livvywrites

[livvywrites]

you know what i'm gonna get sappy for a second bear with me

there are a lot of posts and memes for writers about how hard writing is and how annoying it can be and how dispiriting it can feel when we don't make progress the way we'd like to. and those are true, and relatable, and funny! i've been there!

but maybe it doesn't get said enough in the other direction, so I'm gonna say it: I love writing. i love the process of putting phrases together and testing them for cadence and flow; i love knowing that there is a word for exactly the thing I want to convey, even if I just can't think of it right now, and going onto a thesaurus and being like there she is, that's the one!

but more than anything, I love the ritual of constantly asking myself "okay, and then what happens?" and feeling the same sense of delighted surprise every single time when somehow, a part of me I wasn't consciously aware of knows the answer. that experience, where my brain provides me solutions I didn't know it was working on, feels like a miracle every time. and getting into a productivity groove where I keep knowing the answers is one of the best feelings on the planet.

and sure, sometimes I don't know the answer, and it's hard and unsatisfying and see above about how easy it is to joke about how writing's the pits, but... that just makes it even more special when I'm firing on all cylinders, you know?

anyway, yeah. w r i t i n g.

#writing positivity

[livvywrites]

Text: The polar desert is impossible to cross without a Firebreather from the Northern Colonies. I watch as ours blows blue flames gently across my palm, until they engulf my entire body.

#prompts #insp

[livvywrites]

#write humor

[livvywrites]

reminder to worldbuilders: don't get caught up in things that aren't important to the story you're writing, like plot and characters! instead, try to focus on what readers actually care about: detailed plate tectonics

#worldbuilding

[livvywrites]

I've just released my first novel and the first in a trilogy! The Bonds That Bind Us is a story of trauma, healing, found family, and growth. It is a literary fiction with a gay romance plot, and is currently FREE ON KINDLE FOR EVERYONE!

#authors of tumblr #boost

[livvywrites]

𝙰𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙼𝚎:

I'm 30 years old, I use they/them pronouns. I'm audhd and aspec and I have a lovely cat named Ursa who you'll likely see pics pop up of

𝙰𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚆𝙸𝙿𝚜:

Iron Wrought follows a grumpy 5'0 half fae, half human Gay named Bairre who is the sworn sword of a faerie prince, as well as a faerie princess named Seida

the Unnamed Blake Wip follows a tired lesbian demi-god who is the young single mom of a deaf 4 year old lil boy

𝙺𝚎𝚢 𝙿𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚜:

found family and complicated relational families

very queer

neurodivergencies and physical disabilities play a very large part in my worlds

Fantasy + Urban Fantasy Fantasy

magical world building systems involving gods, fae, daimons, etc

I love, love, love to interact with folks about my wips and ocs and I love to hear about all urs!!!

#writeblr community

[livvywrites]

@rbhvleo // roberto ferri // mothering by ainslie hogarth // rainer maria rilke // ? // planet of love by richard siken // a self portrait in letters by anne sexton // indian summer by ron hicks

#web weaving

[livvywrites]

Blud - Rachel McKibbens // Sick - Jody Chan // Portrait of Fryderyk in Shifting Light - Richard Siken

#web weaving

[livvywrites]

Years and years ago, I read a book on cryptography that I picked up because it looked interesting--and it was!

But there was a side anecdote in there that stayed with me for more general purposes.

The author was describing a cryptography class that they had taken back in college where the professor was demonstrating the process of "reversibility", which is a principle that most codes depend on. Specifically, it should be easy to encode, and very hard to decode without the key--it is hard to reverse the process.

So he had an example code that he used for his class to demonstrate this, a variation on the Book Code, where the encoded text would be a series of phone numbers.

The key to the code was that phone books are sorted alphabetically, so you could encode the text easily--picking phone numbers from the appropriate alphabetical sections to use ahead of time would be easy. But since phone books were sorted alphabetically, not numerically, it would be nearly impossible to reverse the code without exhaustively searching the phone book for each string of numbers and seeing what name it was tied to.

Nowadays, defeating this would be child's play, given computerized databases, but back in the 80s and 90s, this would have been a good code... at least, until one of the students raised their hand and asked, "Why not just call the phone numbers and ask who lives there?"

The professor apparently was dumbfounded.

He had never considered that question. As a result, his cipher, which seemed to be nearly unbreakable to him, had such an obvious flaw, because he was the sort of person who could never coldcall someone to ask that sort of thing!

In the crypto book, the author went on to use this story as an example of why security systems should not be tested by the designer (because of course the security system is ready for everything they thought of, by definition), but for me, as a writer, it stuck with me for a different reason.

It's worth talking out your story plot with other people just to see if there's a "Why not just call the phone numbers?" obvious plot hole that you've missed, because of your singular perspective as a person. Especially if you're writing the sort of plot where you have people trying to outsmart each other.

#writing advice

[livvywrites]

how simple, hop along 2. birds hover the trampled field, richard siken

#quotes #web weaving

[livvywrites]

Genuinely I think one of the best things you can do to build characters in your story is give them a kink. You do not have to put that kink in the story. You do not have to tell anyone but yourself. But thinking about their wants and needs and what would bring them comfort or desire, about whether they crave power or crave a situation where they're blessedly free from any power, about which taboo they might kind of want to cross, is really useful for getting inside their head. Also "what situation would make my character stupid horny enough to make a terrible mistake?" is a good plotting device. "It's a plot hole that they made that dumb decision" no they were just whistling like a lustful kettle and forgot to turn their brain on.

#lmfao #writing advice #characterization

[livvywrites]

yes & no by natalie wee

#poetry

[livvywrites]

#most of my characters are bi #polls

[livvywrites]

doctors should do this, although perhaps with less yelling.

#reference #insp #worldbuilding

[livvywrites]

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

#quotes

[livvywrites]

ALL-IN-ONE NOTION: “TRANSCRIPTS”

a highly customizable, simplistic but fancy notion template for writers. perfect for organizing notes while keeping it aesthetically-pleasing to look at. guaranteed higher muse and motivation to finish works-in-progress.  to download / copy, click “duplicate” top-right to copy it to your notion.

features:

overview / introductory section (including a detailed synopsis section)

visual and simple overview of chapters

visual and simple overview of characters

note-taking section with a simple to-do list

tags system (e.g. completion status for chapters, character roles for characters)

locations section 

in-depth notes section including a side dedicated for excerpts

please like / reblog if you’re using or interested in using it!

#notion template

[livvywrites]

ALL-IN-ONE CHARACTER PAGE NOTION: “THE QUILL” *

a highly customizable, simplistic but detailed notion template for writing and creating characters based on the best curated writer advice and how-tos. perfect for exploring and creating a character while keeping their information aesthetically-pleasing to look at. use this both as a template and a guide to develop your characters while working on your wips! to download / copy, click “duplicate” top-right to copy it to your notion.

* perfect as an extension of the "transcripts" notion template.

features:

overview / introductory section (including the lie, the want, the ghost, etc.)

history section including a side for excerpts

interactive and simple overview of character arcs to choose from (including development questions based on the arc chosen)

magic section (if applicable)

personality and appearance section

interactive and simple overview of relationships

tags system for relationships (e.g. relationship dynamic, character role)

note-taking section with a simple to-do list

please like / reblog if you’re using or interested in using it!

#notion template