Emma Fenton

24 | she/her | Author of YA Fantasy | THRONE OF SHADOWS | all current WIP stuff is tagged THE HUNTED QUEEN

[a-cloak-deactivated20241120]

that feeling when you get a brand new story idea, but it literally has no plot yet, just vibes>>

[out-of-jams]

REVERSE TROPE WRITING PROMPTS

Too many beds

Accidentally kidnapping a mafia boss

Really nice guy who hates only you

Academic rivals except it’s two teachers who compete to have the best class

Divorce of convenience

Too much communication

True hate’s kiss (only kissing your enemy can break a curse)

Dating your enemy’s sibling

Lovers to enemies

Hate at first sight

Love triangle where the two love interests get together instead

Fake amnesia

Soulmates who are fated to kill each other

Strangers to enemies

Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren’t actually dating

Too hot to cuddle

Love interest CEO is a himbo/bimbo who runs their company into the ground

Nursing home au

[seraphtrevs]

STOP no more live-action remakes. We're going the other way now. Animated Casablanca. Animated The Godfather. Animated Oppenheimer. Animated Fight Club.

[emmafenton]

The great tragedy of being creative is that it's simply impossible to fully develop every single idea you'll ever have. I have over 50 book ideas in my WIP folder, and I was struck by two more in the past two weeks alone, and even if I somehow learn to write faster, it will still--at the most optimistic best--probably take me a decade or two to write them all. And in the meantime, I will be coming up with more book ideas, and the cycle repeats endlessly.

Of course, that's the great joy of it, too.

[emmafenton]

I actually organized all my WIP files the other day and realized I have over 50 story ideas in various stages of production--and I usually come up with another 2-3 per month--so like...I cannot be taking 5 years to write a single book anymore or I won't have time for even half of them to see the light of day

[wordfather]

i am not immune to the cute awkward sidekick. the pretty eyes and horribly timed comedic comments enchant me

[ad-wills]

[ad-wills]

"is this too cliche?" who cares? bro, write what you have fun writing. stuff your manuscript full of your favourite tropes. the same themes you love. all inspired by things you grew up with. do it all. go off. load. it. up. be freeeee

[sourdough-seal]

“omg you’re so creative. how do you get your ideas” i hallucinate a single scene in the taco bell drive thru and then spend 13 months trying to write it

[writing-prompt-s]

“Vampire help hotline, what can I do for you?” “I just… I miss garlic bread…”

[wingydings]

“Today I forgive myself. Not just once. Again, and again, and again. As many times as it takes to find peace.”

— Unknown (via heavyrain-dc)

[noodledesk]

The Best [advice]: The best writing advice I ever received was in a fortune cookie that said: “the work teaches you how to do it.” The work, the art, whatever you wish to create, is the best teacher—an organizing intelligence begins to reveal itself only when you start writing. So get to work! The second best writing advice is Goethe’s “do not hurry; do not rest.” 

Naheed Phiroze Patel, 10 Asian American writers on the best (and worst) advice they’ve ever received. (by Katie Yee)

[emmafenton]

10 Words/Phrases Tag

Inspired to do this by @mgcorvo-author – I’m so excited about this :)

Rules: List 10 words/phrases that have something to do with your work(s) in progress and then tag 10 people to do the same.

Doing this for The Hunted Queen (sequel to Throne of Shadows):

Questing Road-trip

Invented Mythology

Pirates

Deals with Demons

Magic

Heists

Elaborate Disguises

Found Family

Sword-fights

Lady Knights

If you see this post and you’re like, “I really want to do this,” boom, consider yourself tagged – and please tag me so I can see the 10 words/phrases you’re using to describe your WIP!

[joytri]

[emmafenton]

I hate the idea that certain tropes and cliches and story-lines are overused. Been-there-done-that. #Cancelled. The reality is that under-represented groups have rarely, if ever, gotten to see themselves written as a part of a vampire/werewolf love-triangle, or the swashbuckling adventurer in a fantasy novel, or the hero of a dystopian world. 

And even if that weren’t true–even if there had always been equal representation of POC and LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities and so on–these tropes and cliches still wouldn’t be tired because guess what? There’s an audience for everything. 

There are people who read The Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner, and Divergent who still want more teen-driven dystopian adventures. There are people who devoured Twilight, and Vampire Diaries, and True Blood who still want more vampire/supernatural romances. The Harry Potter fandom is ravenous for more magical shenanigans. 

The point is, don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t bother writing something just because it’s been done a hundred times before. If you want to write it, chances are there are at least a few thousand people who might want to read it. 

[lova-writes]

Always fun when two characters start bickering and reveal a detail about one of them that even I, their writer, didn’t know about.

[emmafenton]

So this was a trend going around on twitter a few days ago, but anyway I made a Netflix Original aesthetic for my book, Throne of Shadows. 

*all photos are from pixabay or unsplash