00undecidedfiction

Writer, part-timer, all around adventurer!

[00undecidedfiction]

Writing playlist for “Words in the Night”:

I love “A Rush Of Blood” to the head; I feel like it fits the story’s intentions the most. Ada finally gets the confidence and strength to face who she really is to put the ghosts to rest.

It just took some pushy, Much-Rather-Be-Drunk and see chairs move type of ghost hunters to help her do it.

[rush-nimby]

i mean this both literally and figuratively

[mecthology]

The Raven Mocker from Cherokee mythology.

Normally appearing as old, withered men and women, or turning completely invisible except to certain medicine men, they take to the air in a fiery shape, with the sounds of a raven’s cry and a strong wind as they hunt for their next victim. After tormenting and killing their victim by slitting the victim’s head they consume his heart (doing so without leaving a mark on the victim’s skin), and add a year to their life for every year that the slain would have still lived. The sound of a raven mocker means that someone in the area will soon die.

Raven mockers are normally invisible when feeding, but those with strong medicine can not only spot them but cause them to die within seven days. Medicine men will sometimes stand guard over the dying to prevent raven mockers from stealing the heart of the afflicted.

Raven mockers are feared and envied by the other witches of Cherokee folklore, and their bodies may be abused by said witches after death.

Follow @mecthology for more myth and urban legends. DM for pic credit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSGMmdelvBk/?utm_medium=tumblr

[00undecidedfiction]

All I Have is rewritten and available here on Fictionpress. Just two closeted dudes falling for each other on a concrete and steel battlefield that includes alien mobsters and nosey, bad mouthed friends that can’t keep their hate to themselves.

Fiction: All I Have Ch 1, General | FictionPress

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Whenever I try to create a new novel, I can never find a good conflict. All of my ideas have failed because of it. If it helps I write realistic fiction and sometimes some fantasy! Do you have any ways to help with this part? Also, any advice for new writes starting out?

Conflict comes from character. Throw out everything you know or heard about plot. Conflict begins and ends with character. What they want, what they need, and how they can’t get it. From their best friend’s boyfriend, to the magical McGuffin that will solve their secret desire, to the terrible situation they have to escape.

Always start out your story (at least in outlining) with the following questions:

What does your character want? Your character will start the story both lacking something and on the verge of their entire life being thrown upside down because they don’t have it. All characters should have a goal, even if they don’t know how to achieve it.

What does your character need? This isn’t necessarily what they want, and you’ll derive more conflict over these two things being different. Obviously your character doesn’t need to steal her best friend’s boyfriend, she needs to deal with the childhood trauma she carries around that lead to this conclusion.

How are you going to prevent them from getting this? The first half of your book and the driving conflict is going to be your character trying to get what they want or need the wrong way, and failing. Bad decisions are made, antagonists pop up, and what starts out dire just gets worse.

What do they have to change about themselves to obtain what they need? All characters need to change over the course of the story, for better or for worse. If your character doesn’t change, it’s hard to convince your readers to care about what happens to them. 

Now, this advice is all very generic, but hopefully it’ll give you a starting point. Just remember, character-driven plots will help your story gain the momentum it needs.

(Note: There are exceptions to this rule - there are always exceptions to EVERY rule - but if this is your main struggle, than this should be your main focus. You can always break rules as long as you first know how to break them.)

-Agent Black

[heartsnmagic]

[00undecidedfiction]

All I Have Update

I finally have a working computer!

Decided on a name change and while it’s a near similar tone to the original, it feels like a brand new story. Reworking this one will take a different route from the original story-

In the first version, these two stubborn men met only recently and a major non consensual act occurred; so the relationship was based on that. In this version they knew each other longer, hooking up on the sly but now that their secret has the potential to be released, it’s a different setting.

So it is a new story, basically.

Fiction: All I Have Ch 1, General | FictionPress

[00undecidedfiction]

What’s in a name?

I had a few reviews awhile back about the confusing ‘A’ names for my two main male characters. It can be, but these names were there once I dreamed up the book. I can’t imagine changing them now but as I consider self publishing this particular book, it’s very clear to me that perhaps readers can’t get close to the characters because of their names.

I love using old fashioned female names so that’ll stay but for the sake of this story maybe I should change these guys’...it’ll get the brain juices flowing again!

[incidentalcomics]

Advice to Writers

Pre-order my book | Poster Shop | Patreon

[stephaniegrand]

Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE THAT SUMS UP ALL TEN: If it sounds like writing, re-write it.

1. Never open a book with weather. If it’s only to create atmosphere, and not a character’s reaction to the weather, you don’t want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people. 

2. Avoid prologues. A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want.

3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue. Because “said” is far less intrusive than grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied.

4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said”… …he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange.

5. Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.

6. Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.” This rule doesn’t require an explanation. Writers who use “suddenly” tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.

7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. Once you start spelling words phonetically and loading the page with apostrophes, you won’t be able to stop.

8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters. In Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants what do the “American and the girl with him” look like? “She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.” That’s the only reference to a physical description in the story, and yet we see the couple and know them by their tones of voice, with not one adverb in sight.

9. Don’t go into great detail describing places and things. Long descriptions often bring the action and the flow of the story to a standstill.

10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them. In those moments, the writer is often writing for the sake of writing, perhaps taking another shot at the weather or going into the character’s head, and the reader either knows what the guy’s thinking or doesn’t care.

[aziraphalecrowley]

Gun Terms for Writers

As someone who writes fics with action sequences and the use of guns, I thought maybe it would be helpful to pass some things on. Even though I’ve done lots of research and talked with family members (I live in WI which is a big hunting state and we have lots of guns), I still catch myself making mistakes with specific terms and their usage. Reading more James Bond fics lately, I catch others making mistakes also. So here is a little guide to help writers. 

A ‘clip’ is something that stores multiple rounds of ammunition. It is not what you would insert into a handgun to load it. Clips make loading into a magazine easier because they simply store the rounds. It helps with organization. 

A magazine is what feeds the ammunition into the barrel. Magazines vary in capacity. They, unlike clips, are spring-loaded, which helps the ammunition move in the gun. So, when you want a character to reload, they would use a pre-loaded magazine, NOT a clip. 

A silencer is really a suppressor. ‘Silencer’ is a word that’s used in media to refer to a suppressor that doesn’t exist in real life. Guns that are suppressed will still be loud and have a sound. This is because compressed air will still leak out of the end of the barrel, you can’t silence a bullet moving extremely fast through the air, and you can’t silence the mechanical parts on a gun. There will be a noise, but it just won’t be as loud or more importantly, alert people in a nearby area that a gun was just fired. SO suppressor is a much more accurate term technically speaking. 

There are different kinds of suppressors. One important kind suppresses the muzzle flash. It’s likely a sniper would use this more than they would want to use a sound suppressor, as the muzzle flash more easily enables you to be spotted when you don’t want to be. These are simply referred to as flash suppressors. 

After a handgun runs out of ammunition, the slide will lock back into place and you will know that it is out. There is no ‘click’ signifying an empty weapon that is so dramatized in movies and tv. A more likely scenario that would prevent a gun from firing would be a jam. Or programming the gun to recognize certain palm prints. 

A great place for writers, in particular fanfic writers, who want information on guns is imfdb. You can find out what guns are used in movies and shows, and what guns characters use. You can also just search for guns. 

If you want to get really specific, check out YouTube. There are users who will post reviews of guns on there, which can be really helpful if you want to see how a particular gun looks or how to shoot it. 

So yeah! Here are just a few basic tips if you want to write a fic where a character uses guns. 

[superblies]

I see you’ve got terminology down, now let’s go for a little technicality. 

Firstly, let me explain the “kick” of a gun. A “kick” is the feeling of the round leaving the barrel of the gun.  Every gun has one, the impact of the “kick” depends on the caliber, make and type of gun.

Another way to describe a kick is the feeling of the gun exploding in your hand.  Of course, the gun doesn’t literally explode, but it is a great burst of power that only lasts a second.

For example: A .45 mm hand gun with have a bigger “kick” than a .22 mm hand gun.  If someone is a first time shooter and does not know what to expect, they would most likely drop the gun after firing it once due to the shock of the force being released in their hands.

Sniper Rifles are incredibly accurate and mainly used for long distance hits.  They are also ridiculously heavy, as most rifles are, therefore, be prepared for a gigantic “kick”.

Sniper Rifles are special because they are so powerful (they need to be in order to have the same impact a .45mm would 10 feet away compared to the shell half a mile away), thus a stand is required to use it.

No matter what you will always need a firm holding to place the rifle (besides your grip) in order to prevent the gun from falling over after it is discharged and injury to your person. There are ridiculously powerful guns.

General rule of thumb is that you place the butt of the rifle next to your shoulder, just below your clavicle.  I’m not very good at describing this position, so I suggest looking it up.  DO NOT place it anywhere in the armpit area, dislocation is likely to occur.  Depending on how prepare you are and the type of rifle being used (excluding snipers), bruising might occur.

You will be standing if you use a normal rifle, so make sure you are steady and prepared for the “kick” that follows after.

If you are using a sniper rifle, you will be on the ground or leaning against something.  Some people have special rests for their snipers specifically to fire the gun from any spot.  Point is: do not stand alone while firing this.  You will get hurt.

Other helpful tips:

Earplugs or Ear Protectors are your friends.

Safety glasses are also your friend to avoid shells from flying into your face.

Keep the safety on until you are ready to fire the gun.

If you are NOT currently firing the gun, whether it is loaded or unloaded, and it is in your hand, ALWAYS hold it with two hands and point it at the ground at your feet. DO NOT get distracted.

NEVER joke around with someone by pointing the gun at them.  EVEN IF YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE THAT THE GUN IS TOTALLY UNLOADED, MAGAZINE OUT OF PLACE, DO NOT RISK IT.  It is not funny.  Even if the gun is on safety, do NOT do it.  You could accidently switch off the safety or the gun could misfire despite the safety.

Lastly TWO HANDS.  One on the side near the trigger and the other underneath.  This is not the movies, do not attempt to fire a gun with one hand.  Not only will your aim be incredibly off if you are inexperienced but you will also endanger yourself as well as others if you lose control of it.

Guns can be scary and if you ever feel nervous or uncomfortable about firing one, do not do it. 

[notevendoommusic]

A few things I have to add to this:

The caliber of a round is usually measured in either millimeters or in hundredths of an inch. One “unit” of caliber, I guess, is one one-hundredth of an inch. For example, a 45-caliber round has a .45 inch diameter (which is why it’s called a .45).  DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH MILLIMETERS. .45 mm is NOT 45-caliber.

Common cartridges measured in millimeters with their respective calibers:

Rifles:

5.56mm = ~.223 caliber

7.62mm = ~.300 caliber

12.7mm = ~.500 caliber

Handguns:

5.64mm = .22 caliber*

9mm* = .354 caliber

10.16mm = .40 caliber*

11.43mm = .45 caliber*

(*the measurement you’re more likely to see for each cartridge.)

In the case of rifles, cartridges meant for civilian use are usually designated as .223, .300, .308, etc. Designations such as 5.56mm, 7.62mm, etc. are usually indicative of military-grade ammunition. This is not always true, but usually that’s how it is.

Military-grade bullets are held to higher standards and typically cause more stress on the internal mechanism, and the guns they’re meant for are built to handle that. They can also handle civilian ammunition. It doesn’t work the other way around, however. Do not attempt to use military-grade ammunition in a civilian-model firearm that hasn’t been modified to handle it.

A few different kinds of cartridges:

- Full metal jacket, which gives increased penetration capabilities but doesn’t do much in the ways of expansion. Risky to use in situations with a lot of innocents around, as often they can over-penetrate and go on to hurt someone behind the target.

- Hollow-points, which expand like crazy when they hit something, causing massive internal damage to their target. Outlawed in warfare under the Hague Convention of 1899, but can be used by civilians.

- Soft-points, which serve as a happy medium between the penetration capabilities of full metal jacket rounds and the expansion of hollow-point rounds.

- Shot, usually rat-shot or snake-shot, which can be fit in bullets and used to kill small vermin at close range without doing a whole lot of damage to the surrounding area.

- Sub-sonic, which have a lower muzzle velocity and effective range, but will decrease the chance of overpenetration. This is also the ideal ammo choice for weapons fitted with suppressors, as subsonic rounds avoid the “crack” of a sonic boom that other bullets can make upon leaving the barrel.

[thewritershandbook]

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Writing Feedback: Why You Should Stop Asking If Your Story Is Good

When you finish writing, of course you want to know: is your writing good? But that's not a helpful question. Ask these instead for great writing feedback.

[00undecidedfiction]

I haven’t updated in so long but with NaNoWriMo in progress, maybe I’ll start updating again!

Original fiction is so hard to get off the ground.

[heartsnmagic]

[00undecidedfiction]

All I Have Chapt 8

https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3293558/8/All-I-Have

In which a panicked blocked number is soothed over by lunch. It’s hard wanting one thing while being afraid of another.

:: :: :::: :: ::

Andy exhaled again, struggling to relax his own shoulders. They kept tensing towards his ears. He cleared his throat. “I, uh…are we okay? Doing this? Like, what caused that whole thing, anyway? Sam was really upset. You know, I’m not going to lie, I was pretty upset that you blocked my number.”

Adam sipped at his drink. He collected his thoughts before saying slowly, “Ian brought it up that morning you came over. Said you were making stupid eyes at me. So, yeah, I can’t help it. I panicked. But honestly? I regretted doing that.”

“Panicked?”

“Blocking your number. It was an impulse thing. Hey, look, I was scared, and I still am,” Adam said quickly.

Andy rattled the table with nervous movement as he shifted in his seat, trying to rearrange his section of the table in order to steady his hands. He felt apprehensive with Adam’s confession, sucking his lips inward as he considered the man’s expression. The way Adam held himself, it was hard to know what exactly he was thinking.

“I can never tell,” he said quietly. “You’re really hard to read, Adam. I can never tell what you’re thinking, even as you’re saying this.”

Adam took his words with consideration, finding them appropriate. He picked at his straw wrapper. “It’s difficult showing anything, Andy. Consider my position. I’ve got a decorated sniper as my best friend, who I grew up with. If he noticed anything out of the ordinary, I would have given myself away a long time ago. My family is very nosey and very observant. I can’t hide anything with them. I’ve had years of hiding myself in front of all of them, so it’s difficult to express anything outwardly. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

“But even that’s difficult when you’re hot one minute, and cold the next.”

“I understand that’s one of my flaws, but I can’t just change myself overnight.”

Andy reached up to run a hand through his hair, a nervous shake to his hand. His heart raced, thinking over his words. He had a feeling Adam was giving himself to him, but damn if Andy was hesitant to take it in stride. He wanted to believe, but the circumstances were so disruptive. Adam wadded the wrapper up, tossed it at him to catch his attention.

“This entire thing between us has really left me fumbling, Andy,” he confessed once Andy refocused on him, lips drawn with a frown. “It’s not easy to walk away from this when you’re on my mind a lot.”

“Don’t play with me like that,” Andy said tightly. “Don’t go saying things you’ll just regret later on.”

Adam found himself exhaling slow, nodding.

[impossiblycleverdreamer]

I remember my first time at a coffee shop. It was traumatizing.