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pseudowho · 2 months

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hellooo Haitch, how are you ? Wanted to drop by and tell you that I enjoyed rereading some Nanami pieces from you now that you've been reblogging them with new headers Also wanted to ask you 2 things : 1. Tips for becoming a better writer ? As in how to improve flow, narration, description (without becoming overbearing), how to make characters more human and less unidimensional 2. Favourite books you've recently read and that you'd recommend ? i've been rereading old favourites like Lolita and the Catcher in the Rye and I desperately need something new :( Thanks a looot

Hiii! I'm having a hard week. It's my grandmother's funeral tomorrow, and I'm horribly afraid. I'm getting by, though. Thanks for asking 💕

TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER WRITER:

Read more, and read-- I cannot stress this enough-- challenging and variable material. Difficult books. Classics. Crappy chick-flicks. News articles. Thrillers, romances, murder mysteries, philosophy books, fantasy books. Research pieces. All of them add to the reference library in your mind than you can use to compare to. These all help with flow, narration, description, because they all give you styles of writing to imitate.

Onomatopoeia is your friend. Not just, in individual words (crash, plop, honk!) but in sentence structure. Someone who is angry but calm may sound staccato, crisp-- their words, their sentences, should snip accordingly. You're describing a slow-flowing river? Languid, lazy, loose and fluid rolling sounds bring it to mind.

Trust your reader. Show them, don't tell them. If your setting is a coffee shop, with bright yellow walls, sunflowers outside, and wonderful coffee that always wakes them up, at their favourite table by the window? Don't TELL them the coffee shop is that way. Show them through the way your character interacts with their environment. For example: "Kento's hands grazed those sunny petals, always reminding him, curiously, of a Van Gogh piece his grandmother displayed in his childhood. Stepping into the shop, blinded by the sunshine splashed on the walls and the earth-roast aroma, he spotted his regular table overlooking the street, still free; his barista seemed to have anticipated his arrival, sliding his drink to the front of the queue with a smile." See? The story is moved along AND the reader can picture the environment. Trust them to see the things you infer, without having to DIRECTLY SAY "the walls are yellow, there were sunflowers outside, and this was Kento's regular coffee shop". Capiche?

Some idiot once said to keep everything to the point. Whilst this is true, to some extent, your words choices should be luxurious, in that there is ALWAYS the perfect word for a mood, a smell, a taste, a touch, a feeling. Each word you choose being just so makes a story feel rich and flavoursome. The fact is, if you are struggling to describe something and you find yourself piling sentence after sentence of almost correct words...leave it. Come back when the correct word is there.

If you Selfship, SELFSHIP HARDER-- talk to these people in your head. Build scenarios with them. Savour their reactions and their responses, don't see them through rose-tinted lens either. Cross-reference them with people you know, people you HAVE KNOWN, find the perfect words to describe them to other people.

Empathise harder. Empathy is the core of understanding someone's character. Walk a mile in their shoes. It helps, trust me.

FAVOURITE STUFF I'VE READ LATELY:

I adore Natasha Pulley's "The Watchmaker of Filigree Street" and its sequel "The Lost Future of Pepperharrow". The Ben Aaronovitch "Rivers of London" series is also excellent. If you want a great atmospheric, beautifully perfect scene-setting ghost story, go for "The Haunting of Hill House" by Susan Hill. "Pachinko" (I can't recall the author and I'm away from my bookshelf) is another favourite of mine. "The Poppy War" is the first in a trilogy by R.F.Kuang, and although it was her debut novel and there are traces of immaturity there, she is blossoming and I genuinely threw the second book across the room at one point because the angst and plot-twists hit me so hard.

Phew.

I'm no professional writer, so these are just my thoughts.

Mr Haitch lectures in English Literature and Creative Writing, so the "trust your reader" is one that he offered.

Good luck, thanks for thinking I'm good enough to advise you on this.

-- Haitch xxx

#pseudowho #pseudowho answers you #writing tips #jjk #kento nanami

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sunflowergraves · 11 months

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Will Character Analysis: Panic Attacks

I did a breakdown of Will's character a few weeks ago after my first read-through of TSATS. I went back and reread the book (mostly because I'm obsessed), and I noticed something that I don't think a lot of people picked up on. Will was having panic/anxiety attacks throughout the course of the book.

I think this is extremely important to recognize because it gives us a better understanding of why Will was reacting the way he was during the entire quest. It also answers some questions that I previously had.

As someone who has severe anxiety and suffers from panic/anxiety attacks, it makes complete sense that Will would also. He is forced into uncomfortable and challenging situations that he can't control. He feels useless and incompetent, especially when it comes to helping his boyfriend. And he already felt lonely, scared, and unsure before they even started. Combine all that with overstimulation and stress and you've got yourself a great recipe for mental disaster.

If you don't want TSATS spoilers, I suggest stop reading here. I'm going to provide some examples from the book to help me out. This will also be pretty long tbh lol.

The Subway Ride:

As they were leaving the station, Nico asked Will to stop shaking his leg (an anxious habit). Soon after this, Nico noted that Will had closed his eyes and started using a breathing technique. He also said that Will did this often to calm down and decided to leave his boyfriend alone.

Breathing techniques are a very common way to help prevent an attack or calm them down. I've had it drilled into my head that breathing techniques are one of the first things to do when I feel overly anxious/upset.

As a healer, Will most likely knows about these and uses them to help keep calm. He had just experienced a very stressful taxi ride (which he is described as clinging to the seatbelt for dear life) and is now on a train to start his journey to Tartarus. I'd be freaking out too.

The Trog Tunnels:

The second time Will exhibited an attack was when they were crawling through the tunnels with the Trogs to get to Menoetius farm. Will was complaining about feeling closed in and felt like the tunnel would collapse. He also started feeling nauseous, woozy, and forgetful. The second they left the tunnel, Will immediately needed to rest. He kept his eyes closed and felt better once he had a minute to breath.

These are all symptoms of a panic/anxiety attack. While symptoms definitely range based on the severity of an attack, the most common ones are dizziness, nausea, and brain fog. This is because your brain is tricked into thinking what is happening is a life-or-death situation. It's pumping adrenaline into your body, but there's nothing happening physically to you. This leaves you with a body filled with energy and a mind screaming with chaos.

The only way to really stop these attacks is to sit down somewhere you feel comfortable (literally anywhere but a tunnel in Will's case) and calm yourself down.

The Tartarus Argument:

The fourth example is the argument Will and Nico had after the whole pigeon fiasco. The power of anxiety leads you into overthinking and what was Will doing? He believed that Nico was going to abandon him and that he deserved it. He was 100% convinced of this despite Nico's very stubborn loyalty trait. Will literally broke down in gasping sobs, unable to think of anything but being left behind.

Will had been facing attack after attack since this moment that he finally just broke. When faced with doubt and fear and panic towards the one he loves, towards the person he trusts, coming back from that brink is almost impossible.

Tartarus:

Will was basically in a constant state of panic during the entire Tartarus trip. He was pale, shaky, loopy, and irritated. The rational brain train had left the station and it was not coming back.

As a fellow struggler of anxiety and attacks, I'm glad they added this side of anxiety, even if it was never explicitly stated. I believe that it was purposeful that both authors didn't state that Will was having attacks because it is a sensitive and heavy topic that is hard to discuss, especially when they were covering a bunch of other bases.

The main reason I wanted to make this though was again to drive him the point that Will was not a whiny, weak-spined character. He was struggling with his own anxiety and fears which drove him to act the way he did. I always see people preaching the importance of supporting others, yet my dash is filled with angry, hateful comments towards a character that is meant to represent people like me.

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tattooeddeadtreelover · 10 months

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How I Annotate Books:

Here's a little tutorial that nobody asked for 🤭🤭 on how I annotate my books because it's fun and I'm obsessed!!

Firstly:

Get rid of that "books are sacred" mentality - or just learn to be okay with only the books you've annotated being a bit messy. (There are also other ways around this: like buying two copies of a book, but im too broke for that 😓.)

Annotating Materials:

You don't need an excessive amount of expensive materials to annotate: a pen or pencil would be perfectly fine!!

However, I usually use:

Black Pen - I would recommend a nice one but like I just use any shitty little pen I can find.

Highlighters - You could use any colours I would either match it to the cover art or to the different tabs I use. (ALSO USE A RULER PLEASE 🙏 🙏 IM BEGGING IT LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER)

Sticky Tab Things - Yk what I'm on about I match mine to the cover cos the neon ones make me violently ill 🤮🤮❌️❌️❌️. But anyways...I usually just use nice coloured ones to match my highlighters or the cover design.

Post It Notes - Again, I always colour match but I found this nice brown ones on amazon which like match the bookish vibe 🤭🤭 so I use them if I don't have any other option.

That's mainly what I use but you could also experiment with colourful pens and gel pens or pencils!! Do whatever you want, but I do advise that it looks best if there is some kind of colour coordination.

Annotating:

Tabbing System: I'll usually have tabs for characters and analysis (dependent on how rich the book's language is) and fave quotes🥰🥰. I know that some people like to tab emotional or romantic parts but I'm not really big on that.

What I Write: Usually dependent on the book, but most of the time its just my stupid little commentary on everything. Sometimes I may actually form an eloquent analysis but that's like once in a blue moon type shit. If I'm feeling smart ig...Anyways some more examples (from my beloved..)

Some of my more stupid notes: featuring me simping over Henry Marchbanks Winter (this is a judgement-free zone!!).

In contrast, more in-depth analysis, or waffle idk?? Depends on your perspective.

^^This is the paragraph for context. 🥰🥰

What I Highlight: Any pretty quotes or prose (Donna Tartt's writing>>>), key plot points or information about characters, or just anything I want to make a note about.

I circle, underline, and draw throughout my books, again, it all really depends on the book and it's genre (A romance is more likely to have doodles and less than intelligent remarks, whereas, literary fiction may have analysis and more detailed annotations).

In summary, you can write, draw and scribble whatever you want in your book: it doesn't have to be an amazing analysis on similes and metaphors (unless you want it to be). Just do what you feel is necessary or what you think suits the book!!! And make sure you're having fun!!🥰🥰 Annotating should be an enjoyable experience not ruining the reading in itself.

Annotating on the first read VS Rereads:

Most people don't like the idea of annotating the first time you read a book because it "ruins the flow of reading" or something along those lines. I personally don't believe that to be the case, but I understand why people feel that way 😁😁 . Like most things related to annotating: it's all based on your personal preference. I like to think that annotating on the first read almost captures and records your live reaction to the book, whereas annotating on a reread gives a chance for more in-depth analysis. They both have their benefits, and it usually depends on how I feel. Just do what you think is best 🥰🥰.

This is a really long post damn....and I think that's everything??? If you have any other questions, then please feel free to ask!!

And yeah,

Have fun annotating!!!

#books #reading #annotation #annotating books #annotations #dark academia aesthetic #the secret history #tsh #bookish #bookworm #art of annotating #booklr

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batrachised · 1 year

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AU where Teddy moves away, goes to therapy, and realizes his mother wasn’t just clingy, she’s abusive. Sabotaging someone to keep them isnt love. You can be hurting and still held accountable for your actions. Their reactions to your boundaries are not your responsibility.

Teddy gets a job as a police sketch artist.

He comes back to the island to visit and starts getting Very Alarmed about Dean. He replays their childhood in his head with a new, adult perspective and sees it all click into place.

He talks to his therapist and his law enforcement contacts and realizes he can’t have actually have Dean arrested and that Emily might be too groomed to see what’s going on. After all it took him years himself and he’s removed from the situation and isn’t the target.

He talks to Aunt Elizabeth and Ilse and Perry and they make a plan. (Idk what specifically tbh)

Ultimately it will be up to Emily to leave but they’re gonna do what they can to give her the space and safety to start thinking more clearly about it.

Teddy carefully starts telling Emily what he learned about abuse and boundaries and keeps it all about him and his mother but hopes she’ll think about Dean.

He carefully asks questions and listens without giving her any specific advice unless she asks.

“Why do you feel you owe him? Do you feel that way about other people in your life?”

“It sounds like you feel responsible for his disappointment?”

I keep trying to find a way Teddy (or better yet - Emily) can have Dean arrested but I can’t come up with it.

Man Teddy could have been such a good character and he was just fully wasted. Emileddy even has interesting opposite-but-similar trauma in so many ways.

Lucy Maud didn’t even try with them. 😩

YOU UNDERSTAND MY PAIN ABOUT TEDDY KENT! Normally I try to avoid dunking on teddy because if you like him, great! don't let me spoil your fun! However, emily and teddy are my least favorite lmm pairing

Re: teddy's mom, I think that's something we see appear more than once in LM Montgomery's work--someone who is emotionally abusive or worse but legitimized through being presented as a tragic figure. Unfortunately no examples come to mind, but iirc her short stories can have that theme. An extreme example is the short story of the man who falls in love with a woman, she chooses to marry someone else and has a daughter, he helps raise the daughter, and then MARRIES THE DAUGHTER IN WHAT'S PRESENTED AS A FIX IT SCENARIO.

With Teddy, I honestly think the problem is that he doesn't balance out Emily well. Other LMM pairings go very well together in a satisfying contrast--Teddy doesn't. I still (yes, still) need to embark on my reread of the trilogy (Emily of New Moon is sitting on my dresser as I type), but although my memory could be deeply flawed and downright horrifically wrong (yes i'm still scarred about dean priest), I remember him being too similar to Emily, and more than that--being dull as dishwasher compared to all the other male characters, especially Perry!

Your ideas are very appealing because they make him protective of Emily haha, he needed something...more to his character. If I were writing Emily, although I do not pretend to have anywhere close to LMM's talent, I would probably just give her a love interest with an entirely different personality. What would that look like? I don't know! I do think that Teddy Kent was not a good foil to Emily Byrd Starr, and the book suffered for it (at least for me!)

#the best choice probably would have been to have Emily end up alone but I understand why LMM didn't do it #I for one would have been upset as a child haha #when I think of emily I think of someone who is sensitive and proud #perry was a good foil to her even tho I think they'd be a boring pairing because ilse exists #teddy was not

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starsreminisce · 4 months

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Is society moving backwards? The way I see fandoms behave is so off putting

It does feel that way when reading about how Gwyn's SA history doesn't excuse her predatory behavior towards Azriel. When I call out the person, they insist they didn't mean it negatively.

ACOSAF, released in 2018, shows Lucien giving Elain space, and Azriel and Elain growing closer. ACOSF develops the triangle, with SJM barely giving Elriel moments but reminding us that Elucien still exists, renewing my hope. The blasted Az BC complicates matters, featuring Gwyn prominently and Az's feelings for Elain, albeit framed as purely sexual with resentment toward her bond. The lack of new info for five years keeps us relying on the existing narrative.

Half the time, it’s just pinpointing why engage in content someone doesn’t agree with?

Therapy has taught me two things: if I can let it go, let it go. If I can't, is it worth my time to engage with someone who won't agree with me? If I choose to, I express it solely to avoid dwelling on it, understanding that my goal is not to change your mind but to clear mine.

Honestly, I struggle with this, particularly in the beginning, which is why I've revived my Tumblr.

I genuinely appreciate reading differing opinions; healthy discussions help me reconsider different perspectives, expanding my world. However, I prefer seeking them when I'm in the right frame of mind to receive them. If you're in my inbox seeking to change my mind, be prepared that I won't. Personally, it took a bonus chapter for me to even acknowledge Elriel.

And that’s lowkey worse because all I see are red flags for both Elain and Azriel.

Here's hoping the new ACOTAR book is announced in around six months, and a detailed blurb about the featured couple is provided, allowing readers to adjust their expectations accordingly.

However, the Bryceriels has taught me that people will believe what they want, and sometimes they think they know better than the actual author.

Cut because now I’m just venting to vent

I enjoy revisiting passages and discovering new Elucien parallels or details that discredit an Elriel endgame. A point against Elriel is still a point towards Elucien for me. Sometimes I worry about coming off as a hater, but I prefer pulling examples from the actual books rather than labeling fans of a certain ship as misogynists, illiterate, lacking reading comprehension, or delusional. We've all read the same books, and I just don't see Elriel the same way they do.

Even though I'm the one providing quotes that Elucien's bond snapped, emphasizing that Lucien and Tamlin weren't involved in their kidnapping, clarifying that Azriel didn't lunge for Elain, and pointing out that Azriel did care when Gwyn was taken, it's frustrating to encounter absurd nitpicking. Responses like "the thread is on the lower rib and that doesn't feel like where it should be," "they were still involved with Hybern," "that's because of the ash arrow," "Emerie is there too," and "Madja overheard them talking about it, that's how she knew Lucien is Elain's fake mate" make it challenging to have constructive discussions.

If there's a need to prompt people to reread the series with a focus on specific clues, it suggests that those details weren't initially apparent or obvious from the beginning.

#asks #maybe one day I’ll share my unhinged antie/riel thoughts #let out that sag mercury #I make one elucien tiktok comment for some e/riel to come at me with 50 comments on why their ship has more proof

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firesign23 · 11 months

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Can you tell me about The Queen's Thief at middle? (at length might be too much for my currently achievable level of attention 😅)

WELL, good news, I did something very stupid yesterday and mid-length is probably the most I can type right now 😂

So, my caveats I always supply before starting my rec:

The first book in the series is middle grade fiction. It’s good middle grade fiction with a lot of the same skillful execution that makes me feral for the series, but there is a maturity jump from book one to book two, and I recommend you read at least a little into book two before deciding if the series is for you. AFTER book one.

GO IN BLIND. I cannot stress enough how good it is to go in blind. No art. No reviews. Just buckle in and see where you end up. The series is good even when you know what is coming--and that’s a whole point later on--but that first exquisite moment where all the threads pull together? Experience it, you’ll thank me

Now, to keep this short I shall bullet point. Or try to. Parts of this will require a lot of “Trust me, it’s worth it” because, well, see above re: spoilers.

The series is set in a historical pseudo-Mediterranean locale, which is honestly fantastic. Really sort of blends the worlds of Greek myths and Tolkien bucolic fantasy that was many fantasy fans gateway drugs, while also feel entirely distinct. I know fantasy has spread out its influence to cultures beyond western Europe nowadays, but the first Queen’s Thief book was published in 1996 so it was definitely early to adopt that.

The actual fantasy element is handled in such a fun way? To say too much means spoilers, but it is a story about people first and foremost, and the fantasy elements just give the plot a push from time to time.

And oh god, the people. THE PEOPLE. I love these characters. I named my cat after one of them. My youngest child has decided that Gen is his favourite character of all time and dressed up as him for a school event. But the characters in this series are just… they’re wonderful. They are complex, with their own motivations and histories and views. My kid went from hating to loving a character in the second book in a single chapter because we got to see who they were and how they came to be that person. There are disabled characters and queer characters, but never in a way that feels checkmarky. They are funny and harsh and kind and just… human, in a way that brings me so much joy.

And not only are the characters great alone, their relationships? Again, spoilers, but this series has so many good relationships. Romantic and platonic and antagonistic. Family of choice to the EXTREME. Unlikely friendships. There is a moment in a later book where two characters hold hands and I teared up.

THE. WRITING. I could go on and on and fucking ON about the writing, whole post in itself. But it makes me feral. The books’ use of perspective are art, absolutely exquisite. Each book does something unique with the narrative point of view, and does it deliberately. The first person perspective is telling us a story, and tells us what he wants us to know. The historical record makes the characters the most human by letting us see behind the Great Events. It’s just one of my favourite examples of POV I’ve ever read.

The narrative never lies to us, but trusts the reader to draw connections. This is one of those “Makes more sense with spoilers” moments, but the writing is incredibly good at telling us everything we need to know exactly when we need to know it, and not before. And it results in this fantastic joy when it all pulls together--it’s not really plot twists, because we have been told (almost) everything, but you get an incredible payoff.

The books get better with every reread. I was recently working through the second book with my kid, who devoured The Thief two years ago (and probably a dozen times since) but wanted to be a bit older before tackling the rest of the series, and I was still catching details that I had missed or forgotten from previous reading.

The contents of the stories are just… there’s war and grief and rage, politic machinations, trauma, betrayal. And the narrative doesn’t handwave those things, but it doesn’t wallow in delight in them either. It’s just a series that takes you by the hand and says “Bad things happen, and we will live with those things forever, but it doesn’t have to define you. What’s important is the connections we make with other people, who will catch you when you fall.” Reading the series leaves me with that same hopefulness that drew me to Discworld? I may not be explaining it well.

The actual writing style, on top of being masterful, is so much fun. It’s sparse, but in a way that makes every word feel important. It’s delightfully funny, heartbreaking, evocative. Just a joy to sink into.

And I just realised this is definitely getting long, so I’ll stop for now. But I highly, highly, highly recommend the series. And hey, if this made anyone want to vote for The Queen’s Thief, the poll is here!

(Also, if you do read it and like the series, the author is on tumblr and is an interesting person to follow. Just don’t do it before reading, because occasional spoilers)

#Attolia #asks #the queens thief #megan whalen turner #the QT fandom is also awesome?#smart and insightful and there are so many good meta posts that say the above in much better ways #I think this is the series that has made me scream while reading the most because there are Moments in every single book

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angelahmonroe · 1 month

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How do you stay motivated to keep writing when you have no inspiration??

How I Stay Motivated

Staying motivated to write takes a lot of work. Motivation to write will come and go. For example:

The Kingdom of Misfortune (TKOM): It took me 6 years to write this book, mostly because I wasn't motivated. I was in high school, then college, suffering through an illness and losing an entire organ in my digestive tract. But I now know tips that would've saved me so much more time if I had just followed them.

The Whispers of Eternity (TWOE): It took me a year to fully finish this book.

The new secret series: The first book took me three months.

So, I have some tricks I've learned since 2021, when I released TKOM, which I will happily share.

Outlining.

When I wrote TKOM, I did it entirely off the dome. At the time, I didn't see a problem with that, but I experimented with some outlining with TWOE and learned that it really does wonders. It does more than I thought it would. Outlining sets an expectation. It allows me to know where this chapter will start, what it will contain, and where it will end. Of course, sometimes my characters throw me a curveball, and we go off the outline. That is okay because outlines can be adjusted. Another thing outlining really helps me with is if you go a few days without writing and need help remembering precisely what a character says, you don't have to go hunt for what chapter it's in. In my outline, I give a brief one-sentence description of a conversation. "They talked about his childhood," for example. That tells me if I need to remember what was said, that is the chapter I need to reread. It saves me so much time. You just need to be good at summarizing the entire chapter within one short paragraph.

Set Goals.

You can set goals that you want to meet and hold yourself to it. Could you start with small goals that you want to accomplish each day? This could be as simple as writing 3,000 words a day. Could you give yourself a time limit each day to achieve these goals? I set harsh deadlines for myself to follow with TWOE. I wanted the first rough draft completed within five months. I accomplished that even though I wasn't motivated each day because I stuck to my goals. Do not set yourself up for failure by setting unreasonable goals. You know yourself better than anyone else. What works for some people will not work for you, which is okay. Just because I wrote the first draft of a book in three months does not mean that's reasonable for you. This is my third one, after all.

Take Breaks.

Taking breaks is essential. It keeps you from getting burnt out on your ideas. Sometimes, you cannot force writing. It's okay to put a project down for a little bit. You must be confident in your ability to shelve something to work on something else. For example, I shelved book 3 of The Western World Chronicles for an entirely new series. I knew I wasn't in the right place to write it. Don't force it. Return when your mind is fresh and ready to continue. Breaks don't have to be long, either. Short breaks are just as helpful. Days, weeks, months. They're all valid.

Avoid Distractions.

Sometimes, you just need to lock yourself in a quiet room with no TV, music, or anything else. I can't write if my husband is in the room. He's my biggest distraction, and multiple times, I have had to lock him out of the room. Of course, this requires money, but some people work best if they travel to a remote place specifically to write. I would love to be able to afford to travel to the places where my new series takes place. It has multiple settings all over the US and even the rest of the world. I'd love to write these chapters in these places and experience what life is like there. Greece and Dubai are two areas directly mentioned in the new series. I've never been to either.

Reward Yourself.

Each time you meet one of your goals, reward yourself. Go get ice cream! Order a new book! Set up a gold star chart for yourself like they do kindergartens. Do whatever will make you feel accomplished.

Write Everyday.

I don't mean to write your story every day. Just write something every day. There are multiple places to go to get free writing prompts. Do one every day. Make it a habit and stick to it.

Enter Writing Contests.

Shockingly, I still do this. Reedsy, for example, has writing contests. You do have to pay to enter for a chance at a prize, but if you just want to enter a story for others to read but not to be judged or do the prompt, it is entirely free. You can enter hundreds of other contests; you just have to find them.

Find Inspiration.

Sometimes, inspiration doesn't flow. In the writing space, there is no such thing as a completely original idea. There are too many books and authors for that. If you've drawn inspiration from something for your current project, please feel free to soak it up. Each time you're feeling unmotivated, return to it. You can also look for similar titles in the same genre and check them out. Do not copy, though. Copying and taking inspiration from are two different things.

Take Care of Yourself.

My most important tip is that you should ALWAYS take care of yourself. Make sure you've eatenand drink water or another liquid while you write. Take care of your body. Take a shower. Go to the gym. These things help you not only physically but also mentally.

There are more tips. I am sure I could come up with another five, but these are the ones I use daily. I think they are the most important ones to follow.

I hope this helps :D

-Angela

#books #writing #creative writing #writing tips

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daily-clace · 1 year

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Hi!!

Don't you just love it when you read about Clace as side characters and they're just being a cute couple?

I've been reading TDA, The Tales from Shadowhunters Academy and the extras and just enjoying seeing Clace from the other characters pov, just them being "Jace's expression softened looking Clary" or "Clary and Jace are weirdly good together" etc, "Jace sleeping on Clary's lap" or "I've never seen anyone else in love like them (....)" or "Jace and Clary can always be persuaded to go together" or when Jace says "where Clary go I go" in TFTSA

I'm paraphrasing obviously cuz i can't remember the exact quotes but yeah 💖💖💖

And I've also noticed how they're actually quite a playful couple--outside of their own books, cuz when we're reading from Clary's and Jace's perspectives, they seem quite serious sometimes since we're reading their thoughts basically

But i love how to other characters, they're portrayed as still acting like teens and early adults later on. I just--Cassandra Clare *chefs kiss*

Closest example i remember rn since I've just finished TFTSA is when Sizzy and Clace had this double date and Clace is just playing footsie under the table (and Jace may have accidentally rubbed his leg against Simon's) xDD

They're just---Clary and Jace are so cute individually and also in love i just 🥺🥺🥺💖

This is not an ask or anything but i just needed to write this down somewhere cuz I have all these new feelings about them from rereading xD (I read TMI years ago but only just started the other series now)

I'm sorry for the long 'ask' and thank you for your daily Clace quotes! 💖🦆

Hi, love! :D

I'm so sorry for taking so long to answer!! But my life was chaotic this week and I didn't have a lot of time on tumblr and I didn't want to give you a lame answer of three words or something like that 🫣But it's finally saturday and it looks like my life it's back under control, well mostly anyways, so I got some time to fangirl now 😌

Yes!!! I totally do!! I mean, I love TMI of course, but my kids suffered a LOT on those books, so reading about Clace from different characters' perspective on other books it's so refreshing! I love it 🤩🥰

Like how they notice the way Clary touches Jace or how Jace looks at Clary, the way some people is even jealous of their relationship or think they would never fit with someone else the way Jace and Clary do, how in love they are, I'm all here for it!!! 🤩🤩💕

And yes! The playful part 😂😂 I agree, they seem a lot more serious with each other on their books. I love their dynamic in CoB because they got more into each other nerves in that book 😂 But I can't blame them, I mean, CoA and most of CoG was pure hell for them. CoFA wasn't much better. CoLS wasn't really Jace and CoHF (my favorite btw) they were a little more playful in that one. Point is, they were facing some serious problems in TMI, I understand Cassie didn't portrayed them more playful with each other on those books 🫠 So I'm so happy to see them in the other books, happy and confident in their relationship 🥰🥺 I mean, it’s also canon that they are playful with each other even during sexy times 😂😏🔥

And bestie, how they seem to be able to have sex on almost every place? Like on the floor in faerie? They can. On the floor in the greenhouse? They can. Let's not even start talking about caves in Hell. They have no chill 😂😂😂

Also Clary smacking Jace every now and then is so funny to me, they're that kind of couple 😂😭😂

BESTIE NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR A LONG ASK ON MY BOX. I love to receive asks!!! Especially about some fangirling about Clace 😌😌✨

#dailyclace #clace #jace herondale #clary fairchild #ask #🌻✨

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unionize-aromantically · 4 months

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Thinking about the "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs". I obviously strongly believe this is a good way to divide up work and tasks and chores and property and services etc. I've been thinking about how to apply it on a personal level. When struggling to do things myself I've cooperated with others also struggling, and called it this. But I'm thinking I could apply it more to ownership.

I think one way to apply "to each according to his needs" is to think you should only own what you need. Sorta Marie Kondo style, although "need" may include fewer things than "sparks joy" does.

Now with yule/christmas it's best to wish for and buy things that are necessary anyway. Not luxuries like jewelry and a fourth video game console, but things like shampoo, clothes/shoes that need replacing or sewing tools (for mending). And for me I have most of what I need, so I tried wishing for just money to a charity in my name cause like, "to each according to his need". Unfortunately the people around me weren't all that excited about that. I have tried wishing for wool clothes, cause they're gonna be pretty ethically made (although possibly undersold in terms of value) plus long lasting (meaning less pointless consumption and better for the environment and by extension literally everything and everyone).

There's also just, the rest of the year/years/time. I have some stuff to donate cause for example I have books I own that I won't reread. That I'll probably donate or sell depending on things like whether any place will accept them. I think donating books to the salvation army is probably better than letting them rot in my ownership, serving no purpose at all (I won't reread every book). But I just need to figure out where they accept what. Also: what I even can/will give away. and yeah some can be sold, cause like, they're best off serving as many people as possible, even if that just means 2 people (me and the next owner). I also have nonbook stuff but yeah. That's pretty much the same deal. With clothes there are usually more options to give it away.

I do wonder if there are any things that I don't consider like "obviously donateable" that I should get rid off somehow. I was doing a Norstat survey the other day and it reminded me I own and have access to much I don't use at all. So I could probably get rid of plenty of things that I "think are nice", but ultimately don't use. Because how can it be a "need" if I don't use it?

Now I'll say I don't use the harshest way to apply this, which is saying you only need literally the bare essentials like food, clothes and hygiene. I do believe you can need to have fun and hobbies and such. Hence me specifying the "fourth console", being something obviously excessive. If you have three consoles and really want a fourth one you should probably at least sell one or three old ones ykwim? Fun isn't bad, but excess is way too normalized and encouraged. This topic could be expanded upon for ages, so I'll cut this short here. You know consumerism, classism etc.

Also yeah "from each according to his abilities" is a thing to apply. I mean this one is kinda simple to me. But like, yeah contributing both with like occupation (education/work) and generally in communities and socially. Volunteering, doing favors etc when able. And recognizing that sometimes you aren't able to do more, and some obstacles to contribution are immovable and that doesn't make you bad. You aren't "supposed to" do more than you are able to.

#personal #ink.post #txt

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justmybookthots · 5 months

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Hush, Hush

The reason I read this? Because a booktuber I was following shared an hour-long video of her reacting to the entire series and I was like: hey! I read part of the first book as a teen! And since I just recently reread City of Bones (see review), why not continue my streak of rereading trashy YA relics? It's the archaeologist in me speaking, I swear. And also the masochist!

Now, after finishing this book, I have come to announce in my review that I am really, really burnt-out. 😂 It's… a lot of teenage angst. I'm only done with the first book and this madwoman pushed herself and read ALL FOUR BOOKS:

The sheer IRONY of her video title given that I read it because I saw her video, LOL.

So I don't even know how to begin this review. First of all, I definitely found City of Bones more enjoyable than this. Does it mean City of Bones is a better book? Eh. I think CoB had more things in the plot to distract me (finding the Cup, lots of magical adventure) from the main leads, but this book circles a lot around Patch and Nora.

And boy were both of them the weirdest people to exist.

I want to say they're a product of their time, and in a way they are, but I've also seen other books in this time that aren't this bad. Regardless, you can really see how aged the book is from this interaction here:

All the mean-girl Marcie did call Nora was "geek" and "freak" but Nora? Not just did she slut-shame Marcie, she called her an anorexic pig. This is our heroine, guys. This is who we're supposed to root for. It's genuinely hilarious how the masses collectively ignored how problematic this was in 2009.

In any case: Nora spends most of her days swooning over Patch while simultaneously telling herself how dangerous he is. I get the "dangerous" part, but the swooning? What? HOW? Other than him looking (I guess?) physically attractive, there is NOTHING about him to swoon about. He is so creepy, I swear if he said half the things he did to me IRL, I'd call the cops and file a restraining order. LIKE, I'M NOT KIDDING. THIS MAN HAS ZERO GAME. ZERO. When asked by the biology teacher what he looks for in a mate (I know. The question was already, um, hella weird), Patch says things like:

"Intelligent. Attractive. Vulnerable."

Vulnerable?? VULNERABLE. This is Creeper 101. Also during his first meeting with Nora, out of nowhere, he goes:

"Do you sleep naked?" he asked.

There's a thousand more examples of him saying the weirdest, creepiest shit, but it'd be tomorrow by the time I list them out. My point is: if this is him trying to flirt, it's giving police sirens. And Nora's reaction, instead of running from him, is to dwell on how conflicted she is about her attraction (??) and fear towards him. At some point, she's stalking his workplace to interview his coworkers if he's a felon or has a criminal record and I KID YOU NOT, her last question ending this is: Does he have a girlfriend?

And I don't even want to talk about her best "friend", Vee. I use quotation marks because this isn't really a friend but bless the author, she seems to believe Vee is remotely some kind of friend to Nora. When Elliot (some dude in the story) assaults Nora, this is what Vee says:

Guys, Elliot is going to feel so horrible tomorrow after assaulting Nora. 🙁 Vee is SO right, we need to worry about the pain he's in instead of taking the matter of assault seriously. Because fuck your best "friend" since Elliot is more important, am I right?

To make matters worse, Elliot was assaulting Nora to try to coerce her to go on a camping trip with him and Vee. So get this: Vee, despite hearing about the assault, STILL tries to persuade Nora to go on the camping trip because it'd be fun! In the end, Vee going for the camping trip causes Nora to have to rescue her (since Elliot is obviously a deviant), and Nora practically endangers her life to save Vee's sorry ass. Me, I'm not so kind. I'd munch popcorn and sip wine and have a jolly good time picturing Vee getting murdered. Cheers!

Anyway. Negative points aside, I didn't see the Jules twist coming, and I kinda did like that. The downside, however, is that everyone is an idiot, especially Nora. For example, the new therapist Miss Greene was clearly shady from the start—she'd say the sketchiest nonsense, and Nora would just be vaguely suspicious before taking it all in stride. It's WILD. Her behaviour for 80% of this book makes zero fucking sense. The only thing I can commend her for is that she's proactively trying to solve an investigation for most of the book... even if she's going the worst possible way at it.

And also when Patch says at the end of the book that he's fallen for Nora and no longer plans to sacrifice her? I was like, WHEN? When did you fall for her? Most of your interactions were just you saying creepy stuff and her thinking about how hot and dangerous you were. When did the falling-in-love happen, exactly?

I AM SO CONFUSED.

I don't really have more to say about this book other than I am really, really hoping we (as readers or writers) have collectively moved on from this madness in 2023. In any case, will I continue this series? I don't know. I do like trashy reality TV, but too much of it and I might get a stroke. Reading City of Bones and then this almost back to back has taken me out. (And yet… there is a distant INANE part of me that's whispering: Time to go back and reread every trashy YA series circa 2010.)

- 16 Nov 2023

#book review #book blog #hush hush #becca fitzpatrick #romance books #the shadowhunter chronicles #shadowhunters #cassandra clare

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sophielovesbooks · 1 year

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People were asking for more book content, so here are my (spoilery!) and complex thoughts on Hell Bent!

...

First of all, I had a lot of fun reading this book. When rating it, I briefly considered giving it only like 3.5 stars. Then I was like: Hey, I had a great time overall, so it deserves 4 stars for sure.

So the first positive is that it was entertaining. The second big positive for me is still Alex's character. To me, she is one of the most interesting MCs I've encountered in a while. I realised that she is somewhat similar to my MC in my current WIP (though I doubt my character was truly inspired by her because I had read Ninth House in 2018 and didn't start planning my novel until June 2022, so I don't think there was much of a direct influence). I was fascinated to find out more about her backstory.

Some moments, just like in Ninth House, were truly heartbreaking, particularly the moment where she thought she had found Hellie again. Also the recurring theme of how it should have been Hellie who made it out and Alex who died. Oof. Loved that.

Moments between Alex and her mum were also really well written and impactful.

But now on to the things I didn't like. For one, the fact that getting to hell took up so many pages only for the reader to find out that Alex could have easily done it on, like, the first page. That was... annoying.

A big disappointment to me were the scenes of getting into and being in hell. Having just reread Ninth House, I was expecting something super emotional here. Also I believe Dawes mentioned they would have to be buried alive? I was intrigued, was looking forward to a terrifying description of what that feels like. And I feel cheated because I don't believe I got that? Then being in hell... I was imagining more emotion, like the characters reliving the absolute worst they have been through? (Though the short stories about the murders were great, especially Tripp's!)

My perhaps biggest issue were the unclear stakes but that's something that almost always annoys me in fantasy. Internal bleeding that almost killed you? Seems pretty serious. But wait, what's that, you can bathe in goat's milk (?) and be instantly better? Convenient. Especially when considering that this cure-all had never been mentioned before??

So yeah, to me it feels like this constant moving of the goal posts or something? The characters badly need X. Oh, wait, no, they can replace it with Y instead. X is deadly! Oh, but not if you have Y, don't worry.

I just hate that. In addition to that: The magic in general felt a bit... ridiculous to me at times? I want to say... childish? Magic potions and so on? I don't know, it's just not for me. Seems a bit silly, if you know what I mean. My biggest gripe here was Tripp at the end. That felt ridiculous and honestly so YA to me? Yeah. Not a fan of that particular twist.

People's emotions (for example Mercy's) weren't always realistic to me. If there was a chance I could die doing ANYTHING I would be right out of there. And I feel like that'd be the natural reaction. I would NOT willingly go to hell for probably anybody. So I personally would have preferred if Turner and Tripp had been coerced into it.

Two minor things: This second book, to me, was missing the murder mystery vibes of the first one. And I don't get why everyone is so obsessed with Darlington. (There, I said it. Sue me.)

And finally: I LOVED the theme of Alex being a survivor and as a result a bit of a shitty person. But I didn't like the fact that it was spelled out like that and repeated so many times. Amazing character trait and amazing theme, but please be more subtle about it.

As you can probably see, fantasy truly isn't my genre (13-year-old me is weeping; it used to be my fave). Alex is a great character and Leigh Bardugo a fantastic writer, though! For me personally, I believe that if these books were simply about Alex trying to make it at Yale given her past - and perhaps becoming involved in some sort of solidly plotted murder mystery - they would be among my absolute faves. But alas... vampires, half-demons and wheelwalkers. ..

#hell bent #ninth house #leigh bardugo #book review #booklr #reading #i realise this is sort of negative and i am so sorry #as i said i gave it 4 stars bc i wanted to be fair since i WAS entertained while reading #but yeah #i did find many things to criticise

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ashereadsstuff · 6 months

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'Gwen & Art Are Not in Love' By: Lex Croucher

I received an ARC from Wednesday Books Through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating out of 5: 🌟🌟(2/5)

Release Date: November 28, 2023

Content Warnings: Violence, Death of parent, War, Homophobia, Blood, Alcoholism, Vomit, Child abuse

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SYNOPSIS:

Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom-com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run-up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight, and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher's Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

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MY REVIEW:

As soon as I started the book, I was surprised that there was no formatting whatsoever for the chapter starting pages. If you are giving an ARC for review, the book needs to have some form of formatting. Readers, no matter who they are and at what point they are reading the book, should judge the book as a whole. They judge the art, the formatting, and the many POVs that are not labeled—literally everything. So it's not been a great start so far.

I have been reading ARCs for a while now, and my main pet peeve is unlabeled multi-points of view. I don’t care if it's two POVs or seven. If there are multiple points of view, YOU MUST LABLE THEM.

As I was reading this book, it constantly felt like I was waiting for it to pick up in tension, conflict, or something, but it didn’t. I like how every character had some flaws and pluses, but Gwendoline didn’t have anything to her; she was a very flat character. For example, Arthur is snarky, has a troubled family home or life, was trained in certain aspects of being an heir, and is very gay. Sidney is a Casanova who would literally waste his time to pursue a girl but is a great friend and good at his job. Gabriel is the unfortunate heir to the king who loves reading and studying and wants to be the best king he could be, but in his own way with no violence. But for Gwen, she is just very complain-y and is in love with a woman knight (I don't know what the proper term is), and she does embroidery; she is so painfully bossy. I would recommend this book to people who like lots of monologue-forward stories.

I started getting into the book around chapter 15, but then at chapter 35 it fell through, and I had trouble finishing it. I just think it's because the book keeps going back and forth between POVs and it's hard to keep track. I do like the ending I think it was wrapped up nicely. I will reread this and update my review accordingly.

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rooftopvibes · 6 months

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🎃Books i read in October🎃

Madeline Miller / The song of Achilles 🏹

(368 pages)

Greek myth and queer love. Patroclus gets exiled from his kingdom, meets Achilles, develops feelings and their relationship grows stronger. War starts, Achilles the great warrior wants to fight, wants to be famous and remembered so Patroclus joins him. There is also stuff going on with Achilles mother (a god, complicated relationship), other greek gods and so on. The novel is written in Patroclus point of view.

I read the book in english (2nd language) and found it difficult to read at times especially at the beginning i didn’t know what was going on. After some time i got into it and it was easier to understand but it definitely took me some pages. The novel has beautiful paragraphs and is well written but i can’t say that i love it. If it wouldn’t have been for the queer love story, I wouldn’t have even read it so I was kinda disappointed that it was more about war and the queer love story wasn’t a big part of the book, you barley get to read about Patroclus and Achilles conversations, most part is about how Patroclus is obsessed with Achilles because of his blonde hair and his beautiful body. Some scenes were kind of unnecessary in my opinion since they didn’t add much to the story like the stuff Patroclus had going on with the women. There were chapters i liked more, the beginning i liked the most also the part where they are with Chiron but when the war was starting, that wasn’t too interesting for me. Also I wished to get more information or longer chapters about specific topics like Patroclus killing the boy, how Achilles and Patroclus sleep in the same room and talk, Achilles and his relationship with his mother, Patroclus and his feelings about being exiled… since these topics have a lot of potential for a good story. I feel like i didn’t get to know any of the characters well and they were only being touched on the surface. Regardless of that I totally understand that this book is loved by many.

Albert Camus / The Myth of Sisyphus ☕️

(174 pages with afterword)

In this essay Camus introduces his philosophy of the absurd. He is influenced by philosophers like Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. He writes about absurd people, to give examples of people living the absurd, like Don Juan, an actor and a conqueror. In the third part of the essay Camus writes about philosophy and literature (the absurd artist), Kirillov (a character in Dostoevsky’s novel Demons) and finally about Sisyphus, following a chapter about the absurd in Kafka‘s work, which originally had to be removed from the novel (since Kafka was a jew and it was 1942 in Paris) and was meant to be there instead of the chapter about Kirillov (I‘m very glad that he included both!!)

Since it’s an essay it obviously isn’t read like a novel and I don’t read many essays so at times it was kind of difficult but I would say that it’s still a work that is relatively easy to understand in comparison. It only has 174 pages but i couldn’t read the book as fast as I would read a novel since you may want to reread certain paragraphs and you need to be focused to understand. It was my 2nd time reading this. The first time I read it 1,5 years ago. This time I feel like i understand it way better since I read more works that are being talked about. Still I think this is an essay you can never read enough times because you‘ll always come to new conclusions also with life experience and as you grow older, you‘ll have a different perspective on life, this means you‘ll also read this book in a different way and be able to understand it from another perspective. I found the first chapters more difficult to read than the later ones. My favorite chapters were the one about Kirillov, Kafka, and the one about the absurd artists. I found it very interesting since I make art and it made me question my work. Overall i find this essay so interesting and think about it a lot, it changes my perspective about suicide and life. The Myth of Sisyphus is truly a masterpiece and always a pleasure to read.

Franz Kafka / Der Verschollene (Amerika Roman) 💼

(320 pages)

What the novel is about: 16 year old Karl gets sent to america by his parents because the maid got pregnant by him (which seems not content and brutal). Surprisingly he meets his uncle on the ship to america (which was the funniest part of the book, it was so random). So he gets to stay at his uncles house but only for a short period of time because his uncle also throws him out of the house since he met with a friend and stayed there overnight which was absolute horror and the house gave me Dracula vibes. So now he meets two people in the hotel he‘s staying at, they are also looking for a job and invite him to come with them. He joins, he gets betrayed, he leaves his „friends“ to work at a hotel, he was getting food at. A lot of drama is also happening there, he gets fired. He meets his friends again and is a maid (slave) for the wife of one of his friends where he’s staying and sleeping on the balcony. The novel ends with Karl fining a job at a circus and an additional chapter about how he was brining Brunelda (the friend’s wife) to some man, basically „freeing“ her.

Unfortunately the novel remained unfinished so the end is kind of a mystery to me and i really wonder what is meant to happen. Kafka has this talent to not make me question anything while reading the novel and viewing the things that happen as „normal“ so after i looked through the phrases i underlined and reread some paragraphs I was so sad about the amount of abuse and sadness there is. I just love how the characters don’t have a reaction when something bad happens and are just like hm okay this is how things are and never question anything so it kind of leads the reader in this direction too. Somehow Karl was the only one who realized how messed up things are and stood up for himself but at the end of the novel it seems a little bit like he lost that energy but i might be wrong. It’s the typical thing you read in Kafka’s work: the hierarchy, the no escape which was not only a feeling but also a moment where Karl literally couldn’t escape from Brunelda’s room. Karl always gets rejected and betrayed it’s heartbreaking. To me the novel also screamed pleasing your parents/people. It also has fragments of Kafka‘s relationship with his parents since his father was not proud of him and scared him. I really see why Kafka makes the parents send Karl away even though it seems like he was abused. It’s just brutal. The rooms/locations that are being described make me claustrophobic, sometimes i even have to take a break from reading because i can feel like tight floors, full rooms and breath the bad air. There is so much to say about this novel. I could write a whole essay about it.

E.T.A Hoffmann / Der Sandmann | Fräulein Scuderi ⚗️

(47 | 77 pages)

I have a hard time summarizing these two short stories since so much happens. They both revolve around mysterious topics, and you always get the sense of this atmosphere. The sandman (engl. title) is about Nathanael, telling his brother about his childhood memory of Coppelius/the sandman who visits his father to they do alchemistic experiments. Coppelius appears as a mysterious scary figure. Later on he believes to see Coppelius again and he drives him insane.

Mademoiselle de Scuderi (engl. title) is taking part Paris. The city is in fear by thieves that steal jewelry and murder their victims. Lately there were also many attempts to poison people. Scuderi meets one who is believed to be a part of the group of thieves, but she believes in his innocence. He tells her the whole truth at the end.

I had to read the sandman some years ago for school and I just remember it making me feel scared and also disturbed. Now years later I still remembered what will happen so it didn’t surprise me too much when i read it again but still it didn’t lose it’s mysterious atmosphere and i loved how the sandman was being described. I think the story is up to date even though it was written in the 18th century. Especially that part when Nathanael falls in love with this pupped made me think of today and how we now have AI and things like this and this is something that can happen in the future.

I was really tired when I read Mademoiselle de Scuderi so i was slightly confused because there were so many characters in very few pages. I again liked the atmosphere a lot.

If you like Kafka, you will also like E.T.A Hoffmann. I read some articles about both of them and how they create a similar kind of atmosphere and I also saw the similarities.

Stefan Zweig / Schachnovelle ♟️

(75 pages)

The royal game/Chess story (engl. title) is Zweig‘s last and most famous novella. Here we also have an anonymous narrator like in his other novel „Amok“. The story takes part on a ship. One of the passengers is the world’s best chess player. Through this passenger the narrator meets another person Dr.B who happens to watch them play chess and interferes. He was imprisoned by the Gestapo and punished with the treatment of nothingness. He lived in a hotel room with no one to talk to and nothing to do. One day while he was waiting in a room to get interrogated, he was able to steal a book about chess. After getting bored by the book he played chess against himself and lost his mind as you can imagine. He ends up in a hospital and didn’t have to be imprisoned again. So he sees these people on the ship playing chess and they want him to play against the champion which he agrees to. The doctors told him to avoid chess since he could get ill again, but still he plays another game and he starts to get ill again.

It surprises me that this is Zweig‘s most famous works since i liked his other works more. But i can understand because it is a great work and historically relevant too. It amazes me how you can see deeply into the mind of Dr.B and have such a clear picture of how he suffered in his hotel room. Him going insane is a totally understandable process and it was like i felt his emotions and i knew what he was talking about since i had times where i played card games or thinking games and they really did something with my mind so i feel like it wasn’t only because he split into two different personalities (black and white chess players) but also because of the game itself. I also found this form of punishment interesting since it is something that is very likely to drive you insane so Dr.B thought he found something to save him, it ended up driving him insane but also saved him in a way since he could escape. Another thing that I love is this anonymous narrator and how Dr.B tells him about his life because I feel like it’s important that the narrator is anonymous, otherwise he would‘ve been more districted especially if someone already has an opinion about you. So this is really freeing and the whole atmosphere of being on a ship and confessing your life story in some kind of way is very freeing. Overall it’s an amazing book and I would recommend it to everyone since it’s only 75 pages and you can read it in one day.

#next month will be only female literature 🥳#So a lot of british books i believe #classic lit #literature #kafka #camus #stefan zweig #E.T.A Hoffmann #song of achilles

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kimium · 9 months

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It’s lunch break so I can finally send you my ask!!! For the fanfic writer ask: 7, 16, 18, 41, 54, and 72!💜

(From this ask HERE)

Thanks for the ask, friend! I am always here to talk about fanfic writing!

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

There are a few criteria I look at when I choose POV.

-Who do I want to write as? Sometimes I simply have a perspective stuck in my brain, so I decide that's the character to stick with. For example, most of my 10051 fics are in Shouichi's perspective because it's the voice I find the easiest to write.

-Either the character knows nothing or knows everything. Sometimes I want a character swept into a new situation and flounders to learn everything. Sometimes I want a character who knows everything but eventually will have to explain things to another character(s). Example, when I wrote The taste of melon and the weight of a plushie fox, I picked Hajime because he was clueless to the demon customs. On the flip side when I wrote I can't kill you (so we must be destined to be together) I picked Nagito because he knew more and it helped the story flow better.

-The perspective helps tell the overall story and give a clearer picture to the reader. For example, in my Platonic Yandere AU for Twisted Wonderland, I wanted to expand on the dorm leader's thoughts, so I wrote two fics in their perspective.

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

I actually don't have many concrete ideas. I have thoughts such as "I want to write another 10051 fic" or "I want to contribute to the Bar AU sometime". However, the only concrete story idea currently is a Twisted Wonderland fic. It's an AU where Yuu returns home, but can still freely travel to the Twisted Wonderland dimension and vice versa. I want to to frame the travels of the Twisted cast to "coming to rescue Yuu" from boring situations that they're obligated to be at. For example, they're having a family BBQ but one of their uncles is talking politics and Yuu wants to run away.

18. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with the titles?

I title them whenever I save the document. 99.9% of the time the title I give on the document is the title I use for the fic. This is because it makes it easier for me to sort my stories into folders once they're posted.

How I come up with the titles is unknown. I just allow myself become possessed with the spirit of "titling your fics" and write the first thing that comes to mind.

41. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

Depends on the fic. I usually don't reread many fics, but I do sometimes. The ones I end up rereading are actually my own fics. That's why sometimes you'll see me redo an old idea or re-purpose an idea from another fic.

54. What's your favourite part about the fanfiction writing process?

I love when I get into the narration and the words/scenes flow smoothly. This is usually when I have a strong scene in the back of my brain. I love seeing what I've thought about come to life. I also love when I receive comments on my fic. My second favourite part of fic writing ahaha.

72. What order do you write in? Front of book to back? Chronological? Favourite scenes first? Something else?

I write 99.9% of my scenes in chronological order. This is because that's just how my brain works. I need my prior scenes laid out from point A to B. There are a few exceptions, but that's sometimes because I go back and forth between a couple scenes. That's usually because I want to lay out an idea/scene that comes immediately after before I forget it.

#personal #replies #ask game #fic writing ask game #thanks for the ask friend!#i had fun answering!

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hell-heron · 9 months

Text

Rambling about my fic and literary hardships under the cut

I think the thing that gives me the most secondhand embarrasment on rereading/finding new comments for ikmka is the way I handled the ensemble/background/random ironborn OCs part of the cast, there's just too many for the lenght, a lot of episodes are bizarre/pointless/just there to separate more important scenes etc, was it really needed to have three separate fosterlings of Alannys and three separate Botleys as speaking characters etc can't believe someone Is reading this dreck right now...

Part of it is I've always been someone who enjoys coming up with family trees and pointless headcanons and then can't let go of them lmao since I was 13 it was a problem and you can see it in even short fics (red moonlight, three boys etc not to mention the entirety of my Romeo and Juliet production). Like for example the worst offender (besides the Victarion thing where I was biased and wanted to include the oaf because I love him) is definitely the little trip to Iron Holt where I was attached to the little connection I came up with for Aladale Wynch (why is an ironborn knight at the Wall? backstory) and also to Calla Orkwood/Wynch a true 13 year old girl OC produced entirely by my heart and ass. And then after I came up with that I felt the need to continue on that thoroughline so it would be a feature of the fic and not one random extraneous episode.

On the other hand I really do think this fic needed the reader feel as violently dunked as Theon was in this social whirlwind, thematically, it's important to show/don't/tell that Theon is experiencing this kind of sudden and jerky reintegration to this culture, all these new opportunities for healthy peer relationships, mentor relationships, mentee relationships that should more than make up for losing one younger friend but don't, all these responsibilities and social obligations as a young lordling that should make him feel justified in coming back but don't, all this praise and acceptance for his actions which should make him feel better but don't, all this exposure to the consequences of the Greyjoy rebellion that should make him feel righteous about wronging the Starks in return but don't. Its stuff a more skilled writer could definitely have conveyed in tighter fewer scenes but I personally enjoy the confusing whirlwind approach!

(I also wasn't the best I fear at making this return different enough from canon- It felt like there were a lot more new meetings that should have been reunions, now its three years and not ten. But that also makes partial sense to me - he missed three years of passage from childhood to adolescence and now his world has opened abruptly beyond the confines of the Island of Pyke rather than gradually)

Overall though this reminds me of a musing I periodically have, which is that the novel/short story form is just... Bad at conveying the social sphere of extroverted characters or very connected characters (which I wanted Theon to be, Theon is very extroverted imho). You constantly see this criticism with characters who are characterised as popular but have three besties or unintentionally come across as being detached from everyone. GRRM, definitely one of the authors who should not be encouraged to add more characters and background details, constantly gets comments on how his court settings feel empty or how his characters who you wouldn't expect to be loners only have one friend outside of family. In 2021 my sister was having one of those downswings in social situation you have when you're out of sync with your former group in how fast you're going thru puberty and I was researching middle grade books that had less emphasis on rigidly insular groups and codependent bestie bonds and more on relationships developing organically and situationally and there wasn't really anything besides Anastasia Krupnik and thats a serial

(Ikmka is def a middle grade novel among other genres tbh)

Or like recently I've been struck by how well Ljudmila Petrushevskaja does it in short stories but she definitely also does it by confusing whirlwind technique; also Emma and Persuasion are good examples to me but not exactly everything that Austen writes is. Its just this very delicate balance of lots of people all of whom are known and some kind of relationship exists with and who are loosely arranged in groups but you don't get the feeling every single person has an ironclad thematic reason to know the protagonist, you know. Its a really hard realism/thematic coherence balance to strike and I can never describe it until I see it

#op

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