Zac Pretends to Write

That's me.  I'm Zac.  They/them pronouns.  I write fanfiction as well as original stories.  This is where I talk about writing, post tips and inspiration, and share what I have written.  Feel free to talk to me about your WIPs and ideas!  My personal writing tag is "#did i do this write?"  Last time I checked, everything on this website with that tag belonged to me.  That is all, thank you for checking out my blog :)

[did-i-do-this-write]

Meet the Writer

Hello!  My name is Zac!  I'm a social worker who loves writing, reading, music, and watching the occasional game of basketball 😆

When it comes to writing, my favorite is YA sci-fi fantasy that holds political or social themes.  If there's no found family in the story then it has to work twice as hard to earn my stamp of approval 😆 I have written my share of fan fic as well, mostly for the RWBY fandom.  As of right now I'm more focused on my original work, but I might reference old fics every now and then. On this blog, you’ll see me talk about the stories I have listed below :)

Fanfiction

How an Angel Gets Its Wings 

RWBY OC fanfic told from the POV of my OC, Aalyiah.  The story is about her growing up as the daughter of two famous huntsmen and dealing with her own insecurities and anxieties about living up to her family legacy.

Themes: Found Family, Coming of Age, Growing Up, Parent-Child Relationships, Adopted Sibling Relationships

Status: Final draft

Ozpin’s Halfway House

Part 1: Home is Where Your Light Shines Brightest

Part 2: Home is Where You Come to Roost

Part 3: Home is Where You’re Loved the Most

Part 4: Home is Where You Lay to Rest

RWBY AU fanfic set in an AU where Ozpin runs a non-profit designed to house kids who don't have a home. Details how the organization grows along with Oz's relationships and work with the kids.

Themes: Found Family, Slice of Life, Mental Health, Recovery

Status: Complete, all chapters posted

@ozpins-halfway-house

Original Works

The Paragon Series

Book 1: Fire in My Veins

Book 2: Fire in Their Eyes

Book 3: Fire in Our Hearts

Book 4: Fire in Our Hands

Original modern fantasy tetralogy about a group of magic wielders who come together in a dire time.  With tensions mounting between humans and paragon, the landscape is ripe for political change.  Together, one team of powerful paragon will unite in an effort to tip the scales in their favor.  Will their power be enough to change the course of history?

Themes: Found Family, Magic, Violence, Discrimination, Rising to the Occasion, background romance and LGBTQ+ representation, and plenty of Angst

Status: First draft of Fire in My Veins (Book 1)

How to Find Me

As of right now, everything on this website tagged #did i do this write? belongs to me.  If you want to scroll through my “portfolio,” that’s the easiest way to do it! 

You can also find some really helpful links to poke around my blog in my navigation post!

That’s all for now.  Thank you for checking out my blog and feel free to talk to me about anything writing related!  My inbox is always open!

[did-i-do-this-write]

Finding the Write Time: A Monthly Writeblr Challenge 

Hello, and welcome to the 2026 edition of Finding the Write Time!  A monthly writing challenge aimed at helping writers finish a work in a set time. 

The Challenge 

Use a prompt to complete a piece of writing in 30 minutes or less.  This could be a single scene in a larger work, a stand-alone short story, a chapter of a story, whatever you define as a “piece of writing.”  Whether it ends up being 100 words or 1000, the goal is to completely brainstorm, plan, and draft your writing in a single writing session. 

The Prompts 

Every month, I’ll post a writing prompt specifically meant for the challenge.  This year I will be using scene prompts, trying to give you guys a basis to start with. Feel free to send in submissions for prompts! 

How to Participate 

Just let me know you want to use the prompt for that month and tag me in your work once you post it so I can read and reblog it!  You could also submit it to my blog directly if you wish, or you can add your submission to a reblog on the prompt you are using.  Any and all methods of submission are accepted, just let me know!  Remember, even though the prompts are organized by month, there is no deadline.  You can post them or send them in whenever you are ready! 

Taglist 

If you wish to be added to the taglist for the event, please let me know!  You will be tagged in the prompt at the beginning of every month this year.  If you were tagged in this post that means I had you on the list already.  Let me know if you want to be removed! 

If you have any questions, feel free to check out the FAQ or send me an ask! 

Thank you for checking out the challenge.  Happy writing! 

Current taglist is under the cut! 

Finding the Write Time Taglist: @eli-writes-sometimes, @keysandopenmind, @cocoamoonmalfoy, @scriptrix-eclectica, @darkluminosity

@faithfire-writes, @acelightningwhumper, @justnerdy15, @jacqueswriteblrlibrary, @tricksexual

@of-potions-and-blades-official, @kingragnarok-writes, @boonasaurusrex, @traderotales, @sodetectivefestival

@necromancywhump, @writingamongther0ses, @sapphire-writes-stuff, @thehungrycity

[portraitoftheoddity]

The problem with having OCs is that sometimes you wanna read about your little guy being in situations but unfortunately he is YOUR little guy and no one is gonna put him in that situation but you. Tragic.

[cbk1000]

As a society, we need to go back to understanding that strangers on the internet are, you know, strangers. I feel lately that I'm seeing a rise in 'An author I love blocked me because they took my comment the wrong way' posts on the ao3 subreddit, and then the comment is them calling the author a fucking bitch or something like that.

Don't do this. Tone doesn't translate well in text, and if you don't have a rapport with that author, they are not going to interpret, 'You're a fucking bitch' as, 'Author I hate you for being so talented and making me feel so keenly.' They're going to interpret it as you being an asshole. You can shit talk with your friends because you have an established relationship with them and can distinguish between playful banter and genuine anger. You do not have this with a stranger, no matter how much you like their fics. You will have a much more pleasant time in fandom and not get cockblocked from interacting with your favorite writers if you remember this.

[tc-doherty]

Pride Month Sale

In honor of pride month, the e-book version of my lesbian knight/dragon love story is on sale for a whole dollar off! Only $3.99 for the month of June, so if you've ever been interested in checking it out now might be the time~

(especially with the second book coming out later this year)

Where to buy?

I don't know why the Barnes & Noble links aren't working from that site but it is at B&N, you can find it here.

Synopsis:

In a ruined castle deep in the wilderness, there lived a beautiful princess guarded by a ferocious dragon. Except for the fact that the maiden in the tower was no princess at all, but the dragon’s daughter. Rescued against her will, she is carried off to human lands and given the name Lady Patrice Drake. Caught between culture shock and grief, she must find a way to navigate her strange new surroundings lest she be drowned under human machinations and politics. Who among these people are enemies? Who among them are allies? And most importantly, who is she without her mother’s guidance and protection?

Age range: 16+

Type: Fantasy, medieval, F/F

Warnings for: occasional, non-graphic violence

[homunculus-argument]

Actually the monkeys have unionised. That's their circus now.

[licensedproldier]

[aromanticsky]

Your mystery question is here :)

🌻Sunflower: Who or what is your OC loyal to? Is loyalty something they give often or is it hard to earn?

Kaelía is very loyal to the Temple and Gētnyx throughout most of Empires Always Fall. Later she is loyal to Līs and herself and that’s it, everything else having been chipped away. It is absolutely hard to earn but also very hard to lose.

[itgetsbetter]

big announcement: Digital Pride is back!!!

all throughout june, some of our fave LGBTQ+ creators are streaming, hosting charity events, doing marathons, playing games, hanging out, and raising money for our lgbtq+ youth programs.

we keep bringing digital pride back every year because we know not every queer young person can safely or easily access pride events in person. whether it’s because of where you live, finances, safety, disability, family circumstances, or anything else - you still deserve community, celebration, and queer joy.

we’ll be sharing stream announcements and schedules on IG and bsky throughout the month so you know exactly when and where to tune in and support.

see y'all in chat. <3

[itgetsbetter]

first up: digital pride RELAY!

happy to announce that 1UP Gaming Festival came back for their 3rd annual Pride charity event. over 30 streamers will stream across 7 days while raising funds for our lgbtq+ youth programs (honoreddd)!

their goal is to help us raise $5,000 - see their schedule here, meet the creators, see what games and activities they'll be streaming, and make a donation to support their goal: 1upgamingfestival.com/pride26

[tc-doherty]

It's pride month. It's junicorn month. Here's some gay and lesbian unicorns for you!

It also occurs to me that now may be the time to finally write GAY SEX and Other Hazards of Loving a Horse. Will I? Only time will tell.

At the very least, I may create some content for it sometime this month.

[shouldbewritingnow]

The “draw” of AI doesn’t work on me for the same reason that the Ring couldn’t tempt Samwise. Because I LIKE to write. I like to make things, I like the process of making things, instead of just the end result.

[laciffo-natas]

"Queer people should be accepted enough that they feel comfortable talking about themself" and "Nobody owes you an explanation of why they identify a certain way" are two statements that can and should coexist, by the way.

One is about the activism and acceptance of queer people, and the other is just entitlement. Do not feel like you should have to explain yourself to deserve the same acceptance and respect as anyone else.

You are valid in your queer identity.

[the-wip-project]

Summer Writing! 💕

We're starting today with the first week in June. Yay!

🏖️

In this challenge you set your own goal and I would love for you to announce it publicly.

Your goal can be whatever you want to get done over the summer, and you can change it from week to week. It can be a wordcount, or edited pages, or a set of time spent on a project. This is up to you, depending on what you feel comfortable with and what you need to do.

🦩

Track your process however you like. You can use sites like trackbear or mywriteclub to track your process, or a spreadsheet, or just write it into a notebook, a graphic, a document.

I have a weekly calendar for you and @mareebrittenford made a cool spreadsheet to track your process (a how-to is coming up). I've put everything into this folder:

Here's a link to the spreadsheet on Google, if that works better for you

Summer Challenge 26.xlsx

And here's a graphic for you:

That's the first calendar. Set your own goal and fill in what you would like to use as a prompt (optional) and then track what you've accomplished every day.

My prompt for you for this week is: bracing

Who's with us? Let's hear it for summer writing!

[maureen2musings]

Tollymore Forest Park

nataliewhitephotography_

[did-i-do-this-write]

Finding the Write Time: A Monthly Writeblr Challenge 

Hello, and welcome to the 2026 edition of Finding the Write Time!  A monthly writing challenge aimed at helping writers finish a work in a set time. 

The Challenge 

Use a prompt to complete a piece of writing in 30 minutes or less.  This could be a single scene in a larger work, a stand-alone short story, a chapter of a story, whatever you define as a “piece of writing.”  Whether it ends up being 100 words or 1000, the goal is to completely brainstorm, plan, and draft your writing in a single writing session. 

The Prompts 

Every month, I’ll post a writing prompt specifically meant for the challenge.  This year I will be using scene prompts, trying to give you guys a basis to start with. Feel free to send in submissions for prompts! 

How to Participate 

Just let me know you want to use the prompt for that month and tag me in your work once you post it so I can read and reblog it!  You could also submit it to my blog directly if you wish, or you can add your submission to a reblog on the prompt you are using.  Any and all methods of submission are accepted, just let me know!  Remember, even though the prompts are organized by month, there is no deadline.  You can post them or send them in whenever you are ready! 

Taglist 

If you wish to be added to the taglist for the event, please let me know!  You will be tagged in the prompt at the beginning of every month this year.  If you were tagged in this post that means I had you on the list already.  Let me know if you want to be removed! 

If you have any questions, feel free to check out the FAQ or send me an ask! 

Thank you for checking out the challenge.  Happy writing! 

Current taglist is under the cut! 

Finding the Write Time Taglist: @eli-writes-sometimes, @keysandopenmind, @cocoamoonmalfoy, @scriptrix-eclectica, @darkluminosity

@faithfire-writes, @acelightningwhumper, @justnerdy15, @jacqueswriteblrlibrary, @tricksexual

@of-potions-and-blades-official, @kingragnarok-writes, @boonasaurusrex, @traderotales, @sodetectivefestival

@necromancywhump, @writingamongther0ses, @sapphire-writes-stuff, @thehungrycity

[makesomenoise]

🌈

[thegoddesswater]

May 2026 Word count!

Came in under word count for the first time since March 2024 :( BUT since I've been over count every other month this year, I'm still ahead of the game.

May was hard. Car accident, Insurance fight, Chronic condition flare up, Chronic condition diagnosis, and I've currently got no kitchen. I suppose coming in 150 under my goal for the month is allowed.

[itgetsbetter]

annual reminder that this is who pride is for:

❤️ those who are out & proud

🧡 those who aren’t out at all

💛 people still figuring it all out

💚 folks trying out new labels or terms

💙 people who have always known

💜 people who are just realizing

🩷 those out there being loud

🤍 those waiting until it’s safer

🩵 our elders who came before to pave the way

🤎 and youth making change right here, right now

we see you, you're valid, you belong here.

promise.