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nanowrimo · 6 months

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Pro Tips from a NaNo Coach: How to Write a Clean(ish) Fast Draft

NaNoWriMo can seem like a daunting task sometimes, for NaNo newbies and veterans alike. Fortunately, our NaNo Coaches are here to help guide you through November! Today, author Jesse Q. Sutanto is here to share her advice on how to set yourself up for noveling success:

Dear Nano-ers,

My first book took me three years to cobble together. During that time, I joined Absolute Write—a free writers forum which I completely love and recommend to all aspiring writers—and I made a friend who convinced me to try doing NaNoWriMo. I was completely unconvinced, but I am a people-pleaser and I can never say no, so I agreed to try it for my second novel.

My second novel took me less than a month to write. It was a complete mess, but it was also a revelation. Often, I felt myself falling into that writing Holy Grail—the hole which consumes you, makes you forget the rest of the world, and absorbs you completely in the world you are creating on paper. I loved the process deeply, and never looked back since. All of my subsequent books have since been written in a matter of months.

And you know what? They were all a horrific mess. I did not learn how to do a clean and fast draft until my NINTH book, and I don’t think I would’ve ever learnt without the help of NaNoWriMo. So here are my tips on how to best tackle a sprint-a-thon like NaNo.

1. Try to come up with a loose outline.

When I first started writing, I was a pure pantser. I had no idea what was going to happen before I sat down to write. This is a completely legit way of writing, but I have since learned that it is massively helpful to have an idea, even a vague one, of what you are trying to say with your book. What was really helpful for me was to sit down for just five minutes before writing each scene and try to envision what I wanted the scene to achieve. Once I had that in mind, the scene became much easier to write.

2. Break down your writing time.

Ever heard of the Pomodoro technique? In order to hit 50,000 words a month, you need to write around 1,600 words a day. That is a heck of a lot of words to write! Break it down. Set 10 or 15-minute timers and use that to your advantage. Trust me, if you told me to sit down and write 1,600 words, I would be like, “Omg that’s too much!” But if you told me to just write for 15 minutes, that feels a lot more doable.

3. Give yourself permission to write trash.

Before each writing session, I actually say out loud: “I am going to write trash.” And this gives me permission to write whatever comes to my mind without judgment. You can always edit later, but for now, focus on letting the words out on paper.

4. Lean on others for support.

I made the mistake of thinking that writing is a lonely vocation. In fact, it is one of the most social things I could do. Social media, while a double-edged sword, has done so much for the writing community. I have found all of my close writer friends through social media, and I chat with them every day and consider them my close, lifelong friends. Don’t be afraid to reach out and make connections within the community. You are not alone.

Jesse Q. Sutanto is the award-winning, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, Well, That Was Unexpected, The Obsession, and Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit. The film rights to her women’s fiction, Dial A for Aunties, was bought by Netflix in a competitive bidding war, and the TV rights to Vera Wong was bought by Warner Bros, with Oprah and Mindy Kaling attached to produce. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Oxford University, though she hasn’t found a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious.

#nanowrimo #writing #nanowrimo 2023 #writing advice #writing tips #writblr #by nano coach #jesse q. sutanto

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nickycoach · 2 months

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Learn To Swim With Coach Nicky Intro

#youtube #learntoswimwithcoachnicky nicolafranco entrepreneur swimcoach coach environmentalist trini islandlifefam Barbados speicalneeds adults nano

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bandabags-blog · 1 year

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#Nano Crossbody #crossbody bags for Women #sling bags for women #purses for women #coach purses

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lovepookie · 4 months

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₊˚ෆ Promise - p.gw

♡︎ sypnosis: star-football player park gunwook probably can’t play for the rest of the season due to an injury sustained on the field. but more than that, your boyfriend park gunwook is in pain—and you’ll hop fences, run past security, and go to the ends of the earth just to get to him; that’s a promise.

♡ genre: fluff, slight angst, sports fic, established relationship, boyfriend!gunwook, fem!reader

♡︎ 2.0k word count

♡︎ warnings: gunwook in pain, injury, reader crying, cursing, playful threats, pet names, please let me know if there are any you’d like me to add!

♡︎ nano note: it’s wookie’s b-day!!🥳 i decided to go ahead and post this au today because of the sporty themed b-day he has going on! enjoy! xoxo

.♡︎.

You let a blood-curdling scream out as your boyfriend was rolled off of the field on a gernie, obviously uncomfortable, his stupid gummy smile smiling through the pain.

“I-I’m- I’m fucking leaving!” You yelp over to your family and friends in the stands as you’re suddenly up and onto your feet, running over to a security gaurd to beg them to let you on the sidelines of the field.

“He’s- I’m!- Please I’m his girlfriend, he’s hurt!” You plead, on the verge of getting on your knees with your hands clasped together.

You just needed to know he was okay.

That’s it!

That was all!

You were going to worry yourself sick, the tightness in your chest mixed with the taste of blood in your mouth suddenly becoming all too much. It seems you’ve broke the skin on your lips in nervousness, and as soon as you swear things are t asking a turn for the worst, the security guard sighs and moves aside to let you onto the field.

Your eyes shoot open and you’re quick to yell a couple ‘thank you’s’ because oh my god, you could kiss the gaurd right now.

“Thank you so much! I’ll never forget this sir!” You shout as you run down the stairs. Once your shoes hit the grass you’re gone—seemingly just like the wide receivers on the field during a hot game day.

As soon as you get to the openings of the tunnel, more security gaurds are on standby, but they most definitely didn’t prepare for a woman out of her fucking mind to sprint at full speed and straight past them. They all shout and yell after you as you cut through random corners and corridors in hopes that they lead you to the injured love of your life.

Once getting past an area labeled ‘Infirmary’, you’re met with more security, and oh my god there he is.

He’s in pain, sweat dripping down the sides of his temples as he clenches his jaw shut, eyes closed.

“Miss, how did you get in here? You aren’t allowed in-“

And like a light switch, he’s opening his eyes to meet yours.

His jaw unclenches, and his lips are upturning in seconds.

“She’s with me,” He says, and if he wasn’t sprawled out on a hospital-grade inspection table, you’d think he’s in zero pain all of a sudden.

The security gaurds sigh and fidget for a second as they send each other conflicted looks, but they let you in anyway. Still, getting into trouble and facing the consequences of your actions for trespassing is the least of your worries at the moment.

Like clockwork, your eyes are on him and the smile he shoot’s you as you make your way closer. By this time, your eyes are pooling with tears as he scrunches his cute little nose in discomfort—but his smile never faulters.

“Tiny, why are you crying?” He says through a laugh, calling you by the infamous nickname he gave you. It didn’t matter if you were taller or smaller than him, he loved to coddle you.

You can’t help but smack him on the shoulder as you sit down next to him—much to the dismay of the sub-coach and therapists currently in the room.

This definitely gaurnered you a couple side eyes.

Still, his laughs continue as his dark fluffy hair bounces about, his gummy smile causes a warmness in your chest and alerts the caretakers that he was just fine.

“Why am I crying? Are you serious? Why am I crying?!” You repeat loudly, brows furrowed and very angry at how he wasn’t taking this seriously.

Still he laughs, gaze softening as he stares you down and leans over, beckoning you in for a kiss without saying a word. You lean down reluctantly, your lips connecting to the corner of his mouth quickly before you’re pulling away.

“Gunwook, I’m not playing with you. You better tell me your condition right now before I beat it out of you.” You threaten whilst pushing his bangs out of his eyes, your actions in complete contrast to your words.

He giggles again, leaning as best as he can to get another kiss, but only able to make it to your chin. You just stare blank-faced as you eye him and don’t help him out at all in his efforts to reach your lips again.

“Oh, you’re calling me by my name now? I swear I’m fine, it’s nothing-“ He reasons, stars in his dark eyes, clearly very amused at your current worked-up state and the hard front you’re putting up now despite it.

Without letting anymore bullshit fall from his lips, you turn to the physician therapist who you note flinches for just a second.

“Uh- His kneecap was dislocated, we just finished doing a repositioning before you arrived. With some elevation, ice and rest—maybe a bit of physical therapy…he should heal in about six weeks or so. As for getting back on the field, it could take longer.” He states, looking at his paperwork.

You shoot Gunwook a glare.

This was nothing?

A dislocated fucking kneecap?

“What? Tiny, I’m fine. It doesn’t even hurt.” He says, adoration in his gaze.

You aren’t convinced.

The doctors in the room aren’t convinced.

“A dislocated knee? Wook I saw you right before you were made aware I was here. Stop being like that-“ You nag, feeling terrible that he feels he can’t suffer outwardly on an effort to stop you from worrying.

He just smiles a very playful smile.

“Mini…how did you get in here?” He says, giggling out another nickname.

Was he serious?

Was this why he was practically shooting you heart eyes? Now it was evident to you that he was day-dreaming about the amount of things you probably had to do in order to get to him.

Boy was whipped.

He was insane.

And you, frankly, were done.

With one swift movement you go to stand and walk out, but he’s quick to try and sit up, grasping at your figure. He doesn’t get anywhere near touching you however, because his quick movements and straining causes a wince to fly past his lips on impulse.

You’re quick to snap back to him, your pettiness no match for your baby in pain.

“Oh my god- Stop moving! Fine! I won’t leave, shit!” You say, coming right back to his side and holding his hand as his nose scrunches back up again.

He grapples onto your hand with his and the warmth from them puts him at ease through the pain. Gunwook allows himself a couple more grimace’s as he settles back down before he’s opening one eye to look at your worried state.

He lets out a pained chuckle again, his fingers now going to lace with yours.

“Hmm, your jokes about swiping my ankles and snatching my knee-caps are off the table now, huh?” He questions jokingly, looking at you again with those curved eyes, the prettiest one’s he could possibly muster whilst in pain.

You sigh but crack a smile at this, your other hand going to clasp at your intertwined hands and bringing them close to your chest as you lean forward on his table.

“No, it’s even more ironic now. Your kneecaps are forreal mine.” You joke back, finally letting a calm energy settle in now that your boyfriend is able to joke around even during the most intense pain.

He just chuckles with pursed lips, letting his eyes close against his high cheekbones that are raising whilst he tries to bite back a grin.

Gunwook was smitten.

Even in situations like this, he felt you were perfect for him.

Yes, he was upset that this probably meant he had a season ending injury with how his sub-coach walked out of the room with a pat to his purple-jersey-covered shoulder, but he was very touched to see you make so much effort to be by his side and be so worried for him.

“Tiny, how much do I owe you?” He asks through closed eyes.

You tilt your head in confusion.

“What?”

Gunwook smiles, finally opening his eyes and looking over at you.

“How much did you pay to get in here? Seriously, who did you pay off?” He jokes, his other hand going up to shield his gummy laugh.

You roll your eyes.

“It’s not funny! I was crying so hard they probably felt pity and decided to let me in finally! Damn! A girl can’t go see her injured boyfriend? You could’ve been on your death bed for all I know!” You exaggerated.

He continues to smile at you, whilst taking in each of your features. It was the kind of gaze that made you shy around him. Your relationship dynamic was more like best friends, but it was at times like these where he made you feel like a giddy school girl.

It was terrible.

“Wah~ You just love me so much, huh?” He asks as his thumb rubs over the top of yours.

You roll your eyes.

“Park Gunwook, you should see yourself right now. You were in so much pain but now look at you…in pain but all smiley…tsk tsk.” You tease back, and he glares at you through pink cheeks.

“Exactly.” You jokingly confirm as he glares.

You let a genuine smile raise to your face for the first time since he was carried off the field after that fateful football play.

He just stays silent as he watches you, then lets a grin grace his face again.

It was like it belonged there.

“You didn’t even make the touchdown.” You mutter, deciding to continue teasing him, knowing he could take it.

He feigns a facial expression of faux hurt, grasping at his heart as he gasps. “Wooow~ So that’s how it is?…wow, okay.” He says, shooting you an all-knowing look.

“That’s okay though, because you still scored.” You say, deciding to be witty.

He looks at you, lips pressed into a thin line and trying not to laugh.

“What? What’s the punch line? That I scored you?” He laughs, completely and utterly enamored and equally irritated with you.

You nod as you laugh out, feeling like the smoothest and funniest person in the world.

“I know, I know! I’m so funny, sexy, and cute!” You muse, flipping your hair back.

Gunwook just smiles at you in annoyance, but he’s quick to nod at your statement. “Yes,” He starts, “…I can confirm you are all of those things.”

And just like that, you’re blushing and sending him a side eye.

He always knew how to turn your jokes back in on yourself. He was always the smoothest in the room.

“Aye~ Don’t sweet talk, you’re not getting out of this. Who told you that you could get hurt?!” You nag, trying to avoid the subject.

And the conversation went on just like this.

When his teammates finished the game with a win and came over to check in on him, he held your hand the whole time. When they left, he continued to conversate with you by his side, and it took his mom coming in for you to realize hours had gone by.

“Alright, thank you for staying with him,” Your future mother-in-law states with a smile, “…we’ll send you the details of which hospital we end up going to.”

“Alright, thank you.” You say and send her a smile, then steal one last glance at Gunwook.

He too was smiling at you already, that loving gaze still on display. You roll your eyes and smile back, waving at him.

Before you could turn to leave, however, he’s waving you over for one last hug.

When you walk over and lean into his arms, he whispers into your hair just loud enough for you to hear; “Don’t worry Tiny, I’ll make sure you don’t have to pay anymore people off to get to me. I promise.”

He was so annoying, maybe irritating at best—and your heart swells.

In that moment, when your cheeks flush and your heart-rate picks up, you know his words hold purpose—they were particularly chosen and uttered with meaning.

“Funny, Wook. Don’t hurt too much without me.” You tease then kiss his forehead when you pull away; making him feel like the baby girl that he is.

Right in front of his mom.

You had no shame.

“I’ll see you later! Promise!” You shout out to him, walking backwards down the hall until you couldn’t see his flushed state anymore.

It seems even through pain and unforseeable circumstances you two would always find each other.

That much, was true.

It was a promise.

2024 © lovepookie

♡ please do not plagarize, repost, copy or translate any of my works. thank you.

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antialiasis · 3 months

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Groundhog Dave, the 16k-word Morphic time loop extra, is finally up on TCoD. If you've been following this blog for a while, you may have seen me intermittently talk about it. Long story short, Dave is trapped in a time loop on the day of chapter 13, and we explore how he responds and unravels.

Content warnings: This is a whump fic. It features some strong violence including gun violence, suicide and suicidal thoughts, brief vomiting, a deluge of strong and demeaning language, consumption of alcohol, heavy emotional distress, existential horror, and a whole lot of children dying.

Some rambling below the cut about how it came to be and my favorite bits in it.

The first inkling of this story was when I saw someone in the Groundhog Day tag on Tumblr writing a Newsies time loop fanfic titled Groundhog Dave. I have never seen Newsies and have no idea who that Dave is, but I think of Morphic Dave every time I see the name, so instantly I pictured Dave in a time loop on the day of chapter 13, and I could not stop intermittently thinking about it. Eventually, I started writing it.

I don't remember the process of beginning to write it super well, but I remember waiting for a coach at Port Authority with Negrek after seeing the actual Groundhog Day musical and typing up the bit in the third iteration where Dave rages at God on my phone, which was definitely one of the earliest bits I thought of. I know that for a while, what I had written up in the document was the first four iterations and a bit: the original, the one that more or less spawns the Dave and Mia Discuss Family AU, the one where he snaps and gets himself killed, the one where he wakes up after that and decides he can experiment and figure this out, and the summary of his next few goes. I know the document was stuck there for a while, with intermittent tinkering and vague ideas but nothing really in the way of writing progress. On August 12th 2021, I posted in the Thousand Roads Discord about how I'd just written an entire NaNo day's worth of Groundhog Dave, and I'm quite sure there I was referring to the scene where Dave is at the hospital, fails to shoot himself to end the loop, and talks with Cheryl. In 2023, I started doing regular sprints working on it (thanks, Negrek), which was what finally got me past the finish line; before that, the document stood at about 8500 words, while it ended up at about 16500 (though with some bits and notes at the bottom).

The actual ending went through a series of iterations as I was working on it. My first idea for an ending for it was just a cruel, "He does finally fix everything and all the kids live, and then he goes to bed and wakes up in the canon timeline, because he cannot have nice things." This wasn't a super satisfying idea, of course, by itself. I went back and forth through various possibilities from there over the story's development time. At one point or another I considered different variations on whether he does manage to stay in a Better Timeline or whether he ends up back in the canon one at the end, how exactly the loop ends up breaking (initially I was genuinely thinking the loop would break one way or another once nobody dies and the Character Development would have to be leading up towards that, but later I realized it was actually tastier if he does manage it and the loop just keeps going anyway; the precise nature of the Character Development involved was also a bit back and forth), and whether the whole thing would be completely unexplained in the vein of Groundhog Day itself or if I would make more ambiguous use of Lucy's recurring penchant for being involved with bizarre supernatural happenings in non-canon extras.

I'm pretty satisfied with what I did end up with, at any rate. My first inkling of the Lucy thing was just sort of ending with ambiguous Lucy, and I wasn't sure that would really work, but it felt a lot more appropriate to actually do that once Lucy tied more into his overall character development - the couple of early iterations where he takes things out on her specifically as if it's her fault or she should have intervened, his general guilt about actually using her to intervene, the repeated conversations in the car where she manages to confront him at the right moment with why he's so mean, him managing to choose to let go and not be an ass to her in the final scene. I'm also pleased with what I landed on with the several different things happening for the first time in the final iteration: him actually mustering the ability to articulate how much he needs the kids for his life to be worth anything, and affirming that he'll keep doing it even if he'll never get to live in the good timelines, and being forced to confront the ways in which he's been cruel and unpleasant to the kids despite how much they mean to him and choose not to, and finally being able to express an honest vulnerable emotion to Jean, accept her offer for emotional support and ask her to stay up with him because he needs that. Something just feels a lot stronger to me about it with a greater degree of ambiguity about the end of the loop, no one single obvious switch that's the thing like someone was dutifully waiting for him to just say this one magic word. (Similarly, what exactly Lucy did in fact have to do with this, if anything, had to be ambiguous. The loop cannot be a concrete phenomenon with a clear singular cause, or it would have just felt wrong. I have realized I have strong feelings on when fiction should be deliberately ambiguous, not because there is a concrete truth that the author is arbitrarily concealing to force you to guess, but because one way or another establishing any concrete truth would detract or distract from the story being told.)

Some little things I enjoy in this story:

Dave's increasingly frazzled awakenings in the first few loops just really tickle me.

Him knocking on the door, then realizing Cheryl heard his sky-rant and just immediately turning around to go on an ill-advised suicide mission to the church rather than have to try to explain that to her amuses me greatly. What a timeline.

My favorite bit of said suicide mission is actually the bit where he's lying there dying and manages to spend that time being restlessly, angrily impatient about how long it's taking and grasping hard for some sense of satisfaction in having killed this stranger, without ever managing it. The most pathetic possible suicidal rampage of revenge.

The hospital bathroom scene is still my favorite scene in the whole thing. It presses my particular whump buttons extremely hard, and it's just extremely representative of Dave and his problems, him mercilessly bullying himself and Cheryl trying very genuinely to reach out to him and let him know he's not alone while he compulsively rejects it, adamant that he doesn't need anyone or anything even though he's acutely suffering, resenting her for it and shooting back at her efforts with pointless, uncalled-for sarcasm. It also has some of my very favorite lines: "There was a knock on the door and he lowered the gun quickly, like a kid caught playing with something he shouldn't," "What the actual fuck did she think he was doing in here," "Still there?" answered irritably with, "There's only one door. Do the math," when he came so, so close to not in fact still being there. So fond of it.

The offhand unelaborated upon mention that Dave has at one point or another read enough to not bungle a suicide by gunshot is extremely some precise button that I have.

I'm also deeply fond of the iteration where Gabriel dies. Dave tries so hard to force himself to decide he can live with that and just decidedly does not succeed. I enjoy him sitting there irritably thinking maybe they should have just done this in the first place when the others attempt to safely reach the police, silently pretty much convinced that would have been a better idea and thinking all this could have been avoided (but without actually consciously admitting to having been wrong, of course), only to immediately go, "He'd always known this was a bad idea. Why'd he even fucking let them?" when the consequences come knocking. You fucking let them because you thought it was probably a good idea at the time, Dave.

I really enjoy how much Dave cares about the kids, can't not care about the kids, while most of the kids have a hard time grasping how much he cares because he's so persistently Like That. Loved to write the multiple times Jack viciously accuses him of not caring about Gabriel, and the way Dave's idea of disabusing him of the notion is just to be an asshole to him, because he's incapable of expressing sincere emotional sentiment. Lucy, similarly, keeps probing him about what he's going to do if the loop doesn't stop, and he just keeps answering in evasive, defensive irritation as if she's challenging him somehow, until he finally manages to realize that no, she was worried that if his efforts wouldn't end the loop he might just stop bothering. (Only then he's finally been driven far enough to actually manage a smidge of emotional honesty.)

Similar recurring horrible dramatic irony I enjoyed: Dave hates Jean's evolved form so, so horribly much when it's just a hypothetical manifestation of Something Horrible Happening To Her that he's trying to stop and not what his daughter really looks like. One of the things that only quite felt right when I'd finally landed back on him ending up in the canon timeline was that he then actually has to confront the cruelty of that with himself and affirm his unconditional love for her, instead of being 'rewarded' with the cuter, unevolved Jean.

I always get a kick out of how relatively easily Dave in nonsenscial situations just slides from adamant atheism into antitheism without a pause. He's perfectly genuine about thinking God doesn't exist, of course, but there is a level on which he kind of wants him to, just so he can face him and walk backwards into Hell, and as a result you get these situations where he sort of entertains the idea far more easily than he rationally should given his priors. The yelling at God about why he isn't curing malaria instead of whatever this is is pretty unique to the very particular mental state he's in on that iteration, but the multiple times he offhandedly thinks maybe this is literally Hell are total nonsense in his professed belief system but nonetheless a place where his mind is just inclined to go.

Meanwhile, I also enjoy the bit where Mia gets him to contemplate that he might be experiencing proof that souls exist - but he's less willing to entertain that in the same way because it doesn't have the same emotional valence for him, so it's not something that properly occurred to him before that, and then he just throws up his hands and moves on.

Thanks if you read it! I would love to hear any thoughts on it.

#morphic #actual writing #groundhog dave #dave's terrible horrible no good very bad groundhog day #david ambrose's many issues let me tell you about them #ramble

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havocmadden · 5 months

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"if i'm having fun it's good and if i'm not having fun it's bad" you're so so so real for this!! anyway sorry i disappeared for like a week so i'm going to ask more questions to make up for it: 1) i know i'm late to the spotify wrapped party but who were your favorite artists this year? are there any songs in particular that stood out to you? this can be either for disney artists or not it's up to you 2) how are you feeling about rise of red coming out next year? i know the plot looks too crazy even for descendants standards, and it helps that it's a brand new creative team, but is there anything specific you're hoping to see from the expanded world? 3) i need to hear your thoughts on zombies 4 because i know there's no way addison will have yet another identity crisis - gcwca secret santa

hi !!!! i hope u had a good week when you disappeared and not like, a terrible one!

to answer your questions, my fave artists were mostly non disney channel :( i think the only disney channel who made it into my top 100 was some sabrina songs :( but! my top five were:

noah kahan (so real)

fall out boy (they counted november this year which i know bc they would NOT have been in my top 5 otherwise. they were my nano soundtrack. tho tbh i think this nano project made me an actual for real fall out boy fan)

taylor swift

dessa

xana

if we could add some i feel like chappell roan should've been in my top five but alas :( also i saw two out of my top five in concert this year :) if we count tickets i bought for next year's concerts i am seeing 4/5 of my top five!! (i also saw chappell roan and she was SOOOOOO good in person). this year turned me into a genuine Concert Girlie (gender neutral) so that's been fun. or it would be, if i didn't have to drive 2 1/2 hours at best to get to one bc i live in the middle of fucking nowhere and no one comes here :(

as for the rise of red: honestly, i'm pretty excited! i'm not allowing myself to feel Bad about it until we get more information. plus, it's giving me the thing i always wanted out of the descendants franchise (qoh kid) so honestly this like, really works for me. like maybe when i watch it later it will be bad? and i'll be upset and disappointed? but. in the meantime, i'm having a great time! still living on the qoh kid high! like, the plot seems wild but personally i'm like. "descendants as a franchise never made sense and i'm getting what i personally wanted out of this franchise from it so i'm having a good time until proven otherwise"

i think a lot of people have strong feelings about it bc of cam, which is totally valid and is their right, but my personal feelings are since the core four aren't coming back, i'm okay with it. disney was never going to let their biggest franchise since hsm lie, yknow? i think this is the best it could've been in that sense of it? idk.

as for zombies 4. truly i have NO idea. honestly the most fun i have ever had with the zombies franchise was watching all three of them with two of my friends whilst we were all stoned, and personally i hope rupaul comes back because i thought it was funny. i'm so sorry if you're a zombies stan but they are not high art to me. they are fun little movies to watch while i get high and then i do not think about them until i want to show someone a silly little dcom franchise and jumpscare them with the presence of rupaul. personally i hope zombies 4 introduces addison's cousin from the human side of the family named allison who is now the one who gets to have identity criseses who is also played by meg donnelly. i hope coach has a new job. i hope his legal name is coach. i hope ej caswell finally gets to leave this discord. i hope they make a reference to the winchesters.

#the other best time i had had watching zombies was when the discord watched z3 right around the time it came out #my hopes for zombies 4 is they make it as specifically funny as possible to me a 23 year old adult who is doing weed #sorry i wrote u an essay anon :(#gcwca secret santa #drugs //

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ranger-kellyn · 6 months

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Getaway Car WIP (3)

In celebration of hitting 25k for nanowrimo, have the section i'm the most pleased with so far <3

as always, it's nano, so no editing and this is just me throwing words on the page.

if it was it's own chapter, i would have titled it "in which they're supposed to be fucking but they wont STOP TALKING" (so plenty of kisses but no actual smut)

With a pop the fridge opened, light filtering into the space, leaving a yellow glow on the tile below. “Any ideas for lunch?” Cynthia asked, kneeling down to get a better look of what was inside. For someone who didn’t enjoy cooking all that much, Cynthia was amused by how much of an ‘ingredient household’ she was.

“I was thinking,” Diantha trailed off as she walked into the kitchen, running her fingers through her hair, working out any small tangles from undoing the braid. “Be honest with me: do I need to feed you now, or would you be interested in picking up where we left off?”

The formality of it almost made Cynthia laugh. She stood up, closing the fridge all in the same motion. The rainstorm that had rolled through left the whole apartment in low, moody lighting. A soft yellow glow from the lamps around the living and dining area.

“Took me a while to realize you were worked up– didn’t know it was that bad,” she teased, crossing the kitchen to her. “Hop up,” she added, getting Diantha to pull herself up onto the bartop’s counter, standing between her legs.

“Really?” Diantha asked, enough of a tilt of her chin to invite her to kiss, leaning into her mouth as she did so. “How long did it take you to notice?” So much for stressing over being obvious.

She shrugged, leaning away, hands either side of her hips. “Probably the last few takes. Whenever I realized you kept speaking in your Scarlet voice,” she said with a laugh.

Diantha laughed in turn, leaning back on her hands as a presentation of sorts, loving the lack of discomfort in the motion. Men and society in general had left her with a nagging voice in the back of her mind, worrying about the lack of curves on her own body. Women rarely ever made her feel that way – at least not to her face.

“I thought for sure you were onto me,” Diantha admitted.

Cynthia shook her head, letting her eyes wander over her body. She knew a presentation when she saw one, and wasn’t about to not appreciate her. Maroon was a nice color on her. “I just assumed that with how experienced of an actress you are, you weren’t feeling anything. I figured I was the only one getting worked up, and even then, I was still more focused on not focusing on the cameras,” she said, the both of them breathing a laugh.

Diantha leaned up, brushing Cynthia’s hair back into place, a soft kiss to her cheek.

“But then I started to realize, ‘I don’t think she’s really coming out of character between takes’. You were so strictly in Scarlet’s voice– which I then– I don’t know. I don’t know what it’s like talking with an accent all the time. My voice is already close enough to a generic Unovan accent, so I don’t know. Sounds exhausting.”

Diantha shrugged with one shoulder, wrapping her arms around her neck. “It was easier this time. More practice and all that,” she said.

She knew it wasn’t conducive to anything they were trying to do, but being who she was, Cynthia couldn't refrain from asking. “I know you said you had to spend time on a gun range for the role– did you have to do anything for the speaking part?”

Diantha laughed more audibly. “I did. Spent a few months with a vocal coach– Is this really what you want to talk about right now?” she asked, amused.

Cynthia shrugged. “Knowing how a person thinks, how they learn, learning how you approach things– is it weird that that’s kinda hot to me?” she asked.

Warm affection sat high in Diantha’s chest as she looked into her steely grey eyes. She was being genuine. There was nothing mocking or demeaning– if anything she seemed almost shy to admit such a thing.

The warmth and depth of the feeling– she shoved down the desire to say the love word.

“A very you thing to say,” Diantha instead said, emphasizing with a kiss against her soft lips. “You’re–” She laughed, pulling away to shake her head, not wanting to finish the thought.

“What?” Cynthia asked, amused as well.

She looked off to the side, hedging her bets on how what she wanted to say would go over. There had to be a way to deliver it that would at least elicit humor like she wanted, however, it also ran the risk of offense. “I was going to say,” she began, returning her attention. “I didn’t realize I was fucking such a nerd,” she said, both breaking out into a fit of laughter.

Cynthia pulled away, pointing at her. “You didn’t realize I was a nerd? I know for a fact that you’ve walked in on me and Steven geeking out over rocks!”

She threw her head back in a laugh, knowing exactly what she was referencing. One of the earlier international meetings she had attended as champion. If she remembered right, it was being held in Hoenn that year, and when she had finally joined the rest of the champions in the main conference room of the Lilycove hotel, Cynthia and Steven had been deep in a conversation about something she wasn’t entirely sure of. A bunch of terms and words that she later would learn were related to geology. Not close enough with either of them at that point, she had simply taken her seat, and kept to herself.

But that wasn’t how she knew Cynthia was a scholar. “That’s not what tipped me off, darling,” she said, reaching up to tap her nose. “I–” Her conscience had caught up to her at that point, reminding her that she was unsure how Cythia would react to what she wanted to say. “I don’t know if I should admit this,” she said.

“Admit what?” Cynthia asked, not a clue of where she was going with the thought.

Surly it wouldn't go over badly, she told herself. People engaging with their work and research was what researchers were going for, after all. Diantha wanted people to watch the shows and movies she was in– Surely Cynthia wanted people to read her own papers that she likely spent countless hours of her life on.

“The first meeting Kalos joined the league alliance,” she started, Cynthia giving her a quick nod. “I was having a lot of anxiety about that meeting the weeks leading up to it. Not only was I a new champion, but I was the first formal champion of the Kalos League. I had no clue how I would measure up to anyone, how I was supposed to present myself– I needed to at least ease my mind with a little research,” she said.

“And I’m the nerd?” Cynthia asked with a laugh, kissing her forehead.

Diantha quirked a brow, but said nothing otherwise to acknowledge it. “Knowing I would be spending a fair amount of time with all the champions, I put together a list of all the champions and their Elite Four so I could at least look everyone up and have some basic understanding of who was who.”

At that, Cynthia started to understand where she was going. Not too much would come up on an internet search of her name… “Oh no,” she said, humor in her tone.

“Don’t say ‘oh no’!” Diantha responded.

“You read one of my research papers, didn’t you?” She asked.

“What do you think was one of the top results when I searched your name?” she asked, a laugh in her voice.

She shook her head. For her, it was an obvious answer. “The Distortion World Papers,” she guessed, rising dread in her stomach.

Diantha nodded. “Exactly. If I’m being even more honest, that whole paper was one of the reasons I thought you would never want anything to do with me,” she admitted.

That gave Cynthia pause, not following her logic. “Really?” she asked, pulling away. The mood from earlier had shifted enough to call for some distance.

“Can you blame me?” Diantha asked, crossing her arms.

“I mean– I don’t know. Nobody willingly subjects themselves to my huge-ass papers,” she said, quickly tacking on, “Not unless they need help falling asleep.”

Diantha scoffed at the notion, reaching out to push her in a playful way. “You’re such a–” She shook her head, not having any real descriptor to follow up with. “That’s not the kind of paper you could just dangle in front of me and not expect me to read!” She cracked a smile, thinking back on reading the paper, hindsight making it all the more humorous. “I even cancelled a date with Mel that night to keep reading,” she said, getting a small laugh from Cynthia.

“I’m not following. Why would anything in that paper make me want nothing to do with you?” she asked, scouring her mind to remember what she had written verbatim.

She had stepped back enough to allow Diantha to cross her legs, getting herself as comfortable on the countertop as she could, mindful of the glasses on the shelves below her. “I had never heard of the Distortion World, nevermind half the pokémon you wrote about. It was equal parts horrifying and…” She shook her head. “Fascinating. Here was what might have been one of the most horrifying firsthand accounts I had ever read in my life. All written in such a way that…You were the bravest, most daring– truly inspiring woman I had never even met.”

As quickly as the mood had changed, Diantha managed to bring it right back around.

Her red lips pulled up into a smile. “And then I saw you in person for the first time,” she began more softly. “And not only were you all of that, you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. And you were smiling, and I remember you laughing at something Steven and Wallace were saying to you. Smiling with the two of them like you weren’t someone who probably has some of the most horrifying imagery burned on the back of her eyes.”

Cynthia found herself hesitating. In a way, she felt understood. Understood in a way that nobody aside from Dawn or Steven seemed to. She had always been treated as though she simply rolled with the punches and didn’t have any sort of negative effects from the Distortion World.

Thankfully, it had been a while since her last nightmare about the place, and dark rooms had gone back to being comforting rather than triggering.

“You were brave, daring, and inspiring, but above and beyond all of that– you are…” She blinked a few times, trying to gather the right phrasing. “So resilient in a world that is so unkind.” She wanted to reach out to touch her, lay a gentle hand on her cheek, kiss the other. Anything to let to not just tell her, but show her how she had felt then, and still felt now. She restrained herself, wanting to leave as much distance as Cynthia needed, knowing very well she was saying…A lot.

A tightness had gathered in the back of Cynthia’s throat, overwhelmed with emotion. Understanding, kindness– they had been so casual up to that point. She did consider them friends, but there was something in the undertone of what she was saying– She had to beg herself to not blurt out that she loved her. Even though it was all she wanted to say, she was terrified it would be too emotional.

Too much.

Too soon.

Too vulnerable.

“And so who was I in comparison to you? Why would anything about me attract the attention of someone as all-around stunning as you? I’m just…” She shrugged, squeezing herself. “Just some woman who was lucky enough to be born into a family with enough wealth and status to afford all the schooling to make me a teen actress. The only awards tied to my name stem from nothing more than the sheer luck of being considered ‘conventionally attractive’,” she said with a bit of a sneer.

The dig at herself was enough to pull Cynthia back into herself. “I’m not about to let you tear yourself down to make me seem taller,” she said. “Miss Always In The Running For Most Charitable Celebrity.” She wasn’t the only one who had looked up the other out of curiosity at some point.

“Come now, darling, do what the media does and remind yourself that it’s nothing more than a PR stunt,” she said, unwilling to accept the compliment.

That upset Cynthia. “A PR stunt would require you drawing more attention to yourself rather than whatever cause you’re giving to. At least within the circles I run in, I’ve never once heard of you doing that.”

It was a sort of unwavering support she received from rarely anyone outside of Siebold. Mel had always dismissed the worry, saying she needed to get unstuck from her head, fuck the media— support that never truely eased her mind.

Silence sat heavy between them, broken only by the soft sound of fabric moving as Cynthia shifted her weight to the other foot.

“Sorry–” Cynthia eventually said. “If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s killing the mood–”

“No–”

They both clearly had the bad habit of cutting themselves down. Diantha hoped it would be something they could work on together.

“Darling, I’m the one who started all of this,” she reminded. She had brought up the Distortion World Papers to begin with. “I’m finding myself…I don’t know…Amused? At all the invisible strings we had tied to one another. Maybe it really was only a matter of time before something gave and one of us reached out to the other in some way.”

Cynthia breathed a laugh, letting the tension fall from her shoulders as she stepped closer one again. “Can I tell you a secret?” she asked.

Diantha hummed her question.

“I also thought you were absolutely stunning when I first met you,” she admitted.

She smiled, relaxing her arms, a silent invitation to step back inside her orbit, should she choose. She did. “You did?”

She nodded. “I’m a sucker for blue eyes,” she said, getting a genuine laugh from her. “I just remember you shaking mine then Steven’s hands, introducing yourself, but off in a hurry. Since your region was hosting, neither of us held it against you– we just turned to each other and went ‘oh my god’.” she said, getting another laugh. “And I remember Steven saying something about you being even more stunning in person, and– yeah, he was absolutely right.”

The wave of emotions that crashed over her– they really could have saved themselves a lot of trouble had they just had the courage to say something.

She breathed a laugh, shaking off some of the tension in her body. “Had I just gotten over myself–”

Cynthia had been thinking the same thing, but shook her head. “But– if I’m being honest, five years ago…?” She shook her head. She would have been 22, almost 23. “That was still so recent to my ex cheating on me. I’m honestly glad you didn’t know me then. I was in…such a shitty place– Steven even called me out a few times on things I did or said. I needed these last five years to even figure out what kind of person I wanted to be. Because me five years ago? You probably wouldn’t have ended up liking me, because I know I didn’t like who I was trying to be.”

She wanted to ask her to elaborate, feeling the confession was out of character. How could anything the woman in front of her do or say something that would have caused such a reaction from Steven of all people?

Cynthia crossed her arms, internally cursing herself for killing the mood once more. “I mean– you experienced firsthand how I was at the beginning of filming,” she pointed out. It wasn’t entirely fair for her to talk about herself from five years prior as if that version of herself no longer existed. She still reared her head in plenty of ways.

Diantha shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’m not following,” she said.

Heat clawed up the back of her neck. “The way I assumed the absolute worst of you. How I thought you were only trying to help me as a way of mocking me– Diantha– that’s how I used to treat everyone. Steven, too…”

There was something so…brutally honest about it– so painfully self-aware.

“I don’t even remember what I was being passive-aggressive about, but he finally had enough and just said to me, ‘It genuinely breaks my heart how you always assume the worst of me.’” She shook her head, still mad at her younger self for going down such a path. “Clearly I still have some work to do,” she added with a forced laugh.

Diantha slid off the countertop, grabbing both of her hands. “Can I tell you a secret?” she asked.

Cynthia breathed a laugh, silently nodding.

She leaned up, keeping her voice to a whisper. “I probably would have treated you badly, too,” she said, smiling when Cynthia ended up throwing her head back in a laugh, clearly not expecting the confession. “I know who I was at 22, I would have played the field with both you and Mel. I would have made you all the promises in the world and kept maybe half of them. That’s the kind of bad I was.”

“Don’t say that–” Cynthia tried to defend, but Diantha was quick to cut her off.

“My dear, I say this to let you know that I am well aware that I am not a perfect person. I don’t need you to be, either. I’m still glad I finally met you.”

Whether it was her intention or not, I’m still glad I finally met you. Finally. They had met five years ago, but in some ways, they really had only met recently.

It had been a long time since anyone had truly made Cynthia feel like there were butterflies in her chest. She had always hated the metaphor, finding the mental image to be more uncomfortable than anything– but how else was she supposed to describe the fluttery, Everything Is Going To Work Out, If you asked me to run away tonight I would do it without a second question, nauseating feeling in her chest?

“I’m glad I finally met you, too,” Cynthia said, Diantha quick to wrap her in a warm hug.

Cynthia had never considered herself necessarily good at letting herself want things, especially from other people. Wanting had only ever earned her pain, so it had been easier for her to want and expect nothing from anybody. Sure, she could go out on dates with people, but she always managed to find a reason as to why they couldn't work out. Occasionally the reasons were genuine– Dezerea had said she never wanted to get married, a perfectly acceptable reason. Most of the time, it was something superficial as not feeling a spark.

Diantha’s arms around her were so warm and secure– the wall she had so carefully laid brick by brick had come tumbling down, bringing with it every way she could possibly want...

#NaNoWriMo 2023 #WIP #WIP Wednesday #my fics #pokemon #phaesporiashipping #i'm glad i got to use this dialogue i had planned for a different phae story <3 #it's messy but it is my favorite section so far #Getaway Car Fic

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euxinia · 1 year

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💐trend report spring 2023💐

Hello everyone! Today I’m sharing the trend report for spring 2023! Spring is just around the corner so let’s dive in!

🌷Fun Prep

This season we’re taking the preppy trend and giving it a Barbiecore twist. Think bold versions of soft colors and classic patterns as well as understated, classy bags in bright colors. Think heritage brands like Tory Burch, Coach, or Burberry!

Colors:

Creamsicle orange

Bright sky blue

Bold pastel pink

Patterns:

Houndstooth

Tweed

Plaid

This trends’ stars:

Marc Jacobs The Micro Leather Tote Bag in Scorched

Coach Polished Leather Shoulder Bag in Flower Pink

Tory Burch Mini Kira Flap Convertible Quilted Leather Shoulder Bag in Light Celeste

🌷Monochrome Glam

Got a big event coming up? Hop on this tried-and-true trend for this season with a monochromatic suit. This trend is all about the matchy-matchy, from your outfit to your accessories and even your makeup! Think bold and hot colors, especially hot pink, and trendy brands to make this trend come to life.

Colors

Hot pink

Bold white

Fiery red

Patterns

Satin or silk

Rhinestones and gems

Metallic

This trends’ stars:

Cult Gaia Hera Nano Rhinestone Shoulder Bag in Shell Pink

Marc Jacobs The Micro Tote Bag in Iridescent

Kurt Geiger London Mini Kensington Embellished Fabric Convertible Crossbody Bag

🌷Abstract Prints

Groovy for sure, but not limited to the swirly patterns of the sixties! Floral prints or checkerboard patterns fit this trend as well. Any abstract pattern will work, and in a variety of fun colors: from brights to greyscale.

Colors

Black and white

Navy

Yellow and pink

Patterns

Swirls

Florals

Checkerboard

This trends’ stars:

Clare V. Grande Belt Bag in Cream Chantal/Black Checkers

Kate Spade New York Manhattan Spade Flower Jacquard Tote in Black Multi

House of Want Newbie Vegan Leather Shoulder Bag in Sunset Stripe

Okie dokie! That’s all for now :) I’ll be back next season!

#fashion #trends #style #shopping #I work in fashion ok #pls don’t kill me lol #I thought someone here would like to know

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stormcloudsandshadows · 6 months

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It’s nanowrimo. I decided what I’d be writing ten days in. If anyone wants, ask me questions about it? If you leave a username I’ll ask you questions about your nano too.

Here’s some info on mine.

So, the main character Fen (short for Fennel) is the only daughter of a famous (magic sport) coach and poossssibly ex-player but I’m less clear on thaaat. Her dad isn’t the greatest, but she learned her love of the game from him. She has an estranged older brother and four younger brothers, and she’s turning 20 soon, she feels stagnant, she wants to play (magic sport) but because her magic isn’t the same kind of magic as her father or mother, and so not what it “should” be because it’s usually inherited, everyone including her thinks she just has very weak magic. She’s still good at playing and it got her on a college team, but her limited magic holds her back and she’s usually benched. This is a metaphor for queerness (not being like mother or father) and also neurodivergence and disability. This is a coming of age for 20 year olds

#nanowrimo #send asks

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nanowrimo · 6 months

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Pro Tips from a NaNo Coach: How to Write a Novel in 30 Days

NaNoWriMo can seem like a daunting task sometimes, for NaNo newbies and veterans alike. Fortunately, our NaNo Coaches are here to help guide you through November! Today, author Adiba Jaigirdar is here to share her advice on how to set yourself up for noveling success:

Welcome to the very first week of NaNoWriMo! I’ve done NaNoWriMo for (almost) every year since 2008. I’ve won some, I’ve lost some, but I’ve learned a lot along the way. In fact, I apply a lot of the tactics I learned in NaNoWriMo to all my writing. When I wrote my second book, Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, I ended up with a first draft of 74,000 words written in 30 days. That wasn’t something I would have thought possible in 2008 when I was slogging through my very first 50,000-word novel. That’s why I’m here today to share with you a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up through my writing journey, in the hopes that they serve you and your novel this November:

1. Accountability

One of the most difficult parts of writing a novel is that it requires so much self-discipline. It’s not like a job you show up to where your boss is holding you accountable for how many words you’ve written. Only you are ultimately responsible for how much you get done—which is why it’s easy to get demotivated and give up. So, you need to figure out ways in which you can be accountable for your novel this month.

You’ll be glad to hear that you’ve already taken the first step in doing this: you’ve pledged to do NaNoWriMo. You’re here, ready to write. But you can go a step further: ask your friends and family to hold you accountable by checking in on your progress during the month. If you have friends who are doing NaNoWriMo that’s even better; you can hold each other accountable. If you’re on social media, you can share updates every day and be accountable to your followers. There are a lot of ways to do it; so figure out what kind of accountability works best for you!

2. Planning

Planning a novel is definitely not for everyone. This is coming from someone who has pantsed many books! Planning can look different for different people. If you are a true-blue plotter, you might have your entire novel planned from beginning to end, with comprehensive chapter outlines. But if you’re not someone who plots out your entire novel before you’ve written a single word, planning is still important.

This planning can look like a rough outline of your book or finishing your writing day and jotting down a few quick ideas of what to write when you come back to writing the next day, or it can be leaving yourself voice memos as ideas spark when you’re nowhere near your novel. Going into every new day of writing without any idea of what the blank page will hold is very, very daunting, which is why planning ahead can be just the motivation that you need to fulfill your word count goal for the day.

3. Figure out what works for you

I have published four books so far and I’ve written many more. The process of writing each of these books has been very different. I drafted one in three months, one in 30 days, one was completely plotted with a rigorous outline, while one was plotted with a flexible outline, and two were completely pantsed. What I’ve learned about myself is that to make a book work, sometimes I have to try something different.

The only thing NaNoWriMo requires of you is to write those 50,000 words. How you go about it depends on you. You don’t have to write every single day if that doesn’t work for you. You can write at the same time every day, or a different time every day depending on what sparks your creativity. You don’t have to participate in writing sprints if writing with a countdown doesn’t help you focus. The point is that now’s your time to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. You might be surprised by what methods you swear will never work for you but ends up helping you over that finish line.

4. Have fun!

This is easier said than done, but try to enjoy writing your novel. Especially when it feels difficult. When I wrote 74,000 words in 30 days, it felt like a breeze because I was having a lot of fun with my book. Try to remember what makes you excited about your novel and go back to that when it’s tough. If writing is what you love, find the joy of it and nurture it throughout this month. The more you enjoy it, the more likely you are to keep writing.

Adiba Jaigirdar is the award-winning, critically-acclaimed and bestselling author of The Henna Wars, Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, A Million to One, and The Dos and Donuts of Love. A Bangladeshi/Irish writer and former teacher, she has an MA in Postcolonial Studies and a BA in English and History. She is the winner of the YA book prize 2022, the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2021, and was a finalist for the 2022 Lambda Literary awards. When not writing, she is probably ranting about the ills of colonialism, playing video games, or expanding her overflowing lipstick collection.

#nanowrimo #nanowrimo 2023 #writing #writing advice #writing tips #writblr #by nano coach #adiba jaigirdar

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