#seriously!! i have 4 open docs right now where i *only* need like 5 paragraphs max…except i don’t know what to write

[just-fandomthings]

off school for the next month so I have some time to write finally and instead of being productive, I’m staring down four different projects that are nearly completed…except for the fact I have no idea to write the final few paragraphs 🙃

[fleetofshippyships-archive]

WIP tag meme

aaah, I was tagged over 2 months ago by @parkkate O.O sorry for not doing this sooner @parkkate​ XD I’ve been offline for a few months! Just now catching up on everything I missed! but I’m ignoring asks for now because my inbox is a mess

The Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous.

I’m gonna cheat and only do this for my drarry wips, since I post everything else on another account now, and tbh I have so many drarrys it’s still gonna be a long ass post XD

Oh man *sweats nervously* I’m a bit of a hoarder in all aspects of my life...I don’t even know where to begin! 

I’m not tagging anyone cos I was tagged 2 months ago and I have no idea who has and hasn’t done this and don’t want to be a pain. But if you wanna do it, go a head, and please tag me so I can be nosy and hopefully find someone with a wip problem as bad as my own so I can be less embarrassed XD

Also I’m putting this under a cut for reasons

1. 4th year au idea 

Sooooo, right off the bat, I often open a new file to jot down an idea even though I have docs specifically to dump ideas...and then at some point during the process of jotting down basic details of the idea...I start writing it....? This is one such occurrence...but I had to open it to check...and now I want to keep writing it XD

But also yikes it’s super dark

2. ... 4th year au idea

I swear, this is an entirely different wip and I am going ‘wtf’ at myself because wtf that’s confusing! I had also totally forgotten the existence of this before opening it....probably because of the name of it and the only reason I apparently have 2 files the exact same name is that one is a word doc and one is a libre office doc XD

3. drarry character death idea

Soooo, I need to stop turning idea files into wips without changing the names because I actually forget they are wips apparently

Also, I really want to finish this RIGHT NOW IT HURTS SO GOOD GIMME GIMME GIMME

4. Veela fic followup

LOL LOL LOL I’m rewriting my veela fic so I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to end up doing with this XD I might have to try and merge it with the re-write if the story has a similar outcome when I’m done. or maybe I’ll just turn this into its own thing....

5. Veela fic present tense

I really need to get back to working on this, this is actually the full re-write that re-doing the tenses spawned...I was binge writing this before my life went to hell but then my life went to hell and I went offline for like three months and didn’t do any writing or anything XD

although, the last time I looked at it I got the itch to change it back to past tense so who fucking knows what I’ll do with it now

6. Veela fic Draco pov

Curse my obsession with alternate povs of the same story and Draco for being such a good angsty pov

7. Veritaserum idea start

At least this one has ‘start’ in it so I know it is in fact a wip and not just an idea outline XD

7. Veritaserum

So, turns out I started that fic over in a new file and just left the old one lying around XD I do that too often. I should delete that other one...

Also...this better not turn into another ‘Amortentia’ with me unable to think of a fucking title and going with the file name because lame

This is also my first time trying to do god’s eye 3rd person instead of 3rd person pov...also first time trying to do this weird structure thing...I dunno but I like it XD

8.  CTS followup

9. CTS sequel

Two separate followups set at different times in the same story verse... I hate myself. I love them both. I can’t pick which one to stop writing so I’m gonna keep them both around and try and make them merge at some point...

10. MMB saying sorry

11. another erase the shame

12. next erase the shame

I work on followups and lose interest so often (usually because people bug me for followups and I get very ‘fuck you’ about it and stop writing them...but I keep them around and tinker with them every now and then soooo they’re still technically wips

13. Tea and Coffee oneshot series (Tea and Coffee, Coffee and Dark Marks, The Cottage Kitchen, next untitled one)

There’s also a present tense version of the first one of those *sweats nervously* first 3 are finished, of course, but my original purpose is lost to them becoming a long fic soo....gonna merge them into one long fic soon...once I decide what tense I like better......kill me now

14. Communion of the Soul (folder name)

This is the sequel to One Touch and this is spread across 5 files because apparently I did that and even though each time I got to work on it I have to figure out which file holds which part of the sequel timeline and which I feel like working on...I have yet to merge them into one file to make my life easier...

15. Crumbling Facade

ugh working on this always makes me want to re-write restraint and actually put in the major plot line, or what was supposed to be Harry’s major plot line before the relationship crap got away from me and I had to cut out all the plot stuff because by the time I got around to addressing it, it started reading like a completely different fic and I had to cut a huge chunk and end it instead, because back then I sucked more than I do now and couldn’t juggle

sooo...I still work on this in starts and stops and then get frustrated for having to stick to Restraint’s chain of events when I have better ideas now for working in Harry’s plot about his damn magic problem and ARRGEHGEHGFVEDHDBVUIOFNBFKDB EFBVJ

I should just let Crumbling Facade take me where it wants to take me and fuck Restraint

16. Potter’s Insatiable Heart

This is my longest wip at 130k XD and I’m stalling now because if I keep going with it where I was intending to go it will end up my longest fic and I’m getting intimidated by the length and how much work it will be to edit that long of a fic so I just go in and write a few paragraphs now and again, get scared of the length and move on to another wip XD

I also periodically binge read this bitch because I love it to death even though it’s severely flawed XD

17. Corset Drarry

oh boy, when I started writing this this I was weirded out by writing a kink I didn’t understand and kind of tailed off and left it...then I did kinktober for voltron and now I’m laughing at myself because corsets and lingerie is so fucking tame after that kinktober list and all the the crap I wrote for it XD

18. Music in the Periphery

Emily bugs me about finishing this a lot...I bug me about finishing it, progress is non-existent because I have a clear plan for it and when I have a clear plan I can’t write for shit

19. Saying Sorry (Round 2) (MMB)

I gotta kick that habit of starting over with something but keeping the first attempt and still working on it parallel to the second attempt, because then I wind up with 2 fics too similar to each other to post both and I’m completely unable to pick which one I like more *facepalm*

Also, MMB is dead if I can’t stop turning the next fic attempts into angst, I just look at that big fluffy mess and want to angst it all up

20. scrapped MMB ficlets - theo’s letter

not technically drarry thought the greater series is drarry...torn between making it mmb or making it its own fic for a rare pair

21. Weather the Storm

*cries* my 6th year war au, I have such plans for this, but the plans get in the way of writing =(

22. Soulmate AU (folder name)

fucking hell, this is 10+ files and I’m not naming all of them, current count is 5 completed versions 60k+ each, 1 incomplete alternate version, all of which I’m seriously unsatisfied with, none of which I can bear to delete, all of which I periodically go and tinker with, thus leaving them all wips i’m such a fucking hoarder but also I have never gotten over all the awful comments that were on the original soulmate fic on ffnet before my purge and now I can’t ever be satisfied unless it is perfect and wont result in such horrible comments again

23. Turnabout (folder name)

Once again, multiple wips in here of the same 60k finished fic I’ve been unhappy with since the moment I finished it and keep trying to fix by starting over and changing things here and there to change the course of the story. Honestly ready to hit the delete button with this one unless my latest attempt pans out, liking it so far buuuut I’m a mess about my writing so who knows

In the Ways that Matter was based off this fic XD

24. Dependency 

Oh boy, I abandoned this cos it was so dark I got too uncomfortable writing it...I’ve since started revisiting it after being in the Voltron fandom gave me a new tolerance range for dark content XD

Plan on posting this on anon if I ever finish it, obviously changing the title XD it stopped being relevant after the first 30k anyway 

25. Dependency V2

LOL light version of the above that removes most of the dark aspects while maintaining the core plot, but I’m finding it a bit dull XD not sure how long I’ll keep trying to chug along with it

26. *censored title*

hahahaha omg why is this in a different subfolder, this is actually one of the soulmate au ones only it’s actually a spin off au of the original soulmate one I from ffnet and therefore it’s new ground and I’m less unhappy with it

.....I’m probably going to stop working on turnabout today and work on this instead now

(censoring the name because I might post this on anon because I’m too scared to post another drarry soulmate fic under my own name)

27. Retrospection

Sooo, I’m always on and off this fic cos it triggers my anxiety and depression, but fuck that I want to write it so I keep trying XD

I’m also thinking of splitting the two main plots and only going with 1 and using the other to write another story....see if that eases how difficult it is for me to write without self triggering

28. Sequel to mornings

29. Sunrise (loose prequel to mornings)

30. Surrender

I had no idea what this was, opened it and then holy shit THIS BITCH, THIS SLOW BURN FRIENDS TO LOVERS PIECE OF BULLSHIT. I DON’T WRITE SLOW BURN! I DON’T WRITE FRIENDS TO LOVERS. I REFUSE.

but also I really really really love what I wrote so far and now I’m itching to write more *cries* making this list is leaving me with so many open files to work on

31. day 2 ass worship

32. day 3 sensory deprivation

*laughs nervously* the kinktober oneshots that starting turning into a long fic hahahaha cos I really needed more wips

33. Perception of Angels

*wistful sigh* one day I will be able to finish a heavily plot driven story full of fantasy elements and creatures and magic I made up, and when that day somes, Perception of Angels....or that timetravel war au drarry fic idea I have sitting around.....which isn’t on this list only cos I’m not stupid enough to start writing it

So that’s all the drarry files in my wip folder.... I also have heaps more for other ships and fandoms, but I’m keeping that separate =)

And...now I have some writing to go do, cos after 2 months of being unable to write thanks to the bullshit in my life, I started binge writing again 2 days ago =) and opening a few of these to remind myself what they were has a lit a fire under my ass

[rhetoriclee]

Adrift in Book or Dissertation Land? Try Designing Your Dream Book Jacket!

Having written a 400 page dissertation and being two years into revising it for a, considerably shorter, book manuscript, I can attest to the fact that the "dissertation to book" advice can only get you so far. If you're currently reading one of these, here's what they can do:

-give you a template of a successful book -remind you, a billion times, that a "dissertation is not a book" -offer thin-lipped pep talks about believing in yourself (and although true not particularly useful) -scare the sh*! out of you about the publishing industry, the standards of your committee, and all of the ways that your project might yield you neither money nor job

And many of these things are important to keep in mind. You do need to write for a more sophisticated audience. Neither your dissertation nor the book will, by itself, just automatically land you a job. And writing a dissertation is very different than writing a book and writing a book is very different from writing a book proposal.

But when you're 300 pages deep with paragraphs strewn across OneDrive folders as far as the eye can see, picking up one of these books or advice columns doesn't get you the answer you want: how do I turn this dissertation into a book! How do I actually sit down to WRITE this book proposal!

I have a strategy for you: write a practice book jacket blurb. And hell, if you like Photoshop or have spare time to roam the internet, you could even start fantasizing about your cover photo, but I don't consider that an important part of your time.

Instead, follow these steps and, when you find yourself adrift in the sea of the document, take a break a work on your book jacket:

1. Find your dream book. Go get a book that you love, something that makes you think, "this is the kind of book I want to write because this is the kind of book I want to READ." I, for one, am digging so hard on Eugenie Brinkema's Forms of the Affects right now.

2. Find your dream book's publisher. So, for me, that's Duke University Press. Go to the website and find the book. Don't go to Amazon or Google Books; you need the publisher's website.

3. Open a new document.

4. Think carefully about where you store the document and DO NOT store any drafts. If it were me, I would put this somewhere away from the dissertation or the albatross of a cloud where your book folders are currently stored. The project should be exciting, pithy, and fun. Some ideas:

-store it on your desktop if you don't store things on your desktop already

-make a google document unless your google drive is already ridiculous

-start a new gmail, call yourself "dr. so and so" "or Author Extraordinaire" and create a NEW drive where your blurb can live.

-use Academia.edu's "Drafts" section to just put the damn thing out into the open immediately!~

-write it as a blog post

5. Copy into your free-standing, non-stressful google document the Title, Description, Table of Contents, Keywords, and Author Bio from your dream book's publisher's website. This should be roughly one page long. DO NOT exceed one page.

6. At all costs keep your book jacket fantasy to ONE page. If you've copied too much from the publisher's website, delete things like keywords and the author bio. At minimum keep description and table of contents.

7. Seriously keep it to one page. A two-sentence bio is all you really need because ultimately that's all that would be on a book jacket anyway.

8. After you've made sure everything will fit on one page, start writing! There are lots of things you SHOULD do: borrow phrasing from your dream book that suits you, ask and answer exciting questions, pretend someone is going to read this in Barnes and Noble with a latte in one hand and some indie album in their headphones, do google image searches for phrases like "play of the signifier" and "syntax sins" to break up the monotony. Use clever turns of phrases. And, most importantly, GET TO THE POINT. What is the book's argument? What is it going to investigate? Why should somebody read it? What important life/society conundrum is it going to solve? Then there are many things you should NOT do, including:

Do not define key terms. Use words that a person can understand without needing explanation. If you don't think people know what "syntax" is, then say "word order" or "the arrangement of sentences."

Do not use dyads. (the book investigates and researches, the book uses theory and practice, the dissertation offers timely and timeless advice, etc.)

Use very few lists. Places where lists are acceptable: case studies (you probably have several), fields of study (you should have 2-3), intriguing questions to incite reader interest (you can use 2-3). Otherwise, do not use lists.

Do not say WHAT you are going to do--say what the reader will know after they have read the book. So rather than, "this book investigates cultural controversies to understand how people relate to each other in a mediated world" say "the book argues that in a mediated world people relate to each other more through fantasy than they ever have before."

Then write yourself a quick table of contents, just to round things out, and enjoy looking at a project that is finally, completely done! Now, when you get back to your writing, keep your eye on the prize. The book jacket was pithy, to the point, and insightful without excessive jargon or over-explanations; you're book and dissertation (to a lesser extent) should be the same.

9. Circulate! Words are meant to be written. Post your book jacket fantasy publicly, share the link to your google doc, take a photo of it, add an image, and put it on social media. Hell, write fake advertisements for the book and tell your friends and network, "coming in 2020...The Dissertation!." Trust me, no one is going to scoop you. And when you are sending out interesting ideas into the world you find the kind of motivation and excitement that will get you through the drudgery of explaining the difference between contemporary and 20th century Soviet approaches to film and montage.

But, then again, do you really need to explain it? Or can you just write it, the first time, in accessible language and then just get to the point.