#I do feel as if I've improved since I started writing interactive fiction. reading is different than writing it after all | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writingquestionsanswered · 10 months

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I'm honestly rather new to writing.

English isn't my first language but I've been pretty much teaching the language to myself through interacting with other English speakers and so on.

I feel like I'm missing a lot of words in my vocabulary that could lift a story up to a better level of reading.

And, probably my biggest problem, I don't know how and where to start writing. How to come up with a plot or how to find inspiration. I'm incredibly motivated but I feel like I don't know where to start.

Since I want to write horror, as it's probably the thing I read and watch the most, I bought a few English horror books to study the ways of writing, words and plot build up. I also started watching analog horror Videos on YouTube to improve my plots yet I often feel like my head is empty despite all those attempts at improving.

I know this is a lot and I'm really sorry for it, but is there any way I could genuinely try and get more into writing as well as to improve the things I mentioned above?

Want to Write But Head Feels Empty

I want to start by saying I never would have guessed English wasn't your first language if you hadn't told me. You have a better grasp on it than a lot of native speakers, so I don't think you have to worry a whole lot about your vocabulary. You're not further behind in that sense than most other new writers. You can check out my posts Improving Vocab and 10 Tips for Improving Your Grammar Vocab for help with that, though.

Since where you're really struggling is with coming up with ideas and plots, what I would recommend is starting with writing prompts. You can find writing prompts all over--on tumblr, various web sites and forums, and even in books. If you Google "horror writing prompts" a ton of options come up.

Writing prompts are a great way to ease yourself into writing when you're struggling to come up with ideas and prompts. Much like fan-fiction (which is another option I'll get to in a minute), writing prompts are almost like training wheels for writers. They let you do the actual writing without having to worry about the initial ideas. And prompts are super flexible... you can interpret them figuratively or literally, you can combine multiple prompts together, or use what you like from a few different prompts. Whatever works for you. The key is to just open your mind and let it carry you wherever it wants to. Don't stress about it being good or making sense. You're not worried about quality or form, just taking those ideas and forming them into *something*. (And, side note: there are also plot generators that will give you more than just a writing prompt, so that's worth trying, too.)

I do also want to address fan-fiction as being another great way to practice writing when plots and ideas escape you. Since you want to write horror, think of a favorite horror movie, TV show, book, or video game and write a story set in that world. Flesh out a scene or moment that you liked that didn't go far enough in canon. Give a character a different moment or ending. You can even create an original character and drop them into the story to see what happens. Once again, this allows you to focus on the actual writing without having to start from scratch with ideas.

I hope something here works for you! ♥

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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#writing tips #writing help #writing advice #wqaadvice

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chococolte · 2 years

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Hello!! I don't have anything to request right now but wow your writing style is just stunning. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it, you weave together imagery and emotion so beautifully and there's just something so sensual about the way it flows? I hope that doesn't come across weirdly lmao it's just so gorgeous and reading it makes me feel like I'm watching an intricate dance routine or running my hands over silk, I love it sm. Ur rlly out here feeding us the highest quality content imaginable for free???? We are not worthy omg

Also I think my jaw actually dropped when I read that you were 16 like??? Can I ask when/why you started writing and how you developed your style? Sorry if you've answered these before :') and thank u for ur amazing writing <3

XBYUDBNXHBDUHF thank you so much!!! ♡ this was the first thing i read today when i woke up... im so happy it was this!! this means so much to me i cant even describe it properly, im sorry its taken me so long to whip up a response, ive just been looking and thinking about it for so long and i wanted to make sure i responded to it well!!!

im so happy you like my writing!! its actually been something i've been pretty insecure about, even when i still had my old blog. the only people i really showed my writing too was my brother and my friends, who ... you know... as my brother and my friends, why would they tell me my writing is bad? and even on my old blog, i didn't really feel like anything i was writing was like, actually good. but since i've started this new blog i've gotten so many nice messages and people telling me how much they love my writing and i just!!! it makes me soft... and makes me realize that maybe i'm not actually as bad as i thought lol

im going to put my answers to ur questions under a readmore!

i've been writing since i was around 11-12. obviously i had written before that for school and shit, but that was around the age when i started to have an interest in original stuff.

i've only started taking writing seriously for around 2 years, though, so since i've been 14. since i started taking it seriously, i've had a sudden jump in improvement-- mostly because it also coincides with the moment i realized what kind of writing i want to have.

my style itself wasn't all that impressive when i was like, 13-14. which is to be expected! but i think even in my writing from that time, you can kind of see the direction i wanted to go in, which is vivid description.

when i was 15 i finally realized what i wanted to do with my style, which was description. i like describing things. a lot. if u read the stuff i reposted i think u can see that, but i was still a little fledgling at it-- i used some words that i didnt really have a full grasp on, which is still a little sin that i continue to partake in... but you can't blame me ok, words r just so pretty and i need to use them all </3

ive actually only been writing fanfic since 2021 lol, before that all i wrote was self-insert stuff (still yandere, of course). the reason i started my [old] blog was because i was reading stuff on tumblr, and im pretty sure it was specifically a yandere childe post, and his characterization annoyed me so bad i decided to do it myself 💀 before that, the only fanfic i had written i think was like... 2 pieces, one about an interactive fiction game and the other about omniscient reader's viewpoint vxbfubfbg

idk what in particular led me to developing my style as it is now-- i kind of just try my best to make sure my readers can imagine the way the characters feel as best as possible. ultimately, the way i want my writing to be is i want people to kind of fall into it. i want someone to pick up my writing and feel the things the characters feel. i want someone to read my writing and be able to place themselves in the moment, and, for particularly my blog, i want people to read my writing and to feel loved. when someone tells me they got tingles from my writing its literally some of the highest form of praise, like!!!!!!!! if ur trying to seduce me it's working JUST SAYING...

i honestly still feel like i have a lot to improve on, but im so happy you like my writing so much! to think that people think my writing is so good is just such an amazing feeling, i feel like im walking on clouds <3

#[🦇] — sophie's musings #[💌] — love poetry

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the12thnightproject · 1 year

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My turn, my turn!!

Okay so~ 1, 10 & 31 💜

Hi! And thank you for the ask!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Hm, since I write three types of content...

for headcanons, I'd go with "Warlords Opening Up MC's Refrigerator After She's Been Gone Three Months" because it pretty much exemplifies that kind of weird chaos that sometimes pops into my brain.

For short fiction, it would be the story I wrote for your request, A Simple Game, because I really like writing warlords interacting with each other, especially getting to put three smart sneaky warlords like Shingen, Mitsuhide, and Motonari together.

Long fic would have to be Twelve Lies I Told Shingen Takeda - it introduces the multiverse and I loved the idea of Shingen being in a relationship that grew out of friendship, kindness, and mutual respect, rather than out of physical attraction (or if someone just wants to read a smut chapter, there are a couple of those... Buttons being my favorite).

10. How do you decide what to write?

With headcanons, if they aren't an ask, it's usually something that just pops into my head, or is prompted by something that just happened in real life. Like the smoke alarm HC was prompted by being awakened at 3 a.m. by my smoke alarm's dead battery chirp.

All of the short fics on my blog were prompted either by an exchange, or by a chaotic bingo request, so with those, it's mostly noodling around with the prompts until I can think of something that fits the request. I used to do a improv and sketch comedy, so in a sense, it's a similar concept - take the audience's suggestion, and use it to jump off into a scene, but then take the scene to an unexpected twist.

With longfic, usually it starts with something that I can't stop thinking about. The original idea for the Tempest in Time series was just a bunch of scenarios that kept haunting me in the summer of 2020. They weren't leaving my head, so I had to write them down. I knew I wanted to create a multiverse with an OC who would have multiple versions of herself living in different timelines, but would be connected by a frame story involving a mission that needed to be completed across all the timelines, and that my OC would potentially encounter different versions of herself. The initial thought would be that the OC would have a route for every warlord, and I knew that Shingen had to be first, because his canon illness was going to necessitate time travel anyway, so I could take care a lot of the world building and establish the multiverse dilemma naturally (and also his story was the clearest in my mind, and also... well, it's Shingen, he's basically my favorite warlord anyway). And as such, Sasuke would need to be the final story, because it's going to involve a crap ton of time timeline hopping. The order in the middle is random, based on whichever warlord's story I can visualize the clearest. Hideyoshi was supposed to be after Mitsunari's, but what I had planned started feeling too similar to parts of Shingen's, so my next thought was to go to Ieyasu ... but then a certain Kitsune said, "I'm sorry my dear, but I insist you tell my story next," and the plot unrolled in my mind. If I can picture how a story starts, at least three points somewhere in the middle, and how it ends, that's when I know that I can start writing a long fic. Sometimes I have an idea of where somethin starts, but no clue about what happens next, so those just sort of stay marinating in my brain until I can see more of where it wants to go.

And that was a very long answer to a short question... sorry.

31. What’s your ideal fic length to write?

Heh... size doesn't matter. I've got a couple of pieces I love that are less than 500 words each, and one of the longfics clocked in at over 150,000 words (which totally shocked me... I never realized I could write that much).

There's a special challenge in writing the uber-short flash fics, especially if there is a word limit. I can spend more time tweaking a 330 word flash fic than a 3300 word chapter in a longfic.

I like to keep the short fic at less than 5000 words, only because if it starts getting longer than that, then I get tempted to do more world building and add subplots, and all of a sudden it's heading into longfic territory.

What I like about writing longfic is getting to live with a story and the characters for a long period of time. Shingen's story took me 8 months to write, Mitsunari's story took a year... I've hit the 4 month mark on the draft of Mitsuhide's... I like these characters that Cybird originated, and in longfic, I can hang out with them and really get to know them.

#asks answered #writer asks #chatting with friends

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wilderlingdev · 2 years

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11, 12, 18!

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

uhh i think mostly the connecting tissue between scenes? when i was younger i literally felt like i Had to write every single moment of the characters' lives. i struggled SO hard with passing time, arriving places, etc.

but in a more technical/craft-y sense, probably my dialogue. like, my writing isnt really focused on dialogue (quite the opposite), but it used to be really bad. i couldnt convey character through dialogue, or even escape dialogue clichés. im not good good at it now, but it's more passable

12) your weaknesses as an author

being unable to do stuff in a short span of time/few words. aka rambling. i ramble a lot, which leads me to struggle with building character relationships in a short span of time and making them believable. it's comes from my habit of writing really, really long stories (or at least planing really long stories). i can't write short stuff at all.

this means my writing can feel very explain-y at times. im trying to get better at that ;-;

(also dialogue. i focus a lot on descriptions/feelings/etc).

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

probably lord of the rings and the fifth season.

lord of the rings because i read it when i was like 10/11, loved it SO much that i've been stuck in the fantasy genre ever since. you will notice that lotr is very fond of descriptions and i, uh, love descriptions. of everything. oops?

but while lotr kinda set me into the fantasy way of writing, it was probably the fifth season that shaped my writing style the most. i usually don't pay much attention to a book's writing style as long as it isn't bad enough to yank me out of the story but the writing in the fifth season amazed me. it's SO good. it also made me fall in love with second person.

(once you've read the briarheart prologue you will see the fifth season all over it lol)

(also if you havent read it but like adult fantasy with gorgeous writing that focuses a lot on familial/platonic relationships you definitely should give it a try!)

also, honorable mention to crown of leaves. it's a visual novel/point & click game that made me fall in love with the idea of interactive fiction in general.

thank you so much for the ask, nony!!

#replies #sorry nony this probably took a long time #my boss decided that he likes me working after all

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howtodisassembleyourdeviant · 2 years

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(apologies if some have already sent you these numbers, feel free to skip them) 1, 3, 4, 9, 10 & 14?

QUESTIONS FOR MUNS.

(Sorry this is late! I fell asleep. No worries! It's been relatively quiet over here lately!)

1. how do you feel about reblog karma?

I try to practice it as often as possible, particularly with ask memes since some of the memes I reblog don't always line up with the current relationship status Connor has with the other mun's muse (either not knowing them very well or the meme is steered more towards romance) or if we already have a lot of threads going at once and the other mun seems overwhelmed or busy.

I prefer if a mun sends in asks if they reblog a meme from me, but I'm not going to belly-ache if they don't. It's not fun if they feel forced to send things in knowing they're not really interested.

3. whose writing has impacted your writing style the most? (you can choose anyone! famous writer or not.)

My roleplay partners. I wasn't a writer until I decided to write some fanfics for DBH, and I didn't become a roleplayer until I joined Tumblr to try and find an active fan community. I didn't even ship Connor and Gavin until @detective-phck, and now they're one of my favorite pairings.

4. which muse of yours is your all time favorite? if you stopped writing them: why?

Depends on how I feel. Generally, I love writing canon Connor, but if I'm feeling down, I like writing Human Connor more since he's something of a comfort character (though I tend to just make him suffer, the poor man).

9. when you look at a new blog, what is it that makes you press the follow button? is it the muse, the aesthetics, the writing–?

The muse usually attracts me, but I won't hit follow until I can read how they write, either through threads or through how they describe their muse (since some of the blogs I've followed in the past were new and didn't have threads). If I can mentally see who they're writing and what kind of personality they have, how they might interact with others and the world around them, I try to consider how my muse would play into it. If I think they would have an interesting dynamic, I tend to follow.

That being said, I don't always know how they would meet or how to start a conversation, which is a bitch. I suck at first interaction threads.

10. what genre do you most enjoy, whether in roleplay, or fiction as a whole? (fantasy, period, superhero, etc.)

Well, since I write about androids, I'd say Sci-Fi. I also like writing Horror during Halloween, though I still try to have some form of a happy ending simply because I've dealt with enough bad shit in real life. I don't much care for the period genre as I tend to over think it and spend more time researching than writing, which leads me to getting the answers to unpleasant questions (Like how often they bathe).

With some fantasy genres, I feel the same for the same reason since people like to put them in the middle ages. I do love fantasy if it's set in either the modern world or the future, as it's just easier to create than work with what's established as fact. I get that I can change it in fantasy, but it doesn't feel right to alter so much.

Not a fan of superheroes, both writing and watching.

14. which roleplay community has been your favorite to write in?

I think I've only written in the DBH community, and, for a while, there were almost enough bad apples to spoil the bunch, but I believe it has improved as of late. Either that, or I just have my blog catered to me. Or they've moved on. Too many variables that I don't care to keep up with. The people I follow now seem pretty cool, and I've made several friends, so I'd say it was a rather positive experience.

#Munday Meme #Even though it's now Tuesday #(Thank You!)

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theji · 3 years

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Things Yizhan Made Me Do

It's BXG Day today! 🐢💛

To commemorate the occasion, I thought of making a list of 13 out-of-character things that I've done since falling into the fandom. (OK I'm a bit late I meant to do this sooner, the day is ending soon in a couple of hours).

1. Start a blog

And a public one, no less. I had a blog when I was in my teens but that was private, like a personal diary. My day job already involves writing so off-work I would usually like to indulge in mindless activities. Now, here I am, maintaining a Yizhan blog. I have not even used Tumblr prior to this but I'm enjoying it now, rambling about our fav boys. Writing is not a chore if it's about them.

2. Join a fandom

I joined a boy band fan club once upon a time, some 15 years ago, but I was never as invested in it as I am now with Yizhan. Back then it was just buying some merch, attending their concert/autograph sessions, listening to their songs. Apart from work, dog mum duties, personal relationships, other hobbies like kombucha brewing, most of my free time is now spent on the fandom. My Netflix account is crying. There is just so much to do and catch up on (I'm not complaining). I also enjoy interacting with and learning from other bloggers here. Antis are no fun and some industry news/developments/hate messages are upsetting but ultimately, you curate your own fandom experience. And I choose positivity and rationality.

3. Indulge in RPS

I don't ever 'ship'. What is 'ship'? 😆 I was always a dutiful audience, just enjoying whatever drama series and moving on after that. I started with CQL like most people and I didn't even notice/like GGDD until much later. Didn't even set out to 'ship' anyone but now I'm a self-professed turtle. SZD is SZD, and anyone can see something special between them if you keep an open mind. I wrote about my SZD reasons here previously. That said, GG & DD are individuals, each with their own successful careers. They come first, the ship comes second. That I'm very clear of.

4. Use Chinese apps

Gosh, my phone and tablet are now full of Chinese apps. I used to have only WeChat cos I needed it for work but now I have Weibo, Oasis, Douyin, WeTV, MangoTV, Youku, etc. Some of them are not even available in the app store so I had to find alternative sources to download them. haha..I even have paid membership for some of these apps. And now, browsing Weibo daily becomes a routine. If you wish, you can just get stuck browsing Weibo for a long long time. It's entertaining.

5. Read fan fic

I only started about 6 months ago but now I'm hooked and fics are largely the only thing I read these days, apart from news. But I only read Yizhan or WangXian fics (p.s. calling for fic recs of other pairings!) I know some might have different feelings about fan fics but to me, I really just see them as fiction, with characters (and sometimes traits) bearing similarities to GGDD. Similarly, I separate the platform from the incident so I have no problems going to A03 despite GG's incident. I just enjoy seeing the characters named XZ/WYB having happy endings in many different timelines and universes. While most of the fics I read are explicit (by design), I don't use them as tools to play out certain fantasies or to think of GGDD in a sexual manner. In fact, I really hate fics that have little substance and just go into the explicit parts without plot development. I like those with interesting premises too, like one I read recently where XZ is a serial killer and WYB is a police officer investigating the case but also in love with him. I do have plans to share my list of fav fan fics some time down the road so keep an eye out for it!

6. Willingly read Chinese

Yes, Chinese may be my mother tongue but I don't use it much in daily living unless I have to. I also find it tedious to read Chinese cos the characters are just so squashed together. If I have a choice, I will always pick English. But now, I read so much Chinese from my daily weibo browsing. I even read fan fics in Chinese! Who am I? On the plus side, I think my Chinese comprehension and translation skills improved. I also picked up some internet lingo used by Chinese netizens, which are pretty interesting like doi, 🐮🍺, 🖍. My all-time fav is yyds.

7. Act like a cougar

In real life, I have always maintained that younger men are childish. At least those I have encountered. But look at me now, fangirling over two younger men (I am closer in age to GG, but still..). I even jokingly call them my 'China Boyfriends'. I look at them very respectfully most of the time.

8. Buy merch

Seriously, once you start, you can't stop. At least that was what happened to me, although I'm still quite selective when it comes to supporting their endorsements. I usually go for consumables like food, cosmetics vs collectibles cos I'm more practical. Also, GG says to support their merch within reasonable means so that's what I'm doing. Just buying things that I'm interested to try and not because it has their faces or names slapped on it. In a way, this suits me cos I like trying new brands and stuff anyway.

9. Keeping a Yizhan archive

Photos, weblinks, videos, songs, fan fics list..my phone is full of these things now. I think my Yizhan photo gallery is only second to the folder with my dogs' pictures. But how can you resist when we are blessed with new pics of them almost every week?

10. Camp for livestreams

I'm lucky I live in the same time zone as the boys so I don't have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning just to watch something. But that's the thing, being in the same time zone sometimes make me feel like I HAVE to watch that thing live because, why not? Why wait? Not shy to admit that I once watched a live programme in the middle of work but I made sure I finished what needed to be done. I think so long as we don't let these livestream schedules run our lives, there's no harm in camping for them.

11. Watch c entertainment

I am one of those who used to pass over Chinese productions, simply because it's a Chinese production. Not in a scoffing manner but I'm just genuinely not interested in them nor the celebs. I was more of a US/UK production kind of person, occasionally Korean/Japanese. Now, I'm learning to enjoy them although I just watch those with GGDD in them. No energy to follow other Chinese celebs anyway. The other programme I'm contemplating watching even if it doesn't have them in it is Who's the Murderer (GG was only in one of the cases) cos I like the premise. On the flip side, now my sis and partner keep making fun of me cos to them, all I do now is "watch China shows". That is so not true. Or is it?

12. Write fan mail

I wrote a letter to GG once. A long-ass letter. I hope he read it. That's all I'm gonna say. 🙈 hahahahaha

13. Desire to visit China

China was never on my list of to-visit places. Just wasn't interested. I have been to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou a few times in the past for work but even then, I never felt the urge to revisit for leisure. Now, I wanna visit GG and DD's home town, visit Chongqing to see the graffiti wall with Bobii Zanbii on it, eat mala hotpot and try out their sauce recipe, attend BXG events, dine at the CQL restaurant... Watching TTXS also made me realise that there are many beautiful places in China with natural landscapes and all that. I used to be clouded by my disdain for the regime and some behaviour of its citizens but now, I recognise that the country is separate from the regime or a smaller group of poorly behaved citizens. China is a beautiful country and I would love to visit some day. I will fly over immediately on my own if someone gives me tix to ADLAD!!

Well, I hope some of these things resonate with you. Feel free to share the OOC things that Yizhan made you do.

Once again, Happy BXG Day! 🐢💛🐆🐇🐷🌶🦁🍑🐶🍍🛹🎋

#yizhan #bjyx #things yizhan made me do

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katnissdoesnotfollowback · 2 years

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Uno reverse on the deep fic questions: 9, 15, and 17 :)

But of course! ;)

9. what's your writing process like?

Chaos.

Lol, I'm gonna focus on longer onsehots and multi chapters because for me, drabbles are usually just word vomit. Okay so I feel like my writing process generally takes one of two paths. Path A starts with one vivid image or scene in my head, then a second one, and when I start seeing connections between those two and a third image or scene, I know it's time to either start writing and see where we go, or start outlining. (Unmasked, Break, Spellbound all started this way)

Path B will start with the actual writing -- usually to fill a prompt, but sometimes because of a bit of inspiration from a picture, something someone says to me, a song I hear, a snippet of dialogue. And that is chaos writing. It's like a fever or a frenzy that I can't walk away from.

Path A is more rare for me but it usually turns into something workable, whereas with Path B, it's hit or miss. Since I start with the writing, it usually ends either with me pounding my head on the keyboard partway through and then going "Ugh this sucks why am I doing this?" At which point, I shelve it. I am ashamed to admit how many fics like that I have. Sometimes I come back to the idea if I find a better angle from which to approach it (Spellbound was like this. Until I hit on the shapeshifter and Haymitch as a ghost aspect, I couldn't get it off the ground. Maybe Tomorrow was also a shelved idea until the efe prompt had me seeing it from a completely different approach).

OR, if I get to a point where I cannot stop writing and cannot keep up with the thoughts and plans in my head and the characters feel alive and out of my control, then I know... I've got a good one. When that happens, I'll usually stop myself where I think the first chapter would end and circle back to planning or outlining. (Pure my friends. And the latest one Where the Stars Crumble... started like this. Also a ton of my older, unfinished fics that haven't seen updates in 7 years started this way. They're on hiatus because of a computer crash years ago ate a bunch of things and I never really recovered from that loss so I moved on to other stories).

Usually the writing frenzy is the opening of my fics. Sometimes, that initial frenzy of writing is actually in the middle of the story (Outside Chance, 9000 r.p.m., and Lay Me Down, Let Me Dream started with me writing somewhere in the middle).

Once I'm going, I leave myself open to changing directions, altering the outline. I am not a stickler for "this is the way I planned it so this is how I'm going to write it" because when I try doing that, I wind up hating it. There's a few dead fics in my folders that died this way (anyone remember the stripper!Peeta drabble I wrote eons ago that I said was going to turn into a multi chapter but never did? yep this is how that one died. I tried to force it into the outline and it didn't work).

Outlines will take different forms for me. Some of them are highly organized, bullet points with bits of dialogue, scenes sketched out, setting details etc etc divided by chapter. Sometimes they are a summary dump in a google doc that may or may not actually get used ahahahaha. Sometimes they are post it notes on the wall that I move around until I like what I see. More often, they're a blend of two of those, and that gets deleted as I write a chapter, and whatever is left in the outline when I finish that chapter gets moved to the document where I'm writing the next chapter.

And all of this is a really long winded way for me to say that my writing process is flexible, whatever is working. Or as my fiction writing professor keeps saying... whatever is in service of the story.

15. How do you think your writing as improved over time?

Answered here! :)

17. What’s the best engagement/interaction/feedback you’ve received from someone who’s read your work?

Anything that makes me see my own writing in a new light or when people tell me that I made them feel something in a visceral way. I live for that.

I'll confess to shamelessly adoring it anytime someone tells me they think I could turn something into a really good original work, because that is what I someday want to do... write originals.

Also... there are a few people I now consider my friends or internet pen pals because they started commenting on my fics and at some point the conversation shifted away from fanfiction and writing.

Thanks for the ask, love!

Ask me something deep lol

#heathersaid #look at that ask #ask me the deep stuff

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just-antithings · 3 years

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Reasons I hate the BNHA fandom (disclaimer: I haven't interacted with fandom in a while, because I prefer to enjoy things rather than feel spiteful all the time, so I don't know if this still happens):

1. Hating Endeavor and Mineta was, like, a requirement to prove you're a decent person, which made me incredibly salty towards people who hated Endeavor when he started to realize that he fucked up in later manga chapters (i'm a sucker for parents realizing they weren't they were wrong. Wish that happened in reality more often).

1.1. There was this trend of headcanonning Mineta and Endeavor as the only cishets on the show, because they're the Bad Ones. Imagine how this feels when you're a cishet person reading these types of posts. (was it satire? was it a joke? I dunno. It didn't say anywhere on the posts.)

2. I found myself hating Dabi purely out of spite because somehow Enji being an abusive parent was worse the Dabi killing innocent people. (Like, I didn't care at first because they're both fictional, but that kind of logic angered me so much I abandoned logic and became fueled only by spite. Not very good for health.)

3. BNHA is probably the first big fandom I've ever interacted with, so I was not ready to interact with anti's bullshit on such a large scale.

4. "I stg if Horikoshi redeems Tomura I'm- just give him the ending he deserves and kill him!" because we all know that 'Redemption' is Bad Writing, but "Killing A Character Because They're Bad" a timeless masterpiece. (I mean, any trope could be good or bad, but painting them like one of them is obviously the only correct way to do things is a bit stupid.)

5. Ship wars. I didn't get too involved with those because I had an idea of what they were like based on other people's accounts (and because when I didn't like a ship, I blacklisted its tag like a sane person). Still disheartening to hear about because they're just so dumb.

Like, this was my first time being part of a big fandom for an ongoing show and I just. Ended up hating the existence of people. I can't watch BNHA without eventually feeling bad about my feelings on certain characters (I saw my parents in Endeavor and I was so, so happy when his character started changing for the better. And Mineta is just...he's just there to be The Pervert, right? There is no character, so I don't really hate him. I just don't like him either. I don't care for Mineta, basically.)

Now every time I think of a plot for a fic involving the characters and my OCs I just...feel bad. I feel like I can't enjoy the show like I did before, even after I removed myself from fandom completely. Like, I didn't care if other people hated Endeavor for whatever reason; I just hated how apparently I was a bad person because I felt differently about him.

I'm sorry I talk about Endeavor a lot. Not only do I see my parents in him, but also myself if I'm not careful. This is how fiction affects reality for me; when I project on other characters, I see faults in myself, and I acknowledge them, when it could have been difficult for me to do so without this particular character that resonated with me so much. Same with Bakugo; I saw my short-tempered attitude in him and boy oh boy it's not a good look, is it? I can tell you my attitude towards my siblings has improved since I started watching the show in 2017.

Some people might think it's stupid to need a show to realize that I'm doing something wrong, but I don't really care. At least fictional characters can't tell me that I'm irredeemable.

In a nutshell: the BNHA fandom was the first time I witnessed morality being brought into fiction on a large scale, and it wasn't a very pleasant experience. I got out of that experience with bad feelings about myself and an immense hatred toward people.

(I'm sorry this got so long. If you think someone could benefit from reading this, post it. Otherwise, feel free to delete it. I'm not brave enough to post this on my personal blog.)

yeah the bnha fandom is awful

#mod erin #just anti things #ask #abuse mention

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haikpers · 4 years

Text

[November 4,2020] 'Chapter 2'

I didn't expect the Night to go by so slow. Ever since I started writing in this I was just so excited to write whatever happens!

Anyways, I just woke up. It's currently 8:30 in the Morning. Wasn't expecting to actually wake up considering the fact that I kinda stayed up most of the Night looking up at my ceiling.

I'm in my Washroom getting ready to take my Daily shower. I've also gotta mention that my Friend Julien picked me up from my House today. For some reason my Pimples always settle down when I'm with him. He's probably Magic at this point.

It's not like I completely want my pimples to be gone just because I wanna look pretty. In all honesty, I want them to go away because I wanna be just like Oikawa! I know it sounds weird, and heck yeah it sounds impossible. But like I at least want to be similar you know? I've got the personality, the same interests as him, etc. So why not looks too?

Oh right, because he's perfect and I'm not. But whatever! I don't really care. I should be taking Shower by now but I'm standing here typing whatever's on my mind. Oopsies~ hehehe

Also, last night I was able to talk to my Friends about moving out and living together in the future. They're definitely going to be my Future Volleyball Teammates! I know, I know, I'm still 14. And yes we may have some age gaps but that won't stop us from setting up a Goal!

Hopefully Future me or any of them doesn't decide to leave. I really want to achieve this Goal of hours living together and staying Best Friends! Miracle, Lev, Mochi, and Colette. The 4 most precious people in my Life so far including myself, we're going to try our best! Anyhoo, I need to take a shower!

Just got done with my Shower. I feel much more refreshed now! I also haven't eaten yet, which I probably should do.. But I'll stay a little longer just so that whatever I post today is actually longer than the one from Yesterday.

Hannah somehow managed to make me cringe at my past self, I wanna die- So basically I used to do digital art, well not used to- I still do digital art til' this day but rarely. My art style was crap, oh GODXDDDDFFKEMFKKWKC.

I wanted to forget about it too, damnit. Now I have to relive my old art.

No idea why my head hurts a bit though. Maybe it's because I've never written a Diary before and my Brain's just malfunctioning because of it. Whatever the cause is, I'm ignoring it. [Unless it gets worse]

Did I mention it was Wednesday today? No, I don't think I have. Either way I'm just excited for the weekly Haikyuu Episode. It always comes out on Friday, which I'm so hyped about! Now that I think about it, I don't think I would've been so invested in Volleyball if it weren't for Haikyuu. In fact, I wouldn't even bat an eye to Haikyuu if it weren't for Oikawa. He caught my eye in one of the Instagram Posts- so, basically he's the reason why I love the Sport.

It's funny to think that my Future is because of Oikawa Tōru, a fictional Character who is both the Setter and the Team Captain for Aobajohsai from Haikyuu. But hey, I'm not complaining! If it's because of him then I'll continue.

Alright, I probably should actually eat now. I'm getting pretty hungry and I'm sure that my Birds are too as well. Their names are Bokuto, and Akaashi. Bokuto is the yellow bird, while Akaashi is the Blue. It fits them so well!

Well, well, well, I am back from my break! Also, I actually took a shower but I came back here like 3 Hours or even more after. Not a lot of things happened during the span of those hours. [Sad, I know]

But I did end up practicing my tosses for a bit! I use my Laundry Basket as a target for my Volleyball to land into whenever I set/toss it. It's not much, but it improves my precision.

I haven't tried setting backwards with it though, I probably should since I might need more practice for that. Also, I read some Hisoka x Reader Fan Fictions. Some were Lemon, the rest were fluff.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do okay? I was kinda bored so I ended up reading some FanFictions before deciding to go back to my own Diary and continue my writing.

I'm not even sure if I could practice outside today.. It's pretty sunny, but I feel like it might be freezing cold. I might as well just wait for tomorrow when I can go to School. Maybe then I could ask my Music Teacher if there's a way for me to Practice in the Schools Gym.

Corona is really pissing me off, I can't even practice or try out for the Team this year! Argh! And I was looking forward to it too. And the fact that I can't find any Gyms that has a Volleyball Court? Really shatters me. How come Japan is more superior. Like, I just wanna practice in a Gym that let's you use the Court for free.

I swear, when I become a Professional Volleyball player, I'm gonna set up a Gym/program in Canada where girls' and boys' like me could practice in without having to rent. I'll even be the coach for the program! Big dreams for tiny me, huhu.

I'm feeling even more sleepy for writing, is that bad? I really do wanna include something exciting in this Chapter but I can't think of anything that has happened that would be worth mentioning.

I also made a promise to myself that I wouldn't discuss any Past Occasions on here sooo... I have to make my current situation entertaining I guess. But~ I can do that after I sleep. uwu

Also, I kind of want to mention a little secret of mine that I do every single day. Before I go to sleep, or like any time during the day; I imagine Oikawa living along side me, interacting with me, and basically just straight up acting like my Best Friend. I also act as if no one else could see him BUT ME! It's honestly a straight up serotonin boost. I even have those moments where I could actually feel warmth where I imagine him to be. It's amazing!

But of course other people wouldn't really understand how much these little imaginations mean to me. Not everyone is this obsessed, but whatever. The more unique I am, the more reason to stay just the way I am.

I'll go check if it's actually cold outside, that way I can see whether or not I could practice my serves. Quick tip, if you don't have a net! Use the swings in parks. You could serve over the Bars, it's pretty useful. But make sure you don't hit anybody!

Bro, I just asked my Mom if I could go outside and practice. She said yes, I'm so excited to actually practice my serves! Wish me luck! I'll be back after. It's like 16° so I need to at least wear a sweater.

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kagetsukai · 6 years

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Have you any advice for an aspiring writer, particularly on character development and building yourself as a writer? I've written a few 1-4 thousand word blabs but nothing major, however I'm looking to start up again soon. Thanks for any advice available 🙋

First of all, thank you for asking! I am beyond thrilled that you thought I could be of use to you in regards to writing :D Goodness knows, most days I feel like I just throw a few words together and hope they make sense. Either way, I'll try to give the best advice I can!

When you try to develop your characters, it can be difficult and tedious and take a long time. There are also different schools of thought on how you can go about it. Some will find endless lists of questions you can answer about your characters, and this way you can find out exactly what makes them tick and how to place them within your story. Personally, my brain does not work that way. Very often my characters will show up in my brain fully formed and only through story-telling do I get to find out the finer details of their background. And depending on how major the character, that may or may not work, but I really don't grill my characters on every tiny detail before I start a story. I do daydream about them a fair deal, though :P I think every writer does that...

This is where I give you my best advice: spend some time in crowds, listening and observing people without actually interacting with them. One, it will help you understand your fellow human better (and we all need that these days), but it will also help you figure out how people interact with each other. If you're at a party, watch how people behave when intoxicated. Pay attention to the quiet person in the corner. Try to figure out what people's stories are. THEN! Talk to people and actually hear those stories. Humans have some really interesting things to say, if you listen to them. Make notes, if your memory isn't great. Store it all in your brain so it can percolate and transform into a character other people would want to read about.

Another thing you want to do is read. I'm sure everybody else has already mentioned it, but it's a good advice. Some people will tell you to write every day to get better at your craft. I say, write consistently (let's say, every other day at most), but spend the time you're not writing doing something that will help you improve. Read authors you love. Read authors you hate. Why do you hate them? What would you do differently? Read a non-fiction. Read a romance novel. Also, don't limit yourself to one medium. When I'm feeling burned out on my writing, I pick up my guitar and just... plink away at it. It helps reset my brain away from MUST WRITE NAO! Having experiences outside of your story are super important in your development as a writer.

Oh, and let's address writing rules for a hot second. First of all, there are no hard rules about writing. As long as you're understood by your readers, everything goes. That being said, there had been scores of writers before us that put in a lot of time and effort into figuring out what is the most efficient way to communicate your thoughts. Get familiar with what these writers found out and see what works for YOU. All rules are meant to be broken, but don’t break a rule you don't understand first. Imagine being at a huge buffet and the rules of writing are the food you're supposed to eat. You can't pick everything because your stomach can't fit everything. So you make a decision: do you take a tiny piece of as much as you can and hope it goes well together, or you choose four/five things and stick to THOSE. You're the writer, you're the boss, you make the choice.

Lastly, it seems like you're trying to make the leap from short fiction to novella/novel-sized pieces. Personally, I don't have much experience with it, since I have yet to finish any of my long fics, BUT! Make sure you have an outline. It doesn't have to be a detailed outline with everything that happens, either. I will literally just make a list of things that have to happen in the story in bullet point form and just... add subpoints if/when necessary. I know there are people who like to write off the cuff, but it's unsustainable for longer fiction. Have an outline, trust me. And if things change? Well, hopefully your outline was in digital form, so you can move things around. That's the beauty of digial era *wink*

I hope this helped. If you have further questions, don't hesitate to poke me again. We can also chat directly, if you're interested. I'm not necessarily an expert on writing, but I can help direct you along on your journey. And above everything else: never surrender, never give up.

Nothing worth doing is ever easy.

#replies #on writing #this became longer than I anticipated #I hope it helps!#notfullyhollowyet

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overthinkingkdrama · 7 years

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Hey Jona! I've been meaning to muster up the courage to ask you this for some time now but haven't really known how to. In any case I just wanted to know if you had any advice for critical analysis writing? Along the lines of academic writing but more for fun like for dramas in general. I have been in awe of the way you articulated your thoughts in your analysis/commentary post for a while now and just wished I could do the same without coming off like an idiot sometimes. Thank you so much~

I apologize that it took so long for me to respond to this ask. I wanted to give it the full thought and attention it deserved.

Giving writing advice is always tricky, because it assumes some kind of expertise on the subject. Writing was my area of study in school, but I don’t presume to give generalized writing advice. Let’s face it, I’m just a bozo, reviewing foreign language television shows on the internet for free. But I’m extremely flattered that you enjoy what I’m doing, and since you find value here, it doesn’t really do to be falsely modest.

Here are my basic pointers and philosophy for writing reviews/analysis:

Know your Purpose in Writing

I was discussing this idea with my brother some time back and he pointed out something that I hadn’t really thought about, which is that I don’t come at my critical writing from a strictly consumer perspective. By which I mean, I don’t review things for the purposes of telling others what they should or should not watch. I review them from the standpoint of my own enjoyment and try to parse the story elements that make a drama effective or ineffective. I give opinions, I editorialize. Usually I will give a rating on a scale from 1-10 and tell you if I would recommend the drama or not, but I don’t set out trying to get someone to take a particular course of action. I think it’s good thing to know about yourself.

When I first started this blog, I did it with a mind to involve myself in the larger kdrama fandom. I wanted to find people with similar interests because nobody I knew in my real life was interested in kdrama at the time. As time went on I began to write formal reviews of the dramas I watched and enjoy interacting with people, producing content, and generally recording my journey into eastern media.

So I think it’s important if you want to write lucidly and well that you know exactly what you’re setting out to do when you start, and know that what you want to do might change over time.

Start with A Question

I don’t approach the writing I do on this blog in a very academic fashion, but my philosophy of review comes from my academic background in literary criticism. It’s not like I exactly sit around and come up with thesis statements for my writing, but I do attempt to start out with a question. Sometimes that question is as simple as “why do I like this?” “why isn’t this work for me?” and build from there. I attempt to answer my questions by analyzing things such a story structure, character development, tone and pacing.

The question you start with might become more or less specific. Most of the time I write pretty broadly and informally so “why do I like this?” is enough. But sometimes I want to editorialize about a subject that’s on my mind or weigh in subject that is being discussed in fandom and the question becomes narrower. Some actual questions I’ve written about or tried to write about: "Why don’t people like Wang Jung?“ or “Why is the infantilization of the female lead in Legend of Blue Sea a problem?” or “Why do I find the Jung/Seol relationship in Cheese in the Trap problematic?” etc, etc.

Keep in mind that when you set about organizing your thoughts and answering a question, your opinion on the subject might alter or change entirely as you think about it and get more information. Just because you start out with one answer to your given question, doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to change it as you go. Good writing comes from a place of intellectual honesty.

Edit and Rewrite Where Necessary

In the same vein, not only can you change your opinions with reflection and new information, you should feel comfortable editing, rearranging and sometimes straight up rewriting your thoughts wherever necessary. Good writing, by and large, is rewriting. Almost all first drafts of an idea are going to suck, whether you’re talking fiction or non-fiction. And contrary to popular belief, I don’t pour brilliance directly from my brain to my keyboard. Shocking, I know.

When I’m writing something more complex sometimes I will type it out or write it out by hand a couple different times before I start to compose in earnest. This allows me to make sure my ideas are cohesive and rearrange them so they flow in a logical manner. It also lets me see where my arguments are lacking or identify any little rabbit trails I can omit.

Write about Things that Pique Your Interest

This one’s pretty simple. Write about things you find yourself thinking about. Write about things that you want to read about. Don’t feel like you should be writing about things that nobody else is discussing. Don’t feel like you have to cover something because it’s popular or it’s controversial.

Ultimately, this is for fun. You’re not doing this for a grade or a paycheck. You’re probably not writing for a cause (although that doesn’t mean your writing can’t reflect the things that you feel strongly about.) You’ve decided to write about dramas because you like them and because you want to participate in the wider fandom. Give yourself the freedom to like what you like and fill your blog with things that you’re interested in, because chances are you’re not the only one who likes them.

I never write more poorly than when I’m writing about something I have no interest in but feel like I ought to.

Write a Lot

The fastest and best way to improve your writing ability is mileage. Plain and simple. Read a lot, by all means, seek feedback and try to emulate other writers/reviewers who you admire. All of these are great things. But writing is one of those pursuits where you can only really learn by doing. You won’t start growing or finding your voice until you put yourself out there and see what kind of response you get. I can almost guarantee it will be kinder than what you expect.

I really hope that was helpful.

Jona

#writing #asks #blog stuff

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