#finnicks speaks

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I've been too intimidated to write The Pitt fic because of my lack of medical knowledge, but after the news about Supriya being written out… I should just say fuck perfectionism and write the Mohabbot Samira-centric fics of my dreams.

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what were your thoughts on Bridgerton s4 part 2? I loved it and I'm absolutely BASKING <3 also love Unfinished so much and hope to see more Benophie fic from you!

Hey nonnie,

I loved Part 2! I'm so thrilled they stuck the landing. The last time I was obsessed with Bridgerton was when Kate Sharma's casting was announced.

I wish Bridgerton had 13 episodes so they could pace them much better, because I felt that a lot of the tension built in episode 5 could've lasted at least 2 episodes. I really loved the idea of Sophie working at Bridgerton House and having delicious unresolved tension with Benedict for a few episodes before his beautiful love confession. (Episode 4's scene with Miss Hollis is one of my overplayed scenes because I love everything in it.) That power dynamic, and Benedict's discomfort, hit a trope that I really like, so episode 4 is honestly one of my favourites of the entire season.

Every episode thereafter was fantastic. I loved episode 5 and would've loved to have seen more of that content stretched over another episode. I loved episode 6. I loved episode 7. I loved how Sophie kept wanting to escape/leave, and Benedict struggled with that. I loved that Benedict kept trying and learning and failing and learning and trying. He's honestly one of the best male heroes.

The weakest episode for me was episode 8, but I find that Bridgerton always rushes the last episode. I would've liked more of Sophie in jail, since we've never dealt with Bridgerton's law/court system before, or with how rank comes into play, as it was teased with Araminta vs Violet. I didn't like how they settled the legitimacy. I understood it was going to happen, and I expected it, but I kind of wish we had seen more struggle and a messier tying of the bow on all that. I fully expected the writers to have Queen Charlotte handwave it all away, which she sort of did? But they couldn't have given Benedict/Sophie stark consequences after the fact that Kate/Anthony kind of got away with scandal (which, as a Kathony, I wish they had built up the fallout more before their beautiful dance because the post-wedding fallout is my favourite to watch in episode 6 (which I get is probably an Unpopular Opinion, but episode 6 is that bitch 💅🏽 for me), and I'm always disappointed so little focuses on Kate and Anthony) and, well… I'll preface I'm not a fan of season 3 when I say that there was no way in hell the writers would allow society to punish Benedict/Sophie after Penelope got away with disparaging and ruining the reputations of her neighbours once she was known as Lady Whistledown. Things tie up too neatly in the Bridgerton universe for it to be truly satisfying for me. Episode 8 is my least favourite episode because of how rushed it is and how we barely get time to sit with the things that make this season, especially this episode, unique, although its ending made me cry.

There's something about Benedict learning to love painting again that got me so emotional. Seeing Alfie stand by Sophie had me in tears. Seeing everyone from all classes intermingling as equals had me in tears. But seeing that fucking painting hit me a lot harder than I anticipated because I cried lol. I guess seeing that final painting really hit me because I've struggled a lot as a creative and believing that I'm good enough, and I related a lot to Benedict through that. I thought the painting was beautiful because it showed Sophie as Sophie Baek, Sophie Gun, Sophie Bridgerton, and the Lady in Silver to me. Being creative is an act of vulnerability, and I think that painting represents Benedict believing in himself and seeing Sophie, Sophie allowing herself to be seen, Sophie embracing all her faces, and Benedict trusting himself enough to capture that vulnerability and be vulnerable in putting how he sees the world into the world's hands in such a way. I felt like this season was all about accepting yourself and believing in your own worth.

The fact that the subplots didn't take away from Benedict/Sophie's story was honestly a miracle, and I wondered if aliens had invaded the writers' room. I rewatched seasons 1 and 2 (I know season 2 so well now) before Part 2 (no season 3 for me, sorry, I'm not a fan), and I think Benedict/Sophie have the strongest focus on their story throughout their season. I wish Kate/Anthony (my other OTP) had gotten this treatment.

Anyway, I hope I didn't bore anyone with this! I feel like I could go on and on about how much I loved this season. Benedict was always my favourite Bridgerton brother because he expresses himself through humour (like me) and is guarded (like me), and I just loved watching his journey. (Kate was always my favourite Bridgerton lady, and Sophie is now my #2 girl.)

As for Benophie fic, I'm hoping to write more! I have a few ideas bubbling away in my mess of a head. Writing Unfinished was so much fun, as I hadn't written a story for myself in a long while, and I wrote it for me as its audience. I'm a Kathony and Benophie girlie and I'm honestly excited that I feel inspired to write fic again after feeling so damn burnt out for the last year. I'm so glad you enjoyed Unfinished! I'm very proud of it.

Getting this ask made my day. Thank you so much, nonnie. 💛

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I wanted to start off by saying that I love your writing! I've read all your fics, including fandoms I haven't heard of before. Thank you so much for writing them!

You are an excellent writer and I was wondering if you had any tips for writers? Technical advice or just general advice?

Hello, my beautiful anon from possibly many years ago! This is such a lovely ask. I was going through my inbox for some reason today, and I'm glad I saw this. Thank you so much for reading my work and enjoying it! It means the world. 💛

I don't think the me from the past would've been able to answer this because the me from the past wasn't in any place to answer this question for a variety of reasons. And current me has been studying the craft of writing for the last year in courses, and I have more to say than past me ever would. Past me would not be able to see the technical errors in her (old? published on AO3?) works like current me can.

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the things that are at the front of my mind right now. I hope this TL;DR helps someone.

Remember that most writing rules are subjective, but the guidelines exist because they are what works. I'll touch on some of these.

Read. Read books. Read books you love. Don't force yourself to read books you hate, but before you put that book in the DNF pile, ask yourself, "Why is this not working for me?" Ask yourself about the books you love: "Why is this working for me?"

Read books because you will see the structure of a full novel. You will start to see how story is told. Read books because you'll start to understand the conventions of genre (genres have overlap, but every genre is different because they are built on guidelines of what works and reader expectations). Read books because you will understand how to build a world from scratch, and you will interrogate characters and worldbuilding differently than fanfic. I feel this is important because fanfic is something you've intentionally sought out because you're already invested in the characters/world. 

You need to read books with good writing and books with bad writing. (Not all books that are published are actually good for various reasons, like writing, character and structure. Some of the most popular books are honest-to-god trash imo, but they're popular probably because they hit a trope people love.) You need to read books you dislike, but don't force yourself to stick with one you absolutely hate because life is too short and no one wants to die while reading a book they loathe.

You can also read fanfic, and I think it's valuable to read fic as well, but I don't believe you'll get the most out of learning about the craft from fanfic. This isn't to say there isn't anything to learn—there most certainly is—but not all fanfic writers are cognisant of the guidelines of writing… and, to put it bluntly, a lot of fic out there has mistakes that are flags of not understanding the craft basics. (My stuff has this! I can see it in some of what I published last year.) You'll only be regurgitating those same mistakes if you only ever read fanfic. Some of the most popular fics have horrible characterisation that makes little sense. Some fanfics are way too long and should've been cut to tighten the structure. The writing isn't tight. Some scenes should've been summaries. There's a lot of telling. There are basic mistakes, such as grammar and punctuation. These issues exist in published books, but I think you'll be able to see those issues stand out more when you're also reading traditionally published work.

I'm reading a lot of traditionally published books now and I'm learning a lot about the craft as I read. There are moments when the story lags in books I go crazy over, and I often ask myself, "Why is this not working for me right now?"

Show, don't tell. No, seriously. Show, don't tell. Telling is saying, "Benedict wondered if Sophie liked him." Okay, cool, but that's kind of boring and takes the tension out of his insecurity. Showing is spending perhaps several scenes with Benedict in a tizzy because he doesn't know if Sophie likes him. Showing allows the reader to draw their own conclusion—they're pretty savvy!—and it allows them to emotionally connect with the character. Ask yourself how your character shows insecurity and discomfort, and then write that instead of telling me. (Scratching the back of his neck, looking down, speaking quietly, about to ask Eloise if something is wrong with Sophie but pivots to another conversation, avoids the topic of Sophie, tries to be in the same room as Sophie, notices Sophie is always with Alfie, etc. Wouldn't reading this and seeing Benedict go through the motions be more exciting than me saying, "He doesn't know if Sophie likes him"?)

But there are moments where telling is better than showing. Sometimes you don't need to show me something that's insignificant, so tell me instead. Reading books is important because you'll see where the showing and telling are, and you'll be able to discern the moments when you feel embedded in the character versus the moments when you feel separated from them.

If you spend seven sentences in one paragraph telling me that Benedict feels insecure because of his upbringing, Anthony's donation to the prestigious art school, the debutantes calling him the 'second Bridgerton', etc., you're conveying that information is important, and you really should show that instead. Real estate is also important. If it takes up a lot of space, it's important, so maybe it should be expanded into scenes where you show me. (Missing this opportunity and opting for telling happens a lot in fanfic.)

I find showing creates a more compelling story, and allows you to have more scenes that demonstrate characterisation, character and relationship development, and lets your reader invest in the moment.

Said. I used to buy into the Tumblr posts that said you should use a different dialogue tag to 'said', but that's all bullshit imo. 'said' is good enough. Yes, use 'whispered' and 'muttered' on occasion, but 'said' does the work and does the work well. It's invisible to the reader. How many times have you lingered on the word 'said' in a book while your eye and brain have lingered a second longer on the likes of 'muttered'? Seeing work that's filled with variations of 'said' is distracting and takes me out of the moment. 'said' is perfectly fine, and you can use it as many times as you like.

Read aloud. Again, seriously. I never did this because I was always embarrassed to (and I was never alone when I was writing). Since podficcing, I've realised how important this is. Read aloud. Your internal voice will always pronounce things in a manner you feel is ✨ exquisite ✨ and amazing, but when you're actually speaking it? It sounds like utter trash. 

I've podficced fics where I had no idea who was speaking because the writer failed to add attribution tags. This could've been picked up in reading aloud or a beta read. (I've picked up on some stuff when reading my work aloud, so I would highly recommend this.) I've recorded fics where there are too many words that are too alike and I stumble over them. Just read it aloud. You'll see where it's clunky and the rhythm breaks, and you'll just realise how bad some things sound together.

If you read your work aloud, you'll probably catch this. I think reading your work aloud slows your eyes and brain down, and you just see your work from a different perspective. 

Cut the adverbs, finnicks wrote encouragingly. Use them only when you have to, but not as a crutch because a heavy reliance on them is a demonstration of you not believing in your writing. See "Show, don't tell".

Hello, where are we? Description. The problem, or gift, of fanfic is that when we're writing from a property fans already know, we don't have to describe a lot of things, if anything. But I've found that a lot of fanfic writers forget to establish a setting, so their characters end up existing in a black room. If you read good published fiction, most good fiction will always have scene setting and never let the reader wonder if we're standing in a void.

Also, you don't have to describe every little detail. I don't give a shit about knowing what's on someone's desk unless it's important later. If we spend two chapters with Anthony barking at his siblings to not touch the glass figurines and papers on his desk to only have him shove everything clear off the desk in a fit of anger over Kate insisting she'll go back to India, then, yeah, I need those details, because it gives me information about Anthony's state of mind without you needing to explicitly state, "Anthony was an emotional wreck over Kate I'm-Returning-to-India Sharma".

Fanfic writers, don't be afraid of big paragraphs. There is nothing more unattractive to me than seeing fic where the majority of it is one single line with no paragraphs. Paragraphs = pace. Half the time, these fics lack a lot of description from scene setting to character, and consist mostly of dialogue and interior dialogue. I cannot immerse in your story if you do not allow me to immerse.

Stick to one character's POV in the scene. Nothing takes me out of a story more than head-hopping. If we're in a character's POV, stay in it. The things they notice should help develop characterisation. (This is a part of the "show, don't tell" guideline.)

If Anthony would notice the detail on someone's dress but wouldn't know the type of thread or fabric type, then, if we're in his limited POV, he shouldn't notice anything beyond "The lilies embroidered on the dress were lovely".

Comparison is the thief of joy. Maybe this is a cliché, but it's so true. I was part of a webinar recently on imposter syndrome in creative writing, and the facilitator asked us to submit words of encouragement we would tell ourselves. This is what I said:

Nothing is ever truly original. No one can write like me, and I cannot write like anyone else.

You are you. Nothing is ever original. Look at stories. Look at genre. This is why I think it's important to read published books so you can see how genre conventions are embodied in the various stories out there. No story is ever truly original. Look at all the Cinderella retellings. Look at all the romances. Look at all the action/adventures. Fantasy stories often follow the Hero's Journey. Yes, there will of course be elements of stories that are original, because every creator is unique, but I bet you that unique quality of that story was inspired by another story, and that uniqueness hadn't been done in that genre that way before. (Or it has.)

Let's say you're in a group of five writers. You're all given the same prompt: A cat lies on a table. (My cat is doing this right now.) Do you think we will get five of the exact same story? No! One person may write about the cat in an operating theatre, sleeping beside its owner as they're operated on. Another person may write about a cat who's tired of ruling her kingdom, so she's taking a nap on her desk. Another may write about the cat lying on a desk in a study, where she's coincidentally hiding the papers her owner needs right now for a big meeting. The fourth may write about a toy cat that comes to life. The fifth might write about a ghost cat visiting their owner. All different stories born from the same prompt. Why are they different? Because their creators are different.

You can have two stories that are similar, but they will never be identical. Every single person brings their own perspective, values, and life experiences to their stories.

I was listening to the audiobook Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert, in which she spoke about ideas being energetic. When an idea is not realised by the person it chooses, it leaves that person and finds another to nurture it. If you've ever looked at fandom and gone, "I was going to write that story!", then that's that concept in reality. I like this idea.

But stop comparing yourself. Every time you compare yourself, you are only harming yourself. Do you stop writing every time you compare yourself to another person? Who is that hurting? It's not them. It's you, friendo.

I wish I had told this to past me when I was busy comparing myself and burning myself on that alone. (In full transparency: this is a lesson I am currently trying to swallow.)

Build your community and get feedback. This is a bit hypocritical because I don't really have fandom fanfic writer friends. I never spoke to people about my writing because I was always afraid of people stealing my ideas and writing them before me and telling me I'm not good enough. (I've had people copy me in fandom over my time, so instead of trying to find better people, I locked myself in my tower.) My relationship with writing has been a shy one because it's vulnerable, but while that relationship is still the same, my perspective has changed a lot since I enrolled in writing courses and met people who love writing. I've realised how important it is to have community.

I was also always afraid of feedback. I feared someone would tell me that what I wrote made no sense and that I was talentless. I have a writing group now that I share my original work with, and they encourage me so much. Of course, I'm still scared of feedback! But I have people around me who give their feedback in such encouraging ways. I've learned what my strengths and weaknesses are. And you know what I do about my weaknesses? I experiment. I hone my craft. I am improving.

I wrote a short story recently with one specific feedback in mind. The person who gave me this feedback is someone from my writing group whose feedback I really appreciate. I sent her my draft, and when I received her notes, she never gave me that feedback. I had achieved my goal! What I ended up writing was a story I was proud of and felt was better because of the feedback I used to improve it. I never would've achieved that if I had not put myself out there and asked for someone with fresh eyes and who doesn't live in my head (and who therefore didn't know what I meant by things, because I know what I mean) to read my work and effectively turn the lights on for me. (Of course, I expect to get that feedback again for my novel, but it was fun to see if I had achieved my objective!)

I think it's important to find alpha/beta readers who love reading and love writing, and who will give you feedback that's more than "Great" and "I don't get this". You need people who will tell you why they like something, who ask you questions, and who give you feedback like, "I get what this is trying to do, but I wonder if there's a different way to establish that Abbot's crazy about Mohan?" or "I'm not sure if I find it believable that Wanda would do this to Bucky". You need people who will give you both positive and constructive feedback. If someone does not give you constructive feedback, you will not improve.

You will learn so much more from providing feedback to other people than you will from receiving feedback yourself. You'll identify what works for you and what doesn't, and you'll learn how to articulate that and identify it in your own writing. But don't beta read with the intention of providing the solution to the writer. That's not how this should work.

No one is perfect. Writing is a craft, not a talent you are born with. Feedback is subjective, but it is a good tool for finding your blind spots.

And, because I'm in a fandom space: give back. Don't make it one-sided. Cheer the other person on. I think one of the many reasons why I've never sought beta feedback from people about my fanfic is that I find fandom can be so one-sided, with people expecting others to cheer them on while giving nothing back. (Yes, I have experienced this…) Find your people, and find people who will cheer you on and provide you with feedback.

I do hope that I'm able to find writing friends in fandom who will encourage me, and I can encourage, because I think I could benefit a lot from that. (I'm a great beta reader lmfao. I think I'd get a lot out of being beta read because I've really enjoyed learning.)

Writing is such a solo activity, but it doesn't need to be. I've really benefitted from opening my door and allowing others to come inside.

Write what you want to read. Don't rush to write and post, and don't write what you think is popular just to get comments/attention. I'm going to say the quiet thing aloud: Some of the most popular fics in fandom are not good technically, are hardly believable, and are often written for the sake of attention (some stories did not need to be over 100 chapters long) rather than to tell the story they wanted to tell. Some of the most popular fics are honestly some of the worst I've read for various reasons. But they're popular because they scratch an itch, and that's usually because they contain smut and hit a delicious trope. They are an escape, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Write what you want to write. Write the story you want to read. Write the fandom that's ten years old. Write the ship that has fewer than 20 works on AO3. Write the trope people aren't flocking to. You'll find your people, and you'll feel a lot happier because you're writing what represents you. There is nothing worse than writing what you think people will want, only to grow resentful because, surprise, it wasn't what they wanted. If that happens, you wrote it for the wrong reasons.

There is always something to learn. Olympians started somewhere, and while they've definitely made it to the big leagues, they are always learning and improving. Be open to learning. Be open to improving. Writing is a craft you learn, and you are always learning. You will never be perfect at it, but you will be better than you were yesterday if you look at it through the lens of wanting to learn.

Have fun. Experiment. Make mistakes. Write shit. Write well. This is the only time I'll ever say you're not doing it right: if you're not having fun, that's a glaring problem you need to fix ASAP. This is the one rule I live by when writing. Everything else is a guideline.

Always have a cat walk across your keyboard.  

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The Pitt is now dead to me.