Writer of Dorks

Hiya! I'm Meri, a nonbinary author and artist writing an lgbt+ comedic fantasy series about artists and carnival performers. I tag my posts about this "Unexpected Inspiration series". App/mobile-friendly series stuff: Main Character Info / Secondary Character Info / Series & WIP Info / Links to the short stories / I love being tagged in tag games and writing asks! You can also tag me in posts about your WIPs. You can find my art tumblr @elflingcreations

[merigreenleaf]

Hiya! I'm Meri, a nonbinary ace chronically ill disaster. I’ve been writing pretty steadily since college, which doesn’t sound like much until I say that college was fifteen years ago lol. I found my niche in humor all those eons ago and eventually settled comfortably into lighthearted fantasy that stretches the definition of fantasy. I've been a writeblr for years, but after an unplanned hiatus that lasted a year and a half thanks to Life, I've found that most of my writer mutuals have vanished from tumblr. So I'm looking for new, active writeblrs to follow!

What I post: Pretty much only writing-- stuff from my series like short stories, moodboards, world building, character ramblings. I'll also frequently reblog and boost stuff that other writeblrs are working on, as well as writing advice, writing resources, generally helpful stuff. I try to keep my blog a positive, supportive place. :)

My WIP - the Unexpected Inspiration series:

high fantasy (technically) set in a contemporary world. Imagine if instead of steampunk or Earth history, technology had been powered by magic and then progressed to a time period equivalent to now.

but with paranormal! And aliens! I got ghosts and shadows in the main crew, as well as characters who are basically mediums. Then there's the multiple planets thing (and should I mention the parallel universes thing?), although most people on my main world don’t realize that Aliens Walk Amongst Them.

New Adult (probably) with characters ranging from 19-32. (Ignore the immortal ones who also share the single brain cell the cast possesses.)

lighthearted and fun! But not like, parodies that exist just to be a parody or to tell terrible puns (although my MC loves terrible puns). It’s optimistic, fun adventures with characters who love causing mischief and being sarcastic, but there’s also Serious Plot Business going on.

genre? I don't know her. My series sandbox looks more like an M. C. Escher painting than, ya know, a box. If you walk far enough, dig deep enough, well, you’ll probably be upside down, but also in a different genre than you started in.

tropes of found family, ragtag bunch of misfits, and the power of friendship. I eat those up. The characters realize that the most unexpected people can be the best kind of family, even if you do want to strangle them sometimes.

a cast full of lgbt+ characters. There’s gotta be a token straight character in here somewhere, but I haven’t found them. Also diverse characters and accurate (and not insulting/mocking) portrayals of disabilities/mental illnesses.

not your typical adventurers. The characters are mainly artists, inventors, and carnival performers who end up in way over their heads.

world building heck yeah. Also a magic system based around types of art/crafting. 

Want more info? I tag all series posts with “unexpected inspirations series”. I’ve got posts about the characters and series if you’re on mobile, or pages for characters and the series if you’re not. I also have a ton of moodboards full of info about the series, worldbuilding, and characters-- there’s an index page for them here and you can find them under the tag “unexpected inspiration aesthetic”. If you’d like to read the short stories in the series, I have links to a whole bunch here.

What I'm interested in: I'm a fan of speculative fiction (fantasy, scifi, superheroes, alternate history, adventure, paranormal/supernatural stuff) and I'm a sucker for anything that's found family or lighthearted/humor/optimistic/etc, but honestly, your genre really doesn't matter and I’m always looking for something different. :D

There is an exception, though. I can't handle gore or excessive violence and abuse is iffy for me, so that's something I can't read (or see, if it's in like moodboard/visual form). Content warnings/tags are my friend in these cases.

I'm way big on talking to other writers about their projects, be it through DMs or asks or reblogs/replies. I love being tagged in tag games and writeblr project posts. Basically if you give me a follow, you’re always welcome to come say hi! And if you'd like to, send your WIP project/character pages my way (let me know if it has content warnings, though) so I can be nosy and see what cool stuff writeblr is doing.

So please reblog this, pass it around, and refill my dash. I have no idea where all those vanished writers went, but I hope they’re doing well.

[merigreenleaf]

Colorweaver (Book 1) antagonist fic thing

(It’s been something like two years since I wrote any new words. I’ve worked on the series off and on, but struggled hard with brain fog, and narrative? Wasn’t happening. But I’m back to working on book 1 and I have a sneaking suspicion that this draft is going to need a lot more pantsing than I, as an obsessive planner, have used before. Today I pushed myself to start at the very beginning, before book 1 actually starts, to pull this from the antagonist’s POV. Probably all spoilers, but eh, that’s okay. I’ve never hid that Feren was an ass lol)

Feren scowled at his once-muse from the other side of the street. It didn't matter that he wasn't trying to hide. Adair was the most oblivious person on the planet. Besides, flirting with that dopey-looking Protectorate would take all of his focus. Once Adair got on a roll with his puns, he wouldn't stop for anything. Feren knew this all too well. He was also pretty sure he knew the Protectorate, but not well enough to remember his name. This guy truly was a nobody.

The Protectorate laughed, obviously trying to get Adair to take him upstairs. Feren's scowl turned into a glare. Adair was his, even if he technically wasn't.

(More)

Feren had done everything right. He kept an eye on Adair to make sure none of his dates or friends-- it was never easy to tell which, with Adair-- took advantage of his naivety. He gave Adair space. Not that all the space was intentional. It had taken Feren weeks to find out that Adair was working on his grad project in Silveridge. He'd only found out because something tugged at him one night. He'd dropped the mop in his hands and rushed out the door to see Adair munching away at something as he turned the corner. So Nina had known Adair was around and hadn't bothered to tell him. Typical.

Somehow he always knew when Adair was close. Once he'd assumed it was a sentinel link forming early, but that was disproved when Adair broke up with him. Not the first or second time. Feren still held out hope then. But by the fifth time, he knew. Whatever it was that connected him to Adair wasn't a link. Nina would call it obsession and she would be wrong. It was simply watching out for someone he cared about.

So Feren gave Adair time to come to his senses and come back, like he'd always done before. Only this time he didn't. He was avoiding him. He had to be. That was the only explanation for not staying at the Artisans' guild, where Feren studied. Why pay for a room to rent when the guild was free? Who was paying for it, anyway? Amateur artists couldn't earn money, or at least they weren't supposed to. They were supposed to save their weaving for their project. Adair could be selling his mundane art, but frankly he wasn't that good. Feren could have done better, given the chance. If Nina was giving Adair money for something stupid like this, Feren was going to have words with her. They barely made ends meet at the cafe as it was. Sure, it looked like it was bustling, but it was just a place where low-ranking Protectorates-- like the loser Adair was grinning at-- hung out. She could have been assigned a better place where Feren wouldn't have to work if she'd just waited a few more years. But no. She jumped at the promotion as soon as she'd reached novice.

It wasn't fair. Feren should have had weaving like Adair and Nina. He came from a long line of Colorweavers and Savorweavers, after all. He didn't really want the stupid power and it seemed like it was more trouble than it was worth, but it would have meant more status than working as a glorified busboy and barista. And Adair had no right to be seeing other people, not when he knew Feren was right here. Well, not right here, right here. Feren checked again. No, he and the Protectorate were still giggling.

The flirting didn't matter because Feren had a plan. It was foolproof and a perfect way to get Adair to stay in Silveridge longer, which would give Adair time to come to his senses. If he could take Adair's project-- only to keep it safer than those useless Protectorates could-- Adair would see that he needed a reliable muse to look out for him. He had a plan laid out and everything. It would just be a simple matter of disabling the inn's alarm system. This would be a cinch. For once, Feren being so weaving-null that he practically came around the other side would be something other than a flaw. All he had to do was wait for Adair's "friend" to leave.

[merigreenleaf]

Well, this wasn't how I was planning on spending the next few weeks. I broke my arm yesterday and have surgery scheduled for it next week.

My daily art goal is going to be pushed aside for a while, which sucks, but I'm going to try to work on writing since that's the easiest thing I can do one handed. Once the pain starts to go away, anyway. I'm very grateful it was my left arm and not right!

I guess I'm going to be getting back into reading, too, but dang am I already bored without being able to do art. I'm not big on watching shows or movies because my hands need to be busy at the same time and obviously they can't be right now. Tablet games get boring after a while.

Anyone got some good ideas of how I could keep boredom away? Especially now, when it hurts too much to really move around? And I don't have much brains to focus on things because of the pain and meds?

[merigreenleaf]

I’m really struggling to get back into writing. I think it’s a combo of low spoons/brain fog and being away from it for so long. It’s almost like my brain has forgotten what it’s like to think about writing and goes and thinks about other things instead. 

Do people on tumblr still do the day of the week ask type things? I’m thinking something like that might be a way to get my head back into my series. I know World Building Wednesday is still going, without much activity, unfortunately– I’m wondering if other people are in my boat.

How do you other writers get back your inspiration when it feels so out of reach? Or when it’s been so long?

[toboldlywrite]

I was in the same boat at one point thanks to a mental health break and yeah it was a struggle pulling myself back up. I think what helped me a lot was doing some prompts. I’m pretty sure that there is a plot list out there somewhere for every single month. And if you’re not sure what character(s) to write about, I like using a random number generator. Or even finding prompts that have nothing to do with your current works as a bit of an exercise. Also maybe try doing inspiration stuff. Playlists. Moodboards. Pinterest. Picrews. I like listening to music and going for walks and then ideas tend to magically fall into my head.

(I’ve been thinking of starting up posting coloring app pics as prompts again too idk if anyone would be interested in that).

[viridis-writes-deactivated20221]

I totally agree, like anything writing is a learned skill, a craft, a practice. When we step away from it we sort of have to do some sketches like artists to get back into the groove of things. Try some prompts or just write down whatever your thinking and go from there, even if it’s “I don’t know what to write.”

[merigreenleaf]

That's very true. Goodness knows when I came back to art, I was rusty as heck and hard to feel inspired. I've been doing a personal art challenge to make a thing everyday and I'm about a month in and going strong now, although it took a while to find that groove. I should do the same thing with writing and try to do something small everyday.

[merigreenleaf]

I’m really struggling to get back into writing. I think it’s a combo of low spoons/brain fog and being away from it for so long. It’s almost like my brain has forgotten what it’s like to think about writing and goes and thinks about other things instead. 

Do people on tumblr still do the day of the week ask type things? I’m thinking something like that might be a way to get my head back into my series. I know World Building Wednesday is still going, without much activity, unfortunately– I’m wondering if other people are in my boat.

How do you other writers get back your inspiration when it feels so out of reach? Or when it’s been so long?

[toboldlywrite]

I was in the same boat at one point thanks to a mental health break and yeah it was a struggle pulling myself back up. I think what helped me a lot was doing some prompts. I’m pretty sure that there is a plot list out there somewhere for every single month. And if you’re not sure what character(s) to write about, I like using a random number generator. Or even finding prompts that have nothing to do with your current works as a bit of an exercise. Also maybe try doing inspiration stuff. Playlists. Moodboards. Pinterest. Picrews. I like listening to music and going for walks and then ideas tend to magically fall into my head.

(I’ve been thinking of starting up posting coloring app pics as prompts again too idk if anyone would be interested in that).

[merigreenleaf]

These ideas are great, thank you! I used to do short stories and pinterest and moodboards a lot, so maybe that's something to get into again. And going for a walk would be smart, I tend to be inspired when I'm outdoors. I think I need to find a nice park somewhere and make that my writing spot. I used to do that, but then I moved and haven't found a good spot yet.

[merigreenleaf]

I’m really struggling to get back into writing. I think it’s a combo of low spoons/brain fog and being away from it for so long. It’s almost like my brain has forgotten what it’s like to think about writing and goes and thinks about other things instead. 

Do people on tumblr still do the day of the week ask type things? I’m thinking something like that might be a way to get my head back into my series. I know World Building Wednesday is still going, without much activity, unfortunately– I’m wondering if other people are in my boat.

How do you other writers get back your inspiration when it feels so out of reach? Or when it’s been so long?

[pheita]

Hi Meri, good to see you again.  Yeah, technically the weekly asks are still a thing but somehow it died down because of *waves in general direction*  lots of folks struggle with education in these times and /or with their mental health.  The longest I had been away from writing was…. 6/7 years? I don’t know exactly when I stopped writing. I had no stories to finish or at least I didn’t remember any of them lol, but I just started to write whatever came to my mind. Maybe doing some short things like flashfiction could help?  I mean flashfictionfriday is still a thing and two months ago I started the monthly magic challenge. 

[merigreenleaf]

Aha, I figured it might be that. Like if it's hitting me, probably others are in that boat, too.

I think you're right. It probably would be smarter to start with something small, rather than the books themselves. Especially since I'm basically rebooting book one and starting over with it, and book two is in limbo until I work that out. That's way too much for me to brain right now.

[raevenlywrites]

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! Let's talk Fate! I wanna know about everything: deities of fate, gambler's games, superstitions--anything and everything related to destiny and luck. This is an open ask, for anyone to answer! For more open asks, check out@worldbuildingwedasks

[merigreenleaf]

It’s kind of weird in my writing. I have canon soulmates as a running theme, but fate isn't involved. Soulmates are to balance magic and keep a person from using too much of their energy or losing control over it.

In Concordia, my main culture/country, you make the choice of who you want to be what’s essentially your soulmate. This usually just happens when someone’s magic is strong enough to need the empathetic link, so not everyone with magic ends up linked. Traditionally it’s a romantic triad of two people with magic and one sentinel, which is a bodyguard of sorts. Things have become far less dangerous the past few generations, so mostly the sentinel takes care of their artists’ art, guarding it from thieves and also selling it. It doesn’t always have to be three, it doesn’t always have to be a romantic relationship, and it doesn’t always have to be two artists, but there does always have to be at least one person who can do the protection side of the link. The link is granted through a series of tests to determine if the artist is ready to advance with their magic, while also testing the loyalty and devotion the usually-triad has to each other. It doesn’t have to happen via tests, but since things have become so safe, it kind of gives a mock dangerous situation for the link to spark.

(Fun fact: My five main dorks spark this link entirely by accident. They’re definitely exceptions to the rule, considering it is usually three, usually romantic, and doesn’t usually happen on an oops.)

My other cultures have balance with magic, too. Like my Salamanders, the lizard people who have some shapeshifting ability and can control fire, have a connection to a sibling. Usually Salmanders are born as twins in that both parents get pregnant at the same time, but occasionally someone else is chosen to be a sibling, particularly if the one passes away later in life, but there isn’t always another person to bond with. This is less than ideal. 

And in Montglace, the country where magic is only inside the temples of light and shadow, it’s supposed to be that people from both temples work together so that there’s an overall balance between the two kinds of magic. What’s been happening lately is an imbalance, though, because there’s been something of a falling out between the temples. Magic is less than stable there as a result and control over their elementals can be somewhat iffy. 

I kinda veered off topic, but soulmates are my favorite trope ever. I love twisting the trope around so it isn’t like, fated to be with someone romantically. :)

[merigreenleaf]

I’m really struggling to get back into writing. I think it’s a combo of low spoons/brain fog and being away from it for so long. It’s almost like my brain has forgotten what it’s like to think about writing and goes and thinks about other things instead. 

Do people on tumblr still do the day of the week ask type things? I’m thinking something like that might be a way to get my head back into my series. I know World Building Wednesday is still going, without much activity, unfortunately-- I’m wondering if other people are in my boat.

How do you other writers get back your inspiration when it feels so out of reach? Or when it’s been so long?

[elflingcreations]

I saw one of my friends doing a challenge to draw a fox every day and I think I'm going to jump on this because foxes are my favorite animal. 🦊 I'm probably not going to do every day because I want to make sure I work on painting, too, but I'll try at least some of the themes. I've never drawn anything other than realistic by looking off photos, so it'll be a challenge to do fantastical things. Maybe by the end of the month I'll be better at drawing creatively. 🤞

I sketched this out on drawing paper then traced it onto bristol for coloring in. The photo lost some of the shading, but that's okay. I think it's maybe the second time I've drawn a fox and the fourth animal total, so I'm really happy with this. I especially like how the eyes turned out. (Since I've been drawing as an adult, I mean. As a kid I obviously drew animals, so call it my fourth animal in the last 25 years lol)

[merigreenleaf]

Sharing this here because I'm super proud of how this drawing turned out

[elflingcreations]

Today I finished up the galaxy painting from the other day using my writing world's constellations. Or the ones that fit in the circle, anyway. 🎨

I'm not happy with this ink, though, and I have a feeling I got a bad bottle from the craft store. I see people using this brand of ink all the time and it works for them, whereas if I do it thin it doesn't show up at all and if I do it thicker it sucks up the paint from under it and changes color completely. (The white is more pink than it looks on the picture.) It's like it's too watery. I've had problems with clay from the craft store being old and hard, so I have the sneaking suspicion this is an old bottle, especially since when I got it, the eyedropper was clogged with dry ink. I suppose it could be because I don't have the best quality watercolor, but I doubt that would make the ink go clear. But at least it looks okay in the photo?

[merigreenleaf]

Reblogging this here because it’s another painting I did of my writing world’s sky. :)

[merigreenleaf]

I've been having trouble getting back into writing, so it felt really good today to work on book one. I know there are big changes I need to make to the plot and those hadn't been working right, but I think I'm heading in the right direction now. I hope. The main plot got changed to something kinda similar, but different enough that the next draft is going to need to be outlined from scratch. Which is why I was getting stuck. I kept trying to make the new plot work with the old outline.

Also brainstorming while sitting in a pile of art books feels so right. Both because I'm getting back into art and because the Adair's the main character of book one, with the whole being an artist and arcane painter thing.

[myhusbandsasemni]

Gilbert!! Bby!! 

From Plains, Ether, Hearth. I did draw this myself. I’m really proud that I was able to make the character look like he belonged in the environment. I love him. Soft bby.

Plains, Ether, Hearth taglist

@dowings​ @creativewritergirl1​ @artrayasnow93​ @extraisthmus​ @mouwwie​ @merigreenleaf​ @inkchantress​ @writeblrfantasy​ @thethistlegirlwrites​ @doubi-ixi​ @thepotatowriter​

[merigreenleaf]

Yesterday was my happy place. I got to go to the lake at the state park with my family and just relax. I even worked on some writing ideas, which is big when my brain fog has been awful. I realized that all the changes I was making to book one to try to streamline it are causing more problems than they're fixing, though. I'm not really sure what to do with this book, so I think I need to look at the story less specifically. If I can go back to knowing what the key points have to be, the solution might be obvious.

Poor Talan and Rosalie are stuck in a revolving door as I try to figure out if they need to be in here or not. I think taking them out is what's making things fall apart, even though they both feel like extras I don't necessarily need. So we'll see.

[ageekyreader]

I keep thinking about starting to post on here again and I WANT to do it for a lot of reasons. BUT what is time?! I don't think free time and energy are things that actually exist. I've heard rumors, but recent evidence says no.

[merigreenleaf]

Same. What even is energy? Don't know her.

[merigreenleaf]

Working on the series for the first time in what feels like an eternity. Realized my huge newsprint sketchbook is perfect for this outlining. I don't want to take down the outline for the next book that's on my huge whiteboard, and I wasn't currently using this sketchbook. I think I'm going to try to pin it to the whiteboard, though, so I can have both outlines handy.

I think I found a way to make the time travel subplot work, so we'll see! I'm going to write out the main plot next to make sure the two plots intersect.

Also cat help. Not my cat, but she wants to help anyway.

[merigreenleaf]

Yeah, that idea worked out pretty well. :-)

[merigreenleaf]

Working on the series for the first time in what feels like an eternity. Realized my huge newsprint sketchbook is perfect for this outlining. I don't want to take down the outline for the next book that's on my huge whiteboard, and I wasn't currently using this sketchbook. I think I'm going to try to pin it to the whiteboard, though, so I can have both outlines handy.

I think I found a way to make the time travel subplot work, so we'll see! I'm going to write out the main plot next to make sure the two plots intersect.

Also cat help. Not my cat, but she wants to help anyway.

[elflingcreations]

I'm so happy with how this painting turned out today! 🎨 I did an online lesson to learn this one. I honestly didn't think the masking fluid would work this well on my paper, considering it's just a cheap Canson pad. After stuggling so hard with negative space yesterday, I love masking fluid much more because at this point it's much easier to do. I did mess up my old brushes with it, though, so I think I might buy a pen thing for it. I'm glad I listened to the lesson and used old brushes, though!

We were supposed to experiment with it to take advantage of the masking fluid, so I splattered gold ink at the top. (I couldn't really capture the shine in the photos.) At the bottom I used Epsom salt to get a texture since I've been wanting to try that out, too. The last picture is what it looked like as it was drying, with the salt and masking fluid still on it.

[merigreenleaf]

Reblogging this particular art because I really love how it turned out. :-)