#sff writing discord

[writerpolls]

Because I’m starting one!

Invite link here: https://discord.gg/d4uJDY37

(Link will expire in a week so comment or message me if you want to join after that)

*Note: speculative fiction refers to fiction that either is scifi or fantasy, or fiction that has unrealistic elements similar to scifi and fantasy.

[dead--star]

i have a tiny discord server for fans/creatives of sff/dark fantasy, dead dove, problematic content, such as warhammer

before you join tho, understand a few things that make this server not a friendly place for everyone.

& have this because i'm allergic to my own text-only posts

unsolicited art/writing feedback where negative feedback IS allowed, focus on fiction as separate from reality, no politics/loaded philosophy about morality, questions are not considered displays of phobia, no purity checking, kink-friendly minus a few.

a place for self-assured adults/creatives that aims to be unfriendly to displays of lack of critical thinking. if this entices you and you like unhinged casual conversation, feel free. >x<

[thedevillionaire]

hi! 18, 19, and 20 for the ask game? :)

Absolutely! :D

18. How many blogs are you following? BONUS: Are they all snz blogs?

129 currently, although I think several are defunct, sadly. There are a couple of not-snz blogs in there, but I mean that pretty literally. Maybe three.

19. What would you like to see more of, and are you trying to promote / add more of that into the community?

I'm, um, kind of self-serving here, in that I'd like to see more stuff that I personally like, because I love consuming it lol. I'm promoting it inasmuch as I produce content I personally like, so...there's that, lol. But in a more holistic sense, a bit of engagement can go a long way. I do try and contribute to stuff. I'm crap at Discord and the like, and living in a timezone that is at odds with just about everybody else's timezone doesn't help, but I do try and stay engaged, at least a bit. I've met some pretty damn fabulous people through this site; I love it here.

20. How long have you been in some form of the snz community? (Forums, Livejournal, Insanejournal, Dreamwidth, personal websites, webrings, something else.) BONUS: What was your favorite format and why?)

I have two answers for this. (1) Four years, which is the amount of time I've had a Tumblr blog minus a year, which I spent pretty much just lurking, but also (2) Since I could first search the phrase "he sneezed again" on the internet lol. And although I'm old enough to have been online to see the arrival of Tarotgal, Serotica, the SFF and others, I never joined a single snz community. Ever. I read fics, checked the "sneezing in the media" thread once in a while, and that's it. Never been a member of anything snz-related until here. Never posted any of my writing (poetry excluded - that I did do; met my husband on a poetry website, in fact) anywhere online either, snz or otherwise. And my favourite forum is this one. Hell, it's the only one I've ever felt compelled enough to join and be known in. Why? Good question. I think maybe it just...suited me. I like the archive thing a lot. Or maybe it's just timing. 🤷But I love it here, either way. 😁

[canmom]

what if we made a book club... and we were both girls...

following from earlier... @hamiltonianflow had the great idea of starting an old(ish) SFF [science fiction and fantasy - ed.] book club. because reading books is fun and talking about books is fun but it's easy to forget to do it! (god knows how long ago the last comics comints was)

the idea is... we'd put a list of books we wanna read in a pool, every $period (week? two weeks? might depend on the length of the book!) we'd fish one out to read.

I'll spin up a discord server where we post live reactions because that's always a lot of fun. then, at the end, i'll try to write something about it on me blog (maybe also goodreads lol) and that can be a discussion thread for anyone inclined to join in. or you can post on your own blog, i won't... shoot you or anything... ^^

the pool would include... mostly older SFF, but with a pretty recent cutoff - I wanna include authors like VanderMeer and Mieville who I've kinda neglected. I think it would be reasonable to include comics as well. ideally we'll pull books from all over the world - with the caveat that we'll need an English translation, but if you can read in the original language, all the better.

no demand for commitment, if the book doesn't interest you then you don't gotta read it. it's just a way to get a bunch of people to read the same book!

[ilovedthestars]

ask game: 4, 19, 35, or 51?

Thank you for so many options! I'm going to take the first two because i'm having trouble coming up with answers for the others.

(writer ask game)

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

if we're talking murderbot fic, the very first murderbot fanfic I sat down to write is still unfinished and yes it haunts me. i call it my targetControlSys wip and if you're on the discord you've heard a bit about it before but the basic concept of it was: in that part of NE when TCS almost takes over Murderbot's brain, What If It Did? it was the first iteration of me writing what i later started calling malware fics, aka "murderbot is almost forced to hurt people it cares about and afterwards it has emotions about this." parts of the draft are actually quite complete so i hope i'll be able to finish it someday but it's on the backburner for the forseeable future.

if we expand it outside of murderbot fic, when i was about 13 i started writing a YA fantasy novel and i worked on it for a solid five years without ever finishing a complete draft. i still love the characters and concept dearly, but at some point i realized that i liked it too much to let go of parts of it that needed to go, in order to fix the plot holes that 13 year old me put in there. so it's in the metaphorical trunk until a time when i can take it out again and take it apart to build something new. on the possibility that it will someday make it into published book form in some recognizable way, i will be vague about the plot, but it had a prophecy and a chosen one who really didn't want to be the chosen one and her found family who tried to make it bearable for her <3

19. what are some books or authors that influenced your style the most?

oh, god, hard question. the vast majority of what i read as a kid/teen was YA fantasy, mostly the kind starring a girl with a sword. i read countless books like that, i don't know if any particular ones stand out but i'm sure they've affected how i write. specific books/series I was really into as a teen include Tui T. Sutherland's Wings of Fire, Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles, Kristin Cashore's Graceling trilogy (it has more books now but i have not caught up), and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows. not sure how any of those have specifically influenced me but maybe it will be obvious to others XD I'm sure reading Murderbot and some other similar adult SFF has also changed and developed my writing style in the last few years as well.

[b-a-pigeon]

Well... in case Tumblr's dying...

My socials, newsletter signups, etc. are on my Linktree if you wanna stay in touch or keep up with what I'm up to

I made a Cohost I might use. (What else are people trying? Pillowfort??)

I'm on Discord but find it overwhelming... Fell & I have a server where we plan to host a queer SFF book club in the near future, among other things. I'll also check out any other cool servers if you all send me an invite link :)

I'll probably stick around for now while also trying to build up a community elsewhere but ugh, super annoying to lose these connections and followers. Can't say I've ever been terribly impressed with this platform in general but the people here are great -- by a large margin, this is where I've received the most direct support for my writing career :(

[anavkour]

an actual writeblr reintro

hey, i’m nova. as stated elsewhere, i’m getting back into writing and creative endeavours in general after a health crisis. i mainly write SFF, other speculative fiction, and love experimental genres and forms. i'm also interested in creating comics, games, and the like.

currently, i’m trying to figure out what to work on, but my tentative wip/general stuff i’m working on is:

Combustion in Slow Motion:  an urban fantasy story about a series of mysterious and powerful curses being cast across a mid-sized town, how to be open with your friends, and also what to do when you accidentally summon a demon out of a sword you stole. Currently deciding what medium is best for it, I’m leaning towards an undertale & endless empty style action rpg or a comic/graphic novelization.

Missing Homeworld:  A series of OCs who don’t have a definite plot or setting attached to them, but I slot them into various premises and play around. Currently I’m using them in some discord RP stuff I’m involved in, and it’s been a lot of fun.

The Rift:  A post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel about the aftermath of a nearly world-destroying calamity on a settled planet, and figuring out why and how it happened. Haven’t worked on this one in a while but I need to add it to the rotation.

feel free to tag me in things, ping me for things, ask me questions, dm me etc! i will do my best to answer, though admittedly i am the worlds worst rememberer when it comes to checking stuff when i get busy.

[spottedmischief]

MAIN LIST

I've decided to make it a bit more easier for me. It mainly serves to be more organized on this blog and be a bit more comfortable. I'll be honest, I'm busy a lot lately and not as outgoing as I used to be and at this point I am much more comfortable to write with people where we have plotted enough regarding certain dynamics, to a point where it kinda makes it awkward for me to roleplay with another character.

Keep in mind, mains do not necessarily mean exclusive. I am still willing to write with the same characters (unless stated otherwise) but I will also be more selective with it and interactions with the mains take priority, be it rp wise or when talking about headcanons with said character.

It's also my personal preference - while I have talked with each mun about it, I do not mind if the other mun interacts with another character from the same muse, even if I state that I will only interact with their muse.

If you are interested in becoming mains, just dm me - the only rule here is that we have rped and talked enough about the dynamic.

List of the existing mains so far, both on XR and my multi:

@tostarcommandandbeyond We've established so much regarding their dynamic and analyzed their episodes together that it's difficult to write for me with another one. I am still willing to write with another NOS, but incredibly selective so. Headcanons and mentions of NOS in replies regarding that dynamic are always for whatever Bean and me are cooking up.

@heirtotangea

Accepting other Mira's, but also incredibly selective with it. Headcanons regarding that dynamic usually between me and Chellen.

@disassnbler

Both Canon and MD verse are only meant for Ender's N as we established a lot regarding that relationship. I am not interested in following or interacting with another N for that dynamic, including J, Thad and Doll.

@mixed-up-multiverse

Mains with Lizzy, V and Uzi. Highly unlikely to roleplay with someone else of these characters.

@wolperkinger

I am not roleplaying Silverweed's and Vervain's dynamic with anyone else but them. Highly Selective regarding Vervain and his brother, if at all. We established so much regarding the brothers of manipulation that it is a little awkward for me to write with another Orchis. Selective regarding Hyzenthlay and Orchis.

Not really interested in writing with another Moss either, be it for Pipkin, Campion or Vervain.

Accepts writing with another Holly, but will only ship Hyzenthlay with Lofty's Holly.

Only ships Bluebell with Lofty's Blackberry.

@mjuzi

Not interested in writing Cheezi's dynamic and Ushari's with another Makini.

@mizimugrove

It is highly unlikely for me to roleplay with another Janja when it comes to Cheezi as that was a dynamic I have plotted with Lofty and in general use our headcanons regarding them.

Kiburi in general is not open to interact with another Janja and Cheezi will only interact with their Nduli.

@cookieofearthbread

Main Pomegranate for Mushroom. Unlikely to roleplay with another.

@indomitablespirits

For Snitter, will only write with their Hector!

@h0ptimists

Main Cream for Rough and Charmy, accepts other Cream's, Gemerl's and Vanilla's but mainly uses the headcanons between Chellen and me.

@recoveryxmobian

For Archie Silver, Larry and Belle (SFF verse) I am not going to write with another Leeta, Lyco or Nicole. That dynamic was established enough on discord that I don't want to write with another one.

Not going to write with another Barby either for Bill.

@multiverse-unlocked

Only ships Hershey with their Geoffrey. Not interested in interacting with another Geoffrey for Hershey or Archie Silver.

Main Shard and Elias for Belle (SFF verse), Archie Silver and Larry. Highly selective in interacting with other Shard's or Elias.

@passimtemere

Main Banzai and Ed for Cheezi. I am not interested in writing that dynamic with someone else, as there was already a lot of plotting involved.

@cunning-matriarch

Mains in regards to Cheezi and Shenzi due to a lot of plotting involved including Banzai and Ed. Highly unlikely for Cheezi to interact with another Shenzi at this point.

@blowhxle

Main Blowhole for Parker and Doris. Unlikely to rp with another one, mainly for Doris. Parker will be highly selective about it, if only because we already established a lot regarding that dynamic and I can't really see myself writing with another one.

Other mentions:

Cheezi:

While the Jasiri roleplayer is no longer active on Tumblr, it is unlikely that I am going to write with another one.

Ushari:

While the Shupavu roleplayer is no longer active on Tumblr, I can’t really see myself writing with another one.

Rough:

As of currently I have a Fiona for him and I am selective with other Fiona's:

I am willing to rp with another Clutch but selective so.

Predator Hawk:

Highly selective with other Fiona's.

[somewhatclear]

ok so @greypetrel tagged me (@deerna) on this meme like *checks timestamp* two months ago, but i got around to empty out my inbox only now so.... better late than never...?

some rambling about the choices, and blank under the cut!

if you feel like doing it, consider yourself tagged :3

what do you mean "i had" an old account?? i still cross-post everything on my dreamwidth, i'll have you know!

obviously i have an ao3 account

i do write smut even if it's hell

beta-reading for friends AND publishing without a beta are often going hand in hand for some reason

if you're not writing self-indulgent fic, why the hell are you writing fic for???

i am terrible at commenting bc by the time im at the end of the fic my brain is mush so yeah. you get the ol' keysmash more often than not. im turning to emojis a lot now in my old age tho lmao

leave kudos! leave feedback! always! or as often as you can.

i mostly write m/m so. yeah.

fanfic is an actual literary genre! beside the fact that it doesn't follow the normal rules for worldbuilding and setting up, fanfic is generally more character-driven than "regular" fiction. if you hear "contemporary sff reads like fanfiction, these days" it's bc it's becoming more character driven! and if you're saying that because you're making a comment about the poor quality of the writing, i have a spoiler for you: we always had bad literature. published literature can be extremely, appallingly, entertainingly bad. and it has always been.

my hyperfixation bounces around a lot, and my old fandoms are never forgotten.

...i do too much research. i have spent the past three days on the harvard website just to try and figure out their schedule for the years 2013-2015 NOBODY CARES ABOUT THAT DEE!!! STOP!!!

listen. sometimes. things that are outlined. are worse. -- and here's another meme for you: "i will outline this fic so i can write it!" (AND THEN I DIDN'T)

i think it's normal to wait for feedback. i am firmly in the "writing for myself" field of belief, but if i share it, i want to know what people think about it. i wouldn't share it otherwise.

IT HAPPENED A FEW RARE TIMES, BUT IT DID HAPPEN-- also one of my little dreams is to commission a couple artists but disposable income is hard won these days.

"at least one" unpublished/unfinished story. AT LEAST 🤣

editing is fun, formatting is hell.

i do get ideas in the middle of the night WHICH IS WHY I DEVISED A SYSTEM TO KEEP TRACK OF ALL THE PLOTS I THINK ABOUT. you never know when you might get the itch to write that one stupid idea. (sometimes, it's just me yelling in your discord dms. you know who you are. thank you. im so sorry)

write while drunk and edit while sober! i actually have fond memories of doing that new year's eve between 2010 and 2011. i was stuck at home with the flu and celebrated all by myself lmao.

[writerpolls]

I’m bored and wordy, so I decided to make a poll blog! I’m an SFF writer and artist, I post my creations on @transcendragon and Transcendragons.Wordpress.com

This blog is just for fun. Don’t take it too seriously and be nice. Bigots not welcome.

I also run a discord for SFF/speculative writers: https://discord.gg/d4uJDY37 (let me know if you want to join but the invite link has expired)

Anyone can submit questions but they should be writer or writing focused, you can only resubmit the same/very similar questions after 3 months, and no pro/anti polls. Making two diametrically opposed groups is an awful way of handling complex or nuanced discussions; it’s like trying to turn issues around sensitive topics in fiction into Team Edward vs Team Jacob.

Also, no questions about AI, I’m sick of hearing about it.

Header from: https://www.tumblr.com/transcendragon/770784213925494784/made-a-bingo-for-my-fellow-sff-writers-out-there

Icon from: https://www.tumblr.com/transcendragon/762627367894122496

[unnameablethings]

Bio/Pinned Post:

Hi, I'm Noble. I'm a 25 year old trans man writing primarily romance and erotica, usually queer, usually tied into SFF.

-I offer writing commissions under my sideblog @noblewildwoodfiction

-I cross-post the vast majority of my work both commissioned and non-commissioned to Archive Of Our Own under the name Noble Wildwood.

-You may also want to check out my tag "My Writing" under unnameablethings.tumblr.com/tagged/my writing.

-All of my original posts can be found under unnameablethings.tumblr.com/tagged/original.

You can also find me on Discord under unnameablethings. I am always open to asks/messages/friend requests!

[olderthannetfic]

For a one-off movie to get a fannish following, it seems to require chemistry between people that are sexy to fans, and a really strong or uniquely flavored emotional dynamic with a story that leans on that connection. I'm thinking of Inception, Pacific Rim (yes there was another one but I don't think people knew that at the time), Man From Uncle, The Old Guard. These aren't really buddy cop movies with the exception of maybe MFU - what would you call this type?

--

Okay... but... I was in MFU fandom, and it had the standard movie fandom shape: It peaked a little while after the movie came out, had activity for maybe a year, and then, in many ways, fell off a cliff.

It's also a more than usually popular reboot of a classic fandom that's still going. Granted, plenty of MFU TV fans hated it, but plenty more (like me) loved it.

If you're not aware, the original MFU was a mega-hit of 60s Spy-Fi. It didn't burst on the zine scene quite how Star Trek did, but when the show reran on cable in the 80s, the fandom really picked up. Its got its own extant fic archives and discord servers, yadda yadda. A one-off movie tied to something like that is a bit different from a completely standalone movie that's not part of a franchise.

Pacific Rim and Inception are probably better examples.

I think it's probably partly chance: there are a lot of people who write fanfic now, and small fandoms are findable on AO3 or even FFN because of how the sites are structured. Even if most movies don't have much of a fandom, sometimes enough people like the same thing at the same time to make a community happen.

And it's probably also partly about some infrastructure builder/organizer type falling for the fandom at the right moment. I know someone who threw a Pacific Rim con. The right BNF writer writing an ongoing epic can attract people to a ship or a fandom.

TOG is getting a bit of a boost from canon gay, but I doubt it will remain that active that long unless further movies have good iddy stuff to reinvigorate the fandom.

Hmm... Less cliff-like than I remember from other movie fandoms but still not that enduring compared to really big fandoms.

--

I think the relationships in these movies have some bearing on why fandom latched onto them, but I don't know if I'd really form a unified theory around that. I think I'd point more to them being big, mainstream movies lots of people saw and being in genres fandom often likes (sff-y stuff, though the MFU movie really toned down the spy-fi gadgets). Their settings have unexplored aspects and lots of fun world building. MFU ends with massive sequel bait that we'll probably never get the resolution of.

The Losers is another movie that ends with the story half-told, that has a relationship of interest to fans, and that overlaps, genre-wise, with other things with big fic fandoms. I think it benefited heavily from some organizer fans and from people who like Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, or Idris Elba repeatedly discovering it after the fact.

I think a steady trickle of new fans may be the most important thing, and that can come from actors who go on to be popular or a long-running and widely-recced WIP, among other things.

[fahye]

Hey! I really enjoyed the Last Binding books, and I am dying from impatience for A Power Unbound! I'm also a writer (unpublished), and I was wondering about your stance on posting info about WIPs on tumblr. I haven't done it yet, and I'm hesitating because I don't want it to be stolen. At the same time, it may be good to interact with others about my story, and maybe start to build a small community of potential readers. Do you think it would be a good idea, or that I should refrain until I have a contract with a publisher, or at the very least an agent?

oh boy. this one got long.

if you're mentioning agents and publishers then I assume you're hoping to be traditionally published, so my advice is based on that. (if you're looking into selfpub then that's a whole other ballgame, about which I don't know a great deal.)

it's very very normal and natural to want to interact with people about your WIPs. you want the story to feel finished and real. you want a tiny sip of a sample of how it might feel to have other people read your beautiful complete book and come and tell you their feelings and thoughts.

(it's also GREAT procrastination from the really difficult part, which is....writing the damn book, editing it, and grimly entering the querying trenches.)

but I don't know if tumblr, or any public social network, is the place for it.

I'm assuming you're not talking about putting entire chapters online. (bad idea. BAD. publishers are strict about what counts as prior publication of a story, and unless you were a viral selfpub sensation they usually don't want something that's been published - even in part - online.)

if you share all the details about the plot, or even a really killer hook of a premise that you're proud of: yeah, you do run the risk of it being stolen, and maybe that person writes faster than you and gets it out into the publishing ecosystem first. likely? probably not. possible? sure.

the other half of the argument is arguably even more important, albeit a bit depressing: you're not going to build a community on tumblr of potential readers of an original idea. especially one that doesn't yet exist. or that does exist, but perhaps will never be available for them to read, if the agent/publisher thing doesn't work out.

the exception to this might be if you already have a community of readers, and you're okay with your fandom and authorial personas being directly linked. perhaps you do! perhaps you're a fan writer with a following of readers! in which case I don't think there's any harm in being open & excited on tumblr about the fact that you're also working on original things and hoping to pursue publication.

here's my advice. you can make and post all the aesthetic boards and fun memes and spotify playlists your creative heart desires! do it for yourself, to keep yourself excited about the story. don't hang your heart on anyone else caring about your beloved blorbos yet.

and find a community of people at your career stage. I had a lot of friends who grew up in fandom with me and who were making the shift to original work at the same time. and one day a tumblr friend (hi @english-mace!) DMed me and offered an exchange of beta-reading for short stories, when we were both at the stage of being largely unpublished. and she then invited me into a small groupchat of early-career sff writers who became a great source of support and advice and indulgent listening to me enthusing about my blorbos and wailing about the tribulations of the tradpub process.

sometimes you're lucky. sometimes it's just a matter of asking your best one-or-two friends to let you bounce ideas off them and give you a little confidence boost. and sometimes you have to go looking. there are discords and slacks and facebook groups out there for aspiring writers: find a few, and go digging for your people.

I hope you find a community to share encouragement and joy with, anon. it's so, so hard to be at the stage of being halfway up the hill and bursting to share.

but you're still only halfway up the hill, and only you can get yourself to the summit. keep climbing. pause sometimes and make a beautiful gifset if it makes you happy. and then keep climbing.

good luck!

[reyofsunlight666]

I've been doing a lot of thinking about socialising vs being yourself lately, and getting your needs met vs authenticity, and the best advice I can give to people is this: detach your needs from each other whenever possible.

I need a space where I can think about social skills and mental health and queerness and sex and fandoms. I need a space that can help me become a professionally published SFF author. I need a space where people share my political views. And I also need a space where I can connect with people who share my cultural background.

All those needs are valid.

Not all those needs can be fulfilled in the same place.

I made myself unhappy for a very long time looking for the Exact Perfect Group who fits all those needs. But the truth is, if I go into the Discord server where I can get helpful writing feedback, I'm signing up for everything being centred around Americans and Guillotine Revolution Politics. If I go into my local, RL social groups, I'm signing up for people being utterly clueless about SFF or nerd culture beyond Marvel. Even my partner, who is an incredibly smart and interesting person, who I connect with to an absurd level, can't help me improve my writing.

I think this can be very difficult for people who are both some flavour of autistic and who've had social difficulties in the past. It's easy to idealise what you don't have, and Autistic Forthrightness And Stubbornness means you can be very unwilling to switch social strategies or be flexible.

We all need people to some degree. But, especially for those of us with unusual interests and viewpoints, the vast majority of people will only be able to satisfy parts of us.

[manggageprek]

LOOKING FOR A WRITING GROUP? BACKPOCKET IS HERE FOR YOU! 📚📚📚

Hi writeblrs! I'm a part of a writing group on Discord called BACKPOCKET , a writing group we joke is handy to always have in your back pocket.

This group is both a writing and critique server. We are technically open to all genres, but most of our members write SFF. Several of our members have completed manuscripts which they are actively querying, and others have published short stories (which we celebrate in an achievements channel together!). Note the group is also open to all levels, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you're not sure you're up to par in some capacity; we want to grow together. 🌱🎉🎊

🧋Monthly Book Club

🧋Safe Space for LGBTQ+, BIPOC, Neurodivergent, People w/ Disabilities

🧋18+ only (sorry!)

Our critique system doesn't have a time constraint, but we do implement a point system where you can't post more than you read. Meaning, if you’ve read 10 pages, you can only post 10 pages. This is to ensure that enough critiques will go around!

Please drop me a message if you're interested! There is a small entry critique exchange of 5 pages.

[b-a-pigeon]

Readers and writers (especially of queer speculative fiction), come join us in the EHLS Discord server! :)

It's still a work in progress and I'm not 100% sure what to do with it yet, but I like the idea of having a chill discussion space to talk about books and writing, particularly in the LGBT/SFF categories. Come say hi & see how it develops!