#theowlisthelimit

[secondbeatsongs]

Have you done Puppy for Hannukah yet?

that’s a thought!

[thesylverlining]

Today my friend showed my a popular tumblr post (mr sandman... car door hook hand) and I was like "OH that's sylver's post isn't it have you read chameleon moon" and this is the story of how I ended up buying my friend your book

Holy crap that’s amazing

Book sales by memery

welcome to my twisted mind

[mumblingsage]

Hi! Someday, someday, someday I will get around to writing thing and submitting them places. A question in the meantime: what sort of rates per word/page/whatever are good, what is okay, and what is to be avoided like the plague?

There is no one answer for what’s right for each author, but:

1. 6 cents a word and up is SFWA “pro” payment. This is a great pay rate for fiction. Prioritize these markets (ie, send your story to them first, provided it fits the guidelines). 

2. There’s a “semipro” range from 1 cent to 5 cents per word. I’m comfortable submitting in this range when my story doesn’t find a home with the pro-rate ones or when there aren’t a lot of pro-paying markets in the genre/subgenre (ex: erotica pays mostly in this range, or with a lump sum that works out to this range. The only exception I can think of is Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, which pays a flat rate that works out to pro- payment at their wordcount requirements. When I do smut, I’m willing to do it for one cent per word).

3. “Token” markets pay less than one cent per word. They may still be worth submitting to if there aren’t a lot of paying markets in your genre (literary fiction, poetry), if you really like the specific market’s approach, or if it’s a charity anthology. 

4. Some markets pay a royalty share instead of or in addition to up-front payment. I like these because I like the idea of being paid at multiple points in the future. However, royalty payments won’t necessarily be big. In general I’d suggest writers look at up-front paying markets first, especially if you need the money, well, up front (no short fiction pays a lot, but a $200 check for a pro short story can make a difference some months!). But royalty-paying presses can also be nice. I say this as an editor whose anthologies paid on royalties--that allowed the New Smut Project to operate on a super shoestring budget, and we have paid out a few times to authors (on a $5 payment threshold). 

I can’t speak to comic pay rates--maybe one of my followers can? As for poetry, the $35/poem paid by one of the markets I just boosted strikes me as phenomenally good. I think pro rate for poetry is $50? In general, poetry pay rates are not as good as fiction ones (even accounting for the fact that poems are shorter, considering the amount of time they take to craft), so anything over $25 makes my eyes light up. 

[mumblingsage]

Sage. Do you have advice or resources you like for writing sexy stuff? Specifically as an ace person? Also BDSM stuff. I read a fanfic that I desperately want to write spinoff fanfic for but it is inherently sexual and I have no idea what I'm doing. Help. Please.

It’s a bit early in the morning and I don’t fully recall what “the kinky wikipedia” is called, but: that. Lots of info on the benefits, practices, and risks of different BDSM activities.

Research and reading help a lot, basically. To the point that I look at the stuff I wrote based on research & imagination and base it on my real experience now that I’ve had actualfax BDSM encounters and...for the most part I was pretty accurate! 

Reading other people’s smut can help you get a sense of where you want to give lots of detail, where you want to skim a bit, etc (each writer and reader has a different preference here). Dialogue can be helpful when you’re not sure of specific physical acts to describe. Oh, my friend Pasi’s Sex Writing 101 post also offers a breakdown of a written sex scene that might be helpful: https://pasiphile.tumblr.com/post/80091364553/sex-writing-101 

If you have time to read a 350-page book, I’m reading Emily Nagoski’s Come As You Are and it is awesome about explaining the physiology and psychology of genitals, arousal, desire, etc for people who experience those things. The book is mainly aimed at cis women but also describes how these things work for cis men (though because trans-specific research is rarer, the author isn’t able to offer as much insight for trans people, as she recognizes in her introductory pages). 

[storieswritteninthesand]

@tienriu @theowlisthelimit tienriu - that’s a really good word for it! I’m in the first graduation ceremony block post finishing, and it’s *still* 6 months on 🙄 But thanks to both of you for your words - I’m here in my silly hat and silly gown and I think it’s gonna be fine :)

[autism-asks]

I think I might be autistic and I'm trying to gather more information. Do you have any recommendations for other autism q&a blogs or like "autism experience" blogs? Basically what autism tumblrs do you recommend following.

I’m going to shamelessly self-plug here. I post a lot of autism stuff on my personal blog @strangerdarkerbetter. Mod Sam’s blog @candidlyautistic is another great autism blog, as is Mod Os’s blog @owlsofstarlight. None of these are Q&A blogs though most of us (and most of those listed) take asks. 

Some other blogs I recommend are:

@autistickitten

@positiveautistic

@kcomplexes

@sbroxman-autisticquestions

@autiegotmoves

@butterflyinthewell

Followers, do you have any other suggestions?

-Sabrina

[autism-asks]

The "Autism Does Not Reside in a Medical Report" link under self-diagnosis resources is broken

I actually had just noticed this and fixed it. Thank you for informing us!

-Sabrina

[memecaptainsteverogers]

Steve. Why do you want a honey badger??? Also maybe Tony can buy one for you. The zoos might be impressed by his money.

I don’t want a honey badger, I need a honey badger, have you not seen the documentaries? I need one.