#edit: added the update on drafting progress and the taglist!

[magic-is-something-we-create]

The Millennium Saga Book Three: Goddess-Touched - a formal WIP intro

This is book three of the Millennium Saga! Intros for the first two can be found here: Firebreathers [x] and Echoseers [x].

The waves of the harbor glitter dark in the moonslight, still and quiet. A hum of something that tickles the edge between hearing and feeling thrums through the air, a constant warning. A threat.

I am not alone on the dock where I sit. A pair of wide, void-like eyes gazes up at me from the sallow face just beneath the water’s surface, watching. Waiting. Curiosity of a form alien and uncomfortable to that I’ve always known clouds their eyes like cataracts.

Shadows drip from the underside of my cloak, spilling onto the wood and mixing with the sea. Coating everything they touch with a thick layer of tar, and a thicker layer of intrigue to draw the creature closer.

It is not the first time I’ve met them here, and I know it won’t be the last.

Genre: High fantasy/Steampunk

Target Audience: New Adult/Adult

POV: First person present, Multi-POV

Themes: Anti-Imperialism, trauma and recovery, hope and hopelessness, the stigma surrounding mental illness, the differences between vengeance, atonement, and justice, the separation between faith, religion, and deities, death and life and which one defines humanity more, the effects of leaving the only home you’ve known behind, and the struggle to rebuild after disaster.

Currently drafting at about 16k words.

The ocean has run red.

Three months past, and still none dare to touch the sea where countless ships have been ripped apart by the legends only now rising from the depths. Still none dare to get too close to the blackening scar of Delya, where a hundred thousand souls have yet to find peace. Still none dare to acknowledge the empty dais where the Chosen once stood.

And still none dare to tell the world what happened.

The Archer cannot return home as the waves threaten to swallow them whole. The Wiremaster refuses to even think of it, once he sees the beauty of the desert. The Acrobat still can’t find his balance, and the Artist must face his own impermanence.

The Starsmith races to find a solution to the world’s isolation. The Survivor seeks answers from even the most dangerous of sources. The Detective alone remains in Impalfahr, and alone has the power to tell the world just how little time is left.

The King has disappeared. The Knight is broken. The Matriarch must watch her world crumble again.

The Fourth Eternal is risen.

The ocean has run red.

The ocean has run red, and the Deepfolk will never let the Goddesses forget their part in destruction.

The Millennium Saga Taglist is maintained below the cut here and on the intro for Echoseers!

Ask to be added or removed:

@ladywithalamp​​ ; @lavenderrosewrites​​ ; @47crayons​​ ; @writeblrfantasy​​ ; @ashen-crest​​ ; @dragon-swords-prophecies​​ ; @faithfire​​ ; @midnight-and-his-melodiverse​​ ; @lexiklecksi​​ ; @writingrosesonneptune​​ ; @ren-c-leyn​ ; @doriians​

#I ONCE AGAIN APOLOGIZE IF THE EDIT TO THE POST TAGS Y'ALL ON THE LIST #writeblr #writblr #writers on tumblr #fantasy fiction #original fiction #original writing #wip intro #the millennium saga #goddess touched #edit: added the update on drafting progress and the taglist!

[mjjune]

[all image descriptions are in alt text] [banner art by @jamieanovels !]

MJ's Reintroduction!

updated 09.26.23

i'm m or mj (or whatever you wish to call me tbh).

this blog is solely dedicated to my writing and inspiration. to see my friend's writing (and writing i like in general), see my side blog @mj-library !!

ask and tag games open!

i might occasionally post/reblog mature content, but it will be clearly marked. interact at your own discretion.

i write fantasy of all kinds, but always with a touch of queerness. i lean towards dark and mysterious with supernatural and magical elements.

my favs: found family, female friendship, fairytale/myth retellings, anything queer (especially sapphic & aroace), neurodivergent & mental health rep, disability rep, anything with angst, reluctant heroes, enemies to [insert anything here]

all of my wips have a taglist. if you wish to be added to one/multiple don't hesitate to message me <3

My Projects Below! [or see this tag!]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DS // high fantasy

When their farm is raided by strange poisonous creatures from the sea, Sasha’s sibling is poisoned. She must journey into the deadliest monster-infested island in the world to find a cure. But the only person willing to help is a mysterious traveler—who she suspects is lying about who they are. She treks into the jungle and must uncover the truth of both the poison and the stranger, or else it might be not only her sister who suffers, but the entire island.

Status: Draft 1, 80k, alphas in-progress

Rep: gender stuffs

Full Page Here

WIP Intro Here

Blog Tags: #w: ds, #ds snippets

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TWTR // dark fantasy red riding hood retelling

After six years, The Wolf has returned seeking Red, and the Woodsman is tasked with finishing what he started. But as he tracks the beast, The Wolf leaves behind clues and messages that hint that the kingdom isn't what is seems; the history they all know is false... The Woodsman must uncover the lies and defeat the beast, or else lose the closest thing he's ever had to a friend.

Status: 73k, querying

Rep: aro/ace, trans/nb

Full Page Here

WIP Intro Here

Blog Tags: #w: twtr, #twtr snippets

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AVOF //dark urban fantasy duology

When a vampire sleeps with a werewolf to spite the ancient vampire order and homophobes everywhere, they accidentally reveal supernaturals to the human public. As media tensions, protests, and riots rise, the vampire must choose: risk everything to save his new lover, or hunt down the rarest creature in the world in hopes to prevent war.

Status: - Book 1 Complete, 97k words, shelved - Book 2 Draft 1, 109k words, editing

Rep: various unlabeled queer identities; asian, latine, black, jewish

Full Page Here

WIP Intro Here

Character Intros

Character Sheets

Blog Tags: #w: avof #avof snippets

#writeblr #writblr #writers on tumblr #writeblr community #writerblr #writer community #wtwcommunity #writing community #writeblr intro #wip intro #novel writing #fantasy writing #writers of tumblr #amwriting #dark fantasy #mj posts #50 #100

[k--havok]

Rane and Korzan's Fantastical Adventure: Update 1

Date: Feb 5, 2023

R&FKA Tag List: @ceph-the-ghost-writer @space-cadead @dogmomwrites @saintedseraph @little-mouse-gardens @lola-theshowgrl

If you would like to be added to the taglist, please let me know!

· ─── ❖︎· · ─────── ·❖︎· ─────── · ·❖︎❖︎❖︎· · ─────── ·❖︎· ─────── · ·❖︎ ─── ·

So I totally stole this idea from @space-cadead (hope that's ok!) Of blogging and talking about my progress to keep myself accountable for this project.

I'm gonna try to blog an update every sunday regarding this project. That being said, sometimes I do work sundays so I will put a notice if that is the case as I won't be able to blog.

Also, since Rane and Korzan is a project between me and my partner, I will only be sharing excerpts of my own writing unless he gives me permission.

This week I really didn't work on the story as much as I should have due to writer's block unfortunately. I just wasn't all that happy with my writing and just couldn't seem to get motivated. Luckily for me, my partner swooped in more or less and started finishing up Chapter Five for me since I was having issues.

Chapter Five still isn't quite complete yet, but it probably has a page to go until completion, more or less. It's always interesting working with someone else on a story since it's nice to bounce ideas off one another, but also mine and my partner's writing styles and strengths really vary; its to the point where its really distinctive where my voice begins and his voice ends.

As this is a first draft, it's not too big of a deal at the moment. We're trying to focus on getting the words and scenes down and will focus on editing later. But wow is it hard to do that!

Either way, under the cut is a small excerpt from Chapter Five:

The tavern consisted of one rectangular room. Round tables were scattered across the ashy wooden floors. A lonely and empty fireplace was squashed into the back wall and surrounded by worn chairs. 

The bar hugged the right wall and held several bar stools; two of them seating older human men. They barely glanced up from their tankards as Rane and Korzan entered.

The stench of dry stone persisted into the building. The creak of heavy boots against a wooden floor broke the seedy silence that blanketed the tavern. 

Korzan and Rane exchanged another long look. Although it was the afternoon, the tavern was surprisingly void. Rane shrugged and proceeded to approach the bar. She swung herself onto one of the seats, letting her pack drop to the floor. Her height and long legs kept her feet planted on the floor. 

With one last grimace, Korzan followed and joined Rane. He sat between her and the wall, keeping his head and horns down as he did so. The tips of his boots brushed against the wooden boards. 

“Still holding up?” Korzan whispered to Rane. He eyed her armor, but was unable to find any red seeping through. 

“Just fine,” she said, flashing her teeth in a grin. 

#Rane and Korzan's fantastical Adventure #R&KFA #writeblr #snippet #R&KFA Update #D&D #dungeons and dragons #Lanx Writes #my writing

[liveyun]

HOW OFTEN DO YOU POST NEW STORIES?

there's no frequency to that, really. sometimes you'd find me gone for months and sometimes you'd catch me posting back to back.

WHEN WILL BE THE NEXT (...) UPDATE ?

when it's fully completed, drafted and edited (:

DO YOU HAVE A SCHEDULE PAGE ?

not yet. . . and maybe never. as much as i’m happy to share progress on some works and posting times, it can also get stressful at times. so maybe not, possibly.

DO YOU HAVE A TAGLIST ?

yes! :D if you're interested to be added, you'll have to fill up this form in order to be a part of it.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SORTS OF FEEDBACK BOXES?

yes! you can find it here. it's just a feedback box, no emails are collected.

HOW DO I FIND ONE SHOTS AND SERIES IN YOUR BLOG?

simple! you'll just have to navigate through my masterlist, and there, one shots and series are differentiated accordingly. but please be warned of the warnings stated explicitly, though.

CAN I TEXT YOU ?

of course !! my pm’s and ask boxes are always open, and i allow anonymous asks too :D if you'd want to catch me on discord, drop me a text and i can give you the link :D but please remember that the person behind the screen and this blog is a human too.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER BLOGS ?

i have a side fic rec blog! but since i don't use it at all, i you won't find me active there at all :D

DO YOU CROSSPOST ? WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND YOU?

not yet. i am thinking of logging in to my ao3 account and start posting soon there too, though.

DO YOU TAKE COMMISSIONS ?

honestly, i haven't put any thoughts to it, atleast not yet. for commissioning, you need to have a circle— and i don't think mine is built well enough for that. so for now, the answer is no.

#liveyun faq #faq page

[author-a-holmes]

Writeblr Introduction

Greetings!

I thought it was about time I put together a proper Writeblr Intro Post.

My name is Arista, or Ari, but as long as it's polite I'll answer to pretty much anything. I'm an English writer in her 30's, currently living with my cat Litha, my dog Bumble, and my mother-turned-flatmate.

I am a voracious reader, and although I dabble in writing all sorts of genres, I always seem to cycle back round to Fantasy of some sort. It's very clearly where my heart lies.

To find out more about me, please check out my About Me page on my tumblr, or shoot me an ask! I'm always open to questions, asks or tag-games.

A brief run down on my current Works in Progress can be found below the cut, along with relevant Tags, and an @-list.

If you'd like to be added to any of my lists, then please leave a message on this post.

(Edit: Apparently my "#Tag Game" tag isn't showing any posts when I search my blog, so I've made a Masterlist Page with direct links...)

Taglist for Tag-Games

Empty

Relevant Tags: #Tag Game

Taglist For My Writing Exercises

Empty

Relevant Tags: #Writing Exercise

Stolen is the first book in the "Stolen Stories" Fantasy Romance series. The series will follow the journey of Stella Korazon as she fights to find her place in the ever turbulent world of Moryann.

Official Blurb

It had been a long couple of weeks for Stella Korazon.

When a simple pickpocket job goes horribly wrong and sends her entire life spinning into chaos, Stella must figure out how to navigate the treacherous world of Moryann alone.

Finding herself in the City of Antillune Stella is quickly pulled into the middle of a brewing war between two thieves guilds when a recruiter for the guild known as Vine coerces her into stealing from their rival, Guild Master Mosswolf.

Surrounded on all side by rogues, liars, spies and betrayal, it's a constant struggle to know who she should trust, but standing in the heart of it all, can she find somewhere, or someone, to call home?

Relevant Tags

#Stolen #A Stolen Story #Stolen A Stolen Story #Stella #Stella Korazon #Reilly #Reilly Mosswolf

Taglist For Stolen

@/josephinegerardywriter , @/strangerays

Current Status

First draft complete. 32 chapters, 146k. Currently undergoing edits, and I'm working on Chapter 3 right now - Updated May 23rd 2021

Takeover is the second book in the "Stolen Stories" series. Set several months after the end of book one, the rival guild Vine is beginning to cause trouble within the City of Antillune once more, threatening the peace Stella has found within Reilly's guild.

Relevant Tags

#Takeover #A Stolen Story #Takeover A Stolen Story #Stella #Stella Korazon #Reilly #Reilly Mosswolf

Taglist For Takeover

@/strangerays

Current Status

First Draft being written. Currently on Chapter 11 of an estimated 32. Wordcount sitting at; 41k - Updated May 23rd 2021

EFey Touched is my project for July Camp Nano 2021. It's a YA Paranormal Romance about a young Fey, Lizzy Hail who decides to leave the Fey realm for the mortal realm to find her mother, who recently went missing.

She drags along her best friend, Booker Reed, but the mortal realm isn't only home to humans, but also Vampires and their insane cousins, the Kavian. Lizzy and Booker quickly find themselves entangled in the world of the vampires, high school and budding romance, all the while still determined to track down Lizzy's mother.

Relevant Tags

#Fey Touched #Lila Isabelle Hail #Lizzy Hail #Booker Reed #Andric Roche #July Camp Nano 2021

Taglist For Fey Touched

Empty

Current Status

First Draft being written. I'm doing an update on Tumblr every time I complete a chapter (Tag; #Fey Touched). Since this is a Camp Nano project, it's moving pretty quickly and I'm hoping to get the first draft (66k words) finished by the end of July.

Projects on Hiatus

An Urban Fantasy Romance Interactive Fiction project that I work on intermittently when I need a break from the world of Stolen.

Blurb

When the demons broke into our world from their realm, and the covens joined their powers together to trap them within a single city, your training as a witch got put on the back burner.

Still, untrained though you may be, you cannot help but use your magic to assist a young woman and her son when they are being harassed by demons.

Should you walk away? Yes. Do you? No.

That decision propels you into the center of events. The woman you save is a Seraphim and the demons want her dead.

Why they are hunting all Seraphims within the city, you don't yet know, but what you do know is that the Covens are rapidly running out of time if they intend to banish the demons forever.

Relevant Tags

#WotW #WOTW Interactive Fiction #Words of the Witches IF #Dashingdon #Choice Script

Taglist For WotW

Empty

Current Status

Slow going because this is a side project. I'm about 1/4 of the way through the prologue, but a lot of coding happened in the first few thousand words, due to entering in variable genders for the four romance options - Updated May 23rd 2021

#Writeblr Introduction #Writblr Introduction #Writing #My Writing #Am Writing #Writing Community #Writeblr Community #Writeblr #Original #Original Writing #Fantasy #Fantasy Romance #Urban Fantasy #Urban Fantasy Romance #Interactive Fiction #Fiction

[dallonm-archive]

REVELATIONS, REVELATIONS | UPDATE #1

Hello y’all! I refuse to believe it’s been 3 and a half months since I last made an update post for this novel because time is not real :) whoops! This has actually been sat in my drafts for like a month though 

A rundown of things that happened: 

We have a new title! I already went into the meta and possible interpretations (it’s ~ambiguous~), so if you want you can read about that HERE.

I did 3 weeks of Nano and wrote 15k words! On the site I recorded 15053 but I think it was more 15.5k? I’ve edited the original doc now so idk but I’m v happy with that!

After that I took a break and a lot of Life Things happened re a certain pandemic that is taking :) all my motivation :) so I didn’t return to drafting until January. I also really struggled to progress with the story and decided the best thing was to revisit what I already had and work on that

It’s not that the original chapters weren’t working, I was just trying to understand the story for the first time and also Nano was such a hazy blur and I’m 99% sure November didn’t happen. I probably won’t revisit a section this intensely again until I’ve finished the draft but at this stage it really helped because the more I worked on it, the more I understood where it had to go next - I know the structure (for now), the basics for the middle and how the story ends :) hehe :) and I don’t think I’d had those revelations (aha) without revisiting this first part. I got to fall in love with the story all over again and I’m very happy with where it’s going!

This intro is already getting so long so I’m just going to jump straight into it because this update is LONG. I’m talking about all the chapters today even though not all of them are new, but since I’ve learnt a lot about them and this is officially update #1 post-nano, it makes sense to talk about all of them! I’m also going to do a new taglist because I see this as a new set of updates also I am awful at keeping up with taglists so! I’m just tagging friends who have already expressed interest + mutuals who I’m like 99% sure want to stay on so! please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed! 

@kowlazovdi​ @isherwoodj​ @avi-burton-writing​ @pamsdrabbles​ @ryns-ramblings​ @kitblogsthings​ @svpphicwrites​ @aetherwrites​ @radiomacbeth​ @bijouxs​ @writerlywonders​ @haldimilks​ @alicewestwater​ @piyawrites​ @coffeeandcalligraphy​ @shaelinwrites​

usual content warnings for religious trauma and cult discussion, specific CWs will come before excerpts!

So I’m currently working with four parts, and I’ve extended the timeline from one year to four years. This suits the story much better BUT pretty much everything here was written before that decision and I do not have the energy to restructure all of it right now :) Each part is split into two sections, one for each POV. So four parts, 8 sections, Felix and Dorothy get four sections each. I let the structure grow with the story but this one is working very well!

Also I started setting my pages to light green and it was LIFE CHANGING. Much kinder on the eyes and just looks so nice?? Calming?? This post is your sign to set your page colour to light green like LOOK

So we have a prologue now!! The story made a lot more sense once I added this because originally the information we learn was just shoehorned into Chapter 1 in a flashback when really we needed to know this information going into it. That being said I struggled with this for a bit just because to justify a prologue I need that information to be conveyed in a way that is completely unique to the rest of the narrative so I didn’t want to just write this as a flashback. I ended up writing it in 2nd person and it came out in a way where it’s not clear which twins POV it is? Like it’s more of a fusion of both of them where neither of them have their own individual identity beyond “the twins” yet. I can’t tell if this is my funky POV peak or a clarity nightmare but I like it! I want it to only be ~500 words so we can take the risk.

In this they’re fourteen and they do a “blood pact” as a way to symbolically cut themselves from their family (aka: their father) whilst they’re still tethered to it. I really love it because not only is it exactly what these slightly unhinged-but-havent-tapped-into-it-yet, co-dependent-and-dont-realise-it kids would do but it immediately brings up the question of family and what family actually is. I’ve also realised a huge idea in this story is the idea of the tangible and for them, the concept of family and blood isn’t tangible so they struggle to recognise its significance (not that it. has any for them in the first place.) but their relationship, seeing each other bleed and pressing the cuts together is. The writing itself is kinda wonky because of the whole funky clarity nightmare POV but here’s a little taste of the ending:

cw: blood

You’ll slink back into your family room to clean and plaster each other’s hands and you’ll ask yourselves: which bloodstains came from who? Who bled the most and who stopped first? Who will come up with the story for the cuts on your palms and who will dispose the bloodied towel? Who is Dorothy without Felix and who is Felix without Dorothy?

Shiny new first chapter! Originally this was in Dorothy’s POV but now it’s switched to Felix and instead of just showing their reunion (which turns out is....very anticlimactic and not appropriate for an opening lol??) we actually explore Felix’s thoughts an actions after he decides to escape the cult, which was a very impulsive decision and spans about a day and a half. This one is definitely gonna take a few drafts to get right because it’s such a delicate but intense event to write and I’m content with the fact that it’s not There Yet but the prose is! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and it really helped me get back into the swing of loving this story. There’s something very delicate about it but also very troubling under the surface. The opening gave me a lot of trouble, but the first line hits!

The day Felix decides to leave the sun glows the same, and the pine trees breathe the same, and the chapel cross stabs the sky the same. 

Ironically, a good chunk of the chapter happens outside the cult, as Felix decides to spend his final day taking Lola - a woman his age who is literally the only person he likes lmao - to one of the nearby towns. Whilst the main function of the chapter is to introduce the cult itself, it’s also to show how normalised leaving actually is - it’s just every time he’s left has been temporary, and every time he has left, he still feel separated from this “outside world”. They go to a candy store and a thrift store - where Felix lies about his mom (who he hasn’t seen in 20 years) being in hospital so he can use a phone :) Lola is a new character so I don’t have much to say on her, but all I can say is they are wlw and mlm solidarity but also she knows how to read him 

“I don’t know why Dotty and I loved this place so much - we always got  toothaches.”

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

“These apple ones are nice, but I think the lime is my favourite. Do you think the apple or the lime is nicer?”

“I think you’re leaving, but I also think you’re scared, so you’re pretending that I’m going to leave with you and that’s why you wanted to go to town. You chose the candy shop because this is where you went the first time you left, but this time you’re not coming back. Does that scare you, Fel?”

And here is my favourite paragraph in the whole chapter because <3 what the fuck <3 and if pine trees are a key Felix symbol no they aren’t 👁️ yes they are

cw: falling out a window? pushing yourself out a window? description of bones breaking

The day Felix decides the leave, when the clouds bleed amber, he pushes the scratched mahogany dresser so it lines with the windowsill, lies on top and hangs his head out. It’s never comfortable, but it’s always peaceful: sometimes cars murmur on nearby backroads, sometimes a wind chime flutters, sometimes brush rabbits rustle in shrubbery and they all breathe the same oxygen as him. He closes his eyes, inhales the pine air, and plays God: pushes himself further out, an inch at a time, until his shoulders cross the line and he wonders what bones would break if he fell. Would he break both arms or one, both legs or one? Would he break his spine? Which vertebra would crack, and how many? Would he feel them all in one big strike, or all the individual bones burst like popping candy? Evening breeze whispers against his face and he could do it right now, leap out the window and if he didn’t break his legs or back he could run to the bushes, to the pine trees, to the road, the town over East or West, the county line.

If Felix hit the ground, would it be because of a freak fall, or because he pushed himself out?

We have to laugh because I’m pretty sure I said in my Nano update that this chapter was the strongest so far besides one scene but when I looked back that scene <3 took up 80% of the fucking chapter <3 So I just said fuck it I’ll rewrite the whole thing for fun!!!! And I love it!!! It’s so jarring compared to Chapter One and that’s the point!! Everything is so over saturated and originally that was just to convey the absolute shock Felix gets from the Major Impulsive Life Decision He Just Made, but now I think it’s intentional on his part and it goes back to the idea of the tangible: whilst he didn’t grow up totally isolated this is still a new life for him, and he has nothing to latch onto, so he looks to his surroundings and hyper-focuses and latches onto it because it’s something that’s now tangible and accessible to him so he sees it in this very bright, romanticised way (the romanticisation of San Francisco is very amusing to me but it’s also very relevant). But even with that he still distances himself from this environment still - the same way he did whilst living in the cult. He has no idea how he wants to exist in this world and he doesn’t even know how to exist yet.

And so it became clockwork: eyes burst open at two, three, four in morning, doesn’t bother trying to fall back to sleep. Lurk into the kitchen, make a coffee or water or whiskey. Sit under the fritzing lightbulb with no shade, think about everything and nothing and everything and nothing. Or go for a smoke, inhale the vapours until it hurts his chest, breathe in the cool air until it hurts his teeth, wander around the block until it hurts his feet. Sneak back into a room that doesn’t belong to him in an apartment that doesn’t belong to him in a city that doesn’t belong to him. Count the bumps in the popcorn ceiling until footsteps sneak down the hall – Dorothy leaving a room that doesn’t belong to her. Join his sister back at the kitchen, she complains that they need to replace the lightbulb. Over pulpy orange juice and scrambled eggs on toast, she retells her dream and lists the possible meanings and he lists his plans for that day on how to immerse in the outside world, familiarise himself with the city until it belongs to him. Travel by trolley for the first time, eat seafood at the waterfront for the first time. Bump into a cherry-headed conure parrot by chance. Climb Twin Peaks and gaze at the new view of home. Trace the outline of translucent mountains in the air and pretend you’ll ever hike them; trace the outline of high rises in the air and pretend you know the people in them. He asks Dorothy when he’ll stop feeling like a tourist – she has no answer for him.

(context: Dorothy’s roommate, Jolie, is out of town at this point, so Dorothy tells Felix to take her room whilst she takes Jolie’s and they’ll sort it out later. Dorothy has no problem sleeping in Jolie’s bed because her and Jolie are Very Good Friends)

I also realised that, in the nicest way possible to November me, that this chapter was so damn boring because it’s very dialogue heavy but in every dialogue moment they are literally just 🧍 doing nothing. So I wrote a scene as a half-joke of Just Met Like Three Hours Ago Beau and Felix going to the arcade and it saved this chapter. It is SO fun but it also comes straight after this very emotionally intense moment and it’s really interesting to see that reach its zenith and then just. fizzle out but linger in the background? I love this scene but I also can’t take it too seriously because they play Frogger and @aetherwrites​ joked that the game’s a metaphor for Felix leaving the cult and I love her and hate her because she is so right I can picture the LIT1000 seminar where that analysis would be made unironically and it’d be ME who makes it and I am so close to just running with that for real. Also these two aren’t love at first sight but the chemistry is so loud like did you two meet today or have you been married for eight years and own five dogs together what’s the truth? Anyway here’s Felix murdering Beau on sight 

“You know, you could’ve warned me that you’d be that good,” Beau says.

“It’s not that difficult, you could’ve warned me that you’d be that bad.”

Beau leans across to shuffle through cassette tapes in the glove compartment. “I’m not, you just got lucky. I let you win.”

“But it’s not even competitive. You just died seven times in a row.”

I’m a little unsure of the pacing for this chapter now because its effectiveness lies in the fact it takes place a week after the previous, and my job with this section post-draft is to stretch it out longer since it only spans three weeks. I’m hoping I can make it work where there’s little time between Chapter 1 & 2 but still cover more time in chapters 3-5 because I think that’d be jarring in the best way? Like the absolute intensity of that initial week quickly dissolving and suddenly he’s been living this life for months he didn’t notice go by. Again <3 a problem for post draft me <3

I don’t have much to say about this one because in Nano I didn’t even finish it, and now I have but it’s still <3 giving me trouble <3 - however I’ve realised this is probably the most important chapter at this stage of the novel because it’s the first full chapter with just the twins, trying to have a bonding moment and catch up but only learning that they a) love each other b) can’t stand each other whilst not realising just yet that they are c) extremely co-dependent. I like to call this novel multiple plot threads in a trench coat and that’s definitely it, the twins have their own individual plot threads separate to one another, but if there’s a central plot (and there kinda is?? its a surprise :) ) at its essence is them realising how fucked up their relationship is, but wanting to rectify that and trying to understand the difference between a tangled and toxic relationship. 

This chapter introduces that each character has a key symbol that’s attached to the world somehow and Felix has chapters like these in his arc where he tries to navigate the state of their relationship (so there’s one later on titled “Ocean (Beau)”) and his associations with them. We have to laugh here because I was really like “oh Dorothy is sapphic so I’ll make her obsessed with the moon” but then it became a major symbol in the story <3 Dorothy IS obsessed with the moon, and Felix is frustrated because he can’t see it the way she does and he feels like part of him is missing because of that, when it’s just a different perspective but nooo these two need to have unhealthy co-dependency and then get mad when they’re unhealthily co-dependent on each other :/ Anyway I’d just like to talk about how Felix’s need to be like his sister in this chapter is demonstrated through a symbol that’s attached way more to her than it is to him even though in the prose he describes the moon as this fragile, breakable thing which is the complete opposite as how Dorothy would and lets talk about the blade mirroring the prologue!!!!

He closed an eye and pointed the blade at the moon. If he could, it’d be so easy: surgeons precision, swift wrist flick, carved and plucked from the sky. Laid out on his palm like tissue paper, half translucent and as breakable as skin - a birthday present for Dorothy, if he doesn’t tear it. He’ll try not to, but it’d be so easy.

In further development of the Moon Imagery, I’ve started using a lot of Star Imagery with Felix and a lot of general space imagery in both of their POVs and I’m delighted to say I have no idea what the meta means with that but I like it!! It fits the story very well and they’re probably mirroring each other or something!

This little chapter taught me that I need to be flexible with form <3 this was originally meant to be the final scene of the last chapter, and I was so hyped because it was one of the first scenes I conceptualised, but then it ~sucked~. However I didn’t realise until recently that it sucked because I was writing it in a traditional storytelling form - which most of this book benefits from, but this moment certainly does! not! I’m really glad because I think this book is the perfect playground for experimental form - although here it’s relatively simple though, most of the setup for this happens at the end of the previous chapter and then this is just all the information condensed as much as possible. This chapter is focused on memories so it really works for it to be cut off from the previous which is in the fictive present, and Felix’s perception of memories right now are ~a little jarring~

The final scene of Moon (Dotty) depicts Felix and Dorothy breaking into a park at 4am, promptly having an argument that results in Dorothy leaving, and Felix sat next to a fountain picking pennies out of it and trying to associate a memory with the year on the back - this chapter is those memories and this introduces the fluid relationship characters have with their past. For Felix, he’s seeing the last 20+ years from a bird eyes view in a very sporadic way and it’s starting to sink in that those 20+ years actually Happened. Some of the memories are very distanced, others are as intense as flashbacks, and some are a mixture of the two. This one is very interesting to me because he completely separates himself from the memory halfway through Fel do you wanna talk about this (unfortunately I cannot drop the name because of plot <3)

cw: light/implied homophobia

IN GOD WE TRUST / 1978

The first time Felix held a boys hand was in 1978 in the back pew at morning service. It was the first time [redacted]’s father preached and they got stuck in the back because they arrived late, because they laid in the grass together, wearing each other’s identical pecan coloured blazers as sunrise peeled back the night, and they slunk into the back of service like ghosts everyone could see and maybe they knew why they were late. [Redacted]’s father had a razor voice and he made sure every word sliced into his son and his son interlocked fingers with the boy next to him. His son didn’t look at the boy he held hands with the same way he’ll pretend his blazer is his and not the boys and the same way he didn’t look at the boy the first time they kissed behind the chapel building and the same way he didn’t look at the boy during Bible study for the week after.

Whilst I’d say in Chapter 2 the chemistry between Beau and Felix is as clear as day this is the first instance where Felix’s queerness is explicitly introduced and I’m taking this chance to say this book gets more queer every fucking week. Like I think in the last updates I was like ohhh sexuality doesn’t play much into Felix’s arc and know it’s like 99% of his damn arc and we LOVE it. But at this point he doesn’t realise like when I tell you guys this man is so repressed

I am literally only putting this here because I talk about all the other chapters and it’s weird to me to leave one out. Also because the graphic and title is pretty. Not gonna lie I love making these posts and that is 10% to ramble about meta 90% making pretty graphics that is literally just cropping photos on Unsplash and putting Garamond text over them <3

Anyway this was originally Lessons in Holy and when I revisited that chapter I realised it was so fucking messy and I tried to fix it but it didn’t really work and I’ve been scared to touch it since. However the meta is top notch so here we are - it mirrors Chapter One, Everything Holy, which explores Felix’s decision to leave the cult and with that, leave God. Everything Holy / In San Francisco explores his relationship (or lack thereof) with God and how much Felix’s life has changed since he left - and how “holy” it is. It definitely goes back to the idea of the tangible because the holiness preached to him growing up was not something tangible to him, whereas with this he looks at real life experiences, so he tries to find holiness in that. It also ties with Cyan City and the romanticisation of San Francisco as something tangible and something he can find holiness in, which a) he needs to learn that things don’t have to be “holy” to be valuable and b) it would be a shame if :) he centred everything good about his life around SF and then :) something bad were to happen whilst living in SF :) the way he and Dorothy both do this

My plan for this is basically: Condense The Shit Out Of It. The hardest part about this chapter is it is very thematic and you know as a lit major (derogatory) I love that but with more theme centric chapters the line between subtle and Too Much can be verrryyy thin, but I think focusing on character exploration over theme will fix that pretty easily. I’d also like to separate the Isaias introduction into its own chapter because it’s such an important moment and November me just? Latched it on at the end? And that plus Felix’s crisis in the same chapter is just too much. This chapter is gonna get changed A Lot but for now here’s Felix’s very chill and relaxed ending to his POV section :)

cw: drowning, drug mention

Felix didn’t speak to God for three weeks and everything unholy became holy: the coffee scorching his throat, the kaleidoscopic t-shirts and high waisted jeans, the punk rock they play at the record store – loud and electric. It’s unholy, but he sleeps through the night now, he folds coloured card into butterflies at breakfast and scribbles biro eyes over the newspaper's sudoku on his lunch break. He earns money and he spends a pinch of it on himself: on new wave records and playing cards and earrings he can’t wear yet. Sometimes he buys marijuana it’s not a sin because marijuana means he only smokes tobacco twice a day now – one at breakfast, one before bed. He bar hops with Beau on Saturdays and hikes with Dorothy on Sundays and he tells strangers he studies American Literature and he smiles with his eyes more and nobody notices that somebody’s holding his head underwater. And he doesn’t know whose hand it is, but it knows how to grip tight. And he doesn’t know how to swim, but he knows how to swallow water. And he doesn’t know if this is the punishment or the sin because the water stings his eyes but he chooses to keep them open, and the water will tangle in his lungs but he chooses to keep his mouth open. And hellfire can’t touch him under here, so he’ll keep swallowing water and it’ll burn him in a different way, and he’ll like how it scorches his throat.

(Once again context I didn’t share because I don’t like the writing that talks about it: Felix has a deep fear of drowning from past trauma, but he’s also very obsessive about it and often imagines himself drowning.)

(also the way these excerpts are just showing off my love for repetition my Intro to Creative Writing Tutor that called repetition lazy is seething rn!!!!)

Overall though, I’m v happy with how this section came out now that I actually know what the story is! As I’ve finished drafting it, I have noticed where the missing plot beats are and this is what I expected because I Do Not have a lot of experience with novels (I’ve never passed 15k on a novel before so we’re in new territory now) and generally struggle to see beats before I finish a draft. I’m thinking there’s at least one chapter missing and maybe a shorter one, like MSATBOTF, but I won’t be touching this section again until I finish the draft. Most of all I learnt a lot about the story’s form and I’m excited to play with that and be a bit more flexible! 

I’m currently drafting Indigo, the first chapter in Dorothy’s POV, and I was going to talk more about it but this post is too long and the next update will be <3 all about her <3. But the chapter introduces her and Jolie’s tumultuous relationship and here’s a lil peak! 

Me, a sapphic, capable of writing happy sapphic relationships: 

Me instead: 

cw: light/implied homophobia

If she didn’t display the ticket on the bedside table - like she had something to prove - she could have easily been in Dallas, in New York, London, Cannes, Moscow, Tokyo, Cairo, Sydney. But wherever she went, Dorothy and Jolie have had four airport reunions before today - four times they’ve had to soften themselves, disguise themselves. Old high school friend flying in to be her maid of honour, college roommates who don’t see each other as a day past eighteen, pen pals reuniting for the first time since the seventies, business trip colleagues in casualwear. The fifth time, there’s nothing to hide, and as they walk to the car, Dorothy has to wonder: if they were seen by nobody, would Jolie have hugged her with both arms? Would she have kissed her? Would Dorothy kiss back?

I’m midway through this chapter, so I’ll keep the rest of it for the next update! That I promise won’t be in three months!

If you read through all of this then I am in love with you <3 

#i'd say im sorry this is so long but it was so fun to write so i'm not! #also pls be proud i cut 2k words from this bc i RAMBLED #atlastracking #writeblr #writing update #revelations revelations

[hekat-ie]

THE VOICE OF GOD (by hekat-ie) — a work in progress

“You will die the death of saints, but fall like mortal kings.”

genre — supernatural horror

pov — third person limited | miriam

status — planning & drafting

setting — santa casilda city, 1890s. 

warnings — blood, gore, body horror, religious faith and doubt

features — an all-filipino cast, a matriarchal religion, demonic possession, self-discovery, idolatry, and tragedy

✷synopsis

logline: a novitiate nun becomes conflicted in her faith after acquiring the ability to commune with ghosts, monsters, and the god she serves following a near-death experience during the exorcisim of a dear friend.

summary: miriam is a good girl built on saintliness and the obedience of martyrs. she knows her place in her fair god’s plan. it is as promised in the scriptures written in black blood, in the psalms she sings, and the bread she eats. as a novitiate nun for the sisterhood of santa llerena vidruna, miriam knows her path is paved in light and divine guidance.

in god’s favorite city, a nun falls from grace. a demon possesses her and it is miriam who helps deliver her from evil. it is the first time she sees the devil, and the first time she is so close to death. when the exorcism ends, the voice of the dead girl lingers. along with it is the hopeful voice of god, and the monsters that plague her nightmares.

they all promise miriam different things. 

✷links

side writeblr | wip page | wip tag | aesthetic tag | spotify playlist

✷footnotes

the side writeblr is a blog for aesthetics, and miscellaneous notes for myself.

my main writeblr is for excerpts, art, edits, and updates in general.

wip page will contain a more concise presentation of information.

a lot of things are subject to change as i draft (especially the summary).

if you’d like to be added to #vog’s taglist feel free to send me a message or an ask .

#wip intro #wip introduction #wip: vog #wip #writeblr #amwriting #writers on tumblr #horror #hekat-ie #hekat ie #mywriting #hekatietracking

[ettawritesnstudies]

Storge Edit Update Ch 5

Hey it’s been a hot minute since I’ve done one of these taglist updates sdfjksldfjsfd. Sorry for the lack of consistent content! Now that summer’s come I’ll be making a lot more progress.

Overall stats:

60 pages (I’m writing in default Microsoft Word settings so idk how much that would be as a published formatted Thing)

30K words

5 page and ~3000 word net increase from the first draft.

About 1/4th of the way through the plot, so I’m projecting this book is going to be about 120K by the time I’m done with this edit. That’s a litttttle on the long side for a conventional YA fantasy novel, but it’s not ridiculously long either. We’ll see how much gets trimmed in the line edits

I’m actually halfway through Ch 7 by now but I’m trying to batch these so you don’t have a complete wall of text :P

Excerpt

Chapter 5: Aftermath

“That’s enough!” Aimon repeated. “We’ve had enough trouble tonight without bickering amongst ourselves. While Enne is right, I think it’s time we heard the rest of Luca and Grace’s story.” He leveled a serious look at his son, who laid his head in his arms on the table. “What were you thinking when you decided to pit yourself against 30 armed men?”

“We couldn’t just stand there when we could stop it,” Luca said, his voice half sob, half whisper. “We had to help. People were helpless, and trapped, and falling dead all around us and we had to do something. We were the only ones who could do something.” Now he lifted his head to look at his parents.

“And we did. After I jumped in, Grace took the brunt of the second blow. She probably saved hundreds of people. Maybe I didn’t hurt the anarchists, but I distracted them long enough for troops to arrive and scare them away. Long enough that they couldn’t hurt everyone,” His voice was desperate.

He pleaded his case to Enne and his parents, but he also pleaded with himself to believe it. He needed to believe that his reckless, stupid decision had done some good. His voice still caught, but it was more steady when he spoke again, “What happened was… tragic, and I didn’t have a plan when I jumped into the arena besides surviving long enough to let other people get out. I wish I could have done more. But I don’t regret what I did.”

Anda rubbed at her temples, trying to banish a growing headache. “You two are going to be the death of me. What am I going to do with you?”

Luca sighed. “Honestly? A hug would be nice right now.”

His mother relented and embraced her son. When she pulled away from him, her eyes were wet, and she gave him a kiss on the forehead before doing the same for Grace. “You’re both such brave children. Impulsive, and reckless, yes. But I’m so so proud of you.”

Changes and Commentary

This chapter was pretty good as it was! I refined some of the conversations because the dialogue was stilted earlier, but the pacing and place in the plot were both solid

I reworked some of Acheran’s actions to make him less OOC. I’m really happy with how his character has evolved as I’ve grown more confident writing him. I’m not someone who entirely believes the characters are Real and let me tell their story and tell me what to do, but he’s gradually become his own person which is really cool His parts feel a lot more natural and I can visualize his mannerisms and recognize his voice a lot more easily now.

I’m also really happy with how the family and sibling dynamic reads in this chapter. I (unfortunately) know from firsthand experience what it’s like to deal with a crisis (though nothing like this), but I can still write what I know and convey those emotions through the characters. They’re not a perfect family, but they are ultimately a good family and their arguments are because they love each other. That’s not something I see often in fiction, and I hope the Laine family is a good example and welcome change of pace for my readers

Taglist! (ask to be added/removed)

@inkwell-attitude @re-writing-h @thescreamingtwenties @siarven @kittensartswriting @yearlyaquariace @abalonetea @andiwriteunderthemoon @the-starlight-chills @davey-in-a-minivan @the-great-teller-of-tales @lothloriien @isanyonetoknow @piyawrites @viawrites-andacts @fuyugomori @thiscrypticfangirl @thescatteredscribbles @avian-king

#storgewip #storge update #storge edit #my writing #editing #editing storge #writing update

[westywrites]

The Corvine - draft 2 update

Excerpt:

He closed his eyes and there were stars. Inside him, around him. In his veins. In his soul. There were stars and sky and his fall would last forever. No ground to catch him. No need to be caught.

He was falling and the stars were fading. The stars were him, out of reach. And he closed his eyes.

Nothing. Darkness opened its arms for him. The night opening its heart. Its heart was his own. Here, there was nothing. He was nothing. No pain, no fear. No dreams. Not even stars. Where had dreams and stars and stories gotten him?

This wasn’t what he wanted, this wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

But maybe stories weren’t all he had thought them to be. Maybe the fastest way to a happy ending was to let the story end. No stars, no dreams, no what-ifs. The darkness had already whisked away his name. It swallowed the stars and the light and his heart and-

He fell.

Finally, there was nothing.

This excerpt is from the newly added chapter 48 - a chapter that was never planned, but boy am I glad it exists now. I think it really adds to the emotional punch of the ending in a lot of ways. (Plus it lets me have a beautiful total of 50 chapters, which is such a nice number)

Continue reading under the cut for a bit more of an update on the progress of draft 2, and the taglist!

Editing/rewriting is not my thing. It is slow and tedious and every time I do one thing, I realize there are a million other things I need or want to do! That being said, progress is actually really happening with this draft thanks to the motivation of my roommate and our shared "Writing Wednesdays."

So far, I've been meeting a lot of the goals that I set out for myself. But looking back at this post makes me laugh. I don't know how I ever thought I could do it all by adding only 9 chapters... At this point, I've added about 11 chapters, completely rewritten several others, and still have a new chapter to write and a chapter to rewrite entirely. That's without mentioning all of the smaller additions I've made in existing chapters. We've gone from the first draft word count of 67,000 all the way up to 88,000 and counting. Whoops..? I'm sure there is stuff to be cut, but, for now, I'm worried about adding the needed content. I'll do cuts once my alpha readers have a go at it.

Once I'm done with the last additions I'm planning, I'll go through everything for a consistency and coherency check. Then, so that my roommates and girlfriend actually read it like they say they will, and for fun, I'm going to be doing an "audiobook" style recording of me reading it aloud, as well as a few printed copies. We're getting close, babeyyyy!

Who knew this story born from a dream about witches, talking birds, and foxes from another realm would come so far. I'm consistently in awe.

Taglist: @undrthesummerstars @ratracechronicler @leonajasmin-writeblr @frenchy-and-the-sea @rho-nin @starlitesymphony @written-by-yours-truly

The Corvine masterpost

If you’d like to be tagged in (admittedly infrequent) updates about this WIP, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list!

(Header made for me by @diabhals in 2019)

#west's words #writeblr #amwriting #spilled ink #writers on tumblr #the corvine #the word of the raven #i was gonna tag this with this excerpt is about #but that is probably actually spoiler territory haha #we're at the point where a lot of things #at least big things #might not change that much from here on out #and if i do eventually publish this... #man this is the closest i've ever come to something more than a short story that I could consider publishing #imagine... #honestly #this is probably the first longer work I've written that id actually consider publishing too #most of my other longer works are cheesy purposefully stuff I just work on for fun #but this is something else

[lady-grace-pens]

A Rant-ish HTKAG Update:

YO

New final word count estimate just dropped boys are y’all ready for this

ALMOST TWO HUNDRED FUCKING THOUSAND

NEARLY 200,000 WORDS

have you ANY IDEA how many PAGES THAT IS

YEAH NEITHER DO I

Actually I think… it should be… around 600 or so pages maybe?? That’s on a Google Doc formatted to be like 6x9, NOT the standard. (I’m pretty sure that’s what it is anyway…)

But still

Yeah

It’s gonna be a bit more than 150k that’s for sure 😂😅😭☠️

The thing is

I don’t even know WHY or HOW this babe got to be so damn big. Like legit I haven’t the slightest idea. It just kinda sorta happened y’know?

But that’s not to say I don’t have theories regarding to how. Because I do.

I think it might be because of the way I write.

Because like, I’m one of those writers who writes in first person and I like to state the pov character’s direct thoughts as well. That happens pretty stinking often because I also write in present tense.

Sooo yeah, there is basically no 4th wall here 😂

And like, all that adds up I guess. Especially when you take into consideration the amount of events that happen and secrets and subplots there are.

I write anywhere from 10-15k (at my worst) to 20k (at my best) per month so assuming that things keep going steady, I’m still on track to finish in fall of this year.

And of course I know this is a first draft, and the word count is bound to change with editing. I know I don’t need to focus too much on it right now. I usually don’t, but it’s just fun making estimates on how many words it’ll turn out to be.

As far as my progress at the current moment goes:

I’ve made a lot since the last update! I hit 130,000 recently. I’ve FINALLY gotten to reveal a major secret that was introduced in the beginning of the story, Allister is currently officially on a DATE with a certain special someone !! Legit he shows up at her door with a necklace and a dozen roses and her mom gives him The Talk (have her home by midnight or else. That one, y’all know the one). And just- nJJSJSJJjsjdjJj I love them

Sooo yeah, lots of progress has been made 😂 I’m in the middle of the book I’d say. Possibly nearing the end of the middle. I estimate that I’ll hit the climax scene sometime in September, and all of August will be building up the tension required to launch the climax scene. And once I do, it should be smooth sailing from there on out to the ending.

As I’ve said I’ve reached another word goal, so another excerpt is due! I have some good options but I might do some sort of ask game again, or something special like that just for a change. If y’all want anything special lemme know bc I really don’t have anything in mind yet 😂

Buut I’ll get out of y’all’s hair for now. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day or night!

Taglist (let me know if you want to be added or removed!): @vampire-with-a-pen @kazenokaori @writingonesdreams @justyouraveragewriter @dahladahlabills

—

Hot hot secret if you’ve made it this far into the post:

After the climax scene, I’m planning on telling most of the falling action through journal entries. I can’t say why (because spoilers, duh) buuut it’s going to be suuper super fun! And honestly depending on how long these journal entires take for me to write, I might finish htkag in October. Might. It depends on a lot. The amount of them, how many of them I have The Vibes for, good vs bad writing days… etc. So I might fly through them, I might not. I’m not there yet so I’m not sure. Hey, fingers crossed tho!

#wip: htkag #word count update #wip update

[howdywrites]

NaNoWriMo Day 13

Word Count: 11,854 // 35k

[ previous days ]

Thoughts: ~late night update edition~ 

I’ve been getting about 500 words in minimum a day. It’s slow going, but at least it’s progress! This week has been chaotic between finishing my birthday celebrations and trying recoup from them. On the plus side, my health problems are doing somewhat alright! I’m only a little worried about the current state of my county right now. My overall goal is to be finished with the final draft of this project by November 30th.

Excerpt (Love Is, chapter 7 rewrite):

[ Love Is intro ]

NaNo Taglist: @cilantrospirit @ravesthewriter​​​​ @thechapelscrow​​​​ @chloeswords​​​​ @spacetimewraithwrites​​​​ @aeslin-writes​​​​ @alicewestwater​​​​ @writerwaage​​​​ @lovebenders​​​​ @aetherwrites​​​​ @svpphicwrites​​​​ @dreadwvlfscript​​​​ @amandahoyle​​​​ @thenameless15​​​​ @tea-and-pirates​​​​ (let me know if you would like to be added to my update taglist!)

Excerpt transcription down below -

[Excerpt Transcription: 

“Rodney.

With the meeting of two opposing forces, all the air in the room felt as though it had been sucked out. A vacuum of tension and unease. The two Acker siblings stared each other down, neither yielding. Shoulder squared. Jaws set. Between Emily’s legs, Nutmeg whined and nudged her mother’s leg with her nose.

“Rodney, this is my girl Emily-” The hand resting on her waist made soft circles against her knit dress. Emily gave her best customer service smile and extended a hand. Rodney’s features softened a touch and he took her hand with a firm shake. ]

#ellienano20 #murdereddarlings #nanowrimo #writeblr #nanowrimo 2020

[druidx]

WIP Weds - 9 Dec 2020

What have I been up to this week?

Modern Oblivion AU - 2020 Nano (TES Fic)

Opened the doc up to someone for some generalized squealing and validation to get me through the murky doldrum middle-bits where the passion dries up, and was able to fix some mistakes and increase the wordcount to 64k. Needs a better title. (If anyone else is interested in reading a rubbish 1st draft of this, let me know).

Homicidal Grandma (TES Fic)

Added another scene in; need to figure out some storyline & lore issues. Now up to 1,100/ 5k. Need to come up with a better name than “Homicidal Grandma”...

OC Intros

Started a bunch of introduction posts for Fighting Fantasy World of Titan characters Aveskamp, Adalhard, and Sansone. Posted the ones for Peterson & Millie. (Thanks for the kick on this @strosmkai-rum)

Who Watches the Watchman (FF/Titan Fic)

Made some edits to what I already have, and in the process of re-reading with the intent to finish the damn thing. It’s been hanging over my head since 22 Jan 2020, and is currently at 24,700 words. I’m conservatively estimating this will be a 30k fic (it’s fine, we all know I’m rubbish at estimations). I’ve got four scenes left to write, then the spitshine and then I’ll post it to AO3 (because long fics don’t work on Tumblr).

Misc

Had two new TES Oblivion Fic ideas drop into the list, one about Talis and one about the Modern AU Disaster Trio.

Non-Writing stuff

I picked up Starbound again, as a secondary creative outlet. Considering making a seperate blog to gush about the things I’ve built there. Desperately resisting the urge to write Starbound Fanfic (or at least fix the one I have).

Jobs for the coming week:

Add at least 1k more to MOAU (I have the scenes vividly hallucinated, just not written)

Title MOAU with a real name

Title Homicidal Grandma with a real name

Get in touch with the prompt requester for Homicidal Grandma about some stuff

Figure out some plot issues for Homicidal Grandma, and hopefully add at least 500 more words.

Write at least one more OC Intro post.

Write at least one more scene for WWtW, ~500 words

As an aside, should I make an “updates” taglist? Does anyone care enough about my sporadic progress reports to want to be tagged in them?

#writing #wip wednesday #wip update #meta wandering words #oblivion modern au #fighting fantasy

[fields-of-ink]

NaNo 2020 Recap

I’ll start by thanking all those who followed me through this month! Thank you, and I hope you liked at least a bit the stuff I posted :p

When I started working on Magicians of Sky and Sea, I knew that I wanted it to be long. I wanted it to be a long adventure, and I planned everything for this goal.

For this reason, I  already knew that I’d never finish it during NaNo, but instead my goal was mainly to start writing it.

Now that I’ve done it, I have some things to share about it.

Let’s start by plot changes:

The gist is the same. A group of student Magicians go into another world to pass their Magician exam. What’s changed though is some “inner workings” of the characters, the main one being summarized by one simple question: do they truly want to pass?

About that, there is another important thing that I had decided for quite some time but I had still not added into the synopsis: the fact that Zephyr will make a huge mistake during this exam, and it jeopardizes the success not only for her, but for the rest of the cast too. The mistake influences the rest of the plot too, so it’s quite important.

Floria isn’t really so squire-like as I imagined her to be. She actually follows Zephyr of her own accord and she doesn’t even ask for help: Zephyr just decides to help her out because, well, a non-Magician travelling alone is bound to run into risks, and she doesn’t want to feel guilty.

Same for Sorun. Mainly they travel together because Zephyr appreciates having her around, Sorun gets a lift, and in general they realize that they work well together and they have the same goal. It’s much simpler.

In my PPT intro post I wrote that Volani is a Wind Magician. Wrong, she’s a Sea Magician.

I will soon update the intro post with this new info. But do not worry: the story is still as lighthearted as I originally wanted it to be.

Now for general thoughts:

As I said, the story is long. I’m at 50k words and I’ve barely surpassed the first act. For this reason, I was thinking of doing one thing I’ve never done in my life: dividing the story in multiple books. All my stories have been standalone until now, so you can imagine my shock at this realization...

I have three ideas in mind: 1) keep it standalone, 2) divide it into two books - the separation would be roughly at the middle of the current outline, 3) divide it into three books, which would roughly make them one book for each act.

If we go for number 3, good news! The first book is technically finished, haha (but not readable yet, it’s a mess). I realized while writing it how the first act is technically a full story on its own: it has the inciting incident, its own goal, and its own climax at the end. It introduces all the main characters and some of their struggles, and there’s the gist of how magic works and how Atosk is. It’s pretty consistent.

I’ll be thinking about this in the next weeks. With that being said, it doesn’t matter which option I’ll go for in the end, I’ll first write the whole story, since that’s how I had planned it since the beginning. My plan to finish the first draft by January has been jeopardized by the size, so I’m extending the deadline to February. and then there’s the editing but that’s another can of worms

also watch me extend the deadline to march

There are also some things regarding magic that I have to fix a little, mainly regarding Talents. The line between a non-Magician able to use their Talent (aka Floria) and a Magician who uses a spell of that Talent is waaaaaaaaaay too thin and I have to fix it.

But all in all, I’m happy with the result. I got to know the characters better and discover Atosk in a better way. There’s still much to do (the capital still doesn’t have a name, can you believe that?) but I’m just much more excited to work on it!

So now, a final thing. Writing in English is damn difficult and I’ll definitely have to work on editing a lot.

Once again, a big thank you to all of those who followed me through this month. I really appreciated it!

I’ll be tagging both the NaNo progress taglist and the MoSaS taglist for this one. For those who are in the NaNo taglist only: this will be your last ping! Feel free to tell me if you want to be added to the proper taglist.

NaNo taglist:

@neliakey 

MoSaS taglist:

@dragonstoravens @timefirewrites @stardustandsun   @calcographer

@viawrites-andacts @ink-fireplace-coffee​

@thethistlegirlwrites @zielenbloesem @scmalarky @merigreenleaf @thiscrypticfangirl @henrike-does-writing-sometimes​ @strosmkai-rum

#wip: mosas

[em-dashes]

06.20.2020

Bee had no hands to knock the door with, so she used the heel of her foot, thumping it against the doorframe. Idan kept his gaze fixed stubbornly on the wall.

“Hot chocolate,” Bee said. More like chocolate water, she thought as she set the mug down on his desk and watched the thin brown liquid slosh against the ceramic. Idan didn’t move. Bee sighed and stared down at her own mug.

Idan was one of the many orphans in Brery. His mother had died long ago, his father had been drafted into the war, and the uncle who was supposed to take care of him had gotten arrested on some robbery charges. When she’d first met him, he’d been living on the cold snowy street, shivering in his tattered clothes and worn-down jacket. She had offered him a packet of strawberry jam she’d kept in her pocket for who-knows-how-long, and somehow, they became friends. 

He was her only friend on the entire planet, and the thought of him despising her made her chest ache.

“I’m sorry, okay?” she said. Idan’s gaze slid to her, and she knew she couldn’t just leave it at that. She sighed and said, with difficulty, “I wasn’t thinking about you when I made the decision. That was messed up.” She nodded toward his mug. “Drink it before it gets cold.”

Idan slowly sat up and picked up the mug. Bee watched him take a small sip before drinking her own. 

“Go to sleep,” she said, turning to head back to her room. “We leave early tomorrow.”

Aphelion Intro | Character Portraits | Character Intros | Trailer | Playlist

Long time no update! I don’t really have an excuse for not updating; I just didn’t feel like it. I did do quite a bit of editing on the existing chapters I have, and I finally found a natural way for Chapter 2 to progress. Once I finish Chapter 2, then it’s over for y’all >:)

It’s a little hard to gauge how much I added to the WIP because as I was editing, I was also deleting massive chunks of unnecessary text, so now it looks like my progress is going on the negative scale. But I SWEAR I’m actually writing things lmao.

Anyway, I also made this video essay, if anyone’s interested in hearing my voice and opinions on how Hollywood should make more animated movies that aren’t just marketed for kids.

C’est tout pour le moment mes amis!

-Emily

Taglist: @ditzysworld @sunlight-and-starskies @v-snippets @kentwrites @shadescrawls​ @wildswrites​ @gray-sometimes-writes​ :^)

#em dashes #aphelion #writeblr #writing update #excerpts

[silver-wields-a-pen]

It's a new year, so let's start off with an intro post!

⁂ About Me: ⁂

I did one of these before, but it sucked. I don't do the talking about myself thing well. I'm an INTP-T personality type (do people still do these? God, now I feel old), and a pisces (do people care about astro signs? Fuck, I do not do intros well). I don't really do labels (some days I feel more like an it than any other pronoun, and there's so many subsections for sexuality that the only thing I can say with confidence is trying to pick one scares me).

I've had chronic pain and fatigue for about three years, but hey, my doctor said it's just one of those things and to deal with it, so...

I could be a professional copy editor and proofreader, but anxiety, low self-esteem, chronic illness and a bunch of other shit stops me from doing it. I mostly edit for fun (I'm one of those dorks who likes grammar, sorry, not sorry), and I also write a hell of a lot in between not writing at all because the fog descends and I can't find the keyboard.

I'm into Final Fantasy, but I'm not one of those fans that'll tear you to shreds for not liking the same installments I do.

I'm a naff cook, but my baking isn't terrible. There's even a family recipe somewhere on my blog that slaps super hard! Like, if you wanna go death by indulgent chocolate fudge cake then, Hi, I have that!

Stuff you can find on my writeblr: advice posts, anything fantasy, image references, links to other resources, interesting information about fighting or blood loss and weapons. I write mild smut about my favourite ship: Nyima/Tundra, and there's other Illthdar fan fiction, too. There's some clothing references—mostly pretty dresses and waistcoats—and other people's writing—main stuff I reblog is about the upcoming Illthdar series (by @Illthdar), which features an OC I made, and an AU Illthdar steampunk fan fiction called Kerridon, which is by @Guardians-of-las-vyxen. I 100% recommend reading everything you can about both because they're awesomesauce and I can't live without them ^=^

I also reblog some art and art tips, but I'm nothing close to an artist. You can find a few commission info posts, though, and artwork by my fave people, @Raylenequinn among them.

⁂ My Wip for 2020 ⁂

⁂ Brotherhood ⁂

Brotherhood is a romantic action series featuring a cast of diverse characters acting out on a world stage. The Brotherhood itself is a shadowy organisation run by people who are far more dangerous than those who hire them. The premise of the series is redemption through acceptance.

There's eight planned books for the series, beginning with Divinely Volatile.

Set among the backdrop of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, Divinely Volatile focuses on Brotherhood assassin, Ryang Ji-hoon and former First Lieutenant special forces operative—now personal bodyguard—Fen Yueliang. Having saved several high profile targets, Yueliang now finds herself with a bull's eye on her back. The person sent to deal with her, and send a message to any other overachieving bodyguard, is Ji-hoon. What Ji-hoon doesn't realise is Yueliang is a trickier mark than he ever expected, and whether he succeeds or not, his days in the Brotherhood are numbered.

This is currently sitting at six chapters done in a first draft, and I post at least two extracts per chapter, along with other random factoids. I typically do a weekly progress post, although I took a brief hiatus for Christmas. Any asks I get I'm currently answering for Ji-hoon, Yueliang, Ndiaye (Yueliang's best friend) and Anna (Ndiaye's girlfriend). There's other characters on the profile pages and the Brotherhood has several different profile cards for certain members, which reflect their development within the series. I'm still adding characters as they appear, so it's constantly updating.

Other books in the series: Deadly Lineage, Cold Snap, Scorched Desire, Heavenly Kodachi, Broken Oaths, Smudged Iron and Blood Covenant.

Each book features diverse characters, including POC and LGBTIA+ as well as varied settings from locations around the world.

If this sounds like your cup of tea (did I forget to mention I'm English?) and you'd like to be added to the taglist for updates on my WIP just gimme a nudge and I'll do that, and much thanks for the interest ^=^

So, that's me, that's my WIP and I hope to see you around!

#Writeblr #Writeblr community #Intro post #My wip #Brotherhood #New year post #urban fantasy fiction #New adult fiction #assassin romance #I'm not good at talking about myself #I tried

[westywrites]

(Header made for me by @diabhals ages ago when they were celebrating 700 followers)

Fair warning, this is a long post of me updating y'all and voicing my goals for this draft for my own reference.

Draft 2 of The Corvine is making slow but sure progress. I have it planned out now and have done a lot of the editing of existing chapters, so I'm at a point where I need to write new content to fill in some of the blanks.

The goal of this draft is to solidify the plot by building up some of the releases and rises of tension, and to give the readers a chance to get to know the characters better!

This means I have to add about nine chapters. Three of them are between what are currently chapters 1 and 2, which is where this excerpt is from. So far I'm having a lot of fun with establishing the characters and their relationships

Excerpt from the new chapter 2 (the chapter title might be "King of Dreams and Schemes"):

A smile tugged at Cambridge's lips. Life at the factory had certainly been more interesting since Lennox had arrived. The only reason he'd even been working morning kitchen duty the past five years was as a punishment for some shenanigan that Cambridge couldn't even remember now. Whatever he was scheming this time would surely liven things up. Cambridge only hoped that it wouldn’t also get the rest of them in trouble.

Some of the other chapters I need to add are around current chapter 15 through 18, when the kids are at the safehouse with Helio. How much I need to add is yet to be determined because I still have to heavily rewrite some of those chapters to remove poorly integrated exposition, though I do expect to add around 3 more chapters.

We'll get to see some more of how each of the kids are feeling about the situation, like Ivory in this excerpt here:

His mind wouldn't let him enjoy the peace of the farmhouse. He definitely couldn't acknowledge that the place was beginning to feel like home, that was inviting something terrible to happen.

We'll also get to see better, more natural exposition that will show more of the lore about the Raven and the Fox and the creation myths the Corvine believe, as well as how the magic system works. At the same time we'll also see a lot more development of the relationships between the kids, in particular the start of the romantic interest between Helio and Cambridge.

A lot of this will happen through them setting up for and celebrating a Corvine holiday that happens around the autumn equinox. It's called the First Harvest and it celebrates when the Raven and the Fox planted dust from the stars in the Astrifer (the space between realms), which created humans! They also carve pumpkins, like you can see Helio mention here:

They chatted for a while, enjoying the chill fall day. Helio passed by a few times with large orange vegetables that they placed around the front porch. When Cambridge asked, they told her these were pumpkins and next week, they all might carve some into Fox Lanterns to celebrate the First Harvest. Though she didn’t quite know what that meant, Cambridge thought the idea was novel and suggested they decorate the whole house.

"We could even have a feast," she added.

Helio smiled. "If you wish."

The final set of added chapters will be at the Record Keepers' house. These kids could really use some one on one time with some experienced adults who can offer them advice and comfort. Plus I want to highlight some of the character parallels between Ivory and Avenir, who face some similar struggles in very different ways.

I hope doing all this will give better support to the character descriptions and journeys I used in this post.

Throughout all this, I also need to add more build-up and believability to the antagonist and some of the twists/reveals that happen towards the end of the book. Which is probably the most anxiety-inducing part because I really want to do my ideas justice.

More excerpts and maybe some moodboards will hopefully be coming in the next week, since it's reading week and I have no classes, so I should hopefully have time and energy to write!

The Corvine masterpost

Taglist: @ratracechronicler @leonajasmin-writeblr @frenchy-and-the-sea @rho-nin @starlitesymphony @written-by-yours-truly

If you’d like to be tagged in updates about this WIP, including mood boards, excerpts and worldbuilding, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list!

#west's words #writeblr #writerscommunity #amwriting #writers on tumblr #the corvine #the word of the raven #the realm of the raven #cambridge #lennox #ivory #helio #it's really fun to be actually writing for this story again #but honestly editing is killing me #i've never had to do it on this scale before #but hopefully by the end of march to mid april i'll have this draft done #and i can send it to my alpha readers (aka my roommates and my girlfriend) for their feedback #so that over the summer i can do draft 3! and probably a lot more like line by line editing