#personally I use scrivener for all my long stories

[jessepinwheel]

writer survey question time:

inspired by seeing screencaps where the software is offering (terrible) style advice because I haven't used a software that has a grammar checker for my stories in like a decade

if you use multiple applications, pick the one you use most often.

#poll #personally I use scrivener for all my long stories #and deepdwn which is a markdown editor for my short stories #I used to use notepad

[iamamythologicalcreature]

An Ask Game for Writers to Procrastinate Working on Your WIP(s)

(Not like I need the assistance, but I'm so thrilled to be thought of as a writer that I'm totally doing this.)

Thank you so much for the invites @aristocratic-otter, @bookish-bogwitch, @shrekgogurt, @ic3-que3n, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @drowninginships, @best--dress, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @monbons, @thewholelemon, @whatevertheweather, and @youarenevertooold! (I think I might be the last one in the 'verse doing this, but that won't stop me from tagging more people at the end.) I've loved reading everyone's answers!

Okay. Here we go. I am absolutely using my flimsy claim to authorhood to answer these. >.>

1. 🦈Tell us the name of your/ one of your WIP(s):

The Haunting of Simon Snow

2. 🍄Describe your WIP/one of your WIP(s) in the format of “___ + ___ =___”

Construction Worker!Simon + haunted manor house = a most interesting summer job

3. 🌍What tags or warnings will your / one of your WIP(s) need if you intend to share it?

Well, it's a ghost story. You can draw some conclusions from that.

4. 🧭An alternative title to your/ one of your WIP(s)?

A Victorian's Gothic

5. ⚠️Which WIP your most likely to finish or update next?

It sure as hell better be Haunting. I mean, my goodness, it's looped around my brain like a too-patient boa constrictor, just sloooowly squeezing.

6. 💾What is your document of your WIP/ a WIP called? (not the stories actual title but what you’ve saved it as)

snowbaz.scriv is my catch-all Scrivener file for all ficcy things

7. 🖍Post Any sentence(s) from your WIP.

There’s a person that I used to be. Magic I used to hold, magic that held me. I have done everything I can to forget that feeling, because it was never supposed to be mine. I was never magic. He’s magic. He’s magic, and I can almost touch him. He’s magic, and he can almost hold me. I live on the edge of almost all the time, so that’s enough. (It’s never enough.)

8. ♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP.

This was originally planned as a story written in letters. (Doing that with something else, now, and it works way better in a different story.)

9. 🤔What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

I'm going to stick to snowbaz fanfic for this, because if I broaden it any further, this list will instantly become quite long. (I have a lot of original story ideas.) For snowbaz, though? Well, there's the one I'm planning for COTTA. There are a couple AU's that I've written way too many notes on. And then a Fangirl crossover fic that I sincerely hope to someday write. (Technically I started it, but only a few hundred words at this point.)

10. 🤡How many WIPS are you actively working on?

Actively? One. Maybe two. Kinda thinking two, but the second one is new and more of a game at this point, so we'll see. (Not quite so actively I also have my Baz fic, my "Silence" fic where Baz successfully steals Simon's voice. It's roughly (super roughly) outlined, and I've written several scenes, but it's on the back-burner for Haunting. And COTTA. No more new fics after that, though! I really want to tell that story!)

11. 🛠Is there a scene or anything in the WIP you are struggling with right now?

That's funny. What a question. XD YES. Yes, there are scenes. I'm designing Pitch Manor to get through this damned scene LOL

12. ❤️Not a question, just a second Kudos to send.

Thankee kindly!

On the off chance there are any fic writers left out there who haven't yet done this... Tags! @mooncello, @cutestkilla, @blackberrysummerblog, @hushed-chorus, @fatalfangirl, @onepintobean, @j-nipper-95, @facewithoutheart, @angelsfalling16, @noblecorgi, @alexalexinii, anyone else who wants to. Cheers!

#ask game #get to know me #tumblr tag game #tag game #snowbaz #snowbaz fanfic #works in progress #fandom friends

[emmanuellececchi]

Not-Yet-Written-Fics Game

AKA 4 liners outlines in my Scrivener files that no-one asked for but maybe I'll write ✨someday✨

Thanks for the tag @erathene 😘 As you did I added the probability of writing it... Maybe

1 - When Eomer got a hair cut. Way back when I was younger I imagined this that Eomer got capture by orcs and that they had cut his gorgeous hair. Not so long ago I exchanged with @konartiste about it and put a few lines in a file. Eomer got captured, hair cut, eored filled with mutuals as horse lord (thought it would be funny), Eomer feeling ashamed in front of his Queen, until he feels her nails rakes through his short hair, and feels her kissing his neck... That's it. That's the plot. Probability of being written: 1/10 - Already lots of things on my plate. Maybe a scene somewhere... Or a one shot. For now, it will stay in my files.

2 - Valisthea University. FUNNY AU for Final Fantasy XVI. Where every dominants is a Uni Professor. each of them in a depatment fitting with their personality/powers. No plot. Just shenanigan on a campus with professors acting like adolescent, love and gossip, all fun no drama. Maybe an OC, maybe not. Just a fleeting ideas among the sea of ideas I have. Probability of being written : 1/10 - Simply because I have already so much WIP for FF16, this one is just... too much. Although it could be one shot compiled in a non coherent story... Maybe I just bumped the probability by one... So 2/10

3 - Dark Phoenix. DARK FF16 AU Where Joshua turns evil after learning the Undying actually killed his brother. Once again. No plot. just an exchange of ideas with @cantanatova. Probability of being written : 0/10 - Even when I am making his life even more miserable, I want Joshua to have a happy ending. This cannot end good... So I don't feel I'll be able to write it.

4 - The Warden of Shadow. DARK FF16 AU where there are only two dominants Light and Darkness AKA Dion Lesage and Barnabas Tharmr. All the other are allies from one side or the other. In this one Barnabas capture someone of Dion's family to have a child and make the child the next Warden of Darkness but imbue with the power of light. Goal being to have someone able to overpower Dion and conquer the whole world. The child is growing up without love and is teached war, fights, and so on. Sleipnir watches over the child who is a daughter. This is a twisted relationship as Sleipnir, is actually an spirit/egi from a third, forgotten power : Shadow. At one point Barnabas will want to break the twisted bond between Sleipnir and the girl in order to break the girl and make her the perfect vessel. All hell break loose, And the girl claim the Shadow power. The last scene is of the girl and Sleipnir looking over a battle field where Darkness and Light are fighting and reading to wreak chaos on both side. Probability of being writen : 7/10 - Barnabas and Sleipnir are bad guys in the game and I have no trouble giving them hell. And I found the twist of having another set of "bad guys" or non aligned guys to just break everything without a care in the world.

I have many others but I'll just list this 4. It actually helped me while writing about them so thanks again @erathene!

Let's send a no-pressure tag to @konartiste @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras and @quillofspirit and everybody else who would like to share with us! @ass-deep-in-demons and @frodothefair: I am tagging you but you already posted yours ;)

#LOTR #FFXVI #fanfic #WIP #well not really in progress #Emma's writing #Tag Game

[thefreakandthehair]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

tagged by @steddieas-shegoes like, forever ago and I keep forgetting.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 42! most are steddie with some criminal minds fics from over ten years ago buried deep.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 252,271

3. What fandoms do you write for? right now, just stranger things! I've been toying around with writing destiel again but if I did, it'd be anonymous. (after my entire portfolio was wiped from livejournal, I'm still in pain about it.)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. and if I get burned, at least we were electrified.  2. i made this mess with love.  3. what you feel is what you are (and what you are is beautiful)  4. the answers are all inside of this.  5. Livin' On A Prayer 

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? yes! eventually! sometimes, it'll take me awhile because I just get backed up but I read them and smile and kick my feet, and even though it takes me a bit to reply, those comments are what keep me writing. <3

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? happy endings are guaranteed in this house, always. I'll never write an angsty ending-- canon hurts me enough. the most bittersweet ending though would have to be scar-crossed lovers. 

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? oooo, that's tough because they're all happy endings! but I think over the hills and far away because, by virtue of it being a long fic, the happy ending feels deserved. those two went through it to get to that ending which made it so satisfying to write!

8. Do you get hate on fics? I haven't, no, and I'm very grateful for that. but I'm also like, super liberal with the block function. we cultivate our spaces here, friends!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do, but only in the context of like, what else is happening in the fic. I just can't write pwp lmao, major kudos to everyone else who does it so well! I'm in awe of your talent perpetually.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I wrote a supernatural/charmed crossover au many, many years ago. but recently? kicks cracky supernatural/stranger things crossover au scrivener wip under the couch. nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not in this fandom!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? not that I know of, but that'd be super cool.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? not yet... but I have some plans. keep an eye out next year. 👀

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? steddie broke something in my brain, but destiel laid the path for it be broken to start with.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? liturgies & devotionals, unfortunately. or at least in its current existence in scrivener? it's a big undertaking but if I can make it less complicated, maybe it stands a chance.

16. What are your writing strengths? not once have I been able to answer this and feel comfortable with it, but I do really enjoy the omniscent third person point of view and have gotten compliments on it. and narrative writing, I like setting the scene and developing introspection.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? there are several but god, fucking dialogue! it's my kryptonite. that, and actually ending a story. context disease is so real.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? the only other language I've ever used is a snippet of Klingon, but I'd also feel comfortable using bits of French because I know a good bit of French. anything else would just feel super inauthentic because idk what the fuck I'm saying.

19. First fandom you wrote for? uh, it was around 2001 and it was for a fandom that I no longer associate with.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? to the surprise of no one: over the hills and far away <333 so much of me is in that fic and it was hugely healing.

no pressure tags: @withacapitalp @stevethehairington @steves-strapcollection @henderdads @patchworkgargoyle @inairbinad @steddieasitgoes @starrystevie @judasofsuburbia @fragilecapric0rnn @kkpwnall @fastcardotmp3 @penny00dreadful @cranberrymoons @catknives @hbyrde36 @cuoredimuschio @wormdebut @wynnyfryd @sidekick-hero @t-boyeddie @scarcrossdlvrs + anyone else who hasn't been tagged and wants to participate!

#tag game #myfic #this sat in my drafts forever i am so sorry holy shit

[olderthannetfic]

I want to try writing, my kink would be noncon/dubcon so that's what my stories are going to be about but I haven't really written anything before and I just realized in addition to very common reasons for not writing like procrastination and what not, I'm having weird anxiety bullshit about writing on my computer and.... it being tied to my name I guess?(my emotions are confusing and me trying to figuring out what I am afraid of that is making me anxious is exhausting) anyway I think I'm scared or uncomfortable with the idea of someone being able to find what I write on my computer, or a company like google or apple going through my stuff and seeing what I wrote. The idea of writing things like noncon(or just porn honestly) and someone or something could see it and get mad at me or judge me makes my skin crawl. This is definitely irrational especially because I've thought about what I would do if I got a mean comment or something and I'm pretty confident that I would tell the commenter to go fuck themselves. I think the difference would be if I posted something to ao3 even if people hate it, I'm posting it to public and I know that's a chance. The idea of someone seeing something I'm not finished with or is private really freaks me out. It doesn't even have to be porn or even typed! just the idea of trying to be vulnerable and honest in my writing and someone seeing it without my permission gives me goosebumps(and if I am trying to write something to make me horny that is very vulnerable for me. I went through a time where I wouldn't let myself think about stuff that makes me horny because I thought it dirty and wrong and made me gross and a bad person) not going to open that can of worms right now but I was just wondering if you had any advice. It doesn't help that most things I write with are on the "cloud" I use google docs a lot but that makes me very anxious because it would just exist at google forever. I have word on my computer but its through my school and I never paid for and it is attached to my school email so I don't want to do that either. I could hand write everything but honestly that sounds annoying. Wait could I type it in ao3 would that work? The actual answers of this is now that i realized it bring it up with my therapist but I was wondering if you had any thought on where I can write my stories(preferably with a computer) and be confident that's no one is spying on me? Thanks and sorry for the long anon!

--

Well... as you point out, most of this is just emotional stuff for your therapist.

But in terms of security, yeah, I do think the cloud is freaky and we live in the fucking panopticon now. It's not weird to feel surveilled all the time.

For me personally, the convenience and backups are worth it. I use Scrivener + Dropbox for my writing.

But if you want something more secure than google drive, maybe somebody here will have suggestions.

[genericpuff]

I hope this is not a bad question to make, I apologize if that's case, but I been meaning to ask something for a while. Since you have experience with stories and projects of your own, I want to ask: How do you organize/plan your stories?

I mean, the whole "timeline" or sequence of events in which the story will unfold. I always heard that you should make something like a doc on your computer where you plan each chapter or episode, for example, and just go point by point. I have also heard people saying you should make a doc with the lore of the world of your story, along with characters profiles, etc. Other people say you can make a timeline with the events of it.

A lot of stuff that always confuses me. Sorry for the long ask, just wanted to hear your advice on this, if it's okay. I been meaning to write stories of my own, but I always get confused on the sea of details and plot points and just wanted to ask for advice on the whole organization or construction of the plot.

This isn't a bad question at all!

So it's pretty much a different answer depending on who you ask, and that's really just because there isn't any one 'right' answer when it comes to this sort of thing. It's just "whatever works for you!" in the end. But here are some suggestions to get you started until you find what works for you:

Simple word processors can help you just type stuff out and keep them all in one document. If you want a free word processor, LibreOffice is pretty standard, but you could also just as well use Notepad if you don't care about formatting or margins or anything fancy. It's just for note-taking, after all!

Always always ALWAYS remember to write down your ideas as they come to you. Look into my fucking eyes, anon. YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER THEM LATER. If you're out and about, open up your phone's notepad file and write them there. Just for god's sakes, don't tell yourself you'll remember them to write down later because 9 times out of 10 it'll completely escape you and you'll be kicking yourself.

As for paid pieces of software that are pretty decent (and I use myself) Plottr is a great way to visualize an actual story timeline as it comes with timeline builders. So if you're a visual person and like laying things out end to end like that, highly recommend. Scrivener is also a great piece of software but I don't suggest paying for it UNTIL you've given it a decent trial run because it's very divisive in the writing community due to its steep learning curve. Thankfully they have a very generous free trial where it only 'counts' the days if you actually use the software (meaning if you have a 30 day trial, it won't count down to 29 if you don't use it that day). So go give it a try! And if you're lost on how to use it, Author Level Up does some GREAT videos on it that helped in making it all 'click' for me when I was still figuring it all out.

When actually writing down your ideas, start simple, and build outwards. Lay out your basic plot progression as a skeleton, and then carve it out with more details as you refine it. What I usually have with my own projects is a general note file, and files for specific scene or character breakdowns. Basically, for the sake of organization, each one serves a specific purpose, with the exception of the general note file which is just where I jot down ideas so I don't lose them (but I can put into a more dedicated file later if need be).

All that aside, when it comes to general documenting/note keeping, only create notes as you need them, don't feel like you 'have' to create what you see other people creating. Some people create full character bios, others don't. Some people draw maps or fully lay out location descriptions, others don't. Focus on function, don't force yourself to follow a perceived 'right way' because there is no right way, the only right way is what works for you and what works for you is different from what works for me or anyone else.

But if you want to see an actual example, here's one of my own with one of my Rekindled documents, which I specifically use for laying out quick notes about what I want to happen in each episode:

And here's an example of a document that's meant to be a more dedicated outline to a specific episode with actual dialogue and plotting:

(as I'm sure y'all can assume, even these notes didn't become the final version of these episodes, there's dialogue from these that got cut in the end because it didn't work as well when I tried to put it in comic form)

I hope that helps! Not to make assumptions on your behalf, but from the sounds of it, it seems like the biggest point of confusion is just different people telling you different things which is making it overwhelming or difficult for you to discern what you should be doing. "Person A told me I should do this, but Person B said this..." and I know I'm just another person in that growing list, but I think the important thing to remember is that you don't have to do what Person A, B, or GP are doing. When this kind of advice is given, it's mostly just for the sake of giving you alternate perspectives on how something can be done, but whether or not you actually DO it that way is completely up to you. Feel free to try these methods, and if they don't work for you, don't worry about it! Take what you've learned and put it into new methods that do work for you. We're all just byproducts of referencing over time, after all! A lot of what I'm telling you is stuff I've learned from practicing myself for years and taking advice for others and putting it together into a new recipe that works for my brain and workflow.

Start with whatever it is you're interested in that you want to write, and just go from there as it comes to you. Don't overwhelm yourself with details right off the bat, let them come to you naturally, and don't rush it! You don't need to have everything figured out right away! Even my Rekindled notes are at least a few months old and I just add more to them as stuff comes to me or when I'm feeling up to chipping away at the episode layouts more. It's a marathon, not a race!

And remember, these notes are for you and only you! (unless you choose to share them like I'm doing rn but these are just visual examples). This isn't the stuff you're gonna be releasing to people, it doesn't need to be perfect or labelled with dividers or given any kind of fancy pants cover letter. These kinds of notes are a conversation between you and yourself. Think of it as one of many first drafts - it's for you to tell yourself the story, so that you can eventually tell it to others once you've refined it through your drafting. It's not show and tell, it's a diary.

If you wanna see what I mean by this (warning: it's gonna really make me look like a nutjob) here are some of my notes for Time Gate which are WAY meaner because Time Gate's a much more complicated story to write:

(and the document this is from is like, literally a decade old, it's called 'time gate shit' and i just throw EVERYTHING into it, it's a nightmare LMAO)

#writing tips #writing advice #ama #ask me anything #anon ask me anything #anon ama

[quinloki]

Writers - Where You Gonna Post?

Hey all, so the TL;DR of this is that I post on Wattpad, Tumblr and Ao3 - All have their pros and cons, and this post is going to get into those (with a neat little summary at the end).

Note this is not an endorsement or criticism of any of them. Just my personal understandings of each, the pros and cons I've noted, and a chance to put it all in one place.

We're going to touch on - Ease of Posting, Visibility, Tagging, Searching, Cost, Security & Visibility, Functionality, and less objectively - Vibe.

word count: 1,874

-:- Ease of Posting -:-

Wattpad: 7.5/10 Tumblr: 9/10 Ao3: 4/10

Wattpad and Tumblr have direct-from-source formatting, meaning your paragraphs, italics, bolds, etc. stay in place when you copy from Word, google docs, or - I assume, Scrivener.

Tumblr has more options for font size, color, and links within the body of the text, and so scores higher than Wattpad's more limited capacity (Wattpad does allow for centering, justified, etc. positioning of paragraphs.)

Ao3 has far more CAPACITY than both, but the ease isn't there. You have to know your HTML markups, and for so people that can be a pain. There's a very useful Google Doc markup template that can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you, but hyper linking, image inserting, and other functions that are available have to be done manually.

This is great, in terms of options, but lowers Ao3 on the whole "ease of use".

-:- Visibility -:-

Wattpad: 4/10 Tumblr: 3 or 9/10 Ao3: 9/10

Wattpad has an algorithm and their tagging system - compared to Tumblr and Ao3 is pathetic. I realize I said I was going to be objective, but that is being objective. It's a spaceless tagging system, so you get really awesome tags like roronoazoroxblacklegsanjixreader and... yeah. There's also a limit on the number of tags, so if you're doing a collection of one-shots it's hard to get everyone in there.

On the upside, their search function doesn't just search by tags (would that it did though.) So having information in your summary will help your visibility. What really gets your stuff visible are reader interactions - knowing someone established on Wattpad and having them give you some shoutouts when you start is your best bet for being seen.

Tumblr's visibility - tagging, searching, etc rely HEAVILY on what kind of writer you are. SFW items are far easier to search than NSFW ones, and the Mature label hides you from people who have opted in to see Mature content, which still boggles me. The in-site search function leaves a bit to be desired, but google searches in better enough to off-set that a bit. Tagging is far more robust on tumblr, but it's also a little hit or miss, especially with new users. (I had no clue how to "tag" properly when I started, believe you me).

There's a solid foundation of readers here, so that makes it a good place to get your feet under you without being on TikTo-- I mean Wattpad.

I'm not going to say much here, because let's be fair, Ao3 was BUILT for visibility. There's no algorithm and the tagging system is robust and customizable. Searching is easy - as long as writers are decent with their tagging, and it's not too hard to find what you want, fluffy or otherwise.

-:- Tagging -:-

Wattpad: 4/10 Tumblr: 7/10 Ao3: 9/10

I've touched on this already in the other sections. Wattpad has a lot of restrictions on its tagging system, and aside from using it to "rank" stories, I'm not entirely sure what else it does. I really don't think it comes into play with searching - key words pull from titles, user names, and summaries at the minimum.

Tumblr tagging is a bless - for the most part. The site deems some words "problematic" and doesn't let you search them, which is poor practice because it doesn't differentiate smut from sex ed. (Personally, not that I want it to block anything on my behalf. If I type it Tumblr, I mean to look for it.) Fortunately, as stated, you can use external search engines to get around this.

Ao3 has probably the most robust, and most customizable tagging system of all three. This is great, as long as you know what you're doing, and terribly confusing if you don't. There's primers out there for tagging in Ao3 and other general "good to know" type things, but it's not intuitive. You really do need the primers.

And Ao3 limits neither content nor tags, so take care when searching, and use the omission functionality if you need to - Ao3 won't hold back unless you tell it.

-:- Searching -:-

Wattpad: 6/10 Tumblr: 6/10 Ao3: 10/10

Smash visibility and tagging together and you get search ratings. Wattpad can be hit or miss because of the Tikto- er - algorithm, my best advice is don't be afraid of the results on page 2 and beyond. As much as it tries to "rate" works, rating is just too subjective. You're going to have to dig, just like you do on Tumblr and Ao3.

Having fan fic reader connections is really your best bet when searching, but slugging through the proverbial trenches yields gems too - and one man's quartz is another man's diamond, so I'm not putting any writing down when I say this - what we're looking for varies, and what's out there is multitudinous and variable.

Ao3 is your best place place for good hunting - it's literally built around it. The only hangups are the limitations of what an author puts in for tags vs what you think to search. Differences in how we perceive some words regionally can limit what bounces back - and sometimes a writer might not think of the word in the first place to add it.

-:- Cost -:-

Wattpad: 3 or 9/10 Tumblr: 10/10 Ao3: 10/10

Wattpad has ads - on the mobile app. You can pay for some stuff on the desktop too, but it's not in your face there like it tends to be on the mobile app. Still, you can use it for free.

Tumblr and Ao3 both request money and offer stuff in exchange for money. Sites need money to run, so it makes sense. Neither locks functionality behind cost (neither does Wattpad, not even on the mobile app), but it's easier to ignore ads on Tumblr than Wattpad's app (and no ads on desktop at all for Wattpad >.> just fyi).

-:- Security & Visibility -:-

Wattpad: ??? Tumblr: ??? Ao3: ???

What's important about security and visibility changes from person to person and I'm not really sure how to rate them numerically.

Tumblr and Ao3 let you make your works private - member or password access only, so there's a layer of visibility control with these platforms that does NOT exist on Wattpad.

Ao3 let's people download works to read offline. Technically you can copy/paste with Tumblr and do this as well. Wattpad does not allow this - you cannot download or copy/paste a work from Wattpad (you can copy/paste when in edit mode on things you own on WP, but readers cannot).

You don't need an account to interact with Ao3 and Tumblr - I *think* you do for Wattpad, but all three are free sign ups - Ao3 is just by invitation (when did that start, btw? I signed up years ago and missed that change).

Which is best, is up to you.

-:- Functionality -:-

Wattpad: 8/10 Tumblr: 7/10 Ao3: 10/10

Let me start by saying that Tumblr's functionality for Short Form Fiction is easily 10/10 - the search limitations notwithstanding. Tumblr's functionality for LONG Form Fiction can be a real pain in the ass, hence the 7/10 overall. Linking posts is a manual nightmare, and sometimes breaks between mobile and desktop for no reason.

Wattpad's limitations on some styles of formatting and linking aside, it does have an easy to use update process, and if there's a limit to how many words can be in a chapter, I haven't seen it, or heard of it.

Wattpad's mature settings are also more functional than Tumblr's, leaving the onus of if the reader is old enough on the reader by the words of their own ToS (I still block minors, personally, since you can see who votes and comments.) They do have stricter limitations, regarding "dark" content, and there is by no means any threat to be levied against minors allowed. Shonen levels of violence, sure, but you're not posting Juno the novel on the site without some issues.

All three sites - Wattpad most recently - have blocking functionality. Wattpad's recent changes allow for deleting comments as well as blocking users, which can be a cathartic ability to have.

One thing Wattpad and Tumblr have that I'd LOVE to see on Ao3 (and if it has it I've missed it) is the ability to schedule your posts and updates. Wattpad added this recently - it's only functional on the desktop, but it works.

For those of us who can write 10k words one day, and none the next two days, it's useful for spreading out your posts. Plus there's just something nice about being able to create a backlog of content, especially if you post on a schedule.

-:- Vibe -:-

No rankings, we die like blorbos.

One of the best things - to me - about Wattpad is a paragraph-by-paragraph ability to comment. Wattpad's readers have a similar vibe as Tumblr's readers - and I mean this affectionately.

You're all GREMLINS.

It gives me life and I love it.

Assholes exist everywhere, but my general vibe of who has the most goes: Wattpad Tumblr Ao3

Maybe some of you aren't assholes, you just don't think about how your comments can be taken before you post.

Ao3 gives me the most Long Form Comments I get out of anywhere else, and I love them. Please, PLEASE, gush to me about what you loved. Feel free to toss in what you didn't vibe with - as long as you're not cruel about it, I can take it. I can't possibly write something everyone perceives flawlessly.

I post to all three, because I like the combined experience I get from them. Ao3 feeds me in ways Wattpad and Tumblr can't, and honestly you can exchange all three of those entirely.

Ao3 feels like I'm walking down the street perusing sex toy shops and someone stops me and goes "Oh I read your story and really liked it, please keep up the good work!" (sometimes maybe they throw a drink in my face.)

Tumblr feels like I'm at a rave with 500 other people and there's 50 blorbos people are doing body shots off of and we're all having fun - and occasionally some asshole comes in, but they're handled pretty quick.

Wattpad's like... being at a Barnes and Noble having coffee in the cafe that's inside the store, and there's a BDSM class being taught in the manga section that's upstairs, and sometimes people take the escalator up and right back down again cause oops.

That's my breakdown - I hope it's helped you, or at least made you laugh a little. Good luck out there, where ever, however, and whenever you post, I hope you find the words you're looking for.

(I do want to add that Wattpad does, as mentioned, have a bit of a TikTok vibe. If you don't vibe TikTok you're not gonna vibe Wattpad, flaws and all).

#quin muses #fan fiction #wattpad #ao3 writer #ao3 #tumblr writers #writers of tumblr #platforms for writing

[not-poignant]

For the meme!!! 21 - 22 - 23

We love a sequential number sequence :D

21. Could you ever quit writing? Do you ever wish you could? Why or why not?

I mean, yeah, maybe one day! I don't want to quit writing, I certainly don't wish I could. I love this job! It's been my favourite ever job! It's also been the hardest fucking job I've ever done!!! But I still love it :'D

I don't want to say 'I'm never going to quit' - I don't know what the future might bring. The arthritis in my hands is pretty bad, maybe one day I'll be in too much agony to justify it. Maybe one day I'll just stop enjoying it. I don't believe in sticking something out forever based on how I feel about it now!

I can say with all confidence that I don't want to quit. The biggest flaw in this version of my job is that it doesn't pay super great for the amount of work that goes into it. BUT, it definitely pays better than working as a professional artist did, and there is growth, and amazing people do support the Patreon, so it's like...that flaw becomes less of a flaw over time.

I love this job. It wasn't one I would have picked for myself, but it's introduced me to the best people, it's something I feel I'm actually pretty good at (maybe I'm not, but this is a nice feeling to have), and it's kind of unique. I get to be my own boss (I'm a mean boss, but I'm getting better), and I get to work from home, and I can accommodate my chronic illnesses. I get to spend time in amazing worlds, with amazing characters, and then I get to reply to amazing comments and asks made by amazing people.

Like, when this job is going well, I feel like one of the luckiest people. When this job is hard I just groan a lot and take painkillers for editing headaches. But like, the good parts of this job are very good!!

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

I'm pretty organised.

So, all of my chapters are written in Microsoft Word and saved directly into Dropbox (with offline storage as well). All of my folders are also very well organised. I have a naming system for each chapter, and everything is chained together pretty well.

On top of that I now use Obsidian for worldbuilding (it's free! Though you can pay and they deserve money for their awesome service). I used to use World Anvil but found it too clunky for my personal needs. I have about 4 Obsidian vaults now (i.e. different worlds) and they look like this:

You can see a chained folder system on the left, and the graph view on the right.

And the information in the individual files is set up like a Wiki page:

Not all of my worlds get this treatment, but Underline the Rainbow, Vexteria, Mallory & Mount and something else I've forgotten about all have vaults. Fae Tales doesn't, because I didn't know Obsidian existed when I started worldbuilding for that, lol, so all of that is in Word.

And then I will on occasion just write in notepads and in Paperblanks journals when I need to brainstorm stuff. This part of the process is especially useful when plotting, brainstorming names or titles, or figuring out the end of a story.

I don't use Google Docs (don't actually like it), Scrivener (hate it, sorry Scrivener fans), or anything else. Word has its issues, but it does well enough for me. I actually formatted Perth Shifters in Word.

23. Describe the physical environment in which you write. Be as detailed as possible. Tell me what’s around you as you work. Paint me a picture.

I write in a study dedicated to art/writing, because those have been my jobs for over 15 years. I sit at a large desk, and have a desktop computer with one monitor (I've wanted two monitors for such a long time), a decent speaker system, and a good RGB hard-drive.

It's a mess, lol.

Hang on let me show you:

I have stickers on the desktop by the immaculate WhiskeyRabbit. I have a bunch of art supplies, and art in various stages of completion (the raven is finished, Augus behind the raven is not). There's meds and supplements everywhere. I have my Metformin (diabetes meds) in front of me because I often eat where I work, lol. I have some Sank collectible toys on the subwoofer because I find Sank very inspiring. And lots of art behind me like I'm some 18 year old instead of the 41 year old I actually am.

Oh and like, some half-finished chocolate blocks, lmao. And some fingerless gloves, a tea-towel, notepads for my writing, a calculator for my wordcount, a little spiky massage ball for the muscle/fascia issues in my wrists from writing so much, and much, much more.

It's a very ADHD desk. I do not notice the mess, lmao.

To my left is my writing whiteboard which tracks my writing and the chapters I've completed for the year, and my yearly wordcount to date. It also has some pinned up fanart and gifts from readers to keep me going when things get hard! :D

--

From the Weird Writing Questions meme!

#asks and answers #memey goodness #pia on writing #going through a chocolate phase at the moment #usually the only food on my desk is the almonds you can see under my monitor #my work desk is like #my home #i spend more time here than i think i actually spend in bed lmao

[jancy-central]

Welcome, everyone, to another Spotlight Saturday!

This week we are spotlighting writer @throttlegainwell so read their answers to our ‘Get To Know Your Fic Writer’ questions below the cut. And here is the ao3 link to check out all of their amazing fics:

Reminder: This month’s prompt is ‘soulmates’…

…so please see our pinned post for more info. We have posted a lot of soulmate prompts for those needing some inspiration so check those out as well.

And as always, feel free to message us with any questions, whether you are a fic reader or a fic writer. Both of us write fanfic so we are open to helping however we can. Need a beta? Message us and we’ll either help you or put out a call for beta help! Hit writer’s block? Maybe we can help? Or maybe you just want to recommend a fic? SEND US AN ASK OR A DM!

Happy Saturday! ✍🏼 📖

Spotlight Saturday Questions:

@throttlegainwell’s answers:

1. I guess I prefer one-shots generally, but it's much more satisfying to me to write (and finish!) multi-chaptered fics.

2. A mix of both? There's usually at least some degree of planning for each chapter, but sometimes I just see where it goes.

3. ... It depends on the story. Usually, I'm rushing to slap a bunch of ideas into a document as quickly as I can type (or writing notes on my phone). Lines of dialogue, character ideas, themes I want to address, bits of description or narrative or details to include, plot arcs, whole scenes sometimes... I get those into one doc (which I clean up as I go, if I'm copying them over from my phone), then I create a corresponding doc titled LINEAR that I typically view side-by-side with the fragments/notes doc. I move bits into the LINEAR doc as I work, once I know where they're going or have a place for them (like when I've built the connective tissue), until the first doc is empty; I finish writing in the LINEAR doc. There's usually a brief summary of the story, by that point, in the Synopsis window on the right (I work in Scrivener) so I don’t get too off-track, and I'll probably have some notes in the Notes window, as well as any warnings that will be necessary if I post it (so I don't forget later). But sometimes I just sit down and write, like, an entire story, without thinking about it, or I'll try something stream-of-consciousness or experimental. And sometimes I actually do outline (though sometimes that outline is just a bunch of things that I know need to happen, and I drag those around until the order of them feels like a satisfying arc--I wrote an entire 40k+ story that way).

4. Oh, everywhere, I guess. From the source material, definitely. From books I read, concepts I've studied, themes that just interest me so they tend to crop up in my work or maybe I want to try a different spin on them. Sometimes a story I've written/am writing sparks an idea, or I want to try a variation on it to see where it goes, so I branch off from that. Sometimes I just want something, out of the blue. Occasionally, I browse prompts.

5. Nah. I did the whole concrit thing back in my early fandom days. I'm here to have fun and I assume so is everyone else.

6. Nope! I used to do beta reading, a long time ago, and I've casually edited for fandom friends, but I've never used a beta reader. I don't really see myself starting now.

7. Whichever one is the most interesting for the story or whichever one best serves the story's goals, usually. Sometimes because I haven't tried a particular POV before and I just really want to give it a shot, or because I'm writing it with one voice and the voice of a different POV character just *feels* right or sounds really interesting. But I've been branching out a little! I'm usually very committed to 3rd person limited, but this past year, I've been trying switching POVs a bit, I'm writing one story simultaneously from two different POVs (beginning to end, for each) just because it's such a different story for each character, and I'm writing one from omniscient POV because it was really the only one that would do what I needed.

9. I usually try to! (Not always. But usually.) I don't read a lot of fanfic, due to what I imagine is the very common combination of lack of free time and quite severe concentration issues (though I've always been a big reader and I love it a lot, so this is, needless to say, a massive bummer). It's worse with fiction than non-fiction, so if I actually manage to read a fic, it's a safe bet that I probably took notes during and the author will hear *at length* about all the ways I enjoyed it and what I found really interesting or memorable.

10. I have many WIPs, but blinks only came up in a few. One is too explicit to share here, but here's one: He can’t tamp down a shiver at the thought; he blinks extra hard, resisting the urge to grasp the back of his neck protectively.

11. Ooh. Like I said, I don't read a lot of fic (and I haven't read that many for the ST fandom), but I very much love what maddie_grove is doing with Tonight, Tonight, The Highway's Bright. I wildly enjoyed where the hours bend, by fakelight. And this world is gonna pull through, by scoutshonour, hit just right.

12. I don't tend to expect much feedback. I post because otherwise I'll go back and tinker with fics, and I don't really have the time for that, plus at a certain point it's not fun anymore, but I'm still messing with it. So when it's done enough that I've accomplished what I set out to, I post to free up my brainpower to move on to other things. It doesn't necessarily discourage me to not receive it (usually), but it really does encourage and motivate me when I *do* receive it. If someone enjoys a story and wants to talk about it, I'm likely to write more works in that vein or explore those ideas/characters/fandom more. I’m more likely to go back to a WIP if people are excited about it with me. I've received some truly lovely, thoughtful, analytical, humbling, and memorable feedback, and I hugely appreciate and enjoy all of it.

13. Don’t delete/erase anything. Save it all.

14. I tend to get into a certain headspace to write, but I wouldn't say that I usually feel what the characters are feel. Sometimes, I probably do. (I'm one of those people who moves their lips when they read an emotional scene, so I guess I do get a bit into it while I'm writing! Embodied cognition, what a trip.) I do sometimes draw from personal experience, but typically only in very broad strokes.

15. Happily. :) I've written a LOT of sex scenes over the years, for a lot of different thematic, narrative, and character purposes (and sometimes just for rule of horny, rule of funny, or to explore a particular kink). I approach each one differently, based on the tone I'm trying to set, whether I want it to be particularly erotic or emotional or something else, the level of narrative distance I want the reader to feel, what the characters are like, what the overall genre is. Sometimes I get visual or detailed, depending on what I'm trying to do (and whether I feel those characters would do so or whether it would be a help or a distraction in that moment), but I tend to depict the internal processes more than the physical details. The sensory aspects. The observations, interpretations, and reactions. Connections between characters, if there's more than one. I personally tend toward realism in my sex scenes, but I'm not going to pretend that I don't skirt the edges sometimes or just say fuck it and throw realism out the window for a particular story. But I don't think realism is necessary in smut (or any fiction, when it comes down to it). It's a matter of preference.

16. Omg how many fic ideas am I NOT nurturing right now. Way, way too many. Here's a Jancy one that hasn't quite made it to the WIP stage (still in the synopsis-in-dedicated-doc stage): Jonathan and Nancy break up over the college thing. (It’s not really the college thing.) Years later, as they're both settled into their careers (Jonathan as a photographer, Nancy as a journalist, both constantly traveling for work and hard to reach), they end up sharing a room when they visit for Lucas and Max's wedding. Lots of angst, lots of pining, lots of denial, and ultimately an exes-getting-back together story. Sometimes you just want the cliche done your way.

17. I just don't write, tbh. I try to address whatever issue is preventing me from writing (if possible) or (if it's beyond my control) I just accept that it's not a writing period of my life. I'm happier when I'm writing regularly, and I do think it's good for me overall, but I'm not going to let hobby writing cause me genuine stress. (I've got non-hobby writing for that, ha.) I take it as a sign that something is wrong or that I'm just tired of writing and need to recharge (by engaging some other interest or hobby for a while).

18. Depends. Sometimes the title comes first, sometimes during, sometimes after. Sometimes I really do just fall in love with a title, though. I rarely struggle to title fics after the fact, but when I do, I'll just slap a quick and vague title on there and call it a day. Often it's a pun or something relevant, sometimes an important line from the story, sometimes lyrics. I have a series of art-related titles for some Will stories I want to do and some science ones I have saved for some Dustin stories. Some photography terms for Jonathan. Stuff like that.

19. Turns out it's hurt/comfort! This should surprise no one.

20. Oh, have I ever. Yeah, I've had people read enough of my work to point out themes that I tend to tackle a lot (I'm big on autonomy, resilience, and kindness--you'll see them repeated a LOT in my work, from different angles--and, yeah, I write about trauma a lot), and I definitely have some words/expressions that pop up a lot (and with each passing year, I try a little less to cull them). Also, you'd be hard-pressed to find a story of mine where someone isn't making, drinking, or talking/thinking about coffee. No reason. It just... seems to happen.

21. I had a shared 'verse with a friend, a long time ago. It was a huge amount of fun. We really gelled and produced just tons of material for it that had us in tears laughing and, you know, was also incredibly horny. That was a shared 'verse, rather than a collaboration for an entire story, but, yeah, I'd say that I'd be willing to collaborate. I don't consider myself terribly reliable or consistent, though, so I worry that a potential writing partner would find this frustrating.

22. I used to think so, but, honestly, I've been proved wrong many times, so I'd say no, not really. There's not a lot that I absolutely won't write. There are a few things that remain pretty serious squicks for me, but I'm sometimes able to write about things that I would find difficult to read. Some things also don't necessarily interest me or I would find it technically difficult to write them.

23. Don't worry about making it beautiful. Just get it all down. (You can’t sculpt what’s not there, you know?) And in that vein: write EVERYTHING down. Even if you’re not sure it works. Don’t assume you’ll remember or won’t need it. Just write everything.

24. Anything that's involved regimentation. That just doesn't work for me in every case. It's important to be flexible, both to discover what *does* work for you or to be able to move between different strategies for different stories or at different times in your life. Close second, though: that you should mine your pain to write because that's where true art comes from. That advice is shit. Sometimes art is aliens fucking in a time warp and also there's a ghost with daddy issues. Write whatever the hell you want. It does not have to be profound literature to be a good story.

25. For my ST fics? I think I've gotten a pretty decent response for most of what I've posted, considering it's all very niche and this is a massive fandom (and one to which I came extremely late and very recently). I guess a little more response for already wise, already worn might have been nice, just because it's a weird little experimental story that I think actually came out really neat, but it's *very* niche so I never expected much response. Or possibly Two Steps Forward, just because I think it's an interesting little ghost story that's different from everything else I have posted, and I really do have a soft spot for gen works.

26. For my ST fics, our future foe scenarios is a pretty odd one. We've got Nancy really feeling her big sister duties while also kind of worrying about Jonathan, making out with him, then convincing the Party to let her earnestly and VERY awkwardly talk to them about the importance of consent (and kind of roping Jonathan into helping her, which he's not happy about but dutifully does). It’s kind of clumsy, but she means well.

27. I love when the ideas slot into place, when I know where things are going, I see how it's moving, and I get all the pieces lined up so it's a straight shot to the end. Extremely satisfying. I dislike working out the kinds of technical details that I'd prefer to gloss over but that are sometimes story-significant, like ages and timelines. I'm increasingly just ignoring that shit.

28. Apparently I'm getting several thousand words done a day, on average, with as many as 6-7k some days. But I'm happy if I just do a couple hundred, or a line or two. This has just been an unusually productive year for me.

29. Ideally: I ignore it for a couple of weeks until I've forgotten the shape of it, then I read it over with fresh eyes. Increasingly: when it's written, I go over it for typos, overall continuity, basic coherence, and (if it covers sensitive themes) to make sure that I'm not inadvertently presenting something wildly hurtful or counter to my goals. And then I just call it done.

30. I'd say that I never really polish all that much to begin with, these days. I mostly post 1st drafts, even though there's typically stuff that I would pretty easily catch and adjust if I gave it a real once-over. I've just decided that I'm okay with not fussing with it very much. But I share WIPs these days, some of which are pretty rough. (I did not used to do this that much.)

#jancy spotlight saturday #spotlight saturday #writer spotlight #jancy fanfic #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #jancy

[mthollowell-writes]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

Thanks again to @digital-chance for the tag! You can find their original post here!

1)What motivates you to write?

My own ego (I kid...sorta).

I love creating worlds and giving life to the various voices inside my head. I love teasing out ideas and constructing (too) intricate plots and scenarios. Writing is my escape from the daily grind (for good and bad) and my main outlet for expression. I honestly wouldn't be me without my writing.

2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

I'll share something from a short story currently on ice until I get around to editing it. It's tentatively called "Cosmic Self-Serve"

Unfathomable eldritch horrors weren’t on my Tuesday night bingo card but it takes all types to keep a gas station in the black. I took another pack of gum from the rack and popped a stick in my mouth, praying for brain freeze. Cool mint took over my senses and I felt like a person again. Gary won’t be happy with my lack of respect for “stock integrity” but that’s why our corporate gods gave us shrink. Also Gary’s an asshole so screw Gary.

3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

I'm going to have to give this to September from my Festival Project WIP. He's such a mess of a character despite his best efforts to keep it together. He has a pretty lengthy backstory for "reasons that drift a smidge into spoiler territory." On the surface, he's calm and collected and can weather any storm with clear head, but that comes from a long history of battling demons (both real and internal). He currently puts these talents towards being the Editor in Chief at his newspaper office.

4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

The initial brainstorming and outlining stage. I love plotting out stories free from the expectation of making the words sound pretty. I do still enjoy making the words pretty but sometimes I stall getting too caught up in that.

5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

The dialogue, though I will be the first to admit that I can get carried away with it. I also credit myself as a very meticulous plotter, in the actual plot and with character backstories. I've been told that my shorter stories tend to subvert expectation and go in unexpected places (but this too has its pitfalls as my earlier writing has been labelled as confusing by certain peers in writing workshops).

Even when I'm trying to stroke my ego, I keep offering caveats.

6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

Honestly, how supportive everyone is! We're always trying to build each other up and the discussions I see on my feed where people excitedly talk about their stories and OCs remind me why writing is so much fun. And the games, of course. My god, these games! I love them!

7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I recently took the plunge and bought Scrivener and I'm liking it so far. It's a bit of a learning curve with all the features you can play with, but I love how you can organize stories and bookmark things within each text section for referencing. Best of all, (and as far as I'm aware) you only have to pay once for it (unlike some other subscription based programs). With that being said, I do love Microsoft Word for smaller projects and its backup feature.

I also use a timer on my computer (I have Windows so there's a clock app that you can adjust). On days that I'm really struggling to motivate myself, dividing my time into smaller increments can get me through the slog.

8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

Egad, what a broad question! I have to think about that for a second...

There's a unique Protestant-inspired church branch within Hollow Grove that's known as the Edelhaus Coalition Church. It's also uniquely American, whose foundation is the old Puritan work ethic that emphasizes hard work as a core tenet that guarantees a path to heaven.

Where it diverges is its belief in The Founder and the concept of The Faithful. The Faithful are the true believers that have gained immense favor with God through their hard work and aptitude. As evidence of his favor, he gives The Faithful powers over nature. The Founder (who many believe was the original historical founder of the town, Goodwin Hollow) was the first Faithful and every Festival of Shadows, the evidence of his will is seen in the resurrection of the recently deceased every festival year. This holiday is celebrated by all in the Edelhaus Coalition church for this reason. It's also why many acolytes within the church opt for natural burial for a chance to walk the earth again.

There's more to it but in the spirit of brevity, that's all I'll say for now.

9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

I'll say it again, write what you love. There's no point in writing something you don't.

I also want to emphasize the importance of breaks. Sometimes if the words aren't flowing (or there's just so much going in your life), never feel ashamed of putting the pen down and coming back to a story later. The time away can offer fresh perspective. It can divert your attention to something else that you're equally passionate about. I sometimes like to procrastinate on one story with another. If I can't write at all, sometimes reading or watching something can inspire you.

10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

I'm truly inspired by reading the snippets of stories from @digital-chance (that's two mentions now!) @rmgrey-author @palebdot @tabswrites @writingbyricochet and @fatexweaver. I appreciate the support and interactions I've had with @vintagecivet @macabremoons @friendlyshaped @aestatismors @leisoree @words-after-midnight @axl-ul @nai-nty-8 and @nonsenseramble. Seriously, you all rock and I appreciate all of you!

I'm going to go ahead and gently tag all these beautiful folks listed above as well as some newer mutuals who I hope to get to know more @girlfromthecrypt @elhuei @isherwoodj @poemsbymo @robin-writes-a-lot and anyone who would like to participate!

#tag games #tagged #writer's q&a tag #long post #mt writes #writeblr #festival project #cosmic wip

[destiel-wings]

Tbh, I tried Scrivener but I spent so long doing everything but writing so gdocs suits me better because there's not much to do there except write which keeps me focused better 😅

Obviously, at the end of the day, it's personal choice... But the less time I spend adding pics, and choosing colours and writing additional notes, the more words of the story I actually get down.

(granted I'm also good at creating my own distractions 😏)

THAT IS SO TRUE!!! I reopened Scrivener after replying to that post and I spent 20 minutes trying to copy and paste the first chapter of my wip from Word to my Scrivener doc (with the font i wanted), but it's driving me crazy because it won't paste it with the italics (it's either all plain regular or all in italics 🤨) and i don't understand how to fix something so simple. All that to say that I love fancy writing programs for all their features but you're absolutely right when you say that they distract you from the actual writing (especially if you're still learning how to use them and everything is new, shiny and exiting).

I think Scrivener is perfect for organizing long multi-chapter manuscripts (for all these features) once you know how to use it, but yeah, it's very distracting.

Using full screen focus mode to write might help though (which i already do with Word).

#my writing stuff #my fanfic writing #mary writes #scrivener #writing problems #writing programs

[danpuff-ao3]

Sooo...

Fic-Binding.

Is a thing I'm going to learn this year! (This feels really awkward but I can't think of a smooth introduction, so here we are.)

Here on Tumblr was my first introduction to binding fics. It never occurred to me before that people would. I began following many amazing binders here on Tumblr and over on Instagram. My sweet friend Nina bound a short story collection of some of my fics for my birthday last year. And Lila gave me a copy of one of her fics. There is something so very special about seeing fics in physical form! It gives me all the warm and fuzzies!

...only it seems that if a gal wants her favorite fics on her shelf, she's going to have to bind them herself.

Now, I was tempted to share some progress pictures along the way, but I fear that would hinder my progress. My anxiety and perfectionism are strong. I do not like to be observed making mistakes. Even really minor ones. Even worse if people point them out to me, however well-meaning. I live with a deep and abiding terror of failure and judgment. Which...is it healthy? No. Am I working on it? Yeah. But my therapist and I agree that throwing myself into the deep end is not the right method for me, so alas...baby steps!

(Seriously, my partner and I have been together nearly 7 years and only this past year have I begun to try and test new things where he could see me do it. And there is no person on planet earth more supportive or less judgmental than my Eddie.) (But to be fair, when one is taught to hate themselves and see their only worth as their usefulness and productivity, well...The terror is quite real, and deeply ingrained, I'm afraid.)

I will try to take progress photos along the way and share them all in a photo dump when I'm feeling more comfortable and confident. Which is a long ways away as I've not even bound a book yet. Showing my errors should be easier when I can say "look but I fixed it!" By necessity I've become pretty good at teaching myself things, so with luck (and YouTube videos) I can do this!

And in the meantime I can at least write about my efforts!

Eddie, my partner, has been very enthusiastic since I first broached the subject of bookbinding and when my plans to gather supplies seemed to fall through, he agreed to help me get what I needed. He had me put supplies on an Amazon wishlist so we can purchase items when we can. The first purchase I made was the most necessary one, which was a printer. I got a little table to put it on, built the table!!!! (I am not very handy, okay. When I build anything, however simple, it's a huge accomplishment!) I set up the printer. Aaaand was resigned to wait however long until I could start.

...

...and then it occurred to me. "Hey, dumb-dumb, maybe you can start practicing parts of it now?"

Oh yeah! There are several parts to putting a book together. And so, I began! I chose a small fic, Orange Blossoms, to get a feel for how it would look printed out. I followed some online instructions. And it wasn't perfect, but it was in booklet form and I could fold the paper and everything was where it needed to be. Small success!

Then I adjusted the font size and reprinted, because the previous font size was teensy in Scrivener and GIANT in Adobe and on paper.

Next, I wanted to test printing multiple signatures. That one took a bit more work for reasons I can't properly explain. Even now I don't know why the original version was printing out the way it was, with a blank last page. In theory, it shouldn't have done that??

Anyway, I chose In My Veins (In My Blood) for this. Orange Blossom is 3k and fit into one signature. In My Veins (In My Blood) is 7k and I figured I could get 2 out of it. I figured starting small would be better so I don't waste paper and ink while trying to sort things out. Or you know...waste as little as I can.

I fiddled with some settings and such until the first signature printed right. Then I had to mess around to figure out where I needed to insert blank pages, and I changed my mind about where to put my mock copyright and title pages. Once I was happy, I then printed the second signature and then proudly waved them in Eddie's face!

Then, I found a gift card from Christmas and decided: hey, why don't I get some more stuff? Today my order came in and I got: an awl, needles, and waxed thread. Time to stitch those suckers together! I stumbled across a bookbinding video some months ago that I saved, so I pulled that up and went step by step. Measuring and marking where to put the holes. (Nightmare, btw, my brain hates numbers.) (Brain sees numbers and runs off scared; needs soothing and cajoling to come back out and get to work.) (The solution was obvious and didn't require actual math like the YouTuber told me but anyway that's not the point, the point is:) Then I threaded my needle and go to work!

Signature 1 was easy enough. But threading the 2 signatures together was not. First YouTube moved too fast and didn't explain things very clearly. Like...not verbally addressing each step in detail, but also with too many jump cuts for me to really tell what she was doing. But she referenced a Sea Lemon video which I found and was much more helpful!

And now I have 2 signatures threaded together! It's very rough and sloppy, but you know what...it's a first attempt, so whatever. (Look, even admitting that my first attempt is pretty "eh" hurts my soul, but here we are.) (At least you can't see it!)

So that's where I am for now! Eddie's going to peruse my list this weekend to see what he can get, and once I have the supplies needed for the next step, onto the next step I'll go! I do want to bind The White Road as my first actual bound fic, so I can work on fiddling with the typesetting a bit while I wait!

ALSO I ate dinner so late because I was so caught up in learning how to stitch those signatures!! I was like "okay this shouldn't take that long." Hey, self, this is a new skill you're learning. Maybe don't make assumptions. And at least double any time you think something should take. I sure scarfed down my food after that!

Anyway, I know it seems very silly that I'm too scared to show pictures, but even talking about it is a big step. It's like...well if this doesn't work out I'm going to look really dumb, huh? Better keep things all to myself so if it doesn't work out no one is disappointed or judging me or whatever. Much better to come out the gate with something to show, right?

But talking about stuff and sharing stuff is really important to me. It's this like deep inner need I've trampled down for so long, out of fear of seeming childish or silly at best, or at worst boring or burdening people. But maybe this is something some people are interested in. And I'll be generous with cuts and tags for easy skimming for those who aren't interested, and those who are, well...You're welcome to bits and pieces of my journey with me!

Speaking of tags, I've been trying to come up with a name for my "bindery." I thought of "Busy Bee Bindery" because I love bees and am quite busy, actually. But maybe it needs my name in it?? Idk I'm still brainstorming that one. Maybe by my next update I'll have one I can use for tagging! And you know...to slap on my bindings! 😄

#danpuff stuff #bookbinding #ficbinding #fanbinding #some personal stuff #TOO personal #wow shut up self #mental health #anxiety #my therapist is gonna be so proud of me! #if I don't panic delete this in the next hour or so

[writingbyricochet]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

Thank you so much @mthollowell-writes for the tag! I loved reading your answers and this was fun to fill out :)

1) What motivates you to write?

Mostly my mind cannot stop thinking of Situations. Whether they're for characters from my current TV/film hyperfixations or my own OCs, writing is the best way for me to get it out of my system and the artistic form I'm the best at.

2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

From Where Paradise Died and Lived:

Sophie was just about draw her hand away, and perhaps he felt the pressure lessening, for then he brought his own hand up to cover hers, to keep her from moving it. He held her hand there, his fingers curling just barely under hers, not with any force but with a lightness she had just been administering to him. And underneath it, a reassurance that seemed to communicate he wanted something that quickened her heart. She knew if she proceeded here, she would be crossing a line she had thought she wouldn’t cross for a long time yet. She finally raised her gaze to meet his, and all sense escaped her—his eyes looked like the way she felt, all the encouragement she needed. A little bit scared, a little bit in love, she kissed him.

3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

Honestly, I haven't gotten to write a lot of him yet, but I have a soft spot for Fendley. He believes passionately in the Velitovan cause and wants to fight for its independence...but he's also the biggest homebody and hates being away from Merity. The two parts of his personality are just direct contradictions to each other, it makes me laugh.

4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

Character building: creating a backstory, personality, aesthetic, all that good stuff

5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Describing inner turmoil? When I look at the passages I'm most proud of, they all have to do with an internal dialogue of some kind, usually in a situation with heightened tension or vulnerability where a character has a lot going on in their mind.

6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

Making friends with everyone! The support system is a huge motivator and definitely something that keeps me going.

7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

Scrivener, my beloved. I was working in Evernote for way longer than I ever should have and was getting just so sick of it that I finally took the plunge to get Scrivener. Night and day comparison. There are so many great tools and functions and I love being able to have one document for a WIP and its outline, characters, worldbuilding, everything. It's definitely pricey up front, but in the long run worth it since it's just a one-time purchase. Highly recommend giving it a trial run to anyone interested.

8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I really love the country of Velitova, especially the lands beyond the Idylwild. In-universe they're written off as being sort of rural, but the nature out there is so beautiful and pristine. Huge rolling hills, a huge lake surrounded by flowering trees, cliffs facing a wild ocean...yes.

9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Stop writing: Whether it's a for a few days or a few months, taking a break from my WIPs and re-setting my mind whenever I am struggling is always the best solution.

Return to worldbuilding: I've seen a lot of people discuss how we get desensitized to the cool things in our WIPs after a while. Creating more cool things that will be new to me as well often makes my WIP exciting again.

Get outside: Traveling always inspires me, but I find even walking around your neighborhood can be so helpful! I especially walking among trees in the fall, that air of melancholy during that time of year just gets me.

10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

Love to @sugar-phoenix, @macabremoons, @orphicpoieses @awordchemist @moonlitinks (all of whom should take this as a gentle tag to answer the Q&A yourself!), and special shout out to my IRL best friend @canofpeaches who always goes feral whenever I send her a WPDL snippet (hope you did not combust reading the one above) <3

#tagged

[thestalwartheart]

Tips for organizing long fic ideas/plot?

Oh, I am an organisational nightmare. My notes app would horrify most people to look at.

Scrivener has been a massive help though. It lets me keep my research and story in the same place, which is very important for my scattered brain. It also has templates I adore, like character sheets. In fact, all the templates in Scrivener are important to me because to set up a similar thing in Google Docs on my own would take more time/effort than I can manage.

(Btw, if anyone has any free alternatives to Scrivener, drop them in the replies! I know it’s not cheap.)

Also, a useful thing I have in every fic project is a “dump file” where I keep bits that I’ve deleted in case I can use them for something else. Some of my favourite fics have started out that way (the personal touch is one that comes to mind), so I would recommend never deleting anything for good! It could come in useful one day.

I’m not sure if any of that was helpful, but unfortunately I am probably the least organised person in the fandom 😅

#ask box

[beastswithoutburdencomic]

HUNTERS’ BULLETIN 0716202X.

HUMAN TRANSMUTATION ON THE RISE

Reports of humans being transmuted into other species- whether supernatural in nature or not- have been on the rise in Wardview. Bulletin 0711202X describes the problem in more detail, but to make a long story real short: In the first six months this year alone, we’ve had reports of at least 27 rogue transmutation events. For the uninformed, that’s already getting close to the amount of rogue transmutations last year.

Of the 27 transmutations, only 3 of the transmuted individuals have come forward with information about the witch that turned them: Relin, an individual turned into a wolf; Daisy, a woman turned into a riverdram; and Maron, a man turned into a sapient bottle of Schnapps*. All have since been returned to human form.

The other 24 haven’t given up the names of those who may have caused the transmutation. When examined by an associate with the wizard colleges, only one was found cursed to remain silent; the other 23 appear to have full capacity to communicate (in their own way) and actively refuse to do so. All were offered protection and all were offered the chance to return to human form; however, none have taken those offers.

Attached are excerpts from several interviews. In all, the person in question adamantly denied that the transmutation was done against their will. In fact, those with their memories unaffected claim to have asked for the transformation. 

While it may be true that one or two made the ill-advised decision to stop being human, the Hunter’s Guild finds it unlikely that all 23 truly desired it. 

These are normal, law-abiding citizens; the only way they would desire such a drastic change is if they were made to want it. It is more likely, therefore, that the magic of transmutation has affected their minds. 

As such, the Hunter’s Guild will be lobbying the City Council and the Scrivener’s Guild of Greater Wardview to grant permission to temporarily humanize those transmuted who appear to be mentally compromised. If it is found that there truly is no magical coercion involved, those involved may be transmuted back to the species they so desired after applying for the requisite paperwork from the Scrivener’s Guild.

To all hunters in the field who may come upon an individual showing signs of transmutation into a species other than their own it is advised that you find a way to convince them of their prior humanity. If they can show proof of authorized species-switching, they should be allowed to transmute in peace.

If transmuted individuals become hostile it is advised to use violence only when absolutely necessary.

*All names have been changed to protect the anonymity of those involved.

Interview Log 5.09.2X - BERTIE

Interviewee: Bertram Lionelle, 48, tax accountant to XXXXXXX

Transmuted into a borzoi; now in the care of his former sister

Interview conducted by Kansas Gatling, hunter.

Notes: Despite his new canine state, he has retained his ability for human speech. His sister, Hela, accompanied Bertram for the interview.

BERTIE: I’ve told you people before. I have the paperwork done. Helen has all my records available to her.

KANSAS: No one’s saying that you don’t, Mr. Lionelle-

BERTIE: Just Bertie. ‘Mister’s a people thing to call someone.

KANSAS: I mean, you’re-

HELA: Please, Mr. Gatling. You’ll upset him. 

KANSAS: I’d guess being turned into a dog would have that effect, yeah?

HELA: Just look at him- he’s shaking! 

KANSAS: Mr. Lionelle, we’re just trying to figure out if there was anyone forcing you to-

[HELA seems to entirely ignore the intervieweras BERTIE begins to growl.]

HELA: Oh, don’t listen to the bad man Bertie- you’re such a good boy! Such a good boy!!

[The growling stops.]

BERTIE: Good boy? Good boy? Good boy?

KANSAS: … Is there any chance of doing this without your sister here, Lionelle.

BERTIE: Christ, fine. But my answer’s not going to be changing anytime soon.

[ Hela was able to provide the contract that Bertram signed with the witch proving that he agreed to transmutation into dog form. The name of the witch was, regrettably, blacked out. ]

-

Interview Log 6.12.2X- RAIN

Interviewee: Rain, 29, yarn shop employee

Transmuted into a sapient ball of baby blue yarn

Interview conducted by Nora X, Hunter

Notes: Despite its lack of vocal chords, Rain is still able to communicate by partially unraveling and spelling words with its yarn.

NORA: Alright, so like. To cut to the chase. Why yarn?

[There is the sound of rolling and shuffling as the yarn unravels and rearranges itself.]

NORA: Huh. So you want to become part of something bigger.

RAIN:

NORA: Hm. I don’t know about a sock. Dunno if I’d want that for the rest of my natural shelf life.

RAIN: 

NORA: Sweater, huh? That’s nice.

RAIN: 

NORA: Damn. That's… really emotional, actually.

RAIN:

NORA: Yeah, I get what you mean.

RAIN: 

NORA: Alright, interview over. Seems like it wants this. One more question, though.

RAIN:

[NORA appears to lean forward.]

NORA: So like… is this a fetish thing or what?

[Nora is no longer allowed to interview transmutation victims.]

-

Interview Log 3.14.2X - MAISY

Interviewee: Maisy B, 19, Wardview U student

Transmuted into a riverdram

Interview conducted by [REDACTED], hunter

Notes: As riverdram vocal chords are not capable of human speech, an interpreter was contacted for means of translation. 

INTERVIEWER: - and what does that… chittering, mean?

[ The INTERVIEWER sits across from Maisy, who floats in a tank taking up the entire back wall. Sitting between them is an interpreter with a hearing aid. ]

INTERPRETER: [sounding exasperated] The same as I said before- she says she thinks this is a waste of everyone’s time.

MAISY: Chchchchchchchchcchchhh!

INTERPRETER: Wait. The water’s been feeling salty for- how long?

MAISY: Gghgrhch. 

[There is the sound of water sloshing as MAISY appears to gesture.]

INTERVIEWER: What? What is it?

INTERPRETER: … She says things have been feeling saline for about half an hour now?

INTERVIEWER: Oh- that’s not intentional or nothin’. There’s been a leak.

[The INTERPRETER relays this to MAISY.]

INTERVIEWER: We could try bringing her out of the water-

MAISY: Ah!

[There is more water sloshing. The INTERPRETER hops up.]

INTERPRETER: We’ve been over this, Mr. [REDACTED]- she doesn’t want to leave the water.

INTERVIEWER: I’m not seeing how we can keep this discussion going if she won’t consent to-

INTERPRETER: She’s already consented to-!

[There is a sharp banging of claws on glass. The water sloshes as a deep, guttural howl emanates from MAISY’s throat.]

INTERVIEWER: Shit. [into walkie] Might need some help in here.

INTERPRETER: No! There’s not- she- [speaking to MAISY] It’s okay- it’s okay, you don’t need to--

[Sabotage by interpreter suspected. The Guild will seek another interpreter with Hunter ties to balance implicit bias. ]

[ Kester Gatling (he/him) is a hunter for the Hunters’ Guild of Greater Wardview, one half of the Gatling Bros. Crisis Intervention Team, and long-time patron of the Valentine Institute for Advocacy of the Human Soul (VIAHS).

To support the Hunters’ Guild, please read our webcomic. ]

#bwbcomic #comic supplemental #supernatural #original fiction #hunters' guild #human transformation

[olderthannetfic]

Firstly, thanks for giving me advice about the adhedonia not long ago, knowing how it's called the thing I tend to suffer (apart of the TDA, LOL) most of time helped me a lot —an also thanks to the other people to gave me tips in that post too. I'm feeling better because, well, Christmas vacations are coming! So that means I'll be able to recover more mental health and finally write again, even if it's just a month.

Now I want to ask for more tips that are... How can I organize longfics? I'm a messy person, like... I don't even write the ideas my brain vomit to me at random times, and even when I tell my friends about it that messages end up being buried alive. I kinda used to organize things when I was like, 14yo. It was still messy as hell but least so, now I'm straight up refusing to even do lists. But I feel that if I not know to organize some things I won't able to finish a longfic never ever never again.

I know that there are like, templates? For organizing plot-points and characters and all of that, but I can't recall how they're called. But more importantly than that, I want to know how other people like to organize their things and see if something clicks with me! (Specially because I recall seeing posts like this here on Tumblr but I can't find them)

--

Oh man, this is such a great question.

I'm all about structure. My plotbunnies tend to come with a lot of plot attached, and I like genres with defined structures (cozy mystery, crime procedural).

I use spreadsheets for everything, including this, but now that I use Scrivener, often, I just use a text document there.

I start by laying out all the parts of the plot that I already have, then I try to make them an academic outline like:

I.

A.

1.

a.

This helps me see where I have a lopsided structure with tons of detail one place and none another. I also look at the timeline as the characters experience it and adjust. If I. takes 24 hours and II. three months, that tells me something about how much detail should be in each, what the final page count should be, etc.

Generally, longer stories that are satisfying have a structure with multiple peaks and dips in action, and the later peaks are higher than the earlier ones.

I find this kind of chart or fitting one's story into a five act structure or whatever to be helpful when you have a good plotbunny that just isn't quite working for some reason, but you know at least parts of it are sound. It helps point out a spot you might be overlooking from familiarity.

I don't find most of these external structures at all helpful for generating plotbunnies. If you have an instinct for structure from years of consuming media, you'll come up with something that works better than following a formula you can't really feel.

Most structures exist to try to explain why some blockbuster movie works retroactively anyway. Unless it's literally theater and there are literally intermissions between chunks, little is set in stone. Even plays often have the "wrong" thing in Act I.

I'll see breakdowns of some novel and they talk about the "inciting incident" or whatever beat in the plot formula, and I'm like "You picked that part as that beat? Really?" Like... I agree the plot formula is basically sound and I agree the book being analyzed is great, but I don't think the formula applies to the book in a super straightforward way that everyone would agree on.

The hero's journey is so fucking general that you can retrofit it to almost any story that has any sort of physical or spiritual journey. But I don't find it inspiring on its own because it is so general. It doesn't actually explain why a particular subgenre's plots work without one adding a lot more detail and specificity.

--

I tend to put down all my notes on what should be in a story, then rearrange them in story order as I figure that out. I might have a section at the end for things I haven't placed yet or revision notes. I'm a very logical person and work in order a lot. Hell, I write in order, which is generally a terrible idea and even trips me up when I get to a hard bit and waste time instead of moving on. But it's how my brain mostly operates.

Out of the various canned methods, the one I adopted the most from was the Snowflake Method. I like the idea of outlining and then making it more detailed and then EVEN MORE DETAILED till the "first draft" is basically paint by numbers. Some people find that extremely limiting though.

Another thing I try to keep track of is some very basic "What's the point?" or "What's the big change?" notes. I don't do extensive character sheets or big writeups external to the main prose of the story. I don't do exercises where I interview my characters. None of that feels useful to me. It's too much, and I get lost in the weeds. God... I feel like I should be saving this for my patreon.

Uh... anyway, I try to have a big note to write towards that's like "Character X thinks they want A but it's really a symptom of needing B" or "The point of this fic is the big twist in chapter 11" (so I either need to set up emotions that really lay the groundwork for the twist to be a big deal or I need to lay the red herrings to make the twist a shock or whatever).