wtfismygender

Latest Posts by wtfismygender

remus and regulus

regulus: I mean, if you're asking me do I love Potter the answer is yes but I just- I don't think its normal to want to kill you're boyfriend, you know?

Remus: oh yeah, no it definately is normal

Regulus: really

Remus: sure, everyone has that time once a month or so when they just feel the distinct urge to source a dagger and violently murder their significant other

Regulus: you're sure?

Remus: yeah totally, Lilly has threatened all of her girlfriend with an axe at least once

Regulus: phew! Thats a relief.

Remus: you know one time i stabbed sirius in the hand with a sharpened quill in class

Regulus:...what

Remus: what

James: Do you think we’re soulmates in every universe?

Regulus: I definitely strangled you in one

James:

Regulus:

Regulus: To death. Not in the other way.

James: "I just tried making a reservation at the library."

Lily: "You don't need a reserv-"

James: "But I couldn't get one."

Remus, already knows what's coming: "Please shut up."

James: "It was fully...."

Marlene, softly: "Don't."

James: "Booked."

Remus, Lily and Marlene:

Sirius: *cackling*

To a homophobe, even the most chaste kiss on the cheek between gay people is exactly as disgusting and degenerate as a hardcore BDSM orgy hosted in the town square, so you may as well ally with the BDSM orgy enthusiasts to throw bricks at the cops who are going to try and arrest all of you together anyway.

my dorlene fic had its official debut!

(hear your heels by @pinkbebasins on ao3)

OMG HELLO ??? BRB

✩ Webs ✩

╰┈➤ Jegulus fic on AO3 link

★ pairing: Regulus x James & Remus x Sirius (w/ background ships)

★ Summary: Regulus Black has a lot on his plate; killing people to get by is under no means his dream job but it’s the job that pays and after lying to his brother about a trust fund post-running away, he’s not sure can afford to quit. A swinging super-hero tries to change his mind, change his morals. Regulus had never been good at changing his ways.

★ genre: Spiderman x Deadpool

★ Status: Ongoing

art credit: @/ashbee_.art

emperor kuzco was clearly gay

Rarepair Rec Saturday

Here's Looking At You Kid by MesserMoon (E, 140k, George/Blaise)

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world…"

George wanders into a bar. Nothing is ever the same.

I am in love with the characterizations in this fic. I intended to read one chapter and space it out. Instead, I fell immediately for how this fic doesn't shy away from drawing out all the complications, and heartbreak, and Weasley family disapproval from their relationship. Perfect use of flashbacks to draw out the story. There's also a significant secondary Drarry plot. What more could I need?

Levihan Community Favourites- Fanfic Masterlist 📚

A few days ago, I asked the Levihan community to send me their top 3 favourite LH fanfics of all time. This list is a compilation of the fics sent to me, and each of these fics mean a lot to someone out there 💕

Free Falling by djmarinizela 

A Tale of Two Slaves by tundrainafrica

Eat Your Heart Out series by dontatmethanks2

until another thursday evening by pinkweirdsunsets

Outlier by tundrainafrica 

Somewhere only we know by someonestolemyshoes

The Titan Tracker by KayEver

Young Monster by FC2000

The Secret Society of the Children of the Forest by redchestnut 

At the coastline of memories by fanmoose12

Lovebug by tundrainafrica

Abnormal by absolutebearings

Things You Said At 1 a.m. by ZangeHoe

Catch My Breath by PeculiarVelociraptor

A License to Science (And To Kill) by just_quintessentially_me

Meant to last Forever by LadyEny

Suit Yourself by gaygemtheirs

Worth a Thousand Words by someonestolemyshoes

Aftermath by just_quintessentially_me

yellow by ariadneamare

Ghost of You by jarchetype

Terrible Things by someonestolemyshoes

Give me your hand by jarchetype

peaches and honey by mikasasofficialhandholder

Our True Paradise by glassesandswords

Out of Nowhere by Dontatmethanks2, Hamandcheesebaguette

Swim by bitterbones

Ease our Burden by glassesandswords

Darling I’m right here by Dontatmethanks2

Four Eyes by elmundodeflor

All hands in the dark by djmarinizela

Feels Like Home by halcyonstorm

A Dangerous Game by just_quintessentially_me

The Grief Baton by moonyix

All of Me by MannaTea

Darkling by Nakimochiku

Pristine by MannaTea

Something like destiny by MannaTea

Once Upon A Heichou by MyDoki

City Comma State by ForcedSimile

reverie by orphan_account

The Experiment by KakashiSensei

Hold Me In Your Good Arm by Neighborhood_Nori

Time to Time by Lady Eny

Unintended Consequence(s) by Ella3982

How many colors can you see in the dark? by TundrainAfrica

A Handful of Rejected Proposals by Jarchetype

A brief history of reluctant heroes by rocksaltandroll

Rager Teenager by smallblip

I see rivers by smallblip

—

Wow, this took me a while, but if I’ve missed any of your favourite fics, please feel free to link them in your reblogs or in the comment section below! 

Happy reading! 😄💕

not to be yearning on main but i love fic writers. they do this shit for themselves AND for me. FOR FREE. not for you tho. its just them and me and i press that kudos every chapter even though i've already left one there. its the principle of the matter

Nick's bisexuality arc is probably one of - if not the - best part of heartstopper to me. Coz it's genuinely so nice to have a plot where a questioning character gets to not only research his sexuality, but also to talk to other queer people about their identities. He doesn't know automatically how he feels and he doesn't assume what anyone else goes through, so he goes and asks other queer people about their experiences

Nick asking Charlie about how he knew he's gay and asking Tara if she felt anything for him when they were younger is so nice to see, because you can see him start to understand that he doesn't relate to those parts of their queerness. He gets a chance to compare their experiences with same-gender attraction, and it helps him to figure out that he isn't gay but that another label would fit him better

And when he does decide that he's bisexual, he's accepted without arguments. The only time someone questions it is when his mum says that he doesn't have to say he likes girls if he doesn't, and when he confirms that he does like girls, she immediately believes him

Just them depicting a arc where people believe and celebrate him for learning that he's bisexual is so beloved. You can tell that this is a show written by queer people for queer people, and the compassion they show closeted people and bisexuals is just incredible because of it

the little animations added to the netflix adaptation really made it so special for me! the flying leaves, little sparkles and electricity bolts when nick and charlie held hands, the tiny hearts over one of the main couples and the black scribbles around charlie when he had intrusive thoughts... they all added such a nice touch and connection from the comics to the show <3 everyone involved in making it put so much love and care into the show and it really shows on screen

ALSO can we please talk about the look of pure joy and relief on nick’s face when he saw tara and darcy kissing at the party. I think that every other gay/bi person I’ve ever met has had that same experience of seeing two people of the same gender kiss for the first time and just thinking “holy shit it’s not just me” and I just… it was so well acted and it honestly took my breath away a little bit.

Heartstopper is different because it takes pleasure seriously

Since I watched Heartstopper, I've been trying to figure out what about it made it feel so different from other stories similar to it. When you just describe the plot of it, it sounds like something straight (har har) out of Glee or Sex Education or Elite or SKAM or Skins or Degrassi, or...you get my point.

But it felt so different to me, and I realized yesterday what it was. Hearstopper takes the pleasures of queer romance and eroticism as seriously as it takes the pains of it. By which I mean, it gives an incredible amount of screen time to the excitement of it, the thrill of it, the visceral good feelings of it. Pleasure drives Heartstopper, in a way that is still incredibly unusual in mainstream queer media.

In most other stories like this, the pain and the angst and the ambivalence and the negative social ramifications of the premise take up like 90-95% of the screen time. The pleasure aspect typically exists as minimally as possible to catalyze all the negative or difficult parts that are the 'real' story. And while Heartstopper doesn't shy away from those things, it gives a roughly equal amount of narrative and screen time to the two leads getting a lot of pleasure out of their relationship, too. The amount of time the show invests in showing Nick and Charlie enjoying each other romantically -- throughout the story, not just at the very end -- is just absolutely decadent (and I mean that 100% positively).

The first kiss is a perfect example. In any other TV version of this story, the boys would have kissed that first time for less than 2 seconds, and then IMMEDIATELY been interrupted by the other boys. Instead, Heartstopper lets them kiss once, take a breath, and then have a second, very extended kiss enhanced by animated embellishments designed to emphasize just how incredibly enjoyable this is for them...before finally disrupting it again with Plot™.

And the amazing thing is, from a pure narrative standpoint, you don't need the second kiss. It's completely unnecessary to the plot. You could completely eliminate it and the plot would hold together exactly the same. The second kiss is there exclusively to emphasize the intense pleasure of this experience for them. That's all it does.

Heartstopper is serious about foregrounding pleasure, and how important pleasure is in all of this. Which frankly, is a thing you usually only ever see in romance novels and fanfic.

***

One of the reasons I was hesitant to watch this show initially is because I have limited tolerance for coming out stories that are so focused on the unappealing parts of the experience. It's not that those things don't MATTER. But there is such a cultural allergy to making the pleasures of the experience a serious focus, particularly (yes I'm going to say it) the sexual pleasures of it.

Hearstopper, blissfully, refuses to shy away from pleasure, and from making it important.

It's not just that my tolerance for queer pain in media is limited (although admittedly that's true). I also grow so weary of popular culture treating queerness as mostly a political identity upon which we simply moralize about tolerance, and engage in self congratulatory yarns about ~being yourself~ and loving yourself. It's not that I think any of those things is BAD. But a) I've seen that story many times before and b) there's an ENORMOUS piece of this experience that we're still mostly skirting around the edges of because we're still very chickenshit about it, to be perfectly frank.

We, as a culture, are still scared as fuck to really say, very bluntly: queerness feels fucking good.

In the midst of this, Heartstopper does something wondrous. It says to the audience, in no uncertain terms: Queerness feels fucking good...so, let's spend some time actually talking about THAT for a while.

I have literally so many opinions on heartstopper and all of them are good. but what I want to talk about right now is how we went through nicks journey with discovering his bisexuality WITH HIM. we watched him take “am I gay” tests and research lgbt stuff. We saw his happiness when Tara and Darcy were able to kiss. We saw him talk to other lgbt people about what their experiences were. We saw him watch coming out videos on YouTube !!! We watched him come out to a few close friends at a time. We saw him rewatch pirates of the caribbean with a new perspective !!

We saw his journey!!! That was integral to the story!!! not just finding friendships and family and love, but finding yourself while in the midst of high school and all kinds of other stressors. This was so beautiful and I feel so thankful to have been able to witness this journey through media.

I’m sorry can we just appreciate how fucking incredible the translation of heartstopper was from comic to screen. I was watching it and I could have sworn I was just watching a colourised version of the book. This show was absolutely incredible and I cannot wait to see what else they do.

Also I love kit Connor so much lol

kit connor absolutely NAILING nicks confusion mixed with attraction in the first couple of episodes is so special to me. like it’s so clear- especially in eps 2&3 that he is so confused but likes charlie so much he doesn’t know what to do with himself. and that culminated brilliantly at the start of episode four with “i’m just so so confused” (and when his voice broke </3) it was so realistic and SO well done like i was floored

I find it incredible that just within 8 episodes, there are so many hints to Charlie’s struggle with food. And it’s something so subtle that most likely the only ppl who would notice are fans of the comics or ppl who have had that same experience as Charlie. Every time he’s anxious about something, we get a moment of dialogue where he says no to food: like the popcorn at the cinema, or the pizza where he’s confiding in Tori, & the numerous references to spending lunch in the art room so that ppl won’t notice that he’s not eating. I think it’s such good writing just like the comics

So I just saw a tik tok about this and I agree a 100%. I know we all laugh and joke about the "am I gay?" quiz Nick takes but what stood out for me about that scene was the fact that Nick was crying, not because he might be gay but because of all the articles he saw.

Finding out you're queer and it being immediately followed by articles about conversion therapy, suicide rates amongst queer youth and hate crimes is so overwhelming in so many levels.

He realized what is unfortunately linked to the queer experience and I believe he also got a better understanding of what Charlie had gone through.

This scene was so impactful for me and I was sobbing because of the sad reality of what being queer involves.

“heartstopper is cringey” you mean it’s realistic? yeah their love story might be a little awkward, but it’s because they’re literally kids. kids are awkward. kids are cringey. y’all just aren’t used to accurate portrayals of 14/15 year olds in the media.

what really gets to me is just how earnest nick is about his feelings for charlie, despite how confused he is about himself at first. he immediately goes to charlie the next day after their first kiss because he wants charlie to understand he doesn't regret the kiss, he's just really conflicted about himself. he doesn't ignore or shut charlie out while figuring out his sexuality and wanting to keep quiet about it at first, unlike ben. he makes it clear to charlie that he really likes him and doesn't want to go on dates with anyone else despite not being official yet. he gets really emotional when he wants charlie to realize how amazing and wonderful he really is and that he's changed nick's life for the better, and that he doesn't regret a single second with him. nick just communicating with charlie throughout the whole process is such a refreshing change from some of the shows we've gotten with lgbt+ representation in the past, and i'm so glad that lgbt+ youth and the community in general have a show like this to watch.

charlie spring being out as gay. nick nelson being bisexual. tara and darcy being lesbians and being proud to say that they are, not just using the word gay. isaac being aroace confirmed by alice. girl in red being played in a tv show. casual homophobia in british schools being portrayed in an accurate way and being condemned as actual homophobia not just the lads banter.

this show is something that most teenagers who grew up on this goddamn app never had in tv shows. we just got shows that queerbaited us and I’m so glad the new generation get to have actual representation. heartstopper is everything. watch it please

HEARTSTOPPER | Meet (1.01) | Chapter 1-6

comic to screen (3/?)

One of my favourite things about heartstopper is just how explicit it is that being closeted isn’t bad. Ben isn’t awful to Charlie because he’s closeted, he’s awful to Charlie because he’s cruel and insecure. And everybody tells Nick at every opportunity that he shouldn’t have to come out if he doesn’t want to, especially Charlie because he knows how hard it is to be out and he cares more about Nick being safe and happy than being open about their relationship

The closest anyone gets to telling him to come out is during the conversation he has with Tao. And even that’s just him saying that Charlie deserves more than to be the guy he kisses sometimes on the downlow, but it’s fine if he can’t give him more than that and that Charlie would never make him come out if he isn’t ready. He isn’t telling him to come out, he’s telling him to consider what Charlie would be feeling. And it feels more like he’s telling him to make it official than to actually come out, it was Nick’s decision to come out because he wanted to make it official

I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever seen a queer story be this kind to closeted people before. They aren’t treated like cowards or liars or burdens, they’re treated like people in situations where they may not feel comfortable/safe enough to come out. Because in a lot of cases, that’s what they are. And they’re treated with as much kindness and understanding as they deserve and I just love that

And one of the reasons why it's been so praised, particularly by the LGBTQ+ community, is because it reflects the community in such a positive way, through such a positive lens, which isn't done enough. [transcribed interview here]

Resources for Writers

If you’re coming to this list from a reblog, please click through to the original post as it may be updated with more content!

Please note I haven’t read everything on this list, so I can’t speak to all it contains/ accuracy, ya dig?

Writing a Blind or Visually Impaired Character by @mimzy-writing-online​

Resources For Writing Deaf, Mute, or Blind Characters by @thecaffeinebookwarrior​

Writing Sign Language F.A.Q by @concerningwolves​

Words for Skin Tone | How to Describe Skin Color by @writingwithcolor​

Words to Describe Hair by @writingwithcolor​

So You Want Your OC to be Jewish by @bailey-writes​

-

Body Language Cheat Sheet for Writers from @theinformationdump​

Cheat Sheet for Writing Emotion by @thewriterswitch​

How to Write a Realistic Argument by @she-who-fights-and-writes​

How to write softness by @oriorwriter​

Writing villains / villains motivations by @the-modern-typewriter​

Personality traits/flaws by @rivalwrites​

Writing Consent - written for The Witcher fandom but the advice is actually general, by @hailhailsatan​

How to Write Characters in Realistic Polyamorous Relationships - by @simplyoriginalcharacters​

How to Write OCs With Trauma

Writing Enemies to Lovers by @pianowritesstuff​

How to write a kiss

❧ So much more is under the cut!

Keep reading

Giving Quality, Motivating Feedback

A guest post by @shealynn88!

The new writer in your writing group just sent out their latest story and it’s...not exciting. You know it needs work, but you’re not sure why, or where they should focus.

This is the blog post for you!

Before we get started, it’s important to note that this post isn’t aimed at people doing paid editing work. In the professional world, there are developmental editors, line editors, and copy editors, who all have a different focus. That is not what we’re covering here. Today, we want to help you informally give quality, detailed, encouraging feedback to your fellow writers.

The Unwritten Rules

Everyone seems to have a different understanding of what it means to beta, edit, or give feedback on a piece, so it’s best to be on the same page with your writer before you get started.

Think about what type of work you’re willing and able to do, how much time you have, and how much emotional labor you’re willing to take on. Then talk to your writer about their expectations.

Responsibilities as an editor/beta may include:

Know what the author’s expectation is and don’t overstep. Different people in different stages of writing are looking for, and will need, different types of support. It’s important to know what pieces of the story they want feedback on. If they tell you they don’t want feedback on dialogue, don’t give them feedback on dialogue. Since many terms are ambiguous or misunderstood, it may help you to use the list of story components in the next section to come to an agreement with your writer on what you’ll review.

Don’t offer expertise you don’t have. If your friend needs advice on their horse book and you know nothing about horses, be clear that your read through will not include any horse fact checking. Don’t offer grammar advice if you’re not good at grammar. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give feedback on things you do notice, but don’t misrepresent yourself, and understand your own limits.

Give positive and constructive feedback. It is important for a writer to know when something is working well. Don’t skimp on specific positive feedback — this is how you keep writers motivated. On the other hand, giving constructive feedback indicates where there are issues. Be specific on what you’re seeing and why it’s an issue. It can be hard for someone to improve if they don’t understand what’s wrong.

Be clear about your timing and availability, and provide updates if either changes. Typically, you’ll be doing this for free, as you’re able to fit it in your schedule. But it can be nerve wracking to hand your writing over for feedback and then hear nothing. For everyone’s sanity, keep the writer up to date on your expected timeline and let them know if you’re delayed for some reason. If you cannot complete the project for them, let them know. This could be for any reason — needing to withdraw, whatever the cause, is valid! It could be because working with the writer is tough, you don’t enjoy the story, life got tough, you got tired, etc. All of that is fine; just let them know that you won’t be able to continue working on the project.

Be honest if there are story aspects you can’t be objective about. Nearly all of your feedback is going to be personal opinion. There are some story elements that will evoke strong personal feelings. They can be tropes, styles, specific characterizations, or squicks. In these cases, ask the writer to get another opinion on that particular aspect, or, if you really want to continue, find similar published content to review and see if you can get a better sense of how other writers have handled it.

Don’t get personal. Your feedback should talk about the characters, the narrator, the plotline, the sentence structure, or other aspects of the story. Avoid making ‘you’ statements or judgements, suggested or explicit, in your feedback. Unless you’re looking at grammar or spelling, most of the feedback you’ll have will be your opinion. Don’t present it as fact.

Your expectations of the writer/friend/group member you are working with may include:

Being gracious in accepting feedback. A writer may provide explanations for an issue you noticed or seek to discuss your suggestions. However, if they constantly argue with you, that may be an indicator to step back.

Being responsible for emotional reactions to getting feedback. While getting feedback can be hard on the ego and self esteem, that is something the writer needs to work on themselves. While you can provide reassurance and do emotional labor if you’re comfortable, it is also very reasonable to step back if the writer isn’t ready to do that work.

Making the final choice regarding changes to the work. The writer should have a degree of confidence in accepting or rejecting your feedback based on their own sense of the story. While they may consult you on this, the onus is on them to make changes that preserve the core of the story they want to tell.

Some people aren’t ready for feedback, even though they’re seeking it. You’re not signing up to be a psychologist, a best friend, or an emotional support editor. You can let people know in advance that these are your expectations, or you can just keep them in mind for your own mental health. As stated above, you can always step back from a project, and if writers aren’t able to follow these few guidelines, it might be a good time to do that. (It’s also worth making sure that, as a writer, you’re able to give these things to your beta/editor.)

Specificity is Key

One of the hardest things in editing is pinning down the ‘whys’ of unexciting work, so let’s split the writing into several components and talk about evaluations you can make for each one.

You can also give this list to your writer ahead of time as a checklist, to see which things they want your feedback on.

Generally, your goal is going to be to help people improve incrementally. Each story they write should be better than the previous one, so you don’t need to go through every component for every story you edit. Generally, I wouldn’t suggest more than 3 editing rounds on any single story that isn’t intended for publication. Think of the ‘many pots’ theory — people who are honing their craft will improve more quickly by writing a lot of stories instead of incessantly polishing one.

With this in mind, try addressing issues in the order below, from general to precise. It doesn’t make sense to critique grammar and sentence structure if the plot isn’t solid, and it can be very hard on a writer to get feedback on all these components at once. If a piece is an early or rough draft, try evaluating no more than four components at a time, and give specific feedback on what does and doesn’t work, and why.

High Level Components

Character arc/motivation:

Does each character have a unique voice, or do they all sound the same?

In dialogue, are character voices preserved? Do they make vocabulary and sentence-structure choices that fit with how they’re being portrayed?

Does each character have specific motivations and focuses that are theirs alone?

Does each character move through the plot naturally, or do they seem to be shoehorned/railroaded into situations or decisions for the sake of the plot? Be specific about which character actions work and which don’t. Tell the writer what you see as their motivation/arc and why—and point out specific lines that indicate that motivation to you.

Does each character's motivation seem to come naturally from your knowledge of them?

Are you invested (either positively or negatively) in the characters? If not, why not? Is it that they have nothing in common with you? Do you not understand where they’re coming from? Are they too perfect or too unsympathetic?

Theme:

It’s a good idea to summarize the story and its moral from your point of view and provide that insight to the writer. This can help them understand if the points they were trying to make come through. The theme should tie in closely with the character arcs. If not, provide detailed feedback on where it does and doesn’t tie in.

Plot Structure:

For most issues with plot structure, you can narrow them down to pacing, characterization, logical progression, or unsatisfying resolution. Be specific about the issues you see and, when things are working well, point that out, too.

Is there conflict that interests you? Does it feel real?

Is there a climax? Do you feel drawn into it?

Do the plot points feel like logical steps within the story?

Is the resolution tied to the characters and their growth? Typically this will feel more real and relevant and satisfying than something you could never have seen coming.

Is the end satisfying? If not, is it because you felt the end sooner and the story kept going? Is it because too many threads were left unresolved? Is it just a matter of that last sentence or two being lackluster?

Point Of View:

Is the point of view clear and consistent?

Is the writing style and structure consistent with that point of view? For example, if a writer is working in first person or close third person, the style of the writing should reflect the way the character thinks. This extends to grammar, sentence structure, general vocabulary and profanity outside of the dialogue.

If there is head hopping (where the point of view changes from chapter to chapter or section to section), is it clear in the first few sentences whose point of view you’re now in? Chapter headers can be helpful, but it should be clear using structural, emotional, and stylistic changes that you’re with a new character now.

Are all five senses engaged? Does the character in question interact with their environment in realistic, consistent ways that reflect how people actually interact with the world?

Sometimes the point of view can feel odd if it’s too consistent. Humans don’t typically think logically and linearly all the time, so being in someone’s head may sometimes be contradictory or illogical. If it’s too straightforward, it might not ‘feel’ real.

Be specific about the areas that don’t work and break them down based on the questions above.

Pacing:

Does the story jump around, leaving you confused about what took place when?

Do some scenes move quickly where others drag, and does that make sense within the story?

If pacing isn’t working, often it’s about the level of detail or the sentence structure. Provide detailed feedback about what you care about in a given scene to help a writer focus in.

Setting:

Is the setting clear and specific? Writing with specific place details is typically more rooted, interesting, and unique. If you find the setting vague and/or uninteresting and/or irrelevant, you might suggest replacing vague references — ‘favorite band’, ‘coffee shop on the corner’, ‘the office building’ — with specific names to ground the setting and make it feel more real.

It might also be a lack of specific detail in a scene that provides context beyond the characters themselves. Provide specific suggestions of what you feel like you’re missing. Is it in a specific scene, or throughout the story? Are there scenes that work well within the story, where others feel less grounded? Why?

Low Level Components

Flow/Sentence Structure:

Sentence length and paragraph length should vary. The flow should feel natural.

When finding yourself ‘sticking’ on certain sentences, provide specific feedback on why they aren’t working. Examples are rhythm, vocabulary, subject matter (maybe something is off topic), ‘action’ vs ‘explanation’, passive vs. active voice.

Style/Vocabulary:

Writing style should be consistent with the story — flowery prose works well for mythic or historical pieces and stories that use that type of language are typically slower moving. Quick action and short sentences are a better fit for murder mysteries, suspense, or modern, lighter fiction.

Style should be consistent within the story — it may vary slightly to show how quickly action is happening, but you shouldn’t feel like you’re reading two different stories.

SPAG (Spelling and Grammar):

Consider spelling and grammar in the context of the point of view, style and location of the story (eg, England vs. America vs. Australia).

If a point of view typically uses incorrect grammar, a SPAG check will include making sure that it doesn’t suddenly fall into perfect grammar for a while. In this case, consistency is going to be important to the story feeling authentic.

Word Count Requirements:

If the story has been written for a project, bang, anthology, zine, or other format that involves a required word count minimum or maximum, and the story is significantly over or under the aimed-for word count (30% or more/less), it may not make sense to go through larger edits until the sizing is closer to requirements. But, as a general rule, I’d say word count is one of the last things to worry about.

*

The best thing we can do for another writer is to keep them writing. Every single person will improve if they keep going. Encouragement is the most important feedback of all.

I hope this has helped you think about how you provide feedback. Let us know if you have other tips or tricks! This works best as a collaborative process where we all can support one another!

Narrative Botox: Filler Words and Phrases to Look Out For

If you’re planning on publishing traditionally, chances are you keep a sharp eye on your word count. Literary agents and publishing houses are on the hunt for the best quality stories that they can print for the cheapest price (using the least paper and ink), so you have a higher chance of gaining representation if you can crank your novel out in the least words possible.

However, filler words and phrases aren’t only the enemies of aspiring traditional authors; every writer—fanfic, novelist, journalist, you name it!—should try to eliminate filler from their stories to assure more concise and high-quality writing. Oftentimes, filler contributes nothing but clutter, and without it, your narrative can flow smoother and in a more sophisticated manner.

But how do you know what’s filler and what’s not? Here are some tips on how to Ctrl+F and kick this narrative botox to the curb!

I compiled these lists with the help of Infusionmedia, BDR Publishing, and ResetEra !

Filler Words

1. Just

A writer’s worst enemy, and the bane of my manuscripts’ existences. Eliminating all the ‘just’s can cut down your word count by hundreds.

2. “That” as a conjunction

It’s an unnecessary addition to a sentence, which will be more streamlined without it.

Example: “He said that he wouldn’t do it again.”

Revised: “He said he wouldn’t do it again.”

3. “Now” as an adverb

“Now” is essential if you’re talking about the past and present, but when you’re using it to draw attention to a particular statement or point.

Example: “Now, I didn’t think it’d get so out of hand.”

Revised: “I didn’t think it’d get so out of hand.”

4. Redundant adverbs

These adverbs serve no purpose because the verbs they’re describing already imply the way the action is performed.

Whispering softly

Yelling loudly

Crying sadly

Laughing happily

5. “Telling” words

These words are redundant, especially when using first person, because in describing an event, we can already assume that the characters are experiencing it.

Seeing/saw

Feeling/felt

Hearing/heard

Smelling/smelled

6. “Clarifying” words used to portray definiteness or indefiniteness

Although these are meant to help out the readers get their bearings on a situation, all they do is come across as wishy-washy! Be concise and sure of yourself!

About

Absolutely

Accordingly

Actually

Almost

Basically

Certainly

Clearly

Completely

Entirely

Even

Exactly

Fairly

Highly

Hopefully

Literally

Maybe

Only

Often

Oftentimes

Perhaps

Possibly

Probably

Quite

Rather

Really

Reasonably

Relatively

Seem

Seriously

Simply

Slightly

Some

Somehow

Sometimes

Totally

Very

Filler Phrases

1.“Let out (vocal noise)”

Use the verb instead!

Example: “He let out a sigh.”

Revised: “He sighed.”

2. Using passive voice

Passive voice inflates your word count by including various “to be” verbs into the prose. Passive voice involves actions happening to a subject rather than the subject performing an action, and as a result isn’t as riveting to the reader as active voice; even if it wasn’t a matter of word count, you’d still want to get rid of it anyway!

Still don’t know what I’m talking about? Check out this article from Grammarly.

Example: “The boy was bitten by the dog on his arm.”

Revised: “The dog bit the boy on his arm.”

3. Describing the wrong noun

Many writers will be as specific as possible about what “thing” is affected by the event they’re describing, when it’s much simpler to take a step back and write about something more general.

Example: “The level of water rose.”

Revised: “The water rose.”

4. Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are the combination of two or three words from different grammatical categories—a verb and an adverb or a preposition—to form a single action. Usually, these phrasal verbs can be replaced by a single-word verb.

“Ask for” can be replaced with “request”

“Bring down” can be replaced with “reduce”

“Come across” can be replaced with “find”

Etc.

5. Clarifying phrases

Same reason as clarifying words. Get to the point!

A bit

A little

A lot

In a sense

Kind of

Sort of

6. Remember your contractions!

Even if your story takes place in olden times, I can guarantee that if you never use any contractions ever, your story’s gonna be a clunky mess. But sometimes you’re in the moment, consumed by the poetic power of the muses, and forget that this isn’t a soap opera; so make sure you check that you’ve been using your contractions!

It is, it was, it would, she is, would not, should not, is not, does not etc.

7. Inflated phrases

These phrases can be replaced with more concise words.

Along the lines of (shorten to: like)

As a matter of fact (in fact)

As to whether (whether)

At all times (always)

At the present (now or currently)

At this point in time (now or currently)

Be able to/would(n’t) be able to (could or couldn’t)

Because of the fact that (because)

By means of (by)

Due to the fact that (because)

Even though (though or although)

For the purpose of (for)

For the reason that (because)

Have the ability to (could)

In light of the fact that (because)

In order to (to)

In regards to (on or about)

In spite of the fact that (though or although)

In the event that (if)

In the nature of (like)

In the neighborhood of (about)

On the occasion of (when)

On one/two separate occasions (Once/twice)

The/A majority of (most)

There is no doubt that (No doubt)

Wasn(n’t) capable of (could or couldn’t)

Hope this helped, and happy writing!

New chapter <3

Chapters: 11/? Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Bellatrix Black Lestrange Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Retelling, Werewolf Draco Malfoy, Werewolf Remus Lupin, Pack Family, Gryffindor Draco Malfoy, Trans Ron Weasley, Coming Out, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Panic Attacks, Mental Health Issues, LGBTQ Character, Black Hermione Granger Summary:

Draco wakes in old familiar surroundings, but has no memory of how it happend. He wakes in his childhood room in his 11 year old body, but even as it seems like he traveled back in time his body is not unmarked of the war he went through. Old scars remain on his skin. How will he handle this new challenge? Will he fall into old habits and keep history repeating itself or does he step in and take destiny in his own hand.

I plan this to be very long and spanning over all years of the war. And very slow burn.