I hope that you will take a few moments to consider the following in regard to the prompt challenge that is @summer-of-bad-batch:
Prompts may be filled at any time during the event’s duration
Prompts may be filled in any order during the event’s duration
Prompts may be stacked and combined to create what I lovingly call a “Prompt Sandwich” (and will count as multiple prompts filled, mind you!)
What is the benefit of a Prompt Sandwich, you ask? Allow me to elaborate further.
(For the sake of example, I will be using prompts from last year’s Summer of Bad Batch 2024 challenge)
Let us look at this prompt: Battle Scars
This prompt, alone, can be filled in a variety of different ways and genres and tropes. However, consider the following prompt pairs:
Battle Scars + Stargazing
Battle Scars + Nightmares
Battle Scars + Water Gun Fight
Notice that your inspiration for Battle Scars might be altered by combining it with another prompt. The tone of the entire prompt changes, and might even alleviate creative blockage.
But what if we combined 3 prompts together? (I pause here for anticipated gasps of shock and awe 🫢)
Battle Scars + Stargazing + “You’re a bad liar.”
Battle Scars + Nightmares + Comfort Zone
Battle Scars + Water Gun Fight + “Need a hand?”
Hmmmmm…a twist in inspiration!
There really is no limit to how many prompts you can stack up. A beautiful, inspired tower of greatness at your creative hand! Not to mention, now a single creative work has struck down multiple prompts at once, moving you closer to whatever your end goal might be.
If you get stuck on a prompt this season, do not fret over it. In fact, consider it a potential topping for a prompt sandwich you didn’t expect to make. Find the perfect combination for you, and every prompt will work to your advantage!
🎯 Understanding Reblogging on Tumblr — A Simple Guide
Tumblr isn’t like other platforms — here, reblogging is everything. It’s how posts travel, conversations grow, and communities form.
🌀 What Is Reblogging?
Reblogging is when you share someone else’s post to your own blog. But unlike a simple “retweet,” you can add your own thoughts, tags, or images to it. Your version becomes part of a growing thread.
🔄 Why It Matters
– It keeps the original creator credited 💡
– It spreads content to new audiences 🚀
– It helps build your own vibe through curation 🎨
– It opens conversation — every reblog is a response 🗨️
📌 How to Reblog
Find a post you like
Tap or click the 🔁 Reblog button
At the top of the blog select where to reblog to, a community or to your timeline.
Add a comment, gif, or just leave it clean — it’s up to you
Add your own tags (optional but helpful!)
Hit “Reblog” to share it
💡 Tips for Thoughtful Reblogging
– Always leave the original credit line intact
– Add your own caption only if it adds value
– Don’t strip tags — they help posts stay discoverable
– Be respectful — your reblog reflects on you too
🤝 Reblogging = Respect
Reblogging isn’t “stealing” — it’s supporting. When you reblog, you’re saying “this deserves to be seen.” It’s the highest compliment you can give on Tumblr.
🧠 Want More?
This is just the start. Keep an eye out for the next article in this series:
“Reblogging vs Reposting — Why One Builds Community, and One Breaks It”
You all know me as an artist, but my first love will always be writing. And writer’s block is REAL.
So I thought I’d throw out a few of my moderately unusual writer’s block busters to help my fellow authors.
Of course, the most common “answers” to writer’s block are:
Just keep writing, even if you don’t want to. (Something is better than nothing.)
Write now, edit later. (Leave your perfectionism at the door.)
Find what makes you most creative. (Play music, write during the same time of day, find good snacks, write in the right setting, and so on).
These are definitely helpful tips—things you 100% want to do whether you have writer’s block or not, but they’re not much use against more stubborn forms of creative constipation.
That’s where my three failsafe fix-its come in. They have always worked for me, no matter the situation.
1. Change your writing method.
Story time! I haven’t been able to write for personal prodjects on a computer for four years—about as long as I’ve been writing and editing for my career. I associate my computer with business—even now that I’m between jobs.
My creativity freezes up whenever I try to work on one of my stories, and I get really distracted. Eventually I end up down a rabbit hole looking up limnic eruptions or different types of crocodiles, having only written a paragraph of a completely unrelated story.
I swapped to hand-writing stuff just after my son was born, and that worked for a long time. I filled several notebooks with some great content (that will eventually be ready for you to read). But then my kid started walking, and I became his favorite chair.
If I have a pen, my kid wants it. And he won’t take a decoy pen. He specifically wants the pen in my hand, so writing when he’s awake is kind of out of the question. (I can only draw when he’s awake because I can balance my tablet on the back of our sofa.) Plus, those of you with munchkins know that you’re generally doing other responsible adult things when the kiddo is asleep, making writing then rather difficult.
I learned I can get a lot of writing done on my phone in the Apple Notes app. It sure beats doom-scrolling Tumblr and is a vast improvement over my retro minesweeper game when I’m spending some quality time in the bathroom. It’s also something I can write with when standing up, sitting on the couch, or hiding behind the baby gate on our stairs.
Can’t get the words out on Google Docs? Switch to Microsoft Word. Getting distracted on your computer? Handwrite your story—in a notebook or even on colorful construction paper. Don’t be afraid to experiment, even across the same story.
2. Get a second opinion.
I have a character floating around my WIPs who’s an absolute blast to write (I can unleash my full punning arsenal), but he’s also an ENFP, meaning we see the world in completely different ways. I often find myself stuck on how he would get out of the really nutty situations he often gets himself into. Thankfully, my ESFJ husband has really strong Extroverted Intuition (an ENFP’s dominant Jungian function), so I can often turn to him and ask, “What would be the dumbest could-work way you’d fix this problem?”
Asking for a second opinion is surprisingly low on most writer’s block fix-it lists, but it is by far one of the most helpful. I’ve been my mom’s developmental story consultant since I could read, and it’s been a great way for her to really churn out the novels. (It’s also a great motivation to finish your story because at least one person will be wanting to read it when you’re done.)
Even if you don’t take someone’s advice, it might still spark something that’ll propel your story forward.
3. Change your story’s direction.
Adapted from The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
Writing, in many ways, is a lot like digging a silver mine. As you rummage around your own head for precious nuggets (those really impactful scenes readers remember forever), you’re setting up a sturdy narrative shaft, using exposition and rising action to fortify walls so your story doesn’t collapse on itself.
Experienced miners know when a shaft isn’t structurally sound. They won’t willingly enter or work on a mine that could cave in on them, gauging the safety of the mine through small clues—clues their demanding boss is completely blind to.
Your creative subconscious is a miner, and you, its employer. While not always, writer’s block could be an early sign that your story is about to collapse. Perhaps you’ve accidentally let a plot hole grow too large to fill with easy edits, or maybe the way you’re taking your story will fall flat, leaving you and your readers unsatisfied. Sure, you can force your creative subconscious to continue, but you’ll end up with a lot of unusable content in the end.
If you think you’re in a mine shaft writer’s block scenario, go back several plot points and start writing in another direction. If that doesn’t work, go back a few more plot points. While doing so may temporarily upset the plans you had for the novel, it will let you continue writing in peace and produce a better finished product.
Creative Tip: "Keep it Simple, Stupid," the Importance of Personal Convenience
Lemme give you a piece of advice: no one cares how much effort you put into something, if it's not "good enough" nor "appealing enough" for their personal standards. So, if putting in the most tediously high quality effort doesn't really do squat, make things easier on yourself!
Is a character's design cool, but too much of a pain for you to constantly draw and all? Well, that "cool design" probably won't put your character on the map, but making enough and easier content of them would.
Is it a pain to draw images for your stories you post online? Well, they do say visuals can be eye-catching, but people probably aren't going to give much mind to your writing because it's "too original" (not based on something already with an audience) or they'll avoid something they don't like the written content/style of. So, just keep it to text. I mean, Harry Potter and the Fazbear Fright series seemed to do fine enough as just written words.
Over all, please don't stress yourself to where creation isn't fun any more. Sometimes, higher effort and quality just won't be appreciated; but that's okay, it just means you can make things at your own convenience-- your choice on colored/B+W, your choice on how "animated" your videos/gifs are and so on!
Remember: the best way to make your work noticed is to make too much and spread it too far around (ex: multiple social media accounts) for it to possibly be ignored, and you can't do that if it's too stressful and tedious to make content.
Rest is writing.
Reading is writing.
Sleeping is writing.
Outlining is writing.
Editing is writing.
Writing is so much more than the physical act of putting words on the page. The creative process is all-encompassing, and even the smallest, most mundane daily task can be the breakthrough your manuscript needs.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do... is nothing.
you can't apply the concept of Good and Bad to good literature. YOU CAN'T APPLY THE CONCEPT OF GOOD AND BAD TO GOOD LITERATURE.
Humanity is complicated. Humans are complicated. A decently written multi-faceted character is not going to be capable of exclusively making selfless unproblematic choices. That's not even possible! even if they, the characters themselves, believe that they are following a good positive moral code, they're still going to make self-centered or potentially harmful decisions despite their intentions!
We are complicated creatures and our strongest characteristic is perspective and understanding— it's empathy! So if you want to write a decent piece of literature or create a good story, then you have to ditch your ideas about right or wrong and adopt a more complicated understanding of empathy and perspective and the whys of human behavior. Think about the people you care about! Think about the societal issues that you have strong feelings about. Think about the last time someone said you hurt their feelings! Ask yourself why!
All my favorite stories have the most complicated characters and consequences to even the most noble of actions because it makes me feel human and it reminds me why I love being human and having humanity in my life.
