burningphoenixwings:

me: ugh i need this fic

my brain: you’re a writer. you can create this fic. it’s literally your exact hobby to do that

me @ my brain: okay but did i ask

gallusrostromegalus:

sarcoptid:

art activity: design a character based entirely around making them as much your friend’s type as possible, then gift it to them. half gesture of friendship, half call out.

This is an EXCELLENT way to unfunk your art block and also do something nice-but-terrible for/to your friends.

jumpingjacktrash:

cannibalcoalition:

I think that there’s some kind of mindset in a lot of creative communities (authors, artists, musicians) that your work needs to be groundbreaking and thought-provoking for it to matter. That in order for it to be considered worthy of its medium, it must have a greater purpose. 

And if you ask me, its bullshit. 

God, it puts so much stress on a creator to have to be important to someone else. I have seen so many people give up because their work isn’t making a statement, that it’s ‘fluff but no substance.’ As though there’s only room for so many people in a community of creators that only people with a point can get in. 

If it made someone laugh, it’s important. 

If it made someone smile, it’s important. 

If someone looks back on it fondly, even for a moment, it’s important. 

If you enjoyed making it, even if you never shared it, it’s important. 

Sing songs about your cat, draw pictures of lizards eating popsicles, and write a series of novels about time-traveling alpaca. 

The world is already full of super-important stuff. Write fluff. 

and, as terry pratchett proved, a lot of important things happen while you’re writing pure entertainment, simply because you’re a human being observing life. don’t worry about Having Something To Say. by being human, you’re saying something worth hearing.

birdsandivory:

Hello, Anon. :>

First of all, let me just say that I am so sorry you feel discouraged and unmotivated! I cannot express how awful it is to not want to share because it’s not as fulfilling as it once was, but let me try and give you the best advice I can for this, because changing my mindset about my writing has really helped me.

The amount of notes you have on a post does not make it good or bad. Thinking negatively of your work because it has less notes than you would like will start sowing a lot of doubts about the abilities you possess; the traffic on Tumblr and its failing algorithm doesn’t help, but it also doesn’t mean you’re doing a bad job. 

The quality of your writing is not measured by the number of people who comment on it. Some people are too shy, some are afraid of how their words might come across, and some might love it and just not be a commenter! This doesn’t mean you should stop writing alltogether. Let me just say, I have stories on AO3 that have gotten no comments and some that have 200 comments. And looking back at both of those works, I feel like they are equally good. However, a lot of times, those 200 comments are the same five, six, seven people over 10 chapters – as opposed to one person commenting on a oneshot. 

Sometimes, it’s all about timing. Honestly, I’ve found that my best time for posting here is around 7PM-9PM EST; I can post something and get 500 notes overnight, but if I post at around 2PM, I might get 4. If traffic is super important to you and your motivation – and you are completely valid if it is – then try implementing a routine for posting.

Somebody loves your work. It might be one person, but know it’s touched them.

Most importantly, all doubts aside, write for YOURSELF. Gosh, I can’t say how much of a people pleaser I used to be, and how much I still am one. But write for you and you only and you’ll enjoy the process so much more. I would rather write this fun KH Crossover that gets maybe 60 views per chapter than a story about a couple everyone loves that’s breaking 10k. You’ll miss out on what you want to write and never get to share what your soul creates. And never rely on other people giving you a thumbs up in order to be happy about your work. The greatest feeling of accomplishment should be that moment when you’ve just finished reading that fiction for the last time  – smiling and happy and pleased with what you’ve done before clicking that share button.

I hope this helps, Anon. Go do great things.

sarasa-cat:

lullabyknell:

Brain: I don’t wanna write anymore. I wanna read something. 

Me: Alright, I guess we could do that for a bit. What do you wanna read? 

Brain: Don’t know. Wanna read. 

Me: There’s a lot to choose from. How about this? 

Brain: No. Not that. I wanna read a thing that fits these exact specifications. 

Me: Uh, alright, wow. Those are really exact specificatio-

Me: …

Me: Are you telling me you want to read the exact thing we were writing? 

Brain: YES! I wanna read that. Let’s read that. 

Me: …

Me: I don’t know how to tell you this, but we have to write it first. 

I FEEL CALLED OUT BY THIS POST

oddhour:

for the self-conscious beginner: No one makes great things
until the world intimately knows their mediocrity. Don’t think of
your writing as terrible; think of it as preparing to
contribute something great.

for the self-conscious late bloomer: Look at old writing as how far
you’ve come. You can’t get to where you are today without covering all
that past ground. For that, be proud.

for the perfectionist: Think about how much you complain about things you love—the mistakes and retcons in all your favorite series—and how you still love them anyway. Give yourself that same space.

for the realist: There will be people who hate your story even if
it’s considered a classic. But there will be people who love your
story, even if it is strange and unpopular.

for the fanfic writer: Your work isn’t lesser for not following canon. When you write, you’ve created a new work on its own. It can
be, but does not have to be, limited by the source material. Canon is not the
end-all, be-all. 

for the writer’s blocked: It doesn’t need to be perfect. Sometimes you have to move on and commit a few writing sins if it means you can create better things out of it.

for the lost: You started writing for a reason; remember that
reason. It’s ok to move on. You are more than your writing. It will be here if you want to come back.

aycebasketcase:

Like, my writing isn’t good but I love it. I love it because hating my writing has gotten me nowhere, has gotten me absolutely nothing.

So even when I don’t particularly like or enjoy my writing, I love my writing, because I’ve put so much time and energy and soul and love into it.

Nothing can stop me from loving my writing; nothing can stop me from writing.

lavvyan:

renniequeer:

Hey, writeblr? 

I know a lot of us love and relate to the, “omg, I’m a gremlin who never writes and only produces weird trash” memes. But remember that you’re allowed to like your writing. 

You’re allowed to love your writing. You’re allowed to be unabashedly excited to work, and share, and come up with new ideas. You’re allowed to be proud of your work and your craft.

It doesn’t always have to be memes about how much writing sucks and, “ugh, why do I even do this?”

You’re allowed to be proud of yourself.

Your first draft can be excellent. 

You’re not egotistical if you like to reread your own stories. 

There’s nothing wrong with your writing cracking you up or moving you to tears. 

It’s not arrogant to say that you know what you’re doing. 

And hey, if your characters are consistently doing exactly what you want them to be doing, that doesn’t mean your writing isn’t flowing or natural or creative. It means that your original (mental) outline is working and you know what the heck you’re on about. 

flanoirbunny:

witchesvscommunism:

dawnofthebadpuns:

incandescent-creativity:

animetitle:

me writing dialogue: “what is man but a vessel through which a higher entity may see? what is his purpose? must he find a purpose? we are but stardust; the universe comprehending itself.”

me writing action: they ran real fast from the bad men aand legs hurty

me writing action: Her legs pounded against the earth, the familiar jolt grounding her like nothing else could. Magic, gods, royalty—she didn’t know anything about that. But running? That’s something she’d been doing since day one.

me writing dialogue: “I dunno man whatchu wanna do” “I dunno. What do you think?” “Hey man I don’t know”

me writing action: room go boom

me writing dialogue: noppity nope, that ain’t dope

The holy trinity of writing

tag yourself I’m the OP

fleurites:

mcboyfriend:

terumiafuro:

i love when people are passionate about a certain character, like really passionate about them bc then i start associating them with that character and then the character reminds me of them and i’ll just be looking through my dash and then suddenly i’ll think about them

New ask game what characters do you associate with me

these were cute, send more of these !!

salt-of-the-ao3:

An author I love: i’m so sorry for not updating, please accept my apologies, life has been busy at the moment and i just didn’t have time to write, so sorry for making you wait-

Me, gently cupping their face in my hands: My friend. My dude. I’m the kind of idiot who waits years for the new season of a show. Who gets excited about the new part of a book series that hasn’t been published in a decade. Do you seriously think i’m not gonna be there cheering for you when you come back? That my support is dependent on you regularly publishing updates? That you owe me anything? No no no no no. I’ll love you whatever you chose to do. So go on having fun and living your life you gorgeous being ❤

momokitty27:

nicorobins:

PSA: please never feel like you are not contributing to a fandom enough! a common misconception i feel like i see a lot is that you have to draw/write/edit in order to contribute, but that definitely isn’t the case.

even if you’re only reblogging other people’s creations, you’re still spreading the love of the fandom to others, and that is a major contribution in itself! content creators also are thankful too whenever you reblog their stuff, because it provides motivation to continue making more for the fandom and that also brings more content to the fandom! especially if you take the extra mile and leave a nice compliment about their stuff :’)

also to all of the content creators out there, please do not feel discouraged when comparing yourself to others! each person has their own unique creation that they can bring to the table (unless you re-post/re-edit/copy, please never do that), and the more content that is being made, the more lively the fandom is! never feel like your creations are not good enough; if you took the time to make them, then they are definitely more than good. non-content creators are appreciative of each post being made for the fandom to keep it flourishing and alive.

tl;dr: you all are doing amazing, keep doing what you do best ;D

Writer friends, this is for us

@mandakatt @mtraki @prowlingthunder @crosschordwrites

cherrynat:

do you ever read a piece of fanfic that is just so fucking spectacular that makes you actually feel things? 

boy, i swear to god, i’m so goddamn grateful for every single one of you writers, yall literally giving us entertainment for free almost every goddamn week; and this is not only for those gracious magnificent bastards that are practically gods because they’ve perfected (and keep developing) their craft, this is also to that little (and equally amazing) writer that is just starting and might not be the best at it, you my friend keep writing because practice makes perfect, don’t stop writing if that’s what makes you happy. i just want all of yall to know that i appreciate you so goddamn much and yall the fucking best

to every fanfic writer out there: i love you, u crazy motherfucker

nemettabris:

You know what I’m gonna say it-

All my friends have very good ocs and I adore all of them

why-is-it-always-autumn:

why-is-it-always-autumn:

why-is-it-always-autumn:

why-is-it-always-autumn:

You know what I don’t get?  When fanfic authors apologize for long chapters.  It’s like?  You gave me bonus content, for free, and you’re sorry about it?  Bruh.  I have already named my firstborn after you.  Dude.

You know what else I don’t get?  When they apologize for short updates.  It’s like: look at these new words I gave you!  Sorry I didn’t give you even more free words.  Bro, that’s at least two words that I did not have yesterday.  For free.  Dude.  Thank you.

And another thing: when people drop out of nowhere with a surprise update and then apologize for it taking a while.  Like, dude, I wasn’t expecting anything, and you gave me words.  I thought this fic was abandoned, but wait: there’s more.  You just popped in and reminded me that this is a Good Fic that I should probably reread.  You made my goshdarn day.

Basically fanfic writers are under no obligation to publish anything so when they do update it’s always a net positive because the story is longer now, and I have something to read, so thank you so much to everyone who writes fic at whatever pace or quantity they want.

buckychrist:

sunken-standard:

Reblog if it’s okay for your followers
to leave you an ask telling you what the one thing is they remember
you for as a writer.  Is it a scene or a detail or a specific line?
Is it something like style or characterization?  Is it that one weird
kink they never thought they’d be into, but oh my god wow
self-discovery time?

it is absolutely 100% okay if you do this

surroundedbyperverts:

heywriters:

albatris:

hey. hey. I have a confession

I fuckin LOVE dialogue as a first line. I adore it. whenever I flip open a book and the first line is dialogue I’m like hell YES this is my SHIT

there’s lists of, uh, TOP TEN WAYS YOU SHOULD NEVER START YOUR NOVEL EVER and “opening with dialogue” is always on them

the gist being that it’s bad bc the reader doesn’t care about this character yet so why are they gonna care about this dialogue, right, they don’t have any context for it, you should start with something that gets the reader invested and emotionally pulled in, so on, so forth

(and I’m not here to argue or call bullshit on these lists or anything…… 99% of the time, the reasons listed of why you should Maybe Not Do The Thing are perfectly valid concerns and dangers that should be taken into consideration)

(this post is more a ramble about personal preference with a nice moral at the end)

(and definitely not a TOP TEN REASONS “TOP TEN WAYS YOU SHOULD NEVER START YOUR NOVEL EVER” LISTS ARE LIES AND SLANDER post god could you imagine)

but yeah, for me, dialogue opening lines pull me right the fuck in emotionally. for real. nine times out of ten they’ll yank me in and have me engaged instantaneously. always have, probably always will

(like come on. have y’all never just started eavesdropping right in the middle of some total strangers’ conversation on the bus. especially if it’s somethin weird. it’s so good)

but ANYWAY, the moral is uhhhh

whatever Mortal Writing Sin you wanna commit, there’s probably at least one weirdo out there possibly named logan who digs it

do whatever the fuck you want, honestly

you can write an opening scene that does everything every advice page tells you to do with an opening scene and it can still be shit

you can write an opening scene doing everything every advice page tells you NEVER to do with your opening scene and it can still be fabulous and engaging

if you can pull it off, literally who cares

“if you can pull it off, literally who cares“ is the only real writing rule

Reblog for writers.

lovehotelreservation:

TO MY FELLOW WRITERS

MAY I

GET SENTIMENTAL WITH YOU ALL

OR SENTIMENCHELL >:3c

For as long as I’ve been writing, it’s inevitable to be stumped and feel self-conscious about your work and the feedback you receive or not. You achieve the goal of having 1000+ followers and then begin to wonder why you aren’t like the blog who has 5000+. You wonder why your take on a certain trope/pairing/series doesn’t do as well as the other.

The numbers get to you–to everyone, really.

The piece you devoted something odd hours doesn’t get the feedback/attention you hope–an understandable frustration. You think back to your time spent and question why you bothered in the first place.

It’s times like these that I have to remind myself–or in my case, @megalochondriac does in all caps before telling me to cease with speaking more into detail about Percival’s curtain/carpet matching~–that the joy should come elsewhere. Thinking of the idea, the process, and to those who take time to read this work of love you shared to the world.

This is a mindset that may not be shared by all, but rather than seeing “oh only x many people enjoyed this”, rather think of it has “x many people read something that I made and found joy from it”.

In no way am I putting down those who want to grow their following!!! But for some of those who may feel disheartened, it’s okay. Those readers of yours who follow/like/share your work support you and I do too!

What you create and pour your love into is special. If you’re proud of what you’ve done, wonderful! Cherish what you make! There is someone out there who adores your words as much as you ♡

mandakatt:

I want you to fall so deeply in love with yourself that you forget what it ever felt like to be hurt by someone else.
I want you to love every inch of yourself from the little frizzy hairs sprouting on your gorgeous head that used to always annoy you.
To the stubby toes you used to hate in the summer.
I want you to love the creases you get under your eyes when you smile.
I want you to love your tummy that you’ve always been so insecure about.
I want you to love the way you walk, talk and breathe.
I want you to love the way you live, the way you exist. 
I want you to love yourself the way you love sunsets, purely and full of joy. 

I want you to remember that you have what it takes.
You are good at what you do.
You are loved and cared for.
Your life has purpose.
You can do what you put your mind to.
You are protected.
You are so strong, and so intelligent.

That all of this, is worth it. 

Remember to look how far you’ve come, and I want you to imagine how far you’ll go.

With all my love,
Me

connorshero:

Writing Positivity

Listen, having insecurities about your writing is totally normal, and you have every right to have those! But your writing is your own! It’s okay to want to take a break for a couple of days, weeks – months even. If you want to improve more and progress further with your style or how you write in general, then that’s okay! Don’t force yourself to write something every day because you feel obligated to – because maybe you feel like your letting your fans/readers down. Do this for yourself and yourself only!

firstorder-pixie:

khirsahle:

ardatli:

jmathieson-fic:

kat-har:

ao3commentoftheday:

joanielspeak

ao3commentoftheday:

Nope. It would not be weird at all. 

Writers love the stories they’ve written sort of like children. They were created with love and each one has a special place in their heart. They’d very likely love to talk to you about their story or their writing in general whenever you happen to see it. 

There’s really no time limit on giving your encouragement and support to your favorite writers.

–Mod M

Writers are sluts for their own stories. If we could sneak them into every conversation, we would. What happens behind the scenes of a written story is often just as crazy as the actual story, and yes, we all want to talk about it constantly. Readers reaching out is how I’ve met all of my fandom friends, so I say PM authors. Never hurts.

Dude, we leave the tumblr urls in our end notes precisely because we want you to come into our messages and squeal at us. No matter how long it’s been. No. Really. REALLY really. Really.

Really.

I have met some of my very greatest online friends (and some have become RL ones!) through fic comments. Please do this. 

Oh HEY RL friend I met through fic comments. How you doin’?

Anon, I recently received Tumblr messages about the first fanfic I ever wrote, from like years and years ago, in a fandom I’m not super active in any more, and let me tell you I WAS THRILLED. It literally made my week. 

Authors ALWAYS want to hear from you, I guarantee it. Even if we arent active in a fandom anymore, if we’ve left the fic up it means we still hope people will read and enjoy it. And most of the time, we are more than ready to jump back into fanning about said fandom with a new person even if we havent touched it in a while.

I promise.

amaliabones:

you ever start rereading your WIP to get in the mood and write more and you get so caught up that when you get to the end you’re like “bitch? where’s the rest?” and you realize you’re the bitch and you have to write it

huntress-secret-den:

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Gladiolus Amicitia
Prompt: Meeting Gladiolus for the first time at Galdin Quay.
Warnings: none, just some cuteness!

---

Galdin Quay. Rumors
said it was one of the most beautiful places on this side of the world, and the
rumors proved true to you. The sea glimmered when the sun hit it just right,
and the sand beneath your feet was incredibly soft and oddly satisfying in the
way it moved so easily and sank with each step. Everything else around you just
seemed to slip away as the melodies of the gentle waves and singing birds
washed over you and carried you to serenity. Your eyes slowly shut as your head
tilted up towards the sky, your lips slightly parting.

A warm breeze rustled your
dress and you reopened your eyes, looking down at the ruffling fabric and using
your hands to smooth it down. It was a navy colored, spaghetti-strap maxi
dress, printed with gorgeous white blue accented roses. It had a v-neck that
slid down past your breasts and ended just at your sternum, revealing some skin
but not overly so. The fabric itself was almost silky smooth to the touch and
finished with a loose knot in the back. Your hair had been let down from it’s
updo braid, giving the strands a lightly wavy, relaxed form upon your shoulders
and upper back. Your shoes had been disregarded beside you, a simple pair of
black flats that you’d tossed aside when deciding you wanted to feel the warm
sand upon your feet.

A playful couple ran
past, young and silly as the boy was drenched in water, and the girl seemed to
be running from the same fate he intended to bring upon her. You smiled, white
teeth peeking out from behind your lips. You yourself were young and silly, but
there was just one difference between you and that couple; you had no boy
chasing you, threatening to throw you into the water with him. And oddly, you weren’t
too sad about it. If it happened, it happened, you always told yourself. And so,
you closed your eyes and enjoyed the quiet sounds of nature once more.

“Uh, hello.” A
suddenly deep and rugged sounding voice sounded behind you and You immediately
turned with eyes open, having not heard anyone coming up to you. Your eyes were
met with one of the most handsome men you’d ever seen. He was tall, easily past
6 foot; a good guess would place him at around 6’6. He had long, dark brown,
almost black hair that was shorter on the sides, but it somehow fell perfectly
in place as if on demand. He had two scars on his face, so he’s clearly seen
battle. He had a scruffy beard, incredibly muscular arms with the coolest
looking tattoo you’d seen yet, and despite his intimidating figure, he seemed
to have the most welcoming amber eyes when he looked at you.

“Hi.” You cleared your
throat, realizing you hadn’t responded yet and offered him a kind smile. You
tried your best not to get lost in those amber eyes and instead focused on the
task at hand: talking to this man without seeming like a complete fool.

Keep reading

mandakatt:

Would you follow a blog, and send in asks/requests – if it was a blog that provided comfort or little Notes to you from your F/O? [Fictional Other, your Bias pretty much.]

Just things that were simple. Like words of encouragement [All from the character of your choice mind you.] It wouldn’t really be RP, just more how the character would reply to you. 

Current fandoms I’m thinking about doing this for – FFXV, Overwatch, SLBP, and Mystic Messenger. [ Would probably eventually add things like DBH: Detroit Become Human, Castlevania – the animated series, Devil May Cry. and more I’m sure.]

I’m more just getting my feelers out there if people would be interested in this kinda thing. [And the fact that it’d be multi-fandom too.]

Gladio: Will you at least promise me you’ll keep an open mind?
Ignis: Fine, mind open. But for the record, I think they’re making a mistake, and this whole thing is gonna blow up.
Gladio: Fun attitude. Save it for the festival.

smol-demon-general:

please,,,, , i want to know if this fandom is really dead or not