Writing Tip #8

OKAY HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS BY MARIE BRENNAN

NO! WHAT IS IT?! I MUST KNOW!!

P.S. sorry for public answer, forgot my settings were like that.

In case anyone needs to hear this today:

Drawing fanart DOESN’T make you any less of an artist.

Writing fanfiction DOESN’T make you any less of a writer.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Your work is important.

OPENING COMMISSIONS

MESSAGE ME AND LET'S CHAT!

Limited openings!

What isn't ok?

Don't be a gross weirdo and we can talk, ok? No gore, death, anything with pedophilia, homophobia, transphobia, or being a general degenerate.

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

@janeopries, right back at you.

That random person you met online and now is a big part of your life

@sinedra

That random person you met online and now is a big part of your life

@sinedra

What's the difference between 'enemies to friends to lovers' and 'rivalmance'?

First off, different writers will have different interpretations of certain tags/genres within fan fiction. This is my take on them:

Enemies to Friends to Lovers shows the progression of two people who start out hating each other, slowly grow closer and then fall in love. It’s a really common trope that you see in a lot of literature and film. One example: an assassin is sent to kill the protagonist, but the two of them get stuck having to work together towards a common goal, even though they don’t trust one another. Over time (usually through a couple “you saved my life when you could have run” encounters) the two of them become friends. They genuinely care for each other’s well-being and they have each other’s backs. Slowly, their feelings become romantic. The closer they become, the more their attraction grows. It may take them some time to admit to these feelings (usually held back by the fact that their circumstances should be pitting them against one another), but eventually they become lovers.

Rivalmance is a bit harder to pin down. A rivalmance could be something as tame as two people who are antagonistic and yet still love each other or something as extreme as two people who hate each other and yet have a sexual relationship. The fan fiction I’ve seen in this category more often than not sways toward the latter.

Rivalmance doesn’t usually have the same progression into kindness as Enemies to Friends to Lovers has. More often than not, the members of a rivalmance still genuinely dislike (and possibly hate) each other. Many times intimacy in a rivalmance is based upon mutual lust rather than love or tenderness. Hate sex is far more likely to show up here. 

If we took the same story as above, the assassin and the protagonist still hate and distrust each other, yet there is an undeniable sexual tension between them. They are forced to work together, yet they do not build mutual trust. They may grow to care for each other’s well-being (as in, they wouldn’t want to see the other killed), but it’s more motivated by their circumstances than any real love or empathy. Their intimacy couldn’t really be mistaken for “making love”. Oftentimes there is a power struggle between the two of them throughout all of their interactions and sex is often no different. They are not particularly kind to one another, nor are they very giving unless they expect to receive something in return. 

Never let anyone tell you that you can’t write. You are NEVER: too young, too old, too mature, too naive, too uneducated, too intelligent, too unoriginal, or too boring.

ANYONE can be a writer and EVERYONE is just as qualified as published authors.

You don’t have to have an english/literature/creative writing degree to magically make you worthy enough to try. Many published authors just picked it up after their day jobs, did it for a hobby. If they can do it, you can as well.

No one can stop you unless you let them, yours is the only opinion that should matter. So write your fanfiction, your novella, short story, screen play, or novel. Don’t give a damn about what the naysayers believe. Be fucking proud of every word you put down on the page (yes, even horrible rough drafts) because you’re amazing.

You ARE a writer. Be proud of that.

I agree with the above. My writing professors always said 'there are rules, break them as long as you understand how and why'. The rules are important, but you're allowed to play with them. Bend them. Writing is an art form, we push the boundaries and limits set to us and that's what makes it interesting to read. Makes each author sound unique. Just be sure it's all moving the plot in some way or revealing character. It has to have a purpose.

Otherwise, write what you want to write. J. K. Rowling was denied again and again till someone saw the magic - pun fully intended - in her work. Stephen King was told his stories were too depressing, that no one would want to buy science fiction with negative utopias. That his novels would never sell. In the end they got picked up by agencies. Keep your heads up, there is hope.

What’s the best time of day to write?

I’m a night-writer myself. What about you?