seen from China
seen from Spain
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from France
seen from United States
seen from Austria
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Netherlands
seen from France
seen from Mexico
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from France
seen from France
seen from Norway
seen from Bangladesh
You will be different after this
When you read a poem, or listen to a song, or watch a play, you’re not the same person afterward. You’re slightly rearranged. Your DNA is still the same, your fingerprints are still the same, you look the same in the mirror, but you aren’t exactly who you were. Be careful, I might tell someone when handing them a book or a record, you will be different after this.
— Maggie Smith, Dear Writer (Washington Square Press, April 1, 2025)
Dear Struggling Writer (Feat. King Arthur & Tolkien)
Dear Struggling Writer . . . To all the writers whose writing dreams are stuck in the bottom of a pit…I see you. I’m right there with you. Whether it’s discouragement, lack of time, burnout, writer’s block, rejection, not knowing what direction to go, or anything else, you’re not alone. I don’t have answers right now. I don’t know how we’ll get out of this pit. I know the walls seem…
View On WordPress
Dear Writer,
Celebrate every milestone. Celebrate every success. It doesn’t matter how small or big they are.
You started a new daily goal and smashed it? Celebrate!
You kept smashing your goals all week/month/year? Celebrate!
You finished your first draft? Celebrate!
You edited your own story for the first time? Celebrate!
You published for the tenth time? Celebrate!
You came back to it after a hard time? Celebrate!
Do something, anything to mark the occasion. Tell the people who support you. Allow yourself to feel the elation of crafting something. Rest if that’s the best form of celebration for you. Whatever you do, however you do it, I beg of you to lean into the celebration.
Love,
-Writer
Dear Writer
Dear writer,
Blocked by a steamy fog, Rolling in from behind, Threatening the end, on the page.
Dear writer, Tapping away at the back-lit keyboard, Thinking up your very own fairy tale, Praying for magic, on the page.
Dear writer, Drunk in public, Naturally anxious and on edge, Hoping for oblivion, on the page.
Dear Writer (Yuletide 2017)
(Since I almost never use LJ and have very little idea of how to use it, I'm housing my Dear Writer Yuletide letter here. Tumblr friends not participating in Yuletide this year, feel free to ignore!)
Dear Writer, Happy Yuletide! This is my first year participating and I am beside myself with excitement to read whatever you have written in any of these tiny wonderful fandoms that don’t get near enough love. I’m leaving many prompts but feel free to extemporize and take something as the slightest inspiration and go in an opposite direction. (But please mind the triggers and dislikes).
General Likes: Backstory (especially when revealed by one character to another as a show of trust) Femslash Internal monologue Hurt/Comfort (physical and emotional, typically with more comfort than hurt) Sickfic (as a subset of the above) Angst with a happy ending Missing scenes (episode related) Slow burn Friendship fic Fluff Pining Mentors looking after their proteges (particularly in career situations: imparting wisdom, life lessons, etc.) Shared confidences and secrets Situations and moments that push a formerly casual friendship/relationship to the next level out of necessity I like explicit fic but I do like some plot with my porn. Triggers (please, under no circumstances) Rape, noncon, dubcon Incest Infantilism/deaging Miscarriage Infertility General dislikes Deathfic (unless the characters are dealing with an in canon death) First person POV Alpha/Beta/Omega BDSM Humiliation Kid fic (unless there are children in canon) AU’s (with the exception of canon divergence. I especially don’t like modern AU of a period piece) (Descriptions of Fandoms below are not spoiler free!) Endeavour Characters Requested: Any This is the fandom that got me into...fandom in general, and it’s most of what I have written. I love the general melancholy of the show, the way Morse struggles to fit into both the town and gown aspects of Oxford. I love anything to do with his backstory prior to joining the police force as well as casefic where he gets to show off his obscure knowledge (all of his opera knowledge in Fugue, for example.) I love all the characters that are nominated and would be happy with fic of any of them. I prefer genfic for this fandom, though I do have a soft spot of Endeavour/DeBryn (but I love them as friends too! Particularly when they get all geeky and intellectual together.) Endeavour/Fred is definitely a NOTP for me as the relationship feels so paternal that it feels incestuous to me. I love h/c in this fandom and am always delighted with anyone taking care of Morse following case related injury/illness (as happens often in canon).
I love the relationship in canon between Morse and Thursday- Thursday as father figure trying to bring wisdom and practicality to temper Morse’s headstrong, passionate drive towards justice and right. I also love the relationship between Dorothea Frazil and Morse- so much mutual respect between them and grudging regard for each other’s methods in their careers.
Prompts: -I would love Morse receiving some care/comfort following any of the more taxing cases (Fugue, Neverland and Canticle come to mind, but any of them will do) from Thursday, Debryn or Frazil. -And speaking of Frazil, any kind of interactions between her and Morse or Thursday following an in canon case or a casefic involving all three of them. -casefic that in some way brings to light some of Morse's family life or Oxford backstory or general past. The Hour Characters Requested: Lix Storm, Bel Rowley I love the newsroom dynamics in this show. I particularly love the supportive relationship between Bel and Lix as Bel struggles and thrives in her role as producer, how Lix defers to Bel while still imparting some backhanded wisdom. Lix and Randall's backstory is perhaps my favorite part of the show, but I also just love all of their relentless, journalistic pursuit of truth.
Prompts: -How would season 1 have gone differently if Bel was having an affair with Lix instead of Hector. (Or any any getting together fic with the two of them, honestly). -Lix tends to be a closed book generally. I would love a fic where she opens up to Bel about her past/comes to her for comfort. Crossovers: the chances of matching on both of these tiny fandoms is small, but I would love a crossover about a close friendship or romantic relationship between Lix Storm and Dorothea Frazil. Grantchester Characters Requested: Sidney Chambers, Leonard Finch, Kathy Keating, Margaret Ward, Sylvia Macguire, Amanda Kendall (as specifically mentioned below) I love the small pastoral village element of this show. I love how the church is a sustaining part of nearly all the characters’ lives and I appreciate that the show recognizes the problems within the Anglican Communion while still highlighting how sustaining it is for the town and how central it is in the lives of Sidney and Leonard. I love how Sidney, Leonard and Mrs. Macguire are a little family and give each other tough love when they need it. Generally I love Sidney, but he's a mess. I would rather not have anything shippy written for me about him. I find so much of his romantic life so painful! Prompts- (In my opinion things went a bit off the rails this past season so a lot of these prompts are fix its) -I loved the scene during the Christmas special where Mrs. M took charge and delivered that baby. I would love to have seen more bonding between her and Amanda. Perhaps in a moment of tenderness and vulnerability following the birth, Amanda hears about Mrs. M’s past or gets some advice/wisdom from her? -What was up with Sidney leaving immediately after Leonard attempted suicide?? I would love a fix it for this with an apology from Sidney as he gives Leonard the care he deserves and further assurance of his value in God's eyes. -Leonard and Mrs. M. both have some rough times in this past season. I'd love any kind of emotional h/c fic about the two of them. A million thank you's for whatever you end up writing- so happy that one of these tiny fandoms is getting more fic. You can find me on AO3 and Tumblr at Lucyemer.
Poetry isn’t just something I write, it’s how I move through the world—how I see, and hear, and imagine. It’s a way of being. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
— Maggie Smith, Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life (Washington Square Press, April 1, 2025)
You can’t force a poem, but I think you can prepare for one. Preparing for a poem requires being open and porous versus closed; hopeful and expectant versus cynical. You can prepare by keeping your antennae raised—being open to sparks and connections. When words begin to gather around an idea and gravitate toward one another, as if magnetized, that feels as close to a miracle as anything I’ve experienced.
— Maggie Smith, Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life (Washington Square Press, April 1, 2025)
