#also don't mind all the fic docs lmao i'm editing

[welcometololaland]

almost uploaded a picture of my bank statement instead of this header! happy days!

thanks for the tags @hippolotamus @kiwiana-writes @happiness-of-the-pursuit @rmd-writes

@nancygillianmvp @terramous @tellmegoodbye @freneticfloetry @beautifulhigh

@orchidscript @myheartalivewrites and @strandnreyes (don't think that was a real tag but i'm taking it anyway to force you to love me).

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

49 (last time it was 46 but i feel like that isn't enough of a difference? disappointed in myself dfhskjh)

2. What's your Ao3 bodycount word count?

1,119,086 which does include some co-writes, but I also have around 200k of unposted WIP in my google docs so i'm counting it (including a fully written fic - someone put their hands around my neck and force me to edit it PLEASE).

3. Which fandoms do you write for?

red white and royal blue, 911 lone star, top gun maverick (flirting with winter's orbit always)

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

the order of these has changed but not the identity:

Speak for Yourself (RWRB) (you know when eminem said he'd never be able to top My Name Is? this is my version of that)

Fifty First Dates (RWRB) (oodie agenda reigns supreme)

The RIng-In (Lone Star) (otherwise, lone star is in danger of being eviscerated from this top 5 lmao)

(Not) A Cinderella Story (RWRB) (NDAs are hot, apparently)

Cursed is a State of Mind (RWRB) (cursed caffeine is the main drawcard let's not lie)

5. Do you respond to comments?

i try my absolute best to. i am currently really behind and i apologise for that (the problem is, i reply to comments before i post anything and i haven't posted anything in ages).

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

serious answer - Contaminated

my answer - oh baby i'm a fool for you because we never find out if they actually watch twilight and that's a damn shame

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

literally everything else - i don't really do open endings or sad endings! in the words of the great philosopher, skepta: "nah, that's not me."

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i used to, but i haven't in ages! thank god for that.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes, although i have to say i've been moving away from pwp lately. i feel my best smut is written into longer fics where the sex serves a plot or characterisation purpose within the frame of the overarching narrative.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

yes, a RWRB/LS but i never finished it. ALTA is a veronica mars inspired tarlos fic which kind of feels like a crossover at times.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! Phonography (Lone Star) has been translated, as has Baby, Make Your Move (Lone Star) and Warm Whispers (Lone Star). I'm very grateful to the incredible people who have made these translations happen - you are so talented.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

yes, many with @dustratcentral. I also wrote a chapter of a co-written fic with a whole bunch of incredible RWRB authors called never the same twice.

@rmd-writes and I have created (Un)Professional Services and (upcoming) Call Me (By Your Name).

The Rainbow Fish was co-written with @strandnreyes.

I love co-writing so much and I am always open to anyone who wants to give it a go!

14. What's your all time favourite ship?

me + my unposted wips.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

probably the aforementioned crossover which was apparently also my answer last time.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i'm allergic to giving myself compliments but i would say maybe dialogue/banter and worldbuilding.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

keeping things short. also, exposition.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

kinda scared to because i don't speak any other languages and i'm so hesitant to annoy my very talented multi-lingual friends with my annoying questions.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

we don't talk about that.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

probably still Love Game because the experience was just so amazing and i never wanted to stop writing it.

heaps of people have already done this so leaving an open tag and also a couple of suggestions under the cut but apologies if you've already participated or been tagged 7 million times:

@bonheur-cafe @theghostofashton @thebumblecee @indomitable-love @eclectic-sassycoweyes

@tailoredshirt @vineofroses @liminalmemories21 @mikibwrites @birdclowns

@ladytessa74 @basilsunrise @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @rosedavid @sanjuwrites

@alrightbuckaroo @three-drink-amy @marjansmarwani @dumbpeachjuice @doublel27

@lemonlyman-dotcom @blueink3 @ambiguouspenny @clottedcreamfudge @emmalostinwonderland

@sail-not-drift @inexplicablymine @celeritas2997 @cricketnationrise @reyesstrand

@goodways @carlos-in-glasses @heartstringsduet @sunshinestrand @sherryvalli

#20 questions #20 questions for fic writers #911 lone star #rwrb #tarlos #fic games #welcometololaland

[totally-not-deacon]

It's a little funny that most folk think of linux as this overcomplicated mess that you see in tv/movies. No GUI just multiple terminals and a billion commands to remember.

Meanwhile I just... turn my computer on. It literally just looks like any other OS, except I can customize it any way I want to. I mean hell, on a lot of distros you probably never even TOUCH the terminal. There's normal GUI options for just about everything.

Hell, my 60 year old dad took to it within a few hours.

I mean, here - this is my desktop I use every day:

It's really nothing crazy at all!

Tbh, I find it a fuckload SIMPLER than Windows, and I've been reminded of the fact again now that I dual boot on my PC.

#i just saw a silly linux joke lmao #don't get me wrong they're hilarious #but i also would like folks to see what it's really like. #and also FUCK microsoft and all their anti-privacy bullshit all over their OS - including fucking ADS #computers #linux #also don't mind all the fic docs lmao i'm editing

[claraxbarton]

You might have answered this before, BUT I’m a recent follower and curious ok!! Generally speaking, what is your writing process like? I’m genuinely so impressed by how many different fics you’ll have going simultaneously and they’re all updated SO frequently. AND THEY’RE ALL SO GOOD?? Like do you have vague plans/outlines or drafts that you expand on/edit? Your accountability post will mention writing a few thousand words and then there’s an update the same day and it’s written so well lmao it blows my MIND bc it seems like you just come up with the plot on the fly and then casually write a lil masterpiece after work like it’s nbd. All of this to say I appreciate your work so much ♥️

<3

So uh, to start off with, I'm guessing when you say you recently started following me, you're probably just reading my HRPF fics? I SAY that/ask that because I've bounced through a few fandoms and I kind of go back and forth between being VERY prolific and finishing up projects and kind of... losing steam.

To be fair to me and not to scare anyone off, before this year I have, for the last decade and change, been juggling two full time jobs, part time work, childcare and a lot of volunteer work PLUS trying to write so like, I'm cutting myself some slack on abandoned projects. Because I'm finally down to 1 full time job and 1 part time gig that is only during the summer. I will ALSO say, in December I switched meds for my anxiety/depression so I'm on a new dose, new meds for the first time in 5 years and I do think that's been really impactful in a positive way.

SO, exposition and TMI out of the way:

I wish I could say I had a really clear process that I follow every time, but I don't want to lie. I create docs with notes - I'm thinking about including those as an epilogue chapter on the fics I'm currently working on, if anyone is interested in my scribbles aside from myself and my beta - and SOMETIMES I create outlines. A lot of the time, I will write a chapter or two and THEN create the outline? That's what happened with Gold Rush, but also with Gold Rush, I have already deviated from the outline like... a lot.

I'm trying to be way more chill with myself than I used to be. I was in this deep grind of forcing myself to be productive because that's where my value was (@kangofu-cb is a real one and has been trying to beat this out of me for years. Beating with love). And I'll be honest, being kinder to myself and putting less pressure is, like, so far, so good.

I usually have about, like... a dozen or so fic ideas in my head at any one time (@dwisp can attest to the DAILY messages of 'hear me out' as can @kangofu-cb), but I uh, I really feel 4 long fic is my simultaneous max.

I also have a problem with like, so if you DO want to read some of my not HRPF stuff, I think a good primer is the WinterhawkHood month I did in October with a fic a day, and the consistent issue is: I feel like I'm really good at creating a premise and that premise wants to exist beyond 2-5k. So longfic is probably the format to best tell the stories I want to tell, but, like, writing shorter fic is a lot of fun? That also does NOT answer your question.

Oh! MUSIC! It's so so so so important to my process. I used to put on specific artists, like really get into a singular vibe for a fic. But these days it's just my routine sleepy sad girl playlists (name coined by a former assistant and like she wasn't wrong). Which also probably explains how much sad sack Leon there is in my current fics. I should probably like, get some new playlists going...

Uh, in terms of like, my style/my ideas... so my professional life is theatre adjacent, and I think because of that, dialogue and THE INCITING INCIDENT are really important to me. So usually any fic idea forms around the kernal of the meet ugly and some choice words.

Like, for Gold Rush, I absolutely started from the idea of Leon being a bitch to the press and getting a text from an unknown number/Matthew and it just grew from there.

For Playing Favorites, I absolutely wanted to have former camboy Vince realize his new... work colleague??? Adam Larsson knew he was a former camboy. Which is funny because that moment happens in the middle of the fic (which I AM going to update again soon, y'all might vote consistently for Gold Rush in the polls but this weekend I think it's gotta be some love for my two Lars&Dunn fics).

For Northern Attitude, that inciting incident is, uh, about to occur in ch4 that I'm currently working on. And it's. Well. Yeah. So I got the idea for that 'scene' if you will first and then figured it out backwards?

For Wildfire that, too, has an inciting incident that has yet to make it into a chapter. But she's coming soon.

So really, only Gold Rush started as the beginning as far as ideas went for me? That said, I still START at the beginning when I write. I used to scribble down scenes and then piece them in, but I honestly found it constrained me more than anything else and I'm aware that doesn't make much sense.

I feel like this entire answer is a total nonanswer of me just blathering away. I hope at least part of this is what you wanted and uh... sincerely? Thank you for asking. It means a lot and like, my process is weird and inconsistent but I do genuinely love to talk about my writing.

#wow #talk about yourself more #no but thanks for the ask #this was a lot about me #sorry to anyone who def did not want to read this

[toburnup]

okay i LOVED learning those most recent tidbits about your writing process, especially approx how long it can take you to write/edit! makes me feel so much better about my own wips lmao. especially with something as complex as iylo. i think it’s the easy-going kinda flow or vibe of your writing (though dgmw, you know how to make every line pack a serious punch) that made me assume you tend to bang this shit out hella quick… when in reality it sounds like it takes a pretty reasonable (“reasonable”) amt of time.

on this note i am so curious about your drafting process. like, how do you not get caught up fleshing out all the details in the moment? am i just terrible at writing outlines? feels like i’m always setting a hard goal to write short standalones but they always get out of hand

hahahah oh good, i'm glad it was interesting!!! i'd say my writing style on here is very casual, so. i like that that's the vibe i give off 😌

!! the drafting process! it's messy but it usually goes something like this (long post ahead!)

i start by writing dialogue or a specific moment from the scene i'm most excited to get to. i don't force myself to start at the beginning because who even knows where the beginning is.

dialogue can be a good place to start because it can lay out a whole dynamic in just a few exchanges (the best example i can think of this is when i wrote thirty days, because the first part i wrote was the "you should probably leave" - "why?" - "'cause i'm going to jerk off" - "i don't want to go" - "fine. stay." exchange which set up the whooole fic)

....and then i keep writing until i run out of steam lol. if i'm writing a scene and need to jump ahead because of an idea or whatnot, i just type // so i know i need to come back there (easy to search the doc for a symbol of some kind when it comes to editing). can't think of a specific word? i just pop a // in there as a placeholder.

once i've written out the meatier bit (ugh), i go back to the scene i started with, and then write backwards from there until i find a spot that feels like it could be the beginning (i mean i say that, but this is usually a lot of jumping around).

and that's the first draft!

i don't outline ahead of time, or write out plot points or anything. mostly because a) i have no idea what's gonna happen and b) i like character-driven stories and i find those motivations by writing them

that's the big reason i write dialogue without an end goal in mind - sometimes writing the lines or hearing them in my head takes the conversation in a different direction than i would've originally planned, and that can lead to some Good Moments

i’m always setting a hard goal to write short standalones but they always get out of hand

this happens to me too, for sure. i've found it's helpful to move away from the setup portions of a fic. and also being okay with things not being 100% clear (in terms of motivation, characters feelings, all that) and leaving some gaps for the reader to fill. and also being okay with your writing being misinterpreted.

idk if this is helpful at all!! my main thing is don't stop yourself from fleshing out the details. if there's a big scene you want to get to, don't force yourself to slog through the parts you don't want to write just to get there. i find it's almost easier to do it that way, because then you get to write the earlier parts with the question of: "what choices do they make to become the people in that scene?"

don't deprive yourself!! if you want to delve right into the details, do it.

#on writing #vio answers #phoeniceae #several tangents were taken lol

[deadboyfriendd]

20 Questions for Fic Writers Game

Thank you for the tag <3 @jo-harrington

1) How many works do you have on A03? - none, actually. I haven't made it to tht neck of the woods yet.

2) What's your total AO3 word count? - That would be a big ole 0

3) What fandoms do you write for? - Stranger Things currently. I used to be a writer for The 100 back in my Wattpad days. Sometimes I throw around the idea of writing for Fargo or Criminal Minds.

4) What are your top five fics by kudos? - I would say probably Stains in the Granite, Cochise, Stone Gothic, H E A D L I N E R S., Kate, and The Bisbee Letter Series

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? - I try really hard to respond to the really meaningful ones, but if I have poo brain that day it slips. I read all of them and reread them over and over until they're engrained in my noodle brain though! .

6) What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - Stone Gothic or Sockpuppet. Stone Gothic is angst in terms of bodily violence Sockpuppet in terms of ouchie feelings OR OR OR She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty. Can you tell I love angst?

7) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - Hallmark, probably. That was kind of the whole point of doing a Hallmark movie themed fic.

8) Do you get hate on fics? No.

9) Do you write smut? If so, what kinds? - Yes but it has to be there as a plot catalyst. I write very flowery very feelings-oriented smut, even if the characters don't have feelings for each other. Though, I feel like everything I write is feelings-oriented.

10) Do you write crossovers? - It never went I don't think I've written one yet but if I get a good idea I'm not opposed to it. Maybe if you wanna count SITG or Cochise since they're based off of 50 First Dates and Tombstone?

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen? - Not that I’m aware of.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated? - Again, not that I'm aware of.

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before? - Nothing that I would explicitly credit myself with but @dr-aculaaa and I loom over each other's docs like God. I'm pretty sure Drac has inadvertently written half of my fics.

14) What's your all time favorite ship? -We're big Steddie fans around here. Keep an eye out for a Steddie fic I have brewing.

15) What's a WIP that you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? - LMAO might be that steddie fic that I just talked about. I also have a very flowery and angsty AU of an AU of an AU baby about Robin that I've been screaming to her about that is on the very back of burners.

16) What are your writing strengths? - I'm really good at analogies and descriptive writing. I've always written about feelings because I have a lot of them and I'm painfully self-aware of them.

17) What are your writing weaknesses? - LMAO editing process? I don't know her. Every work you get is beta read by Drac and that's IT. If it misses Drac then it was meant to be a part of the fic. In terms of my actual writing, I think it's smut writing. I'm good at making people love each other not good at making them fuck.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? - There has to be a place for it that makes sense. I used lines in Latin in Cochise and Bisbee because my Eddie is very much based off of Doc Holliday, who spoke Latin, and used that line very much as a plot catalyst. I use a lot of analogies to Marlowe's Doctor Faustus which also has Latin in it, which was crucial to the storylines of both Bisbee and Cochise.

19) First fandom you wrote for? - The Walking Dead when I was entirely too young to be fic reading or writing. Maybe One Direction before that? Also W A Y too young to be fic reading or writing. The first fandom I ever had success writing in was The 100. Still too young but I'm proud of those 100k notes.

20) Favorite fic you've written? - The Cochise and Bisbee universe. I LOVE writing in that prose and I LOVE reimagining these characters into Tombstone. It's so personal to me since I'm from Arizona and I love living here and all of the cowboy stuff. It feels like I neglect it sometimes but really, I'm trying so hard to get them perfect because this is absolutely my passion project and I'm so proud of them even though they get like zero reads.

No Pressure Tags: @dr-aculaaa @bettyfrommars

#tag games #flea speaks #This is more like an interview with flea #flea's friends

[starlightkun]

hi mel!!!! hope you’re doing well 🫶 i’ve been wondering about this for a while but i’m dying to know what your writing process is like. i’m trying to get more consistent at it, like sit down and Actually write (without getting distracted by my phone) and it’s so hard 😭 and i feel like you have it down to pat and i want to develop an attitude like that… like the writing itself really isn’t hard but the like. sitting down and doing it 😞 like, do you ever write on your phone? or is it just a laptop? do you sit down at a desk or just do it whenever (like on the couch or something)? idk what is it like for you? do you perchance have any tips for a poor soul… thank you!!!! 🫶🫶

omg hiii!!! i've been pretty busy n kinda burnt out w work 😔 but otherwise pretty good!! hope you've been good too!

i do most of my writing on my laptop, probably like 95% of it. when it comes to editing, i'll do it on both my phone and laptop, but actual substantive writing, it's pretty much all laptop. i am old enough that i learned to type on a computer keyboard first, not a touchscreen, and when it comes to creative prose, i prefer a computer keyboard. i also get a lot less distracted that way (too many apps and notifs and impulsive checking of apps and impulsive scrolling for hours on end on the phone. much less scrolling on the laptop).

i dont have a desk or table in my apartment that i can rlly use to work at, so i do all of my writing on my couch lmao. i usually have my phone on vibrate with the screen turned over so i have to pick it up to look at any notifs. but even then, i'm guilty of getting distracted by the phone, or even by tumblr on my laptop. if i feel like im getting too distracted, i'll turn on "focus mode" on microsoft word (if u use google docs im sure it has it's own version of this) that makes the document full screen so u can't see the taskbar at the bottom (aka you don't remember that ur other apps exist), u don't get notifs from ur laptop, etc. i'll also tuck my phone away behind my laptop screen so i can't see it. i'm very much an out-of-sight, out-of-mind person (no object permanence lmao) so those are big helps.

i've also started doing this thing where if i'm working on, say, a kun fic, i'll leave my tumblr tab open to a picture of kun before going into the word doc, so that if i'm tempted to go back to tumblr to scroll and waste time, i'll be reminded of what i'm supposed to being doing and go back to work on the fic instead. it very much gives that 'do it for her' meme but it also works surprisingly well for me.

i've talked some more about my writing process in other asks (x, x, x, x) and i have a writing tag where i post about more general writing stuff instead of specific fics!!

#i was actually just writing some for frankenstein complex when i popped into tumblr for a sec and saw this ask lmao #the thing about being creative is that it sucks but only thing worse than being creative is not creating #so you need to figure out under what conditions you will be able to (and still enjoy it and create something u like) #answered #anonymous #talk #text #mine #writing tag

[tallulah477]

Hi tallie!

I have a few questions-

So I'm thinking of writing a Lyle wainfleet x miles quaritch x oc multiple chapter story-

So the little plot i have is after the sea dragon sinks and miles and lyle make it out alive, they make it to land, meet my oc, and she teaches them the na'vi ways and everything-

So do you have any tips on making a good mauti chaptered work?

Also any tips on a three way sex scene?

I hope this isn't to much to ask for!😅

Thank you! 💕

Roomie, I'm sooooo here for this story already OMG

Also, you could never ask for too much - I'm always here to help and my DMs are always open too 🧡 I just hope my essay of a response isn't too much LMAO

I honestly can't say I have that much experience writing multi chaptered works so idk how helpful I can really be, but usually for my works I try not to go in blind because I can write myself into a corner like that. Sometimes, I can have a vague idea and it drives itself. But most of the time I need to have an outline to follow, even if I end up deviating from it eventually. And I would def suggest an outline for a multi chapter fic.

But my brain is so messy and so are my outlines lmao so idk if you're an organized person or not, but your outline totally doesn't have to be if you don't want it to be. I would say, whatever you can think of in that moment, write it down. Literally whatever pops into your head - whether it's a scene, a specific detail you wanna remember to mention, a line of dialogue, an entire conversation. Sometimes I end up writing whole ass scenes in my outline and then just copy and paste it into the doc and edit it 😂

I would suggest outlining what you want to happen in each part, specifically how you want it to start and where you want each chapter to end so you know exactly where you're trying to get to with each chapter. Are we ending on a cliffhanger, or a point of relief after a tense scene? It also helps with not rushing through/dragging the fic too much, I think.

If you don't mind me getting specific with your idea, I'd love to see how messed up Lyle and Miles are after the battle on the sea dragon. Their entire team just died (again) and they barely made it out with their lives themselves. I'm not 100% sure about Lyle cause we don't really get too close him during the movies, but I know Miles is going to have some raging emotions to get through because Spider chose the Sullys over him and left him there alone (if you decide to keep it canon like that). So I think that would be really fun to explore.

Then you can introduce your OC and go through whatever tension there's going to be between the recoms and her/her clan cause I doubt either one is going to trust each other right away so there might be some (or a lot) of hostility. Either way, it would be really fun to see how their feelings and emotions evolve on both sides, but especially for Lyle and Miles as they switch from their human marine conditioning to learning and appreciating the Na'vi way of life. It would def be a different learning experience from what we see in the first movie with Jake because even though Jake was also human/marine, he was wayyyyy more open to everything Na'vi than the recoms.

That's just my thoughts anyway - obviously everything is up to you! Honestly, you have a fantastic plot and there's so many directions you can go with this, so this is a great concept for a multi chapter fic.

TLDR: Outlines and details are your best friend 😂

For threesomes, I really try to keep the focus fairly equal between everyone. It's a little jarring sometimes when a character is completely forgotten about and then all of a sudden is there again, so try to go back and forth as best as you can to make sure no one is left out. So if you're OC is riding Lyle and thinking about how big his cock is inside of her, make sure she also feels Miles biting her shoulder from behind or pulling her head back to kiss her just so he's not just standing there like🧍‍♂️

Don't be afraid to use names either. Best to overuse than for your readers to get lost with who is who, imo.

Although eventually OC may be too overwhelmed and lost in sensations and might not know who's hand is who's and who's cock is pressing where but she doesn't care cause she needs to cum right now

Depending on how you wanna do your threesome too depends on how you set everything up cause they can be more like a train where one person mainly fucks OC while the other is just the helper and then vice versa, or you can do double penetration where they both have their own hole at the same time (or the same hole if you're feeling a little crazy lol)

This is so long, I'm so sorry LMAO

#𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒔 ♡ #𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒆'𝒔 𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔 ✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ #𝑰𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒙 ⤷✉

[alexsoenomel]

WIPS because my mind is chaotic as fuck

DISCLAMER: I'm really struggling to actually sit down and write. I'm doing my best so please understand if I haven't written your request it's not because I don't want to it's because I'm genuinely struggling to write (I blame my ADHD to be honest). This will help me organize my mind better. Here we go:

*Still no title* Joel Miller x Reader series fluff, smut, angst Summary: After you left your abusive partner your healing journey began. You found comfort in solitude and in trying new things. You decided to book a camping trip in Maine, not knowing you will end up meeting a very special someone.  Note: I got inspired after I came back from my first ever camping trip. I loved it so much. 5 parts - 1 day, 1 chapter HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED YET

*Alkaline* Sam Winchester x Reader fluff, smut, angst Summary: Telekinetic reader meets Sam in Stanford and their story unfolds. I suck at summaries but that's basically it. Incorporating 3 smut requests as well: hair pulling, praise kink and mind blowing sex Note: This has been sitting in my docs for AGES now. I suck. UNFINISHED but already has over 5k words

*Still no title* Dean Winchester x Reader Fluff, smut One bed trope? Nope. One tent trope. Summary: You're on a case and have to camp in the woods. The tent is too small for Sam and Dean to share, so the older Winchester is forced to share the other one with you. Note: Like I said the camping trip really got me inspired. Also adding this fluffly request: he finds out how ticklish she is one morning while snuggled up in bed together. He makes it his mission to find all her ticklish spots and finds her laughter absolutely adorable HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED YET

*Still no title* Sam Winchester x Reader Fluff Summary/ request: A request for Sam - him & dean & reader go to a bar that happens to do karaoke and with enough drinks he’s willing to start doing duets with the reader, starting off flirty being stuff like horny nickelback songs and then turning into them just singing the most obnoxious love songs, and then Dean making fun of them the next morning because he recorded all of it to show Cas LMAO Note: I really like this idea and is coming up nicely UNFINISHED

*The Apparition* Dean Winchester x Reader Smut, fluff, angst Summary: You visit Dean in a dream Note: I like Sleep Token too much okay. I was inspired HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED YET

Plus:

I Am The Fire Dragon!Reader (Supernatural fic) UNFINISHED

*Still no title* Goddess!Reader(Supernatural fic) UNFINISHED

Better Than Ordinary (You find yourself in a world where Supernatural isn't just a TV show) UNFINISHED AND NEEDS EDITING

#sam and dean #dean winchester #sam winchester #supernatural #wips #jooel miller #the last of us #daddy joel

[staytheword]

content creator year in review

I was tagged in this by the insanely talented @straywrds and @cb97percent so I thought I'd give it a go, I hope that's ok ♡

∷ First creation and most recent creation of 2022

I haven't been here for very long but my first creation was Be My Mistake! It's my first attempt at a skz fic, posted in August ♡ The most recent in 2022 was the last part of LMLY ♡

∷ One of your favourite creations from 2022

I will say Roses just because I had so much fun writing it. I completely let go, just wrote what came to mind, no overthinking. It's not for everyone, but that's ok. I just had a great time writing it ♡

∷ One creation you’re really proud of

Definitely Be My Mistake. It's not perfect, and a part of me is disappointed in myself for many aspects of it, but I'm still proud! It's my first completed work here and I'm proud of the love I could show Changbin in this. I'm also proud because it allowed me to meet so many people and truly connect with readers.

∷ A creation that took you forever

Everything takes me forever lmao. Let me tell you... I have so much stuff sitting in my Google docs waiting to be edited/finished/posted. The writing itself doesn't take me long - it's the publishing process.

∷ A creation from 2022 that received the most notes

I'm pretty sure it's Falling Rain. Cheers to you Bangers ♡ I'm happy about this one shot. It was comforting to write and I feel like it is comforting to read for a few of you, so that means the world. Thank you.

∷ A creation you think deserved more notes

None of them? Truly I don't mind the notes because I keep having really meaningful interactions with people. Maybe Be My Mistake just because it's so meaningful to me? But yeah. It sounds like "oh I don't caRE for notes" I know, and I do, but each work is different and I'm just happy for the exchanges we can have.

∷ A new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it

Well I only wrote for SKZ who took over my entire life in 2022 and i'm so so so so grateful for it ♡

∷ A creation you made that breaks your heart

Something that sits in my Google Docs that will probably never get published for different reasons. I really wish you guys could read it.

∷ A ‘simple’ creation that you really love

Definitely Falling Rain! The premise, the story, it's simple to me, but I still like it a lot.

∷ A creation that was inspired by another one

I guess I could say that all my works are inspired by others. Don't we all gather things from all we read, watch, etc? Roses was inspired by Sons of Anarchy, LMLY was inspired by my favorite movies from when I was a teenager... But I think I can safely say that Be My Mistake was inspired by Sharp Edges, by @straywrds . Not in its plot or characters, just in the actual writing of it. As soon as I read Edges, my first skz fic, I wanted to sit down and try something too. Mari inspires me a lot through her exploration of love languages and the beauty of simple things. I can never hope to write something as beautifully as she did, but she definitely inspired me a lot. So thank you Mari. ♡

∷ A favourite creation created by someone else

Oh I have SO many. I read so many beautiful things this year that really moved me. I'll mention Sharp Edges again, just because it changed things for me, reconnected me with writing in a new way and also brought my friend back into my life. But for Mari I will definitely also mention Just Stay With Me. It's recent but it brought me SO much comfort in a period of my life where I really, really needed it. Mari kept my head above water with this. And I want to mention A Lullaby on His Throat because I adore that story. It's special to me, maybe because you wrote parts of it while at my place Mari, but I love demigod and everything about it. But truly all of her stories are amazing and I'm grateful for each of them. I could write paragraphs for each. (also shout out to hwang estate and my beloved husband)

My favorites can be found here, but I'll still mention a few other stories. Dawn to Flight, the first chapter of Miu's Hogwarts series (and her Bad Habit god I'm still not over it). Ren's mindblowing Daechwita series and her Maniacs one shots (still shaking on Do Me A Favor...). Ren you are so talented and all the stories I read from you changed my days for the better. I can't wait to catch up on your masterlist in 2023. Also a BIG BIG shout out to Tan for her Christmas Evel stories that kept me alive and breathing through a very hard December.

∷ Some of your favourite content creators from this year

I definitely want to read more in 2023, from so many of you. But for now, thank you to @straywrds @cb97percent @hwan-g @j-0ne25 @ballelino @ppiri-bahng @sstarryoong @ipegchangbin @strayerthanfiction @linoguistics and all those i forget. for making my life better. for inspiring me, for helping me find beauty. You are all amazing writers ♡

∷ Tagging : not tagging anyone because I don't like doing that buuut feel free to do it too! ♡♡

#asifohasf sorry this is kinda long and chaotic #I'm a shy person but I tried to put it into words!! #thank you for 2022 ♡

[crescentmoonrider]

14 and 46 for the writer ask game!!

[ask meme]

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

I've often said I'm not a fan of mpreg and omegaverse, and that is true, but I've recently come to think that I could like. Be okay with them, if written in a way that vibes with me

Usually that means like, a focus on sociology and interpersonal relationships rather than the trope itself, which I completely understand isn't the way most people like this kind of stuff. And that's perfectly alright !! More power to y'all !!

But yeah on my end I probably wouldn't touch this kind of fic if I don't already know the writer's style. Too much ick risk otherwise

Also I've got a friend who does self-inserts as OCs and I like their stuff, so even though self-inserts aren't usually my thing I would probably read anything they throw at me lmao

46. Do you prefer writing on your phone or on a computer (or something else)? Do you think where you write affects the way you write?

Haha ! The medium question !

See, it's a bit of a thing with me to be weird about mediums

By the end, all fics become a word doc (office 2003 because I don't like change) which I either export or copy depending on the site I'm posting on

The way to get there, however...

I've got fics written in the notes app of my phone. That's pretty nice to do in the train, and it lets me edit them when I type them in the final doc. I've got fics written directly in the doc, those are usually less planned out and more of a spur-of-the-moment kinda thing. Not always ! Sometimes they're stuff that will require research and direct quotes from, say, a book of common prayers (aka that Jojo Vampyr AU that starts with a funeral)

And then there's my long-running AtlA fic, "A viper-lizard's tales" which I write in the train... by hand, on a paper notebook. This one is definitely impacted by the medium, since chapters end up being pretty short when I have to literally write them (mind you, the dialogue-less style also impacts the length of these chapters)

I'd say the only real difference between the notes app and the word docs is the level of editing, more or less. Not that I edit a lot, usually the first draft barely changes, but when it does, it tends to happen when I'm re-typing from paper/notes app to final doc. Easier to spot things that don't flow right that way, I think. So I guess they're a little cleaner, kind of

Although I also just re-type a word doc into another word doc sometimes, on purpose, when I'm looking to do something a little more "proper" rather than just vibing

Basically ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#yumi got asked stuff #duesternis #thanks for asking dear !! #the medium conversation went on for a while #but thats just bc im a mess sdfgsdfg

[bobsfic]

1, 7, 12, 17, & 28 for the ao3 wrapped game!!

Sabrina!!! ❤️ thanks for asking lovely!

1. How many words have you written this year?

Answered this one in detail here! But published on ao3 is 83,341 and actually written this year is probably around 156,000.... which now that I think about it, that would mostly be from the summer to now because I didn't write very much during the first part of the year! The gc is truly the best motivation out there ❤️

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most?

I don't really use lyrics when I'm writing tbh. But I did use a lyric for a title for the first time (can this be a real thing, can it?) - does that count?? It was obviously a Taylor lyric because I'm now obsessed 😂

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

I think there are 4 things I'm actively working on... I'm gonna guess that they'll all carry into next year at this point! Plus I've probably got 5-6 half finished docs.... 4 or 5 jiara week prompts I never posted... some other random ideas... my docs are a becoming a bit of a mess lol.

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

Hm... I tend to gravitate to writing from Kiara’s POV but I've actually done a couple from JJ's now and while I don't think I'm an expert on his character by any stretch of the imagination, I do find it fun to try and slip into his mindset. It's can be a bit more challenging but rewarding!

28. Favorite work you wrote this year?

AH! I don't even know how to pick?! This is my first year writing and really immersing myself in the OBX fandom so everything I wrote really brought me to where I am now! If I had to choose, I think it would be similar to my answer of what work I'm most proud of - 'can't get you off my mind' or 'leave the lights up'. The S3 spec fic I wrote 'find my way back' was also such a unique experience - I had so many feelings after the teaser that I wrote, edited and posted that entire one shot in like three days. And 'i'll look after you' has a special place as my first attempt at a multi chap work. Wow this question has really highlighted my indecisive personality 😂 lmao

ao3 wrapped [writers edition] - send me a number and I'll answer that question!

#ao3 game #ask game #my writing #robyn answers

[liannaflower]

Hey, I love your fics on AO3 so much! I was wondering what your 3 favourite fics that you've written are? 💙

My favourite fics of mine🧡

heeeey🧡

thank youu, you're making me blush and it's still early for that😊🤭

but huh this is a tough question, although I frequently think about it (and now I'm gonna list all my fics because I just can't pick😂)

Punishment:

Okay, this one is easy and I think obvious? The only multi-chaptered fic I finished (as far as I can remember) but most definitely the first of those. I think it's also my highest wordcount for a fic yet, but it will be surely surpassed once I finish other wips.

It has smut, which is my fave to both write and read, duh, a bit of dramatics with slight angst, and a lot of taboo. It's sinful and I just love it. Although I wish continuing it with its sequel would be as easy as this fic was.

It's also my favourite ship at the moment, duh. And my first non-Perpollo and also my first Perseidon content. The change from Perpollo was slow but much needed! (As you can see I almost never write Perpollo now, mostly only in Percy/gods stories, I just don't like it that much anymore, although it used to be my fave...)

2. Reference letters for NRU:

This is also an easy pick, I just LOVE the idea behind it, as much as I hate the idea behind the books that will come out, hence why I changed it to be more enjoyable because smut just always helps😂🥰

Not finished, yet, but I remember the Zeus chapter was sooo much fun, and quite possibly a record in my chapter/smut wordcount. I'm soo looking forward to continuing it. Hopefully, we'll see the end soon. If I had to guess this will be the second finished multi-chaptered fic of mine.

Now, this is where things get messy. I kept thinking about my fics, and while I've written some one-shots that I absolutely adore (khm, Tale of Tails, or I'm feeding on denial, fooled by my own betrayal and Happy Father's Day!) I simply cannot place them as third, because mostly once one-shots are done, they're almost never actively in my mind afterwards. Although I do enjoy frequently re-reading these works, and up to this day I wouldn't change a thing in them, so that's love.

But because I wanna put multi-chaptered works here I have two candidates for the third place:

like the lazy ocean hugs the shore

and

No Point In Running From Your Fate

These are both very recent fics, with not-so-recent ideas behind them. I think I had these since May in my ideas doc. 😅

But only one can be third so...

3. No Point In Running From Your Fate:

Although the other is more catching for me, as for the story and angsty feelings, that's a bigger project for sure. Therefore harder to write. Also, this one is less of a slow-burn, which I both love and hate. Mostly hate to write lol.

It will have smut very soon, and it's a much different idea than any of my others, since it's A/B/O, with my own personal system for it. I'm aware the A/B/O dynamic in it is a bit ridiculous perhaps, but I didn't wanna write the conventional one.

Honorable mentions for the list are Sunflower and The Days Of Our Love, my first stories to post on AO3. (let's pretend I never wrote anything prior to those) And while I love TDOOL (the new edition) for its structure (the increase-decrease change in wordcounts of present-past ratio) I love Sunflower for its end... which you don't know yet. But I cried a lot over it... lmao. However I'm stuck with them for multiple reasons, one, I don't enjoy Perpollo anymore, two, Sunflower is at a place where it's hard to continue, due to its themes, and how much self-reflection is in it.

However, I'm looking forward to finishing more of my recent stories too. I really enjoy Pasiphae's Curse (it will have its variations, in like 4 versions) Substitute Boyfriend and Gentlemen's Club too.

Well, that was a lot of fics listed 😂😂

But why would someone write if they don't love their stories?

Anyways, now I'm curious what were your faves?

#my fics #Perseidon #perpollo #this was tough to answer #but good for reflection #thank youu #🧡🧡🧡

[guidingthulite]

Lemme preface my uh… preface? With the fact that I had to put my response to your response in a Google Doc because I wrote Too Damn Much for the ask box LMAO. And I wish I could provide such delightfully long comments and commentary for what’s to come, but I don’t know how often I’ll have the time or energy to do so, so I hope that this is enough for the future moments when I’m unable to :,D I was struggling w/ adding the link, so I hope you can copy and paste all of this, but remove the gap between the https and the rest :D https:// docs.google.com/document/d/1wx9Cp3cMcMTcxa3XuWqkjTv-_olb5fTmCl6E9kMJCB4/edit?usp=sharing And oh! Thank you for your discretion :D!! I appreciate it. I probably should have specified that I would have been chill w/ it, but that’s on me XD. You’re welcome to publish this too, btw!!! I don’t mind. Your followers would probably have zero context, so it’s coolio B)

awww, it's okay! i am just so darn glad you did decide to react to my stuff <3 made me so happy! hehe

LINKS ON TUMBLR ASKBOXES ARE HELL UGH I UNDERSTAND YOU

and do not worry bud! my followers seeing this like. alma what are you talking about. what's this from jregbre

"I've been rereading your response HASHDKJASHD. It makes me ecstatic and kick my feet from happiness!!"

I LOVE HOW TWO-WAY THIS IS LIKE. i am happy you like my stuff, and you're happy that i'm happy you like my stuff-

"I don't know how I'd survive my family seeing a future partner and going, "Yeah, I can see how similar he is to [Insert A Character That I Like Here]," BAHAHAHA"

that is a fear i also share... my brother specially since he's the first one to ever know about characters i like. he's usually annoyed bc i ramble a lot but when i get a partner it's gonna be like

(pictured: us when he finds out i went out to date a person similar to the characters i ship w/ the charas i relate to)

"The way you write Saki makes it easy for me to resonate with her :D!! We're like kindred spirits in this fic XD"

we could say she's... resonating with you? eh? eh? okay, i'll see myself out... i think not many people exploit saki's potential bastardness... the ones that comes with being a little sibling. i have not met a single little sibling who isn't at least A BIT of a bastard

"He WOULD be so unchivalrous if he were to let his pre-pre-engagement partner be undignified in front of his future in-law!!"

meanwhile he's almost eating his cereal face into the bowl but saki thinks it's funny so it's all wins!

"Yes!!! I couldn't help but giggle extensively from this fic because it's too damn cute!! You really do put the FLUFF into fluff."

D'AWWW... THANK YOU!!! i try to make things that bring out good feelings. you know, like laughter and... fluff responses? i think? i genuinely can't write hurt/no comfort. there's gotta be comfort. i make tsukasa trip and akito spawns in his room to give him a kiss on the forehead

"Ayo..? This isn't a part of my response, but I'm listening to my audio as I read your live blog to respond, and Nene's in... the library..? Where Touya works 👀??"

toyan*ne might not be popular but it's popular in my heart. i have to put on the work when no one else will HFHFRHJGHR

"And Touya was busy on the day of their double date 👀👀👀???"

i did not think of what toya was doing that night but now he was on a videocall with nene playing competitive puyo puyo (they kept ending in a tie. rui was awake at like 5 am because he's rui and saw her room still had the lights on. he's gonna tease nene SO HARD about it next time they see each other)

"I'm honored to know that you think I make an amazing An and Kohane!! I'm so grateful that some of the coolest and cutest characters sound like me so that I can do them justice ;-;"

your kohane impression was so sweet! and your energy matches an super well! i can't help but keep telling you ✨✨✨

"Being let in on the club about That One Line That Made Me Smack My Mic is so cool!! And dude, whoever made That Line deserves a bit of a medal because it's so perfectly dramatic. I love that shit!"

hehe. i don't like talking about the source (... more like the creator's other works) because they're very, really, honestly super special to me but they're also... um... really something. and one of the games needs a warning for like, every trigger ever, and i'm like. ok. this is not everybody's tea and it has some moments that make even me cringe as well. but if you do not like it i will cry-

"I've always wanted to say a line like, “WHY DON’T WE STOP TALKING FOR A WHILE.” for so long, Blueberry!! Thank you so much for writing it!! This line always makes me laugh so much... especially since it reminds me of Reigen from Mob Psycho 100 HAHAHA"

BECAUSE REIGEN IS ICONIC HONESTLY no wonder he keeps winning tournaments!!! i have not finished mp100, but i really like him bc my sister told me he's like mob and i'm his reigen and i'm like oughhhhhhh oughhhh you're so sweeeeeet

"*Nods* You're so right. You're so right! Akito has been dying a slow death this entire double date (I love that for him) and Tsukasa Is Just Like That."

i think someone described my fic as "making akito suffer in the sweetest way possible" and yeah. yeah i think that tracks

"BAHDHAHAHA I'm happy that you enjoyed my little Akikasa tangent there!! And thank you so much for the refresher, omg. I can't believe I forgot that moment.... it make me go WILD when I read it BAHAHHAHAHAHA. Akito was so romantic there... like, even I was flustered!! Damn, dude!!! You went hard there!!!!!"

because it was so nice!!! and sweet!!! it made me go like AUGHGHGHGH akik ASAAAAAAAAAAAAA

and don't worry, i keep forgetting about those kind of things too... but i like that in a sense, y'know? you get to experience it all over again!

but i'm glad you liked it!!! i aim to be sappy in the most best (? way possible!

"Akito's so gay that Mizuki can feel it through a screen, MILES away? Damn... yeah....... he really DID do all that. Bravo Akito 👏"

akito recieves a DM from mizuki in the middle of the night that says "hey can you stop being gay for a sec? i can't sleep" and akito doesn't even deny he just goes "FUCK YOU AKIYAMA" and turns his phone off

"When I started clapping, I had finally figured out that I could get my Cute Aggression (← which is a real thing) out in a way that didn’t involve decreasing the durability of my desk B)!!!"

OHHHH, SO THAT'S WHAT THAT WAS! yup, i know about cuteness aggression, when i read about it i was like "oh yeah. that makes sense huh." my fic keeps being a hazard for both humans and inanimate objects (your desk)...

"Ah, you caught me! I often ship two characters that I relate to!! I call it self love B)"

that's very sweet! i don't usually do that- i relate to both minori and tsukasa and when he encouraged her in the anniversary event i felt like.

but if you do that honestly? better for you, you get to enjoy more ships! AND you feel appreciated x2!

":O tHERE’S MORE?? YAHOO!! THIS IS THE BEST NEWS I’VE GOTTEN ALL DAY!!!"

yup, and a mafu-kasa fic that's finished... in spanish. i still have to translate it but i keep getting sidetracked and translating random comics i find on pixiv to practice my japanese... sob

"I RESPECT THAT TOUYANENE GRIND 💪! I don’t know much about either of them, but I do appreciate gamers being in love B)"

ah at first it was because i didn't ship their most popular (respective) ships, and i was like. oh they interacted a bit maybe i can ship them- but then i was like YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS ACTUALLY VERY GOOD WOAH

"You are!! I’d give you a medal for being entertainingly violent if I had one >:D"

aw, i'm content with you considering me for the position hehe!

As I’ve said earlier, your enjoyment for what I’ve done makes me so damn giddy :>!! I’m honored that I could make you smile so much

OF COURSE??? seeing someone enjoy my works so much makes me explode out of happiness! i want you to know how much all of this meant to me!!! i was like this the whole time

(the bunny stickers representing exactly how i feel once again)

YET AGAIN thank you so, so much! i this made me super happy!!! thank you for doing this!!!

#trying to censor the shipnames so this doesn't show up in the tags like they're something bad fjberhger #seriously though ahabdshjai aughhhhhhh

[butdriampagliacci]

hi omg i really love "wildfire"!!! i'm so curious about the behind-the-scenes process behind it. what media inspired you to write it? what's the revision process like and how long does it usually take? what part did u find the most difficult to write? when did you start writing the outline + first draft? are you the type to finish a rough draft of an entire long fic before revising or do you take it chapter by chapter? i have so many questions pls infodump as much as u want about the behind the scenes of the fic i'm so hooked on the story i've been sharing it to all of my mutuals. thank you again for creating it <3

OMG first of all, thank you! I love talking about writing, so infodump I shall!

As far as inspiration goes, I love mysteries and detective stories in general. Some that stand out to me as influencing wildfire are the manga FAKE by Sanami Matoh and Beyond Evil, a kdrama that I highly recommend. Lots of twists and turns in that one. (And of course I like Knives Out and Glass Onion haha, there's a little bit of that too with how Diluc is helping Lumine.) I also have a playlist I made for the fic. If y'all ever want to see that, let me know~

I started writing the fic in September after rotating the idea in my brain for about a year. Initially I wasn't planning on posting it, since people can get pretty heated about kaeluc so it was just for my own amusement. But after talking to friends about it and realizing how much I was enjoying myself, I figured I should go ahead and make an AO3 account and publish it. Seeing other people enjoying it too makes me so happy it's unreal!

Re: the process--I tend to go chapter by chapter, usually with a bit of a buffer. In other words, I try to stay ahead of the most recent chapter, so if chapter 4 is ready to be posted, I'm already working on chapter 5 and so on. I actually started out with a substantial buffer and had about 5 chapters written before I posted the first one. I've got a document called "Misc" where I write scenes out of order or further along in the story to place later. Also, this is going to sound insane, but I don't really outline--at least not strictly. I have a document called "plot notes" to remind myself of certain important clues, the timeline, anything that I came up with while brainstorming. I know what's going to happen in the broad sense (like the solution to the mystery, I know where Aether is haha) but I like to give myself a little freedom to make creative decisions as I work. Sometimes I'll plan for something to happen, but then it doesn't really fit. For example, I had the flashback where Kaeya and Diluc almost kissed as teenagers completed for a while, but had trouble deciding which chapter it should go.

I'm often editing as I go. If I'm writing and the scene feels wrong or the dialogue is off, I'll cut and paste it into my "outtakes and deleted scenes" doc so I can still keep what I like or change my mind later. I re-read the previous chapter to try and keep things consistent and make sure to read my draft before I post to catch whatever I can. (I don't have a beta so any typos or other mistakes are on me TvT) The most difficult parts to write are anything involving actual procedure lmao I do my best to make it seem believable, but I take about as much artistic license as a detective show would. I prefer amateur/gentleman detective stories to police procedurals so that's the vibe I'm going for (despite Kaeya having access to actual law enforcement resources). That, and action scenes aksjdfosdjfoj If you can't already tell, I'm a dialogue/character writer.

As far as how long it takes to write and revise, I can usually finish a 3-4k chapter in roughly a week. That's thanks to my severe brainworms hahahaha I'm lucky to have a lot of free time right now and a slow paced job :> Although I know how the fic will end and the major twists, I'm not sure how long it will take to get there, but we've already crossed the 50k mark, so there's going to be plenty more content haha

Anyway, I've probably talked enough for now but I'm always down to chat fic and writing haha Thank you again for reading and sharing the story! I appreciate it so much~

#answered

[snowstark]

Hello! I saw someone not too long ago ask @vaguekiwi about her writing process and was curious to see how writers have their similarities and differences. If you don't mind sharing along the same lines that VagueKiwi has done, could you explain your process too?

hi! sure sure i'd love to talk about this!!! before we begin though, i gave grace's process a quick look and WOW that's a real mf sexy explanation 🥵anyway here we go—

like grace said, what works for me might not necessarily work for someone else. experiment and stick with what works best for you, there's no right or wrong way to write!

1. how i figure out My Story Idea™️

the best ideas have always come to me when i'm doing something random. i'll be in the shower, lying in bed unable to sleep, commuting, etc etc etc, and usually an image, a dialogue line, or a scene pops into my head. i use a lot of other things for inspiration too — my fic wolves go for your heart takes a lot of inspiration from the TV show "suits" (which has a super canonic d/s relationship between the two characters btw). i'm a strong believer in the fact that all forms of art are inspired by one another; it's hard to come up with an idea that's "truly original," you know? imo, as long as you give credit where it's due, there's no problem in being inspired by another piece of art!!

i'm not very good with just sitting on an idea once it gets in my head. the moment it appears, i usually jot down a note on a blank google document or else i forget it. my google drive is filled with 50+ documents that have a Single Line of Description of the story lmao. if i get to it, cool; if not, that's okay. but if i'm feeling inspired and motivated enough, i'll start writing on the spot.

2. outlining???? don't know her

i'm also not very good with outlining, personally. the majority of the time i try to outline, i get bored of writing the actual story and so it never gets written. so, i just write the story from wherever i start and see where it takes me. of course, i've found that this has some issues in the long-run; it's harder to make sure you don't have plot holes or contradict something you said in previous chapters, etc. i've had way too many moments where someone asked me about a plot hole and i was like 😋 whaaaatttt no idea what you're saying!

that's not to say i never outline, because sometimes, when i feel like being a responsible writer, i do. i've had a couple of stories where i outlined chapter-by-chapter, which i do recommend trying if you feel up to it! (it does give you a good sense of direction on where to take the story!) but, yeah, i wing my stories 98% of the time, because that's just how my writer's brain works.

i'm also not a chronological writer at all; i prefer writing scenes in bits and pieces and then i smash all of these pieces all together and edit the final draft multiple times so that it flows well. i need to indulge myself with the scenes that i want right in that moment, or else i just can't get myself to write. this means that 80% of the time, i have the ending of the entire fic written before the beginning of chapter 1 LOL

3. keeping track of The Story™️

notes !!! bullet points !!! random bits and pieces of a scene !!!

the moment a scene or dialogue pops into my head, i write it down and save it for later. i usually just put some space between each "bit" and keep them in the same document as my story, and then i'll paste them into whatever chapter fits it later on. it's a bit chaotic and disorganized, but it is fun, for me, so i guess that's what counts!

for if you give a billionaire, i decided to try to get my shit together and organized everything really nicely. i used the same program called scrivener that grace mentions in her post (grace also convinced me to buy it; salesperson!grace au?!) because it really is a great program that helps you stay focused and organized! so yeah, for that story, i have docs of things to remember, important ideas, peter's rules/limits/etc, a folder of future scenes/bits, etc etc etc. it is pretty helpful, so i would definitely recommend keeping things organized like this! or, you could just keep things chaotic; i'm a fan of that too 😌again, see what works for you!!

4. writer's block (fuck off)

ik this wasn't really mentioned in grace's post, but writer's block is a serious pain in the ass so i think it's worth mentioning. i've been going through a mild slump in writing for a while and it's really frustrating. (un?)fortunately, it means i worked on some tactics to try to work past it, so maybe these techniques will be helpful for anyone else reading this!

i'm a massive fan of fighter's block, i will literally recommend it to anyone who even hints that they're going through a block. you can set a word count goal for yourself and with each word you write, the little character battles the monster. this program is also great because it stops me from questioning every single word that i write — that's one of the main things i experience when i'm going through writer's block. sometimes, in order to write, you just have to write. don't let yourself pause or stop to edit something, save that whole process for later. your first draft can be as shitty as you think it is; i promise you it will look 10 times better when you look at it the next day. and even if it doesn't, you now have words !! that you can edit !!

it's also kind of important to figure out why you have writer's block. for example, with if you give a billionaire, i personally struggle to put our chapters faster than every 4-6 months (that brings me so much pain i'm so sorry readers) because i've put too much expectation on myself. in my head, if you give a billionaire is a story that needs to be perfect, meets everyone's expectations, has just the right amount of plot and smut, has good witty dialogue because they're both snarky assholes, and for some reason i'm convinced that each chapter has to be about 4-6k words. i know that it's all in my head and that no one else but myself is reinforcing these words, but i can't make myself stop thinking it. and that's why i take forever to update — the expectations i've put on myself scares me from writing it because i get worried i'll mess up. so acknowledging and understanding that has helped me a bit because i can try to work past it now that i know what the problem is.

another example: for something like wolves go for your heart, i'm going through a block simply because i've lost inspiration for it. it's not as deep as it is for billionaire, and all i'm waiting for is for me to get back into the mood to write that law setting and boss/associate dynamic.

anyways, the point is, figuring out what's making writing so hard will be the first step in fighting that block :)

you can also reach out to any writing friends; talking out some ideas and AUs are super helpful in fighting a block!! if you don't know anyone personally enough to reach out and text them about it, reach out to a writer in your fandom!! i promise you that everyone will be delighted to help and talk about ideas! @thymenottime has a fantastic queens au going on that you should totally check out btw, and through asks, she talked to me about what she was thinking and we both had a fantastic time!!! sometimes just talking with friends and other writers is the best thing to do for yourself as a writer :]

okay, i think that's about it from me?? if you have more questions feel free to let me know, or you can always reach out to other writers too, of course!! other writers, feel free to chime in! i bet everyone has different tactics that work for them, and fresh perspectives too! happy writing <3

#ask #anon #i really hope this is coherent sjghoshg