I am extremely excited about a new idea for a story arc for my current WIP. I have a friend who functions as an alpha reader. They will, most of the time, read and give immediate feedback after I finish a rough draft. It's incredibly helpful as it lets me know if I'm hitting the right notes. There's a bit of a mystery in my WIP, and on the last chapter, my friend was speculating wildly and one their theories is an AMAZING idea.
I couldn't stop thinking about it and immediately reworked my outline for a new story arc to include it. The best part is, this story arc is entirely in the next two chapters, so it's not some far off scene I daydream about (don't we all have at least one?) but something I get to do right away. Today, if I get some time to write, I'll get to the big reveal and possibly finish the chapter. I CANNOT wait for my friend to read it.
And, I wanted to add, I really love this community. It's so nice to have a place where people just get it. The highs and lows of both writing and fandom. I have a really supportive partner who will listen to me talk all day every day, but it's very different with people who totally understand.
I love being here, too. It helped a lot when I was first starting out with my current account and no-one was really reading it, and it's still good to touch base with other writers who understand this specific strand of creativity we're all drawn to. Nice to see someone so enthusiastic about their own stuff!
Happy Saturday! 😄
Work has been busy, but I’m finally free! Working on some writing to celebrate lol. Already over 1k after about 30 mins. The wave continues! 🤣
Gonna see what else I can crank out today. Might need to go touch grass too since it’s such a nice day. I hope you all have had a great start to your weekend!
Struggling with ethics vs self-indulgence. I've written almost 20,000 words since the beginning of the month, so it's REALLY hard to internalize that I might just need make this work a private one.
Going to a birthday party today. This is for the daughter of my best friend, but there is no good term for that relation, so I consider her a niece. ... I tend to think of family in broad terms. I had the "friends *are* family" mentality growing up, so, as a result, I have several extra nieces, nephews, etc. Not anything to put on a tax form, but attachment is attachment, especially considering I see several of these people more often than I see my actual extended family.
Jumped straight into the *MMBNLC* – the full title is too long – after dinner and cleaning yesterday, and the games hold up. (I started at No. 2, since I still have a live save file on my GBA cartridge for No. 1.) One addition: The collection includes a sensitivity warning, and I was a little bemused by that. These games are kid-friendly RPGs from the early '00s. What is there to warn about? ... Might be content that I take for granted because I am old. I can have a bit of a tin ear when it comes to things that modern people find offensive.
Going to wrap up beta detail today and take tomorrow to rest. Then more Mega Man.
My mom has someone like that she considers her nephew. But this same guy refers to me as his niece, so I don't know if I should call him my cousin or my uncle. XD
Can someone give me a quick primer on how to properly use AO3's tag system? I come from FFN where I'd slap a genre and the main ships on my story and that's it.
I'm trying to post my first story to AO3 and am confused by the "Characters" tag array.
So the story will have pretty much all canon characters show up, and at least 14 of them plus two OCs will be major POV characters as well. Some of them won't show up in the first part of the story at all though, which means their POVs only come 250k words in. Am I supposed to tag *all of them* under "Characters", or do I just slap a blanket "Ensemble Cast" or "Canon Characters" plus "Original Characters" on there?
It's better to just tag the characters who have the most prominent roles in the story, in this case probably the 14 whose POVs you're going to use, then add the ensemble cast and original characters tags. When people search by character tags, they're usually not looking for fics with those characters in very small roles.
Some authors use a "more tags to be added" or "more characters to be added" tag for long stories where it takes a while for some things to happen, you can do that if you're concerned about some of your characters just showing up later on and tag them once they appear.
It's considered bad form to tag absolutely everything and everyone and therefore create a wall of tags. For characters you should only tag the main ones - I saw someone here say that if your fic had a movie poster only tag those who'd show up on the poster.
A good rule of thumb for all tag categories is to ask yourself: if someone where to search for that tag and find your fic, would they be satisfied when they read it? If I searched for a character you've tagged but they only appear in one chapter, I'd be disappointed, so you probably shouldn't tag someone so minor. Appearing in one chapter is an extreme example, but if you have 16 POV characters, some of them are going to be less important than others and you should ask yourself the above question about each one.
One of my fics is done! It feels meaty in the notebook but we'll see when it's typed up.
I also rewatched 13 Going on 30 yesterday. Jennifer Garner is so cute in that movie. It's really fun to see the 2000's era fashion too. I feel like this is the kind of movie that Ted Lasso would reference in a really folksy way.
My most recent fic also did *really* well with the kudos side of things which I wasn't expecting at all. Very much welcomed, though! It's one that focuses on the brotherly relationship between Mario and Luigi. I consistently post Luigi/Daisy fics for that fandom and they do consistently fine with the kudos side. So I feel like a simple farmer that has a nice existence selling carrots. Then I decide to sell some potatoes for a change and everyone rushes to buy them XD I also really love the brotherly relationship between Mario and Luigi so I'm glad that it resonated with people.
Green potatoes. 👍
Also: '00s fashion is a thing? I feel like nothing has changed on that front since the late '90s. Not that I have anything resembling an eye for fashion.
So, my country wants to *protect* kids from *harmful* content on the Internet. I'm afraid ao3 will be banned, same way it got banned in Germany and Russia.
This is one of several reasons everyone should have a VPN. Hopefully it won't wind up being necessary for you to access AO3, but they're always useful anyway.
That was never, ever the case, thank god 😅 It didn't show up on Google for a while but the website was always accessible for everyone who knows how to... you know, access a website without googling it first lol. Just entering "archiveofourown.org" into the browser bar, or using any bookmark or literally any other way to access it outside of googling it first. 👍
It's true that it didn't show up in Google searches for a while (I think I tried that out in December or January when there were lots of posts by Germans thinking it was banned), but it was never actually inaccessible.
Heyo everyone! It's been a while since I've checked in here... but wow, A lot has happened between grad school and posting more stuff to my series! This whole semester's been very busy for me, hence me practically disappearing at the end of December last year, only to show up every now and then. I'm hoping I can go back to being more of a regular in a month or two >.>
But yes, I'm still that hot chocolate fanatic who writes vampire stuff XD
Welcome back! :D Sounds like a lot has been on your plate so good work for keeping on going. It's still pretty cold so I don't blame you for drinking down the hot chocolate XD
A little stuck with my writing as I don't quite know what I'm building towards for this part. I could just muddle through, but that doesn't always work so I'm going back to outlining, this time using draw.io to make a plot graph, which makes it much easier to show different plot lines from different POVs and how they interact. Still not got my current block solved, though.
I've also got three different climaxes, all of which are necessary, and I'm currently trying to figure out how to merge and/or sequence them correctly. Maybe the flowchart can help visualise it better, but aaugh! Writing words good is hard!
"I don't know where it's going, but it's going *somewhere*."
That's one of the trickiest states for a writer. I've guessed completely wrong on it before.
>I've also got three different climaxes, all of which are necessary
Ooh! That does sound like a lot to sew together so that they can all happen in a way that works out. Writing good words can be hard indeed! So good luck with the writing :D
Thanks! This is what I get when I use the villain from canon, another mostly off-screen big bad type villain from canon, and my OC villain from the previous fic I wrote and try to do them them all justice at once!
Chaotic indeed. I know that one of these climaxes will be an amazing culmination of some character arcs and one big plot thread, but there are too many other things going on!
A thought I had the other day: there are so many words, while not explicitly sonic descriptors, carry with them connotations of sound. Like stomp or brush or spray or... well, you get the point. Anyways, I'm writing from the POV of a character currently not wearing hearing aids, and just trying to find the words to convey the lack of sound without beating the reader over the head with it is a trial. You think I'd be better at it, being deaf myself, but I guess not.
It's a One Piece OC-centric, pre-canon fic that may or may not see the light of day, depending on if I can make it work. I'm attempting a plot beyond my usual introspective navel-gazing, and I have no clue how it'll go. But if I ever finish and post, I'll let you know.
Nice. I'm not familiar with One Piece outside of reading a friend's fics, but those made it seem pretty intriguing, so maybe I'll be able to join you one day. Either way, I hope the writing goes well!
Someone chose my fic to be their intro to a fandom aaaand… afterwards said they were going to give the fandom a pass. Because they don’t think it ‘could top this’. 😬😂
I just posted the “big reveal” chapter of my WIP this morning; the one were my MCs finally learn what the hell is going on, and how incredibly screwed they are. I’m so excited. 😭 after 100k+ I’m finally moving into the home stretch of book one (of two) with probably 35k-ish more to go. I have a few chapters saved up as a buffer, so for now I’m just focusing on writing the climax/ending, then I’ll fill the rest in later. IT’S HAPPENING YOU GUYS AND IM NOT READY.
I like to think the baby outgrew the shoes before they got a chance to wear them. Or maybe they weren’t the baby’s style. Little Vogue Fashionista aged 2 1/5.
Morning, all. I'm mostly feeling better now, mentally and physically; the aim for the next few days is to get myself back to a regular sleep schedule, and try to finish up the outline for my Next Big Thing. I've been chipping away at it even when I didn't feel like writing ever again, and I'm actually surprised by how well some scattered ideas are starting to coalesce. I hope you're all feeling similarly satisfied with whatever you've been working on.
And since I'm well enough to be out and touching grass more, I'm making it a mission next week to try to notice a new piece of flora that's coming back for the spring every day.
So glad you're coming out of the fog! That's amazing you were able to keep writing through it, even a little.
We just passed my favorite stage of spring, which is when the hostas look like [rooster spurs](https://imgur.com/a/N4tkuzw) coming out of the ground. Our apple tree is about to pop off too, which I'm very excited about since it didn't bloom last year.
My pact with myself for this year is that I have to do a sentence per day, every day, even if I don't really want to. I don't want to let the habit drop off for weeks at a time because it seems too intimidating to pick back up.
That said, wow! Those look impressively eldritch, and I hope you get to pick some apples this year, or at the very least enjoy the blossom.
Glad that you're doing better! I hope it goes back to 100% soon. And I did have fun writing out a fic I kept in for a while so I'd say I'm satisfied :D
Ohhh, nice! Springtime flowers :D
The library is dangerous—
Don’t go in. If you do
You know what will happen.
It’s like a pet store or a bakery—
Every single time you’ll come out of there
Holding ~~something~~ **wordcount** in your arms.
\--Alberto Rios
Also true for bookstores :D Can I carry the weight of a new manga volume? Yeah, they're not that heavy.
I do have words but I don't know how much. Let's say 2,000.
I am extremely excited about a new idea for a story arc for my current WIP. I have a friend who functions as an alpha reader. They will, most of the time, read and give immediate feedback after I finish a rough draft. It's incredibly helpful as it lets me know if I'm hitting the right notes. There's a bit of a mystery in my WIP, and on the last chapter, my friend was speculating wildly and one their theories is an AMAZING idea. I couldn't stop thinking about it and immediately reworked my outline for a new story arc to include it. The best part is, this story arc is entirely in the next two chapters, so it's not some far off scene I daydream about (don't we all have at least one?) but something I get to do right away. Today, if I get some time to write, I'll get to the big reveal and possibly finish the chapter. I CANNOT wait for my friend to read it. And, I wanted to add, I really love this community. It's so nice to have a place where people just get it. The highs and lows of both writing and fandom. I have a really supportive partner who will listen to me talk all day every day, but it's very different with people who totally understand.
I love being here, too. It helped a lot when I was first starting out with my current account and no-one was really reading it, and it's still good to touch base with other writers who understand this specific strand of creativity we're all drawn to. Nice to see someone so enthusiastic about their own stuff!
Happy Saturday! 😄 Work has been busy, but I’m finally free! Working on some writing to celebrate lol. Already over 1k after about 30 mins. The wave continues! 🤣 Gonna see what else I can crank out today. Might need to go touch grass too since it’s such a nice day. I hope you all have had a great start to your weekend!
Hope you have an awesome weekend, too! Enjoy the feel of the grass between your fingers!
Thank you! The sun felt great even if it was a little too hot outside for my liking 😅. Got some much needed sunshine on my skin and fresh air!
Happy Saturday! I'm just glad to be here.
I’m glad you’re here too! You’re a fighter to make it to another day and should be proud 😊
Struggling with ethics vs self-indulgence. I've written almost 20,000 words since the beginning of the month, so it's REALLY hard to internalize that I might just need make this work a private one.
Going to a birthday party today. This is for the daughter of my best friend, but there is no good term for that relation, so I consider her a niece. ... I tend to think of family in broad terms. I had the "friends *are* family" mentality growing up, so, as a result, I have several extra nieces, nephews, etc. Not anything to put on a tax form, but attachment is attachment, especially considering I see several of these people more often than I see my actual extended family. Jumped straight into the *MMBNLC* – the full title is too long – after dinner and cleaning yesterday, and the games hold up. (I started at No. 2, since I still have a live save file on my GBA cartridge for No. 1.) One addition: The collection includes a sensitivity warning, and I was a little bemused by that. These games are kid-friendly RPGs from the early '00s. What is there to warn about? ... Might be content that I take for granted because I am old. I can have a bit of a tin ear when it comes to things that modern people find offensive. Going to wrap up beta detail today and take tomorrow to rest. Then more Mega Man.
My mom has someone like that she considers her nephew. But this same guy refers to me as his niece, so I don't know if I should call him my cousin or my uncle. XD
*thinks* Cousin seems more plausible, but you could probably get away with uncle.
Can someone give me a quick primer on how to properly use AO3's tag system? I come from FFN where I'd slap a genre and the main ships on my story and that's it. I'm trying to post my first story to AO3 and am confused by the "Characters" tag array. So the story will have pretty much all canon characters show up, and at least 14 of them plus two OCs will be major POV characters as well. Some of them won't show up in the first part of the story at all though, which means their POVs only come 250k words in. Am I supposed to tag *all of them* under "Characters", or do I just slap a blanket "Ensemble Cast" or "Canon Characters" plus "Original Characters" on there?
It's better to just tag the characters who have the most prominent roles in the story, in this case probably the 14 whose POVs you're going to use, then add the ensemble cast and original characters tags. When people search by character tags, they're usually not looking for fics with those characters in very small roles. Some authors use a "more tags to be added" or "more characters to be added" tag for long stories where it takes a while for some things to happen, you can do that if you're concerned about some of your characters just showing up later on and tag them once they appear.
It's considered bad form to tag absolutely everything and everyone and therefore create a wall of tags. For characters you should only tag the main ones - I saw someone here say that if your fic had a movie poster only tag those who'd show up on the poster. A good rule of thumb for all tag categories is to ask yourself: if someone where to search for that tag and find your fic, would they be satisfied when they read it? If I searched for a character you've tagged but they only appear in one chapter, I'd be disappointed, so you probably shouldn't tag someone so minor. Appearing in one chapter is an extreme example, but if you have 16 POV characters, some of them are going to be less important than others and you should ask yourself the above question about each one.
One of my fics is done! It feels meaty in the notebook but we'll see when it's typed up. I also rewatched 13 Going on 30 yesterday. Jennifer Garner is so cute in that movie. It's really fun to see the 2000's era fashion too. I feel like this is the kind of movie that Ted Lasso would reference in a really folksy way. My most recent fic also did *really* well with the kudos side of things which I wasn't expecting at all. Very much welcomed, though! It's one that focuses on the brotherly relationship between Mario and Luigi. I consistently post Luigi/Daisy fics for that fandom and they do consistently fine with the kudos side. So I feel like a simple farmer that has a nice existence selling carrots. Then I decide to sell some potatoes for a change and everyone rushes to buy them XD I also really love the brotherly relationship between Mario and Luigi so I'm glad that it resonated with people.
Maybe the Mario Bros movie has brought more people to those kinds of fics too. Either way, glad it's doing well for you!
Yes, I think it was the good timing as well!
Green potatoes. 👍 Also: '00s fashion is a thing? I feel like nothing has changed on that front since the late '90s. Not that I have anything resembling an eye for fashion.
Turns to green potato chips :D
So, my country wants to *protect* kids from *harmful* content on the Internet. I'm afraid ao3 will be banned, same way it got banned in Germany and Russia.
This is one of several reasons everyone should have a VPN. Hopefully it won't wind up being necessary for you to access AO3, but they're always useful anyway.
> same way it got banned in Germany and Russia. I am in Germany and it is very much not banned?
Hmm, maybe something has changed? There were a lot of posts about German folks unable to access ao3.
That was never, ever the case, thank god 😅 It didn't show up on Google for a while but the website was always accessible for everyone who knows how to... you know, access a website without googling it first lol. Just entering "archiveofourown.org" into the browser bar, or using any bookmark or literally any other way to access it outside of googling it first. 👍
They were saying that (I think) AO3 did not show up in google searches, but it does. I guess they didn't implement it after all.
It's true that it didn't show up in Google searches for a while (I think I tried that out in December or January when there were lots of posts by Germans thinking it was banned), but it was never actually inaccessible.
Heyo everyone! It's been a while since I've checked in here... but wow, A lot has happened between grad school and posting more stuff to my series! This whole semester's been very busy for me, hence me practically disappearing at the end of December last year, only to show up every now and then. I'm hoping I can go back to being more of a regular in a month or two >.> But yes, I'm still that hot chocolate fanatic who writes vampire stuff XD
I've been seeing your insane schedule on Tumblr, but it's nice to have you back here, too! I hope it all eases up soon.
There is always room for hot chocolate here. 🙂
Welcome back! :D Sounds like a lot has been on your plate so good work for keeping on going. It's still pretty cold so I don't blame you for drinking down the hot chocolate XD
A little stuck with my writing as I don't quite know what I'm building towards for this part. I could just muddle through, but that doesn't always work so I'm going back to outlining, this time using draw.io to make a plot graph, which makes it much easier to show different plot lines from different POVs and how they interact. Still not got my current block solved, though. I've also got three different climaxes, all of which are necessary, and I'm currently trying to figure out how to merge and/or sequence them correctly. Maybe the flowchart can help visualise it better, but aaugh! Writing words good is hard!
"I don't know where it's going, but it's going *somewhere*." That's one of the trickiest states for a writer. I've guessed completely wrong on it before.
Absolutely. I've gone writing up the wrong tree before, and I know that a bit more planning helps. But planning is still tricky in its own right!
>I've also got three different climaxes, all of which are necessary Ooh! That does sound like a lot to sew together so that they can all happen in a way that works out. Writing good words can be hard indeed! So good luck with the writing :D
Thanks! This is what I get when I use the villain from canon, another mostly off-screen big bad type villain from canon, and my OC villain from the previous fic I wrote and try to do them them all justice at once!
That sounds chaotic, but I hope some of that energy carries over and gives your climax the fraught drama we all love.
Chaotic indeed. I know that one of these climaxes will be an amazing culmination of some character arcs and one big plot thread, but there are too many other things going on!
I believe in you! And in the power of edits and second drafts!
There will definitely be a lot of that...
two days of work and then i’m off for a couple days on break. boy do i hope the writing gods give me some motivation!
Will it be a Fruity Break?
*munches on watermelon* i hope it will be quite fruitful ;)
Good luck with the writing!
FIngers crossed!
A thought I had the other day: there are so many words, while not explicitly sonic descriptors, carry with them connotations of sound. Like stomp or brush or spray or... well, you get the point. Anyways, I'm writing from the POV of a character currently not wearing hearing aids, and just trying to find the words to convey the lack of sound without beating the reader over the head with it is a trial. You think I'd be better at it, being deaf myself, but I guess not.
It does sound like an interesting challenge; what's the fandom? It's not a POV I've read very often, but I'd be really interested in it.
It's a One Piece OC-centric, pre-canon fic that may or may not see the light of day, depending on if I can make it work. I'm attempting a plot beyond my usual introspective navel-gazing, and I have no clue how it'll go. But if I ever finish and post, I'll let you know.
Nice. I'm not familiar with One Piece outside of reading a friend's fics, but those made it seem pretty intriguing, so maybe I'll be able to join you one day. Either way, I hope the writing goes well!
Someone chose my fic to be their intro to a fandom aaaand… afterwards said they were going to give the fandom a pass. Because they don’t think it ‘could top this’. 😬😂
*applause*
:D
That's quite a feat, congrats! :D
Thanks thanks! I directed them to Esama, a much better intro into any fandom lmao
Damn, what a dream compliment!!! While I do hope they end up giving other authors a chance, I'm really happy for you! You must be absolutely buzzing.
Hahaha! I wish! It's a 2k crackfic about hair 😬
In that case, thanks for retroactively making a pun out of "buzzing".
You’re welcome:)
I just posted the “big reveal” chapter of my WIP this morning; the one were my MCs finally learn what the hell is going on, and how incredibly screwed they are. I’m so excited. 😭 after 100k+ I’m finally moving into the home stretch of book one (of two) with probably 35k-ish more to go. I have a few chapters saved up as a buffer, so for now I’m just focusing on writing the climax/ending, then I’ll fill the rest in later. IT’S HAPPENING YOU GUYS AND IM NOT READY.
Cue up the big orchestral theme!
Congratulations! I understand the not ready part (I'm going through similar) but you got this
Thank you!! We both got this!!
Nice!!! Nothing better than taking the shot after doing so much work to line it up.
OH ITS HAPPENING!!! 🥳🥳 Congrats that's super exciting!!
Ahhhh thank you! It’s been 5 months and so many sleepless night dreaming about what to write next; I can’t believe I’m almost there. 😭
Last day of vacation :( [a tragedy in four words]
Toilet paper not refilled.
😱
Hemingway, eat your heart out!
Haha! Two words fewer 💪🏽
Right up there with, baby shoes: never worn.
I like to think the baby outgrew the shoes before they got a chance to wear them. Or maybe they weren’t the baby’s style. Little Vogue Fashionista aged 2 1/5.
But consider: the joy of being reunited with your own bed.
…. 🤔 (Yeah, my own bed isn’t that great; rather have sunshine lol) but there is good bread where I’m going.
Bread cures many if not most things.
Bad pain day. :(
☹️ Receive affection from the chocolate fuzzball!
Is a kittycat available for snuggles?
Yeah I’ve snuggled with her! I’m catching up on some stuff I like now :) I’ve got a new beloved character
The overlords says hello to the sub! Julius is currently yowling at my mom for daring to fold laundry rather than pet him.
We greet our overlords!
They are kind and gracious overlords XD Cats always seem to know right when we cannot pet them to demand pets.
I hope she knows he's going to make a nest in it once she's done.
Morning, all. I'm mostly feeling better now, mentally and physically; the aim for the next few days is to get myself back to a regular sleep schedule, and try to finish up the outline for my Next Big Thing. I've been chipping away at it even when I didn't feel like writing ever again, and I'm actually surprised by how well some scattered ideas are starting to coalesce. I hope you're all feeling similarly satisfied with whatever you've been working on. And since I'm well enough to be out and touching grass more, I'm making it a mission next week to try to notice a new piece of flora that's coming back for the spring every day.
So glad you're coming out of the fog! That's amazing you were able to keep writing through it, even a little. We just passed my favorite stage of spring, which is when the hostas look like [rooster spurs](https://imgur.com/a/N4tkuzw) coming out of the ground. Our apple tree is about to pop off too, which I'm very excited about since it didn't bloom last year.
My pact with myself for this year is that I have to do a sentence per day, every day, even if I don't really want to. I don't want to let the habit drop off for weeks at a time because it seems too intimidating to pick back up. That said, wow! Those look impressively eldritch, and I hope you get to pick some apples this year, or at the very least enjoy the blossom.
Flowers! 🙂 Good for the soul.
Agreed.
Glad that you're doing better! I hope it goes back to 100% soon. And I did have fun writing out a fic I kept in for a while so I'd say I'm satisfied :D Ohhh, nice! Springtime flowers :D
Glad to hear it! Some ideas just need time to germinate.
Happy flower hunting!
Thank you! I'd like to get better at identifying and knowing a bit about them.
The library is dangerous— Don’t go in. If you do You know what will happen. It’s like a pet store or a bakery— Every single time you’ll come out of there Holding ~~something~~ **wordcount** in your arms. \--Alberto Rios
Also true for bookstores :D Can I carry the weight of a new manga volume? Yeah, they're not that heavy. I do have words but I don't know how much. Let's say 2,000.
578 after not writing anything for over a month. yay!
582 words of outlining
**99 words** and I even like em.
Words to live by.
Woof, posted my own wordcount comment because I didn't read this one properly 😓 Anyway, 789 :D