Writing Tip #7

a.k.a. you may find your work Bad and Cringy™️ but you wrote something and that’s a Good Thing™️.

All writing is good practice and progresses you as a writer.

I know not everyone wants to read the books, but I think more people should read this passage from the masked empire specifically. Especially those who are struggling to understand modern elves being oppressed and the evanuris having been oppressors.

Beirut: Two suicide bombings have killed 41+ people. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34805466

Japan: A tsunami warning has been issued for parts of Japan after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off its south-western coast. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34816292

Paris: Dozens dead, 3 explosions, and 60+ hostage situation. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34814203

writers

write that sentence, that dialogue, that scene that terrifies you

don’t delete stuff, just move it to another document

have a “bits and pieces” document for all the odds and ends you can’t fit anywhere else

think of the color of a person’s eyes, imagine something reflected in them, now write that scene

fiction doesn’t have to be 100% accurate, don’t research yourself to boredom

i’m being serious there’s a thing called suspension of disbelief and it’s magical (yes that’s me making a joke)

write something that makes you cry

write something that makes you laugh

write something you can’t explain to other people

write something you won’t remember until you read it the next day

don’t read about the publishing industry until you really, really need to. all it will do is make you unbelievably tired

listen to music from open world RPG video games, you’re welcome

always take a small journal or some paper and a pen with you

write by hand in a journal every once in a while

put the ending of your story in the beginning and see what happens

listen to input from other people. yes you’re the writer, but they’re the reader and they want to help you make something spectacular

said is not dead dude like wtf

the thesaurus is shiny and lovely and a great resource but don’t let words get in the way of your story telling, you don’t need to write prose as poetry for it to be beautiful

just finish the draft first, worry about perfection after

yes, you do have talent

yes, you can do this. you already are

Notes For Writers:

1. Write what you like without shame

2. Your writing doesn’t have to be morally “just” to be good writing/storytelling

3. Being “good” and being “righteous” are not one and the same

4. Your writing doesn’t have to meet any guidelines to be good - just write it

5. It doesn’t matter if your writing sucks now. Get the words down; you can always edit later

6. We all have self-doubt. Yes, even the famous author you think could never possibly because you think they’re that incredible. One day, if you don’t already, there will be people that think like that about you. Keep going.

7. Your writing is not less important than anyone else’s. All writing has its purpose. Yours may not be something that’ll start a social movement, but it has a purpose to the people it matters to.

8. Stop comparing your writing to others. You’re insulting yourself and them. Your writing isn’t meant to be like theirs. Your writing is meant to be like yours.

9. You are better than you give yourself credit for.

10. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE PROUD OF YOUR WRITING WITHOUT FEELING SHAME. It is not self-centered, conceited, selfish or anything similar to be proud of what you create. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF IT.

11. You’re allowed to be proud of your writing, even if you think it sucks. You are allowed to be proud of your writing, even if you think it sucks. Be proud of the growing you’ve done. Be proud of the fact that you push forward in spite your self-doubt. Even terrible writing has things to be proud of.

Remember: What you do is incredible and hard. Let yourself feel pride. Let yourself struggle and find what does and doesn’t work for you. Allow yourself to learn and grow. That’s what life is about - growing into yourself. That means creatively as much as any other way. <3

Happy writing, my friends.

🤍 H

Remember, you will always be growing as a writer. There is no peak, only improvement. It's a continual learning curve and you can only go up from here. So keep writing lovelies.

Any form of response is great feedback. Writing takes time, dedication, some tears, lots of frustration, research, but mostly passion. We write because it's what we love and it can take years to even finish one piece. It's a part of us that we lay bare for thousands of people to read.

If you like something, tell the author; anonymously or not. You really might just be making someone's day, or month. Writers feed off comments for years.

So, take time to tell a writer if they wrote something that impressed you. If something made you laugh or cry. If you remember even one line. I promise you'll make them smile and help encourage them.

okay just got done typing up a Long Ass Comment for a fic that i love and bc writers Live™ for comments but a lot of ppl seem to find it difficult/scary to write them, here are some tips from me, who has been on both sides of the fence:

we will nut over literally any context for how u read our fics, nothing is too specific or embarrassing

i once received a long ass essay about the exact circumstances under which someone read the new chapter including action and dialogue and i still treasure that comment to this day

if u read the fic a few days ago and are still thinking about it, open that bitch up and tell the author “i read this fic a few days ago and i’m still thinking about it”

THAT SHIT KILLS US I SWEAR

do not worry about being annoying!!!!! oh my god i can’t overstate this enough you are NEVER being annoying by leaving comments. examples of situations in which comments are Not Annoying:

commenting on every chapter

this is honestly our fav thing, those regular commenters are the real MVPs and i’d die for them. it doesn’t seem thirsty or obnoxious to us it’s our lifeblood i pr omi s e u

also this is guaranteed the #1 best way to get senpai to notice u, if that’s what ur after

adding an extra comment w a thought/detail u missed

adding an extra comment w a thought/detail u remembered from 4 chapters ago

commenting during a reread (this is only ever flattering!!!)

commenting an 800-word essay that takes several solid minutes to read

this seriously never comes across as irritating, time-consuming, or trying too hard; the author is the one who wrote thousands upon thousands of words in the first place and we eat that shit up

(ok i lied, there is one exception to this. the one thing that is annoying is demanding updates, especially if u do it on the same day as an update was published. this makes us sad, avoid this :c)

but aside from that: comments, great, always!!!

acknowledge how hard writers work. every time someone tips their hat to me for the effort i put in, it’s like the 12 hour binges, inability to think about anything else even while sleeping, longggg inspiration walks, and constant self doubt become worth it!!!!

let us know u talk about our fics w ur friends…. this is like, the ultimate compliment……… i’m still lowkey waiting for the day someone pastes an excerpt from a chat log they’ve had about one of my fics because i Know it has happened and i wanna see it……………i wanna know what has been yelled……………..

just say thank u!!! a simple thank you means so much more bc it shows us we have actual readers and not just numbers on a screen sfjdgslksg

Writing Tip 3

Take criticism like an adult. You won't always hear what you what to, the writing that you put so much time and effort into may be torn apart, but you have to roll with it. There's always some truth to complaints, some people just love tearing writing apart, most are honestly trying to give you feed back. If you get mad or cry how will you handle the publishing process? Most people get told no many times over, it's life.

So, don't be rude or outright ignore it. Take it to heart and if you get a complaint more than once it probably does need to be changed or fixed. If you handle this with a good attitude and act respectful, people will be less likely to rudely rip your stories apart. Besides, the compliments are worth it in the end.

Reminders for the Anxious/Depressed Creatives

You’re more than what you make.

Your productivity does not determine your value.

It’s okay to do nothing sometimes.

Not everything you do has to result in a product.

Not everything you make has to be important, significant, or even good.

You can make things just for yourself.

You can keep secrets for yourself, whether it’s not posting some of your projects or not sharing your techniques.

You’re allowed to say no.

You’re allowed to rest.

Author Recommendations #1

Genre: Fantasy (No Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, or C.S. Lewis but they are good and should be checked out.) -David Eddings Books: The Belgariad and the Mallorean series. -Tamora Pierce Books: The Immortals and The Song of the Lioness series. -Rachel Hartman Book: Seraphina -Dawn Cook Books: First Truth, Hidden Truth, Forgotten Truth, Lost Truth -Holly Black Books: Tithe, Valiant, White Cat -Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Books: Hawksong, Snakecharm - Martine Leavitt Book: Keturah and Lord Death -Tanith Lee Books: The Claidi Journals -Colleen Houck Books: The Tiger Saga -Peter S. Beagle Book: The Last Unicorn, Two Hearts (story) If you'd like more then let me know.