writer-haley-e

[writer-haley-e]

I've been keeping it off my face as much as I can on video, but I'm livid about the TikTok ban.

I have about 100,000 followers on that app. I joined during the pandemic. I was lucky to find a community full of incredible people, many of whom I now consider lifelong friends. Because of the community I found on that app, I found space to experiment with my gender presentation. I was able to come out as nonbinary (to feel SAFE ENOUGH to come out as nonbinary) because of that app.

I've seen a few Tumblr posts in which people gloat they never got into TikTok. Good for you. You won't suffer emotionally, and that makes you feel superior. But if you have no concept of what that app has meant for more than 170,000,000 Americans (that's half of all Americans!), many of whom do not have access to community in physical spaces, kindly sit down.

The ban constitutes the largest mass layoff in American history. We will lose billions of dollars in our domestic economy. Over 7 million small businesses are shuttering because of the ban. You will feel the effect of that whether or not you were on the app. If you can't grasp the significance of that, again: kindly sit down.

The language of the TikTok ban has set a dangerous precedent for the American government to shutter any tech platforms they deem "dangerous" for arbitrary, undisclosed, nebulous reasons. This will affect Americans' ability to organize, spread information, and protest. They have effectively banned our right to assembly in digital spaces. This is the greatest infringement of free speech that has ever occurred in the United States. If you can't grasp the significance of that, either: kindly sit down.

This is bigger than "never falling for the TikTok craze." This is an enormous governmental overreach sanctioned by our own Supreme Court. It's bigger than teens doing silly dances you can sneer at from your smug high horse.

And if you can't grasp that: Kindly. Sit. Down.

[writer-haley-e]

Reminds me of the time i participated in NaNoWriMo and got like 20k words in but didnt save it correctly and nearly lost it all. It was on scrivener and was sorta saved but took awhile for me to get the chapters back on scrivener and in the right order. Was boutta quit right then, a week into the challenge

the first rule of writing is that there are no rules. the second rule is to save your work every 5 minutes because technology is a fickle god.

[writer-haley-e]

Symbolism in Writing

Weather Symbolism

Rain: cleansing, sadness, renewal, obstacles

Sunshine: happiness, hope, clarity, energy

Storms: conflict, turmoil, dramatic change

Snow: purity, stillness, coldness, isolation

Fog: confusion, mystery, uncertainty

Wind: change, freedom, unrest, communication

Animal Symbolism

Eagle: freedom, vision, strength, courage

Lion: bravery, power, leadership, pride

Dove: peace, love, innocence, spirituality

Wolf: loyalty, cunning, survival, community

Snake: transformation, danger, temptation, wisdom

Butterfly: transformation, beauty, impermanence

Plant Symbolism

Rose: love, beauty, passion, secrecy

Oak Tree: strength, endurance, wisdom

Willow Tree: sadness, flexibility, resilience

Lotus Flower: purity, enlightenment, rebirth

Ivy: friendship, fidelity, eternity

Cactus: endurance, protection, warmth

Object Symbolism

Mirror: self-reflection, truth, illusion

Key: opportunity, secrets, freedom

Bridge: connection, transition, overcoming obstacles

Candle: hope, spirituality, life, guidance

Clock: time, mortality, urgency

Mask: disguise, deception, concealment

Number Symbolism

One: beginnings, unity, individuality

Two: partnership, balance, duality

Three: creativity, growth, completeness

Four: stability, order, foundation

Five: change, adventure, unpredictability

Seven: mystery, spirituality, luck

Season Symbolism

Spring: renewal, birth, growth, hope

Summer: vitality, abundance, joy, freedom

Autumn: change, maturity, decline, reflection

Winter: death, stillness, introspection, endurance

Light and Darkness Symbolism

Light: knowledge, purity, safety, enlightenment

Darkness: ignorance, evil, mystery, fear

Shadow: the unconscious, secrets, mystery

Twilight: ambiguity, transition, mystery

Element Symbolism

Fire: passion, destruction, energy, transformation

Water: emotion, intuition, life, change

Earth: stability, grounding, fertility, growth

Air: intellect, communication, freedom, change

[writer-haley-e]

I’m about to fly to Norway! In like ten minutes the plane will take off. I will be very sleepy deprived, having been up for thirteen hours already and another twelve ish hours until we arrive in Norway. Then a few hours until we sleep in a hotel in an attempt to get onto the right time schedule.

It will be fun once we’re there but I’m going to be quite tired, assuming I don’t get much sleep on the plane.

[writer-haley-e]

At this point even if the Q admins put back what they’ve taken away, most of the users won’t return. They’ve essentially nuked their site. It’s doomed now. There’s no coming back from this.

I’m still coping from the loss

[writer-haley-e]

the most helpful advice i heard is don't be too hard on yourself on your first draft (only for you, not applicable to me)

[writer-haley-e]

I saw some other people doing a WIP questionnaire and I decided to join in and do it. No one tagged me to do this, I’m just doing it cause I want to.

I’m answering for my NaNoWriMo WIP (camp nanowrimo’s tomorrow! Anyone else participating?) which is a post-apocalyptic tragic fantasy where magic was released into the world causing mass death across the world. The MC, Nia, takes in a small horde of children and struggles to keep them fed and cared for while they’re also dealing with a magical world they know nothing about.

Now onto the questions:

1. What was the first part of your WIP that you created?

I first created the ending, which I can’t say without spoiling the story. But it’s a tragedy, and I thought of the ending that makes it a tragedy before any of the characters or worldbuilding or plot.

2. If your WIP was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

I have no idea, but it’s probably be something gentle-ish that reflects the more wholesome/lighthearted bits of the story.

3. Who are your favorite characters you’ve made? Why?

I really like the main characters brother, Andy, who in draft two will be getting his own POV! I know so much more about his character than what’s currently written into the story and I love him so much haha. He’s the kind of guy who always has snacks on him, though you probably won’t notice until he starts eating them. He’s got a girlfriend and baby daughter who he’s so sweet with and I will definitely be showing more of their relationship when I add in his POV to the story. Hes an extrovert who loves to make friends with as many people as he can, and is very ambitious. He does what he can to help others, and despite some of the things he does in the story and before it, he’s a pretty good guy.

I also love two of the child characters that the main character is taking care of, too. I didn’t portray them exactly how I liked in the first draft and will be fixing that in the rewrite. I love who I’m intending them to be haha. Theyre five year old twins, named Anna and Adam, and they’re pretty much always seen beside each other. Most likely because of anxiety after losing all the rest of their family outside their older sister. Anna ends up getting a power that impacts the whole end of the story and I feel bad for the weight she has to carry.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fanbase for your story?

I’m not really sure about specific media’s, but people who enjoy the genres fantasy and tragedy would enjoy it, as well as post-apocalypse fans.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

Sticking to it to finish the first draft probably. I’m so close and I’m not letting myself put it on hiatus, especially because I really want to read the finished product. I enjoy reading my writing, but I have such a hard time finishing anything. I’m maybe 20k words away from finishing this first draft and I will get it done during camp Nanowrimo! Hopefully, at least.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

There are a handful of chickens and goats, but they’re not very interesting. Just another source of food for the characters. There are mythical creatures, who may not count as animals but are pretty cool! Not to the characters, though. The mythical creatures are just more things to fear and struggle to live alongside.

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

Walking or cars, typically. It hasn’t been so long since most of the world died and the gas is still usable, so they make use of it.

8. What part of your WIP are you working on rn?

I’m about two scenes away from act 3! Probably about 20k from the end and I’m excited to get it written! It’s the part I’ve been looking forward to writing since the beginning stages of planning.

9. What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

Probably the focus on non-romantic relationships. There’s some found family as well as reconnecting with biological family and friendships and all that. The main character does not have a love story, it’s not a romance. But the connections with the other characters are very important and I hope readers will enjoy it as much as I do.

10. What are your hopes for your WIP?

I hope to get it published one day, and have some kind of audience reading it. I genuinely think it will be an amazing story once finished, and I just want a few other people to think so too.

[writer-haley-e]

They are already selling data to midjourney, and it's very likely your work is already being used to train their models because you have to OPT OUT of this, not opt in. Very scummy of them to roll this out unannounced.

[writer-haley-e]

I hope every writer who sees this writes LOADS the next few months. Like freetime opens up, no writers block, the ability to focus, etc etc you're able to write loads & make lots of progress <3

[writer-haley-e]

"I refuse to get sick. I will fight bacteria with my spite. And the fact that I literally cannot afford to miss this exam."

[writer-haley-e]

I haven’t talked much about it on here, but I was participating in NaNoWriMo this month! I was expecting to not complete it, because I’ve heard of so many people not able to in their first year, but I realized I can actually write pretty fast if I try to, and I finished!

My current word count is 50,537!!

I haven’t written this much for any one story before, so I’m so proud of myself for getting this much done in such a short time, and I’m hoping to finish the rest of the first draft by the end of January at the very latest.

Also I’ve been keeping track of how much time I’ve spent just writing this month, and it’s added up to 32 hours and 36 minutes, which seems fast to me at least, idk how fast other people did it.

Anyways, my first year trying nanowrimo and I did it! Yay!

[writer-haley-e]

Me when I plan out a story and want to tell everyone

[writer-haley-e]

5 Tips for Winning Nanowrimo

Plan to write 25 days in a row, not 30. Give yourself wiggle room in case anything happens in the month and you can't write for a day or two.

Grab an accountabili-buddy, someone you can bounce ideas and get through writing blocks with. Share your progress with them as you go.

If you don't have a buddy, still track and celebrate your progress as you make it. Buy an early advent calendar, or draw a design to slowly fill out throughout the month.

If you need to noodle or plan halfway through--you can still count that towards your wordcount goal. Any writing is still progress!

Give yourself a break when you need it. There's more to writing than just getting words on the page ;)

What are some other tips for winning Nanowrimo this year?

[writer-haley-e]

How to Succeed at NaNo

I've attempted 14 times, won 11, and have ML'd for five years! Here's the things I noticed that can make or break a month of writing.

Set a goal you can reach. 50K isn't possible for everyone! Look at what you want to accomplish, the time you have, and adjust as needed.

Remember NaNo is for writing. You can edit or research later! Just use a place holder, I like [research XXX] or Aunt XXX cuz 'xxx' isn't natural in English

Attend events! Online or offline, doesn't matter. The community will keep you going.

Declare your goal. Whether you tell one person or all your tumblr followers, declaring your goal means you suddenly have something to be accountable for, and that's a huge boost.

Spread out your writing. Most Wrimos need 2-3 hours a day to reach the traditional 1,667 daily goal. Doing that in a lump sum every day for 30 days can be a lot. Do twenty minutes here, an hour there. It'll add up, promise, and it won't feel as overwhelming.

NaNo kicks off really soon - I wish you all luck!

[writer-haley-e]

[writer-haley-e]

The blue underline in Google docs is the bane of my existence. Sorry I phrased something in a way that conveys the emotion, image, and syntax I wanted instead of adhering to grammar guidelines should I kill myself

[writer-haley-e]

Reblog to make it die faster