#fun fact I actually used to write fanfictions for myself but then I started taking it less and less seriously LMAOJKHDGV

[attorneytrash]

I really really really love Such Terrible Tales, it's one of my favorite fanfictions of all time!! I was wondering how you write a "period piece" so well with all the terminology, dialog, and flow of the work feeling so reminiscent of 19th-20th century novels! (It still has its roots and humor in the modern era, but you get me.) Do you do a lot of research and editing before you publish a chapter or does it just flow naturally for you? Did you read a ton of Jane Austen and bodice rippers before penning the Jackdaw? Have you you plotted out Such Terrible Tales in full before writing or do you just fly by the seat of your pants (or do you do a mix of both)? Sorry if this is nosy, I'm just so curious and invested and I'm looking into writing fanfictions that captures a similar feeling myself ^q^

OH MY GOSH HIIIIIIII wait i've never gotten one of these before. this is so exciting. fair warning my advice will be terrible but you did ask

first off thank you I can't believe you think i write a good "period piece" (what is the period? we just don't know) because I feel like i'm so slapdash about it and it's all Vibes. ANYWAY I'M REALLY REALLY HAPPY YOU'RE ENJOYING THE FIC. TRULY

genuinely one of the reasons I started writing STT in the first place was because I was on a kick of reading stuff that takes place in that general era (again, what the actual era is remains unclear). A few people have pointed out the Jane Austen of it all, and I think when I was in the middle of reading an austen novel you can tell because of the language in those chapters. basically, I don't know if this is true of everyone, but I tend to lean into the style of whatever I'm reading at the time. I also think it helps, if you like audiobooks, to listen to audiobooks in the style you want to write in! Especially with older works, audiobook narrators are really good at getting the flow and cadence of the language across, and it helps get your mind flowing along and sort of "hooked in" to that style. or it does for me at least!

ALSO I do jot down a lot of notes, specifically little turns of phrase that I like! so for example, I wrote down to use the word "directly" meaning "right now" (as in, "I will read you the letter directly") and "presently" meaning "in a short time" (as in, "we're expecting his arrival presently"). Little things like moving words around too ("what have you there" rather than "what do you have there" etc) give it that sort of feel. if that makes sense. i just take a lot of notes

One tip I will give is that a little really goes a long way with old-timey language. I notice it less when listening to the audiobooks, but in older books the sentences are LOOOOOOOONG which is what makes them so hard to parse sometimes. And often in romance novels that take place in victorian or regency era they'll overdo the language to the point that it makes you roll your eyes (though I'm sure I've done that once or twice too)

ANYWAY I'M PRATTLING ON SORRY as for the plotting. I have a bare-bones skeleton that has all the larger plot twists in it, so I can make sure to foreshadow things. That being said, I think part of what's fun about a serial fic is coming up with things as you go while still having to stay true to what you've already written. One thing I will say is that it's EXTREMELY helpful to keep a couple cheat sheets: one is a timeline, which keeps track of all the events that happened in the past, when they happened, etc. The other is a list keeping track of what every character knows and when they find it out. It's saved me many times when I've forgotten who's aware of what secrets etc.

YOU'RE NOT NOSY AT ALL and in fact I'm seriously thrilled to get an ask like this bc i could talk about writing for days. I hope your fic goes well and that you have fun with it ^^

[not-poignant]

Jesus H Christopher, Pia. Your writing load is insane.

Maybe you should cut back on how many chapters you release for certain stories? Like Stain and Palma (since these stories dont equal income) until UtB the other Underline stories are almost done. Just a thought

Because I feel burnt out just by thinking of writing that much, so I can only imagine how you feel. Please take care of yourself

Hi anon,

TL;DR: My brain is stupid, which is why I can't do this, even though it makes sense and is logical.

Unfortunately the fanfiction is what often makes the original fiction possible, or more enjoyable.

If I lock myself down into too much schedule and rigidity, or if I only focus on writing for money, I actually start to hate writing, even if I love the stories. There is nothing like 'will this earn money, do people like this, would people pay, what if they all decide to stop paying for this, why would they pay for this, would I pay for this, how much would people pay for this, is there any incentive for them to pay for this, actually if I wrote a ton of different tropes maybe I'd make more for this, but that's depressing, but I need the money, shit what do I do, what if I lose my income, what if it all stops tomorrow, I need to write more, I need to write more, I need to write more' that is actually very exhausting and makes writing not much fun at all.

And to deliberately break out of that headspace as much as possible, I write fanfiction. Because that headspace (the one I wrote about above), on its own, even if I'm only writing two stories, can and has led to burnout and depressive episodes. I don't recommend it.

In a way, one of the reasons I can write so many stories right now (ADHD meds aside) is that I am letting myself break out and just have fun with fanfiction, and remember that my original writing is meant to be fun too. But without fanfiction, I lose sight of that very quickly.

Fanfiction means that when an original story chapter does super badly, generally there are still excited comments elsewhere that keep me going. That's how I survived The Ice Plague, and that story would never have been completed without fanfiction, because that was my worst performer of any story I've ever written. It also means if a lot of subscribers leave at once, I don't feel like The Worst Writer In The World. So having fanfiction behind me was like...a literal safety net or my security blanket.

If I have to discard my security blankets or use them less often in order to keep writing the original stuff, I might as well just stop entirely, because my longest hiatuses from Patreon (i.e. one lasted 1.5 years, many have lasted 4-6 months) have been when I'm mostly just writing original fiction, and am not writing much fanfiction, or not deliberately finding time for it, and finally get so stressed out re: money I literally have to stop. I'm on a (partial) Disability Pension.

A long time ago some professional people told me I probably shouldn't be working at all because of my mental illnesses and then paid me money because of the severity of those mental illnesses. My dumbass brain be pretty fragile, actually, and keeps chugging away because I make bad business decisions and write stuff I enjoy instead of writing to market, or doing rapid release, or releasing more novels (or novels). Writing does ironically help when I'm stressed, but not when I'm stressed about making money because of writing.

I will cut at my income before I cut at my love of this job, and unfortunately fanfiction keeps me going in this job, which means I can't really cut at that first.

(Also from a business perspective, it's actually a very good funnel to the original stuff and then subscription. Most of you wouldn't be here if you hadn't read one of my fanfics first and then gave the original stuff a try - I try not to think about that too much because I need fanfic to not be about money, but the fact is, I would not have this career without fanfic).

I do have plans to take two weeks off in January from posting chapters (I can still post rewards in the second half of January) and that's not too far away.

And the reality is that I probably would have kept going okay if real life hadn't imploded on top of everything like the world's worst bukkake party.

#asks and answers #personal #pia on writing #i am not a smart business owner #i'm an emotional fragile mentally ill one #who has to make decisions that keep me wanting to do this job #because at the end of the day #my severe treatment-resistant mental illnesses #do not do well with the pressure of making money #and feeling like a failure #so i need to actually do things that aren't about money at all #to remind myself that i don't need to have a breakdown #over never making a minimum wage #(i'm getting closer though which is probably why this burnout came on) #(i've been pushing a lot harder than normal because... well... i'd like to make #an average income one day) #(i may not be smart enough or well enough to do that) #(but i will keep trying) #i just have to keep trying as someone with a very broken mind #who copes with that brokenness through working hard #breaks are stressful and i have to think hard about what's best

[unhingedlesbear]

Well guys, it started as a joke but it’s getting to the point where I had to point out my observations. So here’s what I believe to be the first ever Du’Mark post (I’m so sorry)

A bit of backstory: This entire concept started when my best friend and I were talking about Du’lie, and we noticed that Mark seems to be the only character never shipped with Du’met in any way. Du’Mark became an inside joke between us as we played and we gradually started to realise that it’s actually got some potential. We usually don’t invest in these types of ships but the observations were clear to see. Let me run through our points.

The main points:

-The entire Ultimatum situation. Du’met specifically selected Mark as the one he was going to use in the end. Much like I’ve seen fanfictions about Charlie actually being complicit in Du’met’s murders, we couldn’t help but pick up on the fact that Mark canonically can aid Du’met in a similar way, if mostly against his will.

-The fact that Mark is the only one who sees Du’met’s face. The entire boat fight could be used in these types of observations tbh. The way it’s set so that the fight will always mostly be Mark vs Du’met, the way Du’met seems fixated on him for most of the fight and the way he stands over him can all be read that certain way. 

And a few smaller ones that can be shippy if you read it that way:

-The cage that Mark was supposed to end up in had chains… there’s potential there.

-Du’met will take and wear Mark’s clothing when tricking Kate. 

-Ties him up to a pole. Fun.

-In the grinder scene, he keeps a picture of Mark and Kate. I’m sure something can be said about that.

-They have that whole fight in the lighthouse where Mark can be choked by Du’met.

-When Du’met is chloroforming Mark, the stances in those scenes can be read in a certain way… 

-And I’m sure there’s others I’ve forgotten, just give me time

Look, all I’m saying is these are things to consider. I don’t ship it myself but all I’m saying is… if I’ve seen him shipped with literally everyone else, I’ve gotta say there’s stuff there for Mark too. Felt a bit out of character writing this but it is what it is. I believe this makes me and my bestie the only???? People to pick up on these things? As Mark’s no.1 fan😍 I make observations about him and sometimes they involve Du’met. Anyway safe to say I can’t act superior to the Du’lie stans anymore. My bad y’all. We’re all a bit odd in this fandom but that’s the beauty of it. I take back everything I said, I think.

#the devil in me #mark nestor #granthem Du'met #Du'Mark #that's a new one #jesus christ what am I doing #This isn't me 🥺

[earlgreytea68]

How do i get better at writing, if ur willing to- do u have any tips or tricks?

I think everyone has their own writing tips or tricks and so what works for me might not work for you, and you should definitely experiment and figure out what you like or don't like, but here are some tips/tricks I swear by personally:

Write what you want to write. Unless you're being paid to write something, there's no reason to write something you don't want to write. So write whatever you want. Let it be as self-indulgent as possible. If you are enjoying it, it will come across in your writing, and then your readers will enjoy. They will feel your love for what you're doing and they will be inclined to regard it with similar affection. I only ever write what I want to read in the world. In fact, usually my fics start with me having an idea and being like, "Argh, has no one else done this yet?! If I want to read it, do I have to write it myself????"

Think about the writers you admire most. Whenever I read something written by someone I think is really good, I try to figure out why I think it's so good. What is it that I admire so much? Sometimes it's something I feel like I will never be able to achieve, but sometimes thinking about it makes me realize I could do it, too. Or at least try. The difference in my writing before and after I discovered The West Wing is so striking, I will forever be grateful I found Aaron Sorkin and he taught me how to write rapid-fire dialogue as well as those grand, big, emotional speeches that no one ever delivers in real life but he does SO well. I devoured everything I could find that Aaron Sorkin had ever written, and I didn't do it to consciously mimic him, but inevitably I started to sound a little more like him, mostly because I'd begun to realize what he'd been doing so effectively. I do the same thing with anything else I read that I love (mainly pieces of fanfiction these days). Like, if I'm impressed by a particular scene or plot or whatever, I take note of what that writer did that I loved about it so much.

But also: be you. You learn from other people, but you don't need to reinvent YOURSELF. I think working hard to be someone else will just exhaust you and not be fun for you. I don't think of writing as being super-different from talking. Slightly more polished, but however I would tell you the story in person, that's how I want to tell the story in type. If you feel comfortable talking and uncomfortable in front of a keyboard, maybe do some dictation to open yourself up. That doesn't personally work for me, but I could definitely see it working for some people.

Don't skip writing the boring parts to get to the good parts. Better: Don't write any boring parts lol. Like, if you're too bored to write the bit, then your readers will probably be too bored to read the bit. If the bit's so boring you want to skip it, maybe you don't even need it.

Be wary of cutting to black too much, or too soon. A lot of times it can be really tempting to just write something like "They talked all night," or "Over the next few months, they grew closer." Whenever I find myself writing something like that, I pause and think about it. Sometimes, that really is what the story needs: You can't write down every single thing the characters do, of course. But sometimes what you're skipping over is actually where the meat of your story lives, if you're telling a love story. What they talked about all night, or over the next few months, is what makes your readers (and you!!) believe in them as a couple. Like, I find myself writing those moments instead of letting myself skip over them because I'm looking for the part where they click for me -- and then I'll know that they clicked for each other. A good example of this is in "Next Christmas," when I threw in all those text conversations between Pete and Patrick. I skipped those months in the narrative, but I felt it was extremely important for all of us to see how much they interacted over those months. I could have just said "They'd been texting constantly for the past six months," but I personally think it was more effective to write out the texts. Maybe you disagree! Like I said, everyone writes differently! But I point it out just on the off-chance that you might not have thought about why I spent the time to write all those text conversations. I thought they made a difference to the story, so I put them in. They also made a difference to me. I like it when I can pick up inside jokes for the characters to have with each other lol. Another thing in "Next Christmas" was I needed Pete to talk about something, rather than put in a fade to black, and I'd just learned about opossum genitalia, so I had him say that, and then look at how much in the story came off of that. SO MUCH. And that was only in there because I felt like Pete needed to keep talking but I had no idea what to have him say so I just picked something random.

Just write. The only way I know how to write is to write. I never outline. Or not the way other people seem to. I know some people would never, ever write by the seat of their pants, which is why all writing rules are only suggestions, and if that thought terrifies you, don't do it. But I tend to believe that outlining becomes procrastination for me. Same with research. I'm doing it to delay writing. It's never a good thing for me to do. Just write. Even when I don't feel like writing, I try to make myself write just a few sentences. Sometimes it's just not coming that day, and I'll give up, but I always try, because sometimes once you start, the continuing is much easier.

Keep writing. I am a much better writer today than I was ten years ago, and an incredibly better writer than I was twenty years ago. The more you write, the more tricks you learn, the more you grow to understand your brain and your process, the more you can lean into it.

Trust your characters. I'm not great at plotting (or outlining), because for me I just go where the characters want to go. If I'm having a really hard time writing something, it's probably because I'm fighting against what the characters want to do. That's just an unpleasant way to write, I think. Let them do what they want, even if it's different than what you have planned. I just have this theory that being true to the characters will in the end serve your story better than whatever plot you want to jam them into. Of course, they might fit perfectly well within your plot! Cool! But sometimes, you've gotta give up on the idea you were in love with because a better idea has come along. Another example from "Next Christmas": I truly did not know if they were going to break up that Christmas they got together or not until the scene was written. I could see it going either way, and making sense both ways. My natural instinct once characters get together is to let them stay together, and I always worry that I will therefore put characters together too soon (what I did wrong with the dystopia, too). So what I did was start writing the scene where Patrick shows up freaking out to see what he would say and what Pete would do. And when it was done, they were broken up. And I think that was right. I don't think it was contrived, I think if I'd done what I wanted to do and let them stay together, Patrick never would have trusted what had happened and eventually it would have ruined them and it wouldn't have been as satisfying a story because that would have been looming over them.

Read your work over, not just for typos. If there's any moment you hit where you find yourself a little confused as to how it reads, fix it. If you're confused over something that came out of your head, your readers definitely will be. Also, as you read it over, think about the pacing of your story. If some emotional thing has just happened that you really want to make sure your readers notice and absorb and relish, something that you love and want to highlight, add in some character reaction, to let the moment breathe more and not move on too fast.

Finally: Have a good time! I do not believe that writing should be emotional torment through which you perform therapy on yourself or other people. If that's what you want, cool! But if you just want to have a good time, then please, have a good time.

#writing #long post

[goneahead]

I was tagged by @radiowrites and @stephmcx thank you♥️!!

Hi! I am @goneahead on tumblr. I am also goneahead on A03 and goneahead over on dreamwidth (see links in my pinned post - my internet has gone wonky again)

So, this was definitely not one of my better years. I have three WIPs and while I plodded away at all three, I was never happy enough to post new chapters.

What’s really sad is I finally hit 1 million words posted on dreamwidth—and then I pretty much struck out this year. I’m mostly posting this cuz I think its good for newer writers to realize that yes, even experienced writers have years where things just go all pear-shaped.

My grand total for fanfic was: 1,513😳

I don’t keep track of my poetry word count, but I started the year writing poem #926 and ended the year writing poem #947

Total Number of Fanfics: about 150

Total Number Of Completed Works: this year? 0

Total Number of WIPS worked on this year: 3

How Many WIPs do you still have: 4

Looking back, did you write more than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected? Much less. In fact, this year was pretty much a bust.

Did you take any writing risks this year? Well considering I spent all year writing three fics and wasnt happy enough to post anything….

Biggest Surprise: I would love to say I was surprised at how little I posted, but I am a disorganized idjit and—yeah. nobody is shocked.

Biggest Disappointment: see above😆

Do you have any writing goals for the new year? Finish Home verse. Let’s see how that goes….

Fanfiction Questions Below! (if you don’t write fanfiction feel free to skip or rework the questions for your original works.)

Fandoms I’ve written in this year? Hawaii Five-0

Your most popular story of the year? sadly, I didn’t post a new story, just a poem and a tiny addition to another verse.

The story that was easiest/or most fun to write? Still enjoying my MIB AU. Now if I could actually finish it…

Hardest story to write: Lead Me Through the Fire from 2022 was one of those fics where all the different pieces of the plot had to fit together just so. I spent more time than I’d like to admit second-guessing myself on how I arranged the chapters.

Your sweetest funniest story: I have a soft spot for Hawaii Five-0’s Eric Russo. The character is very funny and often wildly inappropriate. I wrote a scene in one of my WIPs where Eric is just soooo Eric

Your saddest scene: I didn’t write anything sad this year.

The sexiest moment you’ve written this year? again, nada.

Your favorite tag: diplomatic javelining😆

Most unintentionally telling story: hmmm. I can’t think of anything too revealing in my fic? Except a tendency to write too many AUs?

Are any of your fics named after/heavily inspired by music? Yes. A lot of my fics have their own playlists and that music definitely influenced those fics. I don’t usually share these songs—or name my fics after songs—because I listen to a lot of obscure stuff most people have never heard of.

What’s your own favorite story of the year? I continued to get a lot of interesting and thought-provoking comments on Care and Feeding of a Super SEAL this year. There are many amazing fix-it fics for S10xE22 written by insanely talented writers—so its crazy and humbling that people are continuing to read and comment on mine.

Fanfiction risks you took this year? sadly, none.

My favorite part of fandom this year: We had new people join our fandom!

You know, I really don’t get what has happened to fandoms these last few years. It used to be that fans just shrugged and continued to write, create, and have fun—even their fandom didn’t have any new content being made. Am I the only one who thinks its weird that most fans now book it for the nearest exit as soon as a show is canceled or a movie series is over?

letsee, tagging um, @cowandcalf @bennyokelly @itwoodbeprefect @stellagioia @redgoldblue

#answered #h50 #a03

[rey-jake-therapist]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗 (i don't know if you do these sorts of chain-letter things, or if you'd prefer not to, but for my part i do like to know which of their works a given author is especially hype on, so consider this an opportunity to gush!)

Well I've only got 6 fics available online so it's going to be easy to answer that LOL I used to have more, all Reylo fics, but one day I took them all off because 1) they were my first and last experience at writing "AUs" aka at playing dolls with characters I never really shipped in their canon universe (sorry for those who like them but I really don't get the popularity of that ship) 2) they were constantly snubbed so I thought I was a hack who couldn't write. Wrong fandom + imposter syndrome = I woke up one morning and went through a destruction phase. I kept the fics in my docs though. There's one I think I could convert into an original story.... One day 🤣

But back to the subject: I'll start to class them by personal preference rather than by fandom, so sorry if it looks a bit messy... Like the inside of my head haha.

Rise and Shine (The Sandman/Sweetbitter crossover)

I wrote this one as a gift for Tom Sturridge 💜 There was a girl on Twitter who had the wonderful idea of putting together a book containing fan art, fan letters and short fics, with the purpose of giving it to Tom when she'd meet him at the Basinkton Con. So I came up with this one shot, where Jake from Sweetbitter meets Dream of the Endless. Definitely my favorite work.

2. Lost Souls (Sweetbitter)

It's an unfinished project but it's my 2nd favorite fic. I just love this story and even though it's quite clear that I lost my audience lately, probably because I spend too much time on my characters' personal story and not enough on the romaaaaance for most of fanfic readers, I like very much the direction it's taking. I'm actually considering dropping it as a fanfic and turning it into an original novel. Lately I've been sick as hell and unable to write a line, but I thought a lot about this fanfiction thing: I don't get the hang of it. I tried, and tried, but I can't seem to grasp what the average fanfic reader wants. And Lost Souls, well, with a few changes I think I can easily make it an original story. Not to mention that "Jake", yikes.... I really don't like that name. Anyway, I love this fic.

3. Dream a Little Dream of Us (The Sandman)

It's my version of "Johanna Constantine, Nuala the Elf and Hob Gadling walk into a bar..." Except it's happening after Morpheus' death, and they're all dreaming. It's a very sweet fic that I wrote for Sandtober 2023 and I like it very much:

4. It's So Cold (Sherlock, platonic Sherlolly)

I warned you it would be messy, didn't I? 🤣 For this one I put myself in Molly Hooper's shoes and tried to imagine remember how it felt to be in love with a man who doesn't love me.

5. Bitter Sweet Lullaby (The Sandman, Dream x OC)

This short "story" is in fact an excerpt from the Sandman fic I began writing several months ago but that I have reworked so it would stand on its own for Sandtober2023.

It tells a part of Dream's past, where a fae named Eleanora, the princess of Faery, made Dream happy. I'm sorry I can't tell you more about her and what happens to her because it would spoil the fun to come, except that she is post Endless Nights and pre-Vortex but pre-Titiana and pre-Alianora.

In this scene I also include Larri Bea’s lovely song ‘Dream’s lullaby’; as it was written specifically for Dream, it gave me the idea of having it sung to him by the woman he loved :)

#ask answered #writing asks #my fics #my writing #the sandman fanfiction #sweetbitter fanfiction #sherlock fanfiction #The sandman #Sweetbitter #Sherlock

[cassiaratheslytherpuff]

20 questions for fic writers!

Thank you so much for tagging me @orange-peony, these things are always so fun to do!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 40 works right now.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

624,677, which is more than I thought I had (probably due to the fact 1/6th of them were posted during the past 5 months or so)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I only really write for Harry Potter, though I do like to play in next-gen, marauder and golden-trio era so there's a little variation there.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Blue Roses and Other Impossible Things Drarry, 40k, E To Be Out of Your Own (and consumed by another)  Drarry, 18k, E Though My Mind Could Think (I still was a mad man) Drarry, 87k, E Things Unknown but Longed for Still Drarry, 30k, E Use My Last Breath (to say I love you), Harry/Charlie, 6k, E

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do. I love talking about fics in general, but especially the ones I write. I love reading theories or thoughts people had while reading, and responding to those. And also, comments make me so happy and I want to show that to the person who commented because I know it can take a lot of energy and mental work to comment at all.

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

I actually think I have to list more than one, because I have three that all end kind of terribly.

A Long Line of Fine Rarry 2k There is a First Time for Dying Scorbus, 1.5K Give Me a Memory Drarry, 2.5k

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably all the rest of them.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yeah, sometimes.

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

Yeah, I think like 35 of the 40 fics are rated E for smut. I like to write all kinds tbh. Like, super angsty, kinky, romantic, longing etc. I think it's the feelings and emotions that makes it fun for me, but they don't really have to be all positive.

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

I tried once years and years ago to write a supernatural and Hunger Games crossover, but I never finished it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I had one reposted on Instagram once, but nothing else that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, a couple.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I don't think I'd be any good at it tbh, I can never stick to an outline.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I think maybe Drarry, but that might be because there are SO many great fics written for it. But I also adore rarry and prongsfoot, and I think I love them just as much – I just read them less because there are fewer fics.

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

There are a lot tbh, but the one I'm always angry about not being able to finish is a fic I started a loong about Muggles finding out about magic and inventing technology to supress it, and Draco and Harry working to get Teddy out of England.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think (or at least hope) it's putting words to feelings and emotions. I tend to struggle to name or describe my own feelings so I usually explore that a fair bit in fics.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm pretty sure I'm ace so I struggle a lot with writing my characters as feeling physical attraction. I think I can do the emotions and physical bits, but yeah, the whole attraction thing is difficult. And also describing actions. I'll have a character stand up to do something and then completely forget I did it, so they'll be sitting down in the next line. Or they'll just be talking with zero description of what they're doing.

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

I'm not sure I have any. I never have myself, but I'm not really opposed as much as I've never had a need.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter. I think it was a hinny fic sometime between the fifth and sixth book came out. At the time I had no idea what fanfiction or shipping was at all, and it never left the notebook I wrote it in.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I think my favourites changes every time I try to pick one, but right now it's these:

Like a Dream I Can Reach (but not quite hold) queerplatonic darry, 19.5k

Though My Mind Could Think (I still was a mad man) Drarry, 87k

Four Gallons of Oblivious Rarry, 18k

I'll tag @stargazing-enby, @drarryruinedme7, @acnelli @maesterchill @pineau-noir and @shealwaysreads if you want to do it (and haven't already). And anyone else who'd like to do this!

#tag game #fanfic writers

[eureka-its-zico]

So I just finished reading the 5th chapter for the 4th time - will continue to do so till the next chapter - and decided that I owe you a few words of gratitude.

I haven't read any fanfiction stories in a couple of years. And wasn't actually planning on starting any time soon, if I'm being honest. Not because of any prejudice, mind you😅 But just wasn’t feeling like I'm interested in one. On top of that, I was never into One Piece, but caved in under constant demands friendly recommendations to watch the Netflix adaptation (and maybe catching a little tiny crush).

This is when the beginning of the story finds us - me, a week ago, upon finishing my 3d rewatch, scrolling through the tag here and coming upon your post with the first chapter. I was planning to energetically scroll by, but then I saw the words count and went: "Hhhhmmmmm🤨🧐🤔🤔🤔". And this right here is a SUCKER for long things. So, deciding "What the hell, I don't have anything to do right now anyway", I've jumped right in and went through all four chapters. And then I did it again. And once again the next day. And then started to reread favorite parts, desperately waiting for the 5th chpater.

Thank you so much for gifting us such a fantastic and amazingly written story!! Your writing is superb, well-realized and so gripping that I find myself returning again and again. I honestly desire for it to be canon in the show, because you did the greatest job with putting your lead right into the story - it's so easy to visualise, reading it is like watching the show in my head.

It would've been incredible to read even without the romance, but that part is just *Chef's kiss* (I'll take one from the waiter as well😈😈😈). The building of their relationship is just perfection, with the constant bickering and teasing. But the soft and sweet moments (so many in this chapter, honestly), like how he didn't want to let her go to the kitchen, give me quite literal butterflies in the stomach🥰💙

The conflict in Zoro is so fascinating to read, even though it's very heartbreaking, because he's just not letting himself be happy here. The angst IS REAL and I'm fully prepared to die with the next chapter, given the subject matter😅

All the characters are brilliantly written and such a joy to read! Can't wait to see what else you'll be so generous to give us in the feature!!! Thank you so much, once again💐🌷🪻⚘️🌸🩵

P.S. I'm BEGGING you to still give us "That’s a date" scene! She should just be petty and become besties with Sanji in order to annoy Zoro for being a selfish asshole, who's throwing himself into death matches😈🤣🤣🤣

Osiyo, Carrot!!

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been holding onto your ask for a while. It was incredibly humbling to read it and, like you rereading Chaos in Their Bones, I have reread your comment about the same.

I’m so happy that you took a chance on reading my fanfiction and find it funnier that it was due to the fact of my word count. I am always paranoid that my word counts are too large. I wish I knew how to write smaller 🤣🤣 so I found it ironic that what intrigued you the most to start reading it was the length.

“Reading it is like watching the show in my head.” This comment right here feels me with so much joy. I know that this is fanfiction. It’s supposed to be fun and a place for fantasies and escapism, but I put so much effort into making sure it feels authentic and the characters realistic and it’s immersive in the best possible way. So, reading that comment made this one of my favorite I’d ever received.

As for the Sanji part I cannot confirm or deny that a date like interaction happens lol.

Thank you so much for sending me this wonderful review comment on Chaos in Their Bones and taking the time to send it. It has made a difficult week more bearable. I hope you have a wonderful weekend 🖤 Much love

#carrotsunshine #answered #Chaos in Their Bones review #I just wanted to keep this forever in my ask box #this is like top five favorite I’ve ever received lol thank you for this #roronoa zoro #one piece live action #opla

[letitrainathousandflames]

Did the bathroom stall person STAY a stranger?

N-S-F-W and definitely TMI content ahead lmao:

He did, the poor fellow! Here's some backstory to explain how on earth my shy-as-hell dumbass worked the courage to have some bathroom stall shenanigans:

So I started dating this classmate in highschool, (the one I often refer to as "the deceased" bc he's dead to me) and he was a major asshole. Emotionally abusive, controlling, made me feel bad about literally every single thing I enjoyed, especially writing fanfiction and not being a boring piece of shit like he was.

Welp! I spent like a decade with this bastard bc he was a classic abusive dickhead who pushed my friends away and I couldn't see that he was a major asshole until I started therapy. When I was 26 my therapist, clever lady she was, knew I was suffering but also v attached to him still, so she suggested us to "take a break". Not breaking up, just take a break, for one month, and reevaluate the relationship.

I spent a long time moping over him but my bestie said "wait does that mean I can finally take you clubbing?" and I proceeded to have an absolute blast dancing and having fun with her!

The second time we went clubbing, it was a star wars themed party! I went as a cute padmé amidala, and spent the night dancing and watching snippets of SW movies that played on the big screens, explaining to my very confused bff who's never watched a star war in her life why I was attracted to the angry looking alien with horns and red skin w/ black tattoos - darth maul. She remained confused.

(Fun fact, I'm autistic and loud environments make me literally sick, but I think I needed this freedom so badly my brain let me have these moments for once. Now I literally cannot enter a club. Anyway.)

While we're dancing, a handsome clone-trooper looking type walked past us and I think I gave him such an eye-fucking of a look that he made a beeline to me and took me to dance (I gave a thumbs-up to my bff bc she is v protective and will push creepy dudes away from me, bless her).

Then we started kissing and fooling around in a corner, and the guy invited me over to his place.

(here's the thing, my ex literally acted like sex was a chore. I repeatedly, gently asked him whether he was asexual, promising to be okay with it if it was the case but he swore he wasnt which. made me feel like I was very unappealing and did a number on my self-esteem. Oof.)

So I was pent up as hell and desperate for a fuck, especially a fuck with an enthusiastic guy for once in my life. On the other hand, girls that go with strangers to their place might be raped or killed. So when I said no, the guy suggested we fucked in the bathroom.

Now, that wouldn't be proper ladylike behavior, i reasoned with myself, while fully cupping the guy's groin with my hand. So I said a very unconvincing no, and the guy asked if I was sure, and I said "we might be caught", and he said "not if we're quiet"

...and goddamnit I was so damn horny and I can't even blame it on being drunk bc I don't drink alcohol out bc it makes me sleepy. This was 100% horny brain in charge and I was the one to actually pull the guy into the bathroom with me.

(We're gonna fade to black here bc I'm not willing to share those details here, but I can point out the funny bits):

there wasn't enough room in that bathroom stall for someone to pee comfortably, much less for two people to squeeze in and do the horizontal vertical tango

if you ever wanna do that, do that early in the night, not after dancing for hours because your knees will want to buckle the entire time and that's not hot

be smart and have condoms in your bag. wrap it up, folks. it's the 21st century and everyone who's sexually active should have their protection regardless of gender or lack thereof <3

the sound of toilets flushing nearby is quite the mood-killer, but if the music drowns out most of it, one can make it work

do not laugh when your very worried friend who's been looking for you all night calls out your name in the bathroom, trying to find you

Tell her you'll be right out and try to wriggle out of the arms of the dude who seems to have fallen in love with you or something.

Thank you for the fun times, catch his phone number or contact info of any kind

loudly announce you and the friend are both leaving to give the poor fella hidden in a stall in the lady's bathroom a window of time to escape unseen

forget you had his contact info for three months bc you are ADHD, aaand now it's too awkward to send a text of 'hey its bathroom stall girl, how's it going?'

#pls ask me what happened after the 'break' period was over and i met my ex again lmao #it's another funny one

[trenchcoat-gecko]

I’m sitting here imagining Aurum as an actual published book and suddenly I get hit with a few thoughts.

-What do you imagine your little “About the Author” blurb saying? I think it’d be funny/cool if you put “writing Sonadow fanfics” as a hobby or something. Like

(Your Real Name)

[Your name] is blah blah blah personal info that I don’t have about you something something something. Some of their hobbies include writing Sonadow fanfiction, trying to leave the Sonic fandom and failing, and posting funny stuff on Tumblr.

-I think you should put the fact that this awesome book started out as a freaking Sonadow story ye posted to AO3 somewhere. Maybe in the Author’s Notes? Fun thing to think about.

-Are you going to draw cool cover art (and maybe story illustrations) yourself? Or do you think you’ll get someone else to do it? Or will you just not use art at all?

Sorry that this is so long. I just needed to put my thoughts somewhere. Know that whatever you decide to do, your Tumblr fanbase will be here for you! (At least, I’m assuming that these people would support you. Because why else are they here?) I personally would do anything I can to help. So if you need cheering up or something just post! Take care 💖💖💖💖

“Trying to leave the sonic fandom and failing” LMAOOO I CANT BELIEVE IM BEING CALLED OUT LIKE THIS 😂😂😂

ahahaha nah goofs aside, i havent really thought abt what i’d put in a bio— though i will admit i’m not at all eager to have this story be associated with its origins as a sonic fanfic fjsjfjs. I know it’s probably inevitable, rumor will get around. but i think like i’d be a little… idk, embarrassed? To have that association attached to my name as an author? 😅 I want my work to be professional and to be taken seriously.

As for cover art, I don’t have a concrete plan at the moment but I kinda think I’d commission someone else to do it! Like, sure, i could save money and do it myself, and it’s entirely possible i’ll end up doing that to keep my budget lower, but i do like the idea of giving someone else a basic overview of the story & maybe some basic composition ideas and letting them design something. It’s something i’ve got plenty of time to think about, haha ^^

Thank you for the questions!! ✨

#i do worry about how being a fanfic will impact the book’s reputation? if that makes sense #it’s hard to tell if people look down on that or not

[not-poignant]

Have you ever worked on just one fic at a time (how did you find it?) or have you always worked on multiple fics at once?

If you've done both which way do you prefer and what are the pros/cons for each?

Hi anon!

I have worked on one fic at a time before! When I first started out actually, I wrote pretty much all of From the Darkness We Rise, and most of Into Shadows We Fall without working on anything else.

And I know there's been other times where I've also briefly worked on other stories solo.

What I learned is that I vastly prefer working multiple projects at the same time. It's a very personal preference, some people hate doing things like this, but I love it! For me, I find that if I have writer's block on one story, I generally won't have it for another story (and if I have it for every story, then I'm exhausted, which is different, lol.)

I don't really get writer's block anymore, or perhaps more accurately the tools I use to deal with it just always tend to work now. But I still prefer to work on multiple stories at the same time.

General pros / cons for me are

Working on one story:

PROS

Focusing on just one thing, often very rapid updates (i.e. 2-4 a week) (see cons for the downside of this)

Can basically exist in that world and only that world.

CONS

Sometimes 'writer's block' actually means 'writer's block only for this story.'

Inconsistencies if you crash out on a story and aren't working on anything else.

Missing out on other 'tones.' If you're only working on a grimdark smut story and feel like writing something wholesome you are shit out of luck until you finish your giant 2 year long story.

Take less chances on 'risky' stories. Things like Game Theory and The Nascent Diplomat etc. literally wouldn't exist.

Working on multiple stories:

PROS

No more writer's block! (For me)

Able to switch between lots of different tones, so I can go between dark and smutty, to heavy worldbuilding, to wholesome and consent focused, between different kinds of angst, and different genres.

It's more fun (imho)

A good way to justify writing quieter stories, because you might be getting more comments and feedback somewhere else. As an example, it's a lot easier to commit to Smoke in Autumn on the side even though that's comparatively very quiet, because Underline the Black and A Stain that Won't Dissolve gives me enough dopamine for everything.

I can work on fanfiction and original fiction at the same time. Always a bonus.

For readers who only want one kind of story from me, there's a much higher chance that I might be writing one of those kinds of stories. Very useful given I know a lot of people who actually hate omegaverse lol.

My wordcounts are actually higher because I'm more inspired.

The possibility since starting ADHD meds of actually working on stories to save for *after* current serials which is totally new for me.

CONS

A slight increase in the likelihood of continuity errors due to holding so many worlds in your head on a regular basis.

The 'I don't really want to work on this story even though I have to' feeling.

The internal pressure of 'oh shit am I working on too many stories right now' and feeling quite overwhelmed.

No story is getting 2-3 updates a week most of the time and sometimes I worry that means people will hate it.

-

As you can see anon, for me personally, the pros of writing multiple stories absolutely wins out. These are very specific pros/cons to me, and for someone else, the cons of writing multiple stories might be way too long.

Fun fact: Game Theory would never have been written if I focused on 'one story at a time.' I started writing that towards the end of Into Shadows We Fall, and started putting chapters up for it before I'd finished. I just won't take risks in the same way when I'm only working on one story at a time. I doubt I'd ever have written original fiction on AO3 at all if I'd forced myself to stick to one story at a time!

#asks and answers #pia on writing #i'm definitely multiple stories all the way #different playlists for different feelings #the more the merrier #i also really like having stories i work on most days of the week #and stories i can write a chapter for once or twice a month #it's just way more fun for me to do things this way #so it works out well because i like this job!

[adonis-koo]

I can't remember if I asked you this before. If I did, then you could just ignore this message. But.. I'm really curious about your opinion about characters. I know everyone prefers insert characters since they have been mostly more inclusive for people who enjoy reading characters.

But what's your opinion about original characters. Like the characters who might actually have face claims as some visual representation of those characters? Since I know many people don't care about original characters like that anymore. Which is understandable in some ways.

Fascinating question! I think it’s actually really interesting pop culture shift in the last ten years! Back when I was an early teen (13-15) I remember OC’s were widely accepted and the most normal way of reading fanfiction back then, in fact when I first started writing, I used to write OC’s specifically, I had stumbled across 2nd POV a few times and was really fascinated by it, but it was extremely obscure at the time.

You could only really find reader inserts on DeviantArt back in the day, and even then it was no more then maybe a 1,000 words. I don’t think I started writing reader inserts until I was maybe 16 or so when they started to gain more attraction (I have a running theory that Undertale is probably to thank for the rise in popularity of reader inserts)

I always loved reader inserts because it was a way to utilize a OC without actually committing to writing them, obviously that comes with a lot of downfalls because no story will capture your OC like writing your own story. I just always assumed Reader Inserts became more popular then OC stories because people can insert their OC into the story rather then write about them.

I’ve seen a lot of dialogue going around between more inclusivity with reader inserts- whether people actually insert themselves into a story, or imagine a persona, etc, there’s no wrong way to read honestly, I think back in 2020 I realized so many people actually insert themselves into stories and I realized how white-coded some of my stories were.

Is it a terrible thing? Not really. Does it still bother me? Yeah, it’s been on the back burner of my mind to go back and edit through tease to try and take out some of filler descriptions such as blushing, because while I may not insert myself into a story, I still want it to remain true to the concept that anyone can imagine themselves into it, as much as a Reader Insert can allow at least, in that sense I’m a lot more careful these days with bodily descriptions or things such as hair just being left alone to the imagination.

Anyways to answer your question I don’t have any issues with OC’s! I think they’re very fun to read and write! I was actually talking recently about doing face claims (thanks to AI art) for Wicked characters as OC’s and a lot of people were interested in seeing it! I’m actually still hunting for concept photos for all the characters!

#missy answers #anon #thanks for such an interesting ask!!

[bellascarousel]

So, there's a fic idea that's been rattling around in my head for a while. It essentially consists of plopping the Bridgertons into Valdemar. Yesterday, my brain spent most of the day mentally plotting and writing this thing. And then... I ordered myself a copy of the Valdemar Companion as reference material. So, apparently I'm really gonna do this. So! Now I'm gonna tell you guys all about this idea I have. Below the Read More so as not to spam anyone who doesn't care about my fanfiction.

So, let me start off by explaining a bit of the setting for those of you that aren't familiar with the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey. It's a fantasy setting, first of all. So, magic is real and all of that. The kingdom of Valdemar was founded by a man named Baron Valdemar (I have not read the prequel that tells his story, so I don't know his first name) who was fleeing from a place we only ever know as the Eastern Empire. When he and his people finally found a place to settle down, the people decided to make him their king, and they named the kingdom after him. Well, having seen first hand how power can corrupt people, our newly minted King was worried about the long term future of his kingdom. So, he prayed to every God he could think of for a way to keep his descendants from ever turning Valdemar into a place like the Eastern Empire. His prayers were answered in the form of magical beings called Companions that took the form of horses. The Companions could, for lack of a better explanation, see inside people's souls. And each Companion would Choose one person to bond with. The people Chosen by Companions became known as Heralds, and it was made law that the Monarch and the Heir had to also be Heralds. They had to have a Companion vouching for them that they were good people.

As time went on, eventually Companions started being conceived and born like normal horses (it eventually is learned that they are in fact reincarnated Heralds) instead of just magically appearing fully grown in the Grove where the first Companions appeared - with one exception. The Gods, taking the adage "heavy is the head that wears the crown" to heart, decided that there needed to be a special Herald. One that could be the monarch's confidant and chief advisor. That Herald was chosen by the Gods themselves by being Chosen by a special Companion - a stallion that magically appears in the Grove rather than being born. That herald was called the Monarch's Own, and there are a lot of rights and responsibilities that go with that title. (And I am totally going to have to reread the Arrows trilogy where all of this is explained to Talia, because I'm a bit fuzzy on most of it.)

Which brings us to the plot of my fic. Anthony is the king. Violet had been Edmund's Monarch's Own, and was now Anthony's. Which... is not actually working out so well. Violet's Companion dies (not sure how, but since that's backstory I'll deal with it later). Everyone expects the new Grove-born to Choose her, again (except Benedict who can see how strained Anthony's and Violet's relationship is and thinks it might be him who is Chosen instead. (Yes, a grove-born CAN Choose someone who is already a Herald. I don't know what happens to their first Companion in those cases. It doesn't matter for my story.)) Instead, Newton goes on Search and comes back with none other than Kate Sharma. Kate, for her part, assumes the Companion is there for Edwina and is quite surprised when he Chooses her, instead.

I'm really looking forward to exploring all the family and relationship dynamics as they play out in this setting. I think it's going to be quite interesting.

Now I get to decide what everybody's Gifts are. And decide who among the spouses and other characters we know are Heralds, and what they do if they are not. This is going to be fun.

#bella talks writing #kanthony #kathony #fanfic #monarch's own

[helvelloides]

WRITEBLR RE-INTRO

Hi everyone! It’s Andie here! Been awhile since I made something like this. So, I figured that, seeing as I’m trying to be a little bit more active in the community now, I should probably tell you guys a bit about myself and my current wips!

Like I said, I’m Andie. I’m 20 y/o, and I use they/them pronouns. Fun fact about me, I have seven cats and I love them so much, even when they’re actively ruining my life.

I write a mix of fanfiction and original fic (although right now I’m focusing predominantly on the fanfic side of things.) And here are some of the things I’m really into -->

HORROR!! HORROR HORROR HORROR!! I love the spooks. I love the scares. I love the psychological aspects. I love big scary monsters. I love it when the monster was yourself all along. Just don’t talk to me about mental illness in horror bc that upsets me greatly.

Speaking of horror, I mentioned in the above, but I love big, scary monsters. Especially if they’re not actually as scary as they may initially appear. Big scary monsters, my beloveds. If I could kiss them all on the mouth (with their consent) I would.

I love magic. Not necessarily a big high fantasy fan, but I love magic in other things. I love seeing different magic systems, I always think they’re just so cool.

Soft, cheesy romance. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I’m basic as fuck. I enjoy mediocre rom-coms ft. two conventionally attractive white leads every now and then. Deep in my heart, underneath all the big, scary monsters and pure, unfiltered rage, I am a sucker for a good romance.

[Talk about my wips under the cut]

ORIGINAL:

The Infected Woods: A fun horror story about three boys who get lost in the woods, and the one girl who’s determined to find them. Currently on hiatus, though I’m hoping to work on it again in the near future.

FANFICTION:

A Man of Mostly Bones: For all you Bones fans still out, I bring you my season 3 Bones rewrite ft. my own ocs for your viewing pleasure. It’ll hopefully one day be part of a larger series where I rewrite the rest of the series, but for rn I’m starting with one season. Currently in the first draft.

Tyrants WIP: A Power Rangers Jungle Fury fanfic that I’ve talked about a handful of times of my blog now, and plan on talking about a lot more, so I figure it deserves a spot on the post for the amount of brain rot it gives me. Currently in the first draft. (Main Project rn)

If you’ve read all the way through this, and are interested in what you see, consider giving me a follow! Also, thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to my rambling. I really appreciate it.

*Scurries back into the shadows*

#writeblr #writeblr reintroduction #writeblr re intro #andie speaks

[gettingreallyintobeatlesyaoi]

Day 5 of reading Beatles RPF

On our way back home by Kathleenishereagain || 5/56

Reading a chapter while my laundry gets dried (and hoping the dryer actually works today XD)

Though, first things first, I feel I should mention that thanks to @indiekidsupremacist and @the-bluebird-you-need, I now know that not only is there one Beatles movie, but multiple! I think I'll need to put time aside to watch them at some point. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When reading Beatles fanfiction, watch Beatles movies. For research purposes. Obviously.

In the meantime, I did think of something else I could do. A few songs have been mentioned in the fic so far, and it seems a little silly to go on like this without listening to their music. How can you understand why people are fans of a band without hearing what the band's most known for? So, I picked the first one the fic brought up, "I Feel Fine".

This was so fun. The song itself is great (and catchy. Yeah, that's going to be stuck in my head for a week.) And at one point in the music video, one of them (the comments say it's Ringo) just?? gets on a bike?? and stays on it the rest of the song?????? Brilliant, fantastic, no notes.

Anyway, we're here for fic, and I absolutely have to share this passage that made me look away from my phone for a minute and just absorb it.

He did not have anything to tell him that he actually could say, anyway. Sorry I was an absolute wanker to you. Sorry I didn’t try to talk to you sooner. That I didn’t make more effort to patch things up between us. Sorry you died. I miss you. I have missed you for almost 40 years and I will never stop missing you. Seeing you so young and clueless is more painful than you could ever imagine. Talking to you makes me want to scream. It makes my head turn with happy fireworks and my belly burn with grief. He could not say any of that.

Just. Holy shit. That struck hard and fast, and the rest of the chapter didn't pull any punches either. I'm a huge fan of time travel related angst, so it's like this was tailor-made for me. With every chapter, I'm drawn more and more in.

(I think I mentioned before that I started this blog on a whim, half-joking. Not disrespectful, I should hope, as I didn't want to come into a fandom I'm not a part of and make a mockery of someone's hard work. I'm genuine in my desire to experience this and understand what draws people to it (and I suspect, will become a fan myself in time), but I won't lie and say I didn't come into this with preconceived biases about RPF. Which, to be honest, was a little hypocritical of me. Don't laugh, but my side projects are mostly Supernatural fanfiction, and I can see how easily someone might approach that with the same feelings I did this, whereas I, on the inside and putting my heart into it, take it very seriously. So, solidarity there, I think. We are all weird guys on the internet writing heartfelt love letters to things that matter to us.)

It's still fascinating to me getting little crumbs of knowledge, some of them devastating, chapter by chapter. I expect someone fully immersed in the history of the band and each member would take these in stride, facts they already know well, but some of them really throw me for a loop. The one this chapter was a mention that Paul didn't go to his father's funeral, or couldn't go. It wasn't specified why, and it's a drop in the bucket of this chapter, but it stuck in my mind nonetheless.

Oh, and I have a solid grasp of the distance between London and Liverpool now. The fic said a trip between the two would take about four hours by car, and Google provided me the helpful number of 354 kilometers. (Or, in American, for me, 220 miles.) That's further than the distance I used to go to visit my Grandpa in Mississippi.

#the beatles #getting really into beatles yaoi #rpf #on our way back home #Youtube

[underthetree845]

ask game

😅✍🛒🛠💖👀🤗

Hello darling! Thank you for the ask (<3)

😅 (What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?)- God, um, I have this one x reader thing I wrote, and it was the very first piece of fanfiction I ever came up with. I wrote it in eighth grade (T-T). It wasn't super terrible and I didn't say "orbs" instead of eyes even once, I just kind of didn't know what I was doing. No planning took place, it was just a little forced, but I'm kind of proud of myself for just getting it out. It was an Armin/fem reader thing where they were going to a party dance thing and there was a confession. Kind of like a less evolved version of my recent masquerade fic, actually. I guess I enjoy writing dancing. I know I was young and everything but I'm so thankful that I hadn't figured out that I could actually post on fanfiction websites yet, I kept writing and thankfully (at least I believe/hope) that I got better. ✍ (Do you have a beta reader?)- I do not. I'm not against it or anything, I just don't. I do have this one friend that I send e v e r y t h i n g I write to though, albeit after it's published because she's not really an experienced writer (not that she's bad, just not the right person to ask for feedback). She's even read that dance fic I mentioned in the previous question.

🛒 (What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.)- Mutual pining is a big one for me 😭. Whether it's friends to lovers (which is what I mostly write), strangers to lovers, enemies, coworkers, etc. etc. there will always be mutual pining at some point. Even if one has had feelings for longer and I depict the growth of the other's feelings (which I find really interesting). Also- random- but I feel like hand holding/focus on hand touches is always a light thing I find myself wanting to incorporate. Not sure why.

🛠 (What tools/programs/apps do you use to write?)- I like to use google docs. It syncs to my phone too so I can write on the way to school or in public if I'm bored, stuff like that. Straight up writing in the tumblr drafts scares me, it's too easy to delete O.o. I oftentimes keep one doc for notes (if it's a longer fic) and write the fic separately. Fun fact though, when I started out, I was actually using the notes app on my phone. That didn't last long, but I still have my first few unpublished 8th grade fics on there.

💖 (What made you start writing?)- Okay so what made me REALIZE that I liked writing was my English classes in school. I've always been a bookworm- ever since I was a little kid- so it was amazing to me that I was able to create stories and show them to people in the same way real authors could. So middle school me loved doing creative writing assignments, I always went way over the wordcount, I loved reading books, etc. etc. Eventually I start getting into fandom, and through internet browsing, I come across fanfiction for the first time. I have to say, it kind of blew my mind. It's hard to explain that I never really stopped reading as much as I did in middle school and elementary school, I just read a lot more ~digital works by unpublished authors~ now (and I still do read books, I'm currently reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson and I love it). The rest I kind of already explained. I tried my hand at it for awhile in the notes app, eventually made an account, read, liked, etc., started posting, and the rest is history. :)

👀 (Tell me about an up and coming wip please!)- *Rubs hands together.* Okay, so: First of all, I'm ALMOST, almost I swear! I'm almost done with the next chapter for my ongoing fic. I'll probably post it sometime next weekend (I don't know if you follow it but there's that). I'm currently working on a Dazai oneshot with the pocky game (you know what that is, right?) And then someone sent me a jealous Chuuya request which I plan on completing after my other two wips since they won't take long.

🤗 (What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?)- EEEE! Okay okay!

Dear new writers, WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE. Please don't be shy! Reach out, interact, share your work (if you want to) and there will be people who say hello back! Remember, don't compare yourself to other writers. We all started at some point. We all had a first post, we all make mistakes, we're all human. On that note, don't beat yourself up about making it perfect! Getting out a first draft is a great first step. It can include notes, errors, run on sentences, and that's fine because it's a draft! You do not have to be perfect, none of us are. Do not feel bad about not having the time to write, or even if you do have the time but lack the energy. Take care of yourself first always! Remember to have confidence in yourself. You created something that wasn't there before and put it out into the world and it's a story and it's yours and that is amazing in every aspect. Don't give up on yourself, take care of yourself, be kind to yourself, and you will slowly but surely find your place in the writers' community! <3

Thank you again for the asks! I hope all of you sleep well tonight. <33

#answered #ask game #sorry this was so long oh my god #emoji asks