erinwritesthings-blog1

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

me, finishing a draft: it is done, it is dead to me. i am above attachment. i move on

me, on the inside: but if someone doesn’t like it i will actually cry

#writing

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

everything is gonna be okay. it might not be soon, it might take a lot of effort and time, but it will be okay. and when that day comes, you’ll look back and be glad that you trudged through all the shit, because it was worth it. trust me, it will be worth it. and while you wait, there will be little bright times in the darkness, times where you’ll laugh and have fun with people who love you. believe me, the journey is worth it. the wait is worth it. you are worth it. i love you.

I was going through my inbox and saw this! Thank you so much for the kind words!

I have no idea when this was sent, so sorry if you thought I was ignoring you. It means a lot to me!

(Also, for all my followers, the app isn't working properly, so I'm not receiving any notifications. If I don't reply, that's why.)

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt

Does such a thing as ‘the fatal flaw,’ that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn’t. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.

#other people's writing #characters #moodboard

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

that boost you get from talking to someone who is excited about your writing and wants to read it when you’re done is such a great motivator, tbh

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

we owe literally no one more on this planet than the woman behind fantasy name generator

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

Back from the void!

Hey, it's been a while! I finally sorted some stuff out and am back!

I haven't had the time to write in a while, and finals (& scholarship applications!) are coming up, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to fully get back into the groove again, but it's hopefully pretty soon. I may still not be that active, but I'll at the very least be popping in to reblog or take part in the community (asks, etc.). I think I WILL have the time to post my own stuff some, but worst case scenario you'll still get writing related stuff from my blog, if not from me. I hope this is fine for the remaining month until summer.

Some updates, both serious and inconsequential:

1) I finally committed to a college! After much deliberation and tense financial discussions, it was decided that I can attend my dream university! I will be a PR & Advertising major.

2) Part of that deal is applying to a TON of scholarships, so I technically will be writing, just not for my WIP until I get those squared away.

3) AP tests are coming up, so the next 2 weeks will be pretty tense on my part & full of studying (Why did I take multiple APs, why?! Damn you, Psychology.)

4) Just 1 month until my high school graduation! Needless to say, I'm very psyched!

5) Fully converted to kpop. It's like a drug, I swear. That will stay off of this blog, though, don't worry! (You're welcome to talk to me about it though.)

5) Saw Endgame. Enough said.

6) Apparently gained 100+ followers while I was gone?! Welcome! Feel free to talk to me anytime.

Some changes to the blog:

I will probably start reblogging some aesthetic stuff as well as writing, as it a) inspires me (& hopefully you, too!) and, b) makes me happy. These will be tagged aesthetic to you can sort them from the rest if you want.

I will probably overhaul my profile pic & overall style as well, though that might be a little down the line.

That should be it! Those who've stuck around, thank you so much! If any of you has any questions or would just like to talk, go ahead! I don't bite and miss y'all. :)

Excited to be back!

~Erin

#me #personal #im back

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

Notice

I haven't been very active recently, and for good reason. I'm going through some stuff right now, so I'll be taking a break from Tumblr completely for the time being. I'm not sure how long, but I hope to return soon!

Thank you for understanding! :)

#personal

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

pros of being an angst writer: the screams and tears of your readers sustain you, and there is no greater joy than breaking someone’s heart with fanfiction

cons of being an angst writer: the first heart that you break is your own

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

Mood

i’m going to the beach today!! hopefully this’ll inspire me to finish the beach scene in DotE i’ve been stuck on since like october!!

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

The nostalgia slapped me in the face.

It’s the 10 year anniversary of 2009…

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

does anyone else suddenly get hit with flashes of dialogue or scenery or characterization that would be perfect to use if you actually had a plot you could incorporate it into

#writing #tips

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

Bringing this back because I just read another story where the villain is magically cleared of all charges without doing practically anything and now I'm annoyed.

My Top Pet Peeve in Novels

(Probably)

It is very common for a novel or series to have a villain redemption arc.  I tend to love these, if they’re done right.  However, many writers make the same mistake: 

‘EXPLAINS’ does not ‘EXCUSE’.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with this trope.  The antagonist, who has been completely, well, antagonistic up until this point, is suddenly redeemed because “Oh, he/she had a terrible past” or “But they helped kill the real bad guy at the end!” 

“Oh, he/she had a terrible past.”

Okay, sure.  Say they did have a terrible past that ‘explains’ their actions.  For the sake of this explanation, I’m going to use Snape as an example (Not sure I even have to put this here anymore, but Harry Potter spoilers ahead).  Keep in mind this is an example of something that explains his actions, but doesn’t excuse them.  I love Rowling and the series and am not pointing out issues with it, simply using it as an example.  

I actually like Snape.  To me, he is an interesting character.  We eventually find out he was in love with Lily, Harry’s mother, and was heartbroken when she fell for James Potter.  Fast forward a few years, and Harry Potter is now attending Hogwarts.  Needless to say, Snape is a huge jerk.  Unreasonably so.

So, once the reader finds out that Snape was in love with Lily, some of his actions make sense.  We get why he was a jerk, but don’t really excuse him for it.  Now, I know there are more extenuating circumstances, but you get what I mean.

This also applies to some fans’ mindsets, when they go to defend their favorite character, but that’s not the focus here.

Each time I come across this in a novel, I’m reminded of this gif:

“But they helped kill the real bad guy at the end!”

Alright, so they did.  Somehow, an antagonist and the protagonist overcame their differences and united to get rid of a larger enemy.  Suddenly, everyone seems to have forgotten the antagonist’s previous actions completely, simply because they ended up aiding the hero(es). 

For the love of all things great and small, do not have this in your novel.

Helping the protagonist does not necessarily excuse the antagonist for their previous actions.

Think about it.  Say an antagonist had been murdering people throughout the story.  Suddenly, the antagonist has a change of heart.  Perhaps the protagonist convinces them to stop what they’re doing, or to help them defeat a common enemy.

This is fine.  Sometimes interests coalesce, or people do have a change of heart (not sure how likely it is for someone who’s killed multiple people, but say they do in this example).  

What is not fine is having all consequences of the antagonist’s actions disappear.  Heroes magically decide to completely forgive and forget all too often.

The fact of the matter is, bullying/crimes/evil deeds still happened, and the antagonist still has to be punished.

Whether your antagonist has killed many people or simply committed petty theft, have them face those consequences.  Depending on the crimes they’ve committed, they could be facing jail time, community service, or, in a non-action novel, simply detention or getting fired.  Maybe their heroic actions at the end earned them a lesser sentence, but the punishment is still there.  Even if the hero has forgiven them (which, again, is completely fine if you’ve worked the characters to that point).

Bottom Line:  Make your ‘redeemed’ antagonist face the consequences for their actions anyway.  They still committed the crimes, they still have to do the time.

One last statement I’d like to make based on other common misconceptions in literature (and real life) because it’s somewhat related to this:

‘Fair’ does not always mean ‘Equal’.

This ties in to almost anything, but in the case of this, say there’re two antagonists who committed the same crimes (the ‘equal’), but one gets a lesser sentence because they turned the other in (the ‘fair’).  As you can see, their punishments are fair, but definitely not equal.  Just a last thought to tack on to the end of this.

Alright! That’s the end of my rant/hopefully at leas mildly helpful tips!  Thanks for reading this whole thing. This was longer than I intended, but I can write forever on something I’m passionate about. 

~Erin

#writeblr #writing #writing tips #writers #character building #antagonists #my writing tips

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

she’s gonna pass her classes and she’s gonna graduate

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

Goal Review

I posted at the beginning of the year:

I woke up this morning feeling a lot more imaginative and excited about things that I have for a while. Even though I know this year is going to have some really stressful moments, I think it will be a great one.

I decided that my goals for the year will be:

1.Finish editing my main WIP, the one about revolution (and find a title for it because that’s…kind of essential).

2. Submit at least five query letters for the above story.

3. Write the last book in my Guards of Sense series as part of Nanowrimo (and finally end that series).

4. Finish one other WIP (this one will be the hardest since I have far too many to choose from and they’re all at various stages).

I’d also like to write at least once a week, which sounds lame, but I like having achievable goals that still set a consistency (hence my love of Nanowrimo). 

What followed that was a really rough four months mentally and emotionally, and yet my premonition about it being a good writing year proved true. So here are my accomplishments:

1. Finished editing and polishing Ash of Revolt (and decided on a title :) )

2. Sent in TEN queries!! Yay! Rejected eight times, which is really just progress. (two are still pending)

3. Finished the Guards of Sense series and aced NaNoWriMo in fewer days than ever.

4. Finished FOUR other WIP drafts that were kind of sitting in limbo  :D 

I also wrote a TON, thanks to my writing group who keep me on track.

So, sometimes, the hardest times are just setting up for something great. May you all have success and overcome your bumps in the road with power!

How was your year?

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

So, I posted a fic today, and as I was setting up the AO3 post, I found myself writing in the end notes an impassioned - almost desperate, ngl - plea for comments. For interaction.

And yeah, for validation too. Because you know what? Writing is hard - despite commonly held misconceptions, it takes a shit-ton of effort to take some blank, empty void of a page and fill it with something that lives and breathes and touches the minds and hearts of others. 

And don’t you dare wave that “you should be writing for yourself” bullshit in my face. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been able to do that, and honestly I’m glad managed to recover as much as I have and write as much as I do. Having an audience is an integral part of the writing process.

Let me repeat that.

HAVING AN AUDIENCE IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE WRITING PROCESS.

We fanfic authors don’t ask for much. As someone who is a published author, who has been published in a Real Physical Book™ and was paid hundreds of dollars in Honest-to-God cold-hard cash for less work than I put into my fanfic, let me tell you, a few comments will not pay my tuition or buy my groceries or put clothes on my back. Compared to the hours of labor that went into earning the money I was paid with, comments take substantially less time to create.

And yet, to us, they are priceless. Authors will create entire worlds for the sake of making a single person smile. YOU CAN BE THAT PERSON. WE WILL WRITE FOR YOU HAPPILY.

You just have to let us know you care.

And you’d better do it soon. I’ve heard too many authors all too willing to pull their tumblrs and erase or abandon their fics on AO3 because they have grown weary of screaming into the void. That fanfic you love? Gone. That chapter you’re waiting for? Never gonna happen. How many of you have bookmark lists with fics already missing? I bet you won’t even remember which one it is.

You can keep that from happening. Just write “Omg thank you for updating, I really liked _________!” and fill in the blank. Someone worked hard to put that smile on your face. You can make them smile in return.

#writing #fanfic

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

Ok just cause I’m still salty and this needs to be said: just because your story is a bit predictable doesn’t mean it’s bad. sometimes that just means that your story makes sense. if nothing in your story is predictable then you have crossed the line from “keeping viewers on their toes” to “nonsensical nightmare that doesn’t deliver on any front”

[erinwritesthings-blog1]

A Writing Reminder:

🌟 Your writing has value! 🌟 It’s okay if you’re too busy to write at the moment! 🌟 It’s okay if you want to take a break for a bit! 🌟 You’re going to be okay!

#writing #writeblr #queue