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pen-and-inks · 29 days
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I hate you AI, I hate you sites making deals with souless corporations that think creativity can be replicated by an unthinking machine, I hate you money-hungry investors and ceos, I hate you opt-out models, I hate you tech bros, I hate you having to spend precious free time having to scramble our art in a desperate attempt not to getting stolen from, I hate you minimization of the hard work we put into our craft, I hate ''''machine learning''''' being compared to a very human person putting in the hours to better themselves, I hate you commodification of the very core of human's expression, I hate you scams being helped along by uber plagiarism, I hate you AI, I hate you AI, I hate you AI, I HATE YOU AI
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pen-and-inks · 3 months
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friends, romans, countrymen it's been awhile. good news: spies and dolls is coming along. very slowly, and very tentatively, but things are moving. bad news (?): i am permanently setting aside the silver crown. i've lost passion for it and it would take an overhaul to distance it from existing media in the same genre (we all have seen enough of silver-haired princesses with family drama for a while, i think). so it's going in a box. maybe forever, maybe not. i'm excited to get involved in the writing community here again, i've missed the atmosphere of all you kind people and the warmth of the creativity here.
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pen-and-inks · 3 months
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“how did you get into writing” girl nobody gets into writing. writing shows up one day at your door and gets into you
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pen-and-inks · 4 months
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pen-and-inks · 4 months
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I've noticed that people have started spreading the 1992 Good Omens script around. Please don't. If you've got it up, please take it down. There's a mess of serious and real legalities involved, and I don't want to have to start being a dick and asking for copyright takedowns and all of that, and I don't want to have to regret letting it out into the world. Just take it down, unshare, delete links. Thank you.
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pen-and-inks · 10 months
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do you ever not write for so long that you’re almost afraid to? like what if I’m dumb now
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pen-and-inks · 11 months
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Really simple things I do in my fantasy writing (that may help you as well, who knows)
Here are just a few things I implement as much as possible to improve the quality of my drafts. You don't need to use them 100% of the time, and they're better used after zero and first drafts, but you may find that on occasion, little tweaks like this can drastically change the text, the style, the impact, and hopefully for the better.
Try to avoid numbering anything specifically. There's never a "fifty years passed", or "she was twenty-three summers old". Allow the writing to be vague in this regard. If relevant, try to show the passing of time in architecture, technology, phrases, changes in the characters features, abilities, eyesight etc. and for the mention of ages, unless absolutely necessary, descriptions, mannerisms and worldliness of your characters will help the reader to determine estimated age ranges. Specifics add little, and there are better ways to show it. This goes with objects too, instead of "she purchased two tomes" it would be "she made her purchases, a leather bound tome embossed with a silver horned horse, and a lighter, most-ancient book, its pages torn and translucent." Give yourself opportunities to expand on information, adding atmosphere and sensation to the experience wherever you can. This isn't to say you can't have timelines etc. it's just giving more opportunity to better show.
Show don't tell. Yes, that ol' chestnut. But, specifically in regards to the character's internal monologues, thoughts and motivations. Instead of "Mávrik bit down on the end of his cigar, omitting his part in the discussion. He did not, could not, trust her. " You can cut out the parts in red that blatantly explain or tell his inner thoughts and simply use: "Mávrik bit down on the end of his cigar —"we entertain the vitjá [witch] now?" Add personality and flair with dialogue or actions. This allows the reader to fully engage in the story for themselves. From the context of the scene, the reader can guess at and determine the character's thoughts for themselves. You want to try and do this as effectively as possible. The more you opt to blatantly explain every angle, the less there is for the reader to think about and immerse themselves in.
Give all scenes purpose and move the story onward. This is likely going to be the most controversial tip in the list, but I stand by it regardless. Yes, this includes those beloved downtime scenes. Be inventive and deliberate in how you dress these scenes. Whether to show a new or developing facet of a relationship, a new location which will further expand our idea of your detailed world. Even downtime scenes should be in, some way, relevant to the plot. Is it a moment of calm before the storm/climax? An emotional breather that followed something traumatic? All scenes should have multiple, compelling components, intertwining both character and plot. Which leads into:
Have your characters doing something, always. Please, for the love of all is holy, unholy, infinite and unknown, give your characters things to do. Yes, even in downtime. I do not want to read another doorstop novel that repeatedly brings its characters to the same dinner table scene to discuss absolutely nothing of note (looking at you, SJ Maas.) As previously stated, think of every scene having a purpose. Perhaps it will reveal a character's hobby, grooming habits, their vices and addictions, or particular talent. Please, have your characters actively doing things. Because people do things, lots of things, a lot of the time.
Be creative in the ways you show the passing of time. Use day and night cycles, the habitat, nocturnal and diurnal fauna, instead of "at midnight" consider something along the lines of "the bloated moon hovered above them" or instead of "summer rolled into fall/autumn" describe the sights and sounds of the season(s), "the crisp, warm air grew heavy, clammy and thick with rot."
Remove any and all instances of "suddenly," "in-between breaths", "in a beat" and, my own personal favourite, "for a moment." I'm sorry, look I know they haunt me too, but they're useless filler and serve no real purpose. I've got nothing here to say beyond delete them, cut them out of your life, you and your draft deserve better.
Make your word-count count. I don't care if your book is a doorstopper at 700 pages or more when the novel isn't densely packed with compelling story, character development and plot. Yes, plot, my beloved. Be brutal with stripping away useless words, phrases, characters analyzing their own experiences to the reader, meta, repetition (unless deliberate) scenes that do nothing for either characters or plot - though at this point you should be aiming to hit both. Trust that your reader can follow the story without over-explaining and constantly reiterating, again and again. Trust me, we got it, we get it.
Write active characters but have their dialogue serve as mostly reactionary. Dialogue typically occurs as a reaction, to another person, an event, a question, an interesting/relevant observation. It helps the dialogue sound more natural, fluid, a back-and-forth. By having characters talk in this manner, about something, or directly to someone else, you avoid the trap of characters sounding too self-aware. Dialogue should reveal things about a character, but in an abstract way in relation to the scene/plot/interaction, a character should never just outright say exactly what they're thinking/feeling.
These, like all writing suggestions, are not hard rules, they aren't set in stone and I don't offer them with the intent of you tearing your manuscript apart, but if you choose to practice a couple of them, see how you feel. If you like them once you've tried them, attempt to implement them more frequently. Happy writing! 🌞
- fáe
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pen-and-inks · 1 year
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tumblr notifs: Mutual™ has liked your post
me: *clicks on the button to see which post* I must know which of my humble offerings have pleased my dearest.
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pen-and-inks · 1 year
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WIP Intro: The Sunfall Tomb
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Genre: Sci-fi; Fantasy; action adventure
Elements: Found family, lgbtq+ characters, mystery, adventure
CW: Violence
Kenna Callai is an archaeologist and researcher in frontier. All her life, she's dreamed of uncovering the secrets of history. but when she receives a cryptic message that promises one of the greatest discoveries in the modern galaxy, she finds herself at odds with dangerous and reckless enemies. With the help of Niko, a young adventurer and gunslinger, Kenna races against a brash crew of space pirates to find an ancient tomb and stop them from claiming the magical weapons within.
The Leads:
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Kenna Callai- At 24 years old, she's just beginning her career as an archaeologist as she chases down old mysteries to shine a light on forgotten history. She's a member of the Arcana Corps, the division of the all-volunteer Frontier Collective focused on researching the past. She believes understanding the galaxy's history is vital to surviving the future. The fallen Druma Empire tried its best to wipe away the galaxy's past, but Kenna is dogged in her pursuit.
Niko Vast- He's the youngest Ranger in Frontier Collective history. Now 16 years old, Niko's had an entire year to make a name for himself as a Ranger. He's the son of a famous outlaw and legendary member of the Ranger Corps, and though he's made mistakes on the job, Niko has a lot to live up to and he won't stop fighting for those who can't.
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Together, these two underdogs will face off against the Black Nebula pirate clan in a race against time to discover the Sunfall Tomb. They both want to protect history and defend the people of frontier space, but they'll have to learn to work together and unravel these secrets before their enemies obtain a terrible power.
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This is a serialized story I'm publishing to Kindle Vella weekly. The first 4 episodes are up! New episodes drop on Saturdays(hopefully)!
If you wanna check them out, you can find the series linked below. The first three episodes are free, but if you're signed into your amazon account you get 200 free tokens to unlock further episodes.
Otherwise, I'll be posting lore, settings info and character profiles here, as well as expanding on the universe! Feel free to drop by and let me know what you're working on too!
Kindle Vella Story:
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pen-and-inks · 1 year
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Source: This
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pen-and-inks · 2 years
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kissing someone to shut them up because they're angry or frustrated: gross, bad, ew, 0/10
kissing someone to shut them up because they're too nervous to express their feelings properly and stumbling over their words: amazing, incredible, inspiring, 100/10, would swoon
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pen-and-inks · 2 years
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advice on how to write a character with survivor’s guilt?
Writing a Character with Survivor's Guilt
I know you're probably looking for a guide, but I only do guides on topics I know well enough that I don't have to do tons of research. Unfortunately this isn't one of them, so you'll have to do the research on your own. Here are some general tips, though:
#1 - Flesh out the circumstances that caused your character to have survivor's guilt. #2 - Understand how this guilt plays into their internal wound and internal conflict. #3 - Do research on survivor's guilt and see if you can find real life examples of people in situations similar to your character's. Sometimes you can find firsthand accounts, interviews, and other personal accounts that offer valuable insight into the mind of someone who has been through what your character has been through. #4 - Figure out how to incorporate what you learn into your character.
#5 - Work with a sensitivity reader to ensure your portrayal is not harmful in any way.
Good luck with your story!
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Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!
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pen-and-inks · 2 years
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Writeblr hunt
Looking for new writeblrs to follow and befriend! My dash is super dead lately
Pls reblog esp if you are an active writeblr who writes any of these:
• Strong platonic relationships esp between men (friendships where men show feelings and can be vulnerable and soft with each other? Complicated brotherly relationships? Rivals who would support each other through fire? Heck yeah. Pure friendship power)
• Hurt/comfort (whumpy and angsty stuff, but with emphasis on the comfort part)
• Enemies to friends. Or enemies to lovers
• Romance (esp m/f)
• Found family/group/team dynamics
• Fantasy of any kind (esp with magic systems, many magic types, detailed or vague but plays a big part in the story)
• Dream stories, dream spaces, dream powers, mind magic powers
• More dimensions/worlds/universes
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pen-and-inks · 2 years
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You know what I started doing this past year that really helped my mental health and might sound odd?
I started telling people good things. Like if I notice a retail worker's dress is pretty, I say so. If I find a waitress' balancing skills impressive, I say so. I tell people I appreciate them.
I look at every interaction I have with people as "I'm gonna make their day less shitty" and you know what?? Turns out visibly making people happier is good for the soul!
I smile at people in the subway, I say hi to bus drivers, I tip exhausted-looking fast food workers and tell them to have a good night.
And like, it's so healing??
It feels like I'm shutting up the part of me that's dragging me down and telling me I'll never be useful. Because look how useful I am, I made an employee smile because I said I liked her scarf!
I leave comments on fanfic, I text people memes, and maybe it's overrated to be useful. Maybe I'm not meant to be used, and maybe I'm just meant to be here to drop a couple coins in tip jars and smile at people and hold doors open. That's enough, I think.
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pen-and-inks · 2 years
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I just think we should be allowed to obsess over our ocs and self inserts without feeling cringe. It’s been a long pandemic and I think we deserve some healthy and unhealthy coping, as a treat.
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pen-and-inks · 2 years
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some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs
* body language masterlist
* a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does
* a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes
* 550 words to say instead of fuckin said
* 638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again
* some more body language help
(hope this helps some ppl)
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pen-and-inks · 2 years
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i am FULLY against the sentiment that we don’t owe anybody anything. we owe people common decency. we owe people respect if it has been given to us. we owe people apologies & explanations when we hurt them. i don’t care.
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