Just like that

On this blog, I'll be sharing whatever I wish. Honestly, that's the point of Tumblr anyway. Refer to me how you wish, he/she/it, I won't mind. I hope you like what I post.

[the-soot-sprite]

Places to Publish

Writing Resources Masterlist

Bookfunnel

Fantasy short story publishers

For Novice Writers: the quick test for Are You Being Scammed Or Not...

How to make a zine

How to publish an e-book: Kindle Edition!

Literary journals to submit to

Master List: Publishing

Oh fic Mag

Publishing guidelines

Publishing: Self vs Traditional Pros & Cons

What You Need To Hear Before You Publish A Book

[crossroadart-seabear]

There are a lot of words that could be used to describe Theo’s job (and he certainly uses them). ‘Boring’ is not one such word.

My links, because you’re allowed to make mistakes

[luminousslime]

WITH LOVE COOKIE SHOP

[txmriddlx]

Can you please reblog if your blog is a safe place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, non binary, demisexual or any other kind of queer or questioning people? Because mine is.

[perpetual-stories]

How to Write a Believable World: A Guide to Worldbuilding

Let’s just get to it!

What Is Worldbuilding?

Worldbuilding is the part of the writing process that sets up where your story takes place

When you build a world, you include the landscape that your characters will inhabit, the tone of your story, its major preoccupations and themes, as well as the nature of its morality

Worldbuilding lays the groundwork for your characters to develop, providing the stage for where your creations will perform.

It’s okay if you can’t answer every question there is about your world, but setting down the basics will help you start writing and building.

What Is the Purpose of Worldbuilding?

The purpose of worldbuilding for writers is to give their story structure and somewhere real to live.

starting point should be to establish the rules and boundaries of your imaginary world and how everything exists within it

8 Tips to Guide Your Worldbuilding Process

Decide where to start. Whether it’s the language spoken by the inhabitants or the apocalyptic landscape, pick the aspect of the world you’re most excited about exploring and start there.

List the rules and laws. The inhabitants who live in this world you’ve created will have their own independent existence. What is their governing system? Who is in charge? Do they use magic in this world? If so, who can use it, and how powerful is it? Setting up boundaries helps create a more realistic world that functions like a real one.

Establish the type of world you want. Pick a genre. Is this a dystopian or fantasy novel (or both)? Does it take place in our Earth or is it an alternate earth? Knowing this will help figure out the tone and mood of your world.

Describe the environment. What’s the weather like? How does it affect the world or planet? Are there natural disasters? Are there extreme temperatures? What natural resources exist in this location? How do people use the land? Establishing the environment and how it impacts the life within it can be a useful detail in the creation of your world.

Define the culture. What do the inhabitants of this universe believe in? Is there religion? Is there a God? Do they have any sacred customs? What do they celebrate? Breathe life into the characters who populate this location by giving them a meaningful existence.

Define the language. How do the inhabitants communicate? Is there a common tongue? Are there any ‘bad words’ that are off-limits? Knowing what can and can not be said in your world can be an apt source for conflict.

Identify the history. What is the history of this place you’ve created? Have there been any world wars? Do the countries within your world have enemies? Are there rival races? Is there a sole antagonist? Providing the backstory for your world can give it an added dimension and make it feel more tangible.8. Use existing works to inspire. Revisit the works of successful authors to get inspiration. Never steal ideas, but review the work of other fiction writers to see how they answer the same worldbuilding questions within their own novel writing.

Use existing works to inspire. Revisit the works of successful authors to get inspiration. Never steal ideas, but review the work of other fiction writers to see how they answer the same worldbuilding questions within their own novel writing.

Somethings to Consider:

Diversity exists everywhere or maybe not

Magic and powers have limit, what are they?

Figure out the technology and it’s availability to the characters and environment

What’s the government system like? Or if there isn’t one — why?

How strict are the rules?

Are people treated equally?

Where do people get their food / water from?

Are there basic commodities: schools, hospitals, etc

Are there jobs? Can anyone work?

What’s transportation like? How isolated is your world?

These are just somethings to consider of course there are many but it’s up to you to decide how detailed you want it!

Please like, follow and reblog if you find these useful!

[s-n-arly]

Skip Google for Research

As Google has worked to overtake the internet, its search algorithm has not just gotten worse.  It has been designed to prioritize advertisers and popular pages often times excluding pages and content that better matches your search terms 

As a writer in need of information for my stories, I find this unacceptable.  As a proponent of availability of information so the populace can actually educate itself, it is unforgivable.

Below is a concise list of useful research sites compiled by Edward Clark over on Facebook. I was familiar with some, but not all of these.

⁂

Google is so powerful that it “hides” other search systems from us. We just don’t know the existence of most of them. Meanwhile, there are still a huge number of excellent searchers in the world who specialize in books, science, other smart information. Keep a list of sites you never heard of.

www.refseek.com - Academic Resource Search. More than a billion sources: encyclopedia, monographies, magazines.

www.worldcat.org - a search for the contents of 20 thousand worldwide libraries. Find out where lies the nearest rare book you need.

https://link.springer.com - access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles, research protocols.

www.bioline.org.br is a library of scientific bioscience journals published in developing countries.

http://repec.org - volunteers from 102 countries have collected almost 4 million publications on economics and related science.

www.science.gov is an American state search engine on 2200+ scientific sites. More than 200 million articles are indexed.

www.pdfdrive.com is the largest website for free download of books in PDF format. Claiming over 225 million names.

www.base-search.net is one of the most powerful researches on academic studies texts. More than 100 million scientific documents, 70% of them are free

[chaoschaoswriting]

The only writing advice that matters is this:

Persist.

Against all odds, despite doubt and scorn, with joy in your heart,

Persist.

Fly in the face of common sense and refuse to grow old where it matters most - your mind and soul.

Persist.

[crossroadart-seabear]

A villain and her young henchmen.

He’s so fricken cute when he’s grumpy 😡 .

My Patreon (you can read the book here and be a fucking legend at the same time. Two for one.)

[crossroadart-seabear]

Have I introduced you guys to Rowan and Arley?

I suspect I have.

Well, here they are again. Centaur foals like ear and head scratches, Arley however is not a centaur foal. I’ll post some riding pictures another day, they’re disasters to look upon.

Patreon (you’ll be my actual fucking hero)

[rhys-kefechek]

Oh, god, I had such a dream in a two hour nap that made me so sad that I think I won't ever forget.

It starts with a pair of almost shrivelled up twins who are still alive, 1-2y approx. They have epilepsy and are connected at the head sharing neurological pathways, and it's impossible to have a surgery on them. One of the doctors watching it leaves, knowing the verdict, and not wanting to hear it.

I don't know how much time later, the doctor, I find it's a woman, encounters a similar case to the twins' epilepsy, and it's not in the same circumstances.

Two people a guy and a girl were hospitalised, girl due to her seizures, the boy because they thought he had a tumour in his brain.

They are put in the same room after finding out the specifics of the boy's actual circumstances. He is upset, but not angry. That's apparently his parents's job because they've been wailing about how he'll be dying, etc.

The girl in the bed next to his pulls down the guards on her bed that are for her safety and puts their beds together. He is still watching blankly at a wall until she grabs his arm.

He is forewarned that she doesn't know what personal boundaries are and that her mental functions are at about 12yo at best because of her epilepsy, and they have the same TYPE.

Will...he deteriorate like her? Become a child in adult's body?

But she's holding his hand, and he can't or won't do much against it. Someone is holding his hand at this point in time. He lies down, and she does too, and she, as if she knows that the little things matter, kisses his bruised knuckles (or just because she noticed they're a bit too purple from boxing), makes him want to cry.

He waits, and she falls asleep, and he lets silent tears fall until late, and falls asleep tired from crying.

Doctors keep quiet. His mother and father keep quiet. He plays with the girl who attached her bed to his. And nobody complains.

And one day, the doctors say that his parents will be leaving his future care in their hands, wanting to retreat and further themselves from the emotional pain this is causing them.

Of course, it's all paid for. Doctor does not have to say anything more.

His mood worsens, he separates the beds, harshly reprimands her when she tries to get too close, which is anything more than holding his hand.

He eats by himself, sits alone, sometimes not, if the girl has anything to say, but she's on the edge of the bench, Not Invading.

And it hurts. To be abandoned before you've finished university you were a National hope of because they'll find another soon. To be abandoned before you even tried your best at anything and everything you wished to achieve because boxing was never the beginning and an end. To be abandoned because you're not a star child anymore. So what the hell are you?

One day your legs your legs just don't work. They don't. You call for a nurse, she tells you to wait for a moment. Soon enough, a neurologist comes, inspects you, and comes to a conclusion after watching some papers.

You had a seizure in your sleep and right now you lower extremities are paralised for an amount of time. It will be between half an hour or day and a half. You breathe. You didn't lose them forever. You go back to sleep.

You wake up, hearing someone slapping a slab of meat? You turn to your left, and it's her, your beds together again, and she is slapping your legs, as if that will help. You just look at the ceiling. Someone cares. You go back to sleep.

But your state becomes worse and worse, and soon enough you can't walk anymore. You wish you could. You finally let the girl push your beds together again, because you're selfish, because you're scared of dying alone. You hold hands at appropriate distances, and scribble each other hands with glitter pens. Silence becomes a comfort, and you stop talking as well. One day, you give a perfectly well-written note to a nurse, addressed your neurologist.

He comes to you when the girl is in the cafeteria, eating. He asks you if you're sure, and you say yes. You signed yourself for euthanasia. Days pass, and you're ready.

They push you to the room, it's empty except for array of needles and syringes, as well as other medical equipment, but it's quiet. And then it's not.

Frantic footsteps echo through the hallway, and you know who it is. You let them let her go through. She jumps on you, and she once again like the first night, wraps around your arm, and it feels like home.

You call another gurney in, it won't be comfortable for her to lay with him, it was narrow. She doesn't let go of the arm, but lays on the gurney with a little coaxing.

Intensity with which she looks at you makes you guilty. So you're honest. You want to go away, back to the stars, because you found out that's how she associates death with dying.

You smile at her, pained that you had to tell her that. Because she is smiling too, because you see she understands too.

And you fall silent. Everything she does from now on will decide what you will do.

She scoots over to your bed again, and you push her away a bit. She tries again.

Amidst all that, a new voice offers a solution.

Absurd, dangerous, revolutionary, never tried before, and possibly, life-saving. And only one peer-reviewed paper of it exists, and it was said spat on heavily.

Both patients had a ball of fluid at the back of their heads, pressed against the skull. Same size, the boy's millimeters bigger in diameter. They could use the drill to thin one specific point in the skull, and push through with a thick stainless steel needle, and pull all of the liquid out, and hook the lining that was holding the liquid and pull it out as well.

The explanations were all detailed and nice, but the boy and the girl had long stopped listening. She was trying to get closer. He was pushing her away. Again, again, and again. No matter how hat she did, it was futile. She scooted over and put her head on his shoulder. She put her legs over his thighs and he felt some warmth. He made a funny face and she was about to retreat when he put his hands below her knees and put her legs where they previously were. He smiled, and she did as well. he pulled her closer, and the two of them felt conjoined, meant to be one. He cried, because he never wanted to admit that. She was near falling asleep.

With the boy's consent and his euthanasia waiver, the surgery progressed, but no person could pry the girl off of him nor his arms off of her, and they had to do a high risk operation with two anaesthetic patients.

The surgery was a success. All the fluid and the lining was pulled out, and the next surgery on the girl was performed just an hour later with same results. The two tubes marked specially #01AA (orange) and #02SD (green).

The next day, whoever entered the lab had to exit within minutes due to exposure to a strange purple gaseous substance. The room was sealed off, and happily, as the only two tubes there were the special examples, there was no further damage. Until there was.

Men and women alike started getting symptoms of pregnancy, and after thorough examinations, they were indeed pregnant. A special pouch formed near the belly button for men, and it was concluded to be a normal pregnancy for women.

Curiously, all the women and men had different partners, some of them matching withing this group of 63. Nobody carried the genes of the boy and girl whose mixed liquids were actually in questions.

After surgery, the boy woke up within days. He felt much better, and he was ready to move. Unaware of the ruckus he and his girl caused, his physical therapy and psychological sessions were doing fine. As for the girl, they showed him the graphs, MRIs, EEGs, and said that if she woke up, it would be years later. And he said he'll wait.

When he found out about the pregnant men and women, he found a perfect way to have a part of her with him.

As he walked during the night barefoot, he realised there was not much security around the area, and he realised there was a possibility of contamination. He passed the breach with an ordinary employee's card, and activated all the alarms, but by the time reinforcement arrived, he was done.

He was standing in the middle of the room, the last of the gas pouring into him, and he turned around. His belly seemed around four months pregnant.

When the girl woke up, she was a child what had a curious orange hair in a ponytail and green eyes wearing orange yellow t-shirt. It was sitting next to her, fidgeting with some toys, and she heard that same voice calling the child for the lunch while she flicked a curl of the child's hair. She didn't have strength to move, just to barely open her eyes. She smiled, realising he was healthy, but that time passed.

"How long did I sleep?"

"Four years. Welcome back."

[writerystuff]

[rhys-kefechek]

I have to save this bcos I choked while eating

[rhys-kefechek]

I am writing this in hope it won't be lost on the internet because I need some answers fast.

I have epilepsy. I had 2 seizures this night, one around 3am, the other around 7am. First seizure was the usual business. It happens, it goes away after 1-2min, I stare at the ceiling a bit until my sense of gravity boots up, and get up, take a pill, and drink some water. I was awake for about half an hour before confirming I have no aura, deeming it it's safe to sleep.

I. Was. Wrong.

The second seizure, I am not sure how long it lasted because I didn't get to see the time on my phone. But after it, I could not get up. My legs were out of commission. Paralysed. This happened before, but it was always for a short time. 30-45 minutes max. It's a newer occurence actually. I've had epilepsy for 16 years (about to be 25), and this is NEW.

My neurologist is on his fancy 2-MONTH vacation while I work in a call-centre for stocks. Anyway.

After hours of wondering what the fu¢k™ do I do, I decided to put myself in a sitting position however I can and massage my legs because I can feel them, they're not numb. I got pissed, and I hit my legs in various places in rage. Then I hit a certain spot.

The one in the red circle. It 'unstuck' my left leg. Then I did the same for my other leg, and voila, my legs are working.

So, what happened, the smart side of Tumblr, please explain because I do not want to comb through another medical book about epilepsy AGAIN.

[mythcreantsblog]

Unreliable narrators need to add something to the story. They aren’t an excuse for poor storytelling and inconsistencies.

[gracebeereblogs]

If you have an unreliable narrator, you should be doing twice as much work in your plotting! At every turn of the story, you need to know both what’s actually happening AND what your narrator thinks is happening. 

[emptymanuscript]

When you’re right, you’re right. And you’re right.

Not only does the author need to know what’s happening on both layers of story, they need to actually write in clues for the reader to telegraph the lower, “true,” layer of the story so the reader is capable of figuring it out if they choose to read closely. Without that double work, an unreliable narrator cannot perform its literary function.

It is the evidence of the truth, not the lie the narrator tells, that makes a narrator unreliable. Otherwise they are just a liar which the audience is incapable of catching due to the hobbling imposed by the medium. Which means the lie may as well be the truth, making it serve no function as a lie. 

[rhys-kefechek]

Hello, this is revenge!

My employer asked me to write her an informative but fun article and sent me the topic. It's 'Vintage Steiff Bears Value.'

I wrote it, and had to do all the sourcing myself since her sources were all dead-ends, and now she is bashing me, saying that my level of writing is that of a Bangladesh freelancer writing 1k words on the subject for $3.

She said she would pay me for the article and that we would not work together anymore because of my incompetency.

She does not have any degree related to English language, journalism, or anything similar. At one point in the text writing, she asked why am I writing about the stuffed bears. The whole topic revolves around stuffed bears.

So, since she will take this text, and claim it as her own or someone else's, before she fine-tunes it and such, I will post the raw here. We are not under any contract, she has not bought my author's rights and such, so I am not under any obligation to keep it a secret.

[Vintage Steiff Bear Value]

Everyone has probably owned that one Stuffed bear in their childhood that they adored the most. They might have gotten them as a gift or inherited them from their parents or even grandparents if they were lucky. Although this kind of stuffed animal is no longer rare and can be bought at an ordinary mall, it indeed has a history behind it, and it’s a rich one.

Today, more than a hundred years later, collectors are ardently buying old Teddy bears, and it’s a surprise that one’s vintage Steiff bear value can reach up to tens of thousands of bucks, sometimes surpassing even a hundred thousand at auctions.

Steiff Bear History

To a German toy-making company, Steiff, an American buyer in 1903, put in an order for 3,000 stuffed bears. Unfortunately, they didn't survive the shipment but that never stopped people from ordering them.

The later Steiff bear appearance exploded on the market, making them a sensation. These bears themselves gained the moniker ‘Teddy’ because a cartoon showing American President Theodore Roosevelt and a bear cub appeared.

In just three years, the Steiff company made almost two million more bears with the help of 400 staff and 1,800 out workers, and their output had not yet stopped. This year, 1907, now has the name Teddy Bear Boom Year.

To prove the authenticity of their products, the Steiff company at the time put in a ‘button in ear’ tag, which is used even today to differentiate between Steiff toys and counterfeits.

The inventor of the Steiff teddy bear was Richard Steiff. He made the design for the BEAR 55 PB, and the first bear ever made according to this design is said not to exist anymore. This bear had movable arms and legs, and it was the world’s first one with such features.

No matter the toy, the Steiff company’s motto, which states that ‘’Only the best is good enough for our children,’’ has made their products top-notch, and no company has reached their level of craftsmanship.

Then and today, the company made sure that the toys were resistant to flames as much as possible, could endure various wear and tear, and were made with quality materials.

Steiff Bear Identification

One of the primary ways to identify a Steiff bear is to search for the trademark ‘‘Steiff – Knopf im Ohr’’ (Button in Ear). This button is made of metal, and its early versions had an elephant print on it. The design originated from Franz Steiff in 1904 to protect Steiff’s high-quality products from imitations.

Later on, the company would imprint just the company’s name upon the metal buttons, but some particular toys bear both sigils, making them rarities.

Other than that, Steiff bears have many more features that make them unique and thus help many appraisers and specialists recognize the authentic Steiff bears, not just for their brand, age, type, and time when they circulated in the market.

Steiff bears are known for their internal structure being laid with a skeleton made of cardboard disks and metal pins that would allow the bear’s head, arms, and legs to move.

The other feature consistently seen in Steiff bears is a light blonde mohair pile (kind of wool made from Angora goat’s hair), and cotton fabric on the paws. The earliest bears were stuffed with excelsior (fine curled wood shavings used primarily for packing fragile items) and in some cases, kapok (a traditional futon filling).

To determine the age of some Steiff bears, you can check their eyes which were black shoe buttons, which would then progress quickly to brown and black glass pupil beads that became standard by 1913.

One more feature among the oldest products is that their paws had five claws, and from 1906 on, they had four per paw, which is something that everyone knows today.

Steiff Bear Value

As it always goes, the product’s value depends on its condition when offered for sale. Ordinary Steiff bears, especially ones produced in the post-war period from the 1950s to the 1980s, can garner you about $60, maybe a bit more if it is particularly well kept. It is also partly due to their less realistic appearance, which is characteristic of Steiff’s toys.

Some Steiff bear characteristics include their longer snout, using felt and mohair to replicate the fluffiness of a real bear, metal button in the ear, metallic skeleton, and the particular excelsior stuffing that makes a crunchy sound when hugged.

An ordinary edition Steiff teddy bear from its early years might bring you a sum ranging between $520 to $800, depending on how well preserved they are. Damaged bears (those which are missing patches of fur, the trademark button, and eyes) will go for $300 to $400 if you are lucky.

One of the main detriments when it comes to whether or not your bear will go for a higher price is the Steiff company’s trademark button. In most cases, damaged stuffed bears can be restored and thus will look better, but you can’t replace the original Steiff button.

The button can also indicate when the bear went onto the market if the date of the bear’s production is unknown. It will cause its value to drop dramatically, so be careful if you have one bear with the button intact.

The Most Valuable Steiff Bears

Over the years, Steiff has made many limited-edition teddy bears. Some of them are even custom-made for their personnel as a thank you for their years of service. Other editions might have been lost with time, raising their value by not just a notch.

Except for that, there are also products which were not warmly welcomed by the customers, such as the Hot Water Bottle teddy bear, and thus there are not many well-preserved products, which made its price skyrocket.

The most valuable Steiff bears

Production year

Steiff bear type

Price

___________

2000

Louis Vuitton Bear

$230,000

____________

1912

Titanic Mourning Bear

$156,000

_____________

1905

Teddy Girl Bear

$140,000

______________

1926

Happy Teddy Bear

$129,000

__________

1904

PB28 Rod Bear

$104,000

_____________

2008

Diamond Eyes Bear

$85,000

_______________ 1925

Harlequin Bear

$76,200

________________

1908

Elliot Bear, Blue

$62,000

_______________

1908

Centre Seam Bear

$55,500

_______________

1910

Hot Water Bottle Teddy Bear

$30,000

Hot Water Bottle teddy bear

Hot Water Bottle Teddy Bear was supposed to be a hit in 1910 when it came out as a new product. After launching, it didn’t get a good reception from the Steiff company’s regular customers, causing it to go off the shelves. It was a thin bear with a tin can that would go with it.

It was supposed to be used as a warming bear for children during cold weather. Only a few well-preserved pieces are available, so their price skyrocketed to a fantastic amount mentioned above. The average auction value of this product is $30,000.

Harlequin bear

It first appeared in 1925, and the one sold at the auction was Paul Greenwood’s before they arrested him for fraud, and his whole teddy bear collection went to the auction venues.

One other Harlequin Bear with a different pattern was given to a woman who worked at Steiff’s for more than forty years in honor of her service and loyalty to the company. Depending on the bear’s state, it can go for approximately $72,000.

Diamond eyes bear

It is famous for its extravagant design. This limited-edition bear includes only 125 products in its selection, and they manufactured it in 2008 for the Steiff company’s 125th anniversary. It has diamond eyes, its nose is pure gold, and the fur of this magnificent bear contains golden threads. At the auction, it can sell for $85,000.

Happy Teddy bear

Happy Teddy Bear, despite its name, has quite a solemn face and darker fur, and the particular bear that went for the abovementioned price has a bright pink bow. Some bears in modern times no longer have Button in Ear but bows with the in-sewn company name. The Happy teddy mentioned here went for $129,000.

PB28 Rod bear

One of the oldest bears, originating from 1904, has white fur and a sturdy body because of the metal rods that can move its arms. Although older bears exist on paper, it is practically impossible to find them, so this is an excellent example of the early Steiff work. Due to its age and well-kept appearance, its final bid was $104,000.

Blue Elliot bear

This bear was supposed to be a set of six different colored bears in the sample production for a London-based company, Harrods, but they rejected it and it stayed in the headquarters of Steiff in Germany, waiting for its spotlight. The guesswork is that other bears did not make it past the design phase, and thus only the blue-colored bear from 1908 exists. Blue Elliot fetched a $62,000 price.

Titanic Mourning bear

This bear has quite morbid origins. It was supposed to go on sale long before the Titanic sank, but its black fur coupled with black eyes was unappealing to the designer himself, who thought that it might scare the children.

When Titanic sank, it went immediately into production, and there 655 bears were made in 1912. This bear has red rims around its black shoe-button eyes, showing that the bear is crying for the victims of the Titanic. However, many collectors forget that more Mourning bears made their debut in 1917 and 1918. The 1912 version went for $156,000 at an auction.

Teddy Girl bear

Well, this teddy was an achiever. It was a gift to Colonel Bob Henderson when he was born in 1905. Afterward, it went with Henderson to WWII, survived the D-Day along with its owner, and returned home with glory. The fact that a grown man used his childhood bear as a comfort and a symbol of hope is another element that gives it value. Teddy Girl got a $140,000 offer.

Centre seam bear

People think this one came to life around 1908, and it is quite a beauty. Cinnamon-colored mohair fur with beady eyes carries a silver brooch with the name Will engraved. This indicates that it was probably a gift for someone named Will or William, or maybe the bear’s name is Will, but we will never know. The final bid resulted in $55,500.

Louis Vuitton bear

And the grand finale, this Louis Vuitton Bear won the Guinness Record for the most expensive bear ever. Made in 2000 and sold at a charity auction in Monaco in its full glory with specially tailored clothes and luggage, it now has its spot in a teddy bear museum on Jeju Island, South Korea. It cost a total of $230,000.

Steiff Bear Importance

The emergence and existence of the Steiff Teddy bear show through the perseverance of one woman, the founder of the Steiff company, Margarete Steiff. Although they are not her original design but her nephew’s, Richard Steiff’s, these bears gave the company a chance to develop and expand, overcoming the boundaries by shipping the orders to America.

Steiff bears, from their invention to today, hold the standard for quality in the toy-making industry. They still utilize traditional materials and proven to work manufacturing techniques to make their best-quality products.

Nowadays, stuffed bears have great importance attached to them, from it being a good present, a comfort toy, and even a friend to talk to, mainly popularized by Winnie Pooh’s appearance in the literary world. Gifting a teddy bear is said to be a blessing for a child and also a show of compassion and love.

Ignoring the obvious, teddy bears also hold great importance in a child’s emotional development, which just goes to show how stuffed toys generally can help a child go through a tough time.

Their attachment to it shows their emotional maturity, as children learn to love not just a stuffed toy that cannot talk and walk but also their surroundings, and they learn to expect the love they have given to be given to them.

As a companion, a teddy bear that sleeps beside them is a perfect doll for children to understand the world around them in simpler terms.

Summary

The Steiff company went from a small business to a large company that set the world’s standards for quality. Despite its relatively short existence, the bears it produces are valuable and scattered worldwide. Steiff bears' history and this beautiful toy's importance for the company and children are impressive.

Written by Rhys Kefechek (pen-name)

There are no pictures provided for this article, this was supposed to be her job, and a simple google image search would have done the job.

[2soulscollide]

WEBSITES FOR WRITERS {masterpost}

E.A. Deverell - FREE worksheets (characters, world building, narrator, etc.) and paid courses;

Hiveword - Helps to research any topic to write about (has other resources, too);

BetaBooks - Share your draft with your beta reader (can be more than one), and see where they stopped reading, their comments, etc.;

Charlotte Dillon - Research links;

Writing realistic injuries - The title is pretty self-explanatory: while writing about an injury, take a look at this useful website;

One Stop for Writers - You guys... this website has literally everything we need: a) Description thesaurus collection, b) Character builder, c) Story maps, d) Scene maps & timelines, e) World building surveys, f) Worksheets, f) Tutorials, and much more! Although it has a paid plan ($90/year | $50/6 months | $9/month), you can still get a 2-week FREE trial;

One Stop for Writers Roadmap - It has many tips for you, divided into three different topics: a) How to plan a story, b) How to write a story, c) How to revise a story. The best thing about this? It's FREE!

Story Structure Database - The Story Structure Database is an archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points;

National Centre for Writing - FREE worksheets and writing courses. Has also paid courses;

Penguin Random House - Has some writing contests and great opportunities;

Crime Reads - Get inspired before writing a crime scene;

The Creative Academy for Writers - "Writers helping writers along every step of the path to publication." It's FREE and has ZOOM writing rooms;

Reedsy - "A trusted place to learn how to successfully publish your book" It has many tips, and tools (generators), contests, prompts lists, etc. FREE;

QueryTracker - Find agents for your books (personally, I've never used this before, but I thought I should feature it here);

Pacemaker - Track your goals (example: Write 50K words - then, everytime you write, you track the number of the words, and it will make a graphic for you with your progress). It's FREE but has a paid plan;

Save the Cat! - The blog of the most known storytelling method. You can find posts, sheets, a software (student discount - 70%), and other things;

I hope this is helpful for you!

(Also, check my blog if you want to!)

[rhys-kefechek]

I NEED THIS

I LOVE YOU

[catchymemes]

[peneigh-dzredfohl]

Can everyone who reads this PLEASE reblog it?!?!?  Libraries literally saved my life as a child!

Being abused at home, bullied at school and lost in the world, the library and all the books I could escape to the most amazing worlds, kept me alive!

I would walk to the library, and spend all day, from 10 am to 9 pm reading there!! I got special awards for how many books I read, I wrote little blurbs on why i loved the books (probably why I love to BETA and do ARCs) 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE Just hit the green arrows and the reblog!!!

As a 50 year old woman, the library offers me so much. Digital art pads to borrow, 3D printing, book clubs that are face to face (yeah, the introvert likes face to face because a moderator will stomp on anyone getting snarky)

New books in LARGE PRINT! I’m visually challenged and as much as I love my kindle, The feel of a real book in my hands will always be a beloved feeling!

Our library also has quarterly books sales of almost free books!! For 5$USD we get in a day early and can buy as many as we want. Anyone else has to wait and there is a limit for the first 2 days.

[stevviefox]

Also many, many libraries have inter library loan(it may be called something different). This means if they don’t have the item you want, they can get it for you. This may include photocopy/pdf of articles. This can also include along with books and DVDs, microfilm/fiche which is also a huge resource. Check around for libraries that are listed as depositories if you want to look at government documents.

Remember that many colleges and universities have open stacks for the public. You will likely have to pay a membership fee but you will get to stuff.

[psi1998]

I love the library ☺

[icycove]

The library was one of my favorite places to go as a kid and I still live to go and just. Sit and read. Or do homework. The university I’m at has a massive 8-story one I love to just wonder around in~ Great places

[writerystuff]

Gotta love libraries and librarians.

Always reblog.

[rhys-kefechek]

Amen to the Library and Librarians.

[rhys-kefechek]

Sooo, shit's gone down~

Well, let us go to the beginning. Or wherever.

Remember me thinking that they would accept my werewolf BL story on GoodNovel? Yeah, didn't happen. Why? Because they're searching for an original storyline, exciting plot twists, etc... So yeah, that's it. Well, no matter.

Then it came, the branch of the bookstore I was working at was closing down, it didn't bring in enough profit! I got relocated, and am starting to work there on Wednesday. Yaay~

Life's been shit in general, what with my health, my dad's health, my mom's health, my younger brother's mental health.... So, we're chill.

And our President is stupid