#i think that's the best piece of writing advice i've ever gotten

[kingofthe-egirls]

FOX TALES: LUFFY x ZORO x OC (VASYA IN HEAT 👀🔥)

fox tales

(cw: smut, threesome, polyamory, breeding kink, kitty!play, misuse of haki, dirty talk, vaginal sex, doggy style, cunnilingus, cum play/eating, daddy kink, being in heat, geez this is reminding me of old destiel fanfictions where i first discovered soooo many kinks. lmao)

thinking about...

Vasya being in heat and needing Zoro to help Luffy fuck her brains out

Luffy holding Vasya in his arms, half-awake and mewling, to Zoro’s bunk to ask for an extra dick and pair of hands. like, panting and flushed with Vasya pulling at his clothes, already having gone so many rounds in a row.

(a/n: what do we feel about third person vs. second person? i know first person is not my personal favorite, and second person seems to be the standard use, the narrator being "you." buuuut i really like writing in third person, esp about my oc! she's Vasya and i wanna say her name!!! also it makes my heart happy to write about her and Luffy together. they make me smile :)

Songs: "STUPID BIG TEETH" by EMMY

words: 2.8

“Zoro!” Luffy pants, a squirreling Vasya in his arms. He’s standing outside Zoro’s door, midnight air pooling in from above deck. Zoro is half-asleep, good eye still crusted from sleep.

“What’s wrong?” He groggily asks, not clocking the red forming on Vasya’s cheeks, or her scrabbled claws at Luffy’s shirt collar. He's wearing a black t-shirt, thrown on inside out and backwards. The white tag hangs from the front of his collar. Vasya is pulling at it now, trying to drag it off Luffy's shoulders. He grimaces, trying not to drop her at the same time as he fends her off.

"Kitty's in heat!" Luffy huffs, adjusting her weight in his arms. Her tails are all puffed out, fluffy and white, and her ears are flat against her head. She's not wearing much, herself.

Zoro opens the door wider.

"Come in."

***

Zoro holds you against his broad chest, shirtless, while Luffy spreads your legs on the bed. Each of the crewmates got their own room on the Sunny, and Zoro's bedroom is a reflection of him: sparse, minimalist, and sleepy. His bed is really the only piece of furniture in it, besides a dresser with a bellyband slung over an open drawer, t-shirts spilling out underneath. It smells musky, like him, but not entirely unpleasant. Like black coffee and thyme.

"Luffyyy," you whine, arching your back against him. "I need you."

"I know, baby," he says, sitting up with your legs around his waist. He spreads his hands along your waist, leaning forward to kiss you. You whimper, the ache in your core nigh-on unbearable. Hot lava roils in your chest, flaring all the way down your spine to your toes. It's so inconvenient to be a fox, sometimes.

"I was wondering why you two have been so fuckin' chaotic lately," Zoro rumbles against your back. You lean into him, ears flicking around his face as you rest your head against his shoulder. He shifts, around you. "Is that the courtship you were talkin' about?"

Luffy nods.

His voice and demeanor are dark, intense. Like a crow assessing a particularly thrilling puzzle. He runs a hand through his jet-black hair. "Yeah, she's so mischievous this time of year, apparently. And bitey," he hooks his fingers into your underwear, and starts to slide them down your kicking legs. You moan, twisting your spine against Zoro's chest. You can't think; all there is is heat.

"Play," you say, small. Luffy hushes you, kissing along your stomach. Zoro tightens his hold around your waist.

"Naughty fox," he chides you, gently. "Gimme a sec," his voice is raspy, drenched in lust from hours-long play sessions previous. You're grateful for his stamina.

Zoro plants a kiss on your heated shoulder. "S'okay, sweetheart" he whispers, "Be a good kitten and hold still." He rubs his jaw against your cheek, the rough stubble scraping your skin. You nuzzle against the welcome touch. You, Zoro, and Luffy had already agreed on helping fill your needs together.

Luffy finally dips his head down to your cunt, bypassing foreplay to start biting at your clit. You yelp, jumping a bit in Zoro's arms. He shushes you, carefully stroking his fingers over your stomach.

"Ya like bites, don'tcha, kitty?" Luffy asks from between your legs, his breath hot and ticklish on your dripping ache. You nod, feral.

He licks and sucks at your sensitivity. The pleasure drips down your limbs, hot and sticky like honey. You moan, relaxing finally into Zoro's steady weight. He smells like pine trees. You're grateful for his strength. And Luffy's, too, as he starts to pump you full of haki-hardened fingers. Glass toys are your favorite, and his iron skin is the closest thing akin to the weight and press of glass. He's not cold, though. He's hotter than you are, striking heat like a match against your cunt. You hitch a short breath, sharp in your lungs.

"Please," you moan, "Please, captain, fuck me?"

Luffy groans, stilling his fingers inside you. He rubs at the spot you love, glancing his eyes up to Zoro's. "Ya don't want him first?"

You shiver down Zoro's abs, hot and soft behind you. You shake your head. "Nuh uh, daddy. You first."

Luffy grins, shrugging for Zoro's benefit. "Alright, vixen. Sorry, Zoro." He giggles. He hooks your legs over his shoulders, getting up to kneel. He kicks off his hastily thrown-off shorts (which he'd flung on as you'd begged him to take you to Zoro's room with him) and comes back to settle in the home he's made between your legs.

He presses his cock at your entrance. You're already soaked. Zoro reaches down to finger your clit, rubbing it in slow circles. He breathes heavily against your shoulder. He sinks his teeth into the flesh. You moan, loving the burn. You're so feral like this, leaning into every instinct of a carrion-predator, wanting to hide and moan and run and cum all at the same time. It's so chaotic, a myriad of whirlwind emotions circling inside your psyche.

Your body just wants more.

Luffy starts to press his cockhead inside you, warm and stretching you out oh-so-deliciously. You hum, finally feeling a little at peace. The weight of his cock is anchoring you like a rock in a storm.

"Fuuuuuck," you moan, feeling your tails shiver of their own accord. There's no blue light this time, no spirit-dust flickering off you like fireflies. It's all just flesh and blood and meat and bone.

You're viscerally afraid, alive, awakening. Clarity only just out of reach as you see stars in your vixen's eyes.

Luffy tethers you back to earth, kissing your hand that he then gathers at his chest. His heart is racing beneath your fingertips. "Love ya, baby," he growls lowly. You whimper, nodding along.

"Love you too, Luffy!" His name is sweet on your tongue, spiced like mead in winter. He is your sun in winter. The flame in the hearth, the embers at sunset. The baking bread aside the coals. You want him, so badly. You ache for it, twitching hungrily as you sink his cock further into your heated walls. He gasps, loudly.

"Quiet," Zoro warns, knocking back against the headboard behind him. His eye is half-closed in lust, as you crane your neck to watch him talk. "Could wake someone up."

"Who cares?" Luffy emphasizes with a particular thrust, "Everyone knows we're fucking, anyway."

True.

Zoro snorts, and starts playing with your over-sensitive tits. His fingerpads are rough as sandpaper, and you gasp. "Z-Zoro!" You protest, arcing away from him. You don't go far, though, sandwiched between both his and Luffy's steel frames as you are.

"Whaaat, ya don't like me?" He grins at your ear. (You have both sets of ears: mortal and fox). "Thought ya wanted us both to breed ya. Huh, pretty vixen? Don't ya want both your men inside your cunt?"

"Fuck--!" you breathe, arcing your tails in wild shapes against him. He pushes them down, shoving them out of the way with one arm. Two out of nine peek out from his grasp. "Want you both," you mutter, prayer-like. Desperation heats your core as Luffy's pounds become sweet and scattered, him already reaching his climax for the nth time tonight.

"Lu-uffy," you grunt, feeling him speed up inside you. His hips slap against your ass, loud and unashamed, as he spills his seed inside you. It leaks out and around his cock, dripping with your slick onto Zoro's mattress. Sorry, Zoro.

"Your turn," Luffy huffs, falling over without grace onto his side. He poofs into the covers, snoring already. A blue bubble pops in and out of his face. Zoro sighs, reaching down from your tits to your ass, pushing you forward onto all fours.

"Sit," he says, stroking his cock behind your ass. He slaps the thick, heavy weight against your thigh. You gasp, skin prickling in surprise. You've never taken him from behind, before.

Doggy style's your favorite.

Zoro wastes no time in stuffing you full of his hard cock, impatiently throbbing from watching Luffy fuck you. He starts a rhythm, hard and fast, slapping against your ass cheeks with rippling force. You feel the soft parts of you shake with his movements. It feels so good to have your tits swinging for him, your nipples hard and sensitive. You reach under yourself, supporting your weight on three limbs, to thumb at your own buds.

Zoro grunts, reaching down to slap your hands away. He pushes your face down, gasping as you go, as you realize he's grabbed some of Luffy's cum to smear it all over your face. It's cold and slick, sticking to your cheeks from Zoro's fingers. He scoops up another blob of his captain's cum, and shoves it into your open mouth. You take it, panting hotly. It tastes like shit but it's still so good.

"Huh, ya like that?" He asks you roughly, pinning your arms behind your back. His breath is ragged as he pounds into you from behind. Your pussy clenches down, hard. "Ah, I fuckin' feel how much you like that, dirty girl," he grits his teeth as he slams his hips against your ass. He slows his pace, long and lazy, but still rocking you to your core. You scream, hoarse.

"F-fuck, Zoro! Yes! Yes, yes, yesyesyesyes--," Luffy cuts you off, roughly shoving his fingers into your face. He fucks your mouth with his thick digits, eyes hazy and half-lidded from lust and sleep. He's recovered now, apparently. His hair is black and fluffy, disheveled from where you stare at his handsome face from upside down. His knuckles smear the cum still left across your face. You moan.

Luffy's fingers are merciless, speeding up to match Zoro's pace. Finally, something pushes that button inside you that makes you cum. You shake on the swordsman's cock, eyes rolling up to the back of you skull.

"Good kitty," Luffy whispers, voice dripping with command. His emperor's haki flits around you, like ruby red lightning strikes. His energy is warm yet supple--as rubber as he is--stretching and relaxing and pulling like taffy. He waves it over and over your body, like strokes of his sure fingers. It feels hot, like sun-warm stones being raked over your back. He presses into your feet, your hands, your face. The burning skin beneath his cooling cum.

"Not done yet," Zoro grunts, bruising your hips with his vicelike grasp. His cock is thrusting inside you, harder and harder. Your walls are already fluttering and overheated, clenching down on his length like a bear trap. He huffs, grunting and moaning and swearing under his breath. He feels good, apparently.

You bite.

Luffy gasps, pulling his fingers out of your mouth with a curse. "Fuck, kitty!" He complains, "I told ya not to do that!"

"So-rry," you moan, broken and hoarse. Your heat is coming to a close; you can feel the satisfaction creeping up. You've cum a bunch already, but your body still needs Zoro's seed inside you.

"Bad kitty," Luffy says again, gripping you by the back of the neck. He hauls you up, and stuffs his cock into your mouth without ceremony.

"Mmph!" You manage out, tongue lolling up against his length. He moans, tipping his head back in ecstasy. His hips shudder weakly, thrusting against your face as you open your throat for him.

Zoro slaps your ass.

You grunt, stuffed full of cock in both your pussy and mouth. Your tails arch, fanning over you like peacock feathers. Zoro grabs one in his teeth. He holds it gently, but firm, like it's the handle of Wado Ichimonji. You rock yourself back on his cock as best you can. Another orgasm is creeping up your thighs, and you clench around him hard. Your pussy is fluttering, moaning and soaking, the wet squelch of his dick inside you filling the room with homemade pornography. Luffy adds his own moans to the mix, raspy and hoarse as his boy's voice starts cracking.

"Fuckfuckfuck, kitty--," he gasps, rutting his hips against your face. Your nose is stuffed against his pelvis, breathing him in until there's nothing left. It's just him, him, him, and Zoro, and Zoro's cock, and flames licking up your abdomen--

Zoro tugs at your tail, and you cum.

"That's it, that's my girl," Luffy groans, his hands cradling your face. You shudder around Zoro's cock, his thrusts coming sloppy and haphazard, now. He's getting closer, you can tell. His cock swells inside you as you pulse around his shaft.

"Fuck, Vix--," the swordsman groans out, velvet and deep. His own conqueror's haki is emerald green: less prescient than Luffy's but still knocking you senseless all the same. It holds you from below, while Luffy's shivers all over your skin. It arcs and blasts, shooting through the room in invisible sparks that rub up against your pleasure so sweetly. Your boys take such good care of you.

Zoro mmph's through his teeth, burying himself to the hilt inside your cunt as he spills his seed. It's hot, and wet, and throbbing, and you shake against his hold. His lips sputter over words of praises, all "good girl, good baby, sweetheart, take it, just like that keep squeezing me, yeah--," as he cums inside you with a strangled moan. The swordsman is a hot lover, strong and steady, and his pace rocks you back and forth on the bed, folded as you are.

Luffy isn't far behind him, hands clenched into fists in your hair, stroking at the tips of your ears. "C'mon, Vasya," he grunts, hitting the back of your throat with every thrust. You gag and moan, but he keeps on. "Cum f'me again."

It's a command, electrified by a strike of his haki straight through your heart. You don't even need Zoro's aching thumb on your clit, you're already shivering with heat as you cream. Yes, captain. For you, captain. I'll do anything for you, captain--

"Good girl," is all he says as he finishes inside you for the hundredth time that night. Your mouth takes what it can, but still overflows with his steaming cum. It tastes bitter, and you gag. He pulls out, leaving a trail of white spend and rainbow spit from your lips to his tip. Luffy pets your hair softly, collapsing back onto his knees. "Good girl," he says, raking a hand through his ruined hair.

Luffy's lips are puffy and swollen, his face flushed and rosy. Zoro pulls out of you too, sitting back to grab a towel from the nightstand. He raises the oil lamp, slightly. Orange light fills the room. You stare at the two men behind you, still slumped over on all fours.

"Hey."

Luffy laughs, and Zoro snorts. He wipes himself off, and then turns to you. Luffy leans forward to lick his own cum off your face. "Hi baby," he says quietly, cleaning you up like the daddy he is, "Didja like that?"

"'Course," you mumble, groaning as you push yourself up. You take the rag from Zoro to wipe at the spot between your legs. You grimace: what a mess. Luffy giggles again, and you can't help but join in. "Thanks, guys."

"Feelin' normal again?" Zoro asks, standing up to chug some water from the canteen by his bed. Luffy stretches out an arm to snatch it from his grasp, and he curses in complaint. "Oi!"

"Shishishi," Luffy snickers, dousing his own head with water. He shakes his hair out like a dog. He pours water over you, too.

"Hey!" You splutter out, waving him away. "No fair!"

"Yes fair," he teases, leaning forward to bite your ass. You squeak in surprise. "Feelin' good yet, kitty?"

"Yes," you say, grateful, finally standing up to stretch your legs. Oh, fuck. You're gonna be sore in the morning. "Can we sleep here?"

"Nope," Zoro laughs, "Luffy snores."

"Aww, Zoro!" The captain complains, hanging onto Zoro's shoulder. He plants messy kisses all along his swordsman's collarbones. "Pleeease?"

You both blink up at Zoro with pleading eyes, and he finally caves with a sigh. "Fine," he huffs, falling back with his arms crossed over his chest. You squeal, jumping over him like a fox diving into snow. "Fuck!" He shouts, winded, before tangling you in his arms, if just to keep you still. "Stop that."

"Sorry," you giggle, nuzzling into his broad chest. "'Night."

"'Night!" Luffy echoes, snuggling up on Zoro's other side. You both wrap your arms around him, so that you're folded over each other in one big, happy pile.

***

#ive decided to just write without going back #no bad ideas #no such thing as cliches #i think that's the best piece of writing advice i've ever gotten #rough draft means words on the page #who cares what the quality is #or the grammar #just #write #dumpster dive #my writing #one piece fanfic #luffy x reader #luffy x y/n #fox tales #kitsune oc #one piece oc #kitsune #vasya #i used the “hot and [adjective]” formula a lot here #lol #luffy smut #one piece smut #zoro smut #zoro x oc #zoro x y/n #zoro x reader #zoro x you #zolu #my favorite word is “and”

[shepherds-of-haven]

hii! i'm a new author working on my first if, and i'm really not doing great tbh. shepards of haven is (my current hyperfixation) sosososososo good and so expansive and just generally the best thing ever and i'm aware that you've been writing this story for years and that's probably why it's so amazing but i'm not having a fun time over here and i was wondering if you have any tips for worldbuilding or if you could share like a general overview of your process? thank you so much :))

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling great about your project at the moment! I think my #writing advice tag could be helpful to you, since that's where I stick all the posts and answers about writing tips and worldbuilding advice from this blog, as well as my @strangevoyages blog, which is exclusively focused on my authorial career and writing-related tips and tricks, so it might be easier to parse through for advice! This post I wrote last year, in particular, could be helpful for worldbuilding, as well! (As well as this post for my general tips for beginning writers of interactive fiction!)

On top of all that, though, I think the best piece of advice I can add on for you is to be patient with yourself! As you mentioned, I've been working on Shepherds for over 20 years now: it was basically the first story I ever wrote, and I still haven't published it in a complete form yet. My first novel, We Have Always Been Here, also took about four years to complete, and in that amount of time, I burned it completely to the ground and started it over from scratch FIVE TO EIGHT TIMES before I got so sick of looking at it I just had to submit it. And I thought I would start my second novel directly after that, starting a few months after WHABH's completion in 2019. It's been four years since then and I'm still figuring out the world and characters of that second novel, to the point that I've also started and completely scrapped the story three or four times... I didn't even settle on the main cast or their names until earlier this year, so that's like 3 years where I didn't even know their names, let alone how their world worked. 🥹 And in the last four years, I've still only gotten as far as about ten chapters on this series, and my most current draft is only at four! (And I'm about to scrap some of that and start over again... 🥹)

At some point, you finally iron things out and the story details settle and actually click, and then you might be off to the races--but you've got to give yourself the time, patience, and understanding to actually get there first! I know that things can feel frustrating when it feels like you've run up against a wall or you just aren't feeling inspired, but letting things simmer for a while just allows the flavors of your story to complexify and deepen. You're creating a whole new world in your head, so give yourself a break! It takes time. Like a good soup, sometimes you have to let it sit on the stove for a bit and bubble away without poking at it impatiently and wishing it would hurry up or dumping ingredients in it to make it cook faster. In the meantime, consuming media that inspires you or that you genuinely love and enjoy--without turning it into the work and chore of "research"--might uncork or illuminate something you didn't even know was brewing. That's what I most often do when I'm feeling uninspired! I just leave everything where it is, meander away, watch or read or play something that intrigues me, and that often naturally sparks inspiration when I'm not thinking too hard about it. A watched p(l)ot never boils, so to speak!

I hope that (and my other posts linked above) help you in some way. Good luck with your writing and again, try not to be too hard on yourself! You're not alone, every writer feels this way: it's just a part of the process, but one that we can mitigate by giving ourselves time and patience. :) And thank you for the kind words about Shepherds, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

#writing advice #writing #writing tips #redirect #strange voyages #tips #advice

[joelsgreys]

Hey anon, high school bully behavior is anonymously bullying someone, something that YOU are doing.

This type of behavior is what drives people off of tumblr. Why more and more people pack it up and move to ao3 only or quit writing entirely. Keep it up, anon. Watch what happens, what’s already happening.

If you have an issue with someone, handle it like an adult. Not whatever this crap is. What did you think would happen, sending that rude message? That everyone would say oh yeah, this dumbass coward hiding behind an anonymous message is right. What a hero! They’re braver than all of us, bullying Vee online. Christ reincarnated. But you won’t do that, will you?

In the time it took to decide to send a rude message to someone, decide what that message would be, search for Vee’s tumblr, go into her inbox and type it up and press send, you could have done anything else and it would’ve been better. You could’ve said something nice to a friend (assuming you have any. I suppose imaginary ones count, as sad as that is) , you could have taken a few deep breaths. Perhaps made yourself a snack and calmed down. I think best of all, you could have (and should have) shut the fuck up. Never underestimate the value of shutting your mouth, anon. It’s a precious gift.

I hope someone does this shit to you and you can know how it feels. You’re clearly lacking empathy and it’d do you well to learn some. I’ll start you off with two pieces advice - If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Treat others how you want to be treated.

Vee, you are invaluable to this community and you’re worth so much more than you could ever ever know. I hope you know the positive impact you’ve had on me as an individual and countless fucking others, as well as tumblr as a whole. This flaming asshole will only ever be that - a flaming, electrified asshole. A pimple on the ass of the universe. You are a brilliant creator, friend, and member of this community. So much more than whoever this troglodyte is. I know you’re hurting, and I’m hurting for you. I hope you can heal soon. Do something nice for yourself tonight because you deserve it. You deserve it every night.

...i may or may not have had to google the term troglodyte

nonnie, thank you for your kindness, first of all. my emoji tab on my laptop decided she wanted to stop working, so here is this heart for you <33

it's kind of too late to tell you not to waste your own energy in regards to that anon, but really, let's just let them be. i've already wasted enough energy for all of us, and i really, really wish that i had been in a better headspace when that dumb ask was dropped into my inbox. if i had been, i would have just kept sipping my smoothie and writing my silly little story, which is what i had been doing when the notification came in lmao.

they caught me on a night i was already hurting, so naturally, their opinion of me did indeed hurt my feelings, and it sucks, but all the love i have gotten has certainly kept me from crawling into a hole and for that i am grateful. i think i shall take your advice and do something nice for myself tonight. <3

#vee answers

[aritany]

Do you have any pets? If yes, can we see pictures? If no, what kind of pet do you want, if any, and what would you name them?

Also, what are your top 5: Books by other people, songs, movies, and tv shows?

Also, what's the most important or best piece of feedback you've ever gotten on your writing? The one that's stuck with you the most. (From tumblr, an ARC review, a publisher, a friend, your partner, anything!)

(I know that's a lot. Feel free to skip some of that if you don't wanna answer it all.)

Congrats on publishing dgdss!!! I'm thrilled to have followed you for as long as I have (a year-ish??), and I can't wait to continue to follow your publishing adventures! (also, thanks for the commission of my boy Rook, ages ago! <3)

~ Morri (@memento-morri-writes)

ahh hello @memento-morri-writes!

i do have a pet! (technically, she's not Mine per se, but she lives in my house and shreds my furniture, so i take tax where it feels appropriate. here she is in all her slutty, slutty glory

TOP FIVES (CURRENTLY):

BOOKS:

THE DREAM THIEVES - maggie stiefvater

IF WE WERE VILLAINS - m.l. rio

SIX OF CROWS/CROOKED KINGDOM - leigh bardugo

BELOVED - toni morrison

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMONE - benjamin stevenson

SONGS:

CAN I CALL YOU TONIGHT - dayglow

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS - ayokay (ft nightly)

HOPE THEY LOVE YOU - wingtip

WITH YOU - dotan

EYES WIDE - alfie jukes (yes it came out yesterday nobody talk to me)

i'm not a huge screen media viewer so this is just a collection of movies and shows i've seen and enjoyed semi-recently

MOVIES:

STARDUST (this gets a permanent #1 spot though)

A SIMPLE FAVOR

GLASS ONION (KNIVES OUT)

JULIE & JULIA

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

TV/(ACTUAL PLAY) SHOWS:

THE GOOD PLACE (this also gets a permanent #1 spot)

DIMENSION 20 FANTASY HIGH JUNIOR YEAR (so far)

GRACE AND FRANKIE

THE WOMAN IN THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE GIRL IN THE WINDOW

LUPIN

as for advice i've gotten, i think the most impactful advice i've ever gotten actually came from my agent. after the edits for DGDSS i'd really let that feedback impact my writing in a way that was not helpful. in initial edits for dead girls, my prose was stripped of anything descriptive and reduced basically to plot beats and stock actions. i still have some screenshots of what happened to my prologue before i realized nobody was advocating for me and that i'd have to do it myself - PM me if you want to see those.

anyway, i edited my second novel (the one we have on sub right now) to match the general direction i'd gotten during edits, handed it in to my agent, and she went heyyyyyy bestie this is bad. and she was actually very correct. and i realized i was going to have to re-configure my voice and find the space felt like mine in prose. and i do believe i've done that now, and i would have just continued on sulking and writing stilted, awkward prose indefinitely if she hadn't given me the little kick in the butt.

anyway, thank you morri! i'm so glad you're here, and i can't wait to tell you all about the next exciting thing (very soon). :)

#asks #alex ritany AMA #hee hee sorry this took me a second to get to bc she's a chonker and i LOVE it #alex talks

[rottenpumpkin13]

There is stuff I'd like to write about, and I have a lot of ideas, but I find it hard to, one find the motivation to finish writing stuff after I start and two find the time to actually set aside and do it. Do you have any advice for writing when you have the ideas but not the time or motivation. My writing style also tends to be very detail heavy and I've been told I describe the details very clumsily and my first draft a lot of the time and I don't know how to edit to try and fix that. What is your writing process like?

Writing Advice

Caveat: My writing's not perfect at all, I struggle with writer's block constantly, and I've only just recently gotten my style to a point where I'm happy with it. Take what resonates and I hope something here is helpful ❤️

1) Don't put pressure on yourself to write. Don't force yourself to write. Don't beat yourself up over not writing. I'm a big believer in forcing yourself to write when you don't want to write ≠ good writing.

2) You may feel like you need to get all of these ideas out, but maybe your brain isn't telling you to write. Think of your brain as a petulant toddler with picky eating habits. You so desperately want to feed it some writing, but it's asking for reading. You want to feed it some reading, but it's asking for writing. You want to read and write, but your brain is asking for drawing, or a movie, or sleep.

Do you see where I'm going with this? Feed your brain what it's asking for. If it's not asking for writing at that moment, that's ok! Sometimes it needs the fuel from something else to have the energy to write.

3) Try to find an outlet that makes the words flow from you uncontrollably (like water!). For me it's always music. I can't write in silence, and before I write I always play a game with myself that's like "Ok what's Pumpkin's brain asking for today? Is it classical music? Is it ambience sounds related to the scene I'm writing? Is it pop music? I never know before I try it out, and when I do find it, it's like I've turned on a faucet. It could not be music for you though! You never know, it could very well be YouTube/TikTok videos, reading, or anything else that inspires you.

4) I also struggle with motivation + time thing, and soooooo get where you're coming from *cries* What I found that helps me is taking it one step at a time! think of writing as cooking a recipe. You don't just throw everything into the pot all at once and hope for the best, it's a process. What I do first is I draft my scenes as transcripts.

For example a draft of a scene would look like this:

[scene description, what characters are doing, who's there, the vibe, what the weather feels like, etc etc]

character A: dialogue

character B: dialogue

character A: dialogue

And then I go over it with actual writing a.k.a filling it with the meat. This helps my squirrel brain work things out one step at a time.

5) And this may be the worst writing advice ever, but I'm going to go ahead and say take every bit of writing criticism you receive with a spoonful of salt. Not every piece of advice is useful, so learn how to distinguish good criticism from bad and apply it positively to your craft. Also, writing styles come in varying forms and sizes, as do stories themselves. That's why I believe writing advice is not one-size-fits-all.

You can receive bucket loads of good criticism + advice and apply it to your writing, but at the end of the day, all of it isn't going to get you anywhere if you, yourself, still aren't happy with your own writing. So write for yourself before you write for anyone else ❤️

I hope you took something useful out of this :)

#i feel kind of silly answering this AASHSKSHSSH #writing advice #writing

[recurring-polynya]

Sometimes, when I'm in the middle of writing something, I post little previews, and this is, like, the opposite of that. I've mentioned that I have been re-reading my big series, The Heart is a Muscle, in preparation for writing a new installment, and I came across this bit, which I think might be the most Polynya piece of writing I have ever written. It's close to three years old now, so maybe you missed it or maybe you forgot it or maybe you would just like to read it again, and also, this is my blog and I can post what I want.

This is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of Call Me Back When the War is Over, in which, as part of an escalating series of sibling passive-aggressions, Byakuya informs Rukia that she is inadequately polite to his lieutenant, and makes her invite Renji over for dinner. Renji, a chump, goes along with all of this, and spends the 24 hours leading up to it getting a bunch of terrible advice from his friends and digging through Bulletin backissues for Byakuya's old etiquette column. Anyway. Enjoy.

Renji arrived at Kuchiki Manor at 6:45pm. He had actually arrived at 6:40, but that seemed too early, so he stood at the front door for five minutes before knocking. The doorman, who surely knew he had been there the entire time, let him in immediately, and escorted him to a parlor where Rukia and Byakuya were sitting and chatting quietly. 

"Lieutenant Abarai," the footman announced, and disappeared again. 

Both Kuchiki siblings rose at his entrance, and Renji felt his mouth go dry. He didn't belong here. This was insane. He wanted to turn around and walk straight back to the Eleventh. Except, he realized with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, he didn't belong there anymore either, and to be honest, he didn't actually want to go back. He was the assistant captain of Sixth Company, and this was a thing the assistant captain of Sixth Company did. He was pretty good at most of the other parts of being the assistant captain of Sixth Company, he was just going to have to figure this out, too. 

Then he caught sight of Rukia, Lady Rukia for the next hour, he reminded himself. Her kimono was flattering and her hair charmingly arrayed, but it was her facial expression that did him in: the pleased look in her eyes, the relaxed eyebrows, the little half-smile. He'd shown up looking okay, apparently, and that gave him the little shove he needed to tackle the next hurdle. 

Renji bowed, holding out the bundle of snow drops he had brought for her. He was going to say it. He tried to remember facing down Aizen, he’d somehow gotten his mouth to work that day. It wasn't helping. "Good evening, Lady Rukia," he managed stiffly. "Thank you for inviting me." She relieved him of the flowers graciously. He straightened and stared her dead in the eye. "You look very lovely tonight!" He sounded like he was criticizing the shoddy battle stance of one of his subordinates. It’s good enough, he told himself, at least I got it out.

Rukia’s mouth quirked up with suppressed laughter. She regarded him over the top of her flowers. "Thank you for coming, Lieutenant Abarai, you look very handsome yourself."

His cheeks blazing scarlet, Renji turned abruptly towards his captain, bowing deeply. "Good evening to you, too, Captain, you also look very handsome!" That was wrong. Oh, shit. That was definitely wrong. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed to Byakuya, looking horrified. 

The captain nodded with a pained facial expression, but otherwise ignoring the faux pas. “Welcome to our home, Lieutenant. You are… certainly wearing a haori.”

Renji looked down self-consciously at his outfit. He was wearing his best kimono, which usually only saw action on New Year’s, but his old haori was looking a little worse-for-wear, especially up close, so he’d borrowed one. It was a little more ostentatious than he would have preferred, emerald green, embroidered with gold cranes at the hem and sleeves. It was also a tiny bit short in the arms, but he had thought it would do. “It’s too much, eh?”

“It’s fine,” Rukia assured him, glaring at her brother.

“It’s too much,” Byakuya mouthed back to him.

Renji nodded anxiously.

A servant showed up at the door. “The dining room is prepared,” he announced.

Renji breathed out as Byakuya led the way. 

“Relax,” Rukia mouthed to him, pausing a moment to give Renji's haori a little tug. “And don’t listen to him, I like it.”

“It’s Iba’s,” Renji admitted.

Rukia smirked at him, which to be honest, made him feel a little better.

They paraded into the dining room, and as expected, Byakuya and Rukia each took one end of the table, and Renji took the spot to Byakuya’s right. He watched Byakuya out of the corner of his eye, and sat a moment after his host. Byakuya nodded, almost imperceptibly. 

A servant placed a tray of food in front of him. It was very...arranged. It looked like an art project. He didn't want to eat it. Someone had worked so hard on this. 

"Ah, what a delight to return to spring cuisine," Byakuya commented. "Although heavy stews or the fire of a good curry are always warming on a cold day, I prefer the lighter delicacy of a vernal meal."

Renji stared at his captain, baffled. The only time his captain ever got going like this was when he was lecturing an enemy on their arrogance. Was that what this was? A battle?

"I do so enjoy a clam miso soup, and the long absence only serves to enhance the flavor of the shellfish with that most pungent seasoning, nostalgia."

Renji's eyes darted to Rukia, hoping for some hint as to how to react. She was gripping her chopsticks and glaring at Byakuya, who did not appear to notice her. Ah! She was waiting for him to start eating, and he was stalling, trying to make his dumb ol' lieutenent screw up, Renji realized. Well, he wasn't gonna. First point goes to the Dumb Ol' Lieutenant.

"And what is your favorite seasonal delicacy, Lieutenant?" Byakuya asked.

The right answer was probably seared swallow wings or some damn thing he'd never heard of. Renji might be dumb, but he wasn't dumb enough to pretend to know about fancy shit in front of the All-Time King Fancy-Shit Knower of Soul Society. "Don’t know if it’s my favorite, but I got some nice shirasu down at the fish market this weekend. Had 'em with some bamboo shoots, real lightly sauteed. Felt very springtime-y."

Captain Kuchiki stared at him like he'd just sprouted a second head.

"That sounds delightfully seasonal," Rukia said, a bit too loudly. As if she hadn't eaten most of it herself. Renji got the message, though: she didn't want him to mention that she'd been coming over for dinner. As if he were that stupid. 

“Sounds a bit rustic to me,” Byakuya replied.

“I hear rustic is the big trend these days,” Rukia continued. “I read an article about it in the Bulletin.”

“I do not care for fads. Dining should be a very classical experience.”

Were… were Rukia and Byakuya arguing over his cooking?

“You know what would be really trendy?” Rukia replied sweetly. “If we could eat while our food was still hot.”

“Ah, I was so distracted by this charming conversation,” Byakuya replied, equally sweetly, but putting his hands together. “Itadakimasu.”

“Itadakimasu,” Rukia and Renji echoed together. 

Byakuya picked up his chopsticks, but then paused over his soup. “Who is doing restaurant critique at the Bulletin these days?”

Rukia looked blank.

“It’s Captain Outoribashi, actually,” Renji supplied. Point number two to Lieutenant Dumbass.

Byakuya’s brows creased. “The man has been out of the loop for over a century.”

“I guess he thought it would be a good way to get back into it. He makes Lieutenant Kira go with him.”

Rukia made a suppressed snorting noise in her nose.

“Hmm,” Byakuya replied thoughtfully, finally picking up his soup and tasting it.

Renji glanced at Rukia, who shot him a relieved eye roll, and started in on her own. Okay. Everyone else was eating, he could eat now. He examined his tray. There was soup. There was fish. There were some pickled greens. There was a grassy thing that looked like cabbage, except Renji was used to shredded cabbage in a big heap, and this was carved extremely carefully and lined up in bundles like miniature hay bales. No one would spend that much energy on cabbage, would they? Shit. Momo had warned him that sometimes in fancy dining, there were “garnishes” that were sometimes okay to eat and sometimes not. Was this a garnish? There was also a radish carved to look like a flower. That seemed like a garnish. But it was also a radish, so that one could go either way, too.

Renji glanced at Rukia, trying to catch her eye. Her eyebrows creased. He picked up a cabbage cube with his chopsticks and slowly moved it toward his mouth, waiting for a reaction from her. She looked deeply confused.

Fuck. In their youth, in the high grifting days of their adolescence, they had developed a complicated non-verbal language of hand signs and facial tics. He knew how to ask her if the back door was unguarded or if Byakuya had any cash on his person, but they didn’t have one for “is this a garnish or not?” They were going to need to come up with a whole new set.

Renji put the cabbage back down and picked up the radish flower instead and did the same motion. Rukia frowned deeply, and shook her head frantically. Renji put it back down, and pointed to the cabbage again. Rukia’s mouth formed into an understanding “oh” and she gave him an encouraging nod. 

Renji took a bite. It was definitely cabbage. He looked up suddenly, and realized that Byakuya was staring at him. Captain Kuchiki’s eyes slid to Rukia, and then back to Renji. “This is really good cabbage,” Renji announced. “Very creative. Tying it up, all neat like that.” Did Byakuya get a point for that, or did Renji lose one? Maybe he should stop trying to keep score.

Byakuya cleared his throat. “So, Lieutenant. I hear the Futsal League Championships concluded this week. Do you have any opinions on the results?”

Renji chewed his cabbage very thoroughly, thinking frantically. Of course he had opinions on the results. He had bags of opinions on the results. But Izuru and Momo had specifically warned him against talking about futsal. Was this a trap? He took a long sip of tea.

“While obviously, I wish our squad had managed to qualify for the play-offs instead of utterly falling apart while I was gone, I was pleased to see Ten take the cup. They are a very hard-working club and Captain Hitsugaya puts a lot of thought and care into his strategic play.”

“I don’t think captains should be allowed to participate,” Byakuya opined.

“Well, he’s the only one who does,” Renji frowned. “I don’t really see a problem with it.” He probably shouldn’t say the next part, but he couldn’t help it. “I mean, you would be welcome to join our squad if you wanted to.”

“I just said I felt it was unjust," Byakuya sniffed.  "Why should I go against my principles?”

Renji shrugged. “To make a point. To completely dominate for a single season, and then get banned. Seems like the sort of thing you’d like.” He shouldn’t have said that. He definitely shouldn’t have said that.

And yet… Byakuya seemed to be considering it.

“Do you even know how to play futsal, Brother?” Rukia asked curiously.

“It cannot be hard.”

“There’s no spiritual pressure enhancement allowed,” Renji pointed out. “You bring your muscles and that’s it. Also, you have to wear shorts.” Byakuya had made his opinions on shorts well-known in the past, namely that they were an abomination unto Soul Society and that visible knees had no place in polite company.

“Hmmph, that doesn’t sound very interesting at all.”

“It’s pretty fun,” Rukia pointed out. “I’m thinking about putting a team together for next season, once I’m vice-captain. We have enough players, but Kiyone and Sentarou are always too disorganized when sign-ups roll around.”

“Really?” Renji asked, eyes wide. 

“I wasn’t so bad in the old days,” Rukia shrugged.

“No! No, you were great! That-- that would be awesome! I didn’t think-- I would love it! The league could really use another team. Do you think you would play pivot? You have such a strong shot.” He was babbling and he couldn’t stop. Byakuya was going to stab him in the face in a minute and he was going to die in the most Renji way possible, gushing about Rukia and futsal at the same time.

“You’d have to play against me, you know,” Rukia teased. “I only want to play so I can see your dumb loser face when I score on you.”

Byakuya cleared his throat, and Rukia and Renji abruptly straightened up.

“That sounds lovely, Lady Rukia, I quite look forward to it,” Renji announced stiffly.

Rukia tried to look serious, but she couldn't stop smiling or looking at him. Renji's heart flip-flopped. She was so beautiful. He was making a huge fool of himself in front of his captain, and it was all worth it, to see her like this.

Rukia took a bite of the pickle, and then blinked, her face truly serious, now. “Brother, the nozawana is quite spicy today.”

Byakuya cocked his head to the side. “Truly? It is a bit piquant, but I would hardly think that with your palate--”

“Not everyone likes spicy things, Brother,” Rukia bit off, her eyes darting toward Renji.

Byakuya stared at Renji, a weird sort of fake concern on his face. “You do not care for spicy food, Lieutenant?”

“Well, it’s not my favorite,” Renji excused, “but it would be boorish of me not to enjoy this meal in its entirety, as the chef intended.” 

Byakuya blinked at him and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 

Oh. Oh shit. Renji realized, belatedly, that he had just quoted one of Byakuya's etiquette columns, word-for-word. Had Byakuya caught him on it, or was he just wondering why that phrase sounded so familiar? As a distraction Renji stuffed a massive bite of pickle in his mouth.

It was “a bit piquant” in the way that Ryuujin Jakka was a little bit on fire. But Renji had endured a lot of physical pain in his life, he could take this. His eyes were watering, but he managed to maintain a straight face. Rukia was watching him like she expected him to start heaving any second. Byakuya was also watching him with an air of bored curiosity, which was slowly morphing into horror. Carefully, Renji swallowed, feeling the pickle burn all the way down his throat. Still. It was not worse than being shredded by Senbonzakura. At least there was some use for having that benchmark in his life.

“Renji, are you okay?” Rukia asked, abandoning her formal tone of voice.

“Please do not injure yourself, Lieutenant,” Byakuya added.

“I’m… good,” Renji croaked, after a long sip of tea. “Maybe we could talk about something. Instead of everyone lookin’ at how bad my face looks right now.”

Rukia let out a long sigh.

A servant very discreetly placed a fresh cup of tea in front of Renji. “Thanks,” he nodded, and chugged that one, too. One million points to the Assistant Dumbass of Squad 6.

“I have been dominating the conversation,” Byakuya announced, not sounding the least bit sorry about it. “Rukia, you know your guest better than I, perhaps you could suggest a topic that perhaps he could tell us something new and interesting about.”

Rukia shot Byakuya a look that very clearly said, ‘You share an office with this guy, you see him every day, are you kidding me?’ while she swallowed the (overlarge) bite she was currently working on. Fortunately, Rukia seemed prepared for this possibility, and already had a topic at hand.

“You’ve always been such an avid reader, Lieutenant Abarai, what book is keeping you up late at night these days?”

This was the second time she had addressed him by his title, and it sent a little shiver down his spine each time. Did she feel the same way when he called her Lady Rukia? Probably not, judging by the face she usually made when he did it. Byakuya regarded him curiously while he tried to get his tongue back in order.

“Ah, well, I’ve been a bit overtaxed, catching up at work, you know,” he stumbled. Don’t talk about work! Kira’s voice scolded him. “So, I, uh, admit that I’ve been retreating into old favorites. Got an urge to re-read ‘War Between the Oak and the River.’ It’s like visitin’ a friend you haven’t seen in a while, y’know?”

Rukia’s eye twitched. Why had she even asked him this? She hated listening to him carry on about his favorite books. 

“Did you know, Lieutenant,” Byakuya broke in, “that is also one of my favorites?”

“You don’t say,” Renji replied mildly. Of course he knew it was one of Byakuya’s favorites. Was he an amateur? Oh! Oh, wait! That was why Rukia had asked about books. Cripes, he was lucky to have her on his side.

“Rukia and I attended a theatrical performance based on it several years ago,” Byakuya went on.

“Hmm, was it any good?”

“The adaptation was faithful, but there was an inclusion of musical numbers that I did not care for.”

“There are an awful lot of songs written into the text.”

“Oh, I approved of the songs in principle, I simply found their arrangements to be insipid. The actor who played Mamushi was simply brilliant, though. I hear he will be portraying Yamasachihiko in a production of ‘Cormorant House’ later this summer, I am very much looking forward to it.”

“That’s some range,” Renji commented, tasting some of the main dish, a lightly vinegared sayori. It was probably the best piece of fish he had ever eaten, and he was a little sorry that he'd already burned off most of his tastebuds with the nozawana.

“This is the postmodernist novel, ‘Cormorant House’, it came out maybe twenty years ago--”

“I read it,” Renji assured him. He glanced over to Rukia quickly, suddenly fearful that he was fucking this up and hadn’t even noticed. She looked strangely smug. He looked back to Byakuya. “Not usually much for postmodernism, but I liked that one a lot, maybe because it was a folktale reinterpretation. I always go in for that stuff. I, uh, did a lot of reading when I was in Squad 11. Good use of your rest days, I always said.” 

Byakuya was still regarding him like some sort of stranger who just happened to have his lieutenant’s distinctive haircut. 

“Anyway,” Renji said, nodding to Rukia. “Back to ‘War Between the Oak and the River’. I’m almost up to your favorite part.”

“Where the possessed suit of armor attacks the castle?” Rukia asked.

Now Byakuya was staring at Rukia as though this were the inverted world. “They cut that part from the play.”

“A travesty,” Rukia announced.

“But how did you know of it?”

“I’ve read your boring old favorite book, Brother.” She paused to take a sip of tea. “Renji made me.”

Byakuya’s eyes darted between them.

“It was a fluke, I’m sure,” Renji replied. To be honest, he couldn’t remember how he had convinced Rukia to make through an eleven-hundred page semi-historical novel that tended to take deep swerves into poetry written in an invented tree-people language. He did remember her attempting to make sure that particular literary journey was as painful for him as it was for her. It hadn't worked, though, the memory of being poked and kicked and complained at was swathed in a pleasant haze of cozy togetherness. When had that happened? “It was very thoughtful, Lady Rukia,” he added, “to take time out of reading your dust-covered medieval kidou texts to try to relate to your brother and myself.”

“Maybe you should try reading one of my ‘dust-covered medieval kidou texts’, sometime, Lieutenant Abarai,” Rukia returned. “Couldn’t hurt, right?”

“Oh, I’m sure it could,” Renji assured her. “You know I’m banned from the public kidou butts, right?” Do not talk about the time you got banned from the public kidou butts!! Momo and Izuru’s simultaneous voices rang in his head.

Byakuya had unwisely chosen that moment to take a sip of his soup, and he sat, frozen, his bowl at this lips. Renji could not gauge his captain’s expression in the least, beyond “trying very hard not to spit out soup.”

Renji cleared his throat. “Er, my apologies, sir. That’s not an appropriate story for polite company.”

Rukia’s eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened eagerly.

Byakuya couldn’t manage to swallow his soup, and his face was turning a little bit red.

Renji backpedaled furiously. “I mean! It wasn’t anything indecent, just kinda dirtbaggy! I did set someone on fire, but to be fair, it was Captain Kyouraku. I am going to stop talking now, nothing I say is making this any better.”

Byakuya set his bowl down with a loud clunk, and with grace and self-possession only the 28th Head of the Kuchiki Clan could manage, forced his soup down his throat. “If you do not relate this incident immediately, I am going to fire you. Do not omit any details.”

Renji glanced over at Rukia, who was leaning forward, her chin propped on one hand, an expression of rapt (and utterly sarcastic) interest on her face.

“Well…” he said slowly. “I guess I should start with Lieutenant Kira’s birthday party...”

#renruki #my writing #polynya throwback thursday #i'm going thru an unproductive period and maybe it's not such a bad idea to dig out some of my greatest hits #i love the terrible Call Me Back illustrations so much 😭😭😭 #truly this is where i peaked

[heliopauseentertainments]

For the fic writes' ask meme, as/when you've time...

11. what’s something neat you’ve learned while doing research for something you were writing? also, how much do you worry about doing research in general?

31. tell us about one of your characters who’s an absolute joy to write

40. best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

Thank you for asking! 11. What’s something neat you’ve learned while doing research for something you were writing?

When writing Reforged, I ended learning a fair amount about which metal alloys can produce sparks when struck and which don't. It was a nitpicky thing to search for, but I needed to make a particular task impossible with the provided materials. I think that was the most incredibly narrow thing I had to look up.

Also, how much do you worry about doing research in general?

Depends on the topic and what effect I want to have.

For a few examples:

Since I am both a long-time car owner who tries to do some maintenance at home and have a working knowledge of computer components (I built my previous gaming rig in grad school and have being poking at computers ever since the mid-90s), I do have a fair baseline for jumping off into more narrowly-focused research for specific things that I want to explore, like the effects of heat on certain items, what types of metal alloys react in what ways to different stresses--and then sometimes I don't worry about it at all.

However, because I was previously a professional linguist, I also pay close attention to etymology and morphology (and phonology/phonetics by extension but shush) when constructing new words for use in fic. It's very rare where I go off of the word's "mouthfeel" alone. I save that for conlanging.

When incorporating Judaism into my fics, even though I'm Jewish, I do some cursory reading into minhagim (tradition groups?) that are not my own to see what other groups of Jews do differently than my own. Solar Flare is the most heavily influenced in this way, but Reforged (and it's holiday-based follow up) also have hints throughout if you know what you're looking for.

I don't worry about doing research so much as I do research when I go "I don't know enough for this."

31. Tell us about one of your characters who’s an absolute joy to write

Most characters I use frequently for POVs are ones that I find a joy to write, but that's not a useful answer. I would say IDW1!Megatron, but I've written him so much that I almost don't notice him these days.

Ratchet.

Ratchet, no matter the continuity (his grumpy/blunt medic characterization is generally very consistent across continuities, unlike some characters who vary widely), is a delight to write.

An absolute delight.

40. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten

This is advice from my spouse (@tangentially-displaced) from my RGG/Yakuza writing days. I carry it with me with everything I write.

"This is too many 'chair.'"

I had written a paragraph which contained several instances of the word "chair" leading to semantic satiation. This phrase has become a useful shorthand for editing when they're doing beta reading for me: there is too much of a thing, whether it's a word or an idea, in too small a space and it's detracting from clarity or the intended message/image.

#admin post #ask #ask meme #jariktig #long post

[unfriendlyamazon]

20 question writer meme

love to do these thank you for taggin gme @alectoperdita

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

51 fics (plus a secret one when i made a fire emblem ao3)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

222,579 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

YGO is my main one, but i'd really like to break into stardew valley and aforementioned fire emblem 3 houses

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Baby Dragon (no surprise there)

Liking You and Me

Sweater Weather

In Awe of Flowers

A Hand to Hold

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

I do my very best to respond to comments because they make me so happy but sometimes if the fic is really old or I just don't feel like it I may not.

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

I don't really write a lot of angsty fics. Probably my angstiest work over all is Competitionverse and No Such Thing As A Free Lunch specifically since that's sort of about how things don't work. I have some angstier stuff in the works because I really want to dig into some Wheeler trauma. Did I ever post my vampire Joey origin on here? That's probably the saddest thing I've ever written.

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

Probably when I wrote Seto proposing to Joey

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten a few comments especially since I write trans characters and a weird one on my fire emblem fic but I'm not afraid to delete.

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

I didn't used to! It was more I didn't trust my abilities but now I've gotten lots of practice and I find smut easiest to write. It has a inherent climax.

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

I write a lot of AUs but have yet to write a crossover. Maybe I should. Maybe it's time for some characters to meet each other.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

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

I bounce ideas off @kaijous all the time and I would say we've co-written some stuff, though I don't think any of it's published.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

KaiJou 4 Eva

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

Honestly back in the day I used to start so many fics I never finished which is why I've focused on one shots or series so at least I have something complete. I have a restaurant au in mind that's sort of based on The Bear and I'd really like to dig into it but it just seems like so much work. Of my published ones... Star Trek AU I'm sorry I abandoned you.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at natural dialogue and I hope my conversations flow. One thing I like to do and hopefully I'm good at is having characters react without recognizing their feelings. Especially with Seto Kaiba I try my best to write around the actual emotion he's experiencing because I don't think he'd recognize it. I think of this piece of writing advice every day of my life.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I write from third person limited perspective and I really could have a more distinct voice for each character. I'm also a bit repetitive I know.

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

It's something I struggle with especially when I write explicitly international characters. I very rarely write out non-English dialogue partially because I don't want to screw it up, and I go back and forth on italicizing non-English dialogue which I have some thoughts and feelings on that have been explained better by other people. I think especially with a Japanese speaking cast I've taken some notes from webcomics actually, but ultimately if the audience is meant to understand there's no reason to obscure it. In fact the only fic I have done another language for a fic is one where I had Seto speaking Vulcan, which is a made up language that I don't feel as strongly about screwing up.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Honestly... I think it might be YuGiOh. A long, long, long time ago I had friends posting script style fanfiction on DeviantArt and I joined in on the fun. The first fandoms I was really part of and writing fic for was Teen Titans and Avatar: the Last Airbender. Zutara and Raven/BB, in case it wasn't completely obvious.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Oh boy this is a tough one. Baby Dragon is a favorite of mine, as is In Awe of Flowers, but to be honest I think it might be Sons. It's not my most polished piece but I managed to make a fic out of the feelings I had around Grandpa and Joey that carries a lot of emotional weight for me.

To keep it going I'm gonna tag @kaijous @luxielovesparkles and whoever else wants to do it. i've been massively depressed lately but i'm crawling out of my hole and i think it's time to write again...

#fanfic #me! #idk what to tag this

[whimsicalcotton]

5, 14, 24, 43, 58, 72, and 79 for the fanfiction writing asks!! Don't feel pressured to answer all of them if you don't want to, I'm just curious ;D

5: How many wips do you have? What fandoms/pairings are they for?

too many lol. most notably/ones i would actually consider finishing; some modern AU catradoras and an in-canon catra/entrapta friendship fic. i also wrote like 8k of a sequel to my kyoko/mami/homura angst nonsense and then just Stalled on the last scene and never finished it. also one butterfly soup polycule fic, one bees schnees, and one bernpetrathea. (can you tell i love my polycules <3) there are probably a few heathers & dangan wips lying around too but god only knows lmao

14: What is your favorite location and position to write in?

alright i'm a weirdo who writes on my phone so a lot of the time when i'm writing i look like this (pardon the halfassed phone doodle)

but my actual favorite place/position is in my bed at 2am hunched over my laptop like a shrimp blasting music on my headphones. so pretty similar tbh dsfghsj

24: How do you choose whose POV to write in?

greatly depends. sometimes i just Know i want a scene to be from a certain character's perspective and the other povs just sort of fall into place around it, sometimes i have to sit down and argue w myself about whose pov should be where/during what/etc. when i'm debating it i try to think of it as ''whose perspective would be the most fun to see/write around these events" or "whose perspective would push things forward the best." (specifically the best, not the most) tbh it's never an easy process and i'm almost always second guessing myself a little

43: Is there a trope or idea that you’d really like to write but haven’t yet?

yea one of my spop wips (the catrapta one) is something i've always wanted to write but i just. have not gotten around to actually finishing. it was v silly and basically just entrapta running an experiment on how many straight up cat behaviors catra actually displays. there was a laser pointer involved. even just thinking about it goddd i wish i'd finished it lolol

58: Do you have a favorite piece of figurative language you’ve written?

okay currently it's kind of a tie between this one from polluted marrow:

"And Rachel, a being cut right from the mirror's edge, a creature composed of a thousand sharp, shattered angles, still manages to sound so gentle. A measured, meticulous sort of gentle, carefully arranged; each splintered edge worn down by hand and made soft to suit the needs of its wielder."

and this one from the aforementioned unfinished spiderlily daffodil sequel:

"They look at Homura like she's a ghost, like she's a dam liable to burst, like she's the world's most precious piece of glass already halfway to shattering on the floor."

72: What’s your favorite writing compliment you’ve gotten?

i've gotten a few comments recently complimenting my prose and even one calling it beautiful which is. shdgfsfhskjhfkjs 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 <3 <3 <3 weeping tears of joy. but also there's this which is admittedly one of my favorite comments i've ever gotten on anything ever and lives in my brain rent free 24/7

79: Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

don't be afraid to skip bits that are giving you trouble or leave little placeholders and come back to them later! too many times i have let myself get stuck on like one word or sentence because i want it to be Perfect before i move on but you Should move on. a lot of the time i find i have a better idea of what i want/what would make the most sense once i've let myself go further ahead

#thank u anon!! ^^ #also thank u for reminding me of my kyomamihomus. might try and finish that soon #or at the very least reread it and go ''damn will that bitch ever update'' #i also can't remember where i put that doodle initially but i am happy to use it again lolol #sorry it took me like two hours to answer this i kept having to get up n do shit partway thru typing #nova answers

[thestupidhelmet]

Happy Birthday!!! 🥳💖 To celebrate, I thought I’d send you some numbers for the writers ask game (assuming you’re still doing them): 40, 43, 99!

I am -- and thank you so much, Crissy! 🤗

40. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

In college, one of my writing professors told me not to talk about my novel too much before it's written because that could deprive me of the fire and passion to write it.

(Example: for as many years I've worked on Those Who Play with Demons, I've shared little more than its genre and summary with any of my friends in fandom or on Tumblr in general.)

I use a modified version of that advice, though. I have a few people in my life who are incredible at asking just the right questions to help me think more deeply about what I'm writing (and realize what I still need to work out in a book). They're also great brain storming partners and really enjoy it.

43. How did writing change you?

The content of my writing helps me process and understand aspects of myself and my own life better or differently. Despite that I'm not writing autobiographically (none of my stories are one-to-one reflections of my life), the truth of my experiences and emotions do inform what I write about.

99. Was being a writer a dream of yours when you were little? Or did it spring up when your older? Or is it just a hobby?

Creating stories has always been my passion. The how changed completely during my college trips (for reasons I won't go into 😅). But I've been creating stories since before I learned how to write them down. Then when I did learn -- I've got all my early, childhood handwritten and typed stories still. Writing is an inextricable part of who I am.

Fanfic Ask Game

#that 70s show #that '70s show #jackie x hyde #eric forman #michael kelso #ask #70s-show-diary #Fanfic Ask Game #my birthday #birthday #nice comments to me #personalish

[misscrawfords]

Hello, fanfic writer question, please. 1, 2, 9, 13, 40, 44, 58, 91. There were so many good ones! Thank you

I'm sorry for the delay in answering this! It was Easter and then I've been on holiday...

do you know how you want the story to end when you start, or are you just stumbling through the figurative wilderness hoping to find a road?

I never start writing unless I know the ending of the story. Like how the conclusions to essays should reflect the introduction, the ending of a story needs to be in the mind of the author from the beginning. But there might be quite a lot of wilderness in the middle I'm not sure about!

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

Actually, that doesn't really happen to me a lot. Stories unfurl and sometimes develop in cool ways when I think of a new bit of plot or development, but the characters don't really do this... I guess a kind of example was with my teenage HP next generation sequel where after writing it for quite a long time I realised one of the main characters was gay and this made so much sense! It wasn't relevant in any way to the plot but I felt I understood Xanthia so much better and it wasn't something I consciously plotted out.

9 - already answered

13. talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

Back when I wrote Downton fic, my collaboration with Claire (@orangeshipper) was such a lovely experience. We were just so in tune with each other in terms of what we wanted to convey about Matthew and Mary and it helped us both develop our writing skills a lot. And we became proper IRL friends too. I can't really imagine having a writing partner like that again.

40. best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

Ooh, I don't know about anything specific but I always loved the comments that a fellow M/M shipper EOlivet left on my fic. We ended up kind of falling out but I was always sorry about that - she gave the best feedback! And @wah-pah also writes amazing reviews and I always feel incredibly grateful if she reads what I've written.

44. any writing advice you want to share?

Uhhhhh I'm not sure I, a person who hasn't written in ages, can give anyone any advice! But I guess I would say that writing has to be what you want to do and whatever you do is okay. I've wasted my emotions and my energy feeling competitive about my writing which is stupid when writers should support each other, and I've also felt jealous of people who seem able to write all the time on top of other lives or who are able to prioritise it or manage to write 1000 words a day or whatever. We all have different lives. Right now, my life doesn't admit of me pursuing writing seriously. It's the wrong point. I do hope at some point that will change but it's okay that I am prioritising other things at the moment. So I guess my advice would be to take it easy and not beat yourself up if you're not writing as much as you want to or how you want to - and definitely don't compare yourself to others!

58. what is the last thing that a fic made you google when you were writing it?

Golly, no idea. I'm sorry! It's been so long...

91. how has your writing style changed over the years?

Tricky. I'd like to think it's improved but honestly I'm not sure it has. I think I peaked when I was doing my masters degree, now over 10 years ago. I was so immersed in reading and the analysis of fiction I was really conscious of how I was writing. I wrote Consolation Prize and a lot of University Challenge then. I think I've got better at writing stories set in the modern era since then and perhaps developed more of a style. But tbqh I think I was a better writer ten years ago and I find that really depressing and it puts me off writing again. :(

#gosh it will be so hard to come back to it #one day #but I feel like I've got such an uphill struggle to get there

[mitochondriencocktail]

🎨

🌿

🎨 - link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

Ohhh man this is so tough. There's such a plethora of talented artists in the fandom. This might be a copout answer, but genuinely anybody who's been kind enough to make fanart of something I've written. It never ceases to be the highest compliment ever. The ones I've gotten for Hockey AU, Star!Bojan, Good Omens AU and even the Monsterfucker one are all so so so dear in my heart because it means that something I did inspired someone else, and it's this beautiful feedback loop of art and creating.

🌿 - give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

So I wanted to sit on this one for a minute today and not just give a ramble, as I'm prone to do. Writer's block and low creativity happen to nearly every artist across the board and anybody who says different is a liar. So, trying as best as I can, here are my top tips for writer's block and low creativity.

1. Read books: This is probably my biggest piece of advice. I think of this like putting fuel in the tank. You can't go for a run if you're not eating properly, and writing is the same way. Sure, you can read fanfiction, you can watch movies/tv, you can look at art. All of these are fine and great, but nothing gets the brain going the same way as when you read a published, edited book. Exploring genres and styles you don't typically go for can bring about a lot of inspiration and help you:

a) Feel reassured about your own writing habits and -isms when you see that skilled authors also have repeat phrases they like or certain quirks.

b) Find new things to test out in your own toolbox.

When you engage with literature, like really slow down and read and study what an author is doing, you're learning so so so much just through that simple act. It can also bring about great ideas too, which is why I suggest a balance of both fiction and non-fiction.

2. Find what works for you: This is a bit vague, but let me explain. Some writers thrive under consistency while others need variety. Some, like myself, need both. I know I consistently need a somewhat quiet environment where I can feel alone, but staring at a wall all day can get dull. Sometimes switching the font up on your document can help. Or changing the background color. Putting on new music. Sitting somewhere new. It's adapting to your mood that day and working with it.

3. Write even when you don't feel like it: We all have off days. A really common obstacle for people who go to the gym is that you go through periods where you LOVE going, but then you have periods where you absolutely loathe it. Writing is like that. The brain is a muscle and creativity is the skill you're honing. Some days you'll have a great workout, others you'll have a shit one. That's fine!

It doesn't mean you're shit. What matters is that you're showing up and staying consistent. When I'm having a 'shit' writing day, I say, "Okay, just write one sentence." Usually that turns into a handful, sometimes if I'm lucky it turns into a paragraph. But that's all I'll do for the day because, hey, we're not gonna churn out 2k+ words everyday. That would be insane. Sometimes 200 is plenty.

4. Let go of perfection: This one is tough... I know. But practicing the ability to turn off the little critic in our heads is sooooo important. It comes easier to some than others, but it's still a skill you can work on. It's kinda linked with what I wrote above, but sometimes you can just write like shit and that's fine. Chances are it's not as bad as you think it is, but powering through and getting something down on the page is better than nothing, even if it's just a garbled half-formed idea. You can always come back and fill things in later!

I hope some of this made sense! I'm always happy to chat craft with people :) It can be very subjective, but I do believe in the old adage regarding art that once you know the rules, you can break them.

#ask games

[writingbyricochet]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

Thank you so much @mthollowell-writes for the tag! I loved reading your answers and this was fun to fill out :)

1) What motivates you to write?

Mostly my mind cannot stop thinking of Situations. Whether they're for characters from my current TV/film hyperfixations or my own OCs, writing is the best way for me to get it out of my system and the artistic form I'm the best at.

2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

From Where Paradise Died and Lived:

Sophie was just about draw her hand away, and perhaps he felt the pressure lessening, for then he brought his own hand up to cover hers, to keep her from moving it. He held her hand there, his fingers curling just barely under hers, not with any force but with a lightness she had just been administering to him. And underneath it, a reassurance that seemed to communicate he wanted something that quickened her heart. She knew if she proceeded here, she would be crossing a line she had thought she wouldn’t cross for a long time yet. She finally raised her gaze to meet his, and all sense escaped her—his eyes looked like the way she felt, all the encouragement she needed. A little bit scared, a little bit in love, she kissed him.

3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

Honestly, I haven't gotten to write a lot of him yet, but I have a soft spot for Fendley. He believes passionately in the Velitovan cause and wants to fight for its independence...but he's also the biggest homebody and hates being away from Merity. The two parts of his personality are just direct contradictions to each other, it makes me laugh.

4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

Character building: creating a backstory, personality, aesthetic, all that good stuff

5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Describing inner turmoil? When I look at the passages I'm most proud of, they all have to do with an internal dialogue of some kind, usually in a situation with heightened tension or vulnerability where a character has a lot going on in their mind.

6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

Making friends with everyone! The support system is a huge motivator and definitely something that keeps me going.

7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

Scrivener, my beloved. I was working in Evernote for way longer than I ever should have and was getting just so sick of it that I finally took the plunge to get Scrivener. Night and day comparison. There are so many great tools and functions and I love being able to have one document for a WIP and its outline, characters, worldbuilding, everything. It's definitely pricey up front, but in the long run worth it since it's just a one-time purchase. Highly recommend giving it a trial run to anyone interested.

8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I really love the country of Velitova, especially the lands beyond the Idylwild. In-universe they're written off as being sort of rural, but the nature out there is so beautiful and pristine. Huge rolling hills, a huge lake surrounded by flowering trees, cliffs facing a wild ocean...yes.

9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Stop writing: Whether it's a for a few days or a few months, taking a break from my WIPs and re-setting my mind whenever I am struggling is always the best solution.

Return to worldbuilding: I've seen a lot of people discuss how we get desensitized to the cool things in our WIPs after a while. Creating more cool things that will be new to me as well often makes my WIP exciting again.

Get outside: Traveling always inspires me, but I find even walking around your neighborhood can be so helpful! I especially walking among trees in the fall, that air of melancholy during that time of year just gets me.

10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

Love to @sugar-phoenix, @macabremoons, @orphicpoieses @awordchemist @moonlitinks (all of whom should take this as a gentle tag to answer the Q&A yourself!), and special shout out to my IRL best friend @canofpeaches who always goes feral whenever I send her a WPDL snippet (hope you did not combust reading the one above) <3

#tagged

[timandlucy]

Everything with a 4, pluuuuuuuus... hmm.. 7, 13, 20, 27, 35, 56, 68 😘

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

They literally come to me all the time. I get most of them in the show or when I'm driving to and from work, or walking to work. I literally have too many ideas for my own good.

14. how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

Absolutely, always! I always cry during the most emotional scenes because I definitely make myself feel whatever the character is supposed to be feeling.

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

I don't remember really any advice that was super bad, but someone once told me to edit as I go, and like... wrong.

34. Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

I'd like to see if I can eventually write a book and get it published, so five years seems like a reasonable timeline.

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

Oh man! I'd literally love it for anything, I don't even care. How awesome would my fic inspiring further art be. But let's just say I'm currently writing something I'd love it for.

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

I re-read fics all the time!

42. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

So I recently read right then your eyes were healing by @thatiranianphantom and it hit all the sweet post finale nace spots for me! It's been an incredibly busy week at work (bts season), so I'm looking forward to catching up with all the nace fics over the weekend.

43. Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

Yeah I like writing angst, so I like to hurt them, but mostly emotionally. Like I don't enjoy them being too injured hahaha.

44. What mistakes do you keep making no matter how many times your beta corrects you?

Um. You'd know that better than me? But like, I think, using certain words, over and over again.... Like using press 6 times in one paragraph. Also I can't spell seargent.

45. Do you want to break your readers‘ heart or make them laugh?

Ideally both, but yeah let's go with breaking their hearts hehe.

46. How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

I'd say it's a mix of all of them, but maybe less action driven, because I can't be bothered with actual plot usually.

47. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

A lot of times usually. But sometimes I will be soooo sick of looking at it, I won't even read through and send it to you ma'am.

48. What do you look for in a beta?

Nothing, because I already found all of it in you!

49. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

Not lately, but when I wrote for Linstead fandom I got some pretty nasty anons. I mostly just cry.

54. What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

The feeling when you finish it and post it and it feels so.... accomplished. Like I made a thing. How cool is that. Of course right after it's like "what if the thing I made sucks".

64. Something you love to see in smut.

Some against the wall action... gimme.

74. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Nothing! I'm a pretty basic bitch. No special style or anything.

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

Well 1st pov is a big NO. 2nd pov is an even biggest NO NO. So that leaves 3rd person pov. Easy.

13. what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

One that constantly lives in my head is the best piece of writing advice I've gotten: "you can't edit an empty page." Write, even if it sucks, you can edit later. But you can't edit if you don't write anything.

20. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

I use "murmur" a lot, it's one of my favorite words to use in writing. Like how soft is this word. I like to write domestic scenes, small moments that have a lot of meaning, missing scenes that can easily fit in with the canon episodes.

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

Most favorite - the feeling of accomplishment when I write something. Least favorite - seeking external validation and crumbling if I don't get it.

35. What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain?

I think every villain should be relatable and readers should even be able to empathize with them.

56. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

@queseraone I hate you for this question alone. I pride myself on my amazing beta. How about that. But really if I had to pick a think, I guess I feel my dialogue usually sounds kind of genuine and not forced or unnatural.

68. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

I talk to my best friend and beta. Rewatch original content. Fanmade videos always give me great inspiration as well! Or even other fics :)

I was just kidding, I don't actually hate you. Thanks for this!

#writing #fanfiction #ask games #queseraone

[fonulyn]

I don't know if this'll make things feel better or worse but the whole remake hype train was what got me into the resi series, my new fav ship and introduced me to the original. Honestly, i've come to appreciate the original a lot more and i honestly like some parts better than the remake. (you're right hand comes off? - absolutely iconic)

I do understand how it feel when something your into for so long gets a new installment or addition that drastically changes things up in fandom. I think i'd feel exactly the same way as you if I was introduced to re4 earlier. You're feelings are perfectly valid and i'm sorry that your enjoyment of things in fandom has not quite been the same.

I am planning on using more of the og canon and stuff in some of my upcoming fanworks. I love how in fan fiction you can pick and chose the pieces you like best and create something new and exciting:) Also, although the new game is what got me into resi, seeing that original knife fight scene on yt is what got me into metaltango! Some of my favorite metaltango works i've read were either based on the og canon or came out long before the remake. So I just wanted to say that love and appreciation for the original is not completely dead, although it seems like the newer installment has taken over things a bit.

I hope you feel better soon, I know how taxing it feels to have creative or motivational slumps in life. I don't really know if there's anything to be said to make things feel better in the moment, but I've found that trying out something new or taking a break can help a bit. ♥️ (i'm not intending to give unsolicited advice or anything, these are just some or my experiences)

first off, the most important thing: "your right hand comes off?" is 100% brilliant and one of the best lines in video games ever :'D

it's absolutely awesome that the remake has gotten new people into the fandom and like i said, it's probably a really nice game with really nice characters! it's just so... everywhere right now 😅 i've been trying to blacklist it so i won't at least need to see it so much but people aren't really tagging so most of the time 90% of my dash is the remake. i think if it wasn't so in-my-face all the time i wouldn't feel so bothered by it tbh. (and i don't even remember when i last read metaltango bc it's so remake focused now, and that makes me sad)

and you're 100% right, appreciation for the original is not completely dead! which is of course very lovely. and maybe in time, things'll even out a bit, and the original will start appearing more in fandom spaces too. let's see if i manage to hang on that long :')

and thank you 💖 (don't worry, much appreciated!) you're objectively completely right that taking a break or finding new things would probably be good for me. i'm just kinda scared because the last time i "took a small fandom break" i ended up not writing a single word for over three years and i'm legit afraid it'll happen again. it'd be miserable. even moreso than i am right now anyway.

#anonymous #ask and i shall answer

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Writer Q&A

I was tagged by @clairelsonao3 and I think I'll leave it an open tag, because it's a whole lot of questions and I am tired and can't think.

What is your absolute all-time favorite idea you’ve ever had?

What if I started writing in English?

More under the cut, template at the end.

Is there a question you’ve been asked in the past that really stands out to you, and you still think about sometimes?

Ok so. Kinda two. One was basically "but does he have to be gay?" about a side character (Cedric) who just arrived with packed bags and a husband. It annoyed me so much, I made sure there wasn't a single confirmed straight char in the next book.

The other was also about Glass Shards, the first version of which was very similar to the current one, including the two scenes of SA. Which got basically a concerned "do you want to say anything with that?"

Which yes. I had a lot of frustrations back then, but not like that. And I get the question for the SA. No one asks me about the childhood trauma or any of the other shit. The possibility of people jumping to conclusions is always at the back of my mind when I think about sharing what I write.

What is your favorite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

Creating something. Just. I made something. I can hold it. I can share it. It exists, and it will not un-exist.

Fuck editing, though, I don't like it, and fuck worrying about putting it out there.

What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

The story I want to tell does not exist, so I need to write it.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever read or been given as a writer?

Not a piece, but a very dear friend once went through the trouble of leaving so. many. line. edits. on two of my chapters when I had just started out writing in English. I truly believe that has done more for my style than all the "don't use adverbs! :)" — "don't listen to them! >:(" posts ever could.

Half of those edits could probably be summarized as "please remove this and" 🤣 I like to think I've since gotten better at uh, balancing sentence structure and length 😬

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

I think I answered something similar to this before, and it boils down to... I don't know. I think my progression was fine. There's no glaring problem that could have been fixed by a glorious piece of knowledge. Yes, I "wasted" years of my life trying to worldbuild, but I don't think I would have been ready to write a story I was happy with anyway, so whatever.

Without the hundreds of books I've read, without the roleplays I did, without the friends I found, without the games I played, I would not be where I am today, and I like where I am today. The time I spent experimenting, and the time I spent away from writing, doing other things I enjoyed, was not wasted.

What is your favorite story you’ve written to completion? Link it if you’d like and can!

Should I cheat and count the Glass Shard saga as one? I mean technically it starts at Nuisance and ends at Fancy Boots :)

I only wish I were done editing already, I know the first chapters especially can be better. But alas, it asked for story, not prose :p

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so, and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

I mean, if we leave the bad guys out of this (I am sure hoping no one here agrees with Ed! 😂), Cedric is fun in fiction, but I actually do not think a murdery criminal is a good role model, no matter how kind he is to people he likes.

If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

"Whoa, cool. Can I read that?"

Is there a question you’ve been asked in the past that really stands out to you, and you still think about sometimes?

What is your favorite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever read or been given as a writer?

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

What is your favorite story you’ve written to completion? Link it if you’d like and can!

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so, and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

#salad-tag #I mean yeah write what you want is always a mentioned advice here but #I already kinda did? #I guess I've gotten a bit braver and more graphic but eh not that much I'd have to waste a whole answer on that :p