#writing schtuff

[thehoneyedhufflepuff]

#14 and #26 for the writing asks?

hi there! thanks for the ask 💜

14. what’s your least favorite trope?

HMMM let me consult that handy-dandy trope list once again...

Okay yeah it’s still ABO & mpreg. I don’t have any tropes I hate with a fiery passion or anything, but I really have no interest in these. Maybe if I stumbled upon something by accident & the writing was good & it was well done? But no interest.

26. who is your favorite fictional character in general?

TOUGH hm okay. You know what...I’m just going to list my faves through the years & see where that takes us.

Justin the Rat from Secret of NIMH. just gonna go ahead & tag @krisrix with no context

Frodo Baggins with emphasis on the movie version because 12 year old me then came up with a very elaborate fanfic where he fell in love with a fictional version of me LMAO. Somebody on fanfiction.net called me out because they’re ruthless people over there.

The Marauders from HP, with emphasis on Sirius & Remus. No wonder I became a Wolfstar shipper later on...

Kvothe from the Name of the Wind. I think. Maybe. It’s been a while because *cough* someone hasn’t finished the series. No shade like I realize writing is hard I HAVE BEEN THERE BUT NOT FOR 11 YEARS—anyway

Sandor Clegane & Tyrion Lannister from ASOIAF/Game of Thrones.

Laurent from Captive Prince.

& Baz. Of course.

I’m sure there are more but these are the ones who stand out so they probably count the most!

💜💜💜

[pointyobjects]

You guys

I drank so much coffee

And I'm trying to write spicy spicy fanfiction

And my heart is beating fast for too many reasons

And I'm at work and a patient just came in with a reAL SCREW IN HIS REAL EAR

Things are going not well over here

[thehoneyedhufflepuff]

fic writer interview

thank you for the tags @ninemagicks @caitybuglove23 @sharkmartini @annabellelux @otherworldsivelivedin @palimpsessed @pipsqueakparker !!! y’all tagged me while i was away from tumblr & it was a delight to come back to them 💜

name: ashley!

fandoms: it’s this one with a vampire & a dragon idk

where you post: ao3! sometimes i’ll post whole fics on tumblr too, but nothing is ever tumblr exclusive.

most popular one-shot: i realize housewarming is technically two chapters, but it’s a one-shot in its own right. for a “true” one-shot, it’s a tie between something like sunshine (hits) & two kisses (kudos)

most popular multi-chapter: between the lines 🥲🦖

fic you were nervous to post: for various reasons, & going from oldest to newest: a pair of splendid morons (my first e fic), the fire in us (my FIRST ao3 post), first bite (my first blood play), don’t leave without me (i had a weird crisis about the quality), god save the queen (was afraid people would be grossed out), darling (my first deniall; wasn’t sure if people would read, & also: new povs 🥲), be with me (was nervous about getting it “right;” still haven’t written the bit i was nervous about lol), & the most efficient way (various reasons).

how do you choose your titles?: titles used to be the bane of my existence. i used to suffer. now i usually find a line i like within the fic & slap it on as the title (if it fits the theme of the fic as a whole). (i still suffer on occasion.)

do you outline?: lol. ie...not really. it’s a clusterfuck inside my mind. if i have specific things i want to happen, i’ll write them down. & then it’s the blind leading the blind as i stumble from one plot point to the next.

complete: 38/44. i’m usually pretty reliable re: finishing wips...but there are a few exceptions because nobody is perfect. my unfinished fire-verse stuff was hiatused in favor of btl (then ws happened & uh), & be with me is...well, it’s a situation. i gotta get in the right headspace for that one. so that’s 3. the other 3 are currently underway (& one is btl so does that really count? lol?)

do you take prompts: now & again! i like to reblog those kiss prompt sort of lists, & i’m so sorry that i still have a bunch in my inbox from last time (unexpected mental breakdowns do be putting a dent in things lol). i do intend to get to them all eventually! they’ll be like little surprises coming at you a year from now once you’ve forgotten you ever sent them 😅

in progress: quite a few! in order of priority: chapter 2 of a wicked thing for @amywaterwings (i suspect it’ll only be two chapters, but we’ll see what simon & baz have to say), chapter 3 of the most efficient way, chapter 21 of between the lines. then my goal in life is to really only work on btl but every time i say that i venture off into deniall land or something. so.

coming soon: same as above!!! & lots of art ideas, but this is a fic interview lol

idk who all has gone since i was off tumblr when this was going around. i’ll tag @krisrix @anika-222 @twokisses @scone-lover 💜

[thehoneyedhufflepuff]

13, 33 and 48 for the writing asks? :) 💖

hi friend! thanks for the ask. ngl i reblogged that list then promptly forgot i had so thanks for reminding me 🤣

13. what’s your favorite trope?

IDK why but any time I reblog these things I suddenly forget what a trope is LMAO. Things I am fond of: first times, magic mishaps, party games where haha suddenly we have to kiss wow what is this! OOH BODYSWAP (I am now consulting a list of tropes to help me out🤣) & drunken confessions, love to See It

33. which themes do you like to write about the most?

Before BTL (& before WS 😱), my thing was writing post-canon. Seeing what they’re up to after the book closes, how they’re healing, how they’re relating to each other now that time has gone on, etc. Sometimes just the mundanities of life.

...come to think of it, I think my thing is just exploring Emotions, but I don’t think that makes me special LOL. Maybe I like to write about the trials & tribulations of being vulnerable since I struggle with that shit myself. The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known.

48. what’s the last sentence you wrote?

I shake my head again.

(not terribly exciting; the whole passage can be found on this recent six sentence sunday)

💜💜💜

[thehoneyedhufflepuff]

Fic writer asks -- 5 -- do you have an outline for BTL, and is it evolving as you go? And how long do you think the fic will end up being?

thanks for the ask!!! 💜

THIS IS INDEED THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION INNIT LOL.

so i don’t really do much traditional outlining really. I’m more what GRRM calls a “gardener” in that the story sort of grows as I go. (RIP this is why the fic is 200k+ now...but I honestly don’t know if I could tell this story in a more succinct way SO I WON’T.) Have I mentioned that when I first started BTL it was meant to be a little bookshop AU & that’s it? LOL. oops.

SO anyway sometime around chapter 5 (ish? maybe?) I actually wrote down a very rough outline of some emotional plot points that I very naively thought would be written relatively quickly (I made this list in...probably June 2019? haha). I dug that out for you because it amuses me. Here’s the first page which is all stuff that’s already happened so no spoilers really unless you’ve not already read the fic.

The second page though? Starts with this LMAO

& then I list some points, some of which are still valid & some of which I’m iffy on. Also? This was written before I realized that Dev & Niall would have their own story. Back when I thought they were Baz’s friends & confidants & nothing else. & then they showed me what was what & of course we (meaning me) had to weave in that story on top of everything else. BUT. That story has a profound effect on Baz & his anxiety & how he thinks about his own relationship, etc. And this story is fundamentally about navigating relationships when you have a mental illness that attacks the things that are most important to you. So IMO it’s at least marginally necessary if not extremely self indulgent.

Which was my way of saying: Do I have an outline? I had a bit of one. Did I follow it? Kinda in a very meandering way. Do I know what will happen? UH. The big things, YES! I know where we’re going emotionally, but what happens in between? We’re nearing the climax of the story. But I’ve accepted that it takes me a long fucking time to get to the point I need to get. (Yes, I do irritate myself sometimes, lol.) I have the climactic scene in my brain & it involves emotions & raised voices & rain & courage & the willingness to be vulnerable. I have a *potential* idea for something that happens that I haven’t decided on yet for after that scene. But whatever happens, they’ll be okay. I know the emotional note the story will end on. Also I have about 10k of a sequel written already so uh. Once BTL is finished...there’s that. Very self indulgent but y’all can read too if you want 🤣

Which brings us to the question of how long it’ll be? I have no idea. I’m really awful at estimating word counts, & with my chapters as long as they are, & the plot points that are left...I really don’t know. I absolutely would not be surprised if the thing breaks 300k. Hope that’s okay with y’all lol.

Anyway I should really work on chapter 21 huh? Here’s something I shared however many six sentence sundays ago from the beginning of that feat. middle-of-the-night sleep-ridden semi-confessions that Baz will be horrified about when he wakes up, surely:

🦖💛💙🦖

ask list

[thehoneyedhufflepuff]

Heeey Ash! Hope you're doing well! Here are some asks for your entertainment! may: a fic you have regretted posting? friday: most self-indulgent fic you have ever posted?

Hi friend! I'm doing okay. Hope you are too 💜 Thanks for lending some distraction while Mr HH gets hangry looking for a taco bell lmao

may: a fic you have regretted posting?

Regret is a strong word, but there have been times where I've gone through "regret stages" after posting certain fics lol.

The one that immediately comes to mind is Merry Gentlemen. I got fucking roasted in the comments & even though that was March 2019 I still think about it sometimes. Anyway that's why I have anon turned off on ao3 now lol.

On a broader scale, I regret removing Simon's wings & tail in fire verse. (Though to be fair, he was supposed to get his magic [& dragon bits] back in the last installment.) The majority of those fics were written pre WS, before we had a lot of the symbolism re the wings & tail, but I still am slightly embarrassed for doing that. Hindsight is 20/20 🤷🏻

Oh also I had FEAR run through me after posting God Save the Queen but that one ended up going over surprisingly well LOL

friday: most self-indulgent fic you have ever posted?

It's a toss up between A Pair of Splendid Morons & Between the Lines. I wrote APOSM because at the time there were very few first time fics in the fandom & it's what I craved. And then I ended up sticking around. I think BTL has likely surpassed it in terms of self indulgence at this point? Especially considering the whole DeNiall thing that I never meant to be a thing that turned into a thing. Anyway this is a DeNiall blog now lmao

thanks for asking 💜

[thehoneyedhufflepuff]

POV! 💜😊

thanks for the ask, friend! 💜

POV — something that’s already happened, retold from another character’s perspective

I did this one super quick on a walk just now, so it’s not much. BUT. here’s a bit of Dev’s POV from chapter 9 of BTL (including the original from Baz’s POV):

no excuses writing asks

[thehoneyedhufflepuff]

monday, saturday, fortnight

thanks for the ask! 💜

monday: do you struggle with the ‘boring’ parts of writing?

To an extent, yeah. IDK if I consider anything boring so much as I consider it difficult? I always say that sometimes writing is easy & sometimes it's like pulling teeth. And sometimes you gotta get past the hard parts to get to the fun/easy parts. & If I'm honest, some of my best writing (IMO) has been stuff that doesn't come as easily. It's the stuff I can look back on & say, "Damn, I did that."

TLDR sometimes writing is a struggle but it's worth it 

saturday: what gets you excited whilst writing?

I get super excited to share (which is why I have no control re fic previews lol)! I love making people feel an Emotion. Also I enjoy amusing myself. A bit of self indulgence is just self care tbh. Hence my answer to the next question, which is:

fortnight: what wip do you plan on posting next, if at all?

I am super excited about it tbh. It's a BTL DeNiall fic I've been working on while I've been on vacation the last week. It's nearly 7k & nowhere near done so there's that. I don't go back to work till Monday so maybe I'll finish it before then. Working title is Take Me To Church & I hope y'all are ready 😂

thanks for asking!💜