A list of words commonly used in the Writeblr community and their meaning!
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about what some things mean, so I thought it was time to compile a list of meanings.
Writeblr — A community of writers on tumblr; A blog that posts primarily about writing. See here for a more in-depth explanation. (Also written as Writblr on occasion)
WIP — Stands for Work in Progress. Primarily, it’s a piece of fictional work that is still in the writing process and is unfinished. (Also see: WIP page)
OC — Stands for Original Character. This is a character entirely of your own creation.
Tag list — A tag list is a list of users who will be tagged in every post that a Writeblr makes about a certain WIP. It is often included at the bottom of a post, and people are free to ask to be included, or removed from it.
WIP Page — A page or a post on a Writeblr that describes a WIP. Commonly includes a synopsis, setting, characters, etc. See here for what goes in a WIP page and how to make one.
Tag games — Tumblr games where people will do something (often answer questions, a snippet of their WIP, etc) and ask other users to participate by using the @ function in that post.
Ask games — A tumblr game where a user will request people to send them things with the ask function. Often times will include a list of questions they wish to be asked.
Writing Sprints — An activity done by writers, where they write as much as they possibly can for a set amount of time (often 10-15 minutes). Can be done with multiple people, and is a common activity for a group of writeblrs to partake in.
Fanfiction — Fiction written by a fan about an existing TV show, movie, book, etc. Often features the characters, the setting, etc. of that piece of media.
AU — Stands for Alternate Universe. AUs typically feature the same cast of characters of a WIP or an existing piece of fiction with a major change or two. (For example, a Fantasy AU would involve placing the characters in a fantasy setting. There also may be an AU of what might happen if a certain character didn’t die in their story).
Canon — Material or information that is accepted as an official part of a story. (i.e., the creator confirms it and includes it in their story).
Headcanons — Ideas and interpretations of a fictional work that is accepted by a fan, but isn’t necessarily supported by canon.
Moodboard — A collection of images meant to evoke a certain feeling or emotion. Often used by Writeblrs for their WIPs and OCs.
Ships — The concept of a fictional couple. Can be either canonical or not. If you ‘ship’ someone with another character, you like the idea of them being involved with each other, often romantically.
OTP — Stands for One True Pairing. This is often used to describe someone’s all time favorite ship.
BrOTP — Someone’s favorite platonic ship. A portmanteau of ‘bro’ and ‘OTP’.
Beta Reader — A person who reads through a draft before publication to give suggestions and feedback to the author to improve it. Can be paid or unpaid, depends on the author.
Sensitivity Reader — A person who reads through a draft to check for issues of representation, cultural inaccuracy, insensitive language, etc. For example, if you are a white author who has black characters in your story, you should have a sensitivity reader who is black, so they can let you know if you are accidentally being offensive, or misrepresenting them in any way. Many writers will have multiple sensitivity readers to give them feedback, so they can make the proper changes to be more inclusive and culturally sensitive. Can be paid or unpaid, depends on the author.
TW — Stands for trigger warning. Often followed up with the trigger (i.e., tw: self-harm). This is to warn people that there is sensitive content in a post or a WIP, and that if they do not want to see it, they should not proceed any further. Used in tags and the top of the actual post for visibility, and often accompanied by a “Read more” cutoff.
OP — Stands for Original Poster. It refers to the person who originally made the post. If someone says ‘thanks op’ on a post, they are addressing the person who created the post in the first place, not the people who have reblogged or added things to it.
Have a word you’d like to see included? Let me know and I’ll add it!
Have a question on what a writeblr term means? Feel free to ask me!
