#love writeblr because scenes like this get to see the light of day!

[vollzz]

An Eves Snippet-

I hope it’s not TOO obvious, but Eves is absolutely my favorite character from my wip, blackflame (sorry protag!). This scene following them was one of the first ones I wrote, but I’m undecided on whether or not I actually want to include it in the first draft since it’s the only one not following Calliope.

Just prior to this scene, we see Eves being mortally wounded by [???]. Through quick thinking and trickery they are able to disappear into safety. I LOVE getting into Eves’ head and I find their dialogue quite difficult to write at times - it’s a careful balance of trying to sound “ancient” without being robotic, and also very specific word choice to convey their characteristics.

Thoughts, comments, questions, and constructive criticism are always welcome :)

The lithe, ethereal body thudded to the ground with ragged breaths. Nearly every inhale brought with it a cough that sprayed gleaming golden droplets amongst the fibers of the carpet. One hand pressed tightly against the sticky blood oozing from beneath a once-pristine shirt, the other desperately pushing against the ground to elevate into a sitting position.

Is this what I sense from mortal beings when I appear before them? Fear?

Perfect white teeth gritted against one another and Eves moaned with agony, hissing at the pain that resurged more sharply with each coming breath. Slowly, they lifted up the hem of their shirt to assess the severity of their wounds - the release of blood had slowed to a trickle, and one of the gaping holes had already begun to clot.

A day of many firsts, then, although it should not be surprising that my form can mend itself, and at a better rate than mortals.

Eves had been brutally wounded before, of course - but on that occasion it had not been stopped so easily. The very thought of it sent a shudder down their spine, and the image was dismissed as quickly as it had dared to grace their memory.

Eves’ free hand trembled with rage. The world that lovingly birthed their perfect form into being had the effrontery to taunt them with unknowns? To grant their body with healing only to make it agonizingly slow?

Their stomach and throat spasmed, breaking open the clots in their wounds and freeing more blood. They leaned forward and vomited a heavenly gilded river onto the carpet.

Even in this state, I am exquisite.

Blood seeped through the cracks of their fingers, steadfast in its journey to escape its prison.

I am a god even among gods. I cannot die.

…

But perhaps I must seek Leilah.

Once again, their cunning would save them; the [???] existence had only recently become apparent to Eves, and clearly not soon enough. What was more surprising was who had found [???] first. But now was not the time to think of her - no, Eves needed to act.

It is still light outside - she will be in the temple.

Stand up. I am a god. I will act like it.

Silent feet rubbed against the carpet and propelled Eves upwards, nearly causing more vomit to erupt from their mouth. They willed themselves to have new, unsoiled clothing, even as the strain of using their power tore at their insides.

I cannot die. I will not die.

It was truly ridiculous that the deities were blinded to one another, but no matter. Lovely James had tracked down one of Leilah’s Children for Eves some time ago, a beautiful, stupid woman. Stupid, of course, because she had settled for Leilah before Eves could have her.

The temple.

Eves willed their power to take them, disregarding the shred of fear that wondered if they could even make it that far. Their eyes shut as they felt the whoosh of travel, and the soles of their boots landed roughly onto the ceramic tiles of one of Leilah’s temples. Eves’ eyelids struggled against them, fluttering, but finally opened.

There. A woman kneeled before an altar in front of Eves, her backless cream-colored gown revealing the golden spinal stripe of her mark nestled atop deep ebony skin. She muttered some prayer to herself, blissfully unaware of Eves’ presence. Eves painfully stepped between the woman and the exit, forcing their facial features into a cool mask and honey into their tone.

“Simone, dear. What a wonderful occasion to see you.”

She jumped in fear at the voice and whirled around, her eyes wide as she took in Eves’ form before her. Eves hoped that their thick jacket would be enough to obscure the blood already soaking their shirt.

“Do not defile my lady’s temple with your presence, beautiful demon. Begone. I am not affected by your repulsive magic.”

“Only because you currently belong to another.”

How ridiculous to think she can resist me out of sheer willpower. So very mortal.

Eves crept forward, even as dizziness began to cloud their vision. Simone matched each step with one of her own to maintain the distance between them until her back came into contact with the stone altar.

“I have business with Leilah, lovely Simone. Summon her at once,” they crooned as they cornered her against the altar.

“I said begone, demon. I will never call for her in your company.” Her voice echoed with confidence, but Eves could feel her terror, could see the shaking hands she desperately tried to conceal. Icy blood began to trickle onto the waistband of their pants.

Come, darling Leilah, make your grand entrance.

Eves grabbed Simone by the neck, savoring the horrified shriek that vibrated from within. “You live on borrowed time. It is not often I am denied that which I desire.” Fingers pressed tauntingly into the soft flesh of her neck. “Your deity cannot heal that which is dead, can she?”

I will kill a beautiful thing if I must. I am a god among gods. I refuse to perish.

“Enough, Eves.” The hand had already released Simone before the words reached Eves’ ears - her godly presence was announcement enough of her arrival. Simone coughed violently, her fingers feathering around her neck. She stumbled forwards enough to drop to her knees in front of her deity, tears streaming down her face. Leilah bent down to lovingly caress her face, the touch erasing the hidden pains on Simone’s neck.

“You are safe now, my Child. Please leave us.” Without another word the woman ran from the room, locking the doors behind her. At the sound of them crashing together Eves released their tight reigns of control, haphazardly leaning against the stone altar. Their thoughts swirled with fog, with agony, with the ice of the blood soaking their clothes.

Leilah, her face uncharacteristically shocked, merely breathed, “You are dying, and you wish me to save you.” Eves glowered at her, even as they sank to the floor.

“I will be fine, surely. My body can heal, but I would like you to hurry the process.” They both knew it was a lie, but Eves could not bear to admit the weakness out loud. “As you can see, I have mortals to punish.”

How ironic to have called them mortals all this time, as if I cannot perish just as them.

“Mortals did this to you?” She cautiously approached Eves, stopping to kneel beside them. Her voice began to feel distant to Eves’ roaring ears.

“Heal me and you shall know all, Leilah. It is of interest to you - they are on a crusade against us. Perhaps you will be next.” Eves’ mouth filled with the sweet tang of their blood as they studied Leilah’s horrified expression. With a shaking hand, Leilah brushed away the hair plastered to the sweat beading on Eve’s forehead.

Leilah hesitated. Eves knew the debate that waged internally for her - they’d given her every reason to leave them here to die a pitiful death, but surely seeing another deity in such a sorry state must have stricken fear into her heart. Eves merely let their eyes slide shut, perhaps for the final time.

I cannot truly die. I will claw my way back to this land, and I will come for you, Calliope. You belong to me, and me alone.

Gentle hands pressed into Eves’ stomach, exploring each of the wounds from [???]. Gilded light the same color as their smeared blood burned through Eves’ eyelids, and slowly the piercing agony that wracked their body began to fade. A wicked smile stretched across Eves’ face as they opened their eyes to gaze into Leilah’s.

I am a god among gods.

I will take back what is mine.

—-

blackflame tag list- (ask to be added/removed!)

[ author’s note: thank you sm to all the new tag list friends :) love you all! ]

@hallwriteblr @kourumi @space-writes @at-thezenith @careful-fear

[em-dash-press]

What Is a Meet-Cute?

If you’re in the writeblr world for any amount of time, you’ll likely see people talking about meet-cutes. Here’s everything you need to know about the classic plot device.

Definition of a Meet-Cute

A meet-cute is a scene in books, movies, or TV shows where two individuals meet for the first time and unknowingly start their romantic journey together. They typically have a comedic or light-hearted vibe and just enough romance to interest the characters and readers.

Why Is It Called That?

Anyone could write a scene where a protagonist meets a secondary character and goes on with their day. There’s nothing romantically memorable about a quick chat about the weather over a grocery store cash register. However, the moment could turn into a meet-cute if the customer mentions how they’re in desperate need of a snack and winks.

The cashier, sensing sparks flying, jokingly and flirtatiously says, “You better come back when you’re extra hungry because I’m a whole meal.”

The customer does and the relationship begins with a first date. The scene wins the reader over for both characters so you’re instantly rooting for their relationship to succeed.

The Four Meet-Cute Types

Meet-cutes can also include characters starting a relationship or meeting over something like love at first sight, a misunderstanding, or an accidental comedic event.

You can have various versions of a meet-cute that include dynamics like:

Instant attraction: both sides feel drawn to one another

More pros than cons: two characters have to commit to a sudden, non-romantic task or goal and accidentally fall for each other

One-sided adoration: one character immediately falls for the other, but the other needs more time/effort to feel the same way

Instant frenemies: both characters dislike each other on sight, but there’s a competitive or interested pull drawing them back together even as they try to outdo or avoid the other

Awkward firsts: one character attempts to flirt but doesn’t have the experience or skill to do so successfully; the other character doesn’t even notice because the flirting is so bad

Examples of Meet-Cutes

Romeo and Juliet

Their families try to keep them apart, but their love pulls them back together. The stakes instantly start to rise, making the reader more committed to the relationship working out.

Darcy and Elizabeth

At first, this Pride and Prejudice meet-cute is about two characters completely repelled by each other. Then Darcy, terrible at flirting, gives all the wrong signs and makes the worst proposal in the world (Awkward Firsts). Eventually the relationship works, which creates a payoff for the reader.

Alexa and Drew

Alexa picks Drew as her plus-one in The Wedding Guest just because they’re stuck on an elevator together. The event comes and goes, but they can’t stop thinking about each other because sparks flew at the wedding. 

-----

You don’t need to be a lifelong romance reader to write a meet-cute. Get the basic elements down with tips like these and you’ll write the cutest beginning for your next romance story.

[ladyazulina]

A Writeblr Introduction Attempt

[En Español]

Hello everyone, I’m Lady Azulina 💙 Just Azu around these parts. I have been thinking about doing an introduction since I started diving into the Writeblr community who knows how long ago—certainly not me. But I wasn’t able to decide where to start. I still don’t know, but I believe that even the smallest attempt can be a great step, so here we go—I mean, I. Here I go. I really want to make this space something safe for me. For me to vent. For me to share. For me to be me even when I don’t know how to be me. I tried Instagram. I tried Twitter. Now I’m consciously trying Tumblr. Let’s see how this goes.

2-1: My pronouns are she / her. I’m also cis. And as far as I know, I’m hetero, but I haven’t had the opportunity to test my sexuality, so I can’t be totally sure. Why I’m telling all of it? I don’t even know! Don’t mind me.

2: The sun has gone around twenty-four times since I was born. I’m from winter. Like, an-early-Christmas-gift type. By five days only. I was supposed to be born in February, but I think I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday with the rest of the family. So it was Christmas. Sadly.

2+1: I'm legally a Sagittarius, but heartily I don't know where I fit. Sagittarius sun, Capricorn moon, and Aquarius rising.

2x2: I LOVE personality tests. For the majority of my life, I was INFP-T, but the last result says I am ISFP-T. My Enneagram type is a solid 4, a light 9. My color personal test is serulian (#9bb7d4).

2x2+1: I started writing when I was eleven.

2x2+2: I think I have a record of every writing in all these years (goddess, it will be twelve years soon).

2x2+2+1: I’m a love fanatic, even when I don’t wanna be. I’m a hopeless romantic, people. I write romance even without knowing that I’m writing romance. How the heck? I do not understand either.

2x2x2: In the same way, everything with the correct amount of romance can amuse me. And it doesn’t even have to be romantic.

2x2x2+1: I’m also a creature of fiction. Each word that comes out of my fingers is fiction. Be wary, I’m talking here about my writing, I can turn my life into a work of fiction, but it is not! Sadly.

2x2x2+2: On the topic of fiction, excepting a few self-insert (usually coming out in form of micro-stories), all I write and have ever written is absolutely and totally… fiction. Gezh, believe me, I was also looking for another completely unsuspecting word to get you all there, but I went b l a n k. You all know about it, don’t you?

12-1: I'm a fantasy-setup type of girl. I think I decided that with my very first novel, full of fantasy creatures. Though I haven't been writing there for a while, it's still one of my primary genres. I also like paranormal stuff, not in a very big matter, but its participation is still appreciated.

12: I love mysteries, and I think I’m trying to write one, but I do not try to solve them. My head wouldn’t forgive me if I try to push it so hard. On the same topic, I enjoy detective series.

12+1: I found my hidden love for (writing) action scenes thanks to a specific character. I'm still trying my ways because I don't get to write with her as much as I would like.

12+2: Other than the ones I've already mentioned, I'm pretty bad at identifying genres or tropes, so I won't be doing that. If you recognize any in my writings, please point them out to me! That way I can add them to the tags and so on.

12+2+1: For a while, I was roleplaying in forums, so I think I can say I have fics from Digimon, Pokemon, Sword Art Online, and My Hero Academia. Needless to say, I'm trying to turn all their stories into original ones; I can talk about them whenever.

12+2+2: I always create characters in pairs because I don’t want them to feel lonely like I do, though it doesn’t mean they’re romantic pairs.

12+2+2+1: I’m pretty in love with the blue color, hence my name, its lighter tones especially.

12+2+2+2: My real-real name is also a blue color! I think I’m unbiased from birth.

20-1: I’m a Caribbean Latin lady, my first language is Spanish. I would love the second one to be Sign Language, but I think it really is English.

20: I started studying (in college) Maths, but it didn’t work. I shifted to English, but it’s not working either.

20+1: My alter ego is an editor, proofreader, and writing coach, I can serve as the mediator, and as a way of trying her services as a beta reader.

22: I think it’s already obvious, but my favorite number is 2. The 02, 20, and 22 also work. 12 just because it’s my birthday month, but it also has a 2!

Project Masterlist.

[semblanche]

love ur content! what are some writeblrs and wips you recommend?

thank you very much!! i'm afraid i rarely follow specific wips, but in terms of people i'd have to say -

@holotones - some of the most raw, real writing i've had the privilege to read. includes everything from western to scifi to dark academia - they have the RANGE, darling. i still think about a passage they posted on an oc of theirs, pavel, sometimes, and have to bite my tongue to keep from screaming

@popovs - i think everyone knows eva at this point. their writing is so ridiculously gorgeous, it feels like reading gold - if that makes sense?? their images are vivid, their dialogue hits hard, and you are going to be thinking about whatever they posted last for the next few days at least

@at-lxs - atlas doesn't post much but i maintain that her writing is literally some of the BEST i've ever read. her mind is so fucking sharp and her ideas so fucking good,, 100/10 would be mutuals with again, i love her sm

@carumens - carmen was one of the first people to reach out to me when i was starting out on writeblr and i can never thank them enough for that. they're sweet, supportive, and also have a wip (sunflowers at night) that i can't WAIT to see as a novel seated with the rest of my favorite books on my bookshelf :)

@evergrcen - relatable posts and writing that kicks you in the throat and leaves you gasping. everything elle posts will get you feeling like your heart skipped a beat, she's just That Good. and? also?? literally so nice??? i can't

@llesbianwrites - 100/10 taste in music and 1000/10 writing quality. each new character intro they post has me internally screaming to know the full story, it's so good

@emdrabbles - treasured mutual!! em is great because you can shitpost with her & then actually end up coming up with an idea that's... not half bad. beyond that, her writing is just? so good?? you get attached to all the characters and the worldbuilding is so expansive you can feel the thought that's gone into it. i in theory like none of the genres she writes in and yet i'm still obsessed, THAT'S how good she is

@bitterbodies - their writing style is the kind that feels like a repeated punch in the stomach with each sentence. they paint their scenes so beautifully it almost feels like poetry, and their ideas are just,,, oh my god

@saintsophia - i have fallen in love with every single one of her characters to no return's point, and i don't even have words for her writing style. i can still remember images from her writing that stuck with me, sentences like 'we collected the butts of her cigarettes because it was the closest we'd ever get to being kissed by her' (i am absolutely butchering that quote rn, i'm so sorry sophia) and it's all just,,, incredible. so, so, so good

@julesruleswrites - 'touch of light' is such an underappreciated wip tbh. finley and emerson are the only m/f pairing i'd trust with my life; they have such a strong, compelling dynamic. there's also magic, and gods, and disappointing your family - highkey recommend checking it out!!!

@oliviagordonwrites - along with showering me with endless support (which i'll never be grateful enough for), her own writing is just? AMAZING??? i look forward to every new excerpt, the scenes feel quick and intense, like you're hanging off the edge of your chair in anticipation. it's literally so good

@unnagi - their writing feels like soft sunsets and long walks on the beach, and i love the cultural aspect thrown in!!! 11/10 friend recommend

this probably ended up being a bit longer than you wanted, and i'm still forgetting so many wonderful people, but here are the recommendations i can think of atm!

[ink-flavored]

Writeblr Q+A

Tagged by @silver-wields-a-pen !! Thank you <3

Rules: Fill it out, post your answers, and tag some pals.

1. When did you first learn you enjoyed writing?

Well, I’ve known I enjoyed reading pretty much ever since I could comprehend words. Before I even really knew what I was doing, I would tell myself and my younger sister stories, and write down my day in a journal to have stories to read later. 

My first experience with creative writing was in middle school, when we were asked to write poems every day for our poetry unit. That’s when I remember actually enjoying the act of writing for writing’s sake, but you could count my 6 year old ramblings too, if you wanted!

2. Tell us about the first project you ever wrote.

The first one I remember, not sure if it was actually the first one I ever wrote, was about a girl who had a wereworlf-esque ability to turn into a dragon. It was pretty much my dream. It still is.

3. How does your favorite media shape who you are as a writer?

To this day, my favorite book series -- The Inheritance Cycle -- has influenced the way I write magic systems, telepathic connections, my penchant for fantasy, and is absolutely where my love of dragons came from. I’m not sure where I would be without The Inheritance Cycle, truly.  

But it’s not the only one! Reading House of Leaves was a fascinating dive into a genre I don’t normally read, and it really showed me that horror wasn’t just about gore and monsters (which is why I normally stay away). Playing the Dragon Age games showed me just how much you can do with characters. Probably some more I can’t think of have influenced me as well.

4. What's something you've wanted to write, but aren't sure you could? (A tv show, a genre, a style, a time period, a video game, etc)

I’d like to finish the game I started writing, one day. Maybe write some more.

I’ve dipped my toes into horror a little bit, but I know I’m not at all experienced enough to write a narrative in the genre. The problem is that I’m a giant wimp who doesn’t like being scared and also I’m squeamish. So that rules out a giant chunk of horror content for me to study lol

5. What is the thing that keeps you from writing the most?

Myself, for sure. Whether it be writer’s block, getting stuck in the fine details that don’t matter, or simply not having a plot to go with the story I want to write the most. 

That, and having to work a nine-to-five. I suffer at the hands of capitalism. 

6. How do you deal with an inner editor?

I don’t, really? I’m one of those people who’s half-editing as they write, though I’ve been trying to curb it lately. I’ve gotten over myself recently, not really caring what any of it says until I actually have to be editing. I just focus on having fun!

7. How long have you been writing?

Uhhhh... good question.

For Real Actually, probably since that middle school English class from earlier. Maybe “officially” the next year, but definitely around that time is when I decided I really loved writing and wanted to do it for a living.

8. What is your general writing process? Do you write chronologically? Do you do a lot of planning?

Pfft. Process, that’s cute.

I kinda do whatever? Stories come to me in all manners and in all forms -- just aesthetics, just a plot, just a character, just a single scene or line of poetry. I do as much planning as my brain allows, but I do like to have a skeleton outline of the main story beats before I actually sit down to start writing anything.

I absolutely love world-building tho. I do that so much.

9. Assign a scent to your writing style.

Oh, but that depends so much on WHAT I’m writing!!!!

But if I must choose... a scented candle in an abandoned house, covered in dust and falling to ruin. Comfort in a place where comfort should not be. 

10. One book you hope everyone reads?

Lately, I’ve been re-discovering Eavan Boland’s poetry, and I’m currently reading her most recent collection. I’d recommend anyone who wants to write poetry -- or even just likes poetry! -- to read anything by her. 

11. What is it about your least favorite genre that makes it your least favorite--and how might you change that to better appeal to you?

You know how they say hate and love are two sides of the same coin? There’s a difference between a genre boring me and a genre inspiring enough passion to incite hatred. That difference, reader, is wanting it to be better.

I used to think horror was the worst genre on the planet (anxiety and panic disorder notwithstanding) even though a lot of the genre has things I should like -- putting characters through trials to reveal their true selves, stories that make you think about yourself and the world, all that stuff. I hated it because, from what I saw in popular media, it focused too much on gore and was more concerned with being a scary story than an interesting story -- which has its merits! It just wasn’t what I was looking for.

Stuff like House of Leaves and Welcome to Night Vale really showed me exactly the kind of horror I like. Which is, little to no gore and scares that settle deep. There is so much about both that I think about to this day, episodes I haven’t listened to in months or years. House of Leaves is a story about the protagonist descending to madness and you get to watch it in real time -- knowing it could easily be you. I like horror that reminds us we’re all human, and that being a human is very, very scary on its own. 

So, more horror needs to be like that. 

12. Design a "collector's edition" for your first novel. Include items that might be of interest to your audience.

MAP. BIG HUUUUGE MAP. I love maps. It’s gotta have a big map poster in FULL COLOR, BABEY!!!!

13. If one thing was real from your project, what would you want it to be?

Dragons. You have no idea how much I want dragons to be real.

14. What's something you always include in your work? Do you have any other Easter eggs?

I like magic, I like dragons, and both of those show up an uncanny number of times in what I write. 

15. What is your favorite passage from your own work?

Jeez, that’s a tough one. I write so much stuff! But something I am very proud of is from a flash fiction called One Minute:

You cannot move, or the minute will reset. If you move, you will have to keep sitting. You will have to start over. The creature will surely kill you. If you move. The minute. Will. Reset. If you move. You. Will. Die.

It has been forty-five seconds.

You can’t see the creature, but you know that it’s big. It blocks the light behind you, casting a massive, dark, endless shadow. It is darker than a shadow should be. Darker than the night sky. Darker than the blackness behind your eyes.

You pray to God. You pray to any God.

It has been forty-nine seconds.

I like to read it out loud!! It sounds nice to say imo

Aaaaand, that’ll be it!

Tagging (no pressure!): @royalbounties @rrrawrf-writes @rainy-rose @blueinkblot​ @sunrisecitrusuniverse @tenacious-scripturient and anyone else who wants to do this!! Consider yourselves tagged!

[neirawrites]

I was a Twihard in high school. Then I was a Twilight hater. In  2018, I decided to reread the first book, to see for myself on which side I belonged. I wrote my thoughts as I read, in multiple parts, but on my main blog, so I thought I might share them on my writeblr too, because I kinda had fun with it. 

Enjoy my many, many notes

Pages 0-50

I’m actually kinda into it. Yeah, there are a many issues every article on editing tells you to fix (filter words, -ing verbs and things like that), but i feel it. I don’t know what it is, but it’s there.

Bella isn’t that bad of a protagonist. Nothing too spectacular, but she’s fine. She is depressed, self sacrificing and hides her feelings, but also a lot more self aware than i though she would be(like when she notices mike, my son, likes her). She’s a typical teenage girl, the introverted type, way into reading. there’s nothing wrong with that.

I don’t know why i remember Edward being a draco in leather pants,but he’s also fine for now. mysterious and handsome and a bit weird. The first real conversation they have, he’s polite and nice and charming. I expected him to be a dick for like 150 pages at least.

Pages 50-100

I’m still really into it.

Yeah,Edward kinda ghosts her/gaslights her after the whole van incident, but with the benefit of hindsight,i kinda get it. It’s a wonder he didn’t pick up his entire family and moved to Alaska again. I also get her mood during that time and I've been there so i feel ya,Bella,it’s not your fault.

And yeah, Bella gets invited to the dance by three different guys and it’s all kinds of fan fic-y, but the fact she turns them down furthers my belief she’s wake up married to Edward in like a few years and realize she would rather be with Rosalie (a solid choice, might i add).

Edward’s really pushy, especially when it comes to the scene after she faints. like, let her go, you jerk, she can drive herself, but he’s more weird than he’s a jerk and i think that was intentional.

A big surprise was the line “what if i’m not the hero, what if i’m the bad guy?” which isn’t this super cheesy, extra dramatic sentence but a jokey joke told with a laugh. actually, that whole conversation in the cafeteria where she tries to guess what he is is gold and don’t try to tell me otherwise.

I’m reading her interests in him as less of a romantic thing, and more of frustration at his behavior,like she would still be fascinated by him if he wasn’t so hot because he’s just so weird (but being hot is definitely a plus).

Plot? What plot?

Still, while the flaws are there, i’m still enjoying it very much.

Pages 100-150

Is Stephanie Meyer into anime? Cuz she wrote a harem light novel,that’s what she did and that’s how i’ll read it from now on and have more fun doing it. (Might make a post elaborating on this further).

All this to say that we got to Jacob. Not gonna lie, I kinda forgot about him.  He seems like a nice kid and i’m glad Bella has some positive interaction. Team jacoj 4 life (jk,man,i was team jasper in high school which is in retrospect very weird of me). I know he becomes a friend-zoned dudebro later, but for now, he’s fine.

Meyer, lady, you’re winning me over as a half hearted defender of your work, but why are the girls so bitchy? Yeah,i know, bitchy girls exist in real life, especially in high schools,but girls are our friends and we need more positive female on female interactions. Just my personal preference, I guess.

Things are getting interesting. Bella’s dreaming weird dreams (just fyi, not a big fan of dream scenes in general), she’s googling like crazy  and we’re going to Port Angeles.

I never felt she has any sort of affection for Angela or Jessica who seem really nice and have done nothing wrong. Like loosen up Bella, give them a chance. I know, depression makes you into a bitch sometimes, but it would warm me up to her character if she was a little more affectionate with people around her.

That whole scene where she almost gets at best beaten up and mugged and at worst raped and killed is… not my favorite part of the whole thing. I get what Meyer needed to do, to have her be saved by Edward, but there must have been a better way to go about it. What do I know? I’m the queen of forced plot contrivances. I do like their conversation at the restaurant (again, why do we hate the female waitress, Steph?). I don’t know why, I expected Edward to be mad at Bella for what happened to her and he seems genuinely concerned and his anger feels… human. Some of his actions, however, do not.

He stalked her which is weird and creepy and I hate it. Don’t stalk people, Edward. most of us don’t like it. you’re lucky Bella’s a weirdo.

150-200

I kinda love how ok she’s with the whole vampire thing. she’s just “well, this kid i barely know told me a scary story, so i guess the guy from school is a vampire. it be like that sometimes.” my first assumption would be it’s all an elaborate prank to make fun of me (i have some deep seeded trust issues origins of which remain unknown). and he’s waaay to quick to confirm her suspicions. I think there’s an explanation in the part of midnight sun that got leaked, but that was like a century ago.

I would criticize her for being ride or die with Edward so fast, falling in love with him so quickly, but i exchanged like 5 sentences with a cute girl last night and a part of is ready to propose based on the artiness of her instagam, so who the eff am i to judge?

and i get why he’s fascinated with her. she’s the only one he can’t read.

why? i don’t think that question ever gets a good enough answer, but it’s a fictional story about a girl falling in love with a sparky vampire. i’m not here for complex science or detailed explanations.

he seems waaay too protective of her. She’s a big girl, Ed, she can take care of herself. It’s actually kinda annoying. i dislike how he treats like a child a lot of the time. he seems pretty condescending. also, if he broke her car, i’m taking back everything nice i said about him.

ok, let me finally address bella’s biggest character flaw, her clumsiness. i mean, i get why she has it but Meyer goes a bit too hard on it. i’m clumsy, i really am, full of bruises, always bumping into things, but Bella can’t walk 20 meters without tripping. i guess i’m just glad she becomes a vampire in the book four, otherwise the book five would have been about her struggles when she’s diagnosed with a stage four inoperable brain tumor that’s been mesing with her sense of balance and the whole things turns into a weird version of the fault in our starts.

if i were writing it i would focus on her trust issues and being unable to form real bonds with other people as her main flaw, maybe even use it to try and justify the whole thing with the mind Edward can’t read. Like, she’s too different in a way that makes her unable to connect even on a basic level, like that one Blue whale that sings at a different frequency than all the others. Idk,i write pulpy sci fi. but it’s easy to be a general after the battle.

we got to the two infamous lines:

how are you? 17. how long have you been 17?  is another line that’s more jokey than i though it would be, but also the most realistic piece of dialogue in this book. i would so ask the same thing.

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, this paragraph has been memed to death. Second, there was a part of me-and I didn’t know how potent that part might be-that would know every word of it till the day i died. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in like with it.

200-300

Not gonna lie, the whole part where he goes around asking her questions he is legitimately interested in knowing the answers to is at the same time my kinkiest fantasy and my deepest fear. like, yaaas, daddy, get to know me on the personal level and don’t be turn off by the fact i’m a tabula rasa.

We got to the infamous meadow scene and Bella is sooo horny on main for that vampire stake it’s actually kinda funny. She gets so effing into it she faints. I fucking love this girl. Go get that adonis dick, Bella, you deserve it.

I don’t mind vampires sparkle.i mean,it’s lame and fanfic-y but in Bosnia we have the lampires so vampires are creatures with a high dose of plasticity. i don’t know why that was like the worst thing anyone has ever done to the vampires. They are kinda too strong and could use a real weakness tho.  

So the lion fell in love with the lamb is kind of another joke. Also, this is the skin of a killer is sadly just in the movie.

I do have the feeling he likes the project that he sees in Bella more than the real girl,but ok. Also stop nagging her. He watches her sleep. What a creep. I don’t know why, but the fact that he’s a vampire who doesn’t have to sleep makes it kinda less creepy for me. I don’t know why.

But “if i could dream at all i would be about you,” is the kind of ultracheese i can get behind. they are both such teenagers and i kinda looooove it.

Also non of the boys were her type is such a lesbian excuse. I feel ya Bella, i feel ya. I hope you discover your gayness after the end of breaking dawn.

We meet the cullens and every single one of them has a backstory like 528 times more interesting than Edward. i need novels about them, all of them ffs. it would be so cool. but, one of my favorite oc’s Errien Lark gets like 30 lines in the whole book so i can only be as harsh on Meyer as on myself (which is to say a lot. neither of us deserve these characters, honestly)

This book would have been more interesting if Bella fell in love in any other cullen. Like, Bella and Alice, Bella and jasper (Bella and Jasper and Alice. Sorry, i’m into solving love triangles with ot3s).Bella and Rosalie, Calilise, Esme, even Emmett, who i remember  as mike of the vampires, but it’s been a decade.

300 pages in and plot is yet to happen, but it’s ok. we have the vampire baseball next.

the last part.

get your hot takes! hot takes right here

I kinda like billy. He seems like a nice guy. Also billy/charlie as my new otp.

“The beautiful one,the godlike one.” Bella, you are such a teen.

The less fucks she has about him being an all powerful ancient creature of the night who can murder her in a heartbeat, the funnier it is. She is just soo casual about it. Comedy gold, i tell ya. i mean, this is actually part of the narrative, Edward comments on it, meyer knows what she wrote.

Ed,maybe is you stopped saying she smells good, you would be better at not thinking about her as food. Mind over matter. Just a thought. Maybe i misjudged his virgin ass. Maybe ed the incel actually fell in love with her. Or at least what he thinks is love since they’ve been dating for like two days (look who’s talking?the girl who reads any sign of affection as a statement of love and then gets disappointed).

“Emmett could never be compared to a gazelle”. That’s sexist steph. Emmett, honey, you are as gracious as you want to be.

Also a big yaaaas on the whole concept of vampire baseball. we needed more of it.

Plot! Plot! Plot! Plot! Plot!

We have encountered plot. Only 320 pages in. three bad vampires came into town.

Story time: when i was in high school, all like 20 of us in out class were really, really into twilight (dudes included). we quoted it all the time but the height of comedy happened when someone brought their friend from another school to out class and someone else was like “you brought a snack” and a meme was born to be quoted endlessly for months. it was actually kinda fun. and probably very annoying for anyone who wasn’t into twilight.

Also, any development? Backstory? Motivations other than for the hell of it for out boi James and his ginger girlfriend? come on, it wouldn’t even be that hard. Also, some foreshadowing? There was like one line before. This is a legitimate criticism. it’s kinda shitty writing and a wasted opportunity.

Edward is being a dick again. I get he’s scared but her dad could die. Or maybe they’ll trun him into a vampire too (charlie/Edward? Think about it). But they all call him out on it which is nice. Bella’s plan isn’t bad, but “let me go charlie” is the straight up coldest thing i have read in a long time. it’s supposed to be, this isn’t criticism, just stating the obvious. But she showed like an inclining of love for her dad who has been nothing but nice all this time. Yeeey, she’s not a robot.

“It was the best idea. Of course it was mine” . Yaas, queen, you’re not that much of a doormat;  take that credit.

i would do something to foreshadow the ballet studio thing in the first half of the book. at least, have Bella or Charlie looking at pictures from her recital, just to intricate it to the plot a bit more.

Ok, now i remember why i was team jasper. He is so effing nice. And he would be awesome for my depression. Neira/Alice/jasper, i ship it.

i’m kinda digging the explanations of how vampires work and the whole venom thing. They are still op af and need to be nerfed, but i wanna be one.

Of course, he used the mom. She’s like the only person bella actually cares about. She falls for it. i would probably fall too, but i’m dumb.

the fact that james hunted Alice is a nice and a very much needed twist. it did catch me of guard. i would be more mad he’s a bad guy monologing, but i can only introduce stones to my own glass houses.

Bella’s now more into the idea of being a vampire than into Edward and i’m living for it. she’s going to use him for his venom and a baby and run off with rosalie.

“and how many times did she fall our of a window?” (yes, that is a Sherlock reference in the year 2018 of our lord. maybe i should do that for my next project. should i wait a few more years?)

her mom is not worried enough, honestly. my mom would be freaking out. but my mom has anxiety issues, so idk… (i couldn’t get her smooth hairless legs, or her blue eyes but i got that gene. thanks, i guess) .

“And i have a couple of girlfriends” now that’s a novel i want to read but i guess i’ll have to write the lesbian twilight myself.

“I want to be superman too”. yeeees, finally, kristen steward in the role of superman casting of the century. you would all watch it and love it, and you know it.

Charlie doesn’t deserve this shit. when will he retire with his husband billy in their cabin where they can fish all day.

“Do you want me to bolt the door so you can massacre the unsuspecting townsfolk?“ Are we sure she hasn’t been a vampire from day one?

Jacob is a sweetie (for now) just putting that out there.

Edward is kinda being unreasonable. being a vampire in your universe isn’t that bad.

Aaaaw, and that’s a wrap.

i actually kinda digged it. it’s nothing special, but i read these last 150 pages in one sitting. my main issues are writing oriented. very little foreshadowing, many filter words and things like that, but i guess if you aren’t that into writing, you might not even notice more of that.

it’s not the death of literature, it’s not the worst love story ever told. it’s just a silly and mostly harmless wish fulfillment novel.

edward can be a controlling and condescending prick but he gets called out on it very often. it’s not like meyer is completely oblivious to what she’s writing. and even tho he’s 100, i guess they are all mostly stuck mentally at the age when they were turned. or at least that’s how it seems to me. bella is kind of a bitch to everyone who’s not a vampire and she’s never called out on it, there’s a glimpse of change in the epilogue, but i don’t think meyer really considered it a character flaw. which is a shame, as it could have made for an interesting character. all the vampires have stories i would rather read about, as i said before, but what can ya do? that’s what’s fanfics are for.

i may write more of cohesive thought on it when it settles in my brain, but first, i need to watch the movie. i have a hypothesis i need to test.

but i don’t regret doing this. it was kinda fun and now i’m no longer ashamed of my twihard phrase. i could have done worse, as far as teen phases go.

Someone should like write a fanfic, but Edward is not a vampire, but a rich guy. And he’s into some hard core spanky business. And they should take all the problematic elements and just crank them up to 11. And add a looot of sex. I bet they could make millions.

Tho, honestly, how can you read twilight and not make bella the kinky dom? you fundamentally misunderstood the story. for shame

[char-writes]

I was tagged by @hyba to answer some questions. Thanks a bunch, I love tag games and appreciate that you thought of me!

1. Where do you get your best ideas from? From self-indulgent daydreams that come up while in class, haha. Admittedly, a few of my first wips were from daydreams that were more like fanfictions-- things like “if I wrote it, I would do this instead”-- but would quickly evolve into something more. Recently, though, it’s exactly what I said before-- self-indulgent daydreams. 

2. Favorite part of writing? Putting pretty words together that manage to get into someone’s head or emotions-- specifically my own. Some of my favorite moments are the ones where I’m practically shaking from emotion because I’ve reached my most highly anticipated scene and can see the scene happening before me. When it goes from writing words to just watching the scene unfold. Those moments are unbelievably important to me.

3. Name 3 things you think you do well as a writer I’m not typically afraid to start a new story. 98% of the time, I’m writing simply for myself and won’t fear rejection or hate. I’m confident in my writing... most of the time, haha

I think I have good plot ideas and I think that I can make a good plot out of anything-- as proven by how many I have. I used to play a game with friends in elementary school where they’d give me a handful of words and I would tell them what sort of story I would write. 

I’m determined to never truly leave a WIP behind unless I have exhausted all other options. In fanfic, I try not to abandon a work no matter how discouraged I may get. I believe that I can learn from anything I’m working on, no matter what happens. Of course, some wips can be shelved but I still like to keep them close, just in case.

4. Okay, we all have one. Who is your favorite character? I love all my children in different ways but Era will always be most important to me. She’s been around since high school and has been pulled from plot to plot trying to find one to stay in. I’ve accepted that she’s less of a character at this point and more of a muse (though she may end up in Allure!). She’s the most realistic character to me, one of the few characters that I know through and through. No matter what work I try to put her in, she’s distinctly Era and it always breathes life into a WIP. Honestly, it’s not a true WIP until Era’s had a hand in it. I’m really excited for the world to see her!

5. Name another writeblr you really admire on here Oh. Oh dear. I don’t know if I can narrow that down... I admire every writeblr I see! Honestly, this community is beyond supportive and extremely creative and I am so happy to be part of it.

6. What’s your favorite genre to write? I like to write stories based in reality but with a twist. Traitor has all the foundation of a historical drama but it’s set in a different world with different kingdoms/countries. Another WIP I want to write is a light fantasy story. Allure is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to this. It’s the most realistic story I have and, even then, the main character has a hidden identity. 

7. What’s your least favorite thing to write? Science fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading about high tech societies and new inventions but I could never write it. I already have a problem with trying to make things make sense and I don’t know enough about science and technology to feel comfortable diving into that. 

In fanfiction, I also don’t really enjoy writing “smut”. Again, don’t mind reading it but... I cannot possibly write it myself without hating each word I’m putting down. I need more practice but, for now, I’m far too awkward to even go back and read what I’ve written.

8. Does anything besides books influence your writing? Music, 100%. I make playlists for all of my wips and it pushes me to fully understand the themes and vibes the plot and characters have. I also rely on other people when it comes to working out the problems I may have with a plot. Even if it’s just to rant endlessly about a plot hole or a new idea, any sort of interaction with another person is greatly appreciated.

9. Favorite trope? Hm... I like power couples a lot. Two people who are amazing on their own but unstoppable together. I’m also a sucker for found families. A group of people who don’t fit in much with others but fit in with each other just makes my heart so warm. Basically, any trope that has relationships (platonic, romantic, or otherwise) help to make someone stronger will be incredibly important to me. Don’t get me wrong, I like characters who are strong on their own but there’s something about having a group of such people (strong in their own ways) that will win me over every time. Also, found families are just really fun to read, especially when personalities don’t always line up the way one might expect.

10. What do you do to take a break from writing? Most often, I’ll watch a movie, tv show, or youtube video. Something somewhat mindless but still engaging. But I only really do that when I’ve spent hours at a time writing. It’s like resetting my brain back into inspired/creative mode, haha.

11. Nicest thing one of your characters did for another one? In Allure, Kiara is the first one to learn of Gwen’s secret. And maybe it’s not the most morally correct thing to do but... she helps her keep it. She understands Gwen, though they’ve only recently met, and this motivates her to help Gwen in whatever way she can. So, through this, she becomes Gwen’s confidante and one of her closest friends. I don’t know if it’s the nicest thing seeing as I haven’t actually written the books yet but it’s certainly something in the outline that stands out.

This was really fun! Thank you again for tagging me!

I think I’ll do the same thing and say that tagged people should answer the same questions. They’re great and quite thought-provoking.

I’ve been catching up on quite a few tag games these past few days and I’d hate to spam people with tags. So, I’m tossing this one out into the open! Anyone who sees this should do it if they want! Tag me if you do, I’d love to see what other people say :D

[bitchesofostwick]

2018 writer review

i was tagged by my dear friend @veridium-bye​ (thank you love!). i really didn’t start writing fic again until about october, so this is really a review of three months out of this year, but i’m still really proud of what i’ve done!

words written in 2018: 73,770

number of short fics/drabbles written in 2018: 39 (thirty-one of these were OC-tober ficlets, four were art trade/gift fics, and the remaining four were miscellaneous stories for my OCs)

number of fic chapters written in 2018: 11 (three for All of My Walls and eight for A World Alone)

number of chaptered fics completed in 2018: just one! All of My Walls, a three-chapter fic of aurelia hawke and fenris spanning the time between the “a bitter pill” quest through the end of the in-game DA2 events. it was really important to me for two reasons: one, aurelia and fenris are a rivalmance pair, but a lot of rivalmance fics i see are basically...just hate sex? and for fenris, and for aurelia, there are so many more layers and personal history that lends itself to their romance and creates these waves of tension and sadness and anger and heartbreak, but never hatred. i tackle the rivalmance in a bit of an easier (and generally humorous) light in their shorter fics, but All of My Walls is much more serious and i’m so proud of both of them for growing into themselves and each other and slowly allowing themselves love and be loved over the course of that fic. the OTHER reason that fic was so important to be is that it’s the first long(er) fic i wrote in a long, long time, and i consider it my way back into writing. i don’t think it reads as seamlessly as fics i’ve written since then do, but i’m still proud of myself for creating it, and i’m thankfully that it brought me back into the writing world.

fandoms: only dragon age this year! i haven’t touched my skyrim fic since 2017, and i toyed around with the idea of a kotor fic in the spring, but it never amounted to anything.

pairings: mainly ellinor trevelyan x cullen, emilia cousland x alistair, and aurelia hawke x fenris; HOWEVER, i’m eternally grateful to @fourletterepithet (velthei lavellan x cullen), @haloneshiral (letheia lavellan x cullen), @frecklef0x (anon trevelyan x dorian), and @gingerbreton (ysabelle dryden x alistair) for granting me the honor of writing about their OCs and letting me explore the dynamics of other pairings/relationships! writing for others is a really great experience to grow and strengthen your own writing, so i’m really glad i got to do those stories.

proudest achievements: i’m honestly just...proud i wrote anything at all? it’s so intimidating to come into a fandom that’s years and years old and put your content out there for people to see, especially when you haven’t written leisurely in a couple years and you’re really self-conscious of your work, like i am. but i took the leap, and people have been so responsive and supportive, and i’m eternally grateful for the very kind mutuals/readers i have that continue to inspire me to keep going and creating. some more minor achievements include

starting art trades. before doing this, i truly, genuinely did not believe that the brilliantly talented artists i see on tumblr every day would ever value their incredible work as equal to a short fic written by me. to me, it seemed like trading down. it turns out, i was wrong, and i’ve so far traded three one shots for three beautiful pieces of artwork, and as i mentioned earlier, it’s so refreshing and also so beneficial (in terms of writing skill and practice) to write for OCs that are not my own, so i’m so glad to have done these!

forcing myself to write action scenes. if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably seen me complain multiple times about how much i hate writing action (i even made a meme about it that somehow went viral within the writeblr community lol joke’s on them it was made as a result of me rage quitting a dragon battle scene). the only thing i hate more than writing action is writing mage action, because none of my OCs are mages and all of my friends’ OCs are mages and i cannot understand the dynamics of mage combat no matter how hard i try. but, you can’t get better at something unless you practice it, so i wrote plenty of action in an attempt to get better. and i think (hope?) i did.

starting A World Alone!! my pride and joy!! my first longfic!! my favorite OC!! it’s a slow burn it’s an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers there’s tension there’s sadness there’s powerful female friendships there will be love eventually and i could go on about it for forever but instead i’ll just shamelessly plug it here because i love it so much and it makes me so happy.

writing goals for 2019

i would really love to join DWC but so far it looks intimidating to me because i’m worried i won’t be able to sit down for a night and keep up. but i’ll probably do it. i have so many good prompt posts saved in my drafts that i want to do.

more art trades! i have three already planned for the new year, and i’m very excited about them!

maybe finish A World Alone? i’m writing it at a good pace so far, so it’s a realistic goal.

more one shots. i love my longfic (obviously, as i blabbed about it relentlessly above), but i think shorter fics are such great opportunities to really focus in on a singular emotion and delve deep into little moments that are so brief in terms of plot but so big in terms of characterization. there are a few in particular i’m really proud of from this year (x, x, x, x, x, x), but i’m looking forward to more.

tagging friends (keeping it to friends who write, even a little!! any amount of writing is good writing!) @inquisitorsmabari @fourletterepithet @dickeybbqpit @trvelyans @a-shakespearean-in-paris @star--nymph @cullenvhenan @daydreamingdragonage @gingerbreton

[lacylu42]

11/11 tag game

I was tagged by @contes-de-rheio​. Thank you!

1. The plot of the first original story you wrote

Oh, lordy... I’ll have to think back on that. The first original story I can remember writing was in junior high (which would be *cough* like 20+ years ago???). It was a science fiction about a team of people who invented individual spaceship/suits to fight an alien invasion (think mechs, but I’m pretty sure I had never been exposed to those when I wrote it). I didn’t finish it because it really didn’t have a plot beyond what I just told you. ;) 

2. What do you think about advising a story solely over the character‘s sexuality, ethnicity or religion?

Not sure I totally understand the question, but I personally would never write a story where the main plot turns on someone’s sexuality, ethnicity or religion — mostly because I’m a cis het white female who grew up protestant, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable writing a book ENTIRELY about the life or struggles of someone who had a very different experience. At least, I don’t feel up to the task at this stage of my writing life.

I am, however, big on including a diverse cast in my books, and their struggles do play into the plot sometimes. I prefer to make those characteristics secondary, though to the person themselves; I try to treat those characters as I would a cis het white male. If his skin color/religion/sexuality isn’t a big deal, then the other variations in other characters shouldn’t be either (though it’s a fine line between treating those things as normal and unremarkable and tokenism, and I’m aware of that as well...)

My last epic WIP (that has become something of a bottom drawer novel for the time being) had an allegorical theme of religious intolerance (and intolerance in general) and one of the main characters was a Muslim teenage girl who experienced some serious crap because of her gender and religion. BUT were that novel ever to see the light of day, I would want to hire a Muslim woman to help me read and edit it to make certain I’m portraying my character in a truthful and appropriate light.

WHEW that was a lot. 

3.  How many alternatives of your WIPs plot do you have in mind?

None. I built my current WIP using the plot of The Thin Man as sort of a template (because I suck at plot and was using this NaNo as an experiment and practice to improve). Of course, the details and even some of the plot deviated as the WIP grew, but I didn’t have multiple variations.

As I’m outlining the sequel, I do have a couple of places in the outline where I say “either this happens OR that happens” because I haven’t decided yet, but they’re not big plot points. 

4.  Your favorite character ever

My own OC or character in general?

Right now, David MacInish, the half-fae detective in my WIP is my favorite. As for characters in other people’s works, I love the Doctor, from Doctor Who, and Remus Lupin.

(I guess I like a man with a tragic backstory...)

5.  what do you like about world building?

I love describing settings, and I love imagining fantastic, impossible places. There’s a magical, possibly sentient library that’s popped up in two of my WIPs and I keep wanting to find the right place for it. Maybe she needs her own book. ;) 

Question you didn’t ask: What do you HATE about world building? Working out the rules of my magic system. I sometimes paint myself into a corner and then don’t know how to get out. 

6. The longest time your worked on a WIP to finish the first draft?

OK, don’t judge: 10+ years. My bottom-of-the-drawer WIP took me more than 10 years to finish. I finally hired a book coach and finished the first full draft in 2017. In my defense, I was doing that thing where you write five chapters, then go back and rewrite five chapters, then rewrite those five chapters over and over and over again. But it took me 10 years to write the whole damn thing start to finish. And now I pretty much never want to look at it again. ;)

7. Movie or tv show adaption?

Oh man. I’m torn! What I really want is a thousand episodes of a TV show but with movie-quality production values. Is that really too much to ask? ;) 

Actually, I just recently watched the BBC miniseries of A Discovery of Witches and I thought they did a great job with the sweeping, epic feel, in 10 episodes or whatever it was. But I’m always like MOAR PLS. 

8. Your favorite part of being a writer?

I love the giddy explosion of creativity when I’m in flow, when I’m inhabiting my world, when I’m imagining new things. My daughter calls playing pretend “making movies,” and that’s really what it feels like to me. Directing and inhabiting these movies in my head. 

I think that’s why I struggle with editing, because it’s not the heady creation phase. It feels a lot more like WORK. 

9. Planer, Pantser or something in between?

Well, pantsing is the reason it took me 10 years to finish a WIP (that and I moved states, changed jobs, had a baby, and started a business in that time...). 

I found in writing this NaNo that it was SO much easier having a template to work from. Every time I got stuck, I just looked at the book to see what happened next and I could get moving again. So I’m working on a detailed outline for the next book. (Although, I am allowing myself to capture snippets of scenes and dialogue as they occur to me.)  

10. Writing by hand or via PC?

On the computer. When I was in junior high (see above) and just starting to write my own stories, I taught myself to type better, because I couldn’t hand-write fast enough to get the ideas out of my head. Now I type over 100 words a minute, so my fingers move almost as fast as my brain... ;) 

11. Your go to snacks while writing?

If I’m going to eat while writing, it’s the hand to mouth action I crave more than the actual food, so I try to pick something relatively healthy that requires a lot of that — like grapes, blueberries, or plain popcorn (love the buttered stuff, but it makes fingers greasy for typing). Mostly I just drink copious amounts of coffee, tea, or carbonated water. 

Thank you again for tagging me!

The rules are 11 questions answered, 11 questions given, and 11 people tagged! I’ll tag my new writeblr friends (but I tagged some of you in the last one, so just do the ones you like!): @iloveyouappleiloveyouorange​, @foreshadowingss, @starlitesymphony, @virginiawritesforlovers, @caberetofwords, and @kipoints. 

1. Have you had to “kill any darlings” from your current WIP, ie: quotes, characters, scenes, etc. that you LOVE but don’t fit and have to be cut? Please share.

2. What is your favorite genre to write in and why? Is it different from the genres you like to consume?

3. Do you consciously study existing works by other authors to improve your own writing? If so, what types of things do you look at?

4. Have you noticed any patterns in your own writing, ie: you always have a certain type of character, like to explore a certain type of story, etc.?

5. Do you do most of your world building before you write, while writing the first draft, or during revisions? 

6. If when your WIP hits the bestseller list, where would you like to go or what would you like to do on a book tour? Is there somebody you’d like to be interviewed by? 

7. How do you approach setting the scene in your work? Are you into lush descriptions or giving the bare minimum and allowing the reader to fill in the blanks?

8. Do you follow a set structure (ie: hero’s journey, 3-act structure) when plotting out your works, or fly by the seat of your pants?

9. What does your revision process look like?

10. Please share a bit of dialogue from your WIP that shows us something important about the character’s personality.

11. Please share any jokes or funny bits from your WIP of which you are ridiculously proud. ;) 

[reesewestonarchive]

ten questions tag

tagged by @forlornraven

1. What color do you associate with your main character[s]? Is there a reason why? 

dice gets blue, because I said so

nakoa is red, because he colors his hair red

ryan is brown, because nakoa’s eyes are brown :P

aero just gets pastels, jean is yellow, jet is... green? I see green with him. aspen is white, like birch trees. fredly is... possibly also red.

2.  What is your favorite punctuation mark? 

I never use it, because why and how, but THE INTERROBANG

‽‽‽

3. Are there any situations / things you refuse to write about? 

yyyyyyes there actually is. I usually don’t talk about it, either. 

4. Which of your OCs is your least favorite, and why? 

 ohhh, honestly, probably jet.

5. Do you have a favorite scene in your current WIP? Feel free to share a brief excerpt, if you like. 

“if you like”

I’ve shared it a million times, but the scene where Nakoa sings to Ryan:

A few seconds pass in silence, then Nakoa clears his throat. The bathroom fills with his voice, low and soft against the lyrics. The tension eases out of Ryan’s body and he closes his eyes, rubs his face against his forearm, watches as Nakoa’s voice makes soundwaves on the backs of his eyelids.

Nakoa hasn’t sang for him since they were in high school, when they were getting high on the roof of the school late at night, in the early hours of the morning. Ryan’s fingers pressed over Nakoa’s on the frets of his guitar, his lips ghosting over Nakoa’s ears with whispered instructions. Nakoa’s brow was furrowed, then, as he fit his fingers to chords at Ryan’s instruction, his lips pinched together.

It’s pathetic, but Ryan remembers the exact expression on his face when he figured it out, could play the first few chords even if they were clunky and off-key. He looked so fucking happy that morning, late spring when the air still had a chill, and Ryan feels like an idiot for not recognizing that Nakoa hasn���t been happy for a long, long time. But that morning, he was; beaming, a toothy grin just for Ryan, and he kept playing those chords until he got the hang of it, until his fingers were numb and bleeding against the strings.

The same song he’s singing now, low and quiet, in-key, and just for Ryan. The dimmed light above the counter behind them casts shadows over his face, but, like a broken record, Ryan thinks he’s beautiful. All he can think about is his mouth, watching intently as Nakoa’s lips form words, as he holds notes.

Ryan’s dreamed of playing duets before with him. For the first time in years, his fingers itch for his guitar, itches to accompany Nakoa’s low, soft voice with the song's chords, something emphatic and lost and real.

And then the song ends, and all that’s left is the slow circles Nakoa’s still drawing on his back, the dim light in his parent's bathroom, the acidic smell of vomit in the air that mingles with the familiar aroma of Nakoa's cologne.

The alcohol’s gone to his head, and Ryan opens his eyes, catches Nakoa looking at him, and he can’t help it. “I love you,” he says, and his voice holds steady.

Nakoa’s lips twitch upward, and he reaches his fingers up to play with the sweat-damp hair at the back of Ryan’s neck. “Yeah,” he says, but sounds sad about it, “I know you do.”

It isn't quite like disappointment, but the tang is familiar on his tongue. “That’s all you got for me tonight?”

Sighing, Nakoa says, “Don’t push your luck, Jackson.”

Luck. Ryan thinks, as far as rich white guys go, he’s got the shittiest luck he knows.

6. Is there any comedy relief in your WIP? 

I intend on putting puns in :P

7. What’s the biggest compliment you’ve ever received regarding your writing or characters?  

#my favorite boys :P

or any variation of that, haha. I also like Tori’s insistence that I “stop hurting her morons” :P

8.  What time of day do you find it easiest to write during? 

night time. I don’t know why.

9. Which of your characters do you relate to the least? 

again, probably jet. he has little patience and little empathy and if I’m mean to an inanimate object, I apologize.

10. If you could have a cup of [insert beverage of choice here] with any author who would it be?

coffee, annnd it’d be a lot of writeblr, actually. they count, right?