#my writing advice

[lux-scriptum]

Did you know the best part of writing is getting to reread your own works? That shit was written for you! Its got your favorite tropes, your flavor of humor, the character archetypes you adore. If it doesn’t, why are you writing? If it doesn’t, start adding that shit. Quality of writing or no, your writing should at least appeal to yourself above all else. If you’re writing something you don’t even enjoy the readers will pick up on it, you know?

#my writing advice #writing advice #writeblr #idk

[plague-of-insomnia]

Create whatever tf you want. You don’t need to apologize for what you like or what you’re compelled to create. You don’t need anyone’s permission or absolution. Create what you need to heal or be happy.

#it makes me sad seeing people trying to cover their asses #for stuff they want to create #like dudes don’t censor yourself to make others’ happy #my writing advice #not kuro #100 notes

[sixstepsaway]

It has been 300 years since I've worked on a particular fanfic and I want to return to writing it but I am filled with Concern About My Writing Abilities and Anxious Procrastination. I come to your blog to humbly request words of wisdom and/or encouragement. I will send an ask about Izzy Hands as humble offering.

OKAY. PULL UP A SEAT.

Firstly: read my blog title. No, really; read it. There's no such thing as wasted words, you improve every time you write, so if you go back to your fanfic and you write 1000 or 10,000 or even 100,000 words and you're like "man, this is shit, I don't want to post this" it's fully and 100% okay to delete all that crap and do it again but better. You've learned. You have upped your skill. You have levelled up, it's just that in Real Life (damn that reality thing) you don't get a cute little ding when you level up, you just have to believe it's happening.

Second, I genuinely think most creative skills are like riding a bike, except maybe not the way you expect. I don't think that when you pull that bike back up you just immediately and without fail know how to ride and don't fall off, but I do think that after an hour or so of scraping your knees and rolling around in the dirt, you will get the hang back, instead of it taking however many hours and hours it took for you to get that skill to begin with.

If you get back on the bike, steel yourself and start pedaling, you will remember how to ride eventually, even if it doesn't feel like that at first.

Assuming that you are not a vampire and are in fact a human being and are exaggerating somewhat with the claim that it's been three hundred years since you last wrote this fic, I also believe in seasons of creativity. Sometimes you'll output so much you're like, "Where did all these words come from?" and other times weeks or months or even years will pass with little to no writing (or art, or sculpting, or sewing, or whatever creativity you might do) to show for it and that's okay.

Plants go dormant in winter and bloom once more in the spring, and so will your writing if you let it. It's okay.

If you're worried about consistency, I highly recommend going back to your WIP and rereading it. Curl up in a cozy blanket with your phone or sit with a cup or tea or something and just...read through your fic again, and let yourself enjoy it as a reader, not just the author. Make notes in your head (or on paper, if that's what you're feeling) of what you like about it, what you don't like about it, and what things you've written that might be setting up future chapters or passages for you to draw from. My longest fic is an cql fic which is 86k and when I do go back to add more to it (which I do plan on doing), I will reread it all before I do, and not only get that reader-y feeling of, "Damn, I wish this had more chapters!" but also refresh my memory of where I was going with it and what my plans were.

Now, as for procrastination. Is your Anxious Procrastination because of anxiety about your writing abilities? If so, all of that above might just help, and at the end of the day you don't have to post anything you don't want to. You can write and write and it never see the light of day, if that's what you want.

You don't have to feel anxious about posting until the moment you decide to post.

For other kinds of procrastination my Official ADHD-Haver Recommendations are:

Get a timer app or one of those cube things, set it to a reasonable amount of time (say, 15-20 minutes) and turn it on/flip it over and tell yourself you will Work On The Thing for that long. Having an "end" time for if you struggle works wonders for giving my brain the feeling of leaving when things are too hard, but I rarely have to use it, I usually just keep going. I also find the physical act of turning on the timer (I use YAPA aka Yet Another Pomodoro App for Windows) clicks my brain into a different Zone than "sitting around messing with Minecraft" or "doing absolutely nothing and being mad at myself about it".

Find a playlist or some ambience or something. Earmark it as your Writing This Specific Fic music/sounds. Only turn it on when you're working, and turn it off when you're done. Pavlov is a strong tool for these things.

I'm a big fan of 4TheWords which is a gamification app for writing. I really like it (I have a referral code if you want one), and I find the fun vibes, the inclusive atmosphere, the cute lil creatures you battle while writing etc all really helps give me a dopamine hit while I work that I don't really get from just writing into Scrivener or something.

FocusWriter is another app I really like. You can customize the themes (so you could put like a blurry OFMD image in the background for the vibes while you write) and it's (optionally) full screen to minimize distractions.

If you're still struggling to get started, maybe find like a list of numbered prompts, roll a dice and write like 100-500 words of just... whatever comes up for whatever character or ship you feel like writing. Something just to get you started. I always find it easier to write once I've written, if that makes sense.

Always leave your work unfinished at the end of each day. Sounds daft, but what I mean is: always stop for the day mid-sentence, mid-word if you can. When you come back, you'll see, for example, this: "Izzy has never felt so betr" just lingering on your writing app and you'll go, "Oh yeah, betrayed," and you'll type out the "-ayed" and your fingers will just keep going to finish the sentence, and the paragraph, and so on. That said, if you're posting a final chapter of something, maybe just start the first sentence of whatever you want to write next? Even if you don't come back to really dig into it, you have that word to finish. (I left mine at the end of a sentence today and I am mad at myself for it)

Reread the comments on your fic, if you have them. Let how much people love and enjoy your work wash over you.

Open your writing app of choice and write down all the reasons you're anxious on a bulleted list, then go back, hit enter on each one, tab in for a bullet underneath, and argue with yourself. Tell yourself why your anxiety is so silly and why you're super wrong. Not only does it get you typing into your writing app (see what I did there???) but you'll be surprised how much debating yourself can help with anxiety.

I find most of my own Anxious Procrastination comes from fears of publishing (both my original stuff and my fic), because the idea of Putting Things Out There To Potentially Never Be Finished (hi, yes, I have ADHD and I never finish a damn thing unless I try So Hard It Hurts - see also: my 80k unfinished cql fic) and then am I not a Failure? Am I not a Let Down?

But I also got some amazing comments on that fic, from people who genuinely got a lot out of it, even if it did never get finished (so far 😠) and so I go back and read those, and remember that most of the people who commented on those chapters didn't... really care, if it never finished. They cared that the specific chapter that really got to them existed to begin with.

And I also think of Game of Thrones a little (well, the books). If he never finishes those books, would it take away from the joy people got from reading the ones he did put out there? I don't think so.

So I try to focus on that, with my own anxiety.

This got a little rambly (what, Jess? You? Rambling? Never!) but I hope it helped. Let me know if it did or didn't, please! 💖 And good luck with your writing endeavors!

#anonymous #ask #writing advice #writing #my writing advice

[dayseternal-blog]

In a NH angst fic, is it a no-go to have some smut between one of them and another character(s)? Or should it only be implied when it happens?

It's not a no-go. I've read a few different fics and written scenes like this, so it depends on what you want to show...

Here is my advice!

"Smut" refers to any kind of sexual intimacy, from touching and petting over clothing to full-on naked lemons. You can write as far and as detailed as you want into the deed.

Something to think about: What do you hope to impress upon a reader from this smut scene?

I'm assuming that since it's a NaruHina fic but the smut scene is between one of them and a different character, your main objective would be PAIN 😭😭💔💔💔.

But what else? What kind of character development are you hoping to achieve through the scene? What do you want the reader to understand?

For scenes in chapters 1 & 2 in my "White Lilies," I show Naruto touching and kissing an OC Rumi. They never actually get down to it, mostly because I didn't want to inflict that kind of damage on myself or on the reader. My intention here was to show that Naruto and Rumi's relationship is progressing too fast and at a very surface-level. I also wanted to show that Rumi is a "good" character. She is in love and she wants Naruto to love her back. She is not a villain, which complicates the narrative beyond "hate the competing love interest." I wanted to show that Naruto is Not in love and that he doesn't understand what love is. I used smut scenes to convey the physicality of their relationship as well as the youthful, immature dynamic between them.

Another scene I can immediately recall is @sessakag's "Secrets of the Hidden Leaf" where in Chapter 1, there is a short, paragraph-length scene that reveals Naruto's past sexual experience with previous women. In terms of character development, we come to learn that Naruto had a humiliating first time. Yet true to form, he overcomes his problems and is able to empathize with Hinata's nervousness.

Oooh, also Chapters 16 & 17 of "I want you to cry" by Devahhole, Naruto and Sakura are close to doing it. For character development, we see how this Naruto really lacks morals. We also get another example of Sakura's reluctance that hints at her repressed sexuality.

In terms of the plot of the story, does this smut scene serve a good purpose?

For "White Lilies," the Naruto/Rumi smut scenes are sort of necessary. Yes, I could have implied their physical intimacy without describing it, but overall the scenes serve as a contributing factor to his bouts of sickness. Naruto gains an understanding of sexual intimacy, thereby catalyzing his jealousy of Susumu.

Same with "I want you to cry." Devahhole uses the Naruto/Sakura smut to push Hinata into revealing her crazy sides. Plot-wise, it was necessary.

Another example! In Chapter 7 of "Side Effects" by Cheating Death, we see Hinata molested on the train and Naruto molested at a bar. These scenes are meant to drive home the fact that the drugs being used on them have negative effects. Later on, videos of these scenes are also used to coerce them further into being taken advantage of in the study. "Side Effects" has many, many scenes of graphic non-con, which are all an important aspect of the plot.

How do you expect readers to react?

In chapter 3 of "Mending Hearts" by NotosK, Hinata and Toneri are about to take the next step in their relationship. The scene serves 2 purposes. Readers come to understand that Hinata is feeling pressured into it and does not truly love him. Second, the author wants us to hate Toneri!

In "Side Effects," Cheating Death was surprised by the readers' reactions, not expecting so many of them to be upset by the non-con, even though they warned the readers beforehand. Ffnet does not have as comprehensive of a tagging system as AO3, so it's likely that many readers started the fic not expecting so much non-con. If you publish your fic on AO3, simply tag appropriately and leave serious author's notes on the chapter to warn readers. For ffnet or other sites, put warnings in your story summary.

For my "White Lilies," readers expected Naruto/Hinata smut due to the Naruto/Rumi smut. This is definitely a desired reaction! Same for "Side Effects." Cheating Death makes extremely graphic smut between Naruto and Hinata to balance the noncon smut, which readers expected. If you have one of them getting into the smutty with a different character, readers will expect smut later on between Naruto and Hinata.

Most NH writers won't write the actual deed with a different character. Most get as far as nakedness. In terms of rape and noncon with a different chara, usually it's implied. But there are a million different ways to express smut.

How detailed do you want the smut?

Consider @char-lotteral's Chapter 1 of "On the Outside Looking In," where Naruto walks in on Sasuke and Hinata doing it. It's implied, but through Naruto's pov, we get a sense of how passionate it was. Also consider "Secrets of the Hidden Leaf," where Naruto's inexperience is described as "shuddering and howling like an idiot" and so forth.

Or! You can go all-out like Cheating Death in the bonus scene of "Side Effects." I think Cheating Death does a great job of expressing Naruto's and Hinata's conflicting feelings during the smut scenes with other people.

In the end, consider what kind of emotions you are focusing on. Is it possible for you to express those emotions without getting graphic? Do you need to be graphic to express those emotions?

In my "Genghis Khan" fic, I don't describe him doing it with Shion at all because there aren't any emotions for Naruto involved. I can achieve the fuckboy character development without getting graphic. I can hint on his experience with others, and that is enough to get my point across.

Hope this helps! As reference, take a look at the links I put in so that you can get an idea of what you want to write.

Be prepared that the more graphic you are, the more angsty it is, and the more negatively emotional your readers' comments may be. You may also receive flames, but that's mostly avoidable if you warn and tag appropriately. Even with being clear, though, there will be people who have little control over themselves, so just be aware! Moderate your comment section or reply kindly to such people and it won't be too big a deal.

#anon #my opinion #about my writing #i tried to answer this as quickly as possible so hopefully it helps you #my writing advice

[tasteleeknow]

hiii love <3 do you have any advice for someone who wants to start writing?

hello! i answered this here but i'd really say my main advice is don't be worried about doing it wrong. it's really a skill and just like any skill practice will bring improvement. i really believe in skill and grit being the most important thing when it comes to developing abilities over like raw talent or whatever you want to call it. it gets easier and easier the more you practice so don't fret if your first attempt feels like pure pain lmao it's like a muscle you have to develop. i started in september and already it feels much less painful even though i have a long way to go.

also just something i've realised recently but i would not recommend editing as you go. just get your thoughts out and keep going. going back and trying to fix it and make it perfect as you go just tends to bog you down and make it harder to ever finish. you basically have to write the thing twice. once to just get it out of your head and the second time to make it readable. that's just a personal preference though, everyone is different! i know my advice is a little broad just because i guess i'd have to see your writing to give really specific advice. also i'm still a baby writer myself so i have a lot to learn! hope this helps anyway!

#answered #writing #my writing advice

[rubyleaf]

Honestly? My main piece of advice for writing well-rounded characters is to make them a little bit lame. No real living person is 100% cool and suave 100% of the time. Everyone's a little awkward sometimes, or gets too excited about something goofy, or has a silly fear, or laughs about stupid things. Being a bit of a loser is an incurable part of the human condition. Utilize that in your writing.

#this is my beef with a lot of 'badass' characters and male romantic leads tbh #writeblr #writing #character writing #writing advice #characters #i'm just sayin'

[deoidesign]

A general cane guide for writers and artists (from a cane user, writer, and artist!)

Disclaimer: Though I have been using a cane for 6 years, I am not a doctor, nor am I by any means an expert. This guide is true to my experience, but there are as many ways to use a cane as there are cane users!

This guide will not include: White canes for blindness, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs as I have no personal experience with these.

This is meant to be a general guide to get you started and avoid some common mishaps/misconceptions in your writing, but you absolutely should continue to do your own research outside of this guide!

This is NOT a medical resource!!! And never tell a real person you think they're using a cane wrong!

The biggest recurring problem I've seen is using the cane on the wrong side. The cane goes on the opposite side of the pain! If your character has even-sided pain or needs it for balance/weakness, then use the cane in the non-dominant hand to keep the dominant hand free. Some cane users also switch sides to give their arm a rest!

A cane takes about 20% of your weight off the opposite leg. It should fit within your natural gait and become something of an extension of your body. If you need more weight off than 20%, then crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair is needed.

Putting more pressure on the cane, using it on the wrong side, or having it at the wrong height can make it less effective, and can cause long term damage to your body from improper pressure and posture. (Hugh Laurie genuinely hurt his body from years of using a cane wrong on House!)

(some people elect to use a cane wrong for their personal situation despite this, everyone is different!)

(an animated GIF of a cane matching the natural walking gait. It turns red when pressure is placed on it.)

When going up and down stairs, there is an ideal standard: You want to use the handrail and the cane at the same time, or prioritize the handrail if it's only on one side. When going up stairs you lead with your good leg and follow with the cane and hurt leg together. When going down stairs you lead with the cane and the bad leg and follow with the good leg!

Realistically though, many people don't move out of the way for cane users to access the railing, many stairs don't have railings, and many are wet, rusty, or generally not ideal to grip.

In these cases, if you have a friend nearby, holding on to them is a good idea. Or, take it one step at a time carefully if you're alone.

Now we come to a very common mistake I see... Using fashion canes for medical use!

(These are 4 broad shapes, but there is INCREDIBLE variation in cane handles. Research heavily what will be best for your character's specific needs!)

The handle is the contact point for all the weight you're putting on your cane, and that pressure is being put onto your hand, wrist, and shoulder. So the shape is very important for long term use!

Knob handles (and very decorative handles) are not used for medical use for this reason. It adds extra stress to the body and can damage your hand to put constant pressure onto these painful shapes.

The weight of a cane is also incredibly important, as a heavier cane will cause wear on your body much faster. When you're using it all day, it gets heavy fast! If your character struggles with weakness, then they won't want a heavy cane if they can help it!

This is also part of why sword canes aren't usually very viable for medical use (along with them usually being knob handles) is that swords are extra weight!

However, a small knife or perhaps a retractable blade hidden within the base might be viable even for weak characters.

Bases have a lot of variability as well, and the modern standard is generally adjustable bases. Adjustable canes are very handy if your character regularly changes shoe height, for instance (gotta keep the height at your hip!)

Canes help on most terrain with their standard base and structure. But for some terrain, you might want a different base, or to forego the cane entirely! This article covers it pretty well.

Many cane users decorate their canes! Stickers are incredibly common, and painting canes is relatively common as well! You'll also see people replacing the standard wrist strap with a personalized one, or even adding a small charm to the ring the strap connects to. (nothing too large, or it gets annoying as the cane is swinging around everywhere)

(my canes, for reference)

If your character uses a cane full time, then they might also have multiple canes that look different aesthetically to match their outfits!

When it comes to practical things outside of the cane, you reasonably only have one hand available while it's being used. Many people will hook their cane onto their arm or let it dangle on the strap (if they have one) while using their cane arm, but it's often significantly less convenient than 2 hands. But, if you need 2 hands, then it's either setting the cane down or letting it hang!

For this reason, optimizing one handed use is ideal! Keeping bags/items on the side of your free hand helps keep your items accessible.

When sitting, the cane either leans against a wall or table, goes under the chair, or hooks onto the back of the chair. (It often falls when hanging off of a chair, in my experience)

When getting up, the user will either use their cane to help them balance/support as they stand, or get up and then grab their cane. This depends on what it's being used for (balance vs pain when walking, for instance!)

That's everything I can think of for now. Thank you for reading my long-but-absolutely-not-comprehensive list of things to keep in mind when writing or drawing a cane user!

Happy disability pride month! Go forth and make more characters use canes!!!

#mobility aid #cane user #writing tips #writing advice #drawing tips #art tutorial #art tips #art reference #art resources #art help #my art #long post

[sanguinarysanguinity]

Expanding a thought from a conversation this morning:

In general, I think "Is X out-of-character?" is not a terribly useful question for a writer. It shuts down possibility, and interesting directions you could take a character.

A better question, I believe, is "What would it take for Character to do X?" What extremity would she find herself in, where X starts to look like a good idea? What loyalties or fears leave him with X as his only option? THAT'S where a potentially interesting story lies.

In practice, I find that you can often justify much more from a character than you initially dreamed you could: some of my best stories come from "What might drive Character to do [thing he would never do]?" As long as you make it clear to the reader what the hell pushed your character to this point, you've got the seed of a compelling story on your hands.

#writing #writing advice #my writing #I think 'ooc' is a bogeyman that casts too big a shadow for fanfic writers #stop thinking 'is this ooc?' #and start thinking 'have I given this character a good enough reason to do the thing?'

[illarian-rambling]

Yay, unsolicited advice time! Or, not really advice, more like miscellaneous tips and tricks, because if there's one thing eight years of martial arts has equipped me to write, it's fight scenes.

.

Fun things to add to a fight scene (hand to hand edition)

It's not uncommon for two people to kick at the same time and smack their shins together, or for one person to block a kick with their shin. This is called a shin lock and it HURTS like a BITCH. You can be limping for the rest of the fight if you do it hard enough.

If your character is mean and short, they can block kicks with the tip of their elbow, which hurts the other guy a lot more and them a lot less

Headbutts are a quick way to give yourself a concussion

If a character has had many concussions, they will be easier to knock out. This is called glass jaw.

Bad places to get hit that aren't the groin: solar plexus, liver, back of the head, side of the thigh (a lot of leg kicks aim for this because if it connects, your opponent will be limping)

Give your character a fighting style. It helps establish their personality and physicality. Are they a grappler? Do they prefer kicks or fighting up close? How well trained are they?

Your scalp bleeds a lot and this can get in your eyes, blinding you

If you get hit in the nose, your eyes water

Adrenaline's a hell of a drug. Most of the time, you're not going to know how badly you've been hurt until after the fact

Even with good technique, it's really easy to break toes and fingers

Blocking hurts, dodging doesn't

.

Just thought these might be useful! If you want a more comprehensive guide or a weapons edition, feel free to ask. If you want, write how your characters fight in the comments!

Have a bitchin day <3

#writerscommunity #my ocs #writblr #writing #author #writing advice #fight scene

[lgbtlunaverse]

There's a version of the "don't go grocery shopping while hungry" rule specifically for writers where you should never under any circumstances be allowed to touch your draft within 3 hours of reading a really good story. Because sometimes when you read something great your head goes "fuck this is so much better than my stuff I should make that more like THIS instead!" Look at me. That's the devil talking and you should close the document NOW.

#you will make superficial edits that do not gell well with the rest of your work #and won't actually capture what you thought was so good about that story #close the doc. sit down. think about it for a while. inspiration is fine. getting a 'eureka' moment from another story is fine #but if you find yourself comparing your work one to one with someone else's and taking any differences to be flaws on your part then STOP #you will never write good stuff by trying to make it look less like you wrote it #writing #writing advice #guess who just had to go into her google doc history and undo a bunch of panic-induced edits #because she read a fic about the same characters she's writing for? #meeee. they aged badly within just a few hours of hindsight. learn from my mistakes #self-hatred is not a good motivation for creation #fic writing

[lux-scriptum]

Things I’ve found will fix most plot problems:

1. Make it gayer.

2. Fuck with the gender more.

3. If all else fails add (another) cat. Yes, even then.

#writing advice #my writing advice #lux.txt #v solid advice imo #just saying

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Building A Culture

Culture is defined by a collection of morals, ethics, traditions, customs and behaviours shared by a group of people.

Hierarchy and Social Structures

Within every culture, there is a hierarchy. Hierarchies are an important part of any culture, usually do ingrained that one within the culture wouldn't even question it. Hierarchy can be established either by age, gender or wealth and could even determine roles within their society. Sometimes hierarchy can may be oppressive and rigid whilst other times, ranks can intermingle without trouble. You should consider how these different ranks interact with one another and whether there are any special gestures or acts of deference one must pay to those higher than them. For example, the Khasi people of Meghalaya (Northern India), are strictly matrillineal. Women run the households, inheritance runs through the female line, and the men of the culture typically defer to their mothers and wives. Here are a few questions to consider:

How is a leader determined within the culture as a whole and the family unit?

Is the culture matriarchal? Patriarchal? Or does gender even matter?

How would one recognise the different ranks?

How would one act around somebody higher ranking? How would somebody he expected to act around somebody lower ranking?

Can one move socially? If not, why? If so, how?

Traditions and Customs

Traditions are a staple in any culture. These can be gestures or living life a certain way or to the way a certain person should look. Traditions are a personal detail to culture, they are what make it important. Tradition can dictate how one should keep their home, run their family, take care of their appearance, act in public and even determine relationship. Tradition can also be a double edged sword. Traditions can also be restrictive and allow a culture to push away a former member if they do not adhere to them, eg Traditional expectations of chastity led to thousands of Irish women being imprisoned at the Magdelene Laundries. Customs could be anything from how one treats another, to how they greet someone.

How important is tradition?

What are some rituals your culture undertakes?

What are some traditional values in your world? Does it effect daily life?

Are there any traditions that determine one's status?

Values and Opinions

Values and Opinions are the bread and butter of any culture. This is the way your culture sees the world and how they approach different life hurdles. These may differ with other cultures and be considered odd to outsiders, what one culture may value another may not and what opinion another holds, one may not. There will be historical and traditional reasons to why these values and opinions are held. Cultures usually have a paragon to which they hold their members to, a list of characteristics that they expect one to if not adhere to then aspire to. The Yoruba people value honesty, hard work, courage and integrity. Here are some questions to consider?

How important are these ethics and core values? Could somebody be ostracised for not living up to them?

What are some morals that clash with other cultures?

What does your culture precieved to be right? Or wrong?

What are some opinions that are considered to be taboo in your culture? Why?

Dress Code

For many cultures, the way somebody dresses can be important. History and ethics can effect how one is meant to be dressed such as an expectation of chastity, can impose strict modesty. While other cultures, put more importance on details, the different sorts of clothes worn and when or what colour one might wear. The Palestinian people (من النهر إلى البحر ، قد يكونون أحرارا) denoted different family ties, marriage status and wealth by the embroidery and detailing on their thoub.

Are there traditional clothes for your world? Are they something somebody wears on a daily basis or just on occasion?

Are there any rules around what people can wear?

What would be considered formal dress? Casual dress?

What would happen if somebody wore the wrong clothes to an event?

Language

Language can also be ingrained as part of a Culture. It can be a specific way one speaks or a an entirely different language. For example, in the Southern States of America, one can engage in a sort of double talk, saying something that sounds sweet whilst delivering something pointed. Bless their heart. I have a post on creating your own language here.

Arts, Music and Craft

Many cultures are known for different styles of dance, their artwork and crafts. Art is a great part of culture, a way for people to express themselves and their culture in art form. Dance can be an integral part of culture, such as céilí dance in Ireland or the Polka in the Czech Republic. Handicrafts could also be important in culture, such as knitting in Scottish culture and Hebron glass in Palestine. Music is also close to culture, from traditional kinds of singing such as the White Voice in Ukraine and the playing of certain instruments such as the mvet.

Food and Diet

The way a culture prepares or intakes or treats certain foods are important to a culture. In some cultures, there is a diet yo adhere to, certain foods are completely banned. With Jewish culture, pork is prohibited along with fish such as sturgeon, along with shellfish and certain fowl. Meat must also be prepared in a certain way and animal byproducts such as dairy, must never be created or even eaten around this meat. This is known as kosher. The way one consumes food is also important to culture. In some cultures, only certain people may eat together. Some cultures place important on how food is eaten. In Nigerian culture, the oldest guests are served first usually the men before the women. In Japanese culture, one must say 'itadakimasu' (I recieve) before eating. Culture may also include fasting, periods of time one doesn't intake food for a specific reason.

What are some traditional dishes in your world?

What would be a basic diet for the common man?

What's considered a delicacy?

Is there a societal difference in diet? What are the factors that effect diet between classes?

Is there any influence from other cuisines? If not, why not? If so, to what extent?

What would a typical breakfast contain?

What meals are served during the day?

What's considered a comfort food or drink?

Are there any restrictions on who can eat what or when?

Are there any banned foods?

What stance does your world take on alcohol? Is it legal? Can anybody consume it?

Are there any dining customs? Are traditions?

Is there a difference in formal meals or casual meals? If so, what's involved?

Are there any gestures or actions unacceptable at the dinner table?

How are guests treated at meals? If they are given deference, how so?

#Fantasy Guide to Building A Culture #As promised #If I fail my German exam I'm blaming ye #Culture #Building a culture #Fantasy Guide #WorldBuilding #WorldBuilding guide #WorldBuilding help #Writing help #writing #writeblr #writing resources #writing reference #writing advice #ask answered questions #writers #writing advice writing resources #spilled ink #ask answered

[sixstepsaway]

I also did fuck all today, so here's to Avoiding Responsibilities. Speaking of responsibilities, I finished that fic draft I was whining in your inbox about a while back. You made a great post about getting oneself to write, and I owe you thanks for it! So, thank you! Unfortunately I now view you as my lucky writing oracle, and I come to you again to consult you for your wisdom: do you have any favorite prose tips or resources? Of course the ultimate tip is "keep working at it until it sounds good" but I'm always on the prowl for the Secret Technique to make my description adequate. I'll, uh, write a couple hundred words of Izzy and daddy related content as an offering? If that's an incentive. -izzy's dd anon

Ooh, yes please on the content 👀

(although, with all seriousness: you don't have to offer anything up, I'm happy to help if I can)

Yesterday (or the day before? Time is fake, bruh) I was told by my lovely beta for my steddyhands fic (@darthameus): "Aaaa okay holy shit that was the best fic I’ve ever read for the blackhands pairing" and "I loved it so so much dude. You’re an absolutely incredible writer" which made me unreasonably happy but also makes me feel somewhat qualified to answer this, at least I hope.

To me, when I'm writing it's all about feel. So these are the things I try to feel out when I write:

Character

Tone

Voice

Rhythm

To break these down:

Character: I always write from a POV but in third person. I don't think I've ever done omniscient or anything like that, so my work is almost always third person limited, but I'm writing from inside someone's head. So even if I'm describing the room they're in, it's how they see it, rather than just how it is. Stepping into Stede's cabin for the first time, for example, an Edward POV would talk about the fine things and how awesome it all is. An Izzy POV would think it was a gross misuse of space and how much fucking satin do you need. If there's something the character wouldn't notice, it either has to be dragged to their attention by something else (Izzy notices a really nice sword, and that draws his attention to the pretty necklace beside it when it catches the light, he wouldn't have really paid it any attention otherwise) or someone else has to comment on it.

Everything has to fit the character, otherwise it's weird and jarring and out of place. I try to get in their heads and, I guess, body them a little. I am Izzy: what do I see? What do I feel? What do I think?

then i have to get back out again lmao

Character is the top thing that sets the tone for me, but...

Tone: If I'm writing a dark piece with danger and death, I'm not going to focus on the rising sun or the feel of soft satin, I'm going to hone more in on things to give a dark atmosphere. But, again, it depends on what Izzy might notice. So, if it's Izzy feeling dark, he might just describe the satin curtains blocking out the light, because that would feel dark to him.

Once you have the character and tone, there's my favorite...

Voice: I know not everyone can 'see' in their imagination? Like, some people have aphantasia and such and absolutely nothing when they try to imagine something. I don't know if that goes for imagining sound, too? I guess it probably does. But for me at least, when I absolutely nail a characterization, I can hear the voice in my head as I type or as I reread. I find that very telling and use it quite often to guide my characterization.

And finally:

Rhythm: I've been told in the past that my writing is lyrical, and I have literally never let that go because that is exactly how I want to write. One of the biggest tips I have ever read is to do with sentence and paragraph length. If you crush sixty short sentences into one paragraph, whatever is happening in that paragraph feels quick and full of action. If you eke those six sentences out, make them long and give them individual paragraphs, it makes everything feel like it's taking more time. So, a hot and heavy fuck or a fight scene might be six chunky paragraphs, but a slow seduction or a walk in the moonlight might be broken up into thirty short ones. On top of that, I use a lot of repetition in my work (you know, one of the big rules) because I find it sounds, as I said, lyrical, especially if used correctly.

Sometimes my repetition is solely because it's telling of a character (Izzy never refers to Stede as Stede in his own head in this fic, it is always Stede-Fucking-Bonnet), sometimes it's more because of rhythm. This is a bit from chapter 1 that shows what I mean about repetition and rhythm:

Izzy doesn’t get chance to bite back, either verbally or physically, before Edward is pulling away, removing his body from Izzy’s, leaving him in a deep state of mourning, donning the red robe once more and disappearing out of the cabin, leaving the little pot of flowery oil behind.

On the one hand, this leaves Izzy with a moment to catch his breath and really think about what he’s doing.

On the other hand, this leaves Izzy with time and silence to really think about what he’s doing.

Izzy is under no illusions that he’s a stand-in. He’s a replacement. When Edward is kissing him, it’s because he cannot kiss Stede-Fucking-Bonnet, who took off on him for fuck knows what reason, leaving Izzy to pick up the pieces of Edward’s shattered heart.

His shattered heart.

He hadn’t known. Izzy hadn’t known nor realized just how much Edward cared for Stede. He hadn’t realized until he’d had to crawl into a blanket fort to talk to him and had found Edward curled up, tear-stained and eating marmalade from a mostly-empty jar, miserable and torn apart by what Stede had done in abandoning him.

And he had; Stede-Fucking-Bonnet had abandoned Edward like he was yesterday’s dinner, just like a rich fucking toff would, the moment the dinner turned cold, while people like Izzy and Edward would scrape the plate clean in their hunger, appreciating every bite, no matter the temperature, no matter the damage, no matter if it was no longer perfect and freshly made, even if it had been chewed up and spat out already.

Like Edward.

Like Izzy.

They’ve been chewed up and spat out so many times in their lives, Izzy is surprised they can still call themselves people, rather than skeletons with human parts. He knows more about where Edward has been than anyone, but that doesn’t mean he knows everything about him, that’s perfectly clear now.

He didn’t know he’d lo— had affection for Stede-Fucking-Bonnet, not to the extent he clearly did. And he didn’t know that such a rough break, such a cruel, thoughtless act from Stede-Fucking-Bonnet, could bring Edward here and, more pertinently, could bring Izzy to Edward’s bed.

He is making a horrible mistake. Fuck.

What he should do is get up, get out of this stupid flowery bed, grab the shit that Edward was packing up having lived in a broken-hearted squalor for so long, and leave. He should go back to his cabin and not let this thing, whatever it is, happen.

He’s not a replacement for Stede-Fucking-Bonnet. He won’t be a replacement for Stede-Fucking-Bonnet. He’s watched Edward pine and mourn for days now and he knows, deep down, that this, this next development, is just another step on the chain of Edward’s recovery from Stede-Fucking-Bonnet.

Which, he supposes, is good? It’s good that Edward is getting over it. It’s good that Edward is moving forward and starting to clean up the place and leverage himself out of his dark hole of misery, but Edward getting (metaphorically) under Izzy to get over Stede-Fucking-Bonnet is not the way to do it.

And there’s the metaphorically part.

Hadn't known, hadn't known, hadn't realized - He's not a replacement, won't be a replacement - Like Izzy. Like Edward - On the one hand, on the other hand - Is good? It's good. It's good. etc etc

To me the repetition adds rhythm and tone to the piece, which is all I want out of my work really lmao

And my final, main point has to be: fuck the rules.

Lots of people toss all this writing advice around: show don't tell, don't repeat words or phrases, don't overuse quirky things like 'Stede-Fucking-Bonnet', don't be too on the nose about things, don't use adverbs, don't use filler words blah blah blah

Fuck all of the rules. Every last one. If you want to write something bland and disinteresting, divorced from all of what makes your writing your writing, stick to the rules. If you want to write something that sounds like you, your passion, your personality?

Fuck the rules.

Find your own tone, your own rhythm, find your own way of conveying your point and your feelings.

Reread your own work and find the pieces that make you go, "Oh, fuck I'm a good writer." Even if you're really down on yourself and that's only 100 words out of 100k. Even if it's less "Oh fuck" and more "Hey this ain't bad."

Find what sticks out to you and ask yourself: What makes this feel like me and what makes me go this is good? Is it the rhythm? Is it the tone? Is it the language use? Is it the emotions conveyed?

Once you figure those things out, it's a lot easier to let prose flow from your fingers and allow it to sound like you and be great.

I do not know if this answered your question, actually. Um, I hope it did?

Also, congrats on finishing the fic draft! I hope if you posted it, it got tonnes of feedback and kudos, and I hope even if you didn't post it that you enjoyed finishing it and are feeling very proud of yourself.

#izzy's dd anon #ask #writing #writing advice #my writing advice

[dayseternal-blog]

Hello DAYS8! I know this might even not be answered but I am fascinated by some of the fans on how they could balance their life and read and write naruhina fanfics in their spare time. As a student, I struggled a lot these past few months and was fixated on ALWAYS reading Naruhina fanfictions, as in I wouldn't even do my school works and completely procastinate then later cram a LOT just to satisfy my self in reading everyday ALL about naruhina fanfics. It was a stressful lifestyle I got used to back then. Now, I stopped reading since Saturday but I kinda miss reading stories such as that, but maybe taking a break on Naruhina can help me control my life to for a bit. It always feel like I need to finish a lot of fics in a rush like that's just probably wrong. But can you give some advice as to how I can balance Naruhina and my personal + school life? thank you ( ꈍᴗꈍ)!!

Sorry my grammar sucks and not the best out there :)).

Hello! I feel for you. I was a mess in college who procrastinated to the moon and back. I simply didn't do readings. I showed up to some classes unprepared. I was so busy with club/organization activities that I rarely ever talked to my long-distance boyfriend (now my husband). Somehow things worked out and I graduated with relatively good grades. If I went back to that time as the person I am now, I find it difficult to imagine myself handling it any better. I think I was doing my best.

To be upfront, I am generally not a "balanced" person. I don't know what kind of person you are, but I'll share some parts of my life so that I can kind of reflect on what "balance" means to me now and how I've been trying to deal with it. This is an ongoing struggle for me.

A handful of years ago, I was working full-time, attending a competitive online graduate school, and had a preschool-age daughter. At that point, I was also writing "It's No Secret," "Nightdreams," and "Catskin." I was so stressed out, fanfiction was my escape. I'm pretty sure this is a trend across fandom. I noticed that some of the longest works were written during the writers' most stressful times according to the author's notes. I was so unbalanced, and I would bet that many fanfiction authors write their "best" works during periods of their life that they would rather not revisit. I was working so hard, I was mentally checked out on the weekends. My family suffered for it. Taking out fanfiction would not have made my life any easier or more organized. I was stressed. And taking away the space for my brain to unwind in a completely unrelated topic from my real life would not have improved it.

I learned a lot about myself concerning self-discipline during those years.

I need physical location restrictions placed on me. I would do my work at a tea shop that I could easily stop at. Any homework I didn't finish would have to be left for the next day. I tried my very best to not do my work at home. Once I got home, it was relaxation time. Yes, there were nights when my daughter did not see me.

I literally used a student school planner to assign myself what needed to be done every day. I could not go home until I had checked off what needed to be done or unless the tea shop was closing. Once in a while I really did stay until closing. That was an important time restriction. If you can find some place to work that has a time restriction, like a school building that closes at 9:00, that would be a good place to go. Time restrictions not self-imposed force my procrastinating butt to get things done.

I was most productive at a tea shop. Somehow, libraries put me to sleep, home is too distracting, college study rooms are literally the worst, and working outdoors is too difficult. The liveliness of a tea shop coupled with the treat of bubble tea did the trick. Yeah, I spent a lot of money back then. I now wonder if I couldn't have just made my own tea.

I could not do fanfiction until I was done with my day's work. My current restriction now that I'm not in school is that I cannot do fanfiction when I'm at work. I cannot look at fanfiction on my phone unless I'm at home for professional reasons. My workplace locks up around 5:00. I can only write my fanfiction after my daughter is in bed. (Place & Time restrictions)

I will burn myself out for the sake of my work. This is something that I cannot compromise because I refuse to do anything half-heartedly. My family was suffering for my work when we all know that family should be the first priority. So two years ago, I had to change job placements to a less demanding community. That was the only solution. Had I continued working at my old placement, I would have never been able to prioritize my family.

I am most definitely a procrastinator. But procrastination is absolutely fine as long as you're actually getting it done by the deadline. I am also a workaholic. I am secretly competitive. I am prideful and desire to be the best. In the end, something always gets neglected, and at various times of my life that's been my then-boyfriend, my daughter, or my personal health; for me, there is no such thing as true balance. Currently, I am not working as hard as I used to because the community simply doesn't need as much of me for me to achieve good results. I am as "balanced" as I can possibly be right now.

After all that personal reflection, here are a few reflection questions that might be helpful for you:

As a procrastinator, how can you get other people and places to impose restrictions and deadlines on you so that you get your work done? This could be a study partner who has a similar schedule to yours, a building or shop's closing hours (this works for me), or a mentor/advisor (someone who is not your close friend) to set clear expectations and hold you accountable. This might look like asking for someone to sit down with you and help you break down all of your class' assignments into daily tasks. As a procrastinator, these daily tasks MUST feel imminent, meaning it MUST feel like you have to get it done otherwise you're screwing yourself over for the rest of the week. You must always have an urgent sense of "I have to get this done NOW or I'm screwed." If you don't feel like that, then honestly you're not going to get anything done. Speaking as a fellow procrastinator.

How can you romanticize your work to motivate you to enjoy doing it? How can you reward yourself WHILE doing your work? For me, this was a bustling tea shop with bubble tea. For early birds, it's seeing the sunrise and settling into a comfy chair as soon as the Student Center opens before the rest of the student body wakes up. For studyblrs, it's using cute gel pens, blue and pink highlighters, stickers, washi tape, cute post-its, and adorable notebooks; it's taking photos of and documenting their productivity on social media with little coffee cups (check out the #studyblr on tumblr). I had a coworker who would format spreadsheets at home while watching tv dramas. I saw students doing schoolwork while staying in the dining hall to have access to food and a stimulating atmosphere. Maybe you can find someplace that has attractive workers/other students. Nothing like surrounding yourself with cuties. Basically, how can you make your work feel as little like work as possible?

Unfortunately fanfiction cannot be read while working. That's just not possible. So if you want to continue to read fanfics, where and when is it appropriate for you to do so? While you eat dinner? After you study? Between classes? For me, it's weekends and after my daughter is in bed. And then you need strong reasoning as to why that is the only appropriate time and place. My workplace is my workplace. Fanfiction would be unprofessional. I can't have the tea shop workers catching me reading smut. My daughter loves to read. I can't have her asking me to read fanfiction to her. Basically, try to not be alone for most of the productive day, that way the temptation to read isn't there.

Do you want to restrict what device you read fanfiction on? Maybe you can only read fanfiction on your phone, and that leaves your laptop strictly for schoolwork. You could even go as far as to block fanfiction websites on your laptop.

I don't know what you're majoring in, but I have a tip for notetaking on readings that I wish I knew in college and that I only picked up in grad school 😩. If you know you will eventually have to cite text evidence for a future paper or something, while you're doing the readings, copy the quotations you like word-for-word into a Google Doc. Put the page number next to it. That way you don't have to ever go flipping through the book or article ever again. You don't have to highlight. You don't have to dog-ear pages. You just copy-paste that bugger from your list straight into your essay when it comes time to cite your evidence.

Good luck. Stay strong. Fanfiction should be a place to relax rather than a place to feel guilty!

#anon #personal ask #hope this helps #about me #about my writing #my writing advice

[tasteleeknow]

Hi Hi Hi!! Asking for writing advice here, anything you could give would be helpful :DD

I’m a pretty regular reader of yours that wants to start writing (lowkey joined in on a writing project just to kickstart my brain) but when I write long things I usually either lose motivation or get a really bad writers block. How do you deal with these two things??

hihi! i always feel a little under qualified when ppl ask for writing advice but i'll give it a go!

motivation and writers block. so for my series i have a planning document where i have tables for listing the characters motivations, fears, traits... all of that. understanding your characters is really important i think because it really is what shapes the story. things happen bc of what is driving your characters, whether it's a goal or a fear or revenge or love or whatever.

then i also have a table for my main plot points. what happens to the characters that shapes their development from the beginning to the end. so for example .. without spoiling.. my current series is an enemies to lovers romance. so the characters have to grow from dislike to love and so there are plot points where they go through certain things together which help them learn about each other and themselves. i use the plot points to explore whatever their internal motivations/struggles are as well as develop their understanding/love for each other.

what i'm TRYING to say is that plot FOR ME is about character development so if i find myself stuck i think about where my character is trying to get to (or get away from) , what is motivating them to do the things they do and what are some things that could happen to them that could push them towards where you want them to finish up. i find if i leave my story for a bit and just live my life i'll stumble across ideas that will make me excited again. if that doesn't happen i have a brainstorming session like i do when i'm having writers block and i'll often have a new idea that i'm excited to write. my planning document is a total mess just random comments and dot points and everything but its just somewhere to keep me thinking.

also sometimes you'll be writing and have to just scrap big sections completely and just go a completely new direction. i often find when i do that i like the end result MUCH better. if you are really stuck, just start again. often you're stuck because you just aren't that happy with what you've just done and instead of struggling to dig that hole deeper it is better for you long term to just try again.

i really hope that makes sense and doesn't just confuse you hfdjs feel free to ask for clarification. i feel like i'm terrible at explaining this.

#answered #my writing advice

[whendidmythoughtsgocrazy]

You won't ever find the answer to the actions of horrible people who only want to hurt others, and do you know why? Because you're not them.

k.b. // always remember

#k.b. #my writing #writers on tumblr #quotes #poets on tumblr #love #love quotes #quote #words #love quote #cute #poets #poetry #life #life poetry #writers #writing #lit #deep #deep quotes #life lesson quotes #life poem #life advice #life lesson #life quotes