a sunny writeblr

23 || writing || speculative fiction, paranormal, magical realism, high fantasy || coffee ring review

[sunnydwrites]

HOME | Mysite

Since I’m making a little return to online blogs and such, here is my updated website! It has some short stories I’ve published since we last chatted if you want to read 😅

My plan is to revamp the writing tips posts I made here, and post them on my website blog. I’ll make sure to post them here too!

[sunnydwrites]

The first two blog posts are live! I'm redoing the writing tips I've posted here because with time comes experience / perspective / some other meaningful third thing. Feel free to take a peek!

[sunnydwrites]

HOME | Mysite

Since I’m making a little return to online blogs and such, here is my updated website! It has some short stories I’ve published since we last chatted if you want to read 😅

My plan is to revamp the writing tips posts I made here, and post them on my website blog. I’ll make sure to post them here too!

[sunnydwrites]

thinking about how this blog was started 10-ish years ago... how different i am now! i'm definitely entertaining more the idea of revamping my old blog posts on my website, and posting some snippets here. lots to consider, since 2025 is becoming my year of defining an actual online author presence!

[sunnydwrites]

i deleted tiktok when it went down and now that it’s back, i think i’ll be keeping it off. hey again tumblr, i missed you! 🤭

[sunnydwrites]

i check in here every so often just to browse tumblr and i think it’s crazy im still getting notes! hey guys!

[sunnydwrites]

Do you think strangulation would kill someone who didn't need to breath?

Quite possibly! Depending on the damage done to the actual tissues it could still be fatal, if I had to guess.

[sunnydwrites]

Hi sorry if this has been asked but do you have any advice on how to write someone who is a gentleman? Particularly in the modern world

Hi Nony, I hope you still exist - thank you for waiting!

Writing a Gentleman

My first disclaimer here is that the world "gentleman" means something different now from what it meant even just 10-20 years ago. The concept can take on a few different meanings, but I'm giving this advice with the most positive light I can.

A gentleman is respectful.

If a boundary is set, it is followed. This applies to everyone - friends, family, romantic interests, etc. This type of character should be showing positive qualities to everyone they meet, not just the romantic interest that most people assume.

This also means that they don't (or they try not to) take advantage of any situations that put them in a position of power. That level of power is not exploited.

2. A gentleman not only has morals, but they stick to those morals.

Any kind of moral code has an adherence standard. Those morals and values apply in just about every moment; they are led by the things they believe in. If your character struggles to make moral decisions or to follow their beliefs, they may not be a great fit for this archetype.

3. A gentleman is polite and socially aware.

This means they'll help out the people around them when given the chance. Some people see this as holding doors open and grabbing things off the top shelf for shorter people. Some see this as holding space for others during a conversation, or making sure the people around them feel heard.

Building off of the respect and the social awareness, they do their best to bring that awareness to every situation they're in. They treat people how they want to be treated with the context of the situation in mind.

The idea of a "gentleman" is incredibly broad, and it's typically something you have to define for yourself based on the other qualities of the character you're looking to write. Use this as a jumping-off point; I hope this helps!

Join the Discord!

Support me on Ko-Fi!

[sunnydwrites]

Project Updates!

It's been a while (obviously, from my last post) since I've been here! So before I get back into the swing of giving writing advice and posting here regularly, I want to talk a bit about the things I've been up to.

Published Stories

I've been working super hard on my writing, and I've since had three stories accepted and published in different magazines! These are stories I'm super proud of; they contain my heart and soul. You can give them a read if you want!

Not Quite, published in Hearth and Coffin.

The Body of a Hero, published in The Bone Parade.

To Light a Match, published in Palindrome Journal.

And, to me, this is just the start! I have a ton of other stories that I'm working on and preparing to submit. This has been an awesome journey so far and I'm excited to keep going with it!

The Coffee Ring Review

I also started my own literary journal. You can find it on Twitter, Instagram, Chillsubs, and on its own website. This is a journal I started back in February because I was feeling a certain type of way receiving rejections with no actual feedback. Though my process takes longer, I give feedback on every piece submitted to me, and I'm preparing to release the magazine's inaugural edition!

(Subs closed for now, but I'll announce here when we reopen.)

(Did you know the Discord server also has its own mag?)

Unpublished Projects

I have been absolutely captivated recently by this concept for a world of floating islands, crystals, and magical deities. The world is called Feia right now, and I'm going through the process of developing everything before I write. Been using an application called Obsidian to link everything together - it works WONDERFULLY for the complexity of the world. I'm planning to talk more about this app here soon.

Also lots of short stories on the way - I've learned a lot recently about planning and executing short stories, especially with more experience as an editor under my belt. Hoping that I'll be able to share some more publication links here soon!

I'm also working on redeveloping that cyberpunk world I was in last time I was active here. It still exists, very much! I'm trying right now to figure out how I can make it the best it can be.

Discord

I still exist over on TTWF on Discord! That server is a blast, and we're prepping our Halloween edition right now. (Join the server for more info!)

Now that I'm back more consistently, I'm super happy to be talking about these things more often! Stay tuned for updates!

[sunnydwrites]

Now that I'm making an official game plan for coming back, I'm doing my best to set up days that I post specific types of things. With that in mind, I would appreciate some responses on this poll!

I plan to continue answering asks and making new advice posts, but some of my older ones are over five years old and I've gained a lot of perspective since. Would you be interested in rewritten versions of these posts?

[sunnydwrites]

Hi again Tumblr!

A whole lot has happened since the last time I posted on this blog. Now that I am hoping to come back to post regularly again, I figured you all should know what's been going on!

Firstly, I graduated college this past May! I got my degree in Linguistics and I graduated summa cum laude - it was really special to me because of the challenge of COVID, and I'm excited to come back to formal education in a few years. Since graduating, I've started my literal dream job and moved to an awesome new city - great things happening!

I also started my own literary magazine, called the Coffee Ring Review. It's been an interesting challenge for me to take on because of all the new experiences it's given me, but I've been having a load of fun with it. I'm almost done with the reading process for the magazine's first edition!

I've also have about a metric boatload of personal stuff going on that have really just made the most recent period of my life one of the most chaotic and stressful I've experienced. Now that things have settled and I'm making my way into the world for real, I'm excited to return to the blog I've had since I was a teenager.

I see all of the asks in my inbox, and I appreciate everyone's patience with me as I went on this hiatus. I will work my way through everything!

Thank you for reading - I'm excited to be back!

[sunnydwrites]

hey y’all!

sorry i’ve been gone so long - promise i couldn’t forget about you, things have been crazy! little “hi again” post incoming and i’ll answer my asks, and hopefully get back to posting regularly!

[sunnydwrites]

Want to Be Published?

Hey y’all, it’s Sunny again! Been a bit, but I wanted to tell you about something we’re doing over on the server. The next edition of our zine is on its way, and you all also have the opportunity to submit!

For anyone unfamiliar, Tripping the Zine is preparing to release what will be its sixth edition. This will be our Ides of March Edition, to be released on March 15. The prompt for this edition is that somewhere your submission must include the line, “This is exactly how I thought I’d die.” (Pronouns may vary.)

Interested in submitting? Here’s some more information!

We have increased our word count maximum to 5,000 words.

We accept any form of written work, including but not limited to prose, poetry, and screenplay.

Our submission deadline is March 1st.

You can use the same submission line to submit art for the cover of this zine.

Ready to go? Submit here!

P.S. Our server members got word of this submission period a few weeks ago. To learn about things as soon as they happen, join our Discord!

[sunnydwrites]

Want to Be Published?

Hey y’all, it’s Sunny again! Been a bit, but I wanted to tell you about something we’re doing over on the server. The next edition of our zine is on its way, and you all also have the opportunity to submit!

For anyone unfamiliar, Tripping the Zine is preparing to release what will be its sixth edition. This will be our Ides of March Edition, to be released on March 15. The prompt for this edition is that somewhere your submission must include the line, “This is exactly how I thought I’d die.” (Pronouns may vary.)

Interested in submitting? Here’s some more information!

We have increased our word count maximum to 5,000 words.

We accept any form of written work, including but not limited to prose, poetry, and screenplay.

Our submission deadline is March 1st.

You can use the same submission line to submit art for the cover of this zine.

Ready to go? Submit here!

P.S. Our server members got word of this submission period a few weeks ago. To learn about things as soon as they happen, join our Discord!

[sunnydwrites]

It’s finally here!

My favorite time of year... time for spreadsheets and statistics! This is my second year sending out this spreadsheet for people to use, and it's got just about everything I could think of (until I think of something new). You can use this sheet to keep track of:

Annual stats

Monthly stats

Project stats

Project stats

(New!) Publications submissions

And most of it is automated to make everything as easy as possible! It's free to use but my Ko-Fi is linked in case anyone wants to contribute to my little writing fund. You can copy the template to use for yourself, and let me know if you have any questions!

[sunnydwrites]

hi there, sorry if this is something you've answered already! will you be making an ultimate writing spreadsheet for 2023? it's been so useful this year!

yes!! it is in the works now!

[sunnydwrites]

hey y’all! been a while 😅

i’m hoping to be back and to be more active. i see the asks in my inbox and i will answer them when i can.

in the meantime, im planning something - if you have any writing “challenges” you’d like to share, please send them my way!

[sunnydwrites]

little question...

so let’s say HYPOTHETICALLY i was looking at making a bunch of printables and things for writers to use based on the advice i’ve given, then put those dudes on etsy... thoughts?