possiblylisle

[possiblylisle]

Thumbprint Challenge

Thank you @possiblylisle for tagging me!

Rules: look back on your works, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things.

Found Family- I'm a southern gay, of course I love the found family trope

Roadtrip- I have no real reason for this, I just think the forced proximity of being in a car adds fun tension

Family Drama- read number 1

Set in a Small Town- Love me a story where everyone's Momma knows each other and you have to be real careful to not let people find out what you don't want them to know

Dysfunctional Family- Listen, I don't want to get into it

Tagging i have no idea, if you haven't been tagged yet and you wanna do it, say I tagged you

[possiblylisle]

caveman writer brain wants all the men to be short. I can't explain it. It's like a fundamental law of the universe or something.

Thumbprint Challenge

thanks @leahnardo-da-veggie for the tag!!

Rules: look back on your works, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things.

Main characters with a voice in their head, or some sort of invisible companion that only they can hear. I don't know why this keeps popping up, but I may need to go see psychiatrist.

absolute wet cat men. Jodie, the protag of my current WIP, is constantly confused and and getting dragged everywhere he goes.

The fashion. For some reason I really love describing the nice, intricate outfits I have created for my characters. It may just be my fashionista bleeding into my writing, but it keeps appearing.

weird names. I can never give a character a normal human name, I always have to look for the weirdest, most unique names I can find. In that sense I'm kind of like a white suburban mom.

Short men protags. after going through many of my old wips, I have noticed that if the protag is a man, he is short. I have no explanation for this. Its not projection either. I'm 5'10.

Tagging @themboty @a-scaly-troublemaker @dandelionsoupp

[possiblylisle]

Thumbprint Challenge

thanks @leahnardo-da-veggie for the tag!!

Rules: look back on your works, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things.

Main characters with a voice in their head, or some sort of invisible companion that only they can hear. I don't know why this keeps popping up, but I may need to go see psychiatrist.

absolute wet cat men. Jodie, the protag of my current WIP, is constantly confused and and getting dragged everywhere he goes.

The fashion. For some reason I really love describing the nice, intricate outfits I have created for my characters. It may just be my fashionista bleeding into my writing, but it keeps appearing.

weird names. I can never give a character a normal human name, I always have to look for the weirdest, most unique names I can find. In that sense I'm kind of like a white suburban mom.

Short men protags. after going through many of my old wips, I have noticed that if the protag is a man, he is short. I have no explanation for this. Its not projection either. I'm 5'10.

Tagging @themboty @a-scaly-troublemaker @dandelionsoupp

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers of tumblr #author #creative writing #writerscommunity #tag game #tag games

[possiblylisle]

Y'all are amazing. Reblog to hug the person you’re reblogging from.

[possiblylisle]

My main WIP is now at 14,000 words. Please clap.

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers of tumblr #author #creative writing #writerscommunity #writing

[possiblylisle]

Oh shit! Things are getting heated!

*switches character POV to a different scene to create tension*

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers of tumblr #author #creative writing #writerscommunity #writing

[possiblylisle]

Build Your Writing Haven Tag!

Thank you very much @leahnardo-da-veggie for the tag!!!

Rules: Without using any images, describe your ideal place to write.

I always write in my bedroom, and that's where I'm able to get the most work done.

The room should be dark, preferably because its late at night. The window should be open to let in some of the cool night air to help keep me focused and comfortable.

I would have the door shut to submerse myself in total, comfortable darkness.

I'd have my writing music playing softly, either through headphones or directly from my phone's speaker.

Tagging @starstruckspinning @whereserpentswalk @dandelionsoupp @the-ellia-west @dragoninahumancostume and anyone else that wishes to partake in the fun.

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers of tumblr #author #tag games #tag game

[possiblylisle]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals and followers ❤️

Thanks!

Semester is almost over!!

I have an awesome gf

Writing

Music

My shows

[possiblylisle]

Fun and Cool Writing tip!!!

I have found that listening to Caramelldansen on a loop while writing really helps to get the words flowing.

My current theory is that your brain slowly starts to deteriorate after the third or fourth loop, so it decides to let you write in the hopes that you will end its suffering quicker.

I'm also pretty sure this method can be found in some CIA documents from the Cold War.

#tysm for the tip!!! #i’ll be sure to test it out!!! #😍 #<- previous tag #I’m not legally liable for the damage this will cause #but you’re welcome for the tip bb 😚

[possiblylisle]

Character Voice Tag

Thank you @njnetails for the tag!!

My Line: Just come back home.

Dove: "Hey, come on man! Come back, please."

Haris: "You're giving me a stress headache the longer you stay out."

Bluebird: "Darling, I would appreciate it if you would return."

Coco: "Hey, dumbass, get over here before I start getting agitated."

Theo: "Just, please shut up and get over here."

Porter: "You really piss me off, you know. Come back, now, or I'll bring you back myself."

Livvy: "..."

I tag @leahnardo-da-veggie @whereserpentswalk @dandelionsoupp

Your Line: What are you doing here?

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers of tumblr #author #writerscommunity #tag games #tag game

[possiblylisle]

You Don't Need an Agent! Publishers That Accept Unsolicited Submissions

I see a few people sayin that you definitely need an agent to get published traditionally. Guess what? That's not remotely true. While an agent can be a very useful tool in finding and negotiating with publishers, going without is not as large of a hurdle as people might make it out to be!

Below is a list of some of the traditional publishers that offer reading periods for agent-less manuscripts. There might be more! Try looking for yourself - I promise it's not that scary!

Albert Whitman & Company: for picture books, middle-grade, and young adult fiction

Hydra (Part of Random House): for mainly LitRPG

Kensington Publishing: for a range of fiction and nonfiction

NCM Publishing: for all genres of fiction (YA included) and nonfiction

Pants of Fire Press: for middle-grade, YA, and adult fiction

Tin House Books: very limited submission period, but a good avenue for fiction, literary fiction, and poetry written by underrepresented communities

Quirk Fiction: offers odd-genre rep for represented and unagented authors. Unsolicited submissions inbox is closed at the moment but this is the page that'll update when it's open, and they produced some pretty big books so I'd keep an eye on this

Persea Books: for lit fiction, creative nonfiction, YA novels, and books focusing on contemporary issues

Baen: considered one of the best known publishers of sci-fi and fantasy. They don't need a history of publication.

Chicago Review Press: only accepting nonfiction at the moment, but maybe someone here writes nonfiction

Acre: for poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Special interest in underrepresented authors. Submission period just passed but for next year!

Coffeehouse Press: for lit fiction, nonfiction, poetry and translation. Reading period closed at time of posting, but keep an eye out

Ig: for queries on literary fiction and political/cultural nonfiction

Schaffner Press: for lit fiction, historical/crime fiction, or short fiction collections (cool)

Feminist Press: for international lit, hybrid memoirs, sci-fi and fantasy fiction especially from BIPOC, queer and trans voices

Evernight Publishing: for erotica. Royalties seem good and their response time is solid

Felony & Mayhem: for literary mystery fiction. Not currently looking for new work, but check back later

This is all what I could find in an hour. And it's not even everything, because I sifted out the expired links, the repeat genres (there are a lot of options for YA and children's authors), and I didn't even include a majority of smaller indie pubs where you can really do that weird shit.

A lot of them want you to query, but that's easy stuff once you figure it out. Lots of guides, and some even say how they want you to do it for them.

Not submitting to a Big 5 Trad Pub House does not make you any less of a writer. If you choose to work with any publishing house it can take a fair bit of weight off your shoulders in terms of design and distribution. You don't have to do it - I'm not - but if that's the way you want to go it's very, very, very possible.

Have a weirder manuscript that you don't think fits? Here's a list of 50 Indie Publishers looking for more experimental works to showcase and sell!

If Random House won't take your work - guess what? Maybe you're too cool for Random House.

[possiblylisle]

People don't realize how liminal it is to be a time traveler. How you don't ever really feel like you're in the time you are. Even when you're in your own time, everything is off, your coat was something you bought in interwar France, the book you're reading on the train is from a bookstore you had to visit in Victorian London, even your necklace was given to you by a Neolithic shaman, from a culture the rest of the world can never know. You find yourself acting strange even when in the present, much less in the past you have to work in.

You remember meeting a eunuch in 10th century China, and having him be one of the only people smart and observant enough to realize you were from a diffrent time. You could talk honestly with him, though still you couldn't reveal too much about your time. And it was still so strange hearing him talk casually about work and mention plotting assassinations. You're not allowed to but you still visit him sometimes.

You remember that the few times you were allowed to tell someone everything it was tragic. You knew a young woman who lived in Pompeii, who you had gotten close to, a few days before she would inevitably die. On your last day there you looked into her eyes, knowing soon they'd be stone and ash, that the beauty of her hair would be washed away by burning magma. And you hugged her, and told her that you wanted her to be safe, and told her she was wonderful and that you wanted her to be comfortable and happy. And you let her tongue know the joy of 21st century chocolate, and her eyes see the beauty of animation, knowing she deserved to have those joys, knowing it wouldn't matter soon. And you hugged her the last time, and told her she deserved happiness. And when you left without taking her it was like you were killing her yourself.

You want to take home everyone you're attached to. There's a college student you befriended in eighteen fifties Boston. And you can't help but see him try to solve problems you know humanity is centuries away from solving. And you just want to tell him. And it's not just that, the way he talked about the books and plays he likes, his sense of humor. There's so many people you want him to meet.

You feel the same way about a young woman you met on a viking age longship. She tells stories to her fellow warriors and traders, stories that will never fully get written down, stories that she tells so uniquely and so well. She has so many great ideas. You want so dearly to take her to somewhere she can share her stories, or where she can take classes with other writers, where she can be somewhere safe instead of being out at sea. She'll talk about wanting to be able to do something, or meet people, and you know you're so close to being able to take her, but you never can, unless she accidently finds out way too much then you can't.

You remember the longship that you met that young storyteller on. You were there before, two years ago for you, ten years later for the people on it. The young woman who told you stories wasn't there ten years later, you had been told why then but you only realize now, her uncle, who ran the ship, had been one of the first people to convert to Christianity in his nation. He killed her, either for not converting or for sleeping with women, you're not sure, but he killed her, and bragged about it when you met him ten years later.

You talk to the storyteller on the longship, ask her about the myths you're there to ask her about, the myths that she loves to tell. You look into her eyes knowing it's probably less then a year until her uncle takes her life. You ask her if you think that those who die of murder go to Valhalla. She tells you she hopes not, she doesn't see Valhalla as a gift but as a duty, she hopes for herself to go to Hel, where she wouldn't have to fight anymore. You slip and admit you're talking about her, telling her that you hope that's where she goes when she's killed. You hope to yourself you'll be forced to take her to the twenty first century, you're tempted even to make it worse, you want to have ruined her enough to be able to save her.

[possiblylisle]

Vaguely Summarized WIP Tag:

Thanks @possiblylisle for the tag!

Rules: summarize your WIP in fifteen bullet points (but do it badly)

I'll do this for Honored.

1. Random sudden betrothal letter gets instantly accepted by the recipient's sister on his behalf without permission.

2. Betrothal letter causes break up.

3. Break up causes one party to go on a dangerous solo road trip.

4. Awkward family dynamics. Married people who do not know each other at all.

5. Fiancée and her family also have awkward family dynamics.

6. No one can handle alcohol in this family. One meal with too much alcohol involved causes chaos and breakdowns.

7. Fiancée's weird little sister claims to be a prophet. She makes a good friend if you're desperately lonely enough though.

8. Meanwhile, it turns out that going back to the orphanage/school you grew up in again as an adult isn't a great idea.

9. Awkward courtship definitely does not last long enough.

10. Wedding!! Must bring rabbit to the wedding.

11. Trauma dumping with your wife on your wedding night instead of having sex.

12. Meanwhile, insane amounts of pining while also working through internalized racism.

13. This marriage isn't working, are you sure theft isn't a better way to fix your financial problems?

[I don't want to spoil the ending so the last points are redacted. Even if it's badly summarized, I really don't want anyone to know how Honored will end yet and I couldn't figure out how to word it without giving away the ending at all.]

Open tag for anyone who wants to badly summarize their WIP!

[possiblylisle]

♡ interact with this post if you're a writeblr and want to be tagged in tag games ♡

[possiblylisle]

Vaguely Summarised WIP Game

Thanks to @leahnardo-da-veggie for the tag :)))

(Light Spoilers for my Novel)

waking up naked and bleeding in an alleyway is attributed to alcoholism.

poor fashion choices attributed to teenage sense of humor and bad choices.

Trusting strangers leads you to weird places and kidnapping

You're a wizard victim, Jodie

Okay fine, we'll stop dehumanizing you, but will we keep using you as leverage against a CEO

Good Job you found the AI core we wanted to destroy! Don't get kidnapped now...

The weirdest family reunion reveals that it was, in fact, not alcoholism.

If you dead name this woman, her best friend will literally kill you.

Identity crisis, courtesy of the voices in your head.

Hey kid, wanna meet a CEO who definitely doesn't want to kill you?

Whoopsie, you were never real in the first place

*Insert biblical-level mental breakdown and a second identity crisis*

Threats of violence from the definitely not evil CEO

more threats of violence.

You did it! you beat the antagonists and let that parent AI take over your body! Nothing bad could come from this. *book one of two*

The time has come for tags.

@finickyfelix @dragoninahumancostume @gwens-fiction @i-can-even-burn-salad

[possiblylisle]

Fun and Cool Writing tip!!!

I have found that listening to Caramelldansen on a loop while writing really helps to get the words flowing.

My current theory is that your brain slowly starts to deteriorate after the third or fourth loop, so it decides to let you write in the hopes that you will end its suffering quicker.

I'm also pretty sure this method can be found in some CIA documents from the Cold War.

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #creative writing #writers of tumblr #author #writerscommunity

[possiblylisle]

Have some Encouragement

Fellow writers, remember, only one person can tell the story you want to tell.

You are the best person to tell that story, so tell it.