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shamelessfaceless · 2 months

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Love, Pain, Death, Repeat II

Navigation | Marvel Masterlist | Part I

Pairings: Dark!Wanda Maximoff x F!Reader, Billy and Tommy Maximoff x Mom!Reader, Agatha Harkness x F!Reader (platonic)

Summary: Why can't you understand? You were hers, and you will always be hers. You are her solemate. What you don’t understand?

Warnings: Dark!Wanda, mention of cheating, mention of death and suicide, stockholm syndrome (not sure about this one)

Wc: 1550

A/n: Im looking for beta reader (i dont have friends for this😔).

Btw If you saw other post i published before this.. NO YOU DIDNT. It was a dream, and lets keep it that way <333

“Boys, go downstairs, I think mommy doesn't feel very well and I need to take care of her today.” Her voice is soft, opposite of what you heard last time you saw her.

Your kids, you assumed, get off you. One in a green shirt whispered something to the other one, and they started running. They looked like a perfect mix of you and your ex. Something you really wanted to have. Even as you were younger you always wanted to have your prince charming, and few kids. After a few years, the only thing that changed was prince to princess.

“Why I am here? Is this hell?” After learning that Wanda cheated on you, you started feeling like you don’t deserve love or even kids.

“Aren’t you happy? We can have everything we want here! No Natasha, no Vision, no other people we know.” You looked at her disgusted. She made you believe that you’re not enough, and now she wants to build a dream, more like a nightmare to you, about you and her and your kids.

“Why me? Why not him?!” In a second she was next to you, her hand on your mouth.

“Keep that mouth of yours quieter. We Don't want boys to be suspicious, right?” Her green eyes always made you melt, and she kept her hand on your face. You wanted to give in, but decided to push her away. “Behave” She mumbled sitting next to you.

“Tell me, why me? He truly loved you, as much as a bunch of wires could love someone.” She started stroking your hair.

“It was all just about mind stone, it was all that made me interested in him. I needed to understand this, you are my true love.” Tears falling from her eyes. You couldn’t decide if they were real, or she only wanted to make you forgive her.

You faced the wall not wanting to look at her any longer. She left without saying anything more, after a while she came back and left breakfast on the bed. You were scared to eat it. Who knows if she didn't poisoned it. After a few days of staying in the room and only going to the toilet you decided to finally go to the kitchen to fix yourself something to eat and come back to the bedroom. You started learning her routine, most of the day she wasn’t at home. Taking boys to the school, and going straight after that to work. Boys.. Tommy and Billy, you learned their names yesterday, are coming back from school by foot. Wanda always comes back in the evenings. You need to share bed with her. Feeling her hands on your body makes you feel disgusted and at the same time safe.

“Mommy! Do you feel better now?” Little boy asked. You feel teats building in your eyes, as you looked in his own, almost the same color as yours. Every look at boys is tearing down your walls. Every look at them makes you question what you protect yourself from?

“Yeah Tommy, Mommy feels better now. Do you and your brother want something to eat?”

“Mom was giving us money to buy food at and after school.” He confessed. “But.. Today I bought something else.

“ Tom…”

“But wait!” He runned to his room and came back as fast as he could. Holding something behind his back he looked at you with puppy eyes. “Please don’t be mad, I just… I wanted to buy you this! “He gave you a few flowers. Your favorite flowers. “I wanted to make you feel better, and mom told me you love these!”

You wanted to cry really hard. Feeling a knot in your throat you decided to kiss his forehead and take flowers. You put them in the first vase you saw and started searching for things for pancakes.

When Wanda came back home, the first thing that hitted her was the smell, and just a while later boys came running to her, mouths full of food, and telling her you made them pancakes. She smiled nodding at their words. Everything she could think of was you, and how close she must be to finally break you.

Day after day, you were getting closer to the boys. To Wanda you were closer to breaking point. You even started making dinners for boys. For them you even started learning how to cook. After a few weeks of making dinner only for them you also started leaving something to eat for Wanda. You could not talk to her, but you didn't want her to make herself food after a long day of work, and the voice inside your head wanted her to tell you how good your dishes are, how proud of you she is. Today you decided to bake pizza. Boys wanted to help you but it ended up in flour fight.

“And how will I clean it?” You asked looking at Tommy who has all his hair white, and Billy who has his face in white powder.

“Well, mom can help!” Said Billy.

“Well, maybe I can.” Her voice made you shiver. You looked at the clock, she was home earlier. “Boys, go clean yourself before you eat, maybe we can even watch something together.” They hugged her and speeded to the bathroom.

You wanted to call for them to come back. Staying with Wanda in one room was the last thing you wanted to do right now. After the conversation on the first day you woke up here, you never talked. You didn’t want to hear her voice, you were scared. Not only things she could say, but you could actually brake and fall in her arms.

“What do you say sweet girl, want my help?” She gets closer to you. “Or you maybe want to help you also with something else?” You felt her knee between your legs. Oh how long you weren’t touched down there. Knocking on the door saved you from answering. Wanda only huffed and went to see who disturbed her.

“Hey sweetie! I just wanted to ask if you have some sugar. You know, it's late, and all the shops are closed.” After a while an older woman came into the kitchen.

“Love, why don’t you give our neighbor some sugar.” Wanda said. You only nodded. After a few seconds you were handing a stranger a cup of sugar.

“Thanks honey, oh, i forgot to introduce myself, Im Agatha” She said sweetly. You felt hope, maybe she also knows this world is fake. Maybe if you and her get to know each other you could stop Wanda. You saw a spark of hope and didn’t want to give up not now. But Wanda answered faster than you could think about anything you could say.

“And that's Y/N, she's not very talkative, selective mutism.” She lied without stuttering. You hated her almost the same as you loved her. You couldn't fully hate her, everyone but not her.

You looked into the woman's eyes with a pleading look. You didn’t care Wanda could see that, you only hoped Agatha would understand you. Soon the dark haired woman left and Wanda was again next to you. Her face is millimeters of yours.

“What would you say If I give you another child, hm? You weren’t here when boys were small. “Her lips are almost touching yours.”

“Ew! Moms!”

You were glad Billy finally came back. Thanks to your luck for saving you from Wanda twice. Rest of the evening went nice. You fell asleep while watching a movie. Every night you hoped that she would spare you, she would finally give up and let you be free. Oh how wrong you were. Wanda had plans for you, she needed her pretty girl, and no one could change her plans.

Agatha came a few times when Wanda wasn’t at home. You talked to her trying to see if she also knows if this whole world is fake. When you weren’t sure and asked her about this, she said she knew very well about what Wanda did, she wanted to save you. And she tried. You had everything planned, everything seemed so easy. But one day Agatha disappeared. She no longer came to your house, she wasn’t at home. After a few weeks new neighbors moved in.

And the day when you couldn't take it anymore came earlier than you expected. When Agatha wasn't there anymore you lost your last hope. No one could help you. There was no one else knowing about what Maximoff did. When you opened your eyes and saw the mother of your childs getting ready to work you had decided. Slowly going behind her you hugged her.

“Thank you for what you did for us Wands”

#Spotify #marvel #wanda maximoff #lgbtq #lesbian #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff angst #dark wanda maximoff #dark wanda x reader

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chappellroansdreamgirl · 2 months

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good luck, babe! [e.w x fem!reader.]

chapter one.

author's note!<3 - this is inspired by chappell roan's unreleased song good luck, babe! i lllloooovveee chappel roan! this was originally going to be just a LONG ASS one-shot but i don't think i can write any more tonight 😭😭 . BUT I REALLY WANNA PUBLISH IT SO HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS LIKE IT!!!! also forgive me if there's any grammar/spelling errors... i'm posting this at 12:59 am🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶 . reblogs and comments are SO appreciated!!! i busted my ass for y'all 🤗 .

content warnings - SLIGHT angst, reader has internalized homophobia and is outright homophobic to ellie, reader is in the closet, ellie is a lovergirl and she's going through the five stages of grief, modern!au, reader gets sexually assaulted/harrassed, LET ME KNOW IF I MISSED ANYTHING ELSE!!!!

special thanks to!!!!: @sharkfemme and @dykedearest FOR HELPING ME OUT!!!!!! and also LYNN AND MAXIM!!! ALL FOUR OF YOU ARE AMAZING BETA READERS I'M KISSING YOU ALL THROUGH THE PHONE RN!!!

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it's fine, it's cool.

ellie's grip on her glass got impossibly tighter as her eyes never left your figure, your body swaying to whatever shitty mainstream pop music that was playing.

ellie williams hated secrets. she hated surprises, and she hated being in love with you.

she hated the way you would ghost her after spending a week at her apartment. she hated the way you would stop responding to her texts after you would leave. she hated the way she would let you back in when you needed her, she hated how much she loved to comfort you. she hated how gentle you were when it was just the two of you, compared to how cruel you got in public.

you can say that we ain't nothin' when you know the truth.

ellie took her hand off the glass and gripped the bar table instead, afraid that if she broke another glass she'd be banned from the bar.

you were like forbidden fruit to her, or maybe that was what she was to you.

she knew you weren't ready to come out of the closet. she understood that. so, why keep on playing this fucking game with her?

why did she even still feed into it?

i guess i'm, the fool.

the closet was made out of glass, really. you would stare at every woman's body that passed you, your eyes would scan up their short dress, she could see the curiosity and desire in your face.

but every single time after you two would hook up, there was always a new excuse.

"i'm not a fucking lesbian, ellie. i just... don't like men sometimes." sometimes?

"they're just stupid thoughts... it's not like i could ever be with a woman." but you had been. you had been with her.

"ok but... do you even count as a woman? you wear boxers, you don't even know the meaning of the term ladylike and... i don't know- look at your fuckin' hair! the closest you'd get is a transwoman." that one had hurt her. she didn't talk to you for a month after you made that comment. and then you appeared in her apartment complex hallway, sobbing hysterically.

and of course, she took you back.

like she always does.

with her arms out like an angel, through the car sun-roof.

she hated playing this fucking game with you. it was killing her.

every single time she'd see you at this bar, she imagined you dragging her onto the dancefloor. she imagined being able to walk out with your hand in her's, waking up to your groggy groans when the sun invaded the sacred space of your shared bedroom, you'd hide your face in her neck, mumbling something about, "shouldn't have drank that much last night."

every single time you pulled this shit on her, it felt like her already shattered heart broke off into impossibly tinier pieces.

"i wish you were a boy." crack.

"it's not easy for me like it is for you, els. i don't know the first thing about being proud of myself." crack.

"this hurts me more than you, baby." shattered. her heart was shattered.

it hurts you more than her?

the fucking audacity.

the nights she spent crying next to your sleeping figure.

the hours she'd spent texting you and checking her phone second after second after goddamn second.

the way she would ignore every single obligation she had to pick you up from whatever shit-hole situation you had found yourself in, immediately and happily dropping anything to make sure you were ok.

and it hurt you more than it hurt her?

you didn't know shit about hurt. about misery. about love.

i don't wanna cut it off!

her friends had told her to cut you off. her therapist said in his own professional shrink way that you would never be good for her. at least not while you weren't even good for yourself.

but she couldn't let you go. it seemed like every reason that she had to leave you, fuelled her determination to stay.

but you don't wanna call it love!

every single time you somehow broke her heart in a new way, she fell harder in love with you.

you just wanna love someone that calls you baby!-

ellie was pulled out of her internal anger when your eyes met hers. although it was only a few seconds ago, it felt like she was staring into your eyes for an eternity.

don't fuckin' wave, ellie. look away- LOOK AWAY. , she thought to herself as she was unable to look away from your beautiful irises.

you had this slight smile on your face, the dancefloor's led lights adding a shimmer to your already twinkling eyes.

it felt like her melancholy thoughts had lifted and increased all at the same time by the sight of you acknowledging her presence.

ellie went against her better judgement, her slender hand flying up to wave at you. her lips quirked upwards gently as she scanned your delighted face.

your light expression quickly turned into one of frustration, suppressing your grin with a tightening of your lips before pulling the nearest man close to you in for an unexpected kiss, opening your eyes once you knew the mystery man's were closed, locking your eyes onto ellie's before closing them once more.

the light had died in ellie's stomach after that. her happy hand that was raised in the air faltered painfully back to her side as she watched the man's hands roam down from your sides... to your waist... to your ass.

you can kiss a hundred boys in bars,

those butterflies that she had just felt in her tummy had died slowly, turning into knots of anguish.

she watched your hands cradle the man's face. those same hands that had counted each and every freckle on her face on a snowy morning that had you both stranded in her apartment.

those same hands that had a death-grip on her back as you sobbed into her shoulder every other weeknight as she tried to muffle her own cries.

those same hands that had shoved her violently as she finally tried to stand her ground one afternoon you showed up knocking on her door. "you know what... fuck you, ellie! i don't know why i keep on doing this shit with you anyways." you said, before storming off. you called her later that night. she answered. "i'm sorry, els. i'm sorry, i'll do better, i'm so sorry-" , "it's ok, baby. it's ok. i know you didn't mean it. you're ok baby, i forgive you."

shoot another shot, try to stop the feeling!

she would've stayed in that seat, stewed in her anger for a bit more before the tears inevitably came falling down if it wasn't for the way the dude's hands creeped under your skin-tight jeans and how you flinched away from his grasp, breaking the kiss immediately with a nervous giggle creeping up.

the guy obviously took it as an invitation to do more, placing his hand back on your waist and agressively pulling you closer.

you can say it's just the way you are,

ellie's head tilted as she watched this go down.

what she wanted to do was launch that creep into the nearest wall and make sure he never tainted your body again. but she didn't want to get up too soon, she wanted to be certain that you needed help, whether you wanted it or not.

your hand stopped him from coming any closer, placing it right before his chest. you said something along the lines of, "don't want to do anything." .

make a new excuse, another stupid reason-

instead of him being a decent human being and leaving you alone, his face quickly turned into one of anger. his jaw jutted out as he tried to pull you in again, leaving you thrashing against his body.

how was no one else seeing this? why was no one else doing anything?!

she didn't even have time to process what she was about to do. her feet were on the ground, marching their way towards you before she could even think about her course of action in a smart way.

"let me go, fuckin' creep!" she heard you shriek as she grew closer to you, attempting to elbow him in the chest.

ellie felt like no matter how fast she was walking, she would never make it to you in time.

he laughed tauntingly as he grinded against. "i'm the creep, bitch?! you kissed me f-"

his last word was stolen from him as ellie forcefully pushed him off you with and landed a blow against his nose.

he groaned in pain, falling to the ground as he cradled his now-broken-nose.

you gasped in shock and horror. "what the fuck, ellie?!" you scolded her. as if you would've been fine on your own.

she ignored your words though, pulling the guy's hand away as she forced another punch to his face.

now people were finally looking.

she didn't stop until she felt your hands on her stomach, pulling her away from the scene.

"she fuckin'... said... no!..." ellie's voice thundered, erratic breaths in between her words before bringing one last painful kick to his face before letting you lead her out of the bar and into the night air.

you didn't stop even after you two were at the entrance door of the establishment, you made sure the two of you were far enough away that ellie wouldn't be caught if the police were called.

she couldn't help but feel those stupid fucking butterflies again as your hand gripped hers and felt a little disappointed when you dropped it, suddenly all too aware that you were still in public.

her green eyes met your own, yours filled with anger and chaos... hers filled with love.

"hey baby." the auburnette sighed out simply, that stupid love-grin back on her face as she was finally close to you.

your eyebrows furrowed in disbelief as your hands went to massage your temples. you let out a humorless giggle. "you're so... fucking stupid, ellie!" you exclaimed, shoving her chest as if she was in the wrong.

her grin turned into a confused frown as she surrendered her hands in the air, her eyebrows mirroring your own now. "wh-wh....what-"

good luck, babe!

"god, you have this severe goddamn saviour complex or some shit!... i was fine! i was fucking fine on my own before you marched in and assaulted that guy."

well good luck, babe!

you gaslighted beautifully, defending the man you knew nothing about over the woman who was fatally in love with you, she almost believed you.

ellie's frown turned into an angry smile as she brought a hand to gently wipe over the bridge of her nose, a mannerism of her's she had developed whenever she got frustrated with you.

"assau-... ok, sure-... you wanna talk about assault, baby? that fuckin' guy would've assaulted you if i didn't step in. he was assaul-"

you shut your eyes tightly the way you do when you wanted to block something out that ellie was obviously right about. you shook your head stubbornly. "gggoddd ellie- it was my fault! i wanted it and then i didn't. i shouldn't have- i shouldn't have kissed him in the first place. i gave him mixed signals, i-"

you'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling!-

your eyebrows grew dangerously closer to your face as you cradled your head in your hands.

ellie was quick to walk right back to you, caressing your arms.

"what? baby, no. no, it's not your fault... that- that fuckin' guy... hey... look at me, sweetheart." she cooed lovingly.

good luck, babe!

you slowly brought your hands away from your face, meeting her breathtaking green eyes.

you wanted to fall into her arms, you wanted to thank her for coming to your rescue and kiss her and confess to her how scared you truly were.

but you didn't. you never did.

your slightly calm expression that came over you once you met your secret lover's gaze turned into one of annoyance. ellie was, like always, taken by surprise as you thrashed against her grip, just like the way you did with that monster in the bar.

good luck, babe!

ellie's eyes blurred with tears as she watched your face turn into a grimace.

"fuck you, ellie." you said quietly as you broke free from her hands, storming off into the night. leaving her. like always.

you'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling.

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jalenay · 28 days

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Nothing's Wrong with Dale - Publishing Update May 4 2024

So my work work is starting to relax - it'll be 'normal' working hours after May 15, but i'm manifesting some early additional free time (by ignoring some of the things i still have left to do) and i thought i'd give an update on my current NWWD plan to fill you guys in (if anyone wants to know) and to motivate myself to, you know, do it.

let me know what you think and if you have any questions! or if there's anything else you want to know!

So the overall plan is as follows:

First Rough Edit - this is basically just changing the POV from 2nd POV to 3rd POV. This is very tedious and currently what I'm doing right now. I'm also making a list as I go for high level updates/changes i want to make. Just thinking about the story as a whole and what tweaks i want to make now that the whole thing is finally done (primarily moving exposition around, if there's anything extra i can remove, timing of when certain things are discussed, and so on).

My Main Edit - this will be more time consuming but probably more fun as i do my main revise and edit of the story as a whole. i'll likely print the entire story out, make edits on hard copy, and then type up all the edits. I will also probably be sending the updated chapters to my main beta, for her opinion. (this would be the person i first texted about Dale in Dec 2021, she deserves first look lol)

Editor - After I'm happy with what I've done, i'll send the entire thing over to my editors, the main ones who worked on DSM. This will likely take a good amount of time (DSM took one month) but in many ways involves less effort from me lol. Just nerves.

Cover, Self-publishing Details - while my editors have the manuscript, I'll be narrowing down what I want the cover to look like and hiring a cover artist. (i've got a short list of artists right now, but i'll probably continue to refine that). I'm bad a visualizing covers and so this will be hard for me, although i have some basic ideas. i'll need to gather reference photos too and then work with the artist. I also want to publish more widely than just Amazon and will hopefully get DSM out to other places as well as a test run before NWWD. Look into more marketing? This is the most miscellaneous of the steps.

Process Edits - actually go through all the edits and notes given to me by my editor. This takes a lot of time (and is mentally taxing - no one likes to read pages of people telling you what you need to fix about what you wrote even if its overall extremely helpful and necessary)

Finalizing - I'll send the edited version to my first beta and another ARC reader/friend. I'll work on the formatting for the book. Coordinating where it will be published and when.

Publishing!

This is a loose list of steps that I mostly defined right now, but are similar to what i did with DSM. As i said, I'm in step one, currently just finished Chapter 25 of 36 of that rough edit.

I'll try to provide some updates on the process at it moves along, if people are interested in hearing about that. I'll most likely keep those updates on this blog, along with any other publishing specific commentary. if any one has any questions or thoughts on the whole thing, please feel free to send them to this blog or comment on this post.

I'm very excited to really dig into publishing NWWD and looking forward to sharing it with you!

Thanks to everyone for all their support - I wouldn't even be considering this (i probably wouldn't have even had a finished draft) with you!

#self-publishing #nothing's wrong with dale #writblr #writing #NWWD status #so excited to be making progress again #long road ahead but its gonna end with me having a full book published #so i'm beyond thrilled #publishing

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gaypiratebrainrot · 28 days

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Hi! I have a question about wfu and specifically about the tags. I'm among those who have always read it exclusively as rpf (and I'm completely okay with it) and I was curious about what prompted you to tag it also as stede/ed. Was it just because of the names swapping? Or was it a choice to make it all meta-ish? I find it super interesting either way, and the fic itself is amazing

hi! thank you so much for this question and your kind words!

"is this rpf?" was always a central question of wfu, and one that i wrestled with a lot on my own while writing it. an intended part of the thought experiment was to publish it in a way where "is this rpf?" remained an open question for the reader to answer for themselves. my first beta had a strong knee-jerk reaction that the text was rpf, like, as early as the scene where they're having drinks on the back porch, leaving comments like "this is definitely rpf". at that point, i actually made a second doc where i swapped the names back and considered publishing it as regular rpf. instead, at the encouragement of my beta, i added two small additional meta scenes to the stede/ed version (the conversation with jim, wee john, and frenchie at the party, and then the bit at ed's house when ed and stede are crying on the couch and ed brings up fan fiction again), and gave that to a second beta.

my second beta had a strong knee-jerk reaction in the other direction, to the point where they didn't even think i needed to tag it rhys/taika. that was when i knew the thought experiment was going to work--it wasn't that either beta was right or wrong, but that every reader was going to have their own unique reaction to the text and whether it was rpf, an actor au, or some secret third thing. it was an extremely cool moment in my life and i will never forget it.

i decided to tag it as stede/ed, rhys/taika, RPF, and Actor AU, because i suspected as long as i did not definitively say what it was, there would be readers who would read it as just rpf or just an actor au. and this is exactly what happened, and continues to happen; there is a pretty wild diversity of interpretations and justifications for why wfu reads exclusively as either rpf or an au, in addition to everyone experiencing some secret third thing. it's really beautiful and i think there's a lot to be learned about how different people engage with and negotiate the relationship between fiction and reality.

and then there's also just the readers-finding-it-on-ao3 factor of tagging a fic: lots of people who never read rhys/taika love wfu as a stede/ed fic, and also if you love rhys/taika, you'd probably be happy to stumble across wfu in the rhys/taika tag. of course, there was also a small twitter wank when i published it from a few people who, it seems, did not engage with anything else about the fic beyond seeing the rpf tag and strapping into their moral superiority outrage pants. this too was beautiful, because what lovely experimental evidence of what incurious, reactionary morality will lead you to miss about all the vast murky gray of the world.

#asks #thank you so much #i love talking about this #water flowing underground #this aspect of wfu is what i'm most proud of

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olderthannetfic · 9 months

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How does one get considered by a major publisher? Is it just luck and the people you know? I can’t imagine they’re willing to look at everything that gets sent to them.

This is something that's actually pretty easy to research. I don't keep on top of it because I'm not interested in pursuing this, but I can give some basics.

There are hundreds of publications and blogs and agents' and publishing professionals' own social media accounts that talk about this.

You have to look it up imprint by imprint. Most of the time, in the current day, the imprints people really want to get published with don't accept unagented submissions. The open slush pile is a thing of the past many places.

Agents, however, often do accept unsolicited manuscripts, and they're frequently the first step for people trying to break in. There are various books and indexes where you can look up who's in business, who's looking for submissions, and what kind of content they cover.

Knowing people can certainly help, but new authors do break in all the time without nepotism or industry ties.

I don't think luck has much to do with it.

There's luck involved in those rare cases where someone is picked up by the first agent they approach, the agent is able to successfully sell the book right away, and it goes on to be a bestseller.

But most authors' success stories involve a number of years of sending their manuscripts around to various agents while writing more. That's not luck: that's perseverance.

I suppose there's some luck in happening to have tastes and strengths suited to whatever is trendy right now, but if you're envisioning a long-term career as a writer, even that won't be consistent.

As for how you get out of the slush pile...

Write a complete manuscript that is ready to publish as-is in terms of plot, pacing, and characterization.

Proofread it extensively.

Format it in the requested manner. (Could vary by agent/venue.)

Send it to an agent/venue that actually covers the genre/subject matter in your manuscript.

You would be surprised at just how many people don't follow any of these suggestions.

They think it's the publisher's job to be their beta reader and do extensive plot and style revisions with them, but in the modern day, most types of publishing don't have the time or money for that. They're going to proofread you and change your punctuation to house style. They might do more, but that's the most you can rely on.

If there is anything in your manuscript you wouldn't want to see on bookstore shelves today, fix it.

The others are even worse. People are always sending poetry books to fiction imprints and fiction to nonfiction ones, etc. Or they write three chapters because that's what submissions call for but don't have the rest of the book ready when an agent is finally interested. Or the first paragraph is littered with typos.

Basic professionalism like with any job interview goes far.

We all like to joke about all the total crap that does end up getting published, and yes, sometimes if you're already a celebrity or you happen to hit a trend just right or you're great at marketing yourself and have connections, that can be you.

But writing a really good book still works.

A lot of the time, people who are actually writing publishing-ready manuscripts and lots of them who submit to publishers for 10 years will eventually break in. People who stop after one manuscript or a dozen submissions generally won't.

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writingquestionsanswered · 1 year

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New Writer Worried About Dull Writing

Anonymous asked: I’m relatively new to writing creatively and fear my work is too beige - is this a problem like so many people say? Or is there a market for my blunt speaking (I do include metaphors/similes, btw). I read books like [popular series] and the writing style is similar to my own, but I still feel somewhat insecure.

If you're a newer writer (meaning you have not been writing for years and do not have numerous completed and critiqued works under your belt), it's far too early for you to worry about the quality of your writing. Far too early. One of the biggest misconceptions about writing is it's something you're just instantly good at... that quality and style are innate, and that anything you write should instantly be publishable. And that's just not how writing works...

Writing is an art and a craft. And like any other art and craft, most people don't sit down to do it for the first time or the tenth time or even the thirtieth time and find they've mastered it. If you take up baking, you're probably not going to have artisan bakery quality products after a few months. If you decide to learn the guitar, you're probably not recording an acoustic guitar album after a year. If you decide to learn karate, you're probably not going to earn your black belt within two years. Are there exceptions? Sure, but it's super rare.

Even when you hear that an author "hadn't written much" prior to writing their breakout debut novel, most of the time you find out that, in fact, they had written a lot. They wrote in college... maybe even have a degree in English or communications... they took creative writing classes or attended creative writing workshops... or they were prolific fan-fiction writers, bloggers, journalers, or even journalists. But they don't think to count those things because they're not original creative fiction stories or novels written with the intention of publication. But the thing is, it all counts. All writing is practice. And all writing that is shared and receives feedback from at least one other person helps you grow and improve your craft.

So, if you're new to creative writing--even if you have experience as a blogger, journalist, communications writer, etc.--the best thing you can do is focus on getting a body of creative fiction under your belt. Your quality and style will improve and develop over time. When you're ready, seek feedback from others... from alpha readers, beta readers, critique groups, critique partners, or post your stories on fiction sharing sites. Feedback will help you see where your strengths and weaknesses are and will help you hone your skills. And as your skills improve, so will your confidence! Which isn't to say you won't still sometimes have doubts... even the very best writers do... but you will learn to believe in your writing and your skills as a writer. ♥

(↓↓↓ Because it's expected at this point... ↓↓↓)

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carissimipaixao · 11 months

Text

— FROM THE START

publishing date: july 13th, 2023 pairing: arsène lupin iii & reader word count: 2.6k+ note: part of the highly emotional people! second note: back in june, i did a poll asking which series or fanfic should be expended upon, and the first entry of this series was the winner! as such, here we go! also, no beta, we die like men.

From the start, the stories of police officers bringing criminals to justice, ruthless in their pursuit and passionate for change, have always been fascinating to you. As a kid, it brought you so much joy listening to your parents discuss the local cases together, turning on the television or the radio to follow up on the wild chases across the country — and the world — and dressing up as a cop for Halloween. Then, as you grew up, you started to participate in these conversations, trying to understand the criminal world, everything and anything.

Now, you get to carry your own badge — having worked day and night for the path you carved with your own blood, sweat and tears. You get to work with some of the world’s best professionals (or witness them in action), even if by occasion, and you have earned your name and title in the local law enforcement. You would like to think, of course, that your father’s reputation has done nothing to influence your own ascend within the law.

Months after becoming a detective, a letter arrives. Upon hearing the loud crash from the Chief’s office, you turn in shock — even though you have known about Chief Daiam’s tantrums and sour moods for years. When he leaves the office in rage, face completely flustered, the Chief storms towards your unit’s lieutenant. Immediately, you feel excitement rushing through your veins.

For him to reach out for Lieutenant Oscar, it can only mean one thing.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

‘You stay here,’ those words freeze you to your spot in an instance.

And, you are unable to hide your confusion. ‘Sir?’ Surely, you are either about to be given the most incredible orders in your whole career — something that would push you down a path of adventure and greatness — or about to be utterly disappointed. Your eyes fly to the building on your left.

In this very gallery, something will be stolen. There’s no may be stolen, nor futile attempt, because the thief involved is no average criminal. You had heard about him as you climbed in ranks, you had heard about his father and grandfather from your father. The Underground may be full of secrets and criminals, all buried under shadows, but you know that he is the closest to a celebrity in his own world.

You have the chance to arrest Lupin III right in front of you.

Lieutenant Oscar spares a look to the unit entering the building, like the crazed lovers they are for chasing down international and dangerous criminals, and turns back with his hand raised. ‘You are staying here with the others.’

‘Wait,’ you shake your head, ‘what about the thief? I thought I was with the unit.’

‘Change of plans,’ he shrugs. ‘Besides, you are still a rookie, aren’t you?’ Your eyebrow twitches at the poor attempt of a friendly smile on his face, ‘Why don’t you leave this one for those who are more capable?’

You have got to be kidding me, you think to yourself. If Chief Daiam is known for his humor, then Lieutenant Oscar is known for being a bully to those who have just joined law enforcement (and to those he considers a threat, your father told you one day). He is slightly older than you, but you know he has been unable to climb up in ranks — not almost as effortlessly as you have done thus far.

You wonder if he, indeed, thinks of you as a possible obstacle in his path, if he thinks of you as competition.

‘Someone should remain outside,’ he continues, ‘to keep an eye out for that thief if he manages to escape our trap.’ You glance over your shoulder, looking at the police officers that are surrounding the building, the road that has been blocked for almost one hour now and the waiting crowd of journalists. Security is tight — that’s what you think — and you hardly think one more policewoman is going to make much of a difference.

Yep, you turn back with a frown, he definitely has something against me.

You risk the urge to cross your arms over your chest, instead raising your chin in the air. ‘Lieutenant, with all due respect, I think I have earned my place within this unit. I deserve to enter the building and help arrest this criminal.’

Lieutenant Oscar snickers. Then, his expression falls. ‘You stay here,’ he repeats. ‘Got it, Detective?’ The patronizing tone unleashes feral rage within your heart, and you grind your teeth together before you comply. No matter what, he is your superior; orders are orders.

‘...Understood,’ you murmur before you turn your back to him.

You take a position near the alleyway, shoving your hands inside your pockets. Perhaps, you are being rather childish about this whole ordeal, but, still, an opportunity — a great one at that — has been taken from you. You don’t think you’ll ever let Oscar hear the end of it, now. He might have just jeopardized the biggest achievement of your whole career.

Time passes slowly, painfully so, and you can see your coworkers begin to lean against the police cars, fetching cigarettes and talking to one another. Nothing’s happening, you think. Yet, you feel like something is coming.

What is the heist, again? What is he aiming for?

Something wet falls on top of your skin, and you flinch. When it repeats, you extend your hand out — almost robotically — and sigh when you realize it has just begun to rain.

Great.

You walk deeper into the alleyway seeking shelter. What is one more cop? The thought crosses your mind as you think of your coworkers — those in front of the gallery, and those who have been so happily followed by Lieutenant Oscar. Perhaps, your presence wouldn't have made a difference inside the gallery. What would you have done? It's your first time being anywhere near this thief, and you know very well that the stories about how he easily slips through the hands of the law aren't fake.

Not like Lieutenant Oscar.

Either way, if you don't need to be inside to apprehend the criminal, then nobody needs you outside. They could try to get the thief on their own, for all you cared at this point.

‘I can't believe this,' you murmur, leaning your head against the wall. The sigh that escapes through your lips is heavy, burdened with shame and unhappiness. Maybe, I'm just not enough. Your father would have been so disappointed to see you now, you know it. ‘I'm not cut out for this.'

Wind ruffles your hair, and you close your eyes.

Yet, they snap open immediately after, as the sirens go off. You push yourself off the wall, glancing left and right as you try to catch a glimpse of action. You hear your coworkers stumble to get back in position, and you hear a distant yell — perhaps a megaphone. You can swear you hear the thief’s name, and you tremble in excitement.

But, once again, you remind yourself that you are not in the middle of the action.

You return to your shelter from the rain, instead looking at the raindrops that fall on the pounds around you. Everything is so temporal, and chances can drip through your fingers like sands — if not now, then when? The stars aren’t aligned for your success, are they?

The confusion continues within the gallery. Undoubtedly, the thief has arrived at the designated hour, as he said in the card, and he is now making his escape. You can only wonder how. He has always been quite a devious individual, full of tricks and gadgets. A mastermind, you think to yourself. I wonder if such talent and knowledge will ever be found in law enforcement?

It would definitely turn the game upside down.

A door cracks open, and you turn to your left. It is too dark to see, but you just barely notice this person is wearing the gallery’s uniform. Why are they leaving through a backdoor, while there is literally a theft happening in their shift? That question rings in your head like the obnoxious siren — which is yet to be shut down.

The person turns, immediately noticing you. ‘Good evening!’

You blink. That’s certainly very playful for someone who might just lose his job. ‘Good… evening,’ you reply, as you watch the man. Something doesn’t feel right.

The man looks up to the skies, a hand holding his hat. ‘It just had to rain, didn’t it?’ He looks back at you, ‘What is a pretty lady like you doing in the middle of the rain?’

‘Listening,’ you reply. That’s not a lie, is it? You aren’t exactly working; just observing and listening to what happens around you. Indeed, you are far too busy thinking about what could have been and your shattered dreams, as you take in the sounds and the sights around you. The siren, the rain and the blinding lights of the police cars. And, yourself — an outsider.

‘Listening,’ he repeats. The rain is slowly getting heavier, you can see it by the way his clothes get soaked, clinging to his body. The man’s smirk, however, is yet to disappear from his face.

You decide to spin the spotlight around. ‘What about you, sir?’ The almost accusatory tone slips into your voice so easily. ‘Aren’t you being robbed?’ You cross your arms over your cheeks, tilting your head to the side as you watch the employee. ‘You do know you could be suspected of collaborating with thieves, right?’

‘Oh!’ The man raises his eyebrows, feigning surprise. ‘I suppose you are right, huh?’ He chuckles. ‘You’d be the only witness, though, and perhaps it could be a secret between us. Two… simple citizens like us, after all, ought to have each other’s back. Plus, you know how the law enforcement in this country is.’

The corner of your mouth twitches, as you nod along to his conversation. ‘I am aware.’

‘Then,’ he continues, ‘let’s make a deal. You don’t say you saw me and I…?’ He pauses, looking at you up and down. You are back in the spotlight. You hate that. ‘Maybe I’ll buy you a drink next time I see you, huh? How about that? You are looking like you need one, after all.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Well, I highly doubt you decided to come here just to listen to the rain, because these sirens are so loud!’ He complains, rubbing the side of his head with a fake grimace. ‘Unless you are a journalist? Hoping to catch the thief unexpectedly for a special interview?’ His smile widens.

You snort. ‘I’m not a journalist. I’m not good enough for that.’

The employee puts his hands on his hips. Why is he still standing there? ‘I won’t believe that. Not for one bit.’ He raises his hand in the air, closing his eyes in a way that reminds you of the old Greek philosophers, ‘Never doubt your qualities.’

‘I don’t doubt my qualities.’ Your tone comes out defensive, which you immediately feel conscious about. You bite your lower lip. ‘I have just not been presented with the right opportunity. That’s all.’ That is certainly a way to explain your current situation, isn’t it?

Why are you seemingly pouring your heart out to a stranger in the middle of an alleyway, right next to a crime scene? Because you two are simple citizens, as he put it?

‘Sometimes,’ he says, ‘you have to present yourself to the right opportunities.’

‘Indeed,’ you reply slowly as you begin to look at him more closely.

He lowers his arms, looking back at the gallery behind him. Then, he turns back at you with a grin. ‘You can succeed so quickly, so easily, if you just take what you want. Imagine that.’ He takes his hat off, throwing it over his head. ‘If you want a piece of advice, put yourself out there. Do what you want. Achieve what you want to achieve, without thinking of whoever is in your way.’

You push yourself off the wall. ‘Is that your life philosophy, sir?’

‘Carpe diem, yes!’ He extends his arms out. ‘So, I ask you, what is your dream, sweetheart?’

You slowly reach behind you, towards the weapon that is concealed under your coat. For as long as you can remember, your dream has always been the same. You have always wanted to earn your badge, build your reputation as an officer and catch some of the most infamous criminals out there. Lupin III is one of them, and, much like your father, who long ago chased after Lupin II, you would die for the opportunity to put his descendant behind bars.

Perhaps, this stranger is right. If the right opportunity won’t present itself to you…

‘I came to this city with one thing in mind,’ you begin, and the man hums, tilting his head as he watches you. ‘To follow my father’s footsteps, and to put criminals behind bars.’

The man’s eyebrow twitches and raises ever so slightly. ‘Is that so, sweetheart?’

‘Don’t call me that,’ you frown. Surely, the universe has something for having men patronizing you all the time. First, my superiors. Then, this guy. ‘If you’d like, you may address me by Detective.’ You pull out your weapon, aiming at the man’s chest. ‘Lupin III.’

‘Oh, so you knew it was me?’ He says, putting a hand on top of his head and, just as before, he fakes his shock. Everything is a game for a thief like himself. ‘Whatever gave that away?’

‘Spare me the—you are coming with me,’ you try to keep your blood cold. Yet, adrenaline is rushing through your veins. You have looked forward to this moment for days, weeks, months, years. You have yearned for the opportunity to catch this thief and put him behind bars, once and for all.

Lupin’s face morphs into a mischievous smirk. ‘And, what if I refuse, Detective?’

‘You can’t refuse. There is nowhere to go.’

‘It’s the two of us here,’ he comments. ‘Plus, I’d be really offended if you didn’t do your homework on me. All these years in the field, and yet there is not a single soul that is able to arrest me. Well, at least permanently.’

‘That’s fine. The opportunity just hadn’t been presented to you until now. I’m putting you in a cell, whether you like it or not.’

The thief bats his eyelashes in your direction, ‘Oh, so bossy. I love when women tell me what to do.’ Your eye twitches. This guy…! What a pain in the ass. ‘Unfortunately,’ he sighs, ‘I have to go. But, I’ll be sure to remember this little rendezvous of ours!’

He turns on his heel and begins running.

‘Wait!’ You extend your arms firmly, pointing the end of your barrel towards his ankle or even his hough. Anything to make him fall or lose his balance, while you go after him and call for backup.

Bang!

A bullet hits your gun, although it almost hits your hand instead — too close for comfort. You flinch, dropping your weapon instinctively. You lower yourself to the floor, looking around bewildered. Where did that bullet come from?

‘Thank you, Jiji!’ The thief calls out, and you become stiff. Of course you wouldn’t be working alone.

You hear a faint scoff, followed by a mumble, and you turn to look at the rooftops. Indeed, there is a silhouette, a weapon pointed at the skies as a sign of mercy. ‘I wouldn’t move an inch, if I were you,’ the gunman speaks loud enough for you to hear over the noise. You reply by giving him the nastiest glare you can manage. Something always has to be in your way.

‘Remember today’s lesson till next time, Detective!’ Lupin stops in his tracks, looking at you as he stands by a trash can. He begins to take off the jumpsuit, revealing his trademark suit underneath.

‘Oh, I will,’ you correct him firmly. ‘I’ll get you.’

In fact, that lesson would continue to haunt you for days and days to come.

#lupin the third #lupin iii #lupin the 3rd #lupin x reader #lupin iii x reader #lupin the third x reader #arsène lupin iii #arsène lupin iii x reader #arséne lupin iii x reader #arsene lupin iii x reader #jigen daisuke #x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #reader-insert #inspector zenigata #series: highly emotional people

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deansbaby-1967 · 2 years

Text

More Than Anything

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: A disagreement over cuddles (of all things) results in the silent treatment, & a teensie bit of light, implied (harmless) blackmail.

Word Count: 737

Warnings/Contents: Slight angst? I guess? But only briefly. Fluffy ending, minor disagreement, mentions of sexual activities (no actual smut), wholesome!Steve Rogers & his wholesome, clean mind. Brief use of "y/n".

A/N: Inspired by a comment I made on an ask that @navybrat817 received, which grew into a full sized plot bunny. Not beta read, & written on my phone, so any & all mistakes are my own.

I haven't written or published much of anything in a few years, & I've never written for Bucky Barnes before, so I hope he's not too OOC.

Cross-posted on AO3.

This is a small, humble gift for @navybrat817, just to give a little something back after all the gorgeous fics, drabbles & thots that she's blessed us with. It's not much, but I hope you enjoy it. 💜

You didn't know how things got to this point... You were just hanging out, enjoying a quiet evening in the Avengers common room, how the hell had you found yourself using Steve to relay messages to Bucky from opposite ends of the sofa?!

This was childish & absurd, at best.

All you had wanted was some cuddles from your boyfriend. But he had refused you & now you were petulantly refusing to speak to him (at least not directly).

Well... Ok, that wasn't strictly how it happened, but that's what it felt like!

Bucky wasn't so much refusing to cuddle with you, as simply not complying with your request for him to lay down in your arms on the sofa, claiming that he was too heavy to lay his full weight on top of you, & suggested that you cuddle side-by-side instead. But that's not what you wanted, dammit!

So, after several attempts - & failures - to convince Bucky that he wasn't going to crush you, you found yourself seated on the opposite end of the long sofa, placing Steve between you, giving Bucky the silent treatment.

"C'mon, Doll, I still wanna hold you! I'm just too heavy to lay on top of you!"

"Steve," you said evenly, "would you please tell Bucky that I'm a strong, independent, 21st century woman who can handle herself?"

Steve sighed, shaking his head but nevertheless turning to face his friend.

"Bucky, y/n says-"

"Sweetheart," Bucky starts, cutting Steve off, "I'm not gonna risk suffocating you just because you underestimate the weight of a super soldier with a vibranium arm."

You huffed in annoyance.

"Steve," you tried again, exasperating your boyfriend, "please tell Bucky that if he's too heavy to cuddle on top of me, then I'm too heavy to sit on him."

This got Bucky's attention. An all too familiar debate between the two of you.

"Sorry, I don't make the rules." you shrugged indifferently.

Steve looked at you funny. "You can't really think that you're too heavy to sit on Bucky's lap..."

You couldn't help the tiny chuckle that slipped out.

"Who said anything about his lap?"

Now Steve was really confused, & you almost couldn't hide your amusement. Oh, Steve... sweet, wholesome Steve...

"Bucky knows what I'm talking about. He can explain it to you." & with that, you stood up & waltzed out of the room, relishing the look of confusion on Steve's face, & the ever increasing awkwardness on Bucky's. You almost wished you could be a fly on the wall when Bucky was forced to corrupt his best friend's wholesome mind, & explain that he wanted his girlfriend to sit on his face...

*~*~*

Later that night, when Bucky came to bed, he found you sitting up against the headboard, reading on your tablet. Unable to bear the thought of you being annoyed with him any longer, Bucky approached the bed, pulled back the covers, but instead of climbing in beside you, he grabbed you by the ankle & dragged you down the bed until you were laid out flat.

"What are you doing?!" you shrieked in surprise, attempting to push yourself up on your elbows. But Bucky quickly pushed you back down flat, effectively silencing you, & crawled up the bed until he hovered over you, & dropped, drawing an OOF! from you.

"Happy?" he asked, wedging his hips between your thighs & looking down at your surprised face. You smiled up at him, & he leaned down to peck your lips.

"Brat." he whispered affectionately, nudging your nose with his own before going back in for another, softer kiss.

After taking a moment to enjoy making up with you, Bucky reluctantly broke the kiss. "I love you, Doll, you know that, right? More than anything."

You held his face gently in your hands, gazing adoringly into his eyes. "I love you too, Sarge. More than anything."

Bucky reached back to pull the covers up over you both.

"Now go to sleep." he said, breaking the tender moment with his trademark sass, "I intend to be happily suffocating in your folds first thing in the morning."

& with that, Bucky slipped his arms underneath you, hugging you tightly, & nuzzled his face into your neck, sighing contentedly. He drifted off to sleep, feeling one of your hands affectionately rubbing his back, & the other carding through his hair.

As he basked in the warmth of your loving embrace, Bucky was blissfully unaware of the smug, triumphant grin spreading across your face.

#bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x y/n #bucky fluff #bucky barnes x female!reader #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes x female reader #steve rogers #steve rogers cameo #wholesome steve rogers

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writeblrgarden · 11 days

Text

PLANT GROWERS - MEET THE WINNERS - SPARROW

Meet Sparrow, who got tenth place in our grow a plant event in november! Sparrow goes by he/him, xe/xim, and it/its, and you can find them at @theglitchywriterboi. He also loves making potatoes and fries (please share). Xe has been writing for his whole life, primarily fantasy, but delving a bit into horror.

Tell us about the WIP you'd like to talk about today.

I'll be talking about Deaths Diner It's book one/five in a multiverse series. Four people who are living some how make their way into the waiting room [basically when you die, you go there, get sorted, go to your proper afterlife], so a few of the residents have to help them make it out alive. Unfortunately, 2/4 of the people needed to properly help them are unavailable. They have to find them before the 4 living die, w/o getting found out by the ruler of the land.

Describe your writing process. Do you like to plan everything or are you more spontaneous?

I have a loose idea of what I want to happen [sometimes it's as vague as "I want the end to be sad. Anything else, idk" & sometimes as much as I know the exact ending, but maybe not how to get there]. So mostly spontaneous w/ the occasional vague plan [though w/ The Obscure Ones series I do have a bit more of a specific idea, though not super planned out, there's still a decent amount of thought in it]

What have you found to be the most challenging and/or rewarding about writing?

All of it - it's easy to spit out words, but it's hard to make it good. Or at least good enough for me to want to share it & consider publishing. But the most rewarding part is having the final story there in front of me & seeing peoples reactions !!!

Below the read more is more of our conversation with Sparrow

What inspires you to write?

Other writers & my love for their stories & going "Omg I wanna make someone feel like this !!!" & also I just love seeing my ideas come to life

Share some advice for other writers.

Write for you !!! At least the first few drafts. Ofc listen to the feedback of your alpha &/or beta readers when the time comes, but when writing make a story YOU want to read, not a story you think will be on the NYT best seller list. It might be ofc, but don't try to make it [in the sense don't throw in things just to try & grab an audience, even if it doesn't work [or you don't actually like it. Make it good yeah, but don't try & hit all the popular book notes at the cost of the story making sense or you liking your own story]

What do consider your writing strength?

Idk personally, but I've been told people like the way I write characters & character dynamics

What has been the nicest compliment you've received or what has been the toughest criticism you've received?

One of my mutuals said this: "and your writing is so so cool. I mean to read more of it so please add me to your taglist because I really would love to see more! I just love the vibes of your wips, they're like grungy nostalgic kind of, and you really nail descriptions in such a cool way and your dialogue sounds hella real and flows so well. The settings are so cool they're so immersive and I haven't even read much but 👀👀👀👀👀" & it still makes me so !!!!

What do you love the most about writing?

The process - discovering what happens while writing it, meeting the characters while writing them.

✨ Sparrow also provided a link for a rough draft of xir wip, which you can read here!

#growaplant #writeblrgarden #writeblr #writers of tumblr #writing blog #writing community #writers on tumblr #writeblr community #nano winners

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loadednachosao3 · 3 months

Note

Any tips for someone who wants to get better at creative writing?

hoo boy there are a ton I could give! let's see if I can't think of some that might help!

first, read! read, read, read! read things you like, that engage you and make you feel something, and then read writing advice to figure out how to translate what you felt and what you liked into writing that makes someone else feel just as good (or sad, or angry, or whatever, LOL). Stephen King's book On Writing is a solid place to start -- learn from the people who have made writing their lifeblood! go to the library's 800s section and find all the writing tips books you can get your hands on! I STILL read those 19 years into writing!

don't try to edit while you write (small edits are fine so you don't forget them, but don't overdo it). remember: first draft, worst draft! the important part is getting the backbone of the scene down. once that's there, you can mix and match and scramble it up and change words and delete shit and do all sorts of things! I actually enjoy the editing process, since it makes everything come together. don't think "oh, this is so bad, I have to edit so much, I suck." try to frame it as, "damn, look how much writing I did! this is an awesome base to polish up! it's gonna be so rad once I correct these mistakes!"

on that note: there WILL be mistakes. you'll miss plot holes, forget shit, write stuff that doesn't make sense, whatever. beta readers are great for this, since a fresh set of eyes will be able to catch things you didn't. or do what I do: throw caution to the wind, post it, and if someone catches a mistake, say "oops!" and find a way to fix it, retcon it, or ignore it. either 1: you're writing fanfiction or something similar, so it really doesn't matter that much if you fuck up, or 2: you're aiming to be published, and an editor will help spot and fix those things for you anyway. don't let making mistakes discourage you, we all make them!

if you have tropes/character types/plotlines you like, don't let anyone stop you from writing them again and again. you know how many stories Stephen King writes about a writer from Maine with interpersonal issues who goes through supernatural shit? and look where he is! what you WANT to write will always be better than what you THINK people want to read! readers can sense passion. use that to hook them!

it is 100% okay to use your writing to work through things, on that note. encouraged, as a matter of fact! lots of great writers have underlying themes in most/all of their works. depression. substance abuse. daddy issues. optimism. pessimism. worldviews. whatever! doesn't have to be bad, but if it IS bad, writing is a phenomenal way to channel those feelings! don't let any shitty weirdo ever tell you anything else. projecting your emotions onto fictional characters is a very highly recommended therapeutic technique, so use it! (lbr, even if you don't do it consciously, you WILL do it subconsciously. sorry about that)

mmmmmblock out the haters! that is, don't let people tear you down and make you feel like you shouldn't write anymore! no matter your skill level, if you have something to say, something you want to see play out, make it happen. everyone else can suck a duck

figure out a plotting style that works for you. for some, it's a rigid outline with every conversation accounted for. for others, it's a looser one, some ideas and scribbled notes of general directions with the rest to be filled in as you go. for others still (this is mostly my style), you just start writing and see where it takes you. very chaotic, but very fun! I also like to have vivid daydreams sometimes and then just write them down. whether I do that or learn where the scene is going as my fingers are on the keys depends on the day. no method is better or worse, so do what feels right!

jot down inspiration in a notepad or on your phone or whatever's around as it comes to you. could be as simple as "this exchange I heard caught my attention" or "that gravestone has a badass surname I'd love to use for a character," or as complex as "I want to explore the themes of grief and trauma that that other book did, but with my own twist on it." a word. a color. a feeling. keep a list of everything that makes you want to write, and use it later!

if you really hate your first draft, scrap it! if you hate your second, scrap it! if you hate your third... you can always start fresh!!! don't sit around thinking, "aw beans, I couldn't get it right on the first try, I must not be a real writer." not every idea's gonna be a winner, not every scene is gonna work out! you gotta keep on keeping on, though! don't give up even if you hate it!!!

uhhhh that's all I can think of rn... the rest would be more stylistic/grammatical/nitpicky tips, which I CAN give, but maybe in a different post? let me know if you guys would ever like an insight into how I edit my stories with tips like that in mind, and maybe I'll make a lil guide!

but in general, yeah, those are my big, sweeping tips! hope they helped at least a little!

#ask tag #anonymous

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kaykat666 · 1 month

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20 questions for fic writers

Thanks @superlc529 for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

32 published on AO3. If I include unpublished and/or unfinished stories that I have on my laptop I’d say I have a total of around maybe 45?

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

729,333. Definitely over 1 mil if I count anything unpublished. I didn’t even realise it was that much before this moment.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Lucifer. I may have dabbled in other fandoms in my teenage years but we’re not going to talk about that right now.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

Joyriding with the devil - 2,051 kudos

Project Deviant - 1,079

Never to Me - 874

And I Would Do It Again - 854

Supernova - 853

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! Sometimes I forget though :( I absolutely read and cherish every single comment I receive though!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Never to Me. It was unintentional really, as it was meant to be the first part of a 1 part story. Certain circumstances lead to me completely losing the desire to continue writing the second part (it’s over half finished!) and so I never posted it. That was like… at least 3 years ago. What is time? I hope to finish it at some point but I’m just too busy these days with work. This is really the only story I’ve left on an angsty note.

7. What the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Like I just said, I don’t do many angsty endings. I love to play with it in the middle of the story, and orchestrate killer cliffhangers between chapters but I like to make everything work out in the end. I always liked the John Lennon quote, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” So yeah, a lot of my stories have endings that I think are happy. I’m not sure I could say which one is the happiest.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Unfortunately I’ve had a few horrible comments. I try not to think about them for too long though. It’s a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of lovely, thoughtful comments that I get 😊

9. Do you write smut?

No. Far too British for that.

10. Craziest crossover?

Lucifer and Loki. My only crossover really. Also on do regretfully have not finished but it’s definitely out there in terms of craziness.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, but I feel that it was more of a misunderstanding than anything and the person who did it took it down (along with a lot of others they had posted) fairly quickly.

12. Have you ever had fic translated?

Yes! A reader of mine translated Project Deviant into Russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Also yes! Project Deviant was co-written by myself, @oh-mylordy, and @self-indulgent-sapphism. I also started writing one with my beta @notonelineff but we never have gotten around to finishing it. Co-writing is hard. Especially if you’re writing a long project.

14. All time favourite ship?

Deckerstar I guess. The amount of fic I’ve written should be enough evidence of that.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hm. Not sure on this one. There’s a few I want to finish but I’m still hoping to get around to them like I’ve said.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Uhhh. I feel like I’m decent at descriptions. I try my best anyway. I try to keep things fluid and set the scene in a way that feel natural and not just stick you with a whole block if description at once. I’ve definitely improved at plotting long fics as well I think. I personally think I’m good at writing suspense when it is called for.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I definitely get stuck on words or phrase and will waaaay over use them until my beta tells me off. I’m really not great at keeping things short either. And it’s not even like my one shots keep turning into long fics, but more that I can definitely over describe and draw things out more than is necessary. I don’t really know what else. I’m sure I have many things that I could improve but I do write for fun and so I try not to get myself too down about what I could be doing better. As long as I can convey the story/scene/emotions that I want to it happy.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I’ve tried it a couple of times. Never more than a like or too, just to convey the purpose that I want it to. For example I would love to show Lucifer being omni-lingual more because it was something I did love about his character in the show but it’s so hard to do in writing without making it overly complicated for the reader. Therefore I settle for throwing in a line here or there and leaving it at that. Also, my knowledge of language really doesn’t extend past Google translate so I don’t want to end up saying the wrong thing.

19. First Fandom you wrote in?

Doctor Who when I was about… 15 or so. They are no longer on the internet. It’s probably for the best.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Ahhh asking me to pick a favourite fic is like asking me to pick a favourite child. I really do love the universe we built in Project Deviant though, and the sequel A Glitch in the System. I thoroughly enjoyed every part of plotting and writing those fics, and dabbling in the universe of one of my favourite games. It also allowed me to write a lot of things that I’d wanted to for a while so that was nice.

However, I also really do have a soft spot for All That Remains. Writing that fic emotionally wrecked me but I still love it.

Also I’m pretty proud of Resistance is Futile writing and plot wise. It was just a fun thing that I wanted to write but I was pleased with the case part more than anything. I wanted it to kinda feel like an episode of Lucifer and I personally think it does.

I did a top 3 instead of 1. Like I said, you can’t make me pick. It’s just not fair.

Anyway! I don’t know who to tag really but if anyone writes fic and wants to do this please feel free!

#on fic writing #my writing #long post #text post #ask game #ask games #lucifer fanfiction #fanfiction

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morning-sun-brah · 5 months

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Okay so I've just GOTTA know... how the hell do you write the way you do?? I haven't been able to get sucked into any written work since high school, trauma brain and all. I used to live in books so it's been hell, but your writing got me back into reading, and makes it so I can get lost into that little world again, which I've craved but been able to have for like... so long. Writing is something I've always been into, but I let my fear of failure and need for perfection stop me. Just... do you have any advice for beginners?? It would mean the world to me, but I understand if it's an annoying ask! Thanks for reading no matter what!

Well I am just a mess reading this (in the best way possible).

First of all, thank you so much omfg. And of COURSE it isn't annoying! This is so flattering I'm about to cry my dude.

As far as tips on writing, I feel like I am not the person to ask because I'm just this little weirdo on the internet who likes turtles lol. But!! In an attempt to try and give real advice here is my response... and it got a little wordy so it's all under the break lmaoooo.

~Gin's rambling attempt to give writing advice~

Practice! Literally the only reason I can string coherent words together is because I've been doing this as a hobby for like two whole decades.

Also!! Read! Consuming other fics and books really helps. Sometimes you find a way of saying something that sticks with you. Sometimes you sit and think "I would have done it this way/said it this way." Sometimes you come out on the other end and go "Wow I am a hack that was amazing." Sometimes you finish something and go "Wow that was fucking terrible I'm amazing." Sometimes you read something and it fires off your brain, and you are left itching to write your own story. But however you feel, it's all GOOD FOR WRITING. It helps you grow! It literally helps you find your voice!

Other little things; When I write, I truly immerse myself. I am playing out in cinema format what is happening in the "scene." How is this person reacting? How do they look- down to facial expressions. How are they feeling? Is this something they would say? (would they fucking say that??? is something I think to myself every time I open a doc) And when I write it all down, I try my very best to convey that "scene" that played out in my head. I try to capture that character's voice, their mannerisms, their habits.

Does this even make sense? I sure hope so.

Also, flow. Make sure we're moving right along. Keep track of where hands, legs, and torsos are. If they were sitting when the scene started, and you need them standing to kiss or fight or do a thumb war, at some point you need to make sure you say they stood up. If a hand was on a cheek, it can't suddenly be on an ankle without telling the reader what happened.

I also just think adding little details helps with immersion. When we talk to people, we don't just stand around. We fidget. We pick our nails or scratch our arms or shuffle our feet. All those little details can add to that immersion (or I think so, I'm no expert). "He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck before saying..." - Wow, what an awkward little shit. "They scrunched their nose and gave a near-violent eye-roll" - Oh ok they are annoyed! "She shifted her feet and replied"- cool she's being a person, I shift my feet too, neato.

Anyway, nothing I wrote 20 years ago is as good as it is now. I'm highly convinced that I'll think the same thing in another 10 years, about anything I've published recently. But it is getting better, and it's because I keep at it. Having friends in the fandom and beta readers really helps. Make sure you find someone who you know will be positive but honest. And remember, YOU are always going to be your own worst critic.

God why did anyone ever let me have access to a computer. Why the FUCK is this so long? Does it even make sense? Jfc, I'm going to post it and eat a fucking cookie.

I believe in you anon. Also, I love you and thank you so much for making my whole week. I'm going to be so obnoxious about this shit, everyone expect to hear from my ass an annoying amount (kidding, but seriously I'm so fucking flattered thank you so much. This kind of shit makes me wonder what the fuck you're all reading because I swear I am just a silly gal with seasonal depression who needs a haircut).

((Also, anon, I wish you nothing but the best. Take care of yourself, be kind to yourself, and know that I am sending you like a million hugs))

#anon ask #oh also!#write what you want #like- don't write what you think the fandom wants #write what YOU want to see #What YOU like #You're never going to please everyone #So just please yourself #wait that sounds bad #fuck it #sure please yourself whatever I said what I said

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nerdyvocals · 10 months

Text

Far Away (and Breathing Cleaner Air)

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/F

Fandom: Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (TV)

Relationship: Lydia/Cynthia Zdunowski

Characters: Cynthia Zdunowski, Lydia (Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies), Edward "Shy Guy" (Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies), Pedrito "Potato" (Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies), Nancy Nakagawa, Summer Stock Girl (Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies)

Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Living Together, Suggestive Themes, Implied Sexual Content, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Cynthia Zdunowski, Period Typical Attitudes, Internalized Homophobia, Underage Drinking, kinda???, Google says the drinking age in California in '57 was 21, and they're not quite there yet, Domesticity, The inherent homoeroticism of doing your girlfriend's hair, Betaed, featuring the beta reader's obscure drink knowledge, The T-Birds love Lydia, So do the Pink Ladies, La Traviata, Symbolism, so much symbolism, A single use of the fuck word, for Emphasis, if you know you know, Mild Language, Clyde reference Fanwritten season two project my beloved

Language: English

Series: ← Previous Work Part 2 of Like Phantom Limbs

Stats:

Published: 2023-07-31, Words: 16,024, Chapters: 1/1

Summary:

Words don't always mean what you might think. Home can be as simple as four walls where the world can't touch you. A family is a group of friends who love and support you as you are. Sometimes healing involves breaking further apart, even years later. And loving someone means helping them put those pieces back together.

(Title from Icarus by The Crane Wives)

Notes:

Massive, massive thank you to my dear friend who enabled my hubris and betaed this for me, @look-at-those-niceass-rocks on tumblr (if you follow me there, you'll recognize them from the unhinged quotes lists as we watched the series together). Highly recommend getting yourself a friend like them; I said I wanted more Crane Wives lyrics for titles and they went through each song line by line and wrote down what resonated with the themes I was working with. This being over 16k words is entirely their fault.

Enjoy!

Note: this is a direct sequel to Steady, Steady. While it is not strictly necessary to read that one first to understand this, there are some references and symbolism that might go over your head otherwise, specifically in regards to my characterization of Summer Stock Girl.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

The summer of 1957 promised to be a warm one. The sun hung heavy in the sky most days, unobstructed by clouds, casting a hazy heat over central California. Not the best weather to move house in, but honestly? Cynthia didn’t think there was anything that could wipe the smile from her face this week. The house itself was quaint. Much nicer than the apartment she grew up in, that’s for sure, but small for the number of people that would be living there. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and, for the most part, six girls.

The plan had been Jane’s idea, proposed in Olivia’s bedroom at a Pink Ladies sleepover during Christmas break. One semester at Stanford under her belt, and she was already sick of the dorms. Ranting about her nightmare roommate eventually turned into daydreaming about the five of them living together, which over the next few weeks, turned into a solid plan. A little house in between Rydell and Stanford, somewhere they could all get used to independence without sacrificing getting to see their loved ones. A place she, Olivia, and Cynthia could live year-round, and a nest where Hazel and Nancy could land when school breaks brought them back west.

And with an odd number of girls in their group, it was only natural that Cynthia brought up Lydia. To make it even, of course. She endured the teasing and kissy faces with a thrown pillow and a promise to give each of them the same treatment when she inevitably caught their boys sneaking out in the mornings.

For all their teasing, they were all very encouraging about bringing Lydia into their midst. She had never formally joined their gang, but she’d never been excluded, and they had never treated her any different than the other partners, and for that, Cynthia was beyond grateful.

And so, now, six months after that conversation, two weeks after signing the lease, her girlfriend was moving into their shared bedroom, and her face hurt from the grin that had been plastered there since the night before. A tired sigh made her look up from the clothes she was hanging in the closet and she watched Lydia set a box atop a small pile.

“Last one!” she breathed out, exhausted, wiping a hand across her brow as she walked toward the foot of the bed. There, she turned on her heel, arms wide, to fall backward on the mattress.

Cynthia chuckled at the sight. She moved, almost unbidden, from her spot against the wall, crossing the room in quick easy strides to sit on the bed next to her girlfriend. She leaned over the other girl, arm propping her up on her other side as she pressed a kiss to the spot between the girl’s closed eyes. Lydia preened at the affection, and Cynthia felt her arm wrap around her waist, holding her in place.

“Having fun yet?” she asked, and Lydia laughed.

“After eight months of shitty dorm mattresses,” she replied, relaxing further into the plush duvet, “you have no idea how good it feels to lay in a real bed!”

Cynthia trailed the back of her finger along the slope of the other girl’s cheek, tracing a pattern only she could see. Lydia finally pried her eyes open and caught her gaze, a storm meeting the sea, and Cynthia moved her hand to cup the other side of her face.

“Our bed,” she whispered, reverently, as if she couldn’t believe it. Lydia’s smile broadened into a toothy grin.

“Our bed!” she agreed.

(Continue reading on ao3)

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oysters-aint-for-me · 3 months

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hey,,,,,,,,

I know it has been 4 years. I know this for a fact. I am very well aware that what I am about to ask pertains to a different time period in the universe, nearing on half a decade. that being said,

any plans on ever finishing The Gang Miscalculates the Odds ??!! You have entranced me, bewitched me body and soul. never have I read such an iasip fanfic so closely characterized to the source material, it genuinely could be a real episode, acted verbatim to what you’ve wrote and nothing would feel off.

hi okay first of all THANK you for saying this, hearing that my writing sounds like real episodes is one of my favorite things to hear <3

i have NOT abandoned Miscalculates the Odds!!! i desperately desperately want to finish it.

after the pandemic started i fell down a mental health hole (like most people lol) and had a really really hard time doing creative writing. plus i started grad school which i think i underestimate how much that takes away from writing time. at any rate my mental health got steadily worse over time, but i have not gone a single day without thinking about MTO since i last published a chapter. (and please know i'm not saying this defensively, anon, i don't feel, like, attacked or anything! i just wanted to explain)

BUT!

i recently started a new medication and to my absolute shock it is actually WORKING (atypical antipsychotics my beloved) and i have actually started working on the MTO again!!! hopefully when i publish the rest of it, i can give hope to anyone who has let a fic go for 4+ years lmao

there's this saying i heard somewhere that's like "anything i've ever let go of has claw marks on it." it's not always a healthy mindset but it is MY mindset and i am determined to finish MTO

that being said if anyone wants to chat w me about it or send your ideas or be a sounding board for brainstorming or even a beta reader...well i've never had those things before but i would love to try <3

#asks #anonymous

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ao3cassandraic · 9 months

Note

Hi! I'm about to apply to get into graduate school and start working to get my MLIS. Do you have any advice?

Hi! Welcome to the information professions.

Until my shop changed processes a couple of years ago, I read applications for admission. Lots of them. I was the department app-numbers champion three years running.

Here's what I typically looked for:

Can you write? Like it or not -- and I don't, always -- these professions are hyperverbal and so is our program. If writing isn't your strong suit, that's not a dealbreaker; it just means "find reliable beta readers for your essay." And when you hit campus, locate the campus writing-help unit and make friends with them.

Do you have some idea what you're getting into? For some applicants this is direct work or volunteer experience; for others, a mentor; for others, a grounded sense of career direction; for still others, a statement of their abilities and aspirations that they think fits the profile. That last one can be tricky, though -- if it's nothing but rose-colored glasses or bogus stereotypes, it won't count in your favor. I suggest talking to some info pros about their jobs, if you need to. We're a pretty forthcoming bunch. All this said, you DO NOT need to know to the ninth (or even first) decimal place what you want to do. These professions contain multitudes, and it's exceptionally common for people to discover their career direction while in the program, or (like me, actually) wind up doing something they never could have envisioned beforehand.

Do you know anything about our program specifically? Someone may have told you "the MLS is a union card; all library schools are the same." Don't you believe it! We all have specialties. We all have niches we don't touch with a ten-foot pole -- and yes, I have absolutely disrecommended admission for an otherwise-excellent applicant whose desired niche my shop just plain doesn't serve. If you have a niche in mind already, it won't hurt you one bit to spend five or ten minutes on the school's faculty-staff page to figure out who teaches in that niche so you can mention them in your essay. Or check out the program outline and explain why you think the requirements will help you be good at info-pro-ing. If one of our alumni recommended our program to you, let us know.

Will you make it through the program? For this I glance over undergraduate transcripts and read recommendations, unless the applicant has been out of college so long it makes more sense to check their résumé. A rough time in undergrad is not a dealbreaker unless I don't understand why it happened and (crucially) why it won't happen again -- address these briefly in your essay if you need to. (We do totally get that there's been a pandemic -- we were there too! If it's that, say so and move on.) What I don't want to do is admit someone I don't think can graduate -- that'd be a cynical, unethical waste of their time, money, and energy.

Do you differ from the typical applicant in cool and/or useful ways? Like most professions, there are coveted/oversubscribed info-pro niches and niches that are... less so. The typical applicant profile for library school is an English or history major just out of undergrad. It won't count against you if that's you... but a STEM major or minor, tech savvy, cultural competencies, teaching experience, research or publishing experience, and/or leadership/management experience will count FOR you, because those niches need people real bad. Similarly, the information professions are hella cishet white neurotypical. If you're not and (under current US law, damn it) can explain how that's going to make you a better info pro, let us know.

Any red flags? Usually these are in rec letters, so choose your recommenders wisely. I've also had to disrecommend people whose recommenders or essay... how shall I put this... put their commitment to inclusive professionalism in doubt. But there's also a cultural thing in librarianship where librarians despise library schools. Many think them unnecessary, or would prefer an undergrad major rather than a master's-level program. Many judge their entire library-school experience by their worst instructor (and ngl, we have some lulus -- even I haven't always covered myself with glory, and I try real hard to be good at what I do). Point being, the commonest red flag I saw was an app essay that oozed contempt for the pointless hoops the applicant was already jumping through, and the hoops they'd have to jump through if admitted. And I'm just like, why? Why would I admit an applicant who hates us, thinks they know it all already and we have nothing to teach them, and is clearly unwilling to meet us halfway? Go poison some other school's culture, applicant; I don't want you in my shop. Now, you don't have to flatter us! Unnecessary and can be a bit creepy! But don't hate on us, please.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask more questions in the comments. That goes for everybody, not just OP!

#library school #graduate school #grad school applications

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