The Marvelous Mischief of Che.Michelle

http://chemichelletales.com https://ko-fi.com/chemichelletales https://che-michelle.printify.me/

[che-michelle]

Why Muse is the Must-Read Memoir of Summer 2026

Muse by Geri Cohen Biddy | A Book ReviewBook: Muse Brown Skin-A Dangerous Kind of LoveAuthor: Geri C. BiddyPublished: September 10, 2025Drink choice: Whiskey in honor of the author.Type of Book: Creative Non-FictionStand Alone, Series, or Other: SeriesGenre: Memoir/Creative Non-FictionHow long did it take me to read this book: Jury Duty service (about 6 hours)Audible/Google/Spotify audiobooks:…

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[che-michelle]

An Indie author talking about her book.

[che-michelle]

Blog and podcast dropping Wednesday!

[nocturnus33]

The Terry Pratchett Method: The Founders and the "Important" Business

If Terry Pratchett wrote the origin story of the Hogwarts founders, he would immediately point out that they were just four very tired people trying to build a school while dealing with the sheer, unadulterated absurdity of the magical world. Pratchett had no time for "noble legends." He preferred the truth, which is usually found in a leaky roof, a disagreement about the plumbing, and the question of who was supposed to buy the groceries.

Here is how Sir Terry would turn the founding of Hogwarts into something legendary, funny, and surprisingly profound.

The Pratchett Blueprint for Your Fic

1. The Myth of Competence

Pratchett loved showing that "great men and women" are usually just winging it. Godric, Salazar, Rowena, and Helga would not be marble statues. They would be overworked professionals. Godric would be constantly trying to fix things with a sword that was better suited for cutting hedges, and Rowena would be arguing with her own diadem because it kept correcting her grammar in public.

Writer Tip: Make them relatable. They should have meetings that go nowhere, arguments about budget, and the occasional moment of wondering why they didn't just become farmers instead.

2. The Absurdity of Magic

In Pratchett’s world, magic is like a grumpy, overgrown pet. It does not behave. A Hogwarts founded by Pratchett would be a place where the magic is constantly doing things it was never meant to do, like shifting the stairs every time someone tried to get to breakfast. The founders would treat these massive magical anomalies with the same annoyance one feels for a leaky faucet.

Writer Tip: Treat magic like a chore. If a stair moves, it is not a "grand enchantment." It is a nuisance that someone has to fill out paperwork for.

3. The Logic of the Reasonable and the Reasonable-ish

Pratchett’s characters often fall into two camps: the ones who think the world should make sense, and the ones who have accepted that it never will. Rowena would be the one trying to organize the chaos into a syllabus, while Helga would be the one handing out sandwiches to the forest creatures because they looked like they had had a long day.

Writer Tip: Give them conflicting philosophies. Don't make the conflict about "Good vs. Evil." Make it about "The Importance of a Standardized Curriculum" vs. "But the Giant Squid wants to join the choir."

4. The Human Cost of Legend

Pratchett always managed to sneak a bit of heart into the comedy. Behind the jokes, he would show us the real reasons they built the school. Maybe they were just four people who were sick of being chased by angry mobs, or tired of living in caves, and just wanted a place where they could have a cup of tea without someone trying to set them on fire.

Writer Tip: Use humor to highlight the tragedy. If they are joking about their problems, it shows just how difficult their lives actually are.

The TL;DR for Your Next Fic

Focus on the mundane. The real story isn't the founding of the houses. It is the story of how they decided where to put the kitchens and who was responsible for the troll incident of 992.

Keep it human. Even the most legendary figures have to deal with cold feet, bad coffee, and the realization that their friends are annoying.

Use the footnotes. Pratchett’s signature was the extra perspective. Use that style to add world-building details that make the history feel lived-in and slightly ridiculous.

Since Pratchett was great at showing how society is built on a pile of shared absurdities, do you think you would want to write the founders as a group that actually gets along, or as four people who stay together mostly because they are the only ones who understand each other's specific brand of crazy?

[frownyalfred]

Tips for writing those gala scenes, from someone who goes to them occasionally:

Generally you unbutton and re-button a suit coat when you sit down and stand up.

You’re supposed to hold wine or champagne glasses by the stem to avoid warming up the liquid inside. A character out of their depth might hold the glass around the sides instead.

When rich/important people forget your name and they’re drunk, they usually just tell you that they don’t remember or completely skip over any opportunity to use your name so they don’t look silly.

A good way to indicate you don’t want to shake someone’s hand at an event is to hold a drink in your right hand (and if you’re a woman, a purse in the other so you definitely can’t shift the glass to another hand and then shake)

Americans who still kiss cheeks as a welcome generally don’t press lips to cheeks, it’s more of a touch of cheek to cheek or even a hover (these days, mostly to avoid smudging a woman’s makeup)

The distinctions between dress codes (black tie, cocktail, etc) are very intricate but obvious to those who know how to look. If you wear a short skirt to a black tie event for example, people would clock that instantly even if the dress itself was very formal. Same thing goes for certain articles of men’s clothing.

Open bars / cash bars at events usually carry limited options. They’re meant to serve lots of people very quickly, so nobody is getting a cosmo or a Manhattan etc.

Members of the press generally aren’t allowed to freely circulate at nicer galas/events without a very good reason. When they do, they need to identify themselves before talking with someone.

[panakina]

As someone who spent over a decade catering luxury events, let me add some back of house info:

These events are almost always open bar. They're not trying to make their money back on alcohol. They want you to drink and eat and donate generously.

If there are cocktails, there will be at most two on offer, pre-made in large tubs. You cannot order a different version, it is what it is.

There are two types of events: cocktail style or seated. The first includes roaming hors d'oeuvres or a fancy buffet with tiny plates called a grazing station. For a long night, the roaming food will get a little bigger throughout the evening and have a 'main' at some point based around a protein.

A seated event will usually be more structured and may include multiple courses. Silver service is not in vogue anymore. You are likely to get either alternating meals brought to you like at a wedding, or served banquet style. A good caterer can get a plate to everyone in a 300 person event in about three minutes.

Drunk people are the same no matter how expensive their suits. They still laugh too loud, spill their drinks and slip on the dance floor. They are usually less embarrassed about doing coke in the bathrooms.

A full scale event that starts at 6pm will have staff arriving at noon to begin setup. Earlier if there's a light show or pyrotechnics. Typically venues don't just have 30 tables and three hundred chairs lying around, let alone table cloths, chair covers, etc. It's all rented and brought in on the day. Bands and DJs will be running audio tests in the background throughout.

Most heritage buildings that host these things, like museums and manor houses, aren't really designed for them. They might put down mats so you're not walking in stilettos over two hundred year old wooden floors, the kitchens are weirdly far away, and there are not enough taps. There is never anywhere for staff to sit, so if you open the wrong door you might find half a dozen waiters sitting on upturned milk crates in a room full of million dollar paintings, eating the left over bread.

Really old buildings don't have enough bathrooms, which means the staff will be sharing with the guests.

Clean up starts the second the event ends, if not sooner. Unattended glasses will start to disappear first, then table decorations. When the timer ticks over, the lights come back on and exhausted staff strip the tables, pack up dirty glasses and unopened wine bottles and have to Tetris it all into the back of a van. The venue is booked for that day only, so everything has to be gone before anyone can go home. A large event that finishes at midnight might take until 3am to be cleared away.

These are very long and physically demanding nights for anyone working them. The staff all get to know each other, and will absolutely notice someone trying to sneak in wearing a borrowed uniform. They are not being paid enough to care.

[promptcalender]

Moments of Secret Kisses

pulled into small alleys or alcoves

grabbing their hand to pull them back from the group and giving a quick peck before someone can notice

blowing a kiss from across the room

sliding over a paper with their lipstick imprint on it or a request to meet somewhere private

quickly in passing for just a fraction of a second

before going out, to get their fill before mingling with others

having their designated spot to meet where they don’t have to hide for a minute or so

no physical move, but their eyes speak volumes about how much they want to kiss

[Prompt Calender: June 15th, Sneak a Kiss Day]

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

please please please please reblog if you’re a writer and have at some point felt like your writing is getting worse. I need to know if I’m the only one who’s struggling with these thoughts

[yogi-bogey-box]

this is a common phenomenon. the better you get, the more you recognize flaws. the good thing is you can strive to get better. but the bad thing is that you see nothing but flaws. you are actually getting better, but your editing/critical brain is getting tuned up and can see more things to improve. someone post the graph, I can't find it

[yogi-bogey-box]

nvm I found it myself:

"art" can mean any creative endeavor and it definitely applies to writing.

[che-michelle]

Moral of the Story keep writing and Keep getting better. P.s. let people read your work, its not meant to stay on a computer or in a notebook forever.

[che-michelle]

Coffee Chronicles: An Adventure at Barnes & Noble

Coffee Chronicles Meets Che Michelle Tales I would like to declare TikTok made me do it! A few weeks ago, an author on TikTok encouraged followers to come to Bowie, MD to the Barnes and Nobles to meet her and get a copy her book signed. I realized I had a rare free weekend and decided to go. My friends were busy, and my boyfriend had family plans. My original plan was to do my morning workouts,…

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[che-michelle]

Finding Freedom: A Review of The Quitter’s Club

Book: The Quitter’s Club Author: Jessica Strawser Published: June 1, 2026 Format: Amazon Kindle Genre: Domestic Life Fiction ( Google AI is doing too much) /  Contemporary Fiction Drink: Pure Raw Juice Fat Buster/ Paloma/ any wine of your choice Time: One week Rating Four out of Five Juices Breaking my blog hiatus with a book about quitting feels ironic. I got this book through the Amazon…

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[luna-azzurra]

Con Artist / Heist Prompts!!

✦ "Never tell the full truth. But never tell a full lie either. That's the art."

✦ "I've worn so many faces I sometimes forget which one is mine."

✦ "You're good. You almost had me. Almost."

✦ "Trust is a tool. Use it carefully and never let anyone use it on you."

✦ "The plan changed three times before breakfast. Keep up."

✦ "I've conned kings and criminals. You're somehow harder to read than both."

✦ "Don't get attached to the role. The role ends. You have to keep living."

✦ "Everyone has a tell. Yours is that you breathe differently when you lie."

✦ "I wasn't supposed to feel guilty. That's new for me and deeply inconvenient."

✦ "We got in fine. Getting out is the part that always costs something."

✦ "You trusted me knowing what I am. That's either brave or foolish."

✦ "I lied about everything except one thing. Figure out which one."

v "The best cons make the mark feel like they won. Remember that."

✦ "I've stolen a lot of things. You're the first thing I wanted to keep."

✦ "Don't look back. Looking back is how you get caught and how you get hurt."

[goth-queen]

[che-michelle]

I want to expound on this topic.

[theaawalker]

Character tropes are a writer's bread and butter, for better or worse. Because of this, it can be easy for your characters to be mistaken, copied, and boxed in with others. Especially in this industry, it's important to stand out. What’s the difference between a flat character and a well-rounded character? How do writers bring a character to life on the page? When it comes to character development, these are central questions—especially when it comes to using character tropes...

[ ~ a world that's waiting up for me ~ ]

What Are Character Tropes?

The word “trope” refers to a common motif or pattern in a work of art. In the context of fiction, character tropes refer to common attributes or even entire stock characters. The word trope comes from the Greek word 'tropos' meaning “to turn.” Originally it referred to rhetorical devices that a writer uses to develop an argument. Character tropes can be useful in fiction, but when overused, they can detract from a story.

Common Character Tropes

Every genre of storytelling has its own stable of common character types, and as a storyteller it’s worth being aware of them. Here are nine of the most common:

1. The chosen one:

The chosen one is a common fantasy trope. Their identity typically revolves around a task that’s been set aside for them, which they typically pursue without much hesitation or complication. Like Frodo Baggins, Luke Skywalker, and Harry Potter, the chosen one is often, conveniently, an orphan.

2. The damsel in distress:

One of the most common and pernicious types of female character tropes, the damsel in distress, whatever form she takes, is a passive figure who exists mostly as an object for the hero to save. Even versions of the character who turn out to be a little more plucky than expected (think Princess Fiona from Shrek or Princess Leia from Star Wars) have become their own subset of this creaky old trope.

3. The femme fatale:

A mysterious and seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to seduce and entrap her enemies, the femme fatale is a popular character trope in hardboiled mysteries. In many ways, the femme fatale is an updated version of supernatural witches or sorceresses. It’s no spoiler to say that she nearly always leads men to destruction. Sharon Stone, Uma Thurman, and Eartha Kitt are the queens of this trope. <3

4. The girl next door:

The small-town girl with a heart of gold is, in many ways the opposite of the femme fatale. A common film and TV trope, the girl next door is innocent, kind, and wholesome. In other words, she’s the embodiment of domestic femininity and typically a candidate for the male protagonist’s love interest. Take Mary Jane Watson for instance.

5. The mad scientist:

Going back to Dr. Frankenstein (or any number of sorcerer antecedents), the mad scientist is usually a villain, driven by an eccentric, antisocial personality and unrestrained hubris or a desire to play god. The mad scientist’s benign counterpart is the nerdy “absent-minded professor” who’s so engrossed by their work that they struggle to relate to “normal people.”

6. The trusty sidekick:

Like the damsel in distress, the trusty sidekick typically has no life outside their relationship to the main character and their quest. Whether the sidekick is a loyal companion, like Samwise in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, a faithful butler, or a chatty best friend—as in any number of romance novels—their main quality is that they have no story of their own.

7. The wise old man:

Sometimes an actual wizard, sometimes just an old guy who’s seen his share, the wise old man is a long-enduring stock figure who usually imparts some special wisdom to the protagonist. Dumbledore, Master Oogway, Gandalf, and Master Miyagi.

8. The dumb muscle:

Based on the idea that it’s impossible to be smart and fit at the same time, the dumb muscle is an exceedingly common minor character, especially in action and adventure stories. As a bad guy the dumb muscle is easily outsmarted or otherwise bested by the main character. X-Men's Juggernaut is a prime example.

9. The antihero:

Antiheroes are typically cynical loners with major personality flaws, often darkly appealing bad boys. Like normal heroes, the antihero still drives the story, but often to a more amoral place. Tony Soprano, Red Arrow, Emma Frost, and the grittier versions of Batman are all prime examples of modern antiheroes. These days, antiheroes are almost as common as idealized heroes.

5 Tips for Avoiding Character Tropes

Character tropes aren’t good or bad in and of themselves. In some types of fiction, especially epics, satires, and more plot-driven forms of fiction, the use of stock characters can be expected and even desirable. The problem is when writers lean so heavily on these tropes that they’re no longer telling an original story. This is the point where archetypal characters can bleed into stereotypes. In order to avoid (or at least complicate) character tropes, you’ll need to develop a richer sense of your characters. Here are a few tips:

1. Figure out what your characters really want.

One reason writers lean on stereotypes is because they don’t know their characters well enough. Instead of playing to type, spend some time figuring out what really motivates your characters. Are they driven by a need to belong? By a thirst for knowledge? By a desire to be recognized? These super-objectives may lead your characters to buck their outward roles in interesting ways.

2. Look for opportunities to subvert tropes.

If you find yourself drawn to certain tropes, look for ways to undermine them. While this sort of self-conscious style may not be right for every story, it can be especially compelling in the context of genres that traditionally rely on tropes: think fantasy novels, horror movies, love stories, westerns, and other popular genres.

3. Get to know your characters outside the story.

A common writing exercise is to develop backstories for your major characters. Imagine them in real life. Ask yourself questions about your characters, like: What was this person like in high school? What objects are on their nightstand? How do they get along with their families? While seemingly inconsequential, these questions can help you get a sense of the individuality of your characters, rather than just thinking of them as adhering to a common type.

4. Allow your characters’ personalities to change.

Again, there are types of stories where characters may remain static, but in general, it’s important for readers to feel like your character changes (or at least has the potential to change) over the course of the story. Remember, the change need not always be positive, but there should be some sense that the experience they’ve had has marked them in some way.

5. Avoid clichéd situations.

Sometimes the issue isn’t with the characters you’ve developed but the scenario in which you’ve placed them. If you’ve created a pair of star-crossed lovers who are meant to fall for one another at first sight, it’ll be hard not to make the situation feel hackneyed—no matter how well-drawn your lovers are. If you’re only thinking in terms of common plot tropes, it may be hard to get your characters out of them. If you’re working in a science fiction or fantasy setting, this is where worldbuilding might help you find more interesting angles to explore.

Want to Learn More About Writing?

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...Or Tiktok (@.the.aa.walker)

I post my fandom imagines, too. Check out my latest one here.

Did I mention I'm publishing a book soon?! If you're interested in YA fantasy, fiction, and philosophy, then see my website, newsletter, or email me at [email protected] for updates.

[theaawalker]

Steps to Editing That Scary First Draft

follow for more tips 💋 || request writing tips 💌

1. Establish the Foundation

Step Away First: Give yourself a break (a few hours to a few days) so you can return with a clearer perspective. Distance creates objectivity.

Accept That It’s Messy: A first draft is supposed to be chaotic. You’re shaping mud into form, not carving marble.

Gather Your Tools: Have your outline, notes, character sheets, and a place to track edits (Google Docs comments, Notion, a notebook, etc.).

Get Another Set of Eyes: Establish your feedback goals (e.g. pacing, dialogue, or overall plot) and let someone else read it, be it a friend, freelance editor, or another writer (editing their work in exchange).

2. Shape Your Editing Approach

Do a Big-Picture Read: Before touching sentences, read from start to finish. Look for plot holes, pacing issues, or character inconsistencies.

Identify Your Priorities: Focus on the biggest problems first, such as structure, arcs, and emotional beats. Don’t waste time fixing commas in a scene you may cut entirely.

Take Notes, Don’t Fix Yet: Mark issues with comments, highlights, or tags instead of editing while reading. This keeps that momentum.

3. Build the Second Draft (Structural Edits)

Strengthen the Spine: Fix plot holes, cut scenes that don’t matter, add missing beats, and connect loose ends.

Refine Arcs: Ensure characters grow consistently, motivations make sense, and relationships progress logically.

Tighten Pacing: Remove or shorten slow scenes, expand high-stakes ones, and balance action with breathing moments.

Check for Logic & Continuity: This means dates, distances, ages, injuries, world rules. Seriously. Make sure everything matches.

4. Define Scene-Level Improvements

Check Scene Purpose: Every scene needs a goal, conflict, and consequence. Cut scenes that exist only for vibes.

Strengthen Openings & Endings: Ensure each chapter starts with energy and ends with tension, a question, or movement.

Sharpen Dialogue: Remove filler chit-chat; increase subtext; ensure each character has a distinct voice.

Show, Don’t Dump: Replace exposition paragraphs with actions, choices, and sensory detail where possible.

5. Develop Sentence-Level Clarity (Line Edits)

Cut Wordiness: Remove redundant words, overlong descriptions, and repeated ideas.

Fix Clunky Sentences: Adjust rhythm, flow, and transitions. Make your writing feel intentional, not accidental.

Improve Vocabulary Naturally: Swap vague words (“thing,” “stuff,” “seemed”) for precise ones without forcing purple prose.

Maintain Tone & Style: Ensure your voice stays consistent across chapters, especially if you wrote the draft over many weeks or months.

6. Develop a Polished Final Pass

Proofread Slowly: Look for grammar, typos, punctuation, and formatting issues. Tools like Grammarly (disclaimer: is an AI tool) or ProWritingAid can help but not replace your judgment.

Read Aloud: Helps catch awkward phrasing, unnatural dialogue, and rhythm issues.

Check for Repetitions: Repeated metaphors, gestures, words, or character quirks can weaken your prose.

Format for Your Medium: Whether it's a manuscript, short story, or comic script, make sure the format is clean and professional.

Techniques to Make Editing Easier

Color-Code Passes: One color for dialogue fixes, one for plot changes, one for grammar, etc.

Edit in Layers: Structure → scenes → dialogue → sentences → polish.

Keep Deleted Scenes: Save them in a “graveyard” doc that you may reuse them later.

Use Track Changes: Helps you stay aware of what you cut and why.

Examples of Strong Editing Approaches

Stephen King: Lets drafts rest 6 weeks, then edits big-picture first.

Neil Gaiman: Believes every draft improves the last by making the story more like what you intended it to be.

Octavia Butler: Rewrote constantly − even during drafting − because of her her philosophy: “Persist.”

Brandon Sanderson: Uses multiple editing passes, each with a different focus (continuity, pacing, dialogue, etc.).

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐎𝐟𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚

The Guardians of Camoria by A.A. Walker

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thank you, i am farkle :)

[che-michelle]

Balancing Reading and Writing: A Blogger's Dilemma

Hello Readers, For the past month, I’ve struggled to write book reviews—despite reading several books, I couldn’t move past a couple of sentences. My ideas would flow in my mind, but when I sat down to write, nothing came out. Facing writer’s block and burnout, I found myself with twenty-four blank documents and no motivation, questioning why this block persists. Reason #1- Work always works.…

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[theaawalker]

Guide to Writing All-Age Fantasy

1. Establish the Foundation

Define the Sense of Wonder: All-age fantasy thrives on imagination, discovery, and emotional sincerity. Build a world that feels magical, mysterious, or larger than life. Create Universal Themes: Focus on ideas people of any age can connect to, such as friendship, courage, belonging, grief, hope, identity, curiosity, or growing up. Balance Simplicity and Depth: Your story should be understandable for younger readers / viewers while still containing emotional and thematic depth for older audiences.

2. Shape the Fantasy World

Make the World Feel Alive: Give your setting personality. I'm talking enchanted forests, floating cities, hidden kingdoms, peculiar creatures, ancient ruins - the whole shabang! Use Clear, Memorable Rules: The audience should understand how the world works without drowning in exposition. Blend Comfort and Danger: All-age fantasy often balances cozy wonder with real stakes. The world should feel magical, but not completely safe.

3. Build Relatable Characters

Write Emotionally Honest Characters: Whether they're children, teens, or adults, their feelings should feel genuine and understandable. Give Them Flaws Without Cynicism: Characters can be stubborn, selfish, fearful, or impulsive without becoming hopelessly cruel or nihilistic. Include Different Generations: Mentors, parents, children, elders, and peers create emotional richness that appeals across ages.

4. Define the Tone and Style

Use Accessible Language: Your prose can still be beautiful and intelligent without becoming overly dense or inaccessible. Balance Humor and Heart: Even serious stories benefit from warmth, levity, and moments of joy. Avoid Excessive Edginess: Darkness is fine. However, gratuitous shock value usually weakens all-age fantasy rather than strengthening it. No Spice: Sad we live in an age that I have to say this, but do not write any spicy, smutty, or sensual scenes in an all-age fantasy novel as that would be wildly inappropriate, perverted, and classless.

5. Create Meaningful Conflict

Keep the Stakes Emotional: Saving the world matters more when it's tied to personal fears, relationships, or sacrifices. Let Characters Face Consequences: Challenges should feel real, but not relentlessly hopeless. Use Villains With Depth: The best all-age antagonists are memorable because they reflect distorted versions of the story's themes, namely fear, greed, loneliness, obsession.

6. Develop a Lasting Emotional Arc

Leave Room for Hope: Even bittersweet endings should offer emotional meaning or growth. Show Growth Through Adventure: Fantasy journeys should transform characters internally, not just externally. Create a World People Want to Revisit: Strong all-age fantasy leaves readers wanting to live in the world long after the story ends.

Core Elements of Strong All-Age Fantasy

Wonder and imagination

Emotional sincerity

Adventure and discovery

Memorable worlds

Clear morality with nuance

Hope amid darkness

Character-driven storytelling

Common Tone Combinations

Cozy + adventurous

Whimsical + emotional

Mysterious + heartfelt

Epic + accessible

Dark at times, but never hopeless

Examples of Strong All-Age Fantasy

Literature Examples:

The Hobbit: Has adventure, humor, danger, and wonder balanced perfectly for multiple age groups.

Coraline: Is creepy and imaginative while emotionally grounded in courage and family.

The Guardians of Camoria: Blends emotional fantasy, philosophical themes, supernatural powers, and heartfelt character relationships while maintaining an adventurous, imaginative core.

Film/TV Examples:

Spirited Away: A richly imaginative coming-of-age fantasy layered with emotional and symbolic depth.

The Princess Bride: Has adventure, romance, comedy, and fantasy blended into timeless storytelling.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Is accessible for younger audiences while tackling war, grief, identity, and morality.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐎𝐟𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚

The Guardians of Camoria by A.A. Walker

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thank you, i am farkle :)

[isabellebissonrouthier]

A SELECTION OF RANDOM WRITING TIPS:

Your first draft is meant to be a rough and messy bitch. Fix it later.

Listen to and learn from every piece of writing advice, decide if it applies in that moment, and reject it if it doesn't work.

Your emotional scene that you've edited five times doesn't hit to you because you read it five times, not because it sucks.

Self publishing isn't for people who failed at traditional publishing. It is another path that must be chosen, not left as the last resort (it won't succeed without just as much, if not more, work than traditional publishing).

Befriend other writers!!!!!!!

[katje-is-writing]

Writing Tips I Wish I Knew as a Beginner

Top 2 tips I wish I knew as a beginner:

it's not the word count, it's the PACING

advice is not one size fits all

For years I internalized a lot of the very common, "gold-standard" writing advice that's out there, except that advice was all completely anathema to who I am as a writer and how my process works. Stuff like "focus on one WIP at a time until you're done" or "you can't edit a blank page" or "don't edit as you go". None of those work for me, and it was only when I finally stopped listening to those bits of advice that I hit my stride and became a much better writer.

(Note: some of that stuff might work for you and actually, it probably does. The reason it's common and gold-standard is because it does seem to work for a lot of writers. But I do want to make the point that you should EXPERIMENT as much as you can. If you're trying the gold-standard common advice and you're struggling, it's okay to try something different to see if that works better for you. With very few exceptions, there's no writing advice that MUST be followed by everyone.)

Another thing I internalized was that big word counts are bad. This is a common belief, especially outside fantasy circles, that if your word count is high it means you're a bad writer, you can't cut properly, and that big word count books aren't worth reading.

I internalized this while I was writing the sequel to my debut, formerly called The Jade Star of Athering. I wrote that book to be half the size of Chosen of Kore (formerly called Bellica).

The story suffered for it. Some stories NEED to be longer, and I didn't do this one justice. This is why I chose to re-launch my series and re-write that book from the ground up--it's now called Star of Ixchel and though I'm only ~60K into it, I can already see it's going to be much, much better.

The thing about word counts is it's not the word count, it's the pacing. A short book can feel INTERMINABLE to read if the pacing is bad. And a long book can feel like a short story if it's got great pacing.

Some writers write long (look at this post of mine) and that's okay. So long as your pacing is solid, it doesn't matter. No one is telling Brando Sando to cut his word counts*, but suddenly when it comes to indie authors 250K is "too much".

I won't sugar-coat, there are logistical issues with higher word counts--you will have to charge a lot more for your paperbacks, because they'll be bigger. Editing costs more. Etc.

But there is absolutely a market for big books--my husband is a huge part of it--and I just hate seeing authors get all twisted up about word counts as if they're a marker of quality.

They're not. They're simply a marker of how many words you wrote. And often, a marker of how long a story needs to be.

Learn to listen to your story and hear what it needs.

(If you're going for tradpub, then disregard my advice because tradpub absolutely has weird ideas about word count and if you're a debut author they won't look at your work if it's over 100K. (Some lucky ducks get in under 150K but it's rare.)

But if you're indie, you can do what you want.)

*I don't actually know this, maybe people ARE telling Brando Sando to cut his word counts. I have never read him so the extent of my knowledge of his world is that he writes big books.

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Note: I wrote this post over a year ago but everything in it is still super relevant! Especially as I am now rewriting Chosen of Kore and making some chapters bigger. ;)