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The Feeling Before Writing

The Feeling After Writing

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20 Emotional Wounds in Fiction That Make Readers Root for the Character

Abandonment: Characters who have been abandoned by loved ones or caregivers can evoke sympathy from readers.

Betrayal: Being betrayed by someone close can create deep emotional wounds that make readers empathize with the character.

Loss of a Loved One: Whether through death or separation, the loss of a loved one can be a powerful emotional wound.

Rejection: Characters who experience rejection, whether in relationships or by society, can be relatable and evoke empathy.

Abuse: Physical, emotional, or psychological abuse can create complex wounds that shape a character's personality and behavior.

Neglect: Characters who have been neglected, especially in childhood, can evoke sympathy from readers.

Failure: Experiencing a significant failure or loss can create emotional wounds that make characters more relatable.

Guilt: Characters who carry guilt for past actions or decisions can be compelling and evoke empathy from readers.

Shame: Feelings of shame can create internal conflict and make characters more relatable and sympathetic.

Injustice: Characters who have experienced injustice or unfair treatment can evoke strong emotions from readers.

Trauma: Characters who have experienced traumatic events, such as war or natural disasters, can be sympathetic and relatable.

Loneliness: Characters who feel lonely or isolated can evoke empathy from readers who have experienced similar feelings.

Fear: Characters who face their fears or struggle with phobias can be relatable and evoke empathy from readers.

Self-doubt: Characters who struggle with self-doubt or low self-esteem can be relatable and evoke sympathy.

Identity Crisis: Characters who are grappling with questions of identity or struggling to find their place in the world can be sympathetic.

Addiction: Characters who struggle with addiction can be complex and evoke empathy from readers.

Betrayal of Trust: Characters who have had their trust betrayed can be sympathetic and relatable.

Unrequited Love: Characters who experience unrequited love can be sympathetic and evoke empathy from readers.

Isolation: Characters who feel isolated or disconnected from others can be relatable and evoke sympathy.

Fear of Failure: Characters who struggle with a fear of failure can be relatable and evoke empathy from readers.

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Once Again (with feelings) - Dead Boy Detectives Fanfiction

Even after returning to the comfortable familiarity of their London-based Agency, Edwin’s mood is as gloomy as the weather outside. Although Charles doesn’t really expect his mate to open up about it, he tries to provide some help talking it through. He definitely wasn't ready to be asked such a frank question, for precisely two reasons: 1) Edwin was very peculiar when it came to trying new things. 2) Charles never believed his friend was into kissing at all...

Read on AO3

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Some writers: *meticulously plan out every plot point and the tone and meanings before they start writing*

Me:

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from Once Again (with feelings) (Panyland, G, 3.3k)

Charles snorted. “I was a teen. Of course, I had to say I’d miss kissing.” He paused before adding, “Could’ve also said fucking instead, but I thought your Edwardian courtesy couldn't handle that.”

Edwin’s posture stiffened and he turned towards the window again. Charles immediately gave in. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it,” he pleaded to Edwin’s back. “I was just trying to be funny. Don’t let my bad jokes interrupt you, please.”

Shaking off the offence with a sigh, Edwin braced himself and faced Charles again. “Did you kiss someone before?” Charles’ rapidly rising eyebrows declared just how blunt and improper the question was. “What?”

“Did you?” Edwin reiterated. He was fairly sure, Charles had understood the question. Usually, he was very willing to answer even Edwin’s more obscure inquiries. He even seemed to enjoy these lectures at times. But with the look that emerged on Charles’ face, Edwin had a strong feeling that this time he would neither get a light-hearted lesson nor a jab in the ribs for his somewhat dated knowledge.

“Yes, I did,” Charles answered. His tone had turned considerably sharper. “And I won’t have you judge me for it.”

“I’m not,” Edwin replied quickly and hoped the other one could read the sincerity from his eyes. “I’m just curious.”

✨follow the link for the full story✨

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Tag Game: Badly Summarised WIPs #001

I found this open tag over at @discordantwords' and I think it's hilarious, so I'll give it a go.

Rules: Pick a bunch of your WIPs and summarize them as badly as possible, then ask your followers to vote on which one they’d be most likely to read.

I'm softly tagging @charlesjosephwrites , @zmwrites and anyone else who fancies an open tag.

Have fun and thanks for voting!

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If your plot feels flat, STUDY it! Your story might be lacking...

Stakes - What would happen if the protagonist failed? Would it really be such a bad thing if it happened?

Thematic relevance - Do the events of the story speak to a greater emotional or moral message? Is the conflict resolved in a way that befits the theme?

Urgency - How much time does the protagonist have to complete their goal? Are there multiple factors complicating the situation?

Drive - What motivates the protagonist? Are they an active player in the story, or are they repeatedly getting pushed around by external forces? Could you swap them out for a different character with no impact on the plot? On the flip side, do the other characters have sensible motivations of their own?

Yield - Is there foreshadowing? Do the protagonist's choices have unforeseen consequences down the road? Do they use knowledge or clues from the beginning, to help them in the end? Do they learn things about the other characters that weren't immediately obvious?

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WHAT ARE WE?!

WRITERS!!!

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?!

WRITE!!!!!

WHEN ARE WE GONNA DO IT?!

((Disgruntled muttering))

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how to start reading again

from someone who was a voracious reader until high school and is now getting back into it in her twenties.

start with an old favourite. even though it felt a little silly, i re-read the harry potter series one christmas and it wiped away my worry that i wasn't capable of reading anymore. they are long books, but i was still able to get completely immersed and to read just as fast as i had years and years ago.

don't be afraid of "easier" books. before high school i was reading the french existentialists, but when getting back into reading, i picked up lucinda riley and sally rooney. not my favourite authors by far, but easier to read while not being totally terrible. i needed to remind myself that only choosing classics would not make me a better or smarter person. if a book requires a slower pace of reading to be understood, it's easier to just drop it, which is exactly what i wanted to avoid at first.

go for essays and short stories. no need to explain this one: the shorter the whole, the less daunting it is. i definitely avoided all books over 350 pages at first and stuck to essay collections until i suddenly devoured donna tartt's goldfinch.

remember it's okay not to finish. i was one of those people who finished every book they started, but not anymore! if i pick up a book at the library and after a few chapters realise i'd rather not read it, i just return it. (another good reason to use your local library! no money spent on books you might end up disliking.)

analyse — or don't. some people enjoy reading more when they take notes or really stop to think about the contents. for me, at first, it was more important to build the habit of reading, and the thought of analysing what i read felt daunting. once i let go of that expectation, i realised i naturally analyse and process what i read anyway.

read when you would usually use your phone. just as i did when i was a child, i try to read when eating, in the bathroom, on public transport, right before sleeping. i even read when i walk, because that's normally a time i stare at my screen anyway. those few pages you read when you brush your teeth and wait for a friend very quickly stack up.

finish the chapter. if you have time, try to finish the part you're reading before closing the book. usually i find i actually don't want to stop reading once i get to the end of a chapter — and if i do, it feels like a good place to pick up again later.

try different languages. i was quickly approaching a reading slump towards the end of my exchange year, until i realised i had only had access to books in english and that, despite my fluency, i was tired of the language. so as soon as i got back home i started picking up books in my native tongue, which made reading feel much easier and more fun again! after some nine months, i'm starting to read in english again without it feeling like a huge task.

forget what's popular. i thought social media would be a fun way to find interesting books to read, but i quickly grew frustrated after hating every single book i picked up on some influencer's recommendation. it's certainly more time-consuming to find new books on your own, but this way i don't despise every novel i pick up.

remember it isn't about quantity. the online book community's endless posts about reading 150 books each year or 6 books in a single day easily make us feel like we're slow, bad readers, but here's the thing: it does not matter at all how many books you read or what your reading pace is. we all lead different lives, just be proud of yourself for reading at all!

stop stressing about it. we all know why reading is important, and since the pandemic reading has become an even more popular hobby than it was before (which is wonderful!). however, there's no need to force yourself to be "a reader". pick up a book every now and then and keep reading if you enjoy it, but not reading regularly doesn't make you any less of a good person. i find the pressure to become "a person who reads" or to rediscover my inner bookworm only distances me from the very act of reading.

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Favorite Romance Tropes

I’m a cheesy fucker so here are some of my favorite romance tropes:

I’m seeing you in a new dress/suit/outfit that accentuates your looks more than your usual clothes and I’m Shook™

I’m seeing you doing something you love and the sheer joy you exhibit without even knowing it is so endearing and I can’t look away because you’re so in your element

I’m shy/reserved/stoic and you want me to dance with you and I’m a little nervous but you drag me into it and I love it

I always address you by your title or surname but you’re in peril so I lose my cool and call you by your first name

I slip up in a moment of distraction and call you the nickname I’ve mentally ascribed to you and after an awkward moment, you tell me you actually like it

I’m usually strong and stoic but you’ve been hurt and even though my first priority is taking care of you, I’m furious and planning the grisly demise of whoever hurt you

ALTERNATELY I’m usually strong and stoic and when I come across you fending off bullies, I stand silently behind you and intimidate your enemies with the sheer force of my presence

You’re in danger and I’m trying to get to your side as quickly as possible but it seems like I’ll never get there in time but when I do, I drag you into a fierce embrace because I’m so terrified and you can feel me shaking

OR you’re in danger and I’m trying to get to your side as quickly as possible but it seems like I’ll never get there in time and I DON’T and there’s a moment of pure grief a la Hercules and Meg in Disney’s Hercules but I’m gonna fix this even if it kills me

I’m gonna take care of you in all the little ways that seem insignificant (cups of tea, hot cocoa, soup when you’re ill, a warm coat when you’re cold) but we know they aren’t

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Sneak Peak Sunday #001

from an upcoming fic (Paynland, G, aprox. 2.5k)

Raindrops, thick and heavy, were splattering on the window of the Agency. Edwin watched how they hit the glass pane and travelled down it in steady streams before getting caught on the next iron muntin. It was just water but to Edwin, even the rain felt different here. Better. More like home. In passing it was clearing the London air, washing away day-old dust and furbishing the cabs in the street down below. Yet it couldn’t erase the heavy feeling in Edwin’s lungs. He didn’t breathe - hadn’t felt the need in over a century - And he knew, that he wasn’t dependant on it. But with the tight invisible grip around his chest, he longed for a relieving gasp of rain-fresh air.

Running his hand across his vest, he tried to loosen a restraint that wasn’t actually there. He had hoped for the distressing feeling to vanish once they had returned home safe and sound to their agency, the little safe space Charles and he had created for themselves. He had hoped for his discomfort to be just an elaborate form of homesickness and that it would go away without him having to address it. But it hadn’t. It had followed him around the globe just as persistent as Crystal had. But she at least had enough decency to give Charles and him their space once in a while.

“You alright, mate?”

The rest of the story will be published soon

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Tag Game: Word Find #009

Thank you so much for the tag @charlesjosephwrites

I'll try to find the words moon, solve, ready, and straw in my works.

I'm leaving this as an open tag only, because I am very much not up to date with my writeblr tag-lists, OOPS :D So if you want to go find some words in your wips or works, go ahead and look for age, message, heal and pride.

---

Moon

from "Nipped in for a quick temptation" (Aziracrow, E, 6.8k)

Sauntering over to where the atrium opened towards the garden, he found it easier to breathe. The sun now had completely given way to the moon and its companions and above the open space of green nature, Crowley could see a couple of stars already. He let the air ease his anxiety and made sure his sunglasses sat properly on his nose.

Solve

from Snow White and the Huntsmen (Winteriron, G, 31.6 k)

“How do you picture that?” he asked. “Lure her out with treats and then hide all clutter? I don’t even know if there is such a thing as a cat-proof vault. Besides, we can’t stash away our whole household because of her. She would probably just take the treats and then continue with her mischief undeterred.”

“Well if we can’t hide our stuff we have to hide her,” Tony replied with a serious face. “Lock her in the bathroom. Problem solved.”

Ready

from Cat's Charm & Serpent's Sorrow (Aziracrow, G, 500 words)

A real cat was guarding the temple's entrance, snarling at him with an arched back and glaring yellow eyes. Its patterned fur emphasised the predator's descent and when Crowley didn’t take flight, it crouched down, ready to charge. 

Crowley scowled, not keen on being attacked. But he also didn’t want to miracle the cat away. He liked cats. That they didn’t like him was an unfortunate byproduct of his serpent ancestry, not the cat’s fault.

Straw

from "Might as well get comfortable" (Aziracrow, E, 5.4k)

Crawley had started to fiddle with the empty chalice. When he couldn’t think of any more ways to spin it around his hands he started to knock it against the depleted clay jug to see how many different sounds it could make. Eventually, he ended up pulling single stalks of straw out of the bags he was lounging on. Crawley sighed. He better found some sort of activity for the night or he would discorporate of boredom. 

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Here's to the people who can't get the words on the page. The people who are too tired after all life throws at them to write. The people who are blocked. The people who are burnt out. The people who can't write because of physical or mental illnesses. The people who don't know why they can't write. And the people struggling with all those other things that get in the way of writing and make it seem or be impossible.

You're still a writer, you're still an artist. And you matter. This world is better since you're in it. Thank you for wanting to write, even if you can't right now. I hope you and your words find each other soon.

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Don't you sometimes get an absolutely extrodinary, mind blowing, such an awesome idea for a story, but you just don't have enough skill level to pull it off?

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"Barely counts as a miracle" - Good Omens Fanfiction

gif by @rainbowcrowley ❤

Fandom: Good Omens

Relationship: Crowley / Aziraphale

Summary: 1793, Paris.

When Aziraphale set off for France he had a detailed plan in mind. Getting himself captured was only phase one, leading up to the much more enticing and long-awaited phase two. Unfortunately, he struggles to clue Crowley in on this plan. After living through many awkward attempts and a demeaning dance, Aziraphale has to resort to more desperate measures.

Or: Aziraphale plays the Damsel in Distress and eventually gets Crowley to punish him properly.

Words: 7,734

Rating: Explicit

Status: Finished (Part 4/14 of a series)

Warnings: No Warnings

Tags:

Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Aziraphale Has a Penis, Crowley Has a Penis, Sexual Content, Smut, Wall Sex, Anal Sex, First Time Bottoming, Semi-Public Sex, fucking while pining, Pining while fucking, Missing Scene, Episode: s01e03 Hard Times, Canon Compliant, Aziraphale and Crowley Through The Ages, Bottom Aziraphale, Top Crowley, POV Aziraphale, Aziraphale is a Mess, Aziraphale Loves Crowley, Awkward Conversations, undercommunication, Scene: Paris 1793, Historical References, Idiots in Love, Ineffable Idiots, Stopping Time, This is not the Bastille, Undercommunicated Groping but Crowley doesn't mind, Aziraphale is a clumsy seducer, Damsels in Distress, Aziraphale is a Damsel in Distress, Apology dance, Clothed Sex

Click here to read on AO3

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Snippet Sunday #021

from "Barely counts as a miracle" (Aziracrow, E, 7.7k)

“Weren’t you just asking for punishment?” Crowley’s lips curved into a smug smile and for a little moment, Aziraphale hated the demon with a passion.

“Not…” He wanted to protest but caught himself before spilling his plan. Grimacing, he pulled the ridiculous hat off his head and scowled at Crowley. He knew the demon wouldn’t cave in. He never did. Unless of course, Aziraphale was in danger, real or presumable. A fact he had just verified and found rather endearing. But Crowley had a history of relentlessly forcing his wants onto others and as much as he wished for it, Aziraphale wasn’t always the exception.

Holding himself upright, Aziraphale walked back into the middle of the room with measured steps. If he was about to humiliate himself, at least he would keep his pride as long as possible. He stopped inside the illuminated rectangle on the floor where the streak of light coming from the narrow window shone on him like a stage spotlight.

Crowley watched him take position and Aziraphale waited a few more seconds, hoping the demon would eventually change his mind and let him off the hook. But he just tilted his head like an impatient judge and Aziraphale started the dance.

“You were right. You were right.” A ridiculous hip swing and a silly stork pose accompanied his singsong. “I was wrong. You were right.” He ended with a clumsy pirouette and a deep bow, letting the last word ring in the silence. Then he looked up to Crowley, waiting for his absolution.

He left Aziraphale hanging for what seemed like an eternity until his mouth finally turned into a pleased grin. “Very nice,” he said and the appreciation, while forced and paid with dignity, warmed Aziraphale’s chest from within. Seemingly content with how the events had turned in his favour, Crowley untangled his legs and got up. “Let’s go.”

Read the full story here