#writing reflections

[thetenthsunrise]

on the fall

today, I have posted the last chapter of the fall. As I mention in its final notes, this story found its first inception as a series of notes written in December of 2022. It is now May of 2025.

You may know that, if you’ve followed by work for long enough is so entirely out of character that this is a genuinely singular pace. Unless I am prewriting the fic, or noting it’s ideas down for a later point—the prior being incredibly rare, now, with me not having the patience to write all of a multi chapter fic before posting anymore—the fic writing process, from inception to first release SELDOM takes more than 2-3 months, and even that’s rare. There are many fics in my catalogue that were conceived, drafted, written, edited, and published in less than a week. Some took only a day. And when it does take a few more months, it is merely out of a lack of time, not lack of desire. This is not to say I don’t have abandoned wips—if you go far back enough in any of my folders, they will crop up—but more to note that to me, the fall was never an abandoned project. It was more so a dream, one that required a mass amount of work to ever see the light of day, fourteen months later.

when I drafted the first 15 or so chapters of the fall, I don’t think I could have actually written it at that point. It was more of a dream, than anything else, notable in the fact that i only got 15 chapters worth of notes in before my ideas just spluttered out. Crucially, this drafting happened months before I wrote some of my most influential works—don’t go wasting your emotions, silver flames in the path of the sun, the horizon in your eyes—all long Star Wars stories that gave me a voice and taught me how to write, long, complicated stories. I also began it while writing embrace the world in grey—which remains as the single most ambitious work I have ever put out. I, in December of 2022, inherently lacked the ability to write a fic on the scale that the fall required.

the fall is a strange, slightly disjointed fic in my mind. The first fifteen chapters, the ones I first planned in December, do feel different than the following ten. Those following ten, being planned out in the month or so that led up to the falls publication, are far more indicative of my current narrative style than the rest of the fall, meaning they were far easier to write. I would certainly rework parts of the fall, knowing what I know now, from experience, but also, I’m happy I did not. The fall was a beautiful dream for a long time, a document to peruse on a rainy day when I would entertain sitting down and doing it (only to be pulled away by some other project), a promised return. And now it’s over.

all the love,

thetenthsunrise

[vera-king-hrfl]

2024 Writing Reflections

Thank you for the tag, @graysparrowao3

I had to think about this a bit. My personal life has been ridiculously stressful, especially the past 3 months, and writing has helped me through it. So, every word I've written and published has been special and important because it serves that purpose, even if no one reads or enjoys it but me.

But then, some people actually do enjoy my work, which is just amazing. So now, yes I still write for myself, but also because it sometimes brings other people happiness, or at least distraction. Maybe a few might get a deeper meaning from some of it or really enjoy my style.

I also really like reading all the amazing stuff my lovely and talented mutuals write, and looking at all your beautiful artwork. This whole experience has been amazing and I hope I can share another year of it with you all. ❤️

What's been your biggest learning point this past year?

Tumblr and Ao3, honestly. I started writing on reddit, but that was definitely not serving me. People can be so nasty over there, I don't understand it. But it was suggested to me to move over to Tumblr and post on Ao3 and I never looked back. I never realized that there could be a social media site that wasn't a seething mass of hate and vitriol. Everyone here is so nice, and if they don't like my writing, they just ignore me, which is fantastic! 

How has your writing developed this past year?

I started out writing bg3 fanfiction very formal. The structure and language and events were, if not boring, at least kind of stilted and serious. I've learned to inject a lot more levity into my writing and really tried to stop taking it all so seriously. I like writing boring stuff! Lord of the Rings is boring af and it's one of my favorite books. But it does get old and it helps to flex my literary muscles into different styles. 

Bad writing habits?

This has nothing to do with the product itself, but I tend to write everything on my phone. It's really convenient and I can take it anywhere, but my notes and wips are really messy, scattered across about 4 apps, and I've developed tendinitis. 

Favorite thing you wrote?

I think that would have to be the most recent one, Heat of the Night. The title is tongue in cheek, meant to mimic those 80s sitcoms and crime dramas, soap operas, all the stuff I grew up with. The story is the same way. I toss my characters into a modern/80s setting, with all the cliches, language, fashion and technology that entails. I did change a bit because it's an AU (they have cellphones, which weren't really a thing in the 80s, and personal vehicles don't exist. Everyone either teleports or takes public transit.) But it's really fun to write and there really aren't any tropes or plotlines or events that won't fit somewhere in it. Mood writing at it's finest. 😁

Biggest win?

@crowwolf my bestie. I can't believe I found someone so great to talk to and help with my writing. It started out as her just giving sweet compliments and enjoying my weirdness, but she's been so supportive and inspiring that it became much more than that. Now we're collaborating, and I don’t think we've gone a day without talking in months. ❤️

Your favorite words of the year, aka the words you check each chapter for, making sure you didn't repeat them 788 times?

Aside from "Cal" and "Ryldinn", my most commonly used word in my most recent fic is "little". I've decided that the tieflings are big, especially the men, and the other main characters are much smaller, but I should thesaurus it a bit more. 😅 There are also, as mentioned by @graysparrowao3 many mentions of breathing, chuckling, huffing, snorting, scoffing, giggling, and descriptions of facial expressions. 

Goals for the new year?

Finish some stuff! I should be able to close out a few wips pretty soon, but the new one is being written so it can be converted into an original, that will actually take place in 1980s Miami, with more original story and characters. It's a series too, so publishing the first installment as an original would be amazing. 

What are you excited for in the new year?

I've recently started going out of my comfort zone a little and writing scenes and plotlines that are more challenging. A large dinner party scene, an operatic ballet, and a mystery where I have to keep 39 tieflings accounted for are among them. So just more of that, I suppose. I've already started converting the characters, figuring out names and origins, and working out relationships and plot points for my original, and that's pretty exciting.

I'm not tagging anyone else specifically because I don't know who's been tagged or who wants to play, but if you follow me and see this on your dash, please consider it an invitation to share, if you want to. 😊

[snailsandpuppy-dogtails]

66,646 words, 5 stories

60% E rating, 40% T rating

Notable Mentions: I Do, Do You?

Introspection: Despite hating myself and everything I made, I know I should be proud of creating fully formed works, and not hold them to a standard of previous, more prolific years. Hey! I wrote for a new fandom! No, it did not send me running back to my original loves.

[proserphia]

Every time that I refuse having sex, I feel so guilty and like I have disappointed my partner. They tell me it’s fine. And I know it is MY right to refuse or agree, yet still.

Every ‘no’ breaks my heart a little more when I see their face fall. They understand. They get it. They tell me it is alright.

Yet all I feel is disappointment and like I am in the wrong. The feeling creeps around my neck like vines—desperate for sunlight.

But instead of sunlight, they find the guilt I am drowning in.

I thought I was ready. It wouldn’t even be my first time. But I am scared. I am scared they will leave after getting what they want.

I doubt sex is ALL they want. But my mind is desperate to convince me otherwise.

Sorry, this one blog is bland and boring. I am writing this at 5:23AM :((

[starry-on-ao3]

Your mystery question is here! :)

Firework: What is your character's biggest goal? How can they accomplish it?

Oh lovely question! :D

I've got a few WIPs in progress at the moment, but for now, I'll focus on Carmody in my main current wip Close To You, which is a post-war AU where Carmody and Tristan meet for the first time as researchers in the Royal Veterinary College in London. Carmody is starting his PhD, and Tristan is lecturing (having discovered a love for teaching during the war in his Royal Army Veterinary Corps days).

As we know from canon, Carmody is quite a quiet and sensitive chap, but I have imagined him (and Tristan) as being a few years older, with a bit more life experience, and thus a little more confident. So it's Carmody who really makes the first move on Tristan, but a little too fast for Tristan's liking - and Tristan ghosts him at the bar. Obviously, this really hurts Carmody, who isn't shy about taking out his emotions on Tristan at the first available opportunity in my latest chapter.

What's Carmody's biggest goal? Well, he's already halfway there: to do a PhD. How can he accomplish it? By keeping a cool head on his shoulders, and focusing on his work.

On the surface level, those are the answers to your questions. But I also think there is a deeper reason behind Carmody's passion for research, particularly equine sciences, and I think it's because he's grown up his entire life feeling as if he is merely perceiving the world around him, and never quite playing an active role in it. This is why research appeals to him as a career: it is less about driving change in the world, and more about observing, which is a familiar and comforting paradigm to him. Why horses specifically? I think that horseback riding, and other suchlike old-money activities, would have been some of the last really happy childhood memories he has, before his parents alienated him when they discover his sexuality. So being outdoors, and being near horses (and, more importantly, away from people - who are fickle, confusing, and often cause pain without hanging around for the consequences) reminds him of his childhood. He's not in research for money or for academic clout, but for a genuine love of horses.

How does he heal from this? - this is of course an enemies to friends to lovers fic, so eventually, him and Tristan will have to overcome the awkward encounter in the bar and move on (and they need to learn to communicate healthily) - the important difference with Tristan is that he will hang around for the consequences, even after having caused Carmody pain, and even after initially refusing to discuss their encounter. He will, because they are forced to work together, initially - but later, he will because he truly wants to. Neither of these chaps are naturally hateful or spiteful people, just overly-protective of their hearts, and extremely unwilling to put themselves through unnecessary pain.

Wow this went wildly off topic! But what a good question and it really helped me reflect on the characters as I'm slowly transitioning them from enemies to friends (and my as of now vague ideas about how to get them to cross the threshold to becoming more than friends). 🥰✨

[pauli-scrawls]

Tectonic Shift in Cozy Witches

I'm going back to the beginning with Cozy Witches and questioning a lot of my initial impressions of the story, the characters, the world. Do both witches need to be struggling with burnout? What do I want the story to say? What does the magic represent? What does each witch teach and provide the other that they cannot see themselves?

And I'm basically starting all over again. The original outline? It's going to get ripped to pieces. And that's scary, throwing out all that work. But this is going to be a better story because of it. It's going to be deeper, more layered, more nuanced. The work wasn't wasted, but it is going to be reborn into something unrecognizable.

It's kind of exciting.

[bookwyrminspiration]

sometimes a theme recurs in your work without your permission. and sometimes it reaches a threshold where you're like. well now i think this is saying something about me against my will. don't know what though

[m00wd]

Sometimes you need to sleep, sleep a lot. Not to escape, but to rest your soul from your feelings. Because everything, absolutely everything devours you. Completely.

—Brain

[kareena-leigh]

On Syntax

— Merriam-Webster online dictionary

The old writing that I managed not to trash or delete is thoroughly stowed away in a three-ring binder out of sight. But it is not out of mind. I am only just now realizing that what I found/find so unpleasant, and even cringe-worthy, about my old stories aren’t the ideas or the characters, but the floppy, inconsistent application of language and sentence structure.

What’s exciting about this realization is now I get to figure out how to “firm up” my sentences, if that makes any sense. And, rewrite!

[thecomfortingpage]

What I Built in Just One Week—And Why It’s Just the Beginning

You don’t need years. You just need to start. I started blogging on April 14, 2025. No big announcement. No fancy launch. Just me, a WordPress site, and my voice. And in just one week, I built something I’m proud of. Not because it went viral. Not because I hit some magical milestone. But because I showed up with consistency, with heart—and the results showed me this is just the…

[wordsmithandwanderings]

Drifting Through Life Instead of Mario Kart World

EP. 7 of my "So How's the Writing Going?" Series

It is a universal fact that you are not going to be in a constant high of having creative energy you can expend, but it doesn’t change the fact that I am struggling with this truth. This is going to be a very short post because I have not done much writing or things interesting to tell you about this past week.

I only did two sessions this entire week, and honestly some days I feel like I have to physically fight myself just to write for twenty minutes. Why I can struggle to do something I willingly chose to pursue is a struggle I’m sure you can relate to, and yet I have no idea why it’s so common. To be honest, I don’t think it’s my book’s fault either. Not entirely. I really like the scene I’m currently working through at a snail’s pace. It has veered off the outline only slightly, so there’s a chance that the writing is going slowly because I need to know how the scene and chapter will end. A very solvable problem.

Then there’s me. Local writer who can’t bring herself to write, and also can’t bring herself to do anything else that’s very productive. Other than the despised pastime of doom-scrolling. Nothing like getting an overload of information, emotions, and worse to just set your mental development back three years! It feels very silly to explain how some days I genuinely cannot get myself to do something that I can reasonably do because I don’t “feel like doing it.” Nearly every writing advice post out there will tell you that you need discipline, and can’t rely solely on motivation.

But have you ever considered that maybe discipline and motivation go hand-in-hand? Writing is not my job. I’d like it to be, but at this point in my life, it is not my job. Time for writing gets slotted into my free time. Outside of free time are my obligations. Anything that will have a direct consequence if I don’t do it. Chores, taking care of myself, a paid job (if I had one), are all obligations. If I don’t take care of them, then I would see the direct consequence of it, such as dirty dishes and greasy hair. If I go a day without writing, nothing negative happens as a result of it. It’s not like I’m an agented author with a publishing deal with a deadline I’m working towards (although I would love that). My discipline has to prioritize other things before writing, and so when I do get around to writing, I need a little motivation as well. Or I at least need willingness. I can’t brute force my way through the drafting process, no matter how much I wish I could.

Read the rest of this post for free on my Substack!

[sweetpleats]

i fucked up the order of season 2 of atla because i accidentally deleted the drill without watching it and because i skipped a bunch of episodes (the blind bandit, the chase) that i'd watched relatively recently (i was in a bad mood recently and rewatching them sounded boring, although i do regret not watching all of it in order). anyways

i did still feel quite bored for a lot of frankly before toph. i don't even think it's a matter of just toph being there although that did definitely help. i think some of it was that toph imo adds a lot to the group dynamic and also probably just that the group dynamic finally hits its true stride around halfway through s2 but when it does finally get there it's REALLY good

i maintain my earlier suspicions about a lot of why i was eh on s1 was because all the characters' flaws are relatively contained to episodes. i don't think toph's personality is a flaw, for sure, but it's nice having one member of this tweenage team willing to misbehave in a fairly consistent manner without it necessarily being guaranteed to be likeable. toph is brash and frankly kind of rude and i think i just wanted to see a character like that out of this, again, group of tweenagers

but also i think around the drill is when it clicked for me how well the synergy in this team has been developed. it definitely wouldn't have felt as natural or earned without season 1, but you get to the drill and they know how to work together. sokka is their plans guy! the drill is an episode i like a lot for this actually. aang also being like "yeah toph taught me this thing off screen but it's completely cohesive with everything else we know about her philosophy and now we can use it to defeat the enemy" is very good

i think s2 is also when the seeds are being more visibly laid for s3 and you can see how well planned this series was. they establish the day of black sun as a deadline before sozin's comet, as well as azula totally knowing about it ahead of time. probably would have been helpful if king kuei said something like "ah shit i probably shouldn't have told those fake kyoshi warriors about the invasion" but stuff happens

long feng also helps with the tone shift imo. like yes the fire nation is evil but the stuff with the dai li is sinister and has a more subtle horror than conquest and razing to the ground. s1 featured a lot of people who were either pro fire nation or anti fire nation/war and the introduction of long feng and the dai li are great for showing that sometimes there are people who suck for their own reasons

tales of ba sing se is a REALLY good episode for pacing and for just chilling a bit. while still getting some plot stuff going (helping to find appa)

it's nice how much atla does off screen. the biggest example of this would be azula/mai/ty lee defeating the kyoshi warriors and that being held in suspense until we see them get to ba sing se

i did just watch the finale of sailor moon so i'm going to put this reflection on pause for a minute media overload

ok back

i think it also helps that aang got a lot more moments of anger in this season

zuko's inner conflict is good. i like that it seemed like he really was turning a corner and then he backslid. progress isn't linear, for better or worse

watching everything with azula is really fun when you're older. ty lee is faking ALL of that. azula is clearly insane from the start. effective, but clearly unstable. mai is just depressed which like. fair

i don't think i have as many notes on the writing other than this. the biggest takeaways for me are the importance of developing synergy and the way parallel structures can be used to enhance each plotline

[watlitw-j]

Journal: Sept 2020

I have changed so much since the last time she knew me, and I am not sure I am in love with this new reckless, adventurous version of myself I have created. I feel a little bit like Frankenstein. I tried to make something beautiful of a myriad of pieces, but was left with a monster as a result of the experimentation.

[proserphia]

I am never sure if I am in love with a person. It sounds horrible when I say it aloud, but it is my truth.

Ever since I was little, I have always dreamed of finding that one true love. And yet when I have a partner, I feel suffocated.

I used to think how can people choose to live alone, without a partner? But now? I think I might be starting to understand them.

Still, I'd like to believe that someone out there is still meant for me. And then I hate myself for such thoughts. I have a partner currently. I truly believed as though I loved them. But, with time passing and their cracks showing, I am being suffocated.

I don't know how many more 'why are you posting so many photos of yourself?' or 'the app showed you were active so you must be ignoring me.' I can take. And I know they mean well--or at least I hope so--but it really gets to a point. Honestly, in my gut I can sense a break up coming. Or, perhaps, that is something I am secretly hoping for.

Also, I want to be appreciated. I do not wish to be hidden. It seems like it's nothing, but I wish to be posted on instagram stories. I wish to be shown off--not because someone has me, but because they love me. I wish to be gifted 'just because' flowers.

They're not a bad person. Just not for me. Perhaps, there is no person for me. Perhaps, I am meant to write stories and live in solitude.

And though I do want children, perhaps, my stories and the characters I write about are those kids I wish I could have?

Sounds foolish, I know. But I need some hope to cling to before I get pulled underneath completely.

[starry-on-ao3]

✨20 questions for fic writers✨

Inspired by @naquey - thought it would be fun to chime in 🥰

How many works do you have on Ao3?

15

What's your total word count?

102,267

What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, All Creatures Great And Small. In the distant past, Harry Potter (and in the very very distant past, Dan and Phil). Have also brainstormed Good Omens fics but never written anything there.

Top five fics by kudos?

Home Is Where Audrey Is

How long have you felt this way?

Close To You (this fic is my darling baby, I am pouring ever fiber of my being into it, it occupies all of my blasted waking thoughts, it is my magnum opus)

The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot

See you at the end of the aisle

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I only apologise if I am ever late to respond, but I always do, and they make my day. I have been spotted skipping happily around the checkout queue in the grocery store more times than I can count when I get those wonderful Ao3 emails 🫶

What fic did you write with the angstiest ending?

Research isn't as boring as it sounds, actually - this one ended sort of happily, but Tristan and and Richard had just had their first fight as a couple, and that was difficult to write 🥺 I hate causing my boys pain (I say, while Close To You is still in progress 😬)

What fic did you write with the happiest ending?

How long have you felt this way? - the candles, the Christmas music, Tristan very slowly building up to a confession - this one was everything 🥰

Do you get hate on fics?

Never have, but even if I did, I don't think it would faze me too much tbh, I have a think skin! If you don't like, don't read, I don't care :)

Do you write smut?

Absolutely 100% not, nothing makes me feel more icky 😣 I've no issue with referencing smut off-screen though, or writing it as a 'fade to black' thing, or writing a character's emotions about sex/intimacy, but the actual smut itself? nopenopenopenope I just can't–

Craziest crossover?

Haven't done one yet, but I am cooking a Downton Abbey / ACGAS crossover idea

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! (But if anybody would like fics translated into Romanian from English, or into English from Romanian, hmu!)

Have you ever co written a fic before?

Nope, but always happy to collaborate!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I sure hope not! 😐

All-time favourite ship?

That's a tough one...i have too many lol. My current hyperfixation ship is Tristan Farnon and Richard Carmody from ACGAS (those 102,000 words? they are all written since Nov 18th last year and are all about these dorks), but that's a very recent one. If I had to pick one which has stuck with me for years and years, it would be Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens. Also Mary and Matthew from Downton Abbey.

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

A Sirius Black/Severus Snape/OC love triangle which I very much doubt will ever be finished - it's on FFN, under a different name, good luck trying to find it lol 😂

What are your writing strengths?

I hope it's my dialogue, it's what I enjoy writing the most anyway. Have also been told my prose is very good!

What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing comedy/wit/sarcasm, smut, (and not allowing my WIPs to completely take over my waking thoughts to the point that I can't even look at a fucking treadmill in the gym without thinking of how this could be turned into a Farmody meet-cute), and fight scenes I guess?

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I don't have any strong opinions on this, never given it any thought. I have done it before but I didn't put much thought into it (it was a scene in the Snape/OC fic where the OC wanted to hide what she was reading from Snape, so she magically changed the text on the page to Irish, so that Snape couldn't understand it).

First fandom you ever wrote in?

Dan and Phil.

Favourite fic you've ever written?

Oh, I couldn't possibly pic a favourite :)

[raxacoricofallapatoriusrulez]

Reflections on Stray Souls

When I started to write this post, I hadn’t planned on it sparking two bonus chapters—but inspiration works in mysterious ways, doesn’t it? So you can now find 9 chapters in my cat omens story Stray Souls—don’t worry they are only disgustingly fluffy and domestic.

Stray Souls is a bit different from my other stories. While most of my writing tends to sit around as fragments, plotlines, or dusty drafts on my hard drive, this one began recently and very much in the moment. I’ve always adored cat omens stories (I have two fur babies myself), so when I came across @heohl-art’s Cat Omens artwork back in November last year, I felt a familiar flicker of inspiration. I knew I wanted to write my own little cat AU, even if I wasn’t sure yet what shape it would take.

It took me a while to actually come up with something that felt right—and even longer to build up the courage to ask @heohl-art for permission to credit the art that inspired it. At that point, I had only just started posting on AO3 and everything felt a little daunting. But I knew I had something I wanted to say with this story.

This story was also different in that I knew where I wanted to end up from the beginning, but it felt less like I was building toward a conclusion and more like the ending already existed, waiting for me to reach it. (Yes, I did switch Aziraphale’s coat colour—he just looked too good in white floof.) I was especially enamoured with the accessories the cats wore in the art. They felt so perfect: the sweet little tartan bow tie for Aziraphale and the reluctant but dashing silver collar for Crowley. After the heartbreak and emotional intensity of chapter six, it only felt right to let my versions of them finally receive these symbols of comfort and belonging.

From the beginning, I knew I wanted to explore some heavier canon themes—particularly abandonment, from Aziraphale’s perspective. I pictured him sitting at a door, asking to be let back in, asking to be recognised again. That conviction that we hear in Michael Sheen’s voice, when Aziraphale asks Crowley to take him away because he believes he’s fallen—it haunted me. That was the heart of the first arc.

The second arc grew from the idea of being caught, separated, chosen—or not chosen. That Crowley and Aziraphale are so different, and that only Aziraphale gets a chance at a new home. Writing that separation, honestly, broke me a little. I kept them apart longer than any of us were comfortable with. But when they’re finally reunited—thanks to the combined forces of Anathema and Agnes—it felt like it happened at the very last possible moment, like a thread being caught just before snapping.

There might be more additions in the future, if inspiration (or fluff) strikes. But if there are, they’ll be nothing but soft, sweet, and healing. These boys have suffered enough. No more angst—not on my watch.

I’d also love to find a way to bring in Muriel or Jim at some point. We’ll see.

Find the fic here

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62880508?view_full_work=true