I’m somewhere between lawful good and true neutral

And, for the record, when I write something I’m particularly pleased with, it stays.

Another thing that’s lost about this advice is that he was talking about style– not content, not characters. 

The particular problem he was trying to address was trying to look smart by showing off a big vocabulary with flowery writing. More often than not, the person doing this doesn’t actually have the skill to pull it off, and they end up looking ridiculous. 

Painfully baroque prose isn’t a temptation for most writers anymore. This advice was given in 1916, long before simple sentences became fashionable. 

I’ve encountered this writing vice occasionally in literary writing workshops and magazines and academic journals, but it’s much more likely to show up in arguments on the internet when someone is trying to intimidate someone who disagrees with them instead of making an actual argument.  

This is the whole paragraph from the book that contains the advice:

“Kill your darlings” was a bit of writing advice my first creative writing prof gave to us, and I always wondered where it came from. This post just made it 100% better. 

weird asks that say a lot

in

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

7. earbuds or headphones?

8. movies or tv shows?

9. favorite smell in the summer?

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

12. name of your favorite playlist?

13. lanyard or key ring?

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

18. ideal weather?

19. sleeping position?

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

21. obsession from childhood?

22. role model?

23. strange habits?

24. favorite crystal?

25. first song you remember hearing?

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

28. five songs to describe you?

29. best way to bond with you?

30. places that you find sacred?

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

32. top five favorite vines?

33. most used phrase in your phone?

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

35. average time you fall asleep?

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

38. lemonade or tea?

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

41. last person you texted?

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

44. favorite scent for soap?

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

47. favorite type of cheese?

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

51. current stresses?

52. favorite font?

53. what is the current state of your hands?

54. what did you learn from your first job?

55. favorite fairy tale?

56. favorite tradition?

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

62. seven characters you relate to?

63. five songs that would play in your club?

64. favorite website from your childhood?

65. any permanent scars?

66. favorite flower(s)?

67. good luck charms?

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

70. left or right handed?

71. least favorite pattern?

72. worst subject?

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

82. pc or console?

83. writing or drawing?

84. podcasts or talk radio?

84. barbie or polly pocket?

85. fairy tales or mythology?

86. cookies or cupcakes?

87. your greatest fear?

88. your greatest wish?

89. who would you put before everyone else?

90. luckiest mistake?

91. boxes or bags?

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

93. nicknames?

94. favorite season?

95. favorite app on your phone?

96. desktop background?

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

98. favorite historical era?

I love how random this is 😆 Ask me questions to help me get through this work day please.

I’m trying to procrastinate please send some my way XD

Reblog and tell me about your WIPs!

I wanna learn more about everyone’s writing, and honestly there are too many wonderful ones out there for me to find them all on my own.  So please help me!

Reblog this and talk about your WIP for a bit! I wanna know what your project is! Tell me about what you’re excited for! Describe your characters! 

I don’t know how big this post will get, but I’ll try to respond to everyone eventually :)

This is such a cool idea! I’m honestly awful at talking about/summarizing my work, but I’ll give it a go ^_^

My WIP is a novel called The Moon Lies in Wait, and follows the life of young girl named Emily Lyn. After the brutal deaths of her parents, she is abducted by the creatures responsible--intelligent yet soulless beings known as monsters--and taken to their world, where she is enslaved and tormented physically, mentally, and emotionally for over a decade. Over the years she loses herself, becoming almost as cruel and apathetic as the creatures that kidnaped her--until a run-in with a stranger, one who claims to have ties to her past, leads Emily to question everything she’s ever known. 

To be honest I’ve been working on this WIP for roughly four years now, and while the writing’s been slow I’ve finally sorted through most of the plot holes and other issues facing the story’s continuation. Makes me super happy, since these characters are honestly super fun to work with. Let’s hope NaNoWriMo sees a few more chapters come into being! :D

types of writer

A) existential crisis - self-deprecating - ask themselves everyday if they should just give up on writing - continues to write anyway - feels like they should be doing more (both in writing and irl) otherwise feels like they’re just wasting time - (they’re not tho i believe in them) - likes to complain about writing but they really love it and wouldn’t know what to do without it

B) make it stop - looooooooooooooooong stories - thinks their stories have too much filler scenes and that they’re boring the readers - but they can’t stop - unconsciously brags about their word count - 2,000 words turn to 20,000 words real quick without noticing it - how do they do this - probably bad in one-on-one conversations irl

C) do it for yourself - *mildly interesting thing happened in their life* “now how do I exaggerate this so I can add it in my story” - rants about their irl problems thru their writing - *cries while writing angst bc it’s too real* - they’re the main character - makes people they don’t like the antagonists

D) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) - ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) - smut scenes that will make you consider kinks you didn’t know you have - makes their characters fuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse just bc - afraid to write in public for obvious reasons - just wants to write porn but ends up adding fluff/angst - sometimes it’s the other way around - kinky but sexually frustrated irl

E) God - organized - has a minimum word count everyday and follows thru it - knows how to separate irl emotions to story emotions - intricate outline - perfect grasp of how the story will flow - what we all aspire to be

F) writing???in my house???what??? - spends more time complaining about writing than doing it - same with shitposting - daydreams all the time - has great ideas but ends up being forgotten forever - really good when they write tho

tag yourself, i’m A 👋🏼

I’m somewhere between A and B, with a teeny dash of F :’)

hey reblog/reply with how old u were when u discovered fanfic, what year it was, and what site

Twelve, and fanfiction.net. Rumor has it that fanfic still isn’t finished yet I-- 

;-;

Welcome to week eight! Writeblrs, I want to hear about your ideal writing spot. What is your favorite place to write? Your desk, your bed, a coffee shop? What’s your dream writing spot like? Let’s talk about the environment that gets us in the zone. 

Send an ask, reblog, or comment to join the conversation! 

I tag everything with ‘writeblr conversations’ if you want to follow or mute all the reblogs. If you want to keep up with our talks every week, you  can join the tag list:  @elybydarkness @tjswritingstuff @gettingitwrite @gooseandcaboose @julesruleswrites @dawnhorizons @kd-holloman  @reininginthefirewriting @writingonesdreams@brb-writing @celstefani  @kirstenmcwriter  @no-negativity-writes @bardicfool @nemowritesstuff

I would like to say “my desk,” which is an antique tea cart I got from my grandmother after she was going to throw it out, but… I usually end up writing in bed with my cat curled up against me–or getting in the way! 

It’s hard to say which I prefer. I think I’m definitely more productive at my desk, but the bed is so comfortable…

My dream writing spot would be my own office/library, with a window that has a good view and a cat tree for Winnie. I’d still like to use the tea cart as my desk, but @r-hamlin might convince me to actually use it to display our silver tea set (also given to me by my grandmother) and get a real desk instead, lol.

I’m a sucker for antique furniture, especially from family. My “desk” is my grandmothers sewing machine table.

That dream sounds amazing! I’m all here for big library windows.

Gotta love coffee shops. I used to be able to write almost anywhere, and still can, but nothing puts me in a better writing mood than aesthetically pleasing shops. We don’t have a lot of small ones where I’m from, but shops like Cafe Nero and even certain Starbucks in my area have such a lovely, quaint little charm to them that puts me immediately at ease. 

Dream writing spot, though...that’s a little harder to say. On one hand, having my own office--big mahogany desk with a large window behind, walls lined with bookshelves, maaaybe a fireplace if we wanna go all out with the fantasy, haha. But just having a light, open space where I can go to work and feel at peace would be nice. Or, heck, even just another small town coffee shop. Either way.

Things to Consider When Creating a Fictional Mythology

 BASICS

What is their name? Is there any meaning in their name? Their age? What are the quick simple things that make your character? What is there role in your story?

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

What is their body type and their height? What is their skin color? What is their hair, eyes and face shape? Are they considered attractive? Is there any birth marks or scars or distinguishing features? What do they think of their physical attributes?

SPEECH AND VOICE

What speed do they talk? Do they ramble or are they careful with their words? How does their speech reflect their personality? What is the repetition in their internal monologue?

ORIGINS 

What is their emotional and physical origins? What was their childhood like and how does that manifest in their current life? What does their origins mean to them? What is the relationship with their family or guardians? How does their origins effect the story now? What haunts them? What makes them believe or reject the lie?

PERSONALITY 

What is their positive character traits? Flaws? How does those positive traits and flaws manifest in the story? How is their personality linked to their origins and ghost?

CHARACTER ARC

Are they going to experience a positive character arc? What is the lie? What is their truth? How will they learn that truth? Are they going to experience a negative character arc? What is the lie? What is the truth? How are they going to reject the truth for the lie? Are they going to experience a flat character arc? What is the lie they are fighting? What is the truth? Why do they believe that truth? How will other people learn the truth via your character?

A PASSAGE

Write a paragraph that perfectly encapsulates their character

Love. This. Definitely going to use this going forward to combat character-associated writer’s block!