#i didn't mean to write a novel | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

birlwrites · 2 months

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one of the things that i've accomplished due to the low barrier to entry in writing fanfiction is writing novel-length stories as a matter of course. like, i used to think of writing a book as this massive, monumental task - and in some ways, it is! but in other ways, it's still just a story. and it feels much more approachable to me now that i've done it multiple times, posting chapter by chapter because that's something you can do really easily with fanfiction. i didn't go into it believing i could do it - i found out that i could by just giving it a try and seeing what resulted.

there's also a certain wild creativity you can find on ao3, the result of people just doing whatever they feel like doing - sometimes it results in incoherence, sometimes in incomprehensibility, sometimes it falls flat, but there's so much variety in storytelling forms, if you look for it. people will deep-dive into anything. 'marketability' is laughably far from being a concern. what is a story, anyway? people will strip the idea down to its bare bones and rebuild it in infinite ways if they have the space. that space doesn't exist in barnes & noble.

i'm a firm believer that you should read the types of stories you want to write, and that you should also read broadly, because that's how you avoid getting stuck recycling the same handful of ideas over and over. i think the same thing applies to writing. write what you want to write - but also, experiment. try other things, even if they seem silly or impractical or irrelevant, even if you don't think they will work. even if you don't think you can make them work.

if you don't feel like you have creative freedom, then you'll fall back on the tried-and-true. you'll recycle. it won't feel like your voice, because it's been filtered through layers upon layers of 'acceptable' and 'marketable' and 'reasonable' and 'broadly appealing.' the only way to understand your own creative limits is by testing them, constantly. you can't truly believe that you can write whatever you want until you prove it to yourself.

and even if your voice turns out to be acceptable and marketable and reasonable and broadly appealing after all - if you try all sorts of things and find out that's where your creativity flows best - you still know it's yours. you still know you're writing the truest possible expression of your own creative abilities. you owe it to yourself to find out what it feels like to write unfettered.

write something weird.

#this began as me realizing i'm well on my way to having 5 novel-length stories completed #and morphed into something quite different #i don't think a story is ever really complete until it's reached its audience #sometimes that audience is me - sometimes i really am just writing for myself #but usually i'm writing in order to share things #i want to see how other people react to them #i want to know if i'm communicating the vision in my head #and sharing creative work is SO EASY in fannish spaces #is it difficult to get visibility? yes #do lots of people tend to lurk which means i have no idea what they think? also yes #but some people reach out!!#and i didn't even have to complete my whole marketable story and write a query letter for it!!#stories are communication and communication is always reaching out for a response #i can't write in a vacuum

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shai-manahan · 1 year

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hi! feeling kinda angst-y today (ha ha 🥲) i don't know if this has been asked yet, though.

how would relationship stage ROs react when during a fight with MC, they tell MC "I wish I never met you" then seeing the heartbreak in MC's face.

🥲

First of all, happy holidays! I apologize that I have to greet you all with this response, but when inspiration strikes, I have to write. So yeah, here it is.

One of these might be present in the series, by the way, although only with MCs who would make very specific choices.

Alonzo:

They stand their ground, keeping their face impassive, seemingly unmoved. They’ve always known that this relationship never has been a good idea in the first place, and perhaps this could be their way out. Perhaps they could just go back to hating each other, hurting each other. Perhaps this way, Alonzo wouldn’t have doubts anymore.

It would be so easy.

Just walk out. Just leave, wordless. Yet, when they see that expression, that silent pain they’ve seen their partner bear for a hundred times over, they begin to falter.

“Why did you have to make this so difficult?” they ask, though they’re no longer certain whom the words are meant for.

Wesley:

Some part of them wants to take it back. Apologize for their words. Tell their partner that they didn’t mean it.

But they did, didn’t they?

Looking at the face before them, the realization comes crashing down. If they’d never met, would their partner be as loathed? Would they still be trapped into a situation with no clear way out? Would they be so susceptible to the influence of those who’d wanted to use them?

“I wish I never met you,” Wesley repeats, forcing themself to look into their partner’s eyes as they say the words. They want to stop. They want to be as honest as they have the first time they met. Explain their reasoning. Confess the things that have been bothering them.

But this was the better choice, wasn’t it? Maybe with this, their partner will finally have a new chance.

To restart.

Maybe they would be better off separate from one another, and this is the first step towards that.

Owen:

“I didn’t mean it.”

The words slip so easily from Owen’s lips. It was so easy, so lacking of effort that anyone, even his partner, would have thought he was telling the truth.

He wasn’t.

But how could he, after seeing that expression on their face?

Owen strides towards them, and with hands outstretched, he cups their cheeks, thoughts running through his mind ceaselessly. This person was someone he used to love, someone whose smiles he used to adore, someone whose actions once inspired his own.

As much as it hurts Owen to admit, he knows that they’re that person no longer.

Still, he makes himself remember those times. Relive them in his mind over and over until his arms go stiff. Look at the eyes before him. Remember.

Remember.

Tears stream down his face, his hands shaking, and he forces himself to say the words again. As much as he can. Until they turn into the truth, somehow, or until his partner realizes that it is nothing but a cowardly lie.

“I didn’t mean it.”

Jade:

Jade’s first instinct was to keep getting mad at them. How dare they act so hurt after everything that had happened? How dare they turn things around, as though this was her fault?

How dare they show this now, and not before?

But Jade has already made countless mistakes. Countless decisions she’d wished she could go back to and change. And somehow, in all this anger, in all this urge to scream and head towards another round of argument, she allows herself a moment to breathe. Think.

Look back. Look forward. And think.

“I’m sorry.” She clutches into her partner’s clothes. Softly, forceless, but almost pleading. She finds it strange, why she’s doing it, and yet she still does. She wants to cling into them until they sort it out. To not let go, not this time. But she can’t be like this, either, can she?

She can’t keep holding onto people simply because she wants her to stay. She can’t be that person anymore. “Let’s talk later, okay?”

With a deep sigh, not waiting for a response. Jade turns around and leaves. Maybe they should both cool off first, maybe then this would all be mended. Maybe there’s still a way to preserve what’s still there.

She thinks of the possibilities, the ramifications, and the anger is slowly replaced by fear.

A deep, unbidden fear that this cannot be fixed.

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user-needs-new-hyperfixation · 9 months

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about to chew my own arm off over the knowledge that the phrase "make love" used to just mean like, "to court or woo" and didn't mean "sweet sex" until the 20s or thereabouts. What am I supposed to use for characters thinking/talking about romantic, sentimental sex in a Victorian setting?

#trials of fic writing #strangely i was already frustrated about this before watching rwrb but that didn't help #i remember being very shook by old novels in my teens when they were like 'the main couple is casually making love in a room full of people #ALSO shook by writing 'the 20s' because to my millennial ass that will always just mean the 1920s and then i realized we're IN THE 20S WHAT #WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!

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fahye · 2 years

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Our Flag Means Death (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet Additional Tags: Post-Canon Fix-It, Fairy Tale Elements, Amnesia, Several Narrators None Of Whom Deserve This Bullshit, Edward Teach Goes Through His Winter Soldier Phase Summary:

"Dark Fate?" says Stede, making sure to pronounce the capitals.

"Very effective for star-crossed lovers. And at a bargain price, if I do say so myself. A potent mixture of unspeakably rare ingredients, brewed under a new moon, which will drag you through the depths of your own soul in search of difficult truths, and leave the undeserving to drift forever in a dreamscape of torment and emotional agony!"

"What?" says Stede. "No! That sounds awful!"

#our flag means death #ofmd #THE POWER OF GAY PIRATES COMPELLED ME #yes I am meant to be writing a novel #if you're my editors and you saw this #no you didn't

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lucalicatteart · 1 year

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Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 11: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

Yesterday's poll decided that The Adventurer should curiously socialize with a few of the boat travelers ...

"The Adventurer grabs one of the ornate glass bowls near the buffet table, meekly gathering some cheese and vegetables as he scans the crowd. For the first 15 minutes of the lunch, he mostly crouches in a corner seat, nibbling on his food and nervously fielding the occasional drunken question from a passing party guest..

Knowing he should.. probably... actually socialize at some point, he begrudgingly chooses conversational partners, squeezing his eyes shut and pointing around randomly until he lands on someone.....

The first is a scrawny man in a flashy suit, wobbly from wine but still keeping a vaguely charming demeanor about him. He proudly introduces himself as a "legal expert", then goes on to ramble for a while about the laws in the area, how drastically they vary from city to city (plus a few veiled hints on how to safely break them), and that if you travel a lot it can be hard to keep up with it all.

He mentions, quite conveniently, that he's recently published a book on the topic, a legal guide for local explorers, and offers to give The Adventurer a copy for a special discounted price... but... then soon recalls that the crate of books he'd planned to sell on the boat sadly ended up falling into the river earlier during a "silly little mishap"..

In place of a book, he simply slides The Adventurer a glossy mint colored paper swirled with golden floral motifs, supposedly serving as some sort of business card, though the actual contact information seems obscured beneath the cluttered design. The Lawyer also pulls off his scarf as he rises to leave, wrapping it around The Adventurer's shoulders with a little waving flourish (not the first time someone has confused his anxious shaking for cold shivers). The Adventurer stutters out a confused thank you, then watches as the Lawyer stumbles off, mumbling to himself that he's been drinking too much and "truly must find somewhere to piss"......

The second person he approaches is an older woman, hunched over a table fidgeting with a handful of colorful glass dice, spinning and stacking and arranging them into patterns whilst her thoughts drift elsewhere. Initially, she gives evasive answers when asked personal questions, but soon grows more talkative once the topic of local flora and fauna arises. She apparently used to adventure as well, roaming the lands to document various elements of nature relevant to her mysterious "private research" - though, at her age, she's now resigned to casual boat rides rather than riskily hiking alone through uncharted wilderness. Gently laying a worn leather journal of watercolor paintings out onto the tabletop, she points at various berries, leaves, and animals, eagerly describing their significance...

After chatting for a while, she abruptly changes topics, mentioning that sometimes she can "sense things which she should not" (whatever the hell that means), then asks him to pick one of her dice. He hesitates, but she just stares, refusing to elaborate further.. Finding even 30 seconds of awkward silent eye contact physically impossible to bear, he hurriedly plops a finger down in front of an iridescent yellow die. She chuckles..

Scooping up all of the dice from the table, she rattles them in her clasped hands, then brings them up to her ear as if to listen... to something?? A few moments later, she turns back to him, speaking in a raspy whisper: "There are others, melding your footprints with their own, seeking a gift you do not yet know - this is what I see."

Before he can ask her for any elaboration, the Captain returns, grumbling that The Adventurer has already stayed 5 minutes past the time limit and swatting at him with a broom to shoo him off of the boat. Apparently an hour can go by fast....

After climbing back into his dinky raft, he sails mostly successfully down the river, finally making it to a point that, at least based on his map, SHOULD be where the main road picks back up past the detour. He crashes into a small grouping of rocks whilst trying to navigate back to the shore, but he was planning on disassembling the raft to get his rope and supplies back anyway, so.. aside from a scraped knee and possibly broken pinky toe, he decides it's actually fine. The cat is okay, which is all that really matters, anyhow.

By the time he's taken apart his boat, eaten a quick meal, and bandaged his leg, the sun seems to have nearly set. It's later in the night than he'd usually like to travel, but, where he's going is a pretty commonly used road, so maybe it's safe? He's exhausted from socializing, but could probably muster enough energy to walk for at least a while. Or perhaps he should just call it a night and find a place to sleep.. But.. where??? What should he do?

Additional information

acquired a long, warm, expensive scarf

acquired slightly increased knowledge of local plants

acquired vague information from the 'dice based fortune teller', or whatever that was meant to be

acquired a business card (+ ability to get away with one minor crime free of legal consequence)

acquired mild nausea for the next 5hrs from weird buffet cheese

acquired badly scraped knee and sprained toe (will walk slightly slower for the next 2 days)

the adventurer's current main goal: follow his map to reach the abandoned castle ruins and see the rare animal specialist about the mysterious egg he has

#paventure posting #polls #choose your own adventure #okay yeahgh this one took like a week instead of a few days lol #I've went back to physical therapy for my chronic chest muscle issue and I think one of the new excercises they gave me in the #appointment ended up really irritating something instead of helping it because I was having way worse and sharper #chest pain for a few days. I went to the doctor and got an ekg just to rule out anything bad like that because I seriously #thought something was wrong but.. apparently it's just the same thing as always. It feels a bit better now #and hopefully wont get bad again if I ease into the excercises more. but for a few days I really didn't want to use my arms at all #so that means like.. not drawing or typing. also when I feel bad I kind of stray away from social media? I know for some peopls #social media is a good distraction when they're sick or whatever but I just find it stressful. I usually just lay on the floor #for a few days with silly cooking shows or Carefully Curated Youtube Videos That Specifically Contain Absolutley Zero Possibility #Of Stressful content Whatsoever on in the background lol.. ANYWAY.#I am at the moment able to use the computer again so I could draw things. hopefully will get on better schedules again one day #anyway!!... HE!!! adventure man... Again I hate trying to shorten things by just describing the conversations without dialogue #like saying “they talked about trees” rather than literally writing out a transcript of the entire conversation they had about trees #etc. I think because most of the time when I write it's in a very dialogue heavy context (like script type things. or visual novels/games #where lots of characters are talking and it's mostly that. etc.) So it feels awkward and bad to just skip over things #But also these would take days and days and days to do if I wrote out pages of conversation so I'm just doing vaguely rushed shortcut writi #writing trying to include only details that are necessary or etc. but ggbhjbhj... it's just so opposite to what I usually like #I always walk away like 'FINE.. i GUESS.. that will have to do >:T' lol #Kind of like how I hate literally every bit of digital art I have ever done because I'm so used to traditional art - specifically pencil #and pen stuff that's very sketchy and messy - and then digital art is all about clean even neat lines with a line tool and very polished #clean coloring - so it's super super opposite to my usual sketchy things and just Feels Wrong. I kind of like ms paint because it feels #like a middle ground like. it's somehow also sketchy even though it's digital. multiple pixelly lines over each other give it a 'sketch'#type feel. BUt anyway. It's supposed to be casual and quick and fun! I will choose to ignore all art and writing errors because #it is all about having a little advenchure! :3 As long as the main idea is clear enough for the voting to make sense . who cares #Remember to keep him safe! the dice lady is trying to help him. Regardless of where he sleeps though he can probably use the scarf #as a new warm blanket addition to his existing meager bedding situation lol. soft. fluffy. the cat will love it probably #Also again. whenever he talks to people the text will be longer. Sorry. Still trying for most of them to be short blurbs lol

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flameindream · 25 days

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@radiantemissary

"The 'Gilded Captain,' huh..." Grimm repeats the name of the elusive fish that the sailors had been chattering about, idle gossip perhaps turning into a local legend before them. It was said its species was not known for golden scales, yet multiple sources had reported a sighting of a fish dotted in that lustrous shade, glowing beneath the now calm spring waters of the barrier islands. And it was not even a gem fish! A blessing of the Aether, they said, though there seemed to be debate about whether it really was a sign of good fortune or merely a wonder of nature.

"Think you we might actually see such a thing, Elias? I know not how I feel myself, but it makes a little outing to the beach far more exciting, does it not?" he laughs, turning to his new companion for this trip. The fellow was of immediate interest to him—much more than the Gilded Captain, really—with that gentle feeling of divinity laying over him... Was it him, or was he merely touched by one? Grimm wanted to know more, and oh! How odd it was that he'd sensed so much divine energy of such varying types in this small place. Assuming that his senses were correct, that was...

But Grimm was quite willing to leave it all unsaid, and no god he'd stumbled upon yet other than Loki seemed to feel any reason to speak on it either—like the elephant in the room was wearing a suit and tie and walking around and still ignored. What impressive humbleness, he'd thought.

The boat then approaches and comes to a slow stop at the beach of Arcus Cove, the soft sound of treading water replaced with the caws of cumulus gulls. The last time Grimm had come out this way, it had been a churning sea horror... but now, spring had calmed it all.

"Not to interrupt ye conversation, but we've arrived. You two just give me holler when you want to return to the mainland, aye?" the sailor pipes up, setting the ramp out for them to step out.

#radiantemissary #Elias 01 #; one will light the nightmare lantern {aevum ic}#IT'S TIMEEE!!#Didn't mean to write a novel lemme know if I should change anything LOL

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