Zendaya starred in The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron plus now two MCU Spiderman movies so wtf are you even talking about?
Correction: Hugh Jackman starred in The Greatest Showman, seeing as he was the one with the lead role. Zendaya got literally 20 minutes of screen time and was a side character. She got even less screen time in the first Spider-Man movie, and more in the second—making that closest to a lead role she’s ever gotten. Euphoria is still the only lead roles she’s had. She has never lead a movie that wasn’t a made for TV Disney one. That is a fact. Her other counterparts that you like to group her with like Amandla has starred in The Hate U Give and Yara starred in The Sun Is Also A Star. Show me a movie where Zendaya actually has more than 20 minutes of screen time and is more than just one of the side characters, then you can talk.
We at WTOWW have got a real treat for all of our faithful readers! We have a fun and exciting series that we're excited to debut today!
Want to know what's your favorite writers process for cranking out these engaging stories? Want to know how they build such realistic worlds and impressive dialogue?
Well now you can as we asked our talented spectrum of writers a few questions that will help you get to know them better.
These ladies really put in the work to bring you the stories we all love to obsess over and WTOWW are very happy we took the time to get to know them so much better!
First up we have @jonesywrites aka Kendra. She is a heavy hitter and a permanent marker in the Richonne Fanfiction hall of fame for her pieces like Bad Thangs, Machine Heart and Vantage Point and a host of other great stories that are not limited to only the Richonne Fandom. Her talent for world building is really unmatched, it was fun getting to pick her brain.
So take a few moments to relax, let's get to know Kendra a little better.
Why is Richonne so fun to write?
“I'm a huge romantic. Richonne's chemistry has always been so intense on screen, which is exactly what drew me to them. Exploring that chemistry in my writing is a total thrill because so much of my writing relies on details that the actors give me in abundance. Getting those details right (true to what you see on screen) makes me sooo happy as a writer.”
Do you have a writing schedule?
“Ha! I wish I did. I'm all over the place. It's hard to find the time to really dive in, so I'm stuck writing a paragraph here or there during the work week. I try to devote at least one day or a few hours on the weekends, but there's always so much to do, so I can only really update every now and then. It's a miracle if I can get back to back updates done.”
What is your editing process?
“ I will rewrite something a hundred times until I feel it captures what I want to convey perfectly. It takes me a long time to finish an update because I'm constantly going back to re-read it and edit it as I write.”
What drew you to fanfiction?
“I've been a writer since I was a little girl, but when it came to the stories I watched or read, I was always thinking of the characters I liked doing things that had nothing to do with the original plot. Scenes would come like visions in my head while going about my day or trying to sleep. Someone told me about fanfiction when I was in college and I decided to just go for it. Been hooked ever since.”
What has writing fanfiction taught you about being a writer?
“It has taught me humility, not to compare myself to others (to find my own unique voice and stay true to it), and it has helped me better understand my strengths and weaknesses as a storyteller. I move at my own pace but in my opinion taking time to focus on the things that make me a happy reader makes me a better writer.”
Who outside the fandom knows you write fanfiction?
“Not many people. Close friends. It's still not something people take seriously within the circles I work in. Being a copywriter, living in Hollywood trying to become a television writer, you just don't admit to writing fanfiction. At least not unless you intend to make a big joke out of it and get major side-eye for your trouble. ::shrug:: So I don't talk about it.”
How many people know you're a writer?
“Everyone I meet. I write for work, and I network a lot with folks out here trying to do what I am trying to do -- get into a television writer's room. It's an intrinsic part of me that I will always lead with. "Hello, my name is Kendra and I am a writer."
Where do you see your writing taking you?
“Hopefully to creating my own shows or finally finishing my first book. Time will tell.”
Do you have advice for writers just starting out?
“Don't give up. Find your voice and stay true to it. Don't compare yourself to others, it's a waste of time. Their voice is not yours. People want to read what you have to say, specifically you. Only you can say it your way, so find your way and go for it. Ask questions, lots of questions, of other writers because we're a community and we want to see each other succeed. Tell the story you want to read, not the story everyone else thinks you should tell.”
What do you wish you knew before posting your first chapter?
“I wish that I knew how to manage my time better. Heh.”
How many writing playlists do you have? Does your music have to change with what you write?
“ I make a playlist for every story I write that encapsulates that story's mood/world. I've been doing this for years, there's no other way for me. I must have music to write to and I must share it with my readers. Everything I publish was written to a musical score. They're all available on Spotify, too. Just look for the title of the fic or my user name, kendrawriter.”
How many projects do you have going on right now?
“ I have quite a few, it's all a jumble. Four open Richonne fics, one open WestAllen fic, a tv script and the tentative start to a young adult novel. Ehhhhhhh....I know. I know.”
Have you ever written a scene that’s made you cry?
“Once, in my first Doctor Who fic, Nightfall. An original character in that story that I based off of my grandmother died in the story. My grandma was very ill at the time and we feared the worst (she passed away a couple of year ago). Writing her death scene was tough. To this day I'm not sure why I did that to myself, but at the time it made sense for the drama of the plot.”
Where do you get your best story ideas?
“I take inspiration from literally everything. My best ideas have come from me just really wanting to see something and obsessing over how to write it until it's in the story. But I base a lot of things off movie or TV references from all the many, many I've watched since childhood. Machine Heart, for example, blends about 100 references from all my favorite sc-fi stuff -- Star Trek, Aliens, Black Mirror, Terminator, The Matrix, Strange Days, The Fifth Element, the list goes on...”
Do you have a solution for when you’re stuck?
“Just let it pass. It happens all the time, and over the years I've learned to just let it happen until I'm inspired again. Because once I'm inspired again, I go into THE ZONE and I'll write like crazy for days on end.”
What does WTOWW mean to you?
“ It's a community for me. It's full of really amazing, kind, funny, smart, talented women that I'm beyond grateful to know. Also, it's an opportunity to give less known writers a platform, and dive into some great writing prompts I otherwise wouldn't think of.”
Thank you Kendra for taking the time to share your story.
Hi. I don't know you and I wasnt following but I saw your post about anon hate and just read all those really dumb, hateful messages you've been getting re: MM. I just wanted to say you're right, and we (those of us with sense, those of us who live this) know why they hate and criticize every tiny breath she takes. The one about how much she spends on clothes was particularly hilarious. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I appreciate you.
Thank you so much for the kind words, and welcome to my blog! I’ve been in fandom for a while, and I’ve seen so many woc be hated on just for being in the same space as other people, but I’ve noticed it’s always noticeably more vicious when it comes to black women, and the fact that those people hate on real life black women who are doing nothing but daring to thrive is just sickening. They act like Meghan stole Harry away from them, and they throw their hate around like it’s their right, but at the end of the day, Meghan stays winning.
Once you get this you have to answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly, then send this on to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is super cool!)
Oh wow. Truly unexpected, @jonesywrites! Thank you! 😘 This took me awhile because I don’t like talking about myself. Here goes:
1. I love my taste in music just like you. I think I have a good ear for certain beats and instruments that really make a good song in any genre.
2. I like my hair.
3. I like my patience with hair, no matter the hair type. I can figure my way out of any knot.
4. I like the fact that I can still find joy in the simplest things such as chasing my children around the house, watching cartoons, window shopping, sipping coffee at the bookstore or feeding the ducks at a lake.
5. I like my style. Even though I enjoy lounging at home in my husband’s old clothes, when it’s time to step outside, it’s NYFW, it’s Oscar for costume design season, it’s an I need to go to many different places so everyone can see my outfit type of day.
Carl and Michonne share one last mother-son moment together before he goes off to college.
Carl’s butt was starting to go numb, but he sat patiently in the dining table chair they’d hauled up to the bathroom a couple of hours ago.
Neither of them said much while she worked, and he was fine with that. The occasional “hold still” or “turn a bit?” while she moved his head around, washed, rinsed and cut.
Michonne was probably the only grownup he could enjoy silence with, without it being awkward or forced. He was going to miss that about her, among many other things.
Carl was going to college tomorrow. He would be living full time near his campus, so this was really it. All his stuff was packed and loaded into the truck his dad bought him last year. His room was pretty empty except for his bed and desk and a few things from childhood he definitely wouldn’t be needing.
He was excited, he was nervous, he was ready...but most of all, he knew he was going to miss Michonne like crazy.
This was the last thing they’d do together, he realized, before he left tomorrow with his dad on a weekend road trip down to UT Austin.
The trip was for Rick and his son. Tonight was for Carl and his mom.
She became that pretty much from day one, when he really needed that void filled. More than that, though. She was also his best friend. A lot of teenagers his age didn’t get along this well with their parents (especially not a stepmother who showed up a year after the birth mother died). His friends’ curiosity and disbelief only served to remind him that he was very lucky.
He was loved. He was going to miss being in close proximity to that love every day.
So, Carl focused on the sound of scissors cutting, the breeze of his hair falling past his shoulders to the floor. He listened to his siblings moving around somewhere in the house. He focused on his hands, resting on his jeans where his knees were starting to wear the denim a little thin. They were gonna split soon. Michonne always noticed stuff like that and then they’d go shopping for new ones. Now he would go buy new stuff alone in a city he wasn’t familiar with. Exciting. Also kinda sad. One of their “things” that wouldn’t be theirs anymore.
He focused on the sensation of her long fingers combing through his damp, ever shortening hair, holding out the ends, massaging at his scalp. Massage, comb through, snip, snip. Like the years they’d spent getting to know, relate to, and eventually love each other like blood family.
Then he heard wet sniffling and shaky intakes of breath from above him. And the scissor snips paused, and her hands were resting on his shoulders.
Carl frowned. “Michonne. Are you crying?”
“No.”
His frown turned into a smirk. He couldn’t see her face but he could hear it in her voice.
“You totally are.”
“Maybe…” she sighed above him, trying to choke her emotion back down her throat, “ah, damn. I almost made it!”
“I knew you wouldn’t last through the whole thing,” he teased, wearing his best friend hat first. But when he looked up at her, and saw her sad smile and wet eyes, he instantly knew he was feeling the same way. “Come on, no crying during my haircut, okay? If you start now, you’ll botch the rest. I’ll go to college looking really dumb and it’ll be all your fault.”
She laughed softly, rolling her eyes at him, but her lips was trembling. Carl reached up from under the towel she’d draped over his shoulders and gave her hand a heartfelt squeeze. She started crying harder. “Sorry, hon...sorry...it’s just...I’m really...ugh, damn!”
“I know, you’re gonna miss me being annoying and making fun of you all the time. But you’re a pretty easy target, you know. Dad’ll pick up the slack for me, I promise.”
They laughed, even though he was also getting a little teary himself. They both knew neither Judith or Andre could make fun of Michonne like Rick and Carl were allowed to. Being around for his dad and Michonne’s first three years of marriage before his siblings were born made their relationship dynamic a little different. No less loving; just...different.
Michonne nodded through her tears, taking several deep breaths and blowing them outward to expel her mounting emotion. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him several sloppy kisses on the cheek, where he had already grown peach fuzz at eighteen.
“I am gonna miss you, kid. So much.” Then she brushed away his shorn hairs and ran her fingers through what was left on top of his head. “I’m done. You ready?”
Carl nodded, sniffing hard to stave off her contagious sadness. “Yeah…”
She stepped back and he stood up, now head and shoulders taller than her. Carl turned and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He smiled wide, relieved and impressed. She made him look pretty good. Neat and “adult”, but with the potential for a nonchalant, messy look if he played around with it. There were girls to consider. Michonne thought of everything. He ran his hands through it a couple times, getting it down into his eyes, combing it back from his face, feeling it out. He liked it a lot.
She looked on proudly, hands on her hips, beaming and holding back tears.
“You like it?”
“It’s awesome. Thank you, Michonne!” Carl wrapped his arms around his stepmother and gave her an affectionate squeeze. He whispered into her long locs, “I’m gonna miss you too. I promise I’ll come visit, okay?”
“Ohh, don’t worry about me,” Michonne leaned back and took hold of his face. “I’ll be fine. I’m not one of those sad sack empty nesters,” with a pat on his cheeks and a poke to the ribs, it seemed she had finally gotten hold of her emotions and was wearing her best friend hat again. “Matter of fact, I can’t wait for you to split. I’m turning your room into a gym. I already ordered a Peloton.”
“Whaaaat! That hurts.” He gaped, shaking his head at her as he helped her clean up the hair.
Once done, Carl made a decision that was long overdue. One more thing they could share before he left.
“Goodnight. Love you, mom,” he told her as he went to bed sporting his new haircut.
It was the first time, and it just felt right. He’d always appreciated how easy she made everything for him, grieving his mother and accepting a new chapter in his young life. She made tonight, and this, easy, too.
Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. Then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals. 💌💜
Hi sister! 👋🏾
Thanks for sending this. We were just listening to this while cleaning the other day. And you know where my head's at right now. I listen to this while writing and planning.
1. Nightcall (Kavinsky cover) by London Grammer
2. Cumbia Del Corazón by Los Ángeles Azules y Carlos Vives
3. Dos Extraños by Yahritza y Su Esencia
4. LA People by Peso Pluma y Tito Double P
5. Black Out Days (Future Islands Remix) by Phantogram and Future Islands
Hi do you know a story where Fitz makes Olivia come to switzerland and stay in the hotel and they reconcile after he was shot. He runs her a bath and she gets upset and accuses him of making her a concubine and he says something like “I get it. You think the bath was stupid. But don’t you ever...” it’s not in the Fitz is recovering or is sick tags. Thanks!
