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[the-writers-bookshelf]

Fab Friday: A Question

For those who participate in Fab Friday - and for anyone who might be interested in participating in the future! - I would love to hear your thoughts on whether you would like to see this event continue.

If you don’t know what Fab Friday is, you can read the description here!

To be honest, I’ve been struggling to keep up with it while I balanced other responsibilities. And I’ve dropped the ball a few times this year, completely missing Friday altogether.

Unfortunately, I’ve also had a health issue flare up recently and it requires managing stress better. As much as I want to Do All The Things, my health is wagging a finger at me for that.

So, I’m putting a few questions into the writeblr universe for your consideration:

1 - Would you like Fab Friday to continue? If so, I’d love to hear your reasons!

2 - With many other writeblr events available, are you 50/50 whether Fab Friday continues or not?

3 - Would anyone be interested in taking over Fab Friday and discussing the logistics of that with me? (This is my main blog, so I probably wouldn’t want to hand it over to anyone. But a side blog doesn’t get the same visibility on tumblr as far as I understand it. See? Logistics!)

I have not reached a decision about the fate of Fab Friday yet! This is simply a discussion post about what’s floating around in my head at the moment. (I would have used polls but I STILL don’t have access to them 😒)

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Fab Friday: A Question

For those who participate in Fab Friday - and for anyone who might be interested in participating in the future! - I would love to hear your thoughts on whether you would like to see this event continue.

If you don’t know what Fab Friday is, you can read the description here!

To be honest, I’ve been struggling to keep up with it while I balanced other responsibilities. And I’ve dropped the ball a few times this year, completely missing Friday altogether.

Unfortunately, I’ve also had a health issue flare up recently and it requires managing stress better. As much as I want to Do All The Things, my health is wagging a finger at me for that.

So, I’m putting a few questions into the writeblr universe for your consideration:

1 - Would you like Fab Friday to continue? If so, I’d love to hear your reasons!

2 - With many other writeblr events available, are you 50/50 whether Fab Friday continues or not?

3 - Would anyone be interested in taking over Fab Friday and discussing the logistics of that with me? (This is my main blog, so I probably wouldn’t want to hand it over to anyone. But a side blog doesn’t get the same visibility on tumblr as far as I understand it. See? Logistics!)

I have not reached a decision about the fate of Fab Friday yet! This is simply a discussion post about what’s floating around in my head at the moment. (I would have used polls but I STILL don’t have access to them 😒)

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Theres something about big booktoker/booktuber shelves that really heebies my jeebies

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Writer’s culture is agonizing for weeks over how to describe the most mundane detail and then coming up with the best sentence you’ve ever written while brushing your teeth

[the-writers-bookshelf]

I’m actually serious about this, if at all possible, right now is a very good time to request queer books from your local library. Whether they get them or not is not in your control, but it is so important to show that there is a desire for queer books. I will also say getting more queer books in libraries and supporting queer authors are pretty fantastic byproducts of any action.

This isn’t something everyone can do, but please do see if you are one of the people who has the privilege to engage in this form of activism, and if you are, leverage that privilege for all you’re worth.

For anyone who can’t think of a queer book to request, here is a little list of some queer books that I think are underrated and might not be in circulation even at larger libraries:

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture by Sherronda J. Brown

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco     

Harvard’s Secret Court: The Savage 1920 Purge of Campus Homosexuals by William Wright    

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley   

God Themselves by Jae Nichelle

IRL by Tommy Pico        

The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers by Mark Gevisser

Passing Strange by Ellen Klages             

The New Queer Conscience by Adam Eli

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom          

Queering the Tarot by Cassandra Snow              

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

Queer Magic: Lgbt+ Spirituality and Culture from Around the World by Tomás Prower            

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam   

Beyond the Pale by Elana Dykewomon 

Hi Honey, I’m Homo! by Matt Baume      

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Homie: Poems by Danez Smith

The Secret Life of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw  

The Companion by E.E. Ottoman 

Kapaemahu by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

Sacrament of Bodies by Romeo Oriogun     

Witching Moon by Poppy Woods 

Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt    

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman    

Disintegrate/Dissociate by Arielle Twist           

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi             

Peaches and Honey by Imogen Markwell-Tweed      

Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color by Christopher Soto

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Dear Writers Everywhere:

1. It’s okay if you lose interest in your story. It doesn’t mean you wasted your time; it means you’re growing in your hobby.

2. It’s okay not to want to publish your work; that doesn’t mean your writing isn’t worth reading. It means you have different goals than some other writers.

3. It’s okay if you need a break sometimes. It’s frankly unrealistic to think you never will.

4. It’s okay to write fanfiction; that doesn’t make you any less of a writer but makes you that much more of a fan.

5. It’s okay to sometimes have self-doubt. After all, you are human and sometimes as humans it’s easy to fall into that trap. Sometimes the feeling doesn’t even have anything to do with the writing but has everything to do with being overwhelmed, mentally exhausted and ready to give up. Don’t give up.

6. It’s okay to feel relief and happy upon reading this. Give a like if you did and spread it to your writer followers and maybe make their day a little.

🤍 H

[the-writers-bookshelf]

rb for the sparkles ✨ of writing motivation

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Your writing won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but there are people out there who genuinely will love it. Focus on writing a story that excites and that you’re proud of, and the right audience will come along.

[the-writers-bookshelf]

HAVING FUN and ENJOYING the process of writing is so important. Whether you strive to work professionally or write just for the hell of it, remember why you started in the first place. It all comes down to love honestly

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Please know that any progress you make is absolutely enough. Yes, that includes you who didn't write anything. Resting, allowing yourself time to just be without pressure absolutely counts.

Writing is hard, so I relieve you of the pressure of having to constantly create a ton of words.

[the-writers-bookshelf]

It is OKAY to be proud of your work. It is OKAY to boast about your writing. It is OKAY to be your own number one supporter.

[the-writers-bookshelf]

I’ve actually started writing again and am looking forward to piling the angst on my dear, sweet Yoruk for once. He’s just about to find out that his beloved Meredith has been arrested and will probably be executed for heresy ad treason if he doesn’t do something about it.

Oh I’m also piling all that and a tonne of guilt on a new OC, Vera, who is a church inquisitor who knows the charges are B.S, but was still a part of the arresting party that caught Merri to begin with. She’s the one telling the family about what’s going on right now :D.

Have a short excerpt as a little treat: 

“I ken ye were away for a bit, so you missed out on a buncha stuff. I’m here because Gruk and Morag offered me a place to stay once I came back. My mother decided to disown me not long after I proposed to Merri, so I can’t exactly go back there." 

Vera’s eyes went wide. The last time she and Yoruk had seen each other, he’d mentioned falling for one of the acolytes he’d noticed in combat training, but that had been the last she’d heard about it. Now he was telling her that the girl he’d fallen for – and had since proposed to – was the same young woman that she’d helped to wrongly arrest for treason and heresy? She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It was one thing to have to speak to Meredith’s parents, it was quite another to have to inform her fiance about what had transpired.

submitted by @aquadestinyswriting​

ooooh heck yeah, pile on that drama!!!! LOVING it!!! :)

[the-writers-bookshelf]

a bit of angst i wrote (out of context) but its my favorite scene so far !!

He was sure, if this feeling wasn’t a curse, it may as well still be the end of him. 

He knew he was overreacting, it was just a feeling. Yet that feeling belonged to something, someone. Something he knew was about someone. He didn’t bother getting his headphones out. 

He knew he wasn’t ready, he knew moving wouldn’t change anything. He thought he knew so much, yet ended up knowing so little. He was ready to leave everything behind; cutting off contact to everyone and pretending like those six years away did nothing, meant nothing. But they did do something, they did mean something, and he knew. 

He knew all the time, no matter how hard he tried to act like he didn’t.

Submitted by @fluffyaeth​

ALWAYS sign me up for some angsty goodness!!! LOVE this!!!

[the-writers-bookshelf]

HAPPY FAB FRIDAY!

I had made it a little past 24,000 words on my main WIP! It’s almost done! I’m still trying to decide on how I should celebrate my 10 YEARS (2013-2023) OF ORIGINAL WRITING ANNIVERSARY!

So far, my ideas were: Writer Interviews, Characters Interviews, and Snippets Madness. But I’m open for suggestions. I just want something simple yet FUN.

YAY!!!! Go go go!! You're making good progress!!! :)

LOVE your ideas for your anniversary celebration! Snippets Madness especially stands out to me, it sounds like fun!! :)

[the-writers-bookshelf]

ᴛɪᴘꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀꜱ [ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀ]

don't let your skill in writing deter you. publishers look for the storyline, not always excellent writing. many of the greatest books came from mediocre writers—and also excellent and terrible ones.

keep writing even when it sucks. you don't know how to write this battle scene yet? skip ahead. write [battle scene here] and continue. in the end, you'll still have a book—and you can fill in the blanks later.

find your motivation. whether it's constantly updating That One Friend or posting your progress, motivation is key.

write everything down. everything. you had the perfect plot appear to you in a dream? scribble down everything you can remember as so as you can. I like to keep cue cards on my nightstand just in case.

play with words. titles, sentences, whatever. a lot of it will probably change either way, so this is the perfect opportunity to try out a new turn of phrase—or move along on one you're not quite sure clicks yet.

explain why, don't tell me. if something is the most beautiful thing a character's ever laid eyes on, describe it—don't just say "it's beautiful".

ask for critique. you will always be partial to your writing. getting others to read it will almost always provide feedback to help you write even better.

stick to the book—until they snap. write a character who is disciplined, courteous, and kind. make every interaction to reinforce the reader's view as such. but when they're left alone, when their closest friend betrays them, when the world falls to their feet...make them finally break.

magic. has. limits. there is no "infinite well" for everyone to draw from, nor "infinite spells" that have been discovered. magic has a price. magic has a limit. it takes a toll on the user—otherwise why can't they simply snap their fingers and make everything go their way?

read, read, read. reading is the source of inspiration.

first drafts suck. and that's putting it gently. ignoring all the typos, unfinished sentences, and blatant breaking of each and every grammar rules, there's still a lot of terrible. the point of drafts is to progress and make it better: it's the sketch beneath an oil painting. it's okay to say it's not great—but that won't mean the ideas and inspiration are not there. first drafts suck, and that's how you get better.

write every day. get into the habit—one sentence more, or one hundred pages, both will train you to improve.

more is the key to improvement. more writing, more reading, more feedback, and you can only get better. writing is a skill, not a talent, and it's something that grows with you.

follow the rules but also scrap them completely. as barbossa wisely says in PotC, "the code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules". none of this is by the book, as ironic as that may be.

write for yourself. I cannot stress this enough. if what you do is not something you enjoy, it will only get harder. push yourself, but know your limits. know when you need to take a break, and when you need to try again. write for yourself, and you will put out your best work.

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Happy Fab Friday! What have you been working on lately??

FAB FRIDAY [2022 EDITION] & FAQ

Hello lovely writers! 

Can you believe Fab Friday has been going strong since June 2021!? Thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm every week!

Fab Friday is getting a few updates!

Fab Friday will now be a bi-weekly event! That means you get a breather week to dig deep into your writing and stock up all that progress you can share with us! :)

That also means Fab Friday is getting its own CALENDAR! WOO! 

FAB FRIDAY CALENDAR

Keep reading

[the-writers-bookshelf]

A bad day of writing does not make you a bad writer. Nor does an odd piece of dialogue, or an illogical plot line.

Cut yourself some slack. Writing gets tedious sometimes.