#usually just blurbs and dialogue not usually full on paragraph writing

[hyewka]

Hi! I hope you’re doing well and I absolutely adore your stories, really. You’re an amazing person and I can see it.

As a fellow writer I just feel like asking you a question or so.

See, I’ve written like 30-40 or so full fics within the span of half a year or so, right. I even have a few series on my acc that I’ve spent so much of my time on. All of my stories, I enjoy writing them but then when I post them I don’t get much likes or reblogs. Like when I look at the graph it’s always so low.

What do you think I should do to be doing better? Or is it all just chance and luck?

Thank you!!<3

Hi anon! To answer your question, it's not necessarily all up to chance and luck especially on a platform like tumblr. To get higher interactions and to reach a bigger pool of people you should consider a few things!

One: what fandom youre writing for. Generally, to gauge at how active your fandom fanfic community is, check two things; top posts of all year under the most commonly used tag and top recent posts. On moablr, I wouldnt consider a post with 300-500 notes flopping and anything beyond that interval is big on here. In other fandoms, especially bigger ones, this information might be different so considering your fandom base is important in managing your expectations.

Two: what tags you're using. tags are very very important on tumblr. for txt, txt smut tag is the most followed versus using something like tomorrow x together smut. Don't use broad tags either, it wont get you that many interactions. For example, something like kpop smut isn't gonna do much for you.

Tags that work for me in relation to txt smut work: #txt smut, #txt hard thoughts, #txt hard hours, #txt x reader - also if it's not ot5 add the members name in place of txt for example: #yeonjun smut.

Tags I've seen people use that don't work: #txt x gn!reader or anything that identifies the reader like plus size!reader in tags just wont reach that many people.

Also, if you write things like hybrid and sub!idol I'd recommend to use those in tags! Though it seems broad, most people who follow these tags read anything regardless if it's within their fandom space or not.

Three: you have to consider your writing. Too many gramatical mistakes, too niche, the length- all those things matter. If you're writing in English make sure your writing is cohesive and easily understandable. I would say to stay away from writing abbreviations in dialogue or in your writing, things like "tbh" or "bcs" is a little amateurish and might put some people off if it's repeated throughout your work. Just make sure it's decently consistent. And also!! Cant stress this enough but if you're writing a full fic be mindful to not have a lot of very long paragraphs.

If you're too niche, like what you're writing is a fantasy world building driven sex dungeon, there might not be that much demand. I'm not saying to stop writing things that interest you or adjust your hobby to what people want, it's just that the more genre your fic falls under, the more niche it'll get. Meaning a smaller audience. Yandere and dubcon will always appeal to a smaller amount of people so keep that in mind.

When it comes to length, it's not that big of a deal but it might sabotage you. The longer it is, usually the less people interested. Especially if it's smut. Anything over 25k might be too much. Now on the other hand, a fic really small (like a sentence or two so basically a blurb) might not catch someone's attention enough to hit like or reblog. 1k-4k word counts is desired.

This also has to do with summaries, avoid very long summaries. Two to three sentences would do.

Four: how your fics look. check the layouts of your fics, and then compare it to everyone else's. I'm not saying it has to look the prettiest or be very neat, but adding pictures to your fics especially on tumblr REALLY helps with engagement. I also recommend using simple dividers and not to use different fonts for titles, especially tumbrs cursive one. Either three icons that are cohesive with the other or a header that's the size or a little bigger than twt headers dimension.

Five: what's popular on tumblr. This goes hand in hand with the niche point I made earlier but making the switch to x reader instead of a named oc genuinely makes a very, very big difference. Switching from first person narrative to 2nd person, so instead of writing in "I, me, we" use you and your. This also makes a difference.

That's all I think might be hindering your amount of interactions, tags I'd consider the most important. If you want tkwo build a more dedicated followg, I'd recommend opening your requests!

#✶ ━━ rana ; answered #if you think youve done all of these and are in this situation dm me #ill be glad to help out anon

[ginkgo-phyta]

Regarding you asking our thoughts on your last piece which I believe is a blurb (I'm trying to understand the technicalities and differences between blurbs and full on pieces tbh BUT) I enjoyed reading it, it put the setting in my head and I was able to imagine it in my head with all your descriptors and as a non native speaker I actually learned some new words which I'm really fond off! One thing though, I'd appreciate it if u break up the paragraphs with a space, cus reading one whole text intact is very difficult, I'm not sure if it's an individual thing or an actual writing thing, but that would be a bonus. I feel like it pushes away readers from reading your writing, which is what would've happened to me but I'm a fan of your writing and stalk ur page religiously whenever u post so blurb wise we good. Writing wise like on your answered requests, you're really good, your stylistic choices are very nice and go well together, and your attention to detail is immaculate, especially when setting scenes before dialogue which is really top notch. The fact that you're still attempting to improve your writing is already a writer green flag and a good quality for a writer to have, so keep up honey and I'll eat up everything you give us. Muah!!

stoppp im literally about to cry. first of all thank you so much for the feedback!!! yeah i dont think i even do blurbs right in the first place, they're supposed to be short but usually i end up typing a bunch anyway bahaha from my understanding both blurbs and drabbles are super informal...it actually was really hard for my to write without capitalizing or breaking up the paragraphs it just feels so wrong, but i've seen others do it...BUT NOW IMMA BREAK EM UP W YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT SO THANK YOU HAHAHA

secondly ilysm thank you for your kind words about my writing, it's been difficult getting pieces out lately but i try my best! i hope i can continue feeding you teehee

#daphne babbles

[spice-and-pills]

Behold, I’m actually writing-- Anyway, here’s Ren getting speedran and absolutely bodied by Pepper

    Ugh. Why did her head hurt so bad? Pepper sat up from the couch she was lying on, vision bleary. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, though her vision wasn’t great regardless. Where were her glasses? She hadn’t worn her contacts last night. “I know I only had the one drink last night, so why…” she muttered before realizing. “Fuck! This isn’t my house!” Her outfit was completely intact; she couldn’t understand what kind of person would drug her and then just let her sleep on their couch. Unless someone rescued her? 

   She didn’t have much time to think about the details of it before she heard hurried, but soft footsteps approaching. She tensed, unsure of who she’d meet. A small boy with fluffy red hair and animalistic features padded up to her with a glass of water and a pill. She recognized it as ibuprofen after squinting to clear her vision slightly, shaking her head. “I’m allergic to that,” she said, gesturing to the pill. Wait a minute. That’s one of the guys she met last night, the redhead with the beastkin markings. He didn’t have his ears and tail out the night before, but she’d recognized it, of course. “You got us drinks last night.” Pepper was deadpan, staring at him. 

   “Oh, yeah, I think you got a little too drunk, so I didn’t want to just leave you on your own! Sorry about that.” 

   “No I didn’t. I only had the one drink that you gave me - okay, actually, first, give me my glasses. I don’t know where they are.” He clammed up, wordlessly handing her her glasses. She affixed them to her face, staring at him, scrutinizing. “You drugged me!”

   “W-wait, I can explain! I was going to drug the other guy, but you took his drink, and-” 

   “Okay, you see how that doesn’t make things better, right?” Pepper’s eyes drifted a bit, spotting the chain in the wall leading up to her ankle. Her jaw practically dropped, and her gaze turned back on the boy, cold and unforgiving. Boy, this guy sure made the wrong choice in taking her home and chaining her up like a pet dog. She bared her fangs, ears pinned flat against her head. “Let’s get one thing fucking clear. I am not some pet, and your days are numbered, buddy.” 

   “Woah! Getting feisty, are we? Don’t worry, we’ll fix that-” as he reached into his pocket, she lunged for him, knocking a remote out of his hand. It clattered to the hardwood floor, spinning away. Before he could reach for it she pinned his wrists with one hand and pressed down onto him with her full weight, reaching for it. 

   “Tell me what this does, right now.” She waved it at him, face in a snarl. He definitely looked like he realized his mistakes by this point, a girl at least twice his size or so sitting on him with his hands pinned. He struggled, but to no avail. He didn’t respond, though, eyes wild with a terror that he almost seemed familiar with. Those same eyes gave him away, though, as his pupils darted to look at her neck. She raised the land not holding his wrists to touch her neck, feeling cool metal. “... What is this? Tell me what it is!” 

   “I’m sorry!” He shook his head, thrashing against her hold. “Press the smaller button, the one that isn’t red, it’ll come off!”

   She followed his instructions, hearing a satisfying click as the clunky collar fell off, landing into her soft piles of skirts and petticoats. She and Ren stared at each other for a few brief moments before she broke the silence. “I meet another fox, and he’s depraved as all fuck, go figure,” she growled, watching him wince at the statement. “... If you move, I won't hesitate to kill you, got it?” She waited for an affirmative before letting go of his hands and working quickly to fasten the collar around his neck. “Wow, that thing’s ugly. Did you wear this thing all the time?” 

   “How’d you know?” He stammered out, turning his head away from her. 

“It fits you like a glove. Was it custom-made? I’ve never seen a shock collar like that one.” 

   A nervous nod followed her question, and he seemed to be more flustered than before at the compromising situation now that he wasn’t terrified.

   “Ohhh, so you’re a pet. Were you trying to regain control and become someone’s master? A dog’s a dog no matter what you call it, baby.” The realization was hilarious to her, and she was trying her hardest not to burst into laughter as she stood up. “Unlock this chain, and then we’ll see what happens, huh?” 

    He nodded and knelt down to unlock it as she slipped the remote into a hidden pocket. “Hmm.. it’d be a shame to just leave you here. You’re pretty cute, and you'd make a good pet, I think. I mean, if your past is anything to go off of. I can forgive your little fuck-up if you promise to be good!” 

    “You’re not mad?” 

    “Oh, baby, I’m livid.” Pepper grinned back at him. “But! I did say I’m willing to forgive you. Don’t worry, that collar is only temporary. I’ll get you something cuter. And…” she eyed his sweater and jeans. “I’ll also be replacing those. Now, do you have anything you want to bring with you? I’m not staying here.” 

    Ren blinked as if confused, seemingly not knowing how to respond. Pepper snapped her fingers at him and only then did he respond. “Wait, we’re leaving?”

    “Baby, keep up. What aren’t you getting? This house is nice, but it’s boring and ugly. Besides, I’ve got a shop to run, and I’m not giving up the sweet deal I get to also rent the building on top. Now, do you want to come back another day, maybe? Collect your things later?”

    “Oh, um, sure.” Ren seemed distracted and more timid than before. He spared a fleeting glance to a hatch that presumably led to a basement. He very obviously looked uncomfortable, and like he didn’t want to leave for whatever reason, but it’s not like he could object; he wasn’t in charge anymore. “Okay, let’s go, I guess. I’ll pick up my stuff another day.” 

    She held her hand out for him and he slowly took it, as if he’d never had his hand held before. She pulled him closer, intertwining their fingers and enjoying the blush that crept up his cheeks. Oh, this was going to be fun. 

#writing.jpeg #spice.txt #i dont write actual things very often #usually just blurbs and dialogue not usually full on paragraph writing #selfship.jpeg #im posting this before i can back out #editing bc i forgot some tags #btd #boyfriend to death #ren #ren.jpeg #btd ren

[strayneoculturekids]

Idk if people will like this, but if you’re a new fic writer, here are some ver simple marketing(?) tips

Use and write for members that are popular. In NCT, popular members are pretty much all of NCT dream (including mark), Jaehyun, and Johnny. In skz, popular members are Chan, Hyunjin, and Jisung

Don’t put a “read more” sign on fics shorter than 2k

If you have a fairly long fic, and want to put a “read more”, make sure to make the summary very interesting, and put it at the top, before you cut off the fic for the read more

Try to be as active as you can with your original content, I like to post a blurb at least twice a day, but that’s not always possible and that’s okay!

Find out what your followers like!! Find out what people like in general! If you’re of age, sub reader smut gets very popular very quickly, but if not, like me, usually sticking to fluff works

A lot of people like husband/wife fics, or the suggestion of marriage. It has a different feel to boyfriend/girlfriend, and it can have a good effect on people

Late night aesthetic type blurbs tend to do well as well, write about things people can relate to- stress about exams, being flustered around your crush, staying up late for no reason

Don’t stress too much about titles, as long as the summary is good, people will probably read it, but anyhow, try to stick with 1-3 word titles

Put a pretty gif!! Of course this doesn’t apply to blurbs, but with full fics, a gif of the member you’re writing about can make people pay attention

The use of semi-colons can be tricky to get used to, but they’re extremely useful!! Sometimes you just don’t wanna seperate a sentence, but it’s way too long or a comma doesn’t fit; use a semi-colon!!!

Use the dictionary and thesaurus for words you feel like you use too much, or don’t exactly know how to use. They’re there to be used!

Remember that dialogue has its own line, never put it in a paragraph unless it’s inward thoughts

Paragraph breaks! Please! This is what I use

And lastly, most of all, no matter how bad you think your writing is, just keep writing. Read a lot and write a lot and it will get better, trust me

That’s all!! I hope this can be of use, goodbye now! Also I also have no idea what I’m doing, so if these don’t work, well... :T

#stray kids #nct #writing #writing tips #stray kids imagines #nct imagines

[inked-iwtfw]

Inked - Adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy

We all know how hard it is to find new writers on tumblr (let’s face it, it’s hard to do anything on tumblr these days), and that sometimes means talent gets buried. So, as two writers, we wanted to do something to highlight the wonderful talent the Harry Styles fandom has.

If you’d like to take part, or you have a writer you’d like to see get some recognition, fill out this handy form HERE! Please don’t be shy about putting yourself forward, this isn’t a popularity contest, this is about you and your writing being found. We’re also on Wattpad so if you have an author on there you’d like us to talk to, feel free to suggest them.

Here’s a shameless plug for our work!

@harrystylesgotmefuckedup : Masterlist

@imnottherealharrystyles : Masterlist

and be sure to also follow @huccimermaidshirts if you don’t already!

Love, Mo, Van, and Elena x

Our author this weekend is @adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy​

You can find their writing here: TUMBLR 

When did you start writing? Who inspired you to give writing a go? I started writing when I was 14, I think! I started reading fic on wattpad (like the best of us yeehaw) and I read a Niall fic called Grey Matter and that was the story that really made me think, “Man, I want to write like this one day and make people feel the way this story made me feel.” Then I started reading one shots, eventually found tumblr through @littlebitofharry and her stories were just phenomenal and she eventually inspired me to get a tumblr and start putting my writing out there!

Tell us your 1D/Harry origin story. I first heard of 1D through my friends when I was like 11 and I remember watching the WMYB music video and being like “eh okay” but I never really got into them until I was 13/14, right after the release of Midnight Memories because I’d heard Best Song Ever on the radio and was like, “okay now hold on just a minute.,,.,..maybe she SLAPS!!” After that, I bought the album and literally just fell through the hole rip.

Tell us why Harry is your muse. Harry’s my muse because I feel like he’s just so easy to read and creating characters based around him and his personality just flows so naturally. Everyone knows how open and honest Harry is and even though he’s very private, for some reason he still comes off as an open book because of how genuine he is, and I just love channeling that into the stories I write. He writes himself, to be honest.

Do you tell people you write fanfic? Do you tell people you write at all? I don’t tell people I write fanfic or that I write at all because I just don’t want it to spread to my family that I write smut djjdjdjdjdjdkd no gracias

Do you have a writing playlist, or do you need complete silence to write? I like to write in complete silence because if there’s other stuff going on around me, I just can’t concentrate. The only mental thing I can do while listening to music is math rip

What’s your favourite thing you've ever written. Probably Fixer-Upper because it’s the longest thing I’ve ever written and i feel like it has a lot of plot and side stories and details! However, demon!harry is my favorite character to write because who doesn’t love cocky Harry.

What's your favourite thing you've ever read? Fanfic and non-fanfic? My favorite thing I’ve ever read that is a fic is the one I mentioned before, Grey Matter! I forgot who wrote it because she deleted her whole wattpad, unfortunately, but the story just flowed really nicely and it was so cute! Non-fanfic would have to be the Percy Jackson series because it’s just so funny and witty and entertaining. 

Do you tend to stick to one genre, or do you like to change things up a little? I tend to stick to one genre: fiction. I just feel like fiction is way more creative and interesting.

Do you have a fixed plan of what you're going to write, or do you just see where the story takes you? I usually just see where the story takes me. Like, I very rarely plan out a fic. I kinda just go with what feels right.

Is there a schedule you follow in terms of when you write? Or are you more impulsive and just write where and when you can? I’m definitely more impulsive and write when I can. I wish I could be the type of writer that can be like, “Okay, I’m going to sit down and write this much today” but I’m just not. I won’t write for, like, 4 months and then have a random rush of inspiration, write a 10k fic, and then not write again for another 4 months #tragic

Are your stories driven by plot or character?

I’d say both. Like, certain times I’ll develop a character in my head through certain scenes I imagine them in and that character gets channelled into stories, or I’ll imagine a scene and then make a character to go with it. For example, demon!harry came to be through me imagining him being really blunt and inappropriate and confident in that cocky way and through fitting him into scenes with angel!Y/N. But hades!harry came to be through me wanting to write a sex scene in a throne room and then someone mentioned mixing Harry and Greek mythology and I was like, “Oh, these two could work!”

Some readers are wary of leaving feedback because they're unsure how the writer will take it, how do you personally like to receive feedback? Do you want to be critiqued, or would you like to just know if they did or didn't enjoy what they've read? I feel like I’m very accepting when it comes to feedback, whether it just be praise or critique. I love to know that someone liked what I wrote and I take every message very personally because the fact that someone took time out of their day to tell me they enjoyed my writing is one of the nicest things anyone could ever do for me! I’m also very grateful for critique because I feel like there’s always room for improvement and I appreciate the honesty behind someone trying to help me evolve. As long as you say it in a respectful and kind manner, I don’t think any writers will ever not accept feedback. We LOVE it, actually!

Do you use a beta? If so, feel free to give them a shout out! How do they help you? I don’t have a beta because (and this isn’t anything personal tbh it’s just what I’ve observed and what I experience myself betaing for someone) I feel like no one will be as nit-picky with your writing as yourself. Like, I go through it and try and mostly fix typos and reword things but I very rarely change scenes and such. I feel like betaing has more to do with someone giving you feedback on the plot and characters of a fic and in my head, once I write a story, I don’t want to go through the trouble of changing it because I’m, como se dice, a laZY BITCH. So if I ever ask anyone to beta, it’s my way of asking them to help me edit and revise rather than look at the actual plot of the story jsjsjsjsjdj

Is writing a hobby or do you have aspirations of writing professionally outside of fanfiction? Writing is just a hobby for me. I feel like I could never write a full book/novel or anything like that because I can’t write on command and being an author requires you to make book deals and haves deadlines and that just ain’t it, chief.

Do you post your writing in other places? Where do you you find to be the best place for your work? I used to post my stuff on wattpad but I mostly just stick to tumblr now because it’s easier and more convenient when it comes to feedback (with the anonymous feature) and people can share it by reblogging and what not.

Favourite writing trope? I love a good enemies to lovers story because even though it’s cliche, it’s never fails to make me soft.

AU or OU? Oh, AU for sure. Creating new and unique universes and storylines and characters with what you have is the best part of writing.

Preferred types of writing: Blurbs, short stories, or full fics? Blurbs and one shots because it doesn’t require the time and commitment of a full fic but it gives you a sweet taste of what the author has in mind.

Do you draw anything from your personal life? What inspires your subject matter? When I first started writing, I did draw stuff from my personal life as far as characters and environment but nowadays, not really. I think what inspired it then was just me projecting myself into the writing. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but when I personally project myself I tend to forget about others so my writing becomes more limited in terms of audience. For example, I used to use blushing in my writing because I’m fairly pale and get red really easily, but then I realized that not everyone blushes because of difference of skin tones so I try to stay away from that so everyone can feel included in my stories.

What's your purpose for writing? What do you hope to accomplish? My purpose is just providing people a break from the real world with a story that will make them feel happy and entertained!

And finally, do you have any advice/tips for your fellow fanfic writers? Revise and edit!! Paragraph breaks!! Proper grammar and dialogue!!! That’s really it, I just happen to be picky about that stuff. And this goes without saying but don’t write just to gain followers because then you’re not writing for yourself or for others, you’ll just be writing for popularity and doing anything to gain popularity backfires in the end. Write because it’s your passion and don’t be too hard on yourself about it. Take it step by step and you’ll be surprised how far you go. :-)

#Harry Styles #Harry Styles Fan Fiction #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fan fic #harry fic #adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy #writers #one direction fanfiction #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic

[truecrimehunter]

Wattpad Story Review Went Bad

Richard Brittain won a British Tv quiz show,Countdown, as a teen. To him, that won gave him life. It was his biggest goal. He boast about the win and thought he was smarter than those around him.

Richard enter university and went to a bar to hang out with his small group of friends. A woman named Ella Durant worked as a waitress. Soon, he became obsessive over her. He tried to win her over with his smarts with putting her on a team with him for University Challenge. He stalked her at her work, Twitter, Instagram, and such to keep tabs on her. She changed work shifts and started to work in the kitchen instead of in front of the house. She went to the Metropolitan police and student union. They didn’t do really anything. He stayed away for awhile but keep looking at her Twitter. She was one of those girls that tweets out relatable sad tweets, and she thought nothing of it. For some reason, he took those relatable tweets as she is talking about and to him. He went to her graduation, and she was creeped out when she saw him. After graduating, she moved from London to Glasgow.

After university, Richard wrote a poem called ‘The Benevolent Stalker’ and a book called 'The World Rose’. The book was about Ella and over romanticize of her. He traveled while writing. He wanted to publish the book and turn it into a movie. A publisher had other ideas and turned him down. He was pissed. He thought his book was a masterpiece (everyone thought otherwise). He still wanted his book to be out there. He puts the prolong on Wattpad for free and put his book on Goodreads(It’s also on Amazon).

He found Ella’s address from her college application. He went to her workplace and waved at her. She called the police and took her home. Two days later, he went back to her workplace and spoke to her even though she was screaming to get the attention of others. On September 23 2014, Ella saw a link a tweet to a blog called 'The Benevolent Stalker’ and went to the police. The defence counsel, Michael Meehan, told the judge that Richard either stuffering from paranoid schizophrenia or a personality disorder(maybe y'all should got him check out). He knew that Ella was living in Glasgow because her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Back to his book, Wattpad’s users hated the prolong. He was pissed off that the users hated his work. He had arguments with them. A eighteen years old, Paige Rolland, read the prolong and knew how he reacts to criticism. That didn’t bother her(she has some balls), so she went to Goodreads after reading what was free to give her review with her real name. She dragged him to the dirt. Her review said(warning: it’s long review),“Before anyone reads any further, I must confess that I haven’t read this entire story. I’ve only read the prologue, courtesy of Mr. Brittain leaving it on Wattpad as a means of advertising and expanding his audience. There are two reasons I did not choose to buy this book and read the entire thing. Reason one being that the prologue was just awful and I certainly would not be paying £5 plus P+P to read the entire thing. Reason two…well, I don’t have a Kindle. And even if I did, I certainly wouldn’t be paying £1.90 for it. Surely Mr. Brittain was aware that first time authors self-pubbing give the Kindle book away for free. That way more people are likely to actually read it.

Let’s first talk about the cover.

As a writer self-publishing, I would have hoped Mr. Brittain did his research and understood the costs behind it. Surely he was aware of how much a good cover would cost him. What I’m looking at now looks painfully like something my English teachers in high school would make me read. Or a textbook. A washed-out photograph of a dirt path through a thin cluster of trees? Well…it doesn’t do anything for me and it certainly wouldn’t catch my eye in a bookstore. That combined with the bland colours used for the text and borders around that makes for an incredibly anti-climactic cover. And it definitely doesn’t scream "fantasy/romance novel” to me.

That blurb…

Yeah, that’s not a blurb. All I get is that it’s a fairytale and that the title means something. Nothing about the characters (other than the main one is a renowned beauty - urgh, gag me) nor about the plot. Probably because those elements are nothing more than a nice effort, at best. And if you have to explain the metaphor that is your title, you’re doing something wrong.

Now, to the prologue. As a reader, I’m bored out of my skull and severely disappointed in what I might have paid for. As a writer (albeit an amateur one) I’m appalled that anyone would think this was worthy of money.

Not only does it begin with “once upon a time” which you could argue is perfect as this is a fairytale (and it doesn’t work, it’s incredibly pretentious), but it’s filled with many writing no-nos. Way too much telling, pretentious prose, and a main character that I already hate. Ella is the perfect princess (true to fairytales, so we can at least give him a little credit despite how painfully annoying this is coupled with a complete lack of real personality shining through).

I’d like to take a moment to explain that fairytales, for those of you who don’t know, are short. They are short because frankly, nobody can stand that kind of writing for very long. It’s not considered good. Fairytales are there to entertain. Usually to entertain children. Full-length novels written for teens to adults?

Can we deal with the purple prose for a second? All this over-describing and stupidly flowery wording to describe Ella walking to her balcony and looking out.

Unfortunately, Mr. Brittain has gained a bit of infamy on Wattpad where he’s known for threatening users who don’t praise him (pray for me) and telling successfully published authors that they know nothing about the industry and are completely wrong in saying that writing rules must be followed in order to be successful. What I’m saying is, you can expect complete disregard for basic rules that lead to good writing for the entirety of this story.

Another writing rule that’s big is to avoid adverbs like the plague, particularly words like “suddenly”. Such a shame Brittain used this very word (which is considered a cheap and childish way of conveying suddenness, FYI) to describe a wolf howling and Ella jumping back in fear. So not only is Ella physically perfect, she’s faint-hearted too. Such a fair maiden. Never was a maiden so fair nor so beauteous. Nor so boobilicious.

Oh please.

Sentence structure. It’s all very repetitive. First part of sentence, second part of sentence. And that’s mostly how it goes. The first part of the sentence is separated by a comma before we go into the second part of the unnecessarily detailed sentence. It’s painfully dull to read. Doesn’t do much for engaging the brain.

Dialogue tags. They’re not so bad, but combined with those adverbs? Another writing no-no that Brittain has chosen to completely ignore has made this story all the harder to read.

Here is a perfect example of that purple prose I was talking about as well as this problem Brittain seems to have when it comes to over-describing. “The princess let her pet melt under her keen stare for a bit longer before she bent forward for stroke him.” This is fine, right? Well…no. Only because it is then followed by this: “Ella caressed Duncan’s fine brown hair, rubbing his ears and scratching him with scarlet fingernails.” First of all, we already know what colour the damn dog is thanks to the paragraph before. Also, we already know she is stroking him, so why do we need all this “caressing” stuff thrown in there and who cares what colour perfect Ella’s fingernails are? As if we need more reasons to dislike her already.

At some point, Duncan the dog “suddenly” becomes aggressive towards something in the room and all of that purple prose and telling and usage of “suddenly” completely ruined it. I didn’t care. I wasn’t scared. Why Brittain seems to think he can get away with not following these important writing rules is beyond me.

This sentence now. (“SPIT IT OUT!” Ella shouted.) I don’t think Brittain knows that using all caps like that in a story other than a children’s book is considered highly unprofessional. Not to mention with the exclamation point and the dialogue tag, we know Ella is shouting. So the caps become redundant anyway.

“But the bulldog merely yawned, slumped lazily in his basket with a sullen frown on his face.” Adverbs: check. Redundancy: check. Slumping is a lazy action. Frowns are usually sullen. From the context, we know this. I just…

Urgh, I can’t. Even if there WAS more on Wattpad to read, I wouldn’t. This is painful. Everything is written through telling and purple prose which is just about the worst combination there is as both a reader and writer. You can have the most fantastic plot in the world, but if you can’t write it well, it won’t sell. At least concerning self-publishing. And bad writing usually equals bad characters.

In the end (SPOILER) Ella’s father is found dead and Ella cries. Like…I don’t even care. There has been so little character development here (not that he allowed himself the room for that with all the pointless description) for a character I didn’t like from the first sentence about her, that I don’t give a damn if her father’s dead or she’s crying or how scared of the wolf’s howl she was.

The writing of this entire prologue (and what I managed to see of the chapters before they were removed from Wattpad) is bland and boring to read. It’s hard to keep reading because it’s so boring. It reads like a history book, and nobody goes into a fantasy/romance for bland, boring, textbook-like writing.

And Brittain has the audacity to say “To continue reading, please purchase the book…” You mean I have to pay to read something that’s not been professionally edited? No thank you >…

#true crime #long post #true crime community #wattpad #stalking #sorry that's it's so long #richard brittain #truecrimehunter

[authorracheljoy]

Author asks: 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 11 12 13 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

I mean, I have a LOT of focus towards The Hunters Saga, so I’m not really holding off any story because I don’t have the time, ya know? So yeah.

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

A series that isn’t available online anymore after the death of Quizilla XD Thank the gods for that, by the way! Oh wait, does that count then? I mean, it still exists on my flash drive and I’m thinking of resurrecting it SOMEDAY so :/ Hmm. Anyway it’s called the Creatures of the Night Quartet and deals with Twilight-esque stuff, like vampires vs. werewolves, a hybrid and- hey, this sounds a lot like the series I’m working on now XD Maybe THAT’S why I’m not working on it >.>

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

Chronological, if it’s writing from scratch!

If I’m rewriting or editing, however, I usually work on the scenes that need the most work first ;) 

4) favorite character you’ve written

Henri Sinclair.

No contest.

Next~

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

Mmmm maybe Julian King from my WIP Claimed? I dunno, he’s probably the most depraved of my villains, and that’s saying something O.O Just to name a few bad things he’s done: rape, murder, manipulation, sabotage, etc. Yeah, he’s messed up. Oh, and he’s also interested in having a child with his daughter soooo TERRIBLE person. Sorry, demon! I should’ve mentioned that he’s king of the demons but yeah! Justified! (I think)

8) favorite genre to write

Paranormal Romance!

But I also like dabbling in mystery and suspense~

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

Read, read, read!

(and listen to music, of course~)

10) write in silence or with background noise? with people or alone?

Writing: pure silence, alone.

Editing: soft background noise, alone.

I can’t write when people are in the same room, I just CAN’T! XD

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

Lengthening chapters? Dialogue? Take your pick. If you could only see my first writing ever, you’d noticed that I thought a chapter could be a single freaking paragraph. Just NO. 

Also, when it comes to dialogue, I’ve always been kinda terrible at it, but ever since college classes, I feel like I’ve gotten better :) Just maybe~

12) your weaknesses as an author

General description and character development, to name a few! 

Oh, and foreshadowing! I think it’s genius when other authors incorporate it, but I never feel like I can accomplish that :/

13) your strengths as an author

I don’t even know… dialogue, maybe?

Oh, and I’m also pretty good at proofreading, thanks to my mom so~

Does that count?

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

No, not really..

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

Constructive criticism can only help you, not hurt you! 

And yet, don’t take every piece of it to heart. 

19) when it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

I have a big, BIG binder full of notes & outlines of course! ^^

If only for The Hunters Saga~

20) do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

Nowadays, it’s in little spurts, but once I start editing/rewriting my sequel to The Blood Diamond, I’ll hopefully transition to long sit-down sessions ^^’

21) what do you think when you read over your older work?

“UGH, did I really write that?! It’s so cliché! Goddamn I hate this!”

22) are there any subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

Uhhhhhh SEX SCENES in general. I guess.

I can read ‘em just fine, but writing them? 

Nope.

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

I can’t really think of anything in particular, no~

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

I’m still learning in a lot of things, so no? Probably not? Ehhhhh that’s what research is for!

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

Random blurb from The Blood Diamond:

   “If you’re only here to observe, let meremind you of your own Agency’s rules.” Irritated by his authoritative tone, Irolled my eyes. “Don’t bother. I get it. I’m not allowed to do much of anythingunless the situation is dire.” My eyes narrowed then.      Henri smirked at my apparent confidence.“And what if I were to make a spectacle of my existence as a vampire? What arethe rules on that?”      My body went rigid at his sudden question.What he was implying… He wanted to expose himself?! I shook my head in quietdisbelief. “Why would you do that, Henri? It’s not like any infatuated girlnext door would believe you anyway.”      The vampire was deathly silent for a moment,then let his grin widen, showing the very tips of his incisors. “What if they

did

? What if I was convincing enough?”    My body felt so cold then. What was Henrieven thinking? Why this? Why

now

?Feigning confidence, I shrugged. “That’s illegal. The Order would force you tocompel the-”      “Ms. Drake.”      I stopped. Henri lookedserious, but was he? Was he

really

? 

Thanks for the really LOADED ask, Friendo! This took forever and you can probably figure out WHY! O.O

#Rachel Writes #RJ City #RJ #Friendo #peaceonwheels #The Hunters Saga #The Creatures of the Night Quartet #Claimed #Julian King #Henri Sinclair #Toni Drake #writing asks