writing blog under construction

[mister-writes]

....Hey.

New year, new me, I guess? A month late?

For those of you who don't remember me, hi, I'm mister-writes. For those of you who DO remember me, hello also.

It's been a while since my last posts. I got a new job, got a busier schedule, and just kind of let this blog fall on the back burner for a while. But tbh, I've missed my writingposting, so here I am again, finally!

It's been long enough that I think I'm going to do a re-intro:

Hello. I'm mister-writes. I go back and forth about having a nickname but right at the moment I'm changing my Official Tumblr Nickname to Gull. Why? I don't know. I just like gulls. Pronouns she/her.

Writing Things: My current project is Drift, an ocean-based YA fantasy. I'm tangentially working on editing another piece called Wildblood, so you might hear about both of them haha.

I mostly write fantasy and the occasional sci-fi, mostly YA but sometimes adult as well!

Tag games: I do love to be tagged in these!!!!! I am going to be completely upfront with you though, I was noooot at all good at doing these myself back when I was on here. So if you tag me, know that I would LOVE to see and rb your work, but that it might take a long time for me to actually do the game myself, if I do it at all 😅

Other Things About Me: Besides writing, I'm into crochet, birding, and other old lady activities. I have an assortment of succulents and a couple tanks of isopods at my apartment that I might post about as well because I think they're cute.

Nice to meet you/reintroduce myself, writeblr! I'll try to keep it up this time!

[heywriters]

Character motivation advice? I need my character to be in a city for reasons relevant to the plot, but I feel his motivations for being there are weak (especially considering he has family in another country). I’m trying to write more character-driven than plot driven, but I don’t know how to strengthen his motivations

Going on the assumption your character resides in this city and isn't just a visitor, I've compiled a list of ideas.

Reasons A Character May Live in a City

1. work—either it's the best place to succeed in his chosen career, he has strong financial ties to a physical place of business there and cannot commute, his primary customer base lives there, or wages are high there

2. education—his preferred school, university, intern/apprenticeship, etc. exists in the city

3. relationships—he made friends there, or friends have moved there, or there is/was a romantic interest there that drew him to the city

4. circumstance—whether he used to go to school, work, or live with friends/lovers in the city but that's now all in the past, he's settled down and doesn't feel leaving would be worth it

5. family—either he likes independence from his family, needs to be away from them due to conflict/trauma, or earns money in the city that he sends back to them

6. medical—he or a nearby loved one has to stay near a hospital or other medical center in this particular city for their own health

7. culture/lifestyle—he just likes it there. his "people" live there and not in his home country. maybe his personal tastes and interests are better catered to in this city than anywhere else.

—

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[fragmentedink]

writing mood™️

[kiramartinauthor]

WHY YOU SHOULD WRITE HORRIBLY:

1. You’ll never write anything if you don’t

[gjdraws]

[ltwilliammowett]

1. Ketsch- a vessel with two masts, the front main mast and the aft mizzen mast, which is getting smaller and smaller. The ketch has its mizzen mast within the (construction) waterline.

2. Schooner- a schooner is a sailing ship which has two or more masts, has scraper sails as main sails on all masts and whose foremost mast is lower than (one) the aft mast(s).

3. Topsail schooner - This term describes the rigging of the ship, not the type of ship. It is a two- or three-masted sailing vessel rigged primarily with fore-and-aft sails (gaff mainsail and staysails) but featuring one or more square topsails on the foremast.

4. Brigantine - a brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts.

5. Brig- A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part of the 19th century.

6. Barkentine - while a full-rigged ship is square-rigged on all three masts, and the barque is square-rigged except for the mizzen-mast, the barquentine extends the principle by making only the foremast square-rigged.

7. Bark - a barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-masted barques) is rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, bearing a square-rigged sail above.

8. Full rigged ship - a full-rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel with a sail plan of three or more masts, all of them square-rigged. Such a vessel is said to have a ship rig or be ship-rigged, with each mast stepped in three segments: lower, top, and topgallant.

9. Ewer - classic fishing and transport vessel of the Lower Elbe with flat bottom and side swords. It is rigged as single mast as well as one and a half mast.

10. Galeass- mostly a two-masted coastal sailer, ketch rigged, especially common in the Baltic Sea. Length rarely over 20 meters.

11. Tjalk - old East Frisian-Dutch coastal vessels with flat bottom, side swords and round ship ends. Rigging as one or one and a half master. Still common in the Netherlands.

12. Cutter - is a single-masted rig with two or more foresails – typically a jib and a staysail

[gothredy]

[sparrowlucero]

the befouler of our crops

[samimarkart]

Finally, some new art! Really had fun with the colors on this one, feels the complete opposite of the rainy spring I’m experiencing right now 🌧️

[soulofthedeep]

Sea’s rough today

[sesiondemadrugada]

Erin Vest.

[theforsakenprince]

Bet it feels good as fuckkk to rest your hand on the pommel of your sword when the newcomer steps a little too close to your lord who you’ve sworn to protect with your life

[literaticat]

Hi Jenn! Can you please share your view on green, yellow, orange, and red flags in agents and/or publishers?

oy, that's a lotta flags, babe. I'll do red, because it has an emoji.

🚩 they charge you money. whether it's a so-called "reading fee" or "editing fee" or whatever, it should not cost you money to have your query considered or to be repped by an agent. we get paid when we sell your book out of the money you earn from that book -- we don't get a thin dime before that! And publishers, same thing - some publishers have very low advances, or even NO advance, and maybe that's fine -- but if they are making YOU pay, that's a major red flag. (If you are going to pay to be published - why not just SELF-PUBLISH and keep all the profits! What are they doing for you that you couldn't do yourself?)

🚩 the head of the agency/publisher has no tangible experience in publishing. A new agent might just not have sales yet, and that's fine if they are at a good, reputable agency -- but if the head of the agency is inexperienced, it's the blind leading the blind! IMO, somebody without many years of experience either as an agent at a good agency, or at least as an editor or rights person or similar position at a good publisher, should not be starting an agency. Full stop. Same with publishers -- if some random person is starting their own publishing company, I would be very dubious unless they clearly have years (DECADES) of relevant experience. "I just really love books!" is not a business plan.

🚩Their website doesn't list books they have worked on, or all the books look like a third grader designed them. Real agents and publishers LOVE to brag about their authors and books. If somebody is saying they should represent you or you should let them publish your book, but you've never heard of any of the other books they've done, they aren't available in regular bookstores, they look like monstrosities, or you can't find evidence of them at all, that's a problem.

🚩They have reached out to you out of the blue, rather than your querying them. Now, IF you, say, have an amazing instagram account where you post beautiful artwork, it would not be weird for an agent to reach out to say that they admire it and to ask if you have an agent. IF you have a story published in The New Yorker or something like that, or some kind of awesome video go viral that would make a great book, or you just won an olympic gold medal and you have an awesome backstory, it would not be particularly weird for an agent or a publisher to reach out and want to chat about that. THAT is NOT out of the blue, that's contacting you for a reason!

HOWEVER. It's still a pretty slim chance that agents/publishers would reach out even then, and it's vanishingly unlikely that any agent or publisher would reach out to you WITHOUT a reason like that. We just don't sign new authors in that way!

There are a LOT of scam emails going around - I literally get them every day for some reason, and I know my clients do, too, so I am guessing authors who are querying get them just as often! Many of these letters purport to be from real publishers or agencies. HOWEVER, they are clearly AI generated, often full of weird effusive praise and strange turns of phrase, the person's name is often misspelled or is different from the email address, which is often just some random gmail address rather than the real domain of a company, the links don't go where they are supposed to go, ETC. These impersonators want to get money out of you, and I guess it must work some of the time, because they aren't stopping or even slowing down!

.... meanwhile,

Green flags would be like... not doing those things? You know, they are just normal? You look them up, they are real, they obviously work on great books that you have heard of and can buy in the bookstore? They have experience and sales and their website is fine and they don't misspell their own name? They don't ask for money, in fact, they want to give YOU money? THOSE ARE GREEN FLAGS.

(I'm sure there are LOTS more red and green flags, but those are biggies. IDK what orange or yellow would be, or at least, I can't think of any right now. If you give me a scenario I can tell you a flag color lol.)

[cloakedpress]

how to write characters that feel like real people and not NPCs in your brain

You ever read a book and think “this character would survive maybe five minutes in a real conversation”? Yeah. Let’s avoid that. Here’s how to make your fictional friends feel real:

everyone wants something

Even if it’s small. Even if it’s stupid. Every character—from your MC to the one-line barista—should want something. A promotion. Revenge. A nap. World domination. That want shapes how they act.

give them contradictions

Humans are messy. Let your characters be brave and terrified, kind but petty, loyal but deeply in denial. That tension? That’s where the magic lives.

let them make bad choices

If your character is right all the time, they’re either boring or a liar. People mess up. Let your character mess up in ways that feel true to them, not just to move the plot.

interior life > cool dialogue

Quippy one-liners are fun, but what’s going on underneath? What are they afraid to say out loud? What thoughts would they take to the grave? That’s what makes a character feel alive.

how do they show emotion?

Not everyone cries when sad. Some get mean. Some go quiet. Some rearrange their bookshelves obsessively. Find their emotional language.

backstory = spice, not soup

You don’t need a 12-page trauma dump to make a character real. Drip in bits of their past when it matters. Let it shape them quietly.

voice matters

Everyone shouldn’t sound like you. Think about how your character talks. What words do they overuse? Do they ramble? Are they blunt? What don’t they say?

tl;dr: believable characters aren’t perfect—they’re specific. They’ve got fears, flaws, favorite snacks, weird opinions, and conflicting goals. Make them messy. Make them human.

[thehmn]

In Copenhagen you can visit The Round Tower. It used to be an astronomical observatory until light pollution and the vibrations from increased traffic in the streets made it useless for its original purpose.

Today it’s mostly famous for what it looks like on the inside.

It has an equestrian staircase though it’s so smooth it’s really just a gentle slope more than a staircase. It was build like that so our lazy bum king could ride his horse all the way to the top (king not in photo)

And naturally people have also driven cars up the tower

And held a bike race

For a while it was just sort of abandoned by the authorities and became a sloping marketplace

But today it has been restored and become a tourist spot as well as a popular destination for school trips. And yes, you can still watch the cosmos at the top.

[writerthreads]

How to avoid White Room Syndrome

by Writerthreads on Instagram

A common problem writers face is "white room syndrome"—when scenes feel like they’re happening in an empty white room. To avoid this, it's important to describe settings in a way that makes them feel real and alive, without overloading readers with too much detail. Here are a few tips below to help!

Focus on a few key details

You don’t need to describe everything in the scene—just pick a couple of specific, memorable details to bring the setting to life. Maybe it’s the creaky floorboards in an old house, the musty smell of a forgotten attic, or the soft hum of a refrigerator in a small kitchen. These little details help anchor the scene and give readers something to picture, without dragging the action with heaps of descriptions.

Engage the senses

Instead of just focusing on what characters can see, try to incorporate all five senses—what do they hear, smell, feel, or even taste? Describe the smell of fresh bread from a nearby bakery, or the damp chill of a foggy morning. This adds a lot of depth and make the location feel more real and imaginable.

Mix descriptions with actions

Have characters interact with the environment. How do your characters move through the space? Are they brushing their hands over a dusty bookshelf, shuffling through fallen leaves, or squeezing through a crowded subway car? Instead of dumping a paragraph of description, mix it in with the action or dialogue.

Use the setting to reflect a mood or theme

Sometimes, the setting can do more than just provide a backdrop—it can reinforce the mood of a scene or even reflect a theme in the story. A stormy night might enhance tension, while a warm, sunny day might highlight a moment of peace. The environment can add an extra layer to what’s happening symbolically.

Here's an example of writing a description that hopefully feels alive and realistic, without dragging the action:

The bookstore was tucked between two brick buildings, its faded sign creaking with every gust of wind. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of worn paper and dust, mingling with the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee from a corner café down the street. The wooden floorboards groaned as Ella wandered between the shelves, her fingertips brushing the spines of forgotten novels. Somewhere in the back, the soft sound of jazz crackled from an ancient radio.

Hope these tips help in your writing!

[fixyourwritinghabits]

So I did want to talk about the novel Shy Girl being yanked from publication over accusations of being AI written, and while there is a great deal of different takes on the matter, I think two things are important to remember:

AI detection software is notoriously bad and cannot be relied on.

There are some really basic things you can do to keep your writing genuine (review, revise, and get feedback being a good start) and while it's important to recognize AI writing when it's used, it's also not that hard to spot.

That said, you need to take steps to protect yourself. Use multiple drafts with trackable changes. Don't touch any writing assistance programs even for grammar corrections, because things like Grammarly instantly trigger AI detection software. Carefully vet editors and thoroughly review the changes they've made. A little bit of CYA goes a long way.

And two, if you are going to be traditionally published, you need an agent.

Listen, the query trenches are rougher than they've ever been. I'm right there with y'all. But a publisher can and will drop you for any reason. An agent helps protect and guide you through the process to avoid these situations to begin with.

From what I can find, Ballard did not have an agent. I don't know if she made any effort to get one. Even if a publisher wants to acquire your novel directly, the first thing you should do is get an agent. Without an agent to negotiate the contract, you are at risk.

That isn't to say an agent can't drop you as well. But an agent would have caught those red flags before they exploded. An agent will likely request a revision that is in your benefit to do. Without one, you're going in a system you cannot control completely blind.

(Okay, fine, here's my hot take - Ballard made some serious mistakes in self-publishing, like stealing her cover from Pinterest. There was also considerable feedback about AI-written passages before the book was traditionally published. She could have gotten ahead of this and an agent would have helped her to figure out how. You, innocent writer who has never touched AI and will research how to find and pay a cover artist and editor if self-publishing or getting an agent if trad publishing, do not have to obsess over this happening to you. You are smart and capable and can do this.)

[heywriters]

[suturesque]

vodun day, 2020 benin. julio sacristan