank his boxers down and stroke him in your hand. a carnal groan escapes him and you clamp your hand over his mouth.

he pulls your wrist away. "one more?"

"one more."

"strict liability."

patrick's demeanor changes as you tell him he's right. he pins your arms behind your back and pushes your face into the couch cushions, pulling your panties down your legs.

you feel his cock line up with your entrance and you're so fucking wet for him, so desperate. but he stalls as his head pushes inside, just the tip.

"patrick--fuck--" you look back at him; he feels your pulse quickening in your wrists.

then he bends down to whisper in your ear.

"i'll fuck you if you tell me the legal difference between motive and intent."

you can feel the fucking smirk against your cheek.

"i fucking hate you."

[bunnyswritings]

ur blog is soo helpful !!!! ive been looking into writing more lately and this is like a godsend <3 i was wondering if u could do some starter tips?? like stuff to avoid as a new writer :o ps. hope ur having a wonderful week!!!

ahhh, hello!! this is such a sweet message, and thank you, i hope you have a fruitful week ahead too ♡ i'm so glad you're writing more lately- i'll def do my best to provide some starter tips (though i'm really also a starter myself 😅 so i hope you like these, and feel free to let me know what you think!) also, just to put it out there that these are what i found helpful personally / what i think will be helpful, and may / may not resonate with everyone. Also, this topic is soooo broad and there are a million things that can be covered, but for now I'll just keep it short and go with stuff to avoid (or rather, approach differently) as per request. if you / anyone else would like another post for more specific writing tips, feel free to drop it in my ask box!

Some general writing tips — stuff to avoid; little things to not overdo

over-planning

overusing fancy vocabulary

over-describing

over-criticising your work

over-comparing

more details under the cut!

Over-planning — plan the general outline, direction of your plot, message of your story, characters and their rough personalities; yes, do all that well! good planning makes for a good story, but i think it's helpful to remember that sometimes things don't pan out the way we envision them to. and it's important to let certain things go, appropriately of course. if your initial storyline doesn't quite fit the characterisation of the protagonist etc (and vice versa), then perhaps it's time to rethink things — and NOT be too hard-up about it. [tldr: be flexible!]

Overusing bombastic vocabulary — i'm sure you've come across millions of writing advice pieces that aim to spruce up your vocabulary with bombastic phrases. by all means go ahead and pick a few that fit the mood and style of your writing. otherwise, i'd say that sometimes, less is more. throwing in fancy words for the sake of it may not be as helpful as you think. there should be a fine balance between using words that add flavour + help to illustrate nuances and using words to make your piece seem complex. simplicity goes a long way, as i've learnt. but having said that, building up a solid repertoire of vocabulary / good phrases is always helpful, the key thing is using those phrases in the right context. definitely easier said than done, so i suggest reading your favourite author's works couple of times through and pick up their way of using language to their advantage.

Over-describing — narration, descriptive language are great, and can really help to nudge your story in the right direction. it helps set the scene, the mood, and all these are critical in writing... BUT! not the same can be applied to describing actions. not every single action has to be written out explicitly — an example: she walks over to the kitchen, turns around, and opens the refrigerator. she then takes out a canned drink, and places the drink on the countertop... etc — you get the point. some things can be left implied, rather than explicit.

Over-criticising your work — ahh, the age-old piece of advice. i do it all the time, and you probably do too... sometimes, being harsh on yourself and on your work may seem like the only way to better yourself and push your limits, but often times, i personally find that this is counter-productive both on the physical and mental front. it wears you down, it is a nidus for dejection and negative vibes. i think the way i try to get round this is by taking pride in my own work; telling myself that 'this is something i wrote, these are my ideas put into prose, these are my thoughts written on paper'. the caveat here is that avoiding being over-critical of your work DOES NOT and should not mean avoiding proofreading. proofreading is extremely crucial to check for grammatical and structural errors (i recommend doing it once or twice yourself, and if possible, getting a fresh pair of eyes to do the same).

Over-comparing — this ties in nicely with the previous point. take pride in your work! this is something original from you and you only, written in your unique style. having authors/writers whom you look up to is essential in moulding your writing style and habits, but should not be the sole focus when you write. remember that every writer is different, every piece of writing is different; this goes even for pieces with similar plots / tropes / character personalities. nuances, subtleties and underlying messages can come through very differently when written by different people. after all, our life journeys are all personal, which is a factor influencing the way we convey messages across through the written word.

and... that's it for now! i really hope that this helps. honestly, i'm scratching the surface here, and there are lots more i can talk about when i have more braincells >_<

feel free to drop any other requests or questions in my ask if you'd like ♡

[mk-writes-stuff]

Writeblr Interview

Rules: answer the questions

Thanks @kaylinalexanderbooks for the tag!

Short stories, novels or poems?

I like both short stories and novels for different reasons. Short stories make it easier to finish, but I like fleshing out novels a bit more. I’m not much of a poetry guy - I tried it in high school but I’m a bit too literal-minded to be any good at it

What genre do you prefer reading?

Fantasy primarily but also sci-fi

What genre do you prefer writing?

Same as the above :)

Are you a planner or a write-as-i-go kind of person?

I’m kind of in the middle. I like to have a general plan and an idea of the scene I’m writing but I don’t plan too many specific details, and the outline is always flexible

What music do you listen to while writing the story?

I don’t listen to music while writing, I find it distracting

Fav books/movies

Oh boy this is going to be a list. In no particular order (and sticking only to books and movies because including other media would take years lol):

Lord of the Rings

Star Trek IV

Agents of Artifice

Grishaverse, especially Six of Crows duology

The Cosmere, especially Warbreaker and Mistborn (I haven’t read Stormlight or the latest Mistborn so please no spoilers :))

Any Current WIPs?

Still working on Seven Station Chronicles and the Pirates’ Roost. One step at a time :)

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be?

Probably a white t-shirt, weird patterned pants, and black sneakers

Create a character description of yourself.

I don’t like describing myself so I’m going to pass on this one. I just can’t do it without it feeling weird

Do you like incorporating people you actually know into your writing?

Nope. I’ll base aspects of characters on people I know, but I don’t try to base characters 1-to-1

Are you kill-happy with the characters?

Definitely not. I hate killing characters I like. Villains are 100% on the table though :)

Coffee or Tea while writing?

I don’t drink either. I like water :)

Slow or Fast writer?

In terms of actually writing a scene, pretty fast. In terms of finding time to sit down and write, pretty slow, unfortunately

Where/who/what do you find inspiration from?

My gf is probably my biggest inspiration. She always has so many good ideas. Other than her, media I like and observing the world around me

If you were put into a fantasy world, what would you be?

I think I’d be like… a classic library wizard. Idk why I think it would suit me

Fave book cliche?

Plot forcing characters to confront their traumatic backstories. It’s so good

Least fave book cliche?

Found family breaks up. Just let them stay together please authors I’m begging you

Fave scenes to write?

Hurt/comfort scenes. Either of those are good :)

Most productive time of day for writing?

Late afternoon/early evening. I’m a night owl so that’s when I’m most awake

Reason for writing?

I have so much in my brain, I need to get it out somehow. I’d implode otherwise :)

This was a fun little game! @wyked-ao3 @somethingclevermahogony @moltenwrites want to play? Blanks are below the cut

Short stories, novels or poems? What genre do you prefer reading? What genre do you prefer writing? Are you a planner or a write-as-i-go kind of person? What music do you listen to while writing the story? Fav books/movies Any Current WIPs? If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be? Create a character description of yourself. Do you like incorporating people you actually know into your writing? Are you kill-happy with the characters? Coffee or Tea while writing? Slow or Fast writer? Where/who/what do you find inspiration from? If you were put into a fantasy world, what would you be? Fave book cliche? Least fave book cliche? Fave scenes to write? Most productive time of day for writing? Reason for writing?

[bigmack2go]

So you finished your outline kr even your entire story? And now yove gotta come up with a title but you don’t wanna be as boring as using the main characters full name? LET ME HELP YOU!

Idk how to make a good intro to this but i’ll just try by starting with: theres a difference between fanfics and books

For fanfics it’s okay to have a shitty title, a song related title or just a whole ass quote(all tho that last ones debatable) theres still a lot of fanfics with great titles though.

This one seems obvious but please at least make your book SEEM interesting

But if you do want or need a good title let me help. I have no idea where to start so jm just gonna give u a couple of things to keep in mind withoutany particular order.

Okay so idk how to start this but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep your title at two words or less. If you have three… fine i guess but thats the absolute limit. Also absolutely avoid going over four syllables! That also in most cases means: no quotes, not songs etc unless theyre short enough. This is not optional! There’s nothing that i hate more than a name that takes ages to say when i try to recommend a book or show or movie which is why i simply dont do it. And you don’t want that. You want your storry to be recommended. Like the summer i turned pretty. Great book. Great plot. The title almost made me not read it.

Talking about at one. The summer i turned pretty also made no sense what so ever! Especially with the sequels??? Please make your titles make sense for the story! And if you wanna do sequels i’m BEGGING you to keep that in mind for the title.

Dont spoiler anything but for fucks sake make it make sense

Also pls dont start it with “the” cuz thats bad enough as it is but thats not even my point: if you dont want something boring as the MC’s full name, you also dont want something like the important object or just some random noun i promise. It CAN work if its like a name for a group of people like the outsiders or a gang name or smt but its like that it won’t so just… dont

I’d also avoid using original words that u amde up for the story. This isn’t necessarily smt that makes the title bad but it automatically means that it’s harder to remember so if you wanna be recomended thats probably a No. Unless its super easy to remember foe whatever reason.

So now that ive told you what NOT to do, let me give you some ‘DOs’

So theres several kinds of titles.

My personal favourite are like word plays. Not necessarily puns bc they often create new words which are as we’ve established hard to remember. But just something with a double meaning or something like that… i love that

Something else that always works are inconsistencys. Nothing like titles that contradicts itself! It sparks confusion and most importantly: INTEREST. People wanna know what the fuck is up with that. And it can alsk be rly soothing (for some reason)

References and innuendos are smt else i’ll never say no to if they’re used right. This can also overlap with wordplays. Famous (short) quotes or sayings, places or names are never not it

Smt else that slaps is good ol’ simplicity. Be bold. This👏does👏not👏have👏to👏be👏a👏spoiler! I promise you that just because you make it obvious what’s the book about that won’t spoiler shit.

Talking about: i love a good On-The-Nose title especially because most people expect nothing less than the exact opposite of it. Dont get me started on how banger of a title “They Both Die At The End” would be if it were just a little shorter!

And lastly even tho fullnames are an absolute turn-off last names can be sooo good. Especially when they’re about the whole family and especially when they’re in singular

Ofc these rules don’t always apply. Here are some examples of when they didnt

Fifty shades of gray (not defending the book itself, im just saying: the title is awesome)

Ansalom

The guy who didnt like musicals

Pride and prejudice

The kangaroo chronicles

Dracula

Alice in wonderland

That nineties show

Lollita

Bonny and clyde

Out of africa

Come from away

The never ending story

But trust me they usually do apply and just because a book is doing well it doesn’t mean the title had any part in it! Here are some books that should not have done so well and wouldn’t if it were for the title

Harry Potter

Percy Jackson

Mathilda

Birth Control is Sinful in the Christian Marriages and also Robbing God of Priesthood Children!! (Like holy shit dude wtf u literally have not one but TWO exclamation marks in there and take up TWO lines)

The little shop of horrors

Here are some really good titles

Red clocks

Hamlet

Star Wars

Maze Runner

Qualityland

Hamilton

Let’s win

Newsies

Half bad

Blackbird

Avatar

Chrimson rivers

Fight or flight

Young royals

Bridgerton

Titanic

Here are some titles that could have been soooo good if they just… (and what i would change them too

How to get away with murder its so long (sort of wordplay?, interesting)

The fifth season- season five its too long sry (interesting)

Maze Runner-*not having sequels* it just doesn’t make sense for the sequels (simple and interesting)

Just lovers (like we’re suposed to be)- just lovers (contradiction, interesting)

History is all you left me-simply history (?) (contratdiction) too long

More happy than not (interesting) too lonh

They both die at the end (on the nose) too long

Half bad: the bastard son of the devil himself- half bad (interesting) too fucking long dudeee

Also some that DID folow the rules but are still… not so good for some reason? (This is only about the titles not the works!!!!!)

Best friends brother

Choices

Girl in pieces

Boy meets world

No one saw

That nineties show

Lalaland

Im also maybe gonna do some of these on covers and genrally viduals

[laufire]

hey hows the yj jason fic going? (abt the ask game)

have a nice day!! <3

likewise :DD

I've talked a little bit about it recently here and here too. This week I've been putting together the bits and pieces I have of chapter 4 (out of an outline of 21 chapters). This is when things really start picking up. Basically, it's when this is meant to take place: Dick finding the mysterious red-hooded stranger lol.

I've advanced little in terms of new writing for the chapter because I'm too busy coughing 90% of my awake time ¬¬, but between that scene (which makes the bulk of the chapter), and this flashback, I have where to pull from

Rn I can't remember if I've mentioned this on main, btw, but every chapter starts with a short(ish) flashback. The point of view varies, all POV characters get at least one (Talia, Bruce, Jason himself, Cass, Dick, Artemis, Dinah, Tim, Damian), but all of them focus on Jason, one way or another. They show him before meeting the bats (very relevant post here), before Robin, as Robin, with the team... his death... what the aftermath of his death was for other characters, his time with the al Ghuls... because yeah, I wanted to write about Jason in the "present", but I didn't want to just reference the past. I love robin!Jason, in particular, and I wanted to introduce him to this 'verse properly.

Anyway. This month my goal is to finish drafts of chapters 4 & 5, at the least (chapter 6 includes some complications at the moment and I also want to finish an original short story in April). I'm going to share an abridged version of my outline for the first five chapters behind the cut, Just Because :P

ask me about my wips!

CHAPTER I

Flashback: Damian is born premature (Talia's POV).

Main plot: Jason and Damian's arrival to Metropolis (Jason's POV).

Secondary plot: What The Heroes Are Doing (Dick's POV).

CHAPTER II

Flashback: batmobile's tiles & blackmail (Bruce's POV).

Main plot: Jason's Plan (Jason's POV).

Secondary plot: Damian and Titus (Damian's POV).

CHAPTER III

Flashback: Jason & Dani (Jason's POV).

Main plot: a truckload of kryptonite (Jason's POV).

Secondary plot: 911 call (Dinah's POV).

CHAPTER IV

Flashback: Jason & Harley (Bruce's POV).

Main plot: The Chase (Dick's POV).

Secondary plot: Talia's plans (Talia's POV).

CHAPTER V

Flashback: Meeting the Red-Hooded Ninja (Cass's POV).

Main plot: investigation (Artemis's POV).

Secondary plot: Jason tweaks his strategy (Jason's POV).

[hologrammana]

Just finished trade volume 3 of "Something is Killing The Children" by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell'Dera, & Miquel Muerto

Positives:

● Kickass Protagonist, she is short with people and really balances being done with her bosses and jobs shit while still acting in a way that shows she cares as it goes on she never loses that feeling she is on edge or tired but shows to be caring. It's a classic asshole with a heart of gold but hey it's a well worn trope for a reason. Also did I mention she is a sick as hand to hand fighter.

● Cool Plot, Reminds me of a bit of supernatural. It does quickly distinguish itself with less sublty, less interpereonal baggage, a less jokey main character and is quite bloody where as being a network tv show supernatural wasn't allowing it through that and tone just be darker.

Its almost a grimdark, a sense of repetition and slow loss of humanity in the MC, a raging against a inherently rigged system. It is set in modern America but monsters are real and very much have the advantage on humans but there isn't a hint of giving up by the humans the do know.

● Artstyle, I'm really liking artist Werther Dell'Edera and the grainy outline and merging of cloth skin and backgrounds it allows one color cloths to feel more realistic and helps with dynamic angles and fights. Which is good as this is a horror action comic.

Effective conveyance of themes, the comic is good as getting the feelings of it theme in just its artwork. It is not heavy handed about its message its just really well conveyed to the audience especiall. There is this idea of escaping your lot in life can be scary if needed that creeps in on you throughout.

Negatives:

● Panel layout, A problem for my small brain as it is smooth. But during dialog pages I had to retrace as it switches from being left to right top to bottom or being read entire left then entire right, and personally I found myself getting lost once or twice cause it wasn't communicating with its art or panel setup in which way it was meant.

● Gore, now I liked the brutality the main character threw down with the monsters, she and everyone else isn't invincible. Gore can be a major turn off for some people so I felt it reasonable to include here.

● Its not that deep (yet), So far the themes of far reaching trauma & grief are fine but shallow, though the story they are hinting at with inter house conflicts and ideas of what a cult like indoctrination does to someone even after they break free is looking interesting. But it's ideas of escaping all you've ever known for something else if not better not worse is quite compelling, I imagine doubly so if your in a stagnate position.

● Monster Design, I said I like the art and I do but the monsters so far (first arc) were pretty boring generic shadow monster with red eyes, I am looking forwards to see what else they come up with as

Being conjured from the fear of kids should absolutely have the author and artist plum the depths of crazy shit for monster designs.

[between-thepages]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @gabetheunknown, thank you <3

how many works do you have on ao3?

Currently 88, I am determined to make it to 100 before the end of the year.

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

29,604

3. what fandoms do you write for?

The Witcher Books/Games, Silmarillion, Lord of the Rings and sometimes Endeavour/Inspector Morse when the fancy strikes.

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In the Morning (Glorestor)

Dance to the Firelight (Rorveth)

Eating Love (Rorveth)

Mirror Image (Rorveth)

Body and Soul (Yenralt)

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I respond to them, I love comments, but I'm slow. Also, there are only so many variations of "Thank you" one can type in a day before it starts feeling ridiculous. I promise I'll get to your comments before Christmas!

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

my Iorveth/Cedric drabble from last spring. I had to cope with the Ending of Lady of the Lake.

7. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Beautiful like Starlight, but even that isn't really all that happy... I am writing a followup to it at the moment though.

8. do you get hate on any fics?

So far, only from a certain someone for shipping the wrong characters, but i usually have my comments restricted to logged-in users, so leaving Anon hate isn't really possible.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

I will write everything once and then decide if I'll do it again xD Expect it to be at least somewhat kinky.

Also, it has to fit into a drabble or two, I can't really write long-form smut.

10.do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

I haven't yet, I will write a Witcher/Silm crossover one day, just so I can get some of the ladies to meet

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't know, but I doubt my drabbles are interesting enough to steal.

12.have you ever had a fic translated?

Not officially, but I am trying to translate some of my fics myself. No idea when I'll be done there, though.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

No

14.what's your all time favorite ship?

As a multi-shipper, all time favourites are hard, because all i need are three compelling arguments and I start shipping another pairing xD

I guess Fingon/Maedhros is one of the pairings where I am least likely to read a fic if they are partnered with someone else.

15.what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I'll burn with a light of my own, because I started it for a flashfic challenge right before my silm hyperfixation hit full force, so Witcher is a bit on the back burner at the moment. It also needs some serious plot outline to develop further, so the continuation really depends on my interest the next few months.

16.what are your writing strengths?

I have been told I am good at writing short stories, which is great because I love writing drabbles.

17.what are your writing weaknesses?

long plots, probably. I always struggle with reaching wordcounts and making my stories interesting.

18.thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Depends on the language and usage. I love things like terms of endearment in another language (I made up a nickname for Isengrim to use for Iorevth, after all), but I do sometimes get annoyed with the random elvish words in Tolkien fics.

The best use of other languages is if it is used to confuse the POV character, but then it has to be somewhat consistent.

19.first fandom you wrote for?

Sunrise Avenue xD But I never published any of it. The first fanfic I published was for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

20. favorite fic you've written?

She came in through the window because it got me into a new kind of rarepair hell <3

Tagging @she-who-drank-vodka-with-cats, @aretuzagradschooldropout and @gleamingsilence, I'm late to this so I really hope I haven't accidentally tagged someone who already did this <3

[martellspear]

writing process/progress:

— i've outlined 30 chapters (most of them very short) for familiar faces, 31 if you count the prologue, but i am still not sure if i liked how it turned out

— by doing that i also got to work on most of the characters and finally got around to creating a betrayal plot i've always wanted to write😋

— i am still not sure about the name tho. i like "familiar faces" but at the same time i feel like it could be better (?). but it is a reference to the quote that inspired this whole thing so it's probably going to be it

— if i don't change things, it's going to be a 6 part story:

I: stories of old

II: promises in tales yet to be spoken

III: beneath the smooth, familiar face of things

IV: reflection on the abyss

V: to tear the world in two

VI: no morning glory

— on a side note: i am really excited to explore the magical aspect of the story

[briebo-is-a-dragon]

wanted to write out my thoughts on my own writing for a while so This is is That

i have so far finished only one (1) long-form writing project of mine. it's online, far more people read it than i ever thought would see it. like. so many more people. omfg.

this is still so daunting to me lmao, and i'm... proud of it! yes! but i also feel a little embarrassed about it tbh?

the story im specifically talking about is Odd Inheritance, which is a short little story i wrote about a trans girl realizing she's trans set loosely in pathfinder, and i have SO many thoughts about it now, about half a year after it's final chapter was released.

i wrote it in two weeks in a sprint during one of my study breaks, and i wrote it completely by the seat of my pants with no plan, and i think that shows. there are some extraneous plot threads in it that make no sense, side characters that feel very flat, and some characters appear less than i would've wanted them to. i dont share it around whenever i talk about my own stuff because im a little like "eh, i can do better now!" about it.

saying all that though, i reread it recently and i think it still has... charm? there are bits in there that i really really like, little nuggets in the story that elevate it despite some of the other parts perhaps being not as good, and overall, now that im more acquainted with how it actually is rather than the version i built up in my head, i actually shared it around a little more!

that is not to say that i dont think it could have used, perhaps, an extra editing run. an overall look at the plot threads and perhaps a pruning of some things, but hey, that comes with experience, right? i cant diss it too much, as, lets be honest here, its still the only story ive actually finished. (though i have at least two more fully outlined that im simply waiting for inspiration to kick me in the ass again so that i can start em proper, looking at you Dragon story that ive posted about before)

anyways. all thats to say that im currently in the process of rewriting it. im giving it that final little editing pass, mostly just... for me? it holds a special place in my heart as the thing that connected me with a bunch of other people that i've now gotten to know, and i want to do the ideas and character justice. if i manage to finish this little rewrite (this time with a plan, gasp) im gonna put it up on itch and actually do some more illustrations for it, hopefully.

anyways thats the end of my little thoughts on this, theyve been churning around in my head for a while now, just wanted to get em out. peace <3

[dearwriters]

Hello I'm a new writer! meaning ive written since I was about 6 but I just dont feel happy with my writing...Any tips? I've been asking around but all I get is the same old practice and practice but I just want some simple tips and tricks that helped you. :)

While I 100% support writers asking for advice, I would suggest that you get the same old answers because you ask the same old questions.

Got any writing advice?

How do I get better at writing?

Do you have any writing tips?

You see, questions like these are so general, you will only get general answers. "Practice makes perfect" and such (which, btw, is 100% true). As anybody doing any kind of research would tell you, asking the right questions is as much of a skill as answering them.

So here is my big tip for writers:

Recognize the issue.

Look at your own writing, at your own habits and try to figure out why you are unhappy with it. What is the problem, where is the lack? Once you know that you can actually take specific steps to combat a specific issue.

For example: My biggest issue was always a lack of planning. How did I recognize this? I looked at my writing habits and saw an inability to a) finish projects, b) build coherent plots and c) build structure into my stories. I often got confused at where things were supposed to go, at a plot that was so complicated it became muddled. As soon as the shine of a new idea rubbed of, my writing dragged and my endings were either nonexistent or plain old rushed or lazy.

So to combat this issue I took steps to learn about outlining techniques and story structure. This really helped my writing to become more structured and made me more confident in my skills! And contrary to what I feared, I realized an outline didn' actually suck the fun out of the process, it made it easier and I am learning to give myself as much room as I need to be creative and spontaneous within my structure!

So yeah, long story short: If you want to find advice that will actually help you with your problems, you first have to figure out what these problems are. This might take a while but it's gonna be the best thing you can do for your writing in the long run.

I really hope this helped. Have fun writing!

[keydekyie]

When will we get a release date for book three?

Oh anon <3 I love your enthusiasm!

I really don't know for sure. When I finish my rough draft of book III, I'll put the release date less than six months out from there, but I don't know when the draft will be done. I think I'm about three quarters done right now, but it's hard to say for sure, and I don't know how fast I'll be writing in the coming year.

Just as a little, y'know, behind the scenes peek: my books don't financially support me. I actually do have a job that takes up a significant portion of my time, and I also help my partner with his business. I write and draw in my free time.

But heck! If you liked the first two books and want to support me finishing book III, you could write me some reviews on Amazon and Goodreads! And share with your friends! :3

Long ramble about my writing methods below the cut:

So I've been writing these books as though I'm making bead necklaces. I have a fairly general outline written out, with major plot points and notes, like a sketch. Then I make each bead individually, though the beads I make fit into a larger vision. Important story beats and scenes, the focal points of the story, get made first. These are the big flashy statement beads.

Some examples: I wrote the river rescue scene from book II five years ago, and I wrote a rough version of a big climactic ending scene in book III before I was even done with book I! It's been sitting around for sooo long!

As I go I may think of some smaller supporting beads, but I don't necessarily focus much of my attention on them. I also edit my outline a lot, and I don't always make beads I intend to keep, some of them are just practice, or just things to help me understand the characters. Sometimes a bead starts as a very short little sentence or statement, or it may even start as a drawing! Then it gets turned into a Big Important Bead.

Sometimes I get an idea for some dialog or conflict that just seems fun, and I'll jot it down as a quick little note. Then later I may be struggling with a Big Important Bead and realize I have a tiny little note somewhere that fits perfectly!

Over time as I craft more of these beads, I arrange them into the order they're going to eventually need to be in, but nothing is set in stone.

Then it's time for me to go back to the very beginning and start stringing everything together. As I'm stringing my beads from the beginning, I add supporting beads to space everything out properly. Sometimes as I'm stringing it all together, I think of more big important scenes, but most things at this point are supporting elements and transitions. By the end I have a completed necklace with all my beads strung together nice and cohesive.

Now, critically: Book III is mostly in the Stringing It Together phase, though there are a couple Big Important Beads that still need some work. So I'm done with most of the major stuff, I'm mostly writing supporting scenes and transitions right now. There's really only one major plot point I'm struggling with, and it's at the very very end of book III, so I'm giving it a little more time to come to me. It's mostly a matter of making sure it pays off properly, not that I don't know what I want to do. I really don't want it to feel like an ass-pull.

Book IV is past the outline stage and is in the midst of the Big Important Beads stage right now. It might sound crazy to be writing multiple books at once, but I really enjoy having sort of... goals to get to. I want all four books to string together nicely by the end, as they're all part of the same story, after all.

Over the years with this method of writing, I've had to cultivate a lot of patience. I have SO many awesome scenes of sweetness, drama, excitement, and character development all waiting to get their turn. My pretty little beads are sitting around, waiting to be seen. They just need the entire rest of the necklace to be constructed around them first. 🥴

[gutsfics]

F, L, and P!!

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

eeaaaah this is so hard to choose! i love the banter between Avalon and Janey in the first half of The Name Of The Game ch1, i really think i did a good job capturing their friendship

i think im gonna share just a bunch of (screenshots of) some of my favorite bits of dialouge bc i can't decide on just one

some of these i like bc im really proud of how i got the emotion across, but most of them i just think are funnie :) i love writing dialouge & i love writing jokes

limiting the screenshots to fics ive posted and not Everything Ive Written

the "sucking us silly" line was written by my friend @lame-kid-on-couch he added it as a joke bc i couldnt figure out what i wanted Lisa to say & it was so good i had to leave it in. Lisa should have been allowed to cuss in canon

L: How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

depends on the fic. long/plot heavy fics like chapter 1 of TNoTG (or should the shorthand be NoG?) and Pre-Production i usually sit on & revise & revise & revise and drive myself mad over, but short ones like Starting The New Year Right and Holly-Gay Traditions it posted right after writing. like right after. i wrote em into my notebook & then transcribed them onto a tumblr post instead of opening new google docs for em

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

yes.

multi-chapter fics i'll outline so i know where the plost is supposed to go even if it takes me to get a while to return to em

the shorter form ones i rotate in my mind for a bit before writing them down, and even if i Know how i want something to go and will be actively thinking about that i'll still write down something different. its annoying

Not Gonna Take It Anymore was straight up just me spitballing a plot at my boyf & a whole fic just fell out, i wrote it in fucking discord

[braxiatel]

H and P?

-🍂

H: How would you describe your style?

Hmm… focusing on intent, something like character-driven short to medium length stories, with prose that is approachable but somewhat poetic in nature?

I’m not sure I always succeed, but that tends to be my goal anyway 😅

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

Oh good question. I think I’m a bit of both, but leaning slightly more in direction of planning.

Using equinox au as an example: I know exactly what the next 5 fics will be and what order they should be in.

Interlude IV ; Main fic V ; Interlude V ; Main fic VI: Main fic VII

I know the major plot lines of what happens after this too, and have a rough outline of a plan (well not literally, I’m keeping track of it all mentally 😅 for now), however it is much vaguer, and leaves opportunity for me to expand on the plot as I see fit.

I find that a lot of fun plot points grow organically from just seeing where the characters of the story went to take it. Sometimes one line of dialogue will change something about a fic three stories down the line in some fundamental way, and it’s fun to get to play around with things like that!

(Fanfic ask meme)

[eventuallyaugust]

also! ive been meaning to ask, what tips would u give to ppl who wants to begin writing a story? cus i alr have an idea and a draft (?) all these ideas in my head but i cant seem to put into actual words 🧍‍♀️

- 🐨

hello ! so, apparently august saw this ask before she went to school and sent me a long message to relay the info here. i'll just paste it here and add some thoughts august said to me. (august also said you might be viewed some tips as complicated, but to her, it works for some reason??)

august's tips to people who wants to begin writing their story

(august said that she doesn't know if this tip would really help you but she included this just in case) if you are the organized type of person, make an outline of your story before writing, but if not, you just could write your story and make plans along the writing process (august said this is how she started bbtr: without planning or anything)

in writing a story, there's nothing such as too wordy, too short, too long, etc. it's your story, it's your choice on long you want it to be.

write for yourself. i know you want your work to be read by others, but i want to let you know that you shouldn't feel pressured to write your work if you don't have the energy or motivation to do it.

take breaks. this is important too, august said because your story will feel like a burden to you and you will be most likely be burned out if you force yourself writing.

if you feel like your story is lacking, you can turn to someone you know who can help you. there's nothing wrong with seeking opinions of others to improve your writing.

(august said this is just her personal opinion & feel free to ignore this if u want) if you have a sudden burst of idea on writing a certain scene for your characters, try to write it down because there's no assurance that this idea will come back to you as strong as it did before.

if you need to write what others called as "filler chapters" like just characters doing something together such as baking, having fun, etc, do it. it may not seen as very important to the plot line, but it helps the readers gain pov of the bond between the characters

feel free to jump back in the characters' past when writing a story. there are various reason why some writers do this: first, it could help the readers gain a perspective of your character. second, writers may or may not unsure what to write next so they dwell on the characters' past.

(again, this is august's personal opinion) when writing a character, you should list all the details you want your character to have such as this person likes coffee, or blueberry pies, something like that because you could use that advantage to easily remember your character by (and either make your readers cry or not).

when it comes to grammar, feel free to use websites for it if you need to. there's nothing if you're a bit of a grammar stickler. (august prefers not to mention any website tho, but she said any website will do)

(august's personal opinion, 50/50 not advisable bcs august said it might affect the way you would see your character. it kinda makes sense ig?) in writing scenes that you want your readers to feel certain emotions or you want to write angst, you need to immense yourself in the story, as if you are the character experiencing the sad story. this is only applicable if you really want your story to be super angst.

when it comes to writing a chapter, it may seem hard to form what you actually had in mind, but you don't need to rush it. there's nothing wrong if some words repeat. you just need to describe the scene in your head and envision it happening. or you could refer to no. 11, immense yourself into the story (but again, do it with caution)

that's all she wrote, but she said that she'll try to add some once she's back. feel free to send asks about anything or maybe i could talk about august' minju smau (don't worry, i have permission to share bits of it from gus) !