been a while since I've posted one of these, but I finished a chapter today! I spent a lot of the time editing, but I still got some actual writing done, which is a win in my book.
time: 1 hour and 9 minutes
word count: 521
We gaze silently out at the mountains as the sun disappears into the trees. There’s an ocean behind them. When we were really little, El used to stay up at night, worrying that the sun would drown and never come up again. I used to wake up at dawn every morning, just in case I needed to light it back up.
I find her hand with mine as the sky fades into magnetic purple and twilight blue. I wonder if she knows I would still light the sun for her.
the last week or so, I've fallen into a depression hole, primarily fueled by loneliness and boredom as my friends become busy and I still have nothing to do but try to pass the time and get out of the house.
my genius solution (that I came up with five minutes ago and am posting so I don't forget or claim to have forgotten) is that I am going to pretend to be a professional writer this week! I will structure my days around writing and being creative instead of adding it as an afterthought or something to do if I get bored.
also, I got my very first computer recently so I will finally be able to use some of the recording equipment I was gifted like two years ago and start making music!! my new week's resolution is to figure out how to record and edit said recordings into some semblance of a song.
probably no one is going to see this, but if you're a writer and want to swap work, bounce ideas off someone, or be friends, reblog or comment on this post!
thank you @cb-writes-stuff for the tag! I love talking about my characters any chance I get!
Most likely to get caught in the beauty of a scene/moment: This one's tricky since I think my characters are about equal here, but I'd say Riley is probably the most likely since she loves nature and exploring. Andy is a close second because she absolutely adores stars and would definitely forget to talk to people while stargazing.
Most likely to downplay their achievements: Eloise for sure. She's by far the most accomplished of any of my characters (for a high schooler at least), but she never lets it be enough for herself.
Most likely to put something aside for later: Probably Andy. She's a touch scatterbrained and is definitely not the organised type. I can very much see her imagining she'll use something and then forgetting about it forever the minute it's out of her sight.
Most likely to stay up all night overthinking a situation: Riley 100%. She's canonically autistic and has a lot of anxiety around socialising. I think she definitely goes through every social interaction in her head at least once to check for errors.
Most likely to incorporate real-life experiences into their actions: Micah had a difficult time when he was younger and is very much more empathetic and observant for it, so I'd say him. I think since he tries to do for others what he wish they would have done for him when he was young.
I'll leave this one an open tag for anyone who wants to do a tag game!
aaaaa I just wrote my all time favorite chapter so far but I can't show my friends because I'm not writing linearly and there's no context. the horrors of being an impatient writer T-T
im more or less satisfied with my writing voice/style, but i tend to write improvised short stories, either a single complete scene or a blindly navigated joy ride to the unknown. tldr i hate outlining and probably suck at building a coherent larger narrative. the rising, climax, falling - i dont know her.
dear writeblr, advice? 🖤 besides just practicing outlines, what are some other things i can do?
I suggest writing a character-centric story! I also am terrible at creating overarching narratives but I personally adore writing longer works so I write stories about characters rather than plots. the great thing is, you don't even have to have an outline because you don't even have to have rising and falling action or a climax. it can be sweet or tragic or anything you want because real lives are like that.
people's lives are mundane and slow and don't follow a typical story structure and I love to explore the beauty in that. if you're into world-building or character development, I highly recommend character-centric stories!
How long have you had your writing tumblr/writeblr? A fast and loose estimate is fine!
Only for like a month.
What led you to create it?
I've recently been trying to find a community of writers since few of my friends are into writing.
What's your favourite thing about the writeblr community?
I love the way people are so passionate about so many different things!
What's one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?
I can be just a little bit shy sometimes about making new friends. When I don't know people super well (or honestly even when I do) I get really nervous about being the first one to start a conversation. Even if I don't initiate interactions with you, know that I want to chat; I'm just a little nervous.
Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?
"Write with me" type stuff or just little snippets from your writing that people thought were bangers.
Which wips or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?
I have only one WIP that I've touched for the last six months and it is unnamed, but it's my queer romance novel!
Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?
I was talking with my friends about how I've never actually written any queer fiction despite being queer myself and doing a lot of writing. I also have been super into Y/A novels, especially the poetic sounding ones about identity and familial relationships so that really inspired my current work.
How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?
Truly, anywhere from one to five hours a day?
When someone asks the dreaded, “what do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?
Realistic fiction.
Name any characters you created. side characters, protagonists, antagonists, characters who’ve never been written, the first original abomination you ever pulled from your ass; whomever you’d like
Ema Aguilar: She's from an old WIP with fantasy elements. Ema is the only character I've thought up to have wings and she's one of the youngest characters in the story (12). The story takes place in pretty much a war/apocalypse situation (it's complicated) and Ema is hiding out with a group of older kids. I have this scene (brief suicide tw) I've never gotten to, because I've never actually written her on paper, where Ema is caught throwing herself off the edge of a cliff over and over before catching herself with her wings and flying back up. In my mind, she's trying to kill herself but is too scared to follow through with it because her big issue is that she becomes paralysed by her own fear.
Who's the most unhinged?
Blair. I think they have committed crimes. Not many that I've officially written down, but they have totally committed crimes.
Who comes the most naturally for you to write?
Riley. She's the only character I've ever written with neurodivergence in mind and I love the way I describe her thoughts. She's basically me, just having grown up under different circumstances.
Do you ever cringe at them?
Yeah, sometimes..
How much control do you feel you have over your characters? do they ever “write themselves,” refuse to cooperate, or do things you didn’t expect? To what degree? Are some less cooperative than others?
I personally feel like I have a lot of control over my characters, but purely because I storyboard before I write so I know where I'm going and don't get lost. The only way I can work on long form projects is with a storyboard to guide me. My characters do "write themselves" sometimes in that the little things I haven't planned give them so much more flavour and personality, but I haven't ever felt like they've gotten away from me.
Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? and do you have a preferred means of receiving said questions? for example, as asks, as replies, as reblogs, as tag notes, as comments on ao3, etc.
Oh my gosh, do I ever! YES YES YES!! If you see this, ask me questions please! Send me asks or replies or reblogs!! I wanna talk about my little brain children so much!
What makes you want to follow another writeblr account? Do you follow ‘em as you see ‘em, or take time scoping out the blog to make sure you align with its content? Do you follow based on wips, or vibes?
I see if they post at all about their original works mostly. I don't really follow blogs that only post actual excerpts, poems, or short stories, though. I don't really follow for the WIPs of other writers, but for their thoughts!
Do you interact with non-mutuals often?
I get nervous so no, not often, but I do sometimes!
Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?
Unfortunately, I don't know their characters well enough to :(
Tagging @cb-writes-stuff, @zariahthewitch, and anyone who wants to do this too!
i've fallen out of touch with the writeblr community a lot in the past few years, and i want to rectify that. the community aspect was what made me fall in love with tumblr, and what improved my writing for the better.
the golden days of my writing were when i was highly active and engaged in this wonderful community, but life and work and the horrors of self publishing have overtaken my energy in the past year. however, i have been really struggling with original writing, and i want to get back into the community here.
that said...
you write fantasy with queer characters
are an indie author
post frequently about your wips (taglists are a bonus!)
are queer
are a very active and friendly writer
if any of these apply
please, please reblog and tell me about your wip. gush over it. infodump. characters and ships and worldbuilding and plot, i want it all! this is your invitation to be as selfishly indulgent as possible. let's make some new friends and restore some community!!
hi!! I'm currently 17k words into my very first queer romance novel! I'm young, very asexual, and on the aromantic spectrum so this is not something I've ever written about before, but I'm so in love with how this project is turning out.
this is gonna be a long one...
the story is in alternating perspectives between these two girls in their junior year of high school, Riley and Andy, who meet through their school's production of Romeo and Juliet.
my original concept for this story was a combination of a bunch of different story ideas I had floating around in my head and one was examining neurodivergence through a lens of theatre. this wasn't ultimately as thematically influential as I initially envisioned, but it gave me the plot point of the girls meeting through high school theatre and ties into Riley's character development. I chose Romeo and Juliet to pay homage to my gay awakening, Bare: A Pop Opera, which takes place in a Catholic school producing the same play.
so, characters:
Riley is autistic and recently moved from a small town in Minnesota to the city in Oregon where the story takes place. she has a brother named Nathan who is four years older than her and, for most of her life, he was her only friend because growing up autistic in a small town doesn't do wonders for the social life. she fell in love with theatre as a way to be anyone but herself and because she unintentionally got quite good at acting from simply trying to Person correctly. Riley's story is one of self-acceptance and trauma recovery. she falls in love with Andy and has to come to grips with the queer identity she'd spent so long repressing and trying to be "normal". I recently decided to layer on an element of previous sexual trauma and how that deeply impacts how Riley views her own sexuality and romantic/sexual relationships.
Andy has lived in Oregon her whole life with her twin sister, Eloise. the two did basically everything together and, even though they're two very different people, Andy doesn't really know who she is separate to her sister. joining theatre in her junior year (where she meets Riley) is the first major thing she's done without Eloise and that brews conflict in their relationship as they explore who they are without each other. Andy has known she was bisexual for a while before the story takes place and she is out to her family, although they didn't take it particularly well. her sister is basically holding the family together all by herself, which adds another level of stress and conflict in the sisters' relationship. Andy's story is about self-discovery and personal growth. her relationships have always been assured and stable since she had Eloise by her side her whole life, so Andy never learned how to properly think of others and put effort into her relationships. her conflict with Eloise and budding romance with Riley really expose her deepest flaws as a sister and as a friend/romantic partner.
I don't know if any of that was particularly coherent, but this is the part where I gush: I love love LOVE how this story is going. the plot is kind of boring objectively since it's just following these two girls going through high school, but the emotions! the angst! the cuteness!! I can't get over their banter and voices and lore!
I've been taking particular effort into making my characters feel like real human beings with real lives leading up to the story. Riley is super outdoorsy and can name basically all kinds of trees and plants. Andy is into outer space and painted constellations on the ceiling with her sister as a kid. Riley can ice skate because she used to practice on the lake when it froze over in the winter. Andy and Eloise play these talking games like "Who Would Win" and "The Secret Game" with each other. Riley wants to be a biologist. Andy is an artist currently really into continuous contour drawings. there's like a hundred other things I could say about them!
and their relationship is just so cute!! Riley feels everything so strongly and lives her life dialed up to eleven so Andy isn't afraid to try new things when she's with her because Riley will put her whole self into it with her. Andy is generally quite nonjudgemental and playful so Riley feels like she can be herself around her. Riley teaches Andy to ice skate and she's the first person Andy teaches the games she plays with Eloise to. their first kiss is on the front porch of a friend's house during the post-show cast party. their first date is coffee and going to a plant nursery to buy matching succulents. Andy doodles all the time and she and Riley pass notes and doodles on post-its during class. Riley keeps the post-its to use as bookmarks. this description doesn't do justice to how adorable they are.
I've currently thought out 75% of this book, made a detailed storyboard for 50%, and actually written maybe 7% but I so badly hope this is a project I stay passionate about and finish. I'm already so in love with the character voices I'm developing and the themes of queer identity, trauma, familial relationships, and mental illness (and more). there's symbolism in rain and stars and trees and art and scripts and I have so many more ideas in my head that I can't wait to pour out onto paper.
okay that's it for now! thanks for listening to me gush about this :D
The worst pain I have ever felt
was like no pain and every pain I knew
Sharp, twisting, deep inside my stomach
piercing my organs until I thought I would surely die
Appendicitis, I considered (medically inclined as I was)
but the pain was not localised to my right abdomen
Localised was a word I knew to describe pain
along with stabbing, burning, radiating, and throbbing (and about ten others that are supposedly significant)
I say my pain was “sharp and twisting” but that is merely metaphor
because how can words capture the feeling
that left me writhing on the carpet of my bedroom?
In the end, my pain was harmless
There was no disease to kill me or bacteria in my vestigial organs to remove
This pain was normal.
Menstrual cramps was my amateur diagnosis
because, even when I threw up twice in two minutes
when I felt like I was going to die
I knew these were only feelings
And feelings exist only in your head
So I told no one.
And whenever I call myself weak and curse my mental fortitude (or lack thereof)
I remember that I, at fourteen years old,
grit my teeth and bore the worst pain of my life
without telling anyone
And I feel even weaker
Because that pain was normal.
What is your pain on a scale of one to ten?
I heard that question a lot when I was hospitalised
(for reasons unrelated to the pain in my body)
I was only thirteen (the youngest in the ward; should I get a trophy?)
and learned to say zero because zero meant baseline
Not actually zero.
Anything higher and they would ask me “what hurts?”
and “I don’t know” aren’t words that are allowed in the hospital
They weren’t true words, either, because I did know what hurt
but also that my body speaks a language that doesn’t translate to English
Dull, aching, cold, and sharp, and burning contradict
and contradictions have no place in proper medicine
along with uncertainty and subjectivity
Doctors are for healthy people
who have bacterias and broken bones
and don’t throw themselves into the road at thirteen
or use words like “transcending” or “electric” or “inhuman” to describe their pain
Doctors are for people who are certain and objective
and don’t say “I don’t know”
Sometimes I wonder if this is all in my head
But aren’t all neurological signals processed through the brain anyway?
(What do I know? I’m not a doctor)
Psycho means mind but also soul
Somatic means body
I’ve always rejected the term because I know in my bones
that my pain is not the result of emotion
But it is, in my own interpretation of the word,
psychosomatic
MindBodySoul
My body hurts, my joints and my muscles, yes
(also does exhaustion count as brain or body?)
but the pain is not limited to my physical form
When you are in pain every waking (and sleeping) hour,
“hurts” is not enough to describe your futile clinging to self
It doesn’t express that you no longer know who you are without pain
and how days you feel good you feel grief
and wonder if that smiling bundle of energy is who you are after all
It doesn’t describe the way that “hurts” permeates through your skin and muscle and bone and blood
until it infects your very soul
My pain is normal.
Because my pain is not quantifiable or certain or objective.
It is an imperturbable, idiosyncrasy of my life.
probably no one is going to see this, but if you're a writer and want to swap work, bounce ideas off someone, or be friends, reblog or comment on this post!
I primarily write fanfics on ao3 - I go by ZariahTheWitch on there too. I write for the TV shows, books an anime I like. I write primarily crossovers and OC-insert type stories. I like writing fantasy, found family and action/adventure the most.
That's super cool! I have such a hard time with fantasy so major props to you for having a knack for it!
I'm super into long form prose, so I'm currently working my way through a novel and am having a great time with it. I also write some poetry and songs and one-act plays, but I tend to spend most of my time writing books.
I also like to write found family and adventure stories! I've dabbled in fanfiction before, but I've found that it's not super for me.
I'm currently trying my hand at romance for the first time and I'm having a great time with it!
probably no one is going to see this, but if you're a writer and want to swap work, bounce ideas off someone, or be friends, reblog or comment on this post!
oh just so y'all know, if you get a follow from @thepuffinoverlord, that's me! it's just on my misc blog since tumblr won't let you follow as a different blog
probably no one is going to see this, but if you're a writer and want to swap work, bounce ideas off someone, or be friends, reblog or comment on this post!
probably no one is going to see this, but if you're a writer and want to swap work, bounce ideas off someone, or be friends, reblog or comment on this post!
baratheonpilled
jacobvanloon
theartofmadeline
janainaart
germansingergirl
