Nightfall

Trying to make "art". Other places I'm DearNightfall (Instagram/Deviant Art)

[madlori]

Writing advice you're not going to like.

People sometimes send me Asks wanting writing advice.  I suck at it.  I don’t really know how I do the writing, or how one should do the writing, or what one should do to get better at the writing.  All I can ever think to say is “write a lot of stuff and you will get better at the writing.”  Which is true, but hardly a bolt from the sky.

Well, as it turns out, I do have one piece of Legit Writing Advice, and I am going to share it with you, right now.  If you were in any of my writing workshop groups at a con, you’ve heard this advice already.

Warning: you’re going to fucking hate it.  But if you do it, you will thank me.

If you have a piece of fiction you’re serious about, something you might want to actually shop around, or just something you really are into and want to make it as good as you can…do NOT edit it.

Repeat.  DO NOT EDIT.

REWRITE.

As in, print out the whole fucking thing and re-enter it, every word (or use two screens).  Retype the whole thing.  Recreate it from the ground up using your first draft as a template.  Start with a blank page and re-enter every. single. word.

I hear you screaming.  OH MY GOD THAT’S INSANE.

Yes.  Yes, it is.

It is also the most powerful thing you will ever do for a piece of fiction that you are serious about.

Now, let’s get real.  I don’t do this for most things.  I don’t do it for my fanfiction.  But if it’s something original, something I might like to get to a professional level - I do it.  You absolutely COULD do it for fanfiction.  It’s just up to you and how much time you want to sink into a piece.

You can edit, sure.  But you WILL NOT get down to the level of change that needs to happen in a second draft.  You will let things slide.  Your eyes will miss things.  You will say “eh, good enough.”

The first time I did this, on someone else’s advice, I was dubious.  Within two pages, I was saying WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN DOING THIS ALL THE TIME.  I was amazed at how much change was happening.  By the time I got to the end, I had an entirely different novel than the one I’d started with.  When you’re already re-entering every single word, it’s easy to make deep changes.  You’ll reformat sentences, you’ll switch phrases around, you’ll massage your word choice.  You’ll discover whole paragraphs that don’t need to be there at all because they became redundant.  You’ll find dialogue exchanges that need reimagining.  Whole plot points will suddenly be different, whole story arcs will reveal their flaws and get re-drawn.

You cannot get down to the fundamental level of change that’s required just by editing an existing document.  You have to rebuild it if you really want your story to evolve.  You will be AMAZED at the difference it will make.

It will take time.  It will seem like a huge, Herculean task.  I’m not saying it’s easy.  It isn’t.  But it is absolutely revolutionary.

Try it.  I promise, you will see what I mean.

*PSA: Tipsy!Lori wrote this post.  In case you couldn’t tell.

[mooncalfe-deactivated20231020]

maybe i should try this with my comic scripts.

[rosalarian]

This advice is real.

[phantomrose96]

I reblogged this earlier on kind of a “that sounds interesting. might work, might not, can’t see it being drastically different but whatever I should try.” kind of note

I’ve got a short story due today at 5, so I decided to do this and completely rewrite the first draft.

OH. MY GOD.

This is legitimate. It’s let me completely gut scenes I was unhappy with, rewrite them entirely differently and not feel any loyalty to what I used to have.

It’s taking a long time. It’s a commitment. But heck so is writing.

This is great. Do this. It’s amazing.

[shepherdsofhaven]

Shepherds of Haven

Description

Shepherds of Haven is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. In it, you play as a Mage living in a world where magic is outlawed and your people—those possessing supernatural powers—are oppressed and reviled. The world is ruled by humans who believe in science, technology, and industry: at best, you and your kind are nothing more than a fairytale, and at worst you are the state’s greatest threat. 

Thus, using magic has been illegal for centuries. But after years of persecution, you are suddenly offered an opportunity to use your powers for good: demons are now returning, and the world needs fighters like you to protect the population from their invasion. Guns and bullets do no good against monsters pulled from primeval nightmares; only your people and your supernatural powers have the ability to fight fire with fire. 

So you join the Shepherds: an order of elite heroes and fighters comprised of the very people the world once feared more than the demons themselves. As a Shepherd, you’ll solve magical crimes, slay demons to protect the citizens of Haven, and build your reputation throughout the capitol. Explore the world of Blest, recruit allies and factions to join the Shepherds’ cause, find romance and companionship, investigate mysteries, lead rebellions and exorcisms, and uncover answers to the crises plaguing the world. Where are the demons coming from? Where have the gods or God gone, if they ever existed? And who are you, really? 

And will you be the world’s true savior… or will you be its ultimate downfall?

General Features

Customize your protagonist: choose names, gender, sexuality, appearance, weapon, magic specialization, education, racial heritage and much more

Play as male, female, or non-binary; straight, gay, bisexual, pansexual, as well as aromantic, asexual, aro-ace, or allo

Thousands of choices and role-playing variations: build your character’s personality and worldview from the ground up, test your loyalties and morals in every chapter, and make meaningful decisions that will change the story and world of the game in large and small ways

10 romance options (5 male, 5 female) and 2 one-night stands/flings

15 characters (including romance options) to recruit and befriend

Fulfilling friendship and romance routes

An ever-changing codex, character guide, and glossary that grows and adjusts as you play

A hubworld-style “day off” system between chapters: interact with the city and explore the world, meet new characters, take quests or side jobs, train, shop, pray, read, or spend time with or date companions between story missions

Dozens of mechanical secrets to reward your playthrough: achievements, a new game+ system, a save system, unlockable art, and a planned “stupid mode” and DLC

Much more!

Public Demo

Completed Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Approx. 270,000 words

Last Updated: August 2021

✨ Play Here ✨

Alpha Build (Current)

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 [Incomplete], Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 [In Progress]

Approx. 619,000 words

Last Updated: July 2021

Currently only available to testers and Patrons until the beta build

Play here

Feedback

Prologue Poll

Chapter 1 Poll

Chapter 2 Poll

Chapter 3 Poll

Links

Demo

Navigate

FAQ

Characters and Romance Options

Patreon

Ko-Fi  

Forum 

Discord  

Tracked Tags

#Shepherds of Haven, #shoh

Other Work

If you like my work here, please consider checking out and ordering a hardcover, e-book, or audiobook copy of my debut novel, a science fiction thriller called WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE! Read more about it here, here, and on my website, and check out the links below!

Links for WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE:

Amazon

Penguin Random House

Barnes and Noble

Target

Walmart

Indiebound

Bookshop.org

Books a Million

Other Links:

Author Website

Twitter

Facebook

[shepherdsofhaven]

The public demo has been updated with the entirety of Chapter 3, along with Caine and Riel’s first day off interludes, more content with the codex and Chandry’s shop, additional save slots, and more! Click the public demo link above to play! ✨

Content warning for this update: Fantasy violence, adult language, discussions and descriptions of nightmares, various explorations of trauma or fears, horror elements and atmosphere.

Public demo wordcount : 269,999 words without coding

Total project wordcount: 619,073 words without coding

Public demo updated: August 3rd, 2021

Enjoy!

[animatejournal]

Discworld: Wyrd Sisters Director: Jean Flynn | Studio: Cosgrove Hall | UK, 1997

[touhouweed]

It genuinely upsets me that there are people who call this animation and voice acting bad, there’s so much heart and soul on display in just this clip alone

[handsometabbyc]

At first glance: ‘lol this is going to be one of those hilariously cheap animations’

30 seconds in: ‘…Oh my god this is fantastic’

[red-wizard-writes]

Zero Drafts and Fast Drafting

A zero draft is similar to a first draft but represents something psychologically different.  Zero drafts relieve the pressure to uphold a certain level of quality a writer might expect in a first draft. Often, zero drafts are written quickly and without completion. In this way, they bridge between an outline and a more refined draft.

For me, zero drafts allow exploration without commitment. I can extend my outline into something more tangible. Through this, I expose walls, plot holes, missing scenes, and extraneous characters. Because I use zero drafts more to test plot and characters, it is conducive to fast drafting. I know any issues I find can be fixed later and the quicker I complete this version, the quicker I can build something from the base I’ve laid.

5 Tips to Draft Quickly

Plan writing time

Writing a lot of words in a short amount of time requires dedication. If you write whenever the mood strikes you, it is unlikely you will achieve your goals. You are allowed to schedule breaks, but avoid taking more than two days off in a row.

Set deadlines

Knowing when the draft needs to be complete is more of a push than just completing is “quickly”. You can set 4 months, 4 weeks, or lengths in between depending on how seasoned you are at fast drafting.

Beyond a project deadline, daily or weekly goals will help you to monitor progress so you can adjust your process as you go.

Plan your story (at least a little)

You do not have to have a Roman numeral outline with 5 levels of depth. However, if you plan nothing, you will likely hit a wall that will break your flow. I recommend planning the following at minimum:

Main character(s)

Beginning

Overarching conflict and/or main antagonist

2-3 intermediate conflicts

Ending (optional)

Write with flow

Write however the words come. You don’t have to describe characters or setting if it doesn’t come in the moment. Likewise, you can describe in excruciating detail and cut it later. You can use placeholders, skip scenes, and write out of order. Anything that keeps you adding to the word count, do it. It can and will be fixed later. The faster you write, the faster you can edit.

Add accountability

Accountability can come internally or externally.

Internally:

Track daily word counts

Reward when you hit a milestone (chapter, word count, page count)

Externally:

Post on social media whether you hit a goal

Tell a friend

Zero drafts are good ways to get ideas out and onto the page as quickly as possible without worrying about smaller details that will be tackled in edits and later drafts.

[mysharona1987]

[thewrittenmagic]

Motivation ideas.

[fischotterkunst]

yall look at this shit ad*be is tryna pull now on ppl who have outdated software:

(note for context: i’m all for piracy, but in this case my copy of CS6 was downloaded years ago when they were giving it away to students. i got it totally legally.)

[fischotterkunst]

so here is what NOT to do if you’re a loyal fan of adobe who has the cash to shell out for a newer and shittier version of the product you already paid for.

1) DON’T use your search bar to find and open the Run app

2) DON’T type in services.msc

3) DON’T find Adobe Genuine Software Integrity Services and right-click to get a dropdown menu, and don’t select ‘properties’

4) if you happen to click properties, DON’T use the startup type dropdown to locate the option to disable the program. be sure you DON’T click apply to finalize that change. 

5) DO NOT do the same thing in order to also disable Adobe Genuine Software Monitor 

if you do all of these things, this WILL disable adobe’s ability to monitor the software, and you will be forced to continue using the same older software that you already paid for instead of having to sign up for a newer, shittier version and pay more for it. so if you have lots of cash to spare and are cool with putting it the pockets of racketeering capitalists, definitely don’t do any of these things. 

however, you SHOULD reblog this to spread the word, as we certainly want to make sure lots of people know what NOT to do :)

[hideousgourd]

I’M SORRY MA'AM. I KNOW YOU’RE UPSET.

Pretend to be upset.

[june-egbert-official]

OP how could you

I hope none of my friends who use Adobe programs find this, follow your detailed instructions, and spread the word. That would be devastating!

[princecanary]

[elioli-art]

Ok

[kyri45]

[calvin-arium]

It’s here !! The guide for two-legged people who don’t know how to draw wheelchairs !!! 7 pages of infodump ! Disclaimer : I don’t know everything, I have one (1) experience of wheelchair user who used both bad and good chairs, and I share what I learned.

Image description :

1) Calvin in his wheelchair saying “yo” under a huge title “how to draw manual wheelchairs properly by Calvin Arium, a wheelchair user comic artist”.

2) A character says “my character self propels in a chair that was outdated in 1970 lol” Calvin says “so it looks like you two legged people don’t know the difference between an hospital chair and a chair made to be independant” an arrow point the crapppy chair, saying “we never want to see this again”

a bubble says “the hospital chair is extremely unpractical, tough considering it’s cheaper than a good custom chair a lot of us have only this”

3) a character hurt himself trying to reach the wheels of the hospital chair. Several arrows point why the chair is unpractical : “high backrest restrain shoulders movement” “huge armrest restrains wheel access” “separated footrest : amovible, cheap, bulky” “x structure, foldable but heavy” “huge front casters for stability” “heavy wheels”

4) Several arrows point an active wheelchair (the KSL by Küshall) : “usually no armrest” “a low backrest allow more movement” “light, design, ferning expersive” “special cushion to avoind injuries” “knee angle is usually 90°” “one single piece of frame, sometimes entirely welded” “weight : from 4 to 10kg” “often rigid” “center of the wheel is the center of gravity” “higher quality wheels : less spikes”

5) A hand grab different parts of the wheel, pushing harder in the second half. Bubbles says “some have gloves, some don’t. The hand must grab the biggest area possible. Less movement = more energy. This is a common but not only way to push.Calvin is on his back wheels, rolling on grass and dirt bubble says “popping a wheelie is when a wheelchair user rolls on their back wheels to roll on every complicated surface.

6) several drawings illustrate the folding frame, the ergonomic but rigid and expensive backrest, the separated footrest (only for folding frame), the handles, the folding handles, athe amovibles handles, or no handles, the cool fancy loopwheels, the pretty custom colors 

7) More Features ! The fancy rigid-foldable frame, the anti tippers (sometimes used by beginners), the motorization (wheels, smart drive) when propelling yourself is difficult Calvin says “and now vroom vroom motherfuckers”

[modmad]

still recovering from travel/hand injury but I have folks asking for advice on expressions a lot so here’s an old patreon early xmas present for you folks! (I make things like this for the 20 dollar tier by request, so if you’d like more…)

as ever this is just stuff I do/have observed and there’s no real right or wrong way of doing things! just get out there and observe, draw, make mistakes, learn from them and do it again! and again, and again…

[sassycolortheorist101-blog]

some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs

* body language masterlist

* a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does

* a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes

* 550 words to say instead of fuckin said

* 638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again

* some more body language help

(hope this helps some ppl)

[dippersballoon]

I saw an opportunity and I took it

[offline-kinq]

This is what they mean when they say life flashes before your eyes as you die

[udon-tea]

For those wondering, the song is ”Mr. Blue Sky” by ELO.

Perhaps someone beat me to it, but here are ALL of the featured vines, in order of appearance:

I won’t hesitate bitch

Hi my name is Tre and I have a basketball game tomorrow

Whaddup, I’m Jared I’m 19 and I never fucking learned how 2 read

Kermit the Frog jumps off building

Fr e sh a voca do

back at it again at Krispy Kreme

There is only one thing worse than a rapist

Club Jam (yes a really good book)

At least the taco was free

I am the Sand Guardian, guardian of the sand

Grandma loves ping pong too much

If your name is Junior

Welcome to Target

I’m just cooking pizza

Cole Sprouse dress-up game

On all levels except physical, I am a Wolf

Kid hits ceiling of gym with rope (breaking free)

Kid smacked by fly swatter

Fuck it up Kenneth (my boy going to school)

Um I’m not finished (Tyler the Creator)

WE’RE BREAKING FREE

SAIL

I’m Squidward

So I’m sitting there, barbecue sauce on my tiddies

So no head? (breaking skateboard)

Actually, Megan (I can’t sit anywhere)

No off topic questions (Chris Christie)

What the fuck, Richard

Drop it like it’s hot (its just luke)

Bored as shiiiiii

Liberian accent (plasma globe)

New haircut (Parker Kit Hill)

Summertime sadness (chicken)

More like hurricane TORTILLA

I got an a-bor-tion

All Around the World (TheJasminator)

When there’s a cutie next to you at a red light

Snake licks lollipop

Accept yourself, love yourself

Be whatever you wanna be

Don’t touch Zac’s music (LENARR)

Whoever threw that paper, your mom’s a ho

Can I please get a waffle?

Turn off the flash you fucking moron (Star Wars)

Ebony Jenkins (shut up!)

Kevin, watch the light dude

Horse meditation

A girl a dream & a clothing hanger

Is that a weed? (911 microwave)

Helium balloons (floating car)

Fireplace fairy

I’m your freestyle dance teacher

I can’t believe you’ve done this

Which way the Quiznos is

Impossible paper toss shot

Hemtube (dancing with cat)

I nurture my skin (Shaq)

Why are you running

Happy birthday?

Thicker than a bowl of oatmeal (courtroom)

Farkle falling

Fuck you (soda machine)

Squash banana (the branch I was holding broke)

Take On Me

And now my sock is wet (water gun)

All I ever wanted was some motherfuckin guala

When there’s too much drama at school

Two bros chillin in the Hot Tub

What’s your name? (ouija board)

Chillary Clinton (chillin in Cedar Rapids)

Guy drops slurpee (7-Eleven)

Girl scared of convertible car

Guy who is self-conscious about his lisp (Rice Krispies Treats)

Would you like the spider on your hand?

Shopping cart crash

We actually have the chip reader now

I’M A GIRAFFE

Dinner with Zayn Malik (Chihuahua eating spaghetti)

I HOPE IT’S HELPFUL TO SOMEONE! Peace ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

[leaveittotegan-deactivated20181]

this gave me such a warm feeling i legit teared up no joke

[axmmatt]

BEAUTY

[samuraiartbook]

THE FINAL SAMURAI PREORDER WILL START ON JANUARY 2019!

Cover artwork by: Valentina Remenar - https://valentinaremenar.com/ Design and layout and project owner: Wendigo -https://www.instagram.com/docwendigo/ 

◼️ WHAT IS SAMURAI? 

Samurai artbook project is a tribute to men and fantasy male creatures, featuring artists from all over the world. This project was created by Wendigo on 2013 and consists in 3 volumes. ‘The Final Samurai’ will be the last one.

◼️ MAIN ARTISTS

ALDARIA - https://www.artstation.com/aldaria CANARY - http://princecanary.tumblr.com/ DEERLORDHUNTER - https://www.instagram.com/deerlordhunter/ DUCKIE - https://www.instagram.com/canardette/ ELK - https://www.facebook.com/elk64/ ERION MAKUO - erionmakuo.com KIKISSH - https://www.instagram.com/art.kikissh/ KISSKICKER - https://twitter.com/bananawarmer LEN-YAN - https://www.facebook.com/lenyan.art/ ORSOB - http://orsob.tumblr.com/ RAZURI - https://twitter.com/razuri_chan SINEALAS - https://sinealas.deviantart.com/ SOLTHRYS - https://twitter.com/solthrys ULVAR - https://www.instagram.com/littleulvar/ VALENTINA REMENAR - http://valentinaremenar.com/ VICIOUS MONGREL - www.artstation.com/viciousmongrel VITYSO - https://www.vityso.com/ WENDIGO - https://www.instagram.com/docwendigo/ ZEILYAN - https://www.instagram.com/zeilyan/

◼️ GUESTS

EREN - https://twitter.com/ErenAngiolini HEBES - https://www.instagram.com/hebesdrawings/ KITE04 - https://www.facebook.com/Kite04/

[color-palettes]

Study of Wheezing - Submitted by Seesaw Siya

#3e2f37 #7e5c74 #6197b6 #2c3341

[l-a-l-o-u]

I’m kicking off this little tutorial series with one of the best tips I ever got! More obvious tips coming soon ~

Art credit (left to right): Victoria Joh -  Maciej Sidorowicz - kaylabarart 

[lizard-is-writing]

Let’s Talk About Plot

So this has been a highly requested post as of late, so I thought I’d spend a little extra time talking about plot. What is it? How does it work? What constitutes plot? I get these questions a lot and the more I think about it the more insanely philosophic the conversation starts to get, but I’m too pragmatic to get into that here. Let’s get to the root of it.

Keep reading