can tiktok stop putting FUCKING EATING DISORDER BULLSHIT ON MY FYP IM GONNA SCREAM

1,12,27,28? :)

1. things that inspire you

reading other fics really inspire me the most I would say. and then the rest I just get randomly, from like dreams or conversations or songs or literally anything. sometimes just quotes, just depends!

12. favorite place to write

my room, in bed, in the dark, by myself. I get super distracted really easily, so writing alone in silence is the best for me 

27. best review you ever got

my favorite was “oh fuck” from paradox1n on ao3. it made me laugh so fucking hard. it was for one of my Letters to Alex pieces, and literally had me laughing so hard. 

and two more that are faves are from the same person, MGmt, on ao3, and if they see this, hit me up because I’m sending them hugs for being awesome. the first one was actually part of a set of questions being answered I had asked pertaining to my ghosts of us series, but this was their intro basically 

“oh do I LOVE (pardon my French) FUCKING LOVE your writing and series…I am totally invested into your stories that when I get an alert there has been an updated I DROP EVERYTHING and have to read it then and there. sometimes I have been out shopping and randomly just sit down in a department store display and read it looking like a complete moron and I give zero fucks because I can not wait - I have to read it in that moment. I have also pulled over on the side of the interstate turn off and have sat on the side of the road to read one…ok I will keep the rest of the stories to myself - but lets just say I drop everything to read your stuff.” 

and the second was on “are you happy?”

 “oh trust me I read ALL your updates! As for Baby Jamie stories…hmm… maybe sleepless nights one of them losing their shit and the other just being have let me — I soo see Maggie having the skills to be a natural parent without even realizing she has it…like the baby just being obsessed with her because she is always so nurturing and cuddly - all her fears are always there and its a constant convo between Alex and her…alex telling her just how great she is…and really showing how much Maggie relies on Alex to show her how to do everything - so she is doing things regarding Jamie 100% right at all times…also showing Alex just melting at watching Maggie and Jamie together…just how grateful she is that Maggie changed her mind and shes able to have this life now. maybe also Maggie also admitting she didn’t realize this was a dream she had…until its now her reality. that she never pictured herself as mama but now she couldn’t live without this kid and for sure without alex….ugh I don’t even care what you write I just love reading your stuff.. you have a gift and I am so glad you are spending your time and gift on writing sanvers.”

these really just made me smile so much because a) they were long, and long reviews are something that take time to construct and are so meaningful and b) because MGmt is a frequent reader and review and they seem to leave comments on most if not all of my pics and I deeply appreciate it. I love the thought and dedication they put in to reading and commenting on my pics, even when I randomly don’t update for forever and leave y’all hanging because writers block is a bitch. 

28. worst review you ever got 

I don’t think I’m going to feed into this one, but I’ve gotten some nasty comments thus of which I have removed from my fics, because as a writer we work really hard on trying to write characters accurately and to have someone come into your comments and tell you your writing is shit and they hated it, it hurts. especially when either they are anonymous, or you click on their accounts and find 0 fics that they’ve written, so saying “you’re writing is terrible” and have nothing to go off of, well thats shit. I can understand if someone who can write really well tries to give me pointers, but a nobody coming onto my fic and telling me that my writing is awful and that I should give it up, well thats rude. don’t comment on people’s fics unless you have something nice to say or constructive criticism that the author knows is constructive. 

thanks so much for these! 

send me fanfic asks

Extraordinary Fan Fiction

I once heard people in the movie industry talking about romantic comedies, and how there was a formula to them — two polar opposite people meet, they are forced into a situation where they must overcome their differences, they go back to their normal lives to discover it is lacking without the other so one sacrifices and they live happily ever after. It is the same set up time and time again and yet we are enamored with RomComs.

In the same way, there is a formula that applies to celebrity fan fiction, except it isn’t so complex. Someone falls in love with the celebrity. The end. Wait, what? Hello, was that the whole story? Yep, that’s all folks.

*raises hand* Um C, you write fan fiction.

I KNOW, and I have a love/hate relationship with fanfic, I love to write it and at times dread reading it. It may sound crazy coming from a girl who wants you to read her stories, but it is true. However, like you, I’m always looking for ways to better my craft and write entertaining stories; so, here are three sure fire ways you can ease the reading woes and make your fic extraordinary.

Outline Before Writing – Do you know why so many fanfics go unfinished? *ding ding ding* There is no freaking plot outside the romance; the author gets through all the relationship milestones and then is shit out of ideas. The reader is whisked away to the mundane life of fictional characters; sounds exciting, right? Sure, if you are living on a deserted island eating coconuts with your pet spider, Chico, as your only friend. (If this is you call me, I’d like to meet Chico, I heard he is a great conversationalist.)

I’ve written about this in the past and I know it is not a sexy topic, but I can’t stress it enough. A story is a journey and starting one with just a destination and no direction is a terrible idea, the plot gets lost and characters start running amuck in the back seat; the writer is left in the middle of a pile up on the creative interstate resulting in the fatal death of the story via writer’s block. Avoid this by knowing where the story is going and all the stops which need to happen in order to get to the desired destination. Plan ahead.

I personally go beyond outlining but if I had to give one bit of advice to someone starting a book, this would be it, outline your story. If you don’t know where to begin with an outline here is the link to my Novel Info Packet, no worries it is free. The link will take you to one of my Google Drive accounts. It is an excel workbook and one of the tabs is “Plot Worksheet” use it to map out your story.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B34JUhtANDhgc2t6MW1nRHd5UFU/view

Sub Plots - If the whole story is based around nothing but the budding romance between the MC and love interest, it is lacking complexity. Tell me this, do you deal with only one life issue at a time? Of course not, your life is multifaceted, people, responsibilities, odd circumstances, etc., it all adds up and creates a little excitement. These complex moments are the stories we can’t wait to tell our friends, and the same goes for books.

Sub plots are both internal and external conflict which need to be resolved. The key to a successful sub plot is to see it through, don’t bring up an internal battle the MC is struggling with and then leave it hanging. A plot isn’t good if it isn’t put to rest somewhere in the book. These are the stories within the story that give it more depth and help set the tone for how the reader should view each character. There is no limit to sub plots so plot away.

A Dash of the Unrealistic – In the world of fan fiction, writers have a tendency to rely too much on the famous character to supply the extraordinary, in turn, this makes everything they do ordinary, a.k.a. boring. Even the most realistic stories have moments where the reader thinks "I can't believe that just happened." The need for the extraordinary is true in all forms of entertainment. Take for instance the reality show 'The Bachelor', it's not average for a man to be housed with a cluster of women who he gives roses to if he wants to continue dating them. In fact, it is down right bazaar, but millions of people tune in every week for the drama and to see who is booted off the show. It is human nature to have our curiosity piqued by absurdity, we stop and stare until the final result of it all is revealed. Stories need those unpredictable moments where the reader wants to know what happens next because it is outside the norm.

There is nothing better than a readers commenting they haven't read a story like mine on Wattpad, it is the ultimate compliment. I wholeheartedly believe outlining, sub plots and a touch of the unrealistic help set my works apart from others in the genre. I’m striving to make them stand out, never do I want them to blend in with all the rest. I'm only satisfied if they are totally extraordinary.

Shoot me a question or request a topic by clicking the link at the top of the page “Knock Yourself Out, Ask Me Anything” or you can tweet me @crstlbtrfly

My works can be found on Wattpad at https://www.wattpad.com/user/crstlbtrfly