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clementines-writing-corner · 4 months

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organizing thoughts + setting microgoals (ya know productive people things)

Hello friends!

Happy 2024!!

It seems like my winter break has just flown by and tomorrow my university’s spring semester starts. I haven’t had as much time to work on my story as I would have liked, but I do feel rested after this break, which is always a good thing! ᕱ__ᕱ Despite not a lot of visible progress in my original story, there have been a few things I have been thinking about and attempting to iron out in my brain which I can update you on this week.

World-Building

Before I get anywhere else and make real progress in the plot of my story, I have come to the conclusion that I need to spend some time on worldbuilding. I knew the funky little magic world and my funky little fantasy story is taking place in needed some serious work before I started writing anything, but it’s come to my attention that it needs that work now, before I continue to develop anything else. Which… sucks.

Not that I am not going to enjoy creating my own fictional world but it's going to take A LOT of work before I see real progress and I am going to have to complete that work in very small increments because I have other Important Things™ I need to be doing. Like school. Ugh!

I am very notoriously bad with time management (which is something I’m working on in therapy actually - shout out once again to my therapist who is literally a God-send), so I think my goal for next week will be to create an outline/schedule/list for what I need to get done in the realm of world-building so that I can organize my thoughts a little better and have something tangible to work on. I’ll share it here next week if I have managed to make progress on it. One of the big things I know will absolutely be making it on that list first thing, however, is developing my magic system.

Magic System

As I have mentioned briefly in a previous post, janky magic systems with little-no rules are a huge pet peeve of mine when it comes to fantasy fiction (unless it makes sense within the story, which is rare). So, I know that crafting my own magic system will take me some time because I want it to make sense, be clear, and have outline rules and limitations.

Another thing that's important to me is that any magic system I create/include in my story, is in accordance with my own personal religious beliefs. NOW HEAR ME OUT IN THE ENTIRETY BEFORE Y’ALL GO JUDGING ME, OKAY?! I am a Christian, so nothing aligning with demons, Satan, or the occult will be happening in my story (on the side of “Good” that is). It may seem like a small or silly thing to some but it’s 100% a priority to me. However, I want to write a fantasy novel that is accessible to ALL, not just my fellow Christians, and one that doesn’t feel preachy or anything of that nature. I’m not trying to push my beliefs onto my readers. I just don’t want to compromise them in my writing.

This is an interesting article on writing magic systems into Christian fantasy that I have been looking over the past few days if any of y'all are interested in what my magic system may look like.

Stereotypes

I also don’t want to accidentally write any story of -isms or -phobias into my novel and I know a surprising amount of magical beings and tropes fall into the “developed from a racial stereotype” category (just look up J.K. Rowling, goblins, and Jewish stereotypes if you don’t believe me). So, I wanted to create my own magical beings without the baggage. If, in the following posts, y’all see anything that could be rude or prejudice developing as I continue to grow my story please just let me know. It’s never my intention to cause harm. As I said, I want my story to be accessible for ALL. ᕱ__ᕱ

~*~*~

That’s pretty much it! That’s what I’ve been turning over in my head and working on in the past few weeks while in the midst of family and friends and the chaos of the holiday season. I hope to get something more substantial to give to y’all next week, but for now I’ll let you go. For my fellow students returning to school, good luck in this new semester! ᕱ__ᕱ

And always remember, dot your j’s and cross your t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

PS. I also finally taught myself how to crochet something and spent 3 days working on a flower garland for the canopy above my bed. It is quite cute and I feel very accomplished!!

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clementines-writing-corner · 4 months

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happy holidays!! 🎊

Hello friends!

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a wonderful, restful holiday season! Next week I will get back to the normal weekly posts, but for now, here’s to new beginnings in this new year! See y’all in 2024!

Just remember to dot your j’s and cross your t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

#writer things #writerscommunity #writers on tumblr #amature writer #creative writing #amature #author #update #holidays #christmas #new years #happy new year #nye #2024 #frog #ᕱ__ᕱ #love yall

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clementines-writing-corner · 4 months

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vanquishing finals week + writing prompt

Hello friends!

I hath survived the dreaded beast known as finals week!

I once again, I didn’t do a whole lot of writing this week (other than a 10 page final paper for my US in the 1960s history class), but I did end up asking my friend to give me a writing prompt to try and cleanse my palate with something creative after all that hard work. ᕱ__ᕱ So, that is what I will be sharing with you all today!

~*~*~

Write me a story about a journey - a journey that has no purpose but it comes to have a purpose you must determine. What starts the quest? Is it solo? Where are we at?

The light looks very pretty shining though the leaves and branches of the trees onto the forest floor. If I were more poetic I would compare the patterns to those of lace or something of the like. I’m not poetic, so very pretty will have to do.

It’s around 8 in the morning. I don’t care enough to cast a tempus charm but I left home around 7:30 and it’s been a bit, so 8-ish.

I had the last of the rhubarb cake Colin made for me last week for breakfast. It was delicious. He made it in exchange for me fixing up the binding on his grimoire, which honestly wasn’t that hard. Making the cake was probably harder. I wasn’t going to say anything though. His cake is fit for the gods.

I also had tea, which I brought with me, which has probably gone cold by now. No matter. A warming charm will fix it right up. Yes, that is quite nice. Hibiscus tea is one of my favorites. It’s tart and it doesn't taste like I’m inhaling a flower like lavender tea does. I hope it lasts me until I get to town though, because I hate the stale, sticky taste that tea leaves in my mouth when I’ve gone too long after drinking it without drinking anything else.

I suppose I could visit Rosalie when I’m in town, and thank her and Penelope for fixing up that hole in my roof. I’ve always been terrible at repairing charms. It’s why I live in the woods where there are no nosey neighbors gawking at my house or my mismatched furniture and kitchenware.

It’s settled then. I’ll visit Rosalie and Penny. Oof! If I can make it town without tripping over a root to my death.

~*~*~

I had a lot of fun with this writing prompt! I loved the idea of a character setting out to do… something? Not knowing where they are going to end up or what they will be doing, but just seeing where life will take them. Sometimes the best trips are those that we don’t plan! ᕱ__ᕱ And of course, I had to add a fantasy element to the story, otherwise it just wouldn’t be me!

Next week I hope to give you all something a little more substantial when it comes to the original story I am working on but for this week I hope this will suffice!

Always remember, dot your j’s and cross your t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 5 months

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extra content 2: electric boogaloo

Hello friends!

As the title suggests, here is the second extra post as promised!! Last week I introduced y’all to Prince Kazuki of Okunseiko, who is Queen Aurora of Sylvanthia’s beau, so this week I figured I’d introduce some of their attendants/friends. Also, one of these characters happens to be my favorite character thus far! I hope you love her just as much as I do! ᕱ__ᕱ

~*~*~

Sascha [meaning] (19)

Age 19

Human (?)

Her father abandoned her when she was quite young and she never knew her mother

Right hand woman of Queen Aurora of Sylvanthia

The Spymaster for her majesty

Was previously on an undercover mission to investigate the mysterious illness (that claimed both Aurora’s mother and Kazuki’s father) which had been spreading across the land in the past decade or so

And she was in the process of discovering that it ran much deeper than simply a new virus developing

Was pulled away from that to attend Kazuki’s coronation as a representative for Sylvanthia as her Queen was too busy cleaning up the mess her previous advisors made to attend

Is now stuck on the run with Prince Pretty Boy Kazuki himself after uncovering a plot to kill him and saving his life

Serious, takes no sh*t attitude with a sharp wit and sharper tongue

If one is lucky (or unlucky depending) they may get to experience her wicked sense of humor

Surprisingly beautiful, ironically contrasting her caustic personality

Extremely independent

She gets her job done and done well

Has been very hurt and betrayed by people she should have been able to trust in the past

Which is why she staunchly ignores Romulus’s affections for her (though she mayhaps feel the same)

Her thoughts are rushing around at the speed of light, constantly observing her surroundings and taking in new information, but the most common of them feature worry over Aurora, both as her Queen and her oldest and dearest friend, determination to figure out just what is causing the rising unrest in Delyorea, and attempting to resist the urge to throttle Kazuki whomst seems to attract trouble like dung attracts flies

Nicolás [meaning] (19)

Age 19

Human

Bodyguard of Crown Prince Kazuki or Okunseiko

Also his best friend

A classic knight figure

Extremely noble of spirit and loyal of heart

To his credit he immediately believed Sascha when she said something was fishy during Kazuki’s coronation and contributed heavily to saving the lives of not only Kazuki, but Sascha as well

Son of a nobleman on Okunseiko’s court, he has been with Kazuki since Kazuki was 8 and he was 9

It almost pained him physically to not flee with Kazuki but stayed behind to attempt some light undercover work to try and discover Kagero’s motivations

Eventually he leaves Okunseiko however and sets out to try and convince the Atharenel to ally with Kazuki and Aurora

His current worries are whether or not Kazuki is okay, why these damn shadow beasts won’t stay dead, and how he’s ever going to make allies with the Atharenel if Ailidh keeps avoiding him

~*~*~

Sascha is an absolute doll, I love her so much!! She’s also the second main, main character in my story. And Nicolás, we can’t forget about him. If any of y’all remember way, way back at the beginning of this blog when I first introduced an original character from this story, but Nicolás is Ailidh’s knight. *waggles eyebrows* ᕱ__<

Ugh! I have such plans for these babies and I can’t wait to start actually writing, but as I said last week, I have a lot of planning left to do first. Thanks for hanging in there with me y’all! Till next week!!

Remember to dot those j’s and cross those t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 5 months

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finals week + fandom stats

Hello friends!

Finals week is upon me and as such I have had to prioritize. This means that despite me chomping at the bit to get more done for my original story, I have unfortunately not done much. For one of my classes, however, I recently did a final analysis on my work. (In fact, it was the same class I started this blog for. ᕱ__< ) In this final analysis I came to some conclusions about one of my projects that made me quite sad. Despite all of the hardwork and effort I put into it, I failed to make an engaging piece of digital media. It was a good piece, but it missed the mark in several areas. BUT! I feel as though it may be of some interest to my fellow fandom nerds here on tumblr. So, since I don’t have much new work to share with y’all this week, I figured I’d release this project into the wild.

For some background information: the assignment was to create an infographic. I wanted to make it something relevant to my interests, so I was struggling a little to come up with something fun and interesting until I remembered a video I saw back when I used to have TikTok. (Yes, I had TikTok. It was cool and fun and all, but it took too much time from my day so I deleted it a little over a year ago. But I digress.) The person in this video was throwing out some fandom stats from Archive of Our Own (popular fanfiction website, though I’m sure most of y’all know that) and I wondered if I would be able to collect my own data from AO3 and make an infographic of that. And so I did.

Needless to say, the data collection took a lot of work. A LOT of work. And once I was finished with gathering, I sorted. And once I was finished sorting, I did some math (incorrectly) and then some more math (correctly) and created my infographic using Adobe Illustrator. And it was okay. If I had the technological skills and know-how to do so, I would have made it an interactive graph which would give you more data when you clicked on stuff. But I didn’t have the skills or know-how. The resulting infographic kinda hits you in the face with a bunch of info and it’s kind of overwhelming.

So, like I said, it’s not my best work, but I definitely learned a lot from it. And mayhaps y’all might find the information fascinating so… behold, I suppose:

What do you make of it? Is the information surprising? Unsurprising? Completely and utterly uninteresting to you? Let me know! And for those of y’all in college/university with me: good luck on your finals if you have yet to take them and I'm sure you aced your finals if you have already taken them! And if I survive, I’ll see y’all next week! ᕱ__ᕱ

Just remember to dot your j’s and cross your t’s (especially on your final essays)!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

P.S. Remember that I am posting a second extra content post this week as well!! Look out for that coming soon!

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clementines-writing-corner · 5 months

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extra content

Hello friends!

As promised, here is one of the extra posts about my original story! A few weeks back, I introduced y’all to Queen Aurora of Sylvanthia, so today I figured I’d introduce you to the special man in her life! ᕱ__< He was talked about briefly in her short character description, but he is one of my 2 main, main characters so I figured I’d better give him his own proper introduction. I also have a picrew of him to share, but hopefully someday I’ll get around to creating my own drawing. Without further ado, however, I’m delighted to introduce ma main boy Kazuki!

~*~*~

Kazuki of Okunseiko [meaning]

Age 18

Human

Rightful Ruler of Okunseiko

He was about to be coronated when sh*t hit the fan and he had to flee with Sascha

His mother was assassinated when he was 12 and his dad got super over protective

When he was 16 his dad contracted the same illness that killed Aurora’s mother

His uncle Kagero took over as pseudo-regent until his dad passed away when he was 18 and Kazuki was to be crowned king

However on his coronation day Kagero attempted to murder him (it was very chaotic lots of explosions and magic) framing it as an outside assassination forcing him to flee

Engaged to Aurora of Sylvanthia

A puppy love childhood romance in which they strong armed their parents into making official by betrothing them

He misses her desperately (it makes Sascha sick)

A very calm, steady individual, it takes a lot to make Kazuki lose his cool (something Sascha seems very good at)

Also quite adept at reading emotions, even Sascha’s, which gets under her skin something fierce

Very artistically inclined

Loves music of any kind

Plays the violin/fiddle himself

Constantly doubts his ability to be a good ruler, but has a very logical and tactical mind along with empathy in spades

Though Sascha constantly complains he is useless he has saved her life more than once through both strategy and his instinctual understanding of others

He is very aware he is mostly book smart not street smart however

His mind is current on worrying for his people, figuring out why his Uncle betrayed him and if there is a bigger problem at hand (like he fears), and making his way to reunite with Aurora after 6 long years apart without getting killed in the process

~*~*~

Sooooo… what do ya think? Not sure if y'all saw my last post, but writing out even this short description of Kazuki was one of the first indicators that I had a lot more worldbuilding to do before I was ready to manuscript anything and also the moment when my main antagonist began to take shape. No spoilers (half because spoiler suck and half because I’m still shaky on the details myself) but I hope yall will stick around with me as I continue to craft this story and find out for yourselves in time. I have a long journey ahead and next week you will be getting a second extra content post revealing some more characters!!

TTYL! (And remember to dot those j’s and cross those t’s!)

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 5 months

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NANOWRIMO: the conclusion + learning from failure

Hello friends!

Long time, no see! ᕱ__ᕱ These past two weeks I have been giving myself a little break from this blog. I have been swamped with final projects in all of my classes and have been trying to balance getting all of them done with middling success. I’m not thriving, but I am surviving.

However, to make up for my absence, I will be giving y’all some extra content within the next two weeks. In those posts I won’t be boring you with my rambles as I usually do and instead will simply be giving you some content that I have created for my novel! In this post, though, I will be updating you on my novel’s progress and giving you my thoughts on NANOWRIMO.

For those of you who have been here for a bit, you will know that I attempted to participate in National Novel Writing Month for the first time this November. (As always, here is a link with more info about NANOWRIMO for your perusal.) My personal goal as a full time student with a part time job, was to write a 25,000 word manuscript instead of the full 50,000 words. November has ended and I am happy to report that I failed. I failed to reach even my cut down goal. However, I am surprisingly really happy with my progress this month. I learned a lot about myself as a writer and about my process and while I didn’t manage to write even a 10,000 word manuscript, I feel much more prepared to tackle writing this novel.

~*~*~

So, here are the things that I learned:

Character design and building is VERY important to me

This, I already knew. One of the main things that bother me about book to movie translations or “hot takes” about books on social media or even some fanfictions is that characters, their personalities and development and relationships, are often either misunderstood or sacrificed for the plot or the sake of another character's development. It’s so annoying. I personally belief that every character in a work of fiction should be able to stand on their own, especially if they are a main or secondary character. Characters should be their own individuals with their own motivations and backstories and for goodness sake they should be consistent! (Crappy character development is a thing that bothers me about published novels too. The wasted potential of Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, and Draco Malfoy, among countless other characters, in the Harry Potter novels bugs me so, so much!!)

So, one of the things that happened everytime I sat down to write this NANOWRIMO was that I would find myself getting “stuck” on this character’s backstory or that character’s personality. I have 13 characters that exist for this story in my head. 2 are the main main characters. The 11 others are also going to have their own plot lines and spin offs. Before NANOWRIMO, I knew that this would make my novel complex. After NANOWRIMO, I realized that I was going to have to organize and map and structure and detail my characters (along with several other things) to the metaphorical gods before I even try to manuscript anything or else I am going to be stuck forever and I will never get this book out of my head.

Worldbuilding is also VERY important to me

This was a bit of a surprise. I am definitely no Tolkien and before I started this blog, and my creative writing journey, at the beginning of this fall, these original characters simply just floated around in my head in a vague fantasy realm with no discernible structure or detail. I expected to be able to just continue with this vague fantasy world and as I started writing let the structure fall into place. Yeah… that’s not what happened.

As I began to outline character backstories and a basic plot to start writing, I would find myself drawing up short when I needed to insert a detail about the world in which my story is taking place. This month made me realize that I need to also worldbuild to the metaphorical gods before I try to manuscript anything, and in some cases before I try to go deeper into outlining my character’s backstories and such as well. I’m such a detail oriented person that I have no idea why this didn’t occur to me before, especially because I am including a magic system in my book. I hate fantasy books (that are meant to be serious and not just cozy reads) in which the magic systems rely on the “because it’s magic” excuse and the author doesn’t make any attempt at giving at least some sort of structure or rules. So yeah. I really need to worldbuild, which I am going to hate because it is going to take FOREVER (detail oriented person).

I work better on lists and schedules

This I did know, but I didn’t realize it applied to my writing. A lot of the reason why I failed to write anything of substance for the plot of my book is that I thought I could just throw myself in and make it up as I go. Incorrect. As November passed, and I kept getting stuck on details, I realized that I would need to incorporate my penchant for planning and list making if I was ever going to complete a task this large.

Also, side note, but I keep referring to this story that I’m writing as a novel. It will most certainly not be a novel. It will be a whole dang book series. (13 characters!! Who will each get their own POV at some point!! “A novel” my a**.)

I can throw myself head first into school essays and short writing assignments no problem, but with a story this big, all coming straight from the mess I call my brain, I need to do a lot of planning beforehand. That, above all, is what this failed NANOWRIMO taught me.

~*~*~

So! Now that I have torn my failure to shreds and dissected all the little pieces and given yall a short (yes that was short for me - I’m starting to think you guys don’t know me at all ᕱ__ᕱ) summary of who, what, when, where, and why my failure occurred, what’s next. Well, I plan. I outline to the metaphorical gods (as I seem to be fond of saying in this post), and next year, when November rolls around, hopefully I have done enough planning and outlining and detail work that writing a 50000 word manuscript should be a breeze!

That’s all for now folks! If any of y’all are curious as to some of what I did manage to get done on my novel/series over NANOWRIMO then stay tuned for the first of your special content posts which should be up within a few minutes of me posting this. Also, if any of y’all have suggestions about how to store/order worldbuilding content in an easily searchable way that would be fantastic!! Please do let me know. Thanks for bearing with me! ᕱ__ᕱ

And remember, dot your j’s and cross your t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 6 months

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trope talk

Hello friends!

As I stated in last week’s post, I will not be posting anything too grandiose today, as I have been focusing on my original story for NaNoWriMo and do not want to get burnt out. So, I decided that, much like last week, I would put another in-class assignment to use and give you a short listicle about my favorite inter-character relationship tropes! I hope you enjoy! ᕱ__ᕱ

~*~*~

6 of the best fiction tropes for inter-character relationships

(in my opinion)

By Clem

Any writer worth their salt these days knows what a trope is. And no, I’m not talking about the traditional definition of a trope, i.e. synonymous with figurative language, though it is indeed important to know that meaning as well. I’m instead speaking of the more recent, broader definition of a trope. As writer Dave Chesson puts it in an article all about tropes on his website kindlepreneur.com, “a trope is a plot structure, theme, storyline, character trait, motif, or plot device that is commonly used in storytelling.”

It’s these types of tropes that you can find on one of my favorite websites tvtropes.org. Tropes have become such a pop culture, as well as fan culture, phenomenon in the past few years that even those who have never heard the term “trope” before can recognize some of the common ones: the damsel in distress, the chosen one, a friends to lovers romance, a tragic backstory. In fact, some tropes have become so popular that they are deciding factors in whether or not people consume a piece of media. I know this is often the case for me, and in the following list I have provided 6 of my favorite tropes about inter-character relationships that I just can’t get enough of.

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Found Family

Not all tropes about relationships have to be romantic in nature! In fact, a good portion of the tropes on this list are more platonic or familial, and found family is one of them. One of my favorite tropes of all time, found family refers to when a group of individuals, usually a group of misfits or outcasts, come together and form a close platonic, near familial, bond with each other. As many characters in a found family situation don’t have good or close biological families (or any family at all), they become each other’s family.

The Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom duology by Leigh Bardugo includes an excellent example of the found family trope. The six main characters of the books, some of which are pictured above, are a ragtag group of criminals, each with tragic pasts. Eventually they come together and learn to love and care about one another as they pull off an impossible heist. The found family dynamic between them adds a softness to each character that helps smooth their rough edges. This makes them feel more human and their story all the more captivating.

Golden Retriever & Black Cat

A yes, the good old black cat/golden retriever relationship dynamic. Only given this name in recent years, this character dynamic is much older. Simply put, this trope refers to a relationship, whether romantic or platonic (or even familial), between one character who is very excitable, sweet, and happy (the golden retriever) and one character who is cool, often rude, and grumpy (the black cat). The conflicting personality types is what makes this relationship trope compelling. As they say, opposites attract!

The example I have chosen here is Enid Sinclair and Wednesday Addams from the new Netflix adaptation of The Addams Family, a show entitled Wednesday. Enid and Wednesday are roommates at a boarding school in the show and could not be more different: Enid a bubbly, optimistic werewolf (talk about a golden retriever!) obsessed with pastels and Wednesday a deadpan, pessimistic psychic allergic to color. However, throughout the show they eventually become close friends. It is intriguing to watch this golden retriever/black cat duo interact and try to solve the mysteries that crop up in the show, as their personalities and perspectives on the world couldn’t be more different.

Enemies to Lovers (or at least Rivals to Lovers)

The enemies to lovers trope is the first specifically romantic trope in this list (though there is a parallel trope used for platonic relationships called enemies to friends). This trope, as the name suggests, involves two characters whose relationship with each other develops from enemies to romantic partners. While some may call this trope toxic, and I admit, I can see how it could be written that way, it’s personally one of my favorite tropes when done correctly. This is especially so when between a male and female character. I typically read fantasy or action/adventure novels, genres in which female characters’ skills (particularly in combat) are often looked down upon or patronized by the male characters who are interested in them. However, if an action novel has a well written enemies to lovers side plot, I know I can be sure that at all points in their relationship, a female character’s love interest is taking her seriously.

One of my all time favorite examples of enemies to lovers, albeit in its lesser form rivals to lovers (which is saved for media that does not have characters trying to kill each other), is from the classic romance novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet start out loathing each other, but eventually, through various family dramas, learn to understand and respect each other, and in the process, fall in love.

Girl Boss x House Husband

Technically, this trope is actually titled “girl boss x male wife,” but I prefer the term “house husband” as I have seen the phrase “male wife” used with degrading connotations as well, and that is far from what I am trying to convey. This is another relationship trope most often used for romantic couples, however I believe it can be translated to platonic or familial relationships as well (with some finagling). Whatever the context, this trope contains a strong, independent female character and a male partner who cares for her and holds her stuff when she needs to go beat some sense into someone. As a reversal of the typical gender roles where the male is assertive and protective and the female is the caring and supportive, this trope provides a breath of fresh air and an interesting dynamic to explore.

A great example of the girl boss x house husband trope is Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase from Rick Riordan’s Greek mythology books. Percy is definitely a powerhouse character in his own right, but is 100% willing to step back and let Annabeth take the reins in their relationship while making sure she's taking care of herself in the process.

Naive Hero & Mentor Figure

The mentor figure trope is basically what it says on the tin: a naive character, typically the main character, is taken under the wing of an older and wiser mentor. Oftentimes, the mentor figure fills a familial void in the naive hero’s life. If you’re lucky, the mentor figure survives. If you’re not, then, in the words of Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, “sorrows, sorrows, prayers.” This trope is a great way of giving the character, and the audience, the background information they need to know while showcasing the main character’s development.

Often, this trope appears in superhero fiction, such as one of my favorite examples for this trope, IronDad and SpiderSon Tony Stark aka Ironman, and Peter Parker aka Spiderman from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tony recognizes the raw talent that Peter has, as both a superhero and a tech genius, and does his best to guide him, by protecting him and steering him away from the same mistakes Tony himself made in the past. It will forever be a crime that we didn’t get to see their relationship develop further before… you know… “Sorrows, sorrows, prayers.”

Bros before Hoes

While it does have a bit of a vulgar name, this trope is actually one of the sweetest on this list. Usually, at least one of the characters in friend groups with this relationship dynamic is involved in a romantic relationship outside their group, and at some point will have to choose between their friends and their lover. When this relationship dynamic comes into play, characters will always choose their friends.

Unless, of course, their friends are wrong. My favorite example of this dynamic comes from The School for Good and Evil series by Soman Chainani. The two main characters are the best of friends. While throughout the series they have their fair share of disagreements (if that's what you call it when your best friend keeps falling in love with men who try to kill you and your boyfriend), they ultimately pull through and choose each other over boys, proving that romantic love is not the only love that can vanquish evil. Though not every story with a Bros before Hoes dynamic is full of life-and-death decisions, this relationship trope provides a sweet nod to platonic love in any story.

****

So, the next time you sit down to write media, or consume it, pay attention to the tropes you may include or notice. Do they make the media better? More compelling? Or do they take away from the main message or storyline? (For some reason writers love to include love triangles. I abhor love triangles thrown into media just for kicks). For all you writers out there, maybe consider including one of the tropes listed above. If you do, send me a link! Like I said, I just can’t get enough!

~*~*~

So... do y’all like any of these tropes?? Do you hate them? Please do let me know, I’d love to hear it! And if this post was not your cup of tea, I apologize, but don’t worry, we should be back to our regularly scheduled programming in another 2 weeks! ᕱ__ᕱ Good luck to those of you also participating in NaNoWriMo!!

And just remember, dot your j’s and cross your t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 6 months

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nanowrimo + more fanfiction

Hello friends!

Today I have some exciting (and mildly terrifying) news to share. I have decided at the last minute to attempt to participate in NaNoWriMo this year! ᕱ__ᕱ I know I’ve mentioned it on here before, but for those who don’t know NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month, is a 30 day writing challenge that takes place in November every year. The goal is to have a 50,000 word manuscript of something done by the end of the month. (Here is a link with more info if y’all are interested!) As an ardent fanfic reader, consuming 50,000 words is all in a day's work. As an amature writer who is currently struggling to gain back a bulk of my creative writing muscles that I have lost from disuse, writing 50,000 words is an uphill battle.

Since I am a full time student with a part time job I have decided to be nice to myself and make my own personal goal 25,000 words in 30 days. If I hit 50,000, that would be awesome, but I don’t want to beat myself up if I fall short. And for those of you (my fellow AO3 enthusiasts arise!) who are looking at 25,000 words and saying “Clem! That’s going to be a piece of cake! 25,000 words is nothing!” let me put it in perspective for you. 25,000 words is about 100 pages of double spaced 12pt font typing. 100! PAGES!!!

So, what does that mean for this blog? As this is still a school assignment, I do need to keep up with posting weekly, but I may not be posting anything about my original story for the month of November. I want to give myself space to work on that on its own as my original story is the project I am working on for NaNoWriMo. However, like I said, you can count on me to post something involving creative writing here once a week. ᕱ__ᕱ

For this week, I have decided to post part of the class assignment that I wrote a Harry Potter fanfiction for 2 weeks ago. Below are images of a letter that my original Slytherin character wrote to her father during her (and Harry Potter’s) first year at Hogwarts.

I am done with the assignment now, but I think I may decide to continue on with this OC at some point. Who knows? Not me! All I know is that by the end of November I am never going to want to touch a keyboard again. (“Do creative writing,” they said. “It will be fun,” they said.) Well, that’s all from me for now!

Remember to dot your j’s and cross your t’s this NaNoWriMo season! ᕱ__ᕱ

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 6 months

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new character + happy halloween!!

Hello friends!

This week’s post will be relatively short, probably my shortest yet. I have been very scattered with my creative writing this week as midterms have just passed and final project season is beginning. (Plus Halloween is in 2 days!! ᕱ__ᕱ) I have been working like crazy on several different creative projects for several different classes and I have gotten a lot done, it has just been mostly detail work and much of it is not something I can comprehensively show. So, for today I will simply summarize most of what I have worked on for my original story and give you the deets on a new character that I mentioned in the plot description from a few weeks ago!

~*~*~

In short summary: I ironed out some naming conventions, did some more world building, came up with a bunch of new words for places, and named some characters. I’m still working on basic character descriptions for them, but fear not! You should be seeing some within the next few weeks. (Hopefully I can get some more character drawings done as well! ᕱ__ᕱ) However, I said I would give you one today, so here is a sneak peek to what you can be looking forward to!

~*~*~

Aurora of Sylvanthia [meaning]

Age 17

Human

Queen of Sylvanthia

Crowned Queen at age 16

Her mother passed from illness when she was 12 and her father soon followed

Their Council of Advisors took over as regent until she was came of age

A corrupt faction attempted to coup her before she was even crown but she discovered their plot and reverse couped them taking her rightful place as queen

Well loved by the people of her kingdom

Incredibly kind if strong willed and stubborn

Often underestimated for her young age and slight stature

Ruthless to those who cross her

Engaged to Kazuki of Okunseiko (Prince Pretty Boy)

Arranged marriage that they basically strong armed their parents into as children

A puppy love romance turned into reality

Her closest advisors and friends include Romulus (Golden Retriever Boy) and Sascha (Hot Spy Lady)

Her current daily routine involves fixing all the of the sh*t that the corrupt faction messed up in her kingdom, preparing her kingdom for war, and worrying about her man

~*~*~

And that’s about it from me today. I wish you all a scary Spooky Season full of some tricks but mostly treats! ᕱ__ᕱ

And just remember, dot your your j’s and cross your t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🎃🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 6 months

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a (not so) short interlude: fanfiction

Hello friends!

This week I have taken a break from working on my original story and instead wrote a piece of fanfiction. At first glance this may not seem like something unusual. In my bio I state I am a professional nerd afterall, and though I don’t believe I have ever discussed it on here, I do consume quite a bit of fanfiction along with original novels. However, the truth is that I had never actually written fanfiction. Well, before this week that is.

In my one writing class (the same writing class I am doing this blog for in fact) we have been assigned to create a Remix, which is basically what it sounds like: taking other people’s content and cut/copy and pasting it to create something different/new. Remixes are the basis of fan-culture: fanfiction, fanart, video edits– all of these constitute as Remixes. And so, of course, my first, and strongest idea, for the assignment was to write a fanfiction. I wasn’t sure if that was allowed within the constraints of the assignment, so this week I basically asked my professor if I could write and submit a fanfiction for a class assignment.

The things you do at university ladies and gentlefolk.

I didn’t ask in so many words of course, and my professor was super chill about it and seems really excited for what I would come up with so that's cool. She’s going to be reading this post at some point actually so…

Hello, Professor M! Thanks for being so awesome! ᕱ__ᕱ

Anyway, all this to say, I was inspired to write my first fanfiction this week. It is not a part of the project I will be turning in for class, however it does introduce and develop some original characters, relationships, and conflicts that I may include in my class fanfic.

Oh! And before I let you get into it, I suppose I should let y’all know that it’s a Harry Potter fanfiction. That being said, I hope you enjoy!!

~*~*~

“Muggle sports are so interesting,” Em said, swinging the pale pink baseball bat she carried up onto her shoulder with a flourish. “Don’t you think, Marcus?” She rolled her head back over her shoulder with a taunting smile to stare down Marcus Flint, who paused from where he was sauntering down the hallway with the Slytherin quidditch team, scoffing at Emma’s question.

“You think I know what the fuck your talking about, blondie? Muggle sports? As if lower myself to even touch anything associated with muggles.” His massive nose wrinkled as if he had taken a whiff of something particularly nasty, sneering down at the smaller girl. The whole hallway has frozen by this point.

“What even is that thing?” Adrian Pucey called out, “Looks like a fucked Beater’s batt,” he said, unintentionally echoing my question from earlier. “Are you sure they even use that for sport? Looks thin enough it could snap in half with one blow.” Laughter tittered through the gathered Slytherins and even some pure blood students from other houses.

“And would they even hit anything with it?” Malfoy cut in, snidely. “They’re not as developed as wizards, with their inferior reflexes. Clumsy oafs.” He sniffed with derision and the Slytherin’s laughter grew, through the rest of the students had piped down. Emma’s smile had dropped.

Flint’s sneer turned into a cruel grin “I’d think you would know that quite well, what with the spectacle your relatives made last year.”

He was, of course, referring to when Emma had gotten caught up in the Chamber of secrets mess and had been petrified. Her muggle aunt had some to visit all the way from America and was in hysterics, though, rightfully so. Ems had to wait until near the end of the term for the mandrake draught to age to be cured as the Hogwarts Board had not seen it fit to allot a budget to import some from overseas.

As Pucey, Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team snickered, Flint continued on, striking his final blow, “Poor little mudblood.”

He leaned back, apparently satisfied with himself as Ems spun on her heel to face him fully, steel in her eyes and stone faced, the pink bat still on her shoulder.

The thing about Emma that many people still don’t get, even though we are well into our Fourth Year at Hogwarts, is that though she may be a Hufflepuff, she is never one to back down from a challenge. Especially if she initiated it. Especially if it deals insults to her family and friends.

A sickeningly sweet smile rose to her face. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Marcus,” she simpered, false concern evident in her voice, “I forget sometimes that some people are so uneducated on this side of the pond.” Flint's face dropped and his relaxed pose faltered. “I’ll make sure to speak slowly for you, don’t worry.” That gained Ems a few snickers of her own from the other students in the crowded hall, but the Slytherins all tensed and a few people left to go grab a Professor.

Emma took a step forward as if nothing was wrong, smile still in place, but fire in her eyes. “This is called a baseball bat. It’s used in a sport called baseball. It’s very popular in America, even among the wizarding community. I unfortunately don’t think I have the skills to explain the whole game to you in a way that you would understand, but a baseball bat functions similarly to a beater bat. However, the ball that one must hit is much smaller than a bludger.” Emma paused here to take another step forward, her smile growing into something sharper. “What that means, Marcus, is that a baseball bat is much, much better for hitting,” she glanced down his body, making sure he saw the direction of her gaze when she looked back into his eyes a few seconds later, “smaller targets.”

Marcus inhaled sharply and the Slytherin team stood frozen as several students in the hall burst into laughter. Emma stepped back, her smile turning into a much more genuine smirk. “And for the record Marcus, I’m very grateful my aunt came all the way from America to visit me when I was attacked by the Heir of Slytherin. I’m very lucky to have such wonderful family. I’m sure your father would have done the same for you.” Flint flinched back slightly, hurt flashing across his face, though it was quickly covered by a scowl. Now that was a bit of a low blow, though arguably it was deserved. It was the worst kept secret in Slytherin that Marcus and his father did not get along, to put it lightly.

Just then, a Ravenclaw prefect rounded the corner with Professors McGonagall and Snape in tow. Students very quickly began to disperse, including the rest of the Slytherin team, as Professor Snape raised an eyebrow at the scene. “Just what is going on here?”

“Nothing, professors,” Emma bounced on her heels as she turned towards Snape and McGonagall, beaming at them. I could have sworn I heard Professor Snape mutter “too bright” under his breath, but I could be mistaken. “I was just telling Marcus about the American muggle sport called baseball,” she gestured to the bat on her shoulder.

Then, she turned to look at Flint again. “I’m so sorry to cut this riveting conversation short but I really do have to go and check on some of my plants. I’m sure Professor Burbage would be happy to continue to explain baseball to you if you ask politely. Though, that may be a challenge for you,” she nodded gravely to herself, “You should work on that. I hear that adequate etiquette skills are needed in pure blood circles, but I’m sure I wouldn’t know anything about that, being muggleborn myself.”

She smirked at Flint, daring him to say anything and reveal the fact that he had called her a slur. Flint looked down and glared at the floor. Ems shifted her gaze back to the bewildered professors. “I was actually raised in the wizarding world, professors. It’s actually quite interesting! The American magical government is a little less strict about no-maj, sorry, muggle separation and my muggle aunt did marry a wizard.”

“When my parents passed away and my aunt and uncle took me in, they revealed the world of magic to me. My aunt still works in the muggle world, but my uncle works for MACUSA.” Ems grinned. “That’s how it was so easy for me to get approval to study abroad here at Hogwarts. It’s where my uncle went. Anyway, I really do have to go. See you in transfiguration tomorrow Professor MacGonagal, bye!” With that Emma skipped away.

Snape shook his head slightly and turned back to Flint. “Do you have anything to add to Miss Williams’ account, Mr Flint.”

Flint’s mouth pinched and his shoulders hunched but he just shook his head and said, “No, Professor.”

MacGonagal huffed a short breath. “Right, then. Everything seems to be in order.” She shooed Flint off. “Away with you Mr Flint, there’s no need to dawdle in the corridors. And thank you Mr Turner for grabbing us to deescalate the situation,” she said turning to the prefect, “2 points to Ravenclaw.”

Flint shuffled off, as MacGonagal left with the Ravenclaw prefect, Turner, who was asking her about something or other transfiguration related. Only Snape remained in the hall, and when both parties turned opposite corners, he spoke again. “Miss Woodward.”

I remained hidden.

He sighed. “Miss Woodward I would like an account of these events from your own perspective this evening. Please arrive at my office after dinner, no later than 7.” With that he turned and stalked off.

I stepped out from the tapestry I was hiding behind and made a mental note to send Ems a note thanking her. I myself then turned and made my way to the courtyard despite the winter chill, resolved to avoid the dungeons and my head of house until after dinner.

~*~*~

I’m quite proud of what I have written here and for my first fanfiction ever I don’t think I’ve done too shabby of a job. But, with that, since this post is a little longer than normal, I shall let you go.

Remember: dot your your j’s and cross your t’s! ᕱ__ᕱ

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 7 months

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worldbuilding!!✨

Hello friends!

I’m back and better than ever!! ᕱ__ᕱ This past week I have felt much, much better and, while I don’t want to jinx it, I think I should be looking forward to sunshine and clear skies for the next few weeks in the mental health department so that's always good news. I don’t have very much commentary this week, and I don’t want to keep y’all for longer than I need to in light of last week's heavier post, so I figured I would keep this one short and sweet. The main thing I have made progress on in the last few days is world building. Now, keep in mind that all of this is still in it’s beginning stages so things may likely change in the future, but for now here is a basic outline of some of the fantasy races and magic system in my story:

Lore

Elven Kind - the Atharenel

Names come from celtic, russian/slavic, germanic, french

Ailidh’s people have celtic names

Ruslan’s people have russian/slavic names

Two other main groups of Atharenel

one has germanic names

one has french names

The Atharenel are fully mortal and have normal lifespans much like humans

However they have a highly increased ability for magic

Along with a deeper connection to the natural world

And they have slightly enhanced abilities

Naturally mildly faster

Stronger

More flexible, etc.

Humans

Names come from misc languages

latin, hebrew, spanish, japanese, chinese, arabic, african dialects etc.

Some have ability for magic but at a much lower rate than the atharenel

And naturally powerful magic users are rare

Often use objects of power to help channel and amplify magic

Staffs, wands, rings, etc

Often utilize spells to help direct and shape magic specifically

Magic system - STILL NEEDS QUITE A BIT OF WORK

Magic is highly connected to nature

Magic enhances nature and follows an extension of most natural laws

There is always a reaction to an action

Something can’t be made of nothing

Stuff doesn’t just happen because

Light magic (or Life magic) refers to the magic of healing, growing, creating

Dark magic (or Death magic) refers to the magic of aggression, death, destruction

NONE OF THIS TYPE OF MAGIC IS “BAD MAGIC”

Life and death magic exist on a balance, they are yin and yang, there simply is not one without the other

However there is such a thing as “bad magic” and that is corrupted magic

This is the type of magic that creates things like the shadow army

It tilts the balance between light and dark out of balance

It twists nature itself into something unnatural and seems to come with no cost

Shadow Army do not have names

~*~*~

That’s pretty much all I have for y’all today. As you can tell, this is a pretty basic outline and some of the details are still vague and wishy-washy, but as I devote more time to this project I hope my vision becomes more and more clear. Only time will tell I suppose. Next week I will hopefully have some more characters developed for you all as recently many have been fighting to be released from my brain. We shall see. Until next time! ᕱ__ᕱ

Always remember to dot your j’s and cross your t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 7 months

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mental health, the inadequacy of words, & being kind to yourself

Hello friends.

I am going to be very transparent with you all. I did not get anything done this week. It was a very rough week for me mental health-wise and I could barely drag myself through completing my class assignments, let alone think about writing creatively for fun. (Technically this blog is a class assignment for now, but I try to think of it as a fun hobby so I don’t burn my inspiration out. Having to post once a week for class is just extra motivation to continue to work on my creative writing as opposed to neglecting it for “more important tasks”.)

I was disgusted with myself this week. I was bone dead exhausted. I kept wanting to cry and cry and cry and never stop, yet the tears would never come. I was so, so very angry, at life, at the world, at myself, in a way that I rarely ever experience. I felt like I could shatter to pieces at any minute.

I had a talk with my cousin the other night at a family birthday party about the inadequacy of language, particularly the English language, to truly capture emotion. I envy poets and authors who have the skills to evoke even a mere fraction of the emotions they are feeling or projecting upon their characters through the limited conventions of words. I hope to harness such skills someday. I am most certainly not there yet. I cannot even begin to describe to you the depths of my headspace this past week, and yet I still try. To be quite frank, I have not had a depressive episode so bad in months. It makes me all the more glad that I finally made the decision to attend therapy/counseling.

I know at least one thing my wonderful therapist (she truly is lovely) will tell me when I visit her this week. I need to practice being kind to myself during tough times. I often get so frustrated when I can’t find the motivation to “properly” do my work or devote my time and energy to something important or beneficial, such as working my creative writing muscles as I do in this blog. And I have always been the type of person to project that frustration and anger inwards, instead of letting it explode outwards. But being negative will only keep me trapped in a vicious cycle of mean thoughts and hurt feelings. Being kind to myself, and giving myself space to rest, recharge, and eventually regain motivation is extremely important. I would do well to remember that more often. And I don’t think I’m the only one who could use a reminder.

I apologize for dumping that on y’all and the jumbled mess I feel that this post has become, but I think it’s important to be transparent about my ups and downs, in life as well as in my writing. I’m still pulling myself out of the hole I dug this past week. Yet, I do want to reassure you all that I am okay. I may not be great, or even good, but I will get there in time. I am okay.

Whatever you all are going through this week, please remember to be kind to yourselves. And even when it’s hard to, try to remember to dot your j’s and cross your t’s. (Sometimes satisfaction is found in the little things.) It will get better soon. It will.

With lots of love and positive vibes to carry you into this next week,

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

P.S. This post was a bit of a downer (much like my week) so here is something that made me smile this past week; a bright spot in the midst of some cloudy weather, if you will.

youtube

Autumn is my favorite season, (I oft tell my friends I was built for autumnal weather), and this song is just so hauntingly beautiful and melancholic. It almost hurts in a good way. When I stumbled across it this past week, I played it on full blast in my car with my heat pumping but the windows rolled all the way down on my way to class. It was the best. ᕱ__ᕱ

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clementines-writing-corner · 7 months

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plot!!!

Hello friends!

This week’s post is less scattered and more focused as I actually set aside time to sit and work on my story instead of just snatching a few moments here and there!! ᕱ__ᕱ Now that I have fully committed to expanding on my failed summer writing and finally fleshing out the story behind it that has existed in my head for at least a year, I had so many directions I could go with this week's work. Since I am indecisive as heck, I asked my sister what I should do: character creation/development or worldbuilding? She chose worldbuilding which I was really excited for! When I sat down to write, however, plot spilled out. So, in this post I’m sharing a basic plot outline for either the background to the story or first part of the story. (I haven’t decided whether I want to actually write this out or have this be the set up scenario for where the story begins though I’m leaning towards the latter.) I hope you all enjoy! ᕱ__ᕱ

Backstory/Plot:

Queen Blondie and Prince Pretty Boy are in love

The have the cutest backstory which involves their parents being allies/friends, them being childhood friends (puppy crushes), and then demanding a betrothal when they were like 12-13 so that they can make sure they end up together

Then they dont see each other for like 4 years cause prince pretty boy’s mum got assassinated and queen blondies mum got sick and dad passed away from a broken heart

queen blondie had just turned 16 so she was to be coronated as queen (16 yo = of age) but her “advisors” (the corrupt peeps who kinda underhandedly took charge when her dad was worried over her mum) were planning a coup and she found out and reverse uno carded them

It's been a year and she's been cleaning up her kingdom when she gets an invite to prince pretty boy’s coronation

They had been exchanging letters most of the years they were apart but had faltered when the whole coup thing went down

She is still super busy with adjusting to queen stuff but she misses him desperately (puppy love has grown) and she wants to support him so she sends one of her closest confidants and friends Main Character 3™: Hot Spy Lady

Prince Pretty Boy is getting coronated

Unrest in his kingdom and queen blondies had been growing for a hot minute

His mum was assassinated a few years earlier while viewing the kingdom and his dad got uber protective (queen blondie has heard all about it via letter)

King (his dad) just got assassinated and now his Uncle (chief advisor to his father after his mum died) is pushing a whirlwind coronation

Prince Pretty Boy wants to wait to contact Queen Blondie because the betrothal still stands and him being crowned king and her queen much sooner than they expected to and before their marriage may complicate the merging of their kingdoms (which had always been the plan but)

Uncle pushes through and all he is able to send is a standard invitation to the coronation (which Uncle thought they could do without but pretty boy insisted on following the proper traditions)

Many important figures could not make it to Prince Pretty Boy’s big day because of the rush but Hot Spy Lady made it in time along with a few others

But SURPRISE Uncle has staged a coup!!

Working for/with the Big Bad™

Attempts to kill Prince Pretty Boy

Hot Spy Lady ends up saving his tush and they flee the castle before pretty boy can be coronated

Before he flees Prince Pretty Boy is able to send one of his closest friends and confidants Main Character 4™: Classic Knight out to spread the news of this betrayal to his allies and neutral parties to hopefully gain new allies and reclaim his kingdom

Queen Blondie (17), Prince Pretty Boy (18), Hot Spy Lady (19), Classic Knight (19) are the 4 main characters of this beginning plot

~*~*~

I’m so excited for this story! ᕱ__ᕱ If I get enough background, worldbuilding, and plot outlined by November I may seriously consider partaking in NaNoWriMo this year!!! (For those who don't know what NaNoWriMo is: https://nanowrimo.org/national-novel-writing-month.) Anyway, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. As I have been working out and stretching my creative writing muscles this past month, actively thinking about and doing creative writing work, I have started to find it easier and easier to get into the proper headspace and whip out a couple hundred words when I have the time to sit and do it. It’s like I’m rediscovering my love for writing and story-crafting again. ᕱ__ᕱ It’s truly the best feeling!!

Remember to dot your j’s and cross your t’s, friends!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

PS. I listen to music a lot, especially while I write, so for your listening pleasure, a couple songs that made me happy this week:

✨ Hot Tea by Dalia Dargazli

🐸Yes I'm a Mess by AJR

🎶The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives

✨All American Bitch by Olivia Rodrigo

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clementines-writing-corner · 7 months

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housekeeping, AI, and naming systems

Hello friends! ᕱ__ᕱ

I suppose I should start with a quick forewarning: this past week has not brought a whole lot of progress in regards to my creative writing and the story I am crafting. I was very busy with school assignments during the beginning of the week and very busy being ill at the end of the week. (Just a common cold and/or my allergies acting up thankfully but regardless being ill always makes my brain feel weird and often messes with my vision, hearing, and sense of balance which is a joy to deal with… not).

However I will update you with some thoughts that I had this week.

Housekeeping

Firstly, some housekeeping. I have decided to change the name of my blog. I am a very private person. I always hesitate to give out my name on the internet. I didn’t have any social media until I was 18, and even now that I do have some social media accounts, none of them have my full name or face attached. This is just how I feel comfortable existing on the internet. I have also always toyed with the idea of writing under a penname. (These two things connect, I promise). Firstly because pennames are cool, but also because of privacy reasons.

When I decided to create this blog, I was unsure about naming it. I eventually decided to choose something close(ish) to my real name because I had the tagline “dot your j’s and cross your t’s” thought up for years before I decided to commit and actually start a blog, and the penname I had picked out for myself did not have a “J” in it. However, recently I have come to the realization that middle names do exist. Also, plenty of authors use their middle initials. All this to say, the penname plan is back in business babes!! ᕱ__ᕱ

So, if anyone was confused as to the name change, that is why.

This is a bit of an abrupt shift in topics, but this week I was required to use AI for a couple different assignments in my classes and it got me thinking about it. I know AI is a bit of a hot button topic right now, especially in creative spaces, so since I was thinking about it a lot this week, I figured I’d put my two cents out there.

I do think AI has the potential to be really helpful in making people’s lives easier (that's what progress is all about, right?). However, I disagree with the usage of AI in creative, professional, and educational spaces until the moral and ethical problems it brings up are addressed. And there are a lot of moral and ethical problems that come with AI.

Plagiarism of other people's ideas and creations is the issue that I’ve been thinking about most often. We are constantly told in academia to “cite our sources” and most universities even have policies that can lead to students who plagiarize being kicked out. Yet, many people don’t see a problem with using works created with AI. All AI is, is an amalgamation of other people’s ideas and content that’s either been mined from the internet or fed to it specifically. So every piece of work AI spits out is a cut and pasted collage of other people’s stuff. And its sources are never cited.

I am most certainly not a techie kind of person so I couldn’t tell you how to fix this issue, or any of the others AI brings up, in a way that I’m sure is plausible. All I can say is that the use of AI without addressing the moral and ethical concerns makes me mighty uncomfortable.

Names

Finally, I can give you at least a little information on my story. I have always been the most obsessive about naming my characters. A 5 minute writing exercise? Eh, it’s whatever. Just use any names that come to mind. But give me any type of fiction writing that’s meant to be workshopped and it’s over for me. I’ll spend 3 hours searching for an appropriate name for the background character that’s going to be in 1 scene tops and never seen again. I get it from my dad, I think. He was always insistent that me and my siblings had names with good meanings. At least, that’s what my mom tells me. I’m like that with my characters.

Now, I have nowhere near as good of a grasp on linguistics and linguistic patterns to create my own language or a naming system from scratch. I’m not Tolkien. However, when I am writing a larger work, or at least a work with some worldbuilding/lore, I like to come up with systems for things like names. This past week, I started to create a naming system for the story I’m currently working on (Ailidh’s story btw if that wasn’t clear). What I have so far is that the type of fae folk Ailidh, Ruslan, and their people will have names pulled from Celtic, Russian/Slavic, Germanic, and French origins. Don’t ask why I chose those languages. I couldn’t tell you.

*~*~*

That’s pretty much all I got done creative writing wise this week. I know it’s not much, but at least it’s not nothing, right? ᕱ__ᕱ Sorry for being so scattered in this post but as I am currently still ill, everything is a little fuzzy. I hope you all have a lovely week and hopefully by next week’s post, I’ll have gotten some more things done within my story.

Remember, dot your j’s and cross your t’s!!

~Clementine J Quincey🪷

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clementines-writing-corner · 8 months

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attempting to edit my mistakes + a new character!!

Hello friends!!

For this week’s progress report I have finally decided to reveal my failed writing attempt from over the summer. Last week’s inspiration to continue trying to flesh out and create this story has not died down and I am finding myself increasingly more excited to write which is super awesome!! So, I decided to go back and try my hand at editing what I had written down for the uncompleted scene and it…went. It didn’t go poorly, but it didn't go well.

It still needs a lot of work before I’m happy with it, but here it is nonetheless:

Scene

“You love him, don’t you,” a voice called over her shoulder. Ailidh started, turning her head away from the scene below to face Ruslan.

“I… don’t know,” she responded, hesitantly, her grip on the parapet tightening as she was suddenly unable to meet the piercing gaze of her betrothed. “But… I think I could.”

She looked back at the man in the courtyard, kneeling in front of a giggling elven child, a soft smile on his face. “I dearly wish to,” she whispered softly.

Ailidh tensed as a hand was placed upon her shoulder. She looked up once more to see only kindness and understanding in Ruslan’s face. The corner of his lip twitched upward, and her lips parted softly, exhaling in relief. He had become very dear to her heart in the course of their engagement, and while she did not harbor any romantic feelings for him whatsoever, she would hate for their friendship to be lost entirely. She could marry him for the sake of her people and be content for the rest of her days.

And yet…

Ruslan turned to the guards behind them. “One of you, go and fetch the good Lady of these lands and my advisor. Tell them to meet us in the study.”

“Yes, sir.”

His gaze snapped back to Ailidh’s as she inhaled sharply. “Do you have your copy of the marriage contract?”

She blinked. “...Yes. In the study.”

“Good. Let us make our way there before your mother and my dearest shadow arrive,” he said, holding out his arm with a lopsided grin. With a hesitant smile, and one last hastened glance at her knight below, Ailidh took the offered arm, the pair beginning to walk briskly off the balcony and down the hall.

*~*~*

I don’t usually write romance so it was really interesting that this was the inspirational itch I decided to scratch over the summer. ᕱ__ᕱ

However, that wasn’t the only thing I did this week. I also started to create another character! I don’t have a drawing for him yet but I do have some visuals floating around in my brain for what he looks like. Once I have time to do some graphic art for fun, you may be blessed with another mediocre headshot.

Character

Ruslan (roos-lan)

Ailidh’s betrothed

From a different nobel family

His family presides over a much more militarily focused fae village/area

This is why Ailidh is betrothed to him as his people could provide her people with much more protection against the growing unrest

Oooo plot!

Highly skilled in the more assassin area’s of fighting

Prefers knives

He and Ailidh make a terrifying duo (poison’s knives!!!!!)

Personality wise he is very dutiful but more laid back that Ailidh

Very dry, sarcastic sense of humor

Boyish charm pokes out every once in a while

Very popular with the ladies but doesn’t care for it (he laments to Ailidh constantly when they become closer friends)

Honestly he's a pretty chill guy

*~*~*

I’ve grown very attached to my guy Ruslan in the time I’ve started to craft him. I’m excited to work on his and Ailidh’s relationship/friendship. But whomst is this mysterious knight I wonder??? ᕱ__<

Finally, I did a little bit of world building as well… but I’m going to keep that to myself for now. (I’m just keeping all the secret’s from you guys today).

All in all, I’d say this was a pretty productive week for me and I’m quite proud of what I have accomplished. That’s all from me for now!

But remember, dot your j’s and cross your t’s!

~Clementine J Quincey🪷

#i also made a lot of memes this week #if you couldn't tell #writer #amature writer #writers on tumblr #creative writing #amature #author #fantasy #romance #wip #work in progress #original work #original character #this tagging thing #i think im getting the hang of it #ᕱ__ᕱ

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clementines-writing-corner · 8 months

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inspiration, privilege, and a new character ✨

Hello friends!

This is my first update on my writing progress - just about a week after my first post (give or take a few hours)! I’m still not entirely sure how to go about writing this even as I am in the process of doing it. So, first and foremost, apologies for any awkwardness or stiltedness. Please bear with me as I continue to figure this blog thing out! ᕱ__ᕱ

A quick overview for those of you who want to speed through my rambles and get to the good creative development bits: This week I wanted to gripe about the fickleness of inspiration, discuss unrealised privilege, and give some details about a character I am developing!

Inspiration

Okay, let's get the complaining out of the way first. Inspiration is so annoying! Ideally, I would have a steady, gentle flow of inspiration, so I’m able to take my time to pick out the good ideas and discard the rest. But, noooooooo. Instead, my brain decides that I get one of two extremes most often: either I’m overflowing with inspiration, stuck, unable to even process the sheer volume of ideas that are floating about my brain, or my idea stores are dryer than the Sahara desert. It’s so frustrating!!!!!! Is this just a me thing? Do other writers deal with this? Ugh! I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.

I bring this up because this week has been really dry for me. It just figures that as soon as I buckle down and decide to commit to working my creative writing muscles once more, my brain decides that - nope! no ideas for JP this week!

I did eventually get hung up on one idea, during a conversation with my friend about how much we both love morally grey characters. They are just so fascinating to read/think about! When we were having this conversation though, my friend ended up doing a google search on moral alignment charts and this was the first image she clicked on:

Now, regardless of your opinions about the comic book characters on this chart, what caught my attention was the top left corner. Upon seeing everyone’s favorite boy scout in red and blue spandex, I remarked, “Clark Kent seems like a good guy and all, but lawful good characters are so boring.”

🌟

ᕱ__ᕱ

(Thus, an idea was born.)

A lawful good character that I, at the very least, don’t find boring. What an inspired idea! I rolled the idea around in my head for the next two days as I made my way through classes and finally (while I was taking a shower of course because the best ideas are shower ideas), I decided that I would rework and expand upon a character I had already started creating. One of the characters from my failed creative writing attempt from over the summer.

Privilege

Because I have to make things terribly difficult and overly complicated for myself, I decided that I wanted to stretch out my graphic design muscles as well and draw my character. But I had a very clear vision of her in my head and wanted to bring her to life for you all to see. It mostly went well, which is good, seeing as I am still quite the novice in most artistic endeavors, until I got to her hair. My character is some type of fae creature (perhaps an elf? I haven’t determined that part yet) and has dark skin. I was originally going to give her straight hair, but ultimately decided that there was no reason she couldn’t have more textured, coily hair, so I set out to try and see if someone had created an accessible brush, or at least a tutorial on how to make one, to help me with drawing out my character hair.

I found zero. My style is generally on the simplistic, cartoon-like end of the realism spectrum and I was going to style my character’s hair into long bubble-puff twin tails, so the brush type I was searching for wasn’t terribly complicated. And what about braids? I wasn’t able to find a single brush or tutorial for making a textured hair brush that was easy to search or accessible to me. So, I said screw that and ended up figuring out how to make my own.

It is insane to me how some forms of privilege are so invisible until they smack you right in the face. I am white. I was able to find several downloadable brush options and tutorials on how to make brushes for straight hair. But not a single one for coily, textured hair, or even hair put in protective styles. It’s truly baffling, and I recognize even that feeling as a little privilege on my part because I’ve never had to think about it until this past week.

I’m glad I made the decision to give my character textured hair.

Character

As I stated before, I like to make things difficult for myself and of course with the snags I had drawing my character, much of the time I could have spent writing her was eaten away. However, here are some key details I hope to develop further:

Her name thus far is Ailidh (eyy-lee)

She is some type of fae folk (perhaps an elf - that’s what she started as but I may create my own magic system/world lore so who knows)

She is a noble

Not royalty I don’t think (I’m fairly certain I don’t want the fae folk to be a monarchy)

Her family is very high ranking though (enough so that they may be part of a ruling class - perhaps and oligarchy type situation - they care for the fae living in there neck of the woods at least)

She is engaged (ooo drama!)

She does not want to be engaged

Ooo plot!

She is skilled with herbs and healing (and also poison) but terrible with weapons of any kind

She is very indignant that her parents send her around with more bodyguards than both of them have combined

She loves her parents and her fellow fae and has a strong sense of loyalty and duty

That, unfortunately, is all I have for now. Hopefully it wasn’t too bland. ᕱ__ᕱ Some world-building crept out at me as I was coming up with her character and story which is very exciting and gives me all sorts of new inspiration! At the very least I have 2 new characters to come up with (her fiance and a surprise). ᕱ__< But, I feel this has been quite long enough (4 pages of the doc I used to draft this on) and so I shall leave you all here for now. Kudos to those who managed to make it here through all my rambles!

And remember, dot your j’s and cross your t’s!

~Clementine J Quincey🪷

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