Writerly Ways
Sep. 7th, 2025 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessFor example, the Hazbin Hotel pilot was done years before the actual show. There were online comics (only been able to find a few) from nearly a decade before the show. Angel Dust was definitely with Valentino in the old stuff. However, in the pilot, in order to clue the viewers in on a key part of Alastor's character, she has Vaggie telling Angel about him with a 'how do you not know this? You've been in hell longer than me?' Angel responds with I don't like/pay attention to politics.
I think in some ways this was done to establish Vaggie as the competent smart one. And maybe Alastor wasn't meant to be entwined with Vox and Valentino. Maybe the fans are wrong and Angel wasn't with Val for decades (but I doubt it). With the current storyline, it just seems unbelievable he couldn't know who Alastor was when Alastor tangled with Vox/Valentino and Vox has had a hard on about it ever since and Angel lived in Vee Towers until the series opener so now he just looks dumb AF for not knowing this.
A change of character would have benefited this so much. Have Angel tell Vaggie who has only been in hell for a decade and Alastor has been missing for seven years.
I had something similar in my own novel. I was telling the scene from Grace's pov when it really needed to be in Howell's or Dan's. It felt awkward and an alpha reader called me on it. A simple change made the whole scene better.
Have you run across this in your reading? your writing? how did you handle it?
OPEN CALLS
Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in September
Wit Tea Stories of any genre that are Wit Tea… erm.. witty… eh? EH? (weird sliding scale of pay)
Trollbreath Magazine Speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction of all kinds with a particular fondness for slipstream and fabulism in all their delightful form
Last Girls Club Winter October 2025 Window Secret Police, ICE, and Desperate Times (way too topical for me)
parABnormal Magazine 2025. Paranormal – this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores.
The Orange & Bee October 2025 Window Original and contemporary short stories, poems, and essays that explore, expand on, and subvert the rich traditions of international folklore, with a strong focus on fairy tales (though we also sometimes dabble in other forms of folklore, such as fables, myths, and legends)
Folklore & Horror Short Stories. The dark side of gothic fantasy and folklore stories
Solar Punk Magazine October 2025 Window Solar Punk with stories that stir readers with themes of defiance, change, and achievement
41 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for September 2025.
From around the web
The Odds of Survival: What Horror Movies Teach Us About Risk.
Writer Fuel: Why Your Book Needs a Subplot
Amazon Ads Gone Wrong: The Genre Mismatch Problem Costing Authors
Book Marketing: Basic Elements Matter More Than You Think
James Patterson offers new writers up to $50,000 to finish their books (will his name be on it too)
From Betty
Choosing Naval Tactics for Your Pre-Gunpowder World
Six Ways to Add Stakes to a Mystery
Critical Types of Narration
Should You Use Non-Humans in Your Setting?.
Five Ways Authors Sabotage Their Story’s Tension
How to Write a Matriarchy
It’s What’s Up Front That Counts
Ride the Lightning
What Good Are Your Cracks?
Make Yourself the Most Useful Writer in Your Critique Group
Hidden Ways Procrastination Affects Productive Writers
Sometimes writing feels like dropping a pebble in the ocean
Editing for Self-Published Authors: Types of Edits and How to Find the Right Editor.
How to Write Scenes That Drive Plot and Deepen Character
Struggling with a Weak Chapter? Try Rewriting from Another POV HA! Pure coincidence that I found this in Betty's pile of links. Check it out if you want something more coherent than my babble.
disney+ stuff (documentary edition)
Sep. 7th, 2025 10:37 pmarchersangelmusic by john williams--very good. he is so brilliant.
jaws @ 50--so many people said the shark looked so real. i though the common complaint was how fake it looked. unless that was in the sequels, i didn't really watch any of those.
light & magic (season 2) about ILM and the work they did on the star wars prequels & digital stuff in general. goes into the hate that jar jar binks got & george lucas being convinced that he'd be everyone's favorite character in 10-20 years*.
he said the director/interviewer** "everyone hated c-3po when star wars first came out."
interviewer; "i don't remember everyone hating c-3po."
lucas: "well, try this. you thought the ewoks were weird when we were doing return of the jedi."
i was like; that is not the same thing. one guy thinking some characters are "weird" verses the hate that jar jar got, & still gets.
*i still don't like him. although i've only see Ep1 a few time and 2 & 3 once.
**Joe Johnston, who used to work for ILM and directed honey, i shrunk the kids and captain america: the first avenger, among other movies.
Writing Goals/Calendar: September 2025
Sep. 7th, 2025 07:50 pmmistressofmusesThen I had an atypically strong reaction to some caffeine, and decided to try setting up a pen name that's not connected to the rest of my real life or online presence. It was a very enjoyable (if short) burst of enthusiastic hyperfocus, and while that level of excitement didn't last, at least some amount of interest has remained.
My goals for August were:
- get an intro blurb done for that pen name
- do some assessing and prioritizing of ideas
- finish that section of the snowflake outline for my WFM fic
- possibly finish the current chapter of that WIP
And how did I do?
- I did get the intro blurb done!
- I did at least start prioritizing the various ideas, narrowing it down to five that I want to really consider working on
- I did not finish that outline (but plan to possibly work that more into a scheduled thing)
- I also did not finish the WIP chapter (but plan to instead give in to the desire to do the re-plot and rewrite of that particular story, which is one of the five I mentioned.)
I'm feeling pretty decent right now, at least emotionally, in regards to writing. I haven't really made a lot of forward progress on the writing itself, but I'm hoping to build up at least a little bit of a "framework" that will make it easier to move forward without burning out. That might be wishful thinking, but I'm trying! I at least don't feel like I want to avoid it entirely, so that's progress, haha. I really do have to figure out the next step stuff, though, and make sure I'm not just using other tasks as procrastination.
I've tentatively poked around on accounts set up both on DW and on tumblr... but it's kind of a "resounding crickets" sort of situation. I wasn't expecting otherwise, but I also don't entirely want to be shouting into the void. I'm seeing a lot of other people also seeming to shout into the void, and not a lot of interaction happening, though with obvious exceptions. I don't expect (or even want!) a ton of instant interaction, but I'd like to lay the groundwork to connect with the types of writers I vibe with once I have things worth sharing.
I think it's likely that Bluesky is going to be a more active place to look for community, but I also am not good at using Bluesky, lol. I never enjoyed (or got to the point of really "getting" twitter even before it was a Nazi bar, so I feel like I'm lacking a base level of experience to just jump into Bluesky. But it's time to try and get used to it, I suppose!
My goals for September:
- Start looking at Bluesky. Figure out what hashtags seem active and relevant, see if there are particular accounts or hashtags or feeds that writer-types seem to congregate around. (I started off by following a bunch of the authors I read and like... but that's obviously not a peer group, ha.)
Regrettably, I also probably have to figure out what kinds of things to post. And then I have to do it. :( Ew.
- I need to figure out my WIP next steps. (Possibly start with making intros for the WIPs I'm hoping to work on? Start with an outline? Do a preliminary intro, then outline, then revise the intro? What kinds of outline do I want to do? Give snowflake another try, or look for a different method?)
- Pick one of the WIPs to actually start with.
- Start putting together some collections of images for future use in moodboards and things like that. I want some sort of visual I can attach to posts about my stories, but am not a good enough artist to illustrate things myself, am too broke at this point to commission art, and am definitely not ever going to use AI for it, so... moodboards it is, ha. But I want to get a repository of images (via sources that allow them to be used) for that. This I hope to be an ongoing "when I have spare time" thing that will hopefully be enjoyable, too.
We'll see how it goes!
Daily Happiness
Sep. 7th, 2025 07:01 pmtorachan2. My step-sister is supposed to be stopping by tomorrow with my mom to go through some of her stuff in the shed in our backyard. Fingers crossed she can at least just point out which items she definitely does not want anymore and we can get rid of them, even if she needs to keep storing the stuff she does want to keep.
3. I've seen all the cats except Chloe using the new litter box now, so I went ahead and ordered two more to replace the other boxes. I'll still put just one out first until I actually see her using the new one(s), but I figured might as well order them both now as I'm sure she'll come around soon.
4. Such a big yawn!
![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
icanhascheezburger_feedThe Cat Distribution System clocked in right on schedule. Two hoomans and their herding dogs finished a dusk walk, returned to a parking lot full of school buses, and discovered a black kitten posted beside their car like he had the keys. They sat, waited, and the feline filed his adoption paperwork in biscuits and purrs. Middle of nowhere plus rumors of dumped kittens turned chance into rescue, and the passenger seat into destiny.
On the way home they did the classic CDS double-run: dogs dropped off, supplies scooped up, tiny hitchhiker installed on a warm lap. He purred like a little motor, kneaded like a pastry chef, and sampled watermelon mouse and strawberry mouse toys with great professionalism. He looks around five to six months, feather-light, already eating well and using the box like a pro. A clinic date is booked for the full glow-up shortly.
For two biologists, naming him Mr. Frizzle after a school-bus meet-cute feels just right. The dogs will learn the new classroom rules, the cat will teach extra-credit cuddles, and the Cat Distribution System will stamp this rescue "delivered."
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Quick On Her Feet
Sep. 4th, 2025 09:53 pmquestionable_content_feed
pooping out a window is legal in massachusetts thanks to an obscure 18th century law that is still on the books
Daily Check-In
Sep. 7th, 2025 08:42 pmmecurtin posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fandom_checkinOpen to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 25
How are you doing?
I am OK
16 (64.0%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now
9 (36.0%)
I could use some help
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single
10 (41.7%)
One other person
11 (45.8%)
More than one other person
3 (12.5%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
engine running hotter than a boiling kettle
Sep. 7th, 2025 08:28 pmmusesfoolYesterday, I made garlic & mozzarella milk bread (pics), which turned out quite well even though I forgot the salt due to its weird placement in the recipe (in theory I understand why it is where it is, but in practice it makes no sense to do it that way), but I used salted butter, so I don't think I missed it, and the bread rose just fine.
This afternoon, I finally made this strawberry cheesecake since my cream cheese was well past its use-by date and my heavy cream was getting there! It's still chilling, but when I licked the spatula after pouring the filling into the pie plate, all I really tasted was the five-spice powder. Which I like! But it's not what I would expect given the amount of freeze-dried strawberry powder in it. I guess we'll see how it goes when I cut into it tomorrow. (I also have this issue with nutmeg - even when I try to go easy on it in something, it still is frequently the only thing I taste after using it. I don't know why!)
And then I finally got up and made meatballs with oregano and red wine vinegar to have for lunch during the week. This was a method my grandmother used to use, and it is a great way to eat meatballs (or veggies - she also used to make it with zucchini, and I imagine you could do other types of squash or eggplant this way) - you make and cook the meatballs and set them aside. Then you saute onions in some olive oil (or in the beef fat left if you've fried your meatballs - I do mine in the oven, so I just use oil) and lower the heat and let them caramelize a bit, then you put the meatballs back in, sprinkle about 1/8 cup of dried oregano over them, and then pour in 1/3 - 3/4 cup of red wine vinegar. Be careful as billows of deliciously pungent smoke will rise from your frying pan at that point! Then lower the heat and let it all simmer for 10 or 15 minutes. Good both hot and at room temperature! (I haven't made it with zucchini myself, but for that, you slice and fry or bake your zucchini, and then continue on with the onions/oregano/vinegar as described.)
I have taken the garbage out and started the dishwasher, so now I am prepared for the awfulness of Sunday night. Sigh.
*
Rose City Comic Con Day 3
Sep. 7th, 2025 05:01 pmolivermossThis morning I had to choose between the Flanaverse panel, the local ghosts panel and the horny books panel. I hated to choose, but I'd been doing author panels all weekend so I went with Horny on Main:
N. E. Davenport, Aiden Thomas, Gabriella Buba, Isa Agajanian, Casey McQuiston, Rachel Gillig
I enjoyed the panels and didn't really expect them to enlighten me about writing, but this was probably the best talk about writing. ( Mild NSFW )
How The Pros Do It
Scalzi, Kingfisher, Aoki, Anders
Turned out to mostly be about keeping to a writing habit or not. Still fun.
And that was the end of the con. Glad I went, even if I hoped it would be more social this time around. Three of the presenting authors were trans and there were a lot of visible trans people there. With everything going on, that's soothing. Still sucks to be alone with no community, but yeah, experiences like that are still good.
Something about being on my phone between panels at a con felt like an echo of fifteen years ago. Not sure if in a good way or bad, but it just is
Vid Con
Sep. 7th, 2025 03:39 pmtablesawFollowing up on the last post, Inbox Zero has been working well. I cleared out my main inbox back to about mid 2019, which appears to be the time that I arbitrarily marked everything in my inbox as read. When I started I had over twenty thousand unread conversations, and I finished with a Trash folder containing over twenty-seven thousand items. I'm now undertaking the same process on my real-name account, and it's going well.
And it's been a pretty good low-effort project to work on while dealing with my first case of COVID-19.
Last Thursday night (August 28), I was feeling unusually antsy regarding my sinuses so I decided to take a COVID test to put my mind at ease. It did not do that. Instead, I woke up Psyche and we figured out how we were going to deal with isolation. I logged into work to tell them that I'd tested positive, but the symptoms were minor, and I would not be working on Friday. I then proceeded to develop a raging fever for the next 24 hours or so. A few days later, Psyche tested positive despite our best efforts, and we have spent the rest of the week muddling through major fatigue coupled with relatively minor flu symptoms.
There is, of course, no good time to be laid out for over a week, but it was particularly rough because we had been the main people organizing the logistics for the 74th wedding anniversary of Psyche's grandparents, an event scheduled to take place last Sunday. So she had to spend a frantic few days collecting all of the remaining tasks and assigning them to various members of her family, all while having to sit at home while everyone enjoyed the party we threw.
As for contact-tracing, I believe I was exposed when visiting with Psyche's other grandmother, who had been sick (untested) earlier that week; and then I exposed Psyche before testing positive myself. Given the way our positive test results seem to be hanging on longer than our main symptoms, it's not too hard to believe that Grammy was still shedding virus when I visited. I didn't spend much time with her directly, but the windows were generally closed in the house.
It's been a week and a half of sleeping and hydrating and then doing it again but reversed.
In less plaguey developments, I'm looking forward to this year's Beyond Fest which will be announcing its full slate this week. So far, the only screenings announced or for a retrospective of Guillermo del Toro, and I have tickets to see his early works (Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, and Mimic) and a screening of Pan's Labyrinth. I will also be in New York at the beginning of October for a work trip and am making the time to see Reeves and Winters in Waiting for Godot before flying back home.
I just need a negative test soon...
21 Purrfect Pictures of Royal Cats Ruling Over Hoomans and Claiming Every Couch Cushion
Sep. 7th, 2025 02:00 pmicanhascheezburger_feedCats actually rule the household. The rest of us are loyal staff, promoted by head bonks and paid in purrs. Crowns may be paper and capes may be blankets, yet the authority is absolute. Sunbeams are royal courts, windowsills are balconies, and the couch becomes a velvet throne that relocates subjects from their seats.
Morning decrees arrive at 5 a.m. with a ceremonial paw tap. The royal procession inspects corridors, grants audience by slow blink, and appointments are sealed with biscuit making. One meow becomes law, summoning breakfast service with remarkable speed. When nap o'clock strikes, the kingdom pauses for purrliament, a very important meeting featuring loaf protocol and gentle rumbling.
Evening festivities feature feather jousts, corridor zoomies, and balcony speeches to Bird TV. The lounge lion reclines, whisker crown catching the last gold light, while scribes (that's us) document history on our phones. Finally comes the proclamation everyone knows by heart. All furniture belongs to the crown, all blankets are annexed, and the bed is now the royal realm. Subjects, take a seat on the floor. Long live the floof.
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Two Prompt Fests
Sep. 7th, 2025 03:03 pmmuccamukkspook_me posted: Spook Me Multi-Fandom Ficathon 2025All fandoms are welcome. Stories can be Gen, Het, Slash or Femslash. All ratings are accepted.
We have TWO new Creatures this year: RAVEN and GRAVEYARD
I have royally failed at this the last like five years, but I do want to keep trying. It's really my favourite prompt fest.
fandomgiftbasket posted: Spreadsheet of All RequestsHere is the spreadsheet of all requests!
Link.
There are two sheets on it. The first one is a list of all baskets sorted alphabetically by username, and this is where I'll keep track of the number of gifts. The second is every single fandom request posted individually in alphabetical order, for ease of finding. If you spot anything missing or any mistakes, let me know ASAP.
I don't have a basket this year, but hope to maybe write drabbles or something? Possibly?
Pinch hits: 1-5, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17-20, 23-25
Sep. 8th, 2025 07:28 amrarepairmod posting in rarepairexchangeQuick links: Rules and guidelines • 2025 Collection • Promote your ships • Mod contact: rarepairexmod@gmail.com
This batch is due at the same time as our assignments on Sunday 21 September at 11:59pm EDT. [ In your timezone + Countdown. ]
Pinch hits must comply with the exchanges rules, meeting the minimum requirements of a completed work of a minimum of 1,000 words for fanfiction, clean lineart on unlined paper or the equivalent of one comic panel for art, and a recording of a completed fic of 1,000 words minimum that is about the requested rare pair. Works must be in English. You must have an AO3 account to participate.
Please take note of the mediums as some requests have a combination selected.
To claim, please either reply to this post or email rarepairexmod@gmail.com with your AO3 name and the pinch hit number you want to claim.
Comments are screened, so if you reply anonymously, please include an email in case I need to reach out to you. You will not be able to receive a reply from me if you comment anonymously on this post.
( PH 1 (fic) - プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ！| Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! (Video Game), Crossover Fandom (Fire Emblem: Three Houses/Fire Emblem 5), Another Eden (Video Game) )
( PH 2 (fic) - Teen Titans (Animated Series), 七つの大罪 - 鈴木央 | Nanatsu no Taizai | The Seven Deadly Sins - Suzuki Nakaba (Anime & Manga), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime 1997-2023), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Depois do Universo | Beyond the Universe (2022) )
( PH 3 (fic, art) - Bionicle - All Media Types, Minecraft: Story Mode (Video Game), Tron (Movies) )
( PH 4 (fic) - A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, House of the Dragon (TV), Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey )
( PH 5 (fic, art) - Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Baten Kaitos Series (Video Games) )
( PH 8 (fic) - The X-Files, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Marvel Cinematic Universe )
( PH 11 (fic, art) - 仮面ライダーガッチャード | Kamen Rider Gotchard (TV), Choujin Sentai Jetman, Kamen Rider V3, Choujuu Sentai Liveman, わが青春のアルカディア | Waga Seishun no Arcadia | Arcadia of My Youth (1982) )
( PH 13 (fic) - Tales of Berseria, Tales of Zestiria, Tales of Xillia 2, Crossover Fandom (Tales of Asteria/Tales of the Rays, Tales of Berseria/Tales of Crestoria, Tales of Xillia/Tales of Berseria), Tales of Link (Video Game), Tales of Hearts, The Darkness Outside Us Series - Eliot Schrefer, Tales of Crestoria, Tales of the Rays, Tales of the Rays: Recollection )
CLAIMED!
( PH 17 (fic) - Hallo itt Mátyás király! - Bogáti Péter, Crossover Fandom (Vlad 2003/Vlad Tepes 1979), 15th Century CE RPF, Night Prince - Jeaniene Frost )
( PH 18 (fic) - Rune Factory (Video Games), Fallen London | Echo Bazaar, Disco Elysium (Video Game), Crossover Fandom (Star Trek ToS/Disco Elysium, Disco Elysium/Fallen London) )
( PH 19 (fic) - Dishonored (Video Games), Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Mass Effect: Andromeda )
( PH 20 (fic, art) - Jaws (Movies), Jurassic Park (Movies), Crossover Fandom (L'Oreal 'Time Engraver' Commercials/Guardian TV), 花开有时颓靡无声 | Meet You at the Blossom (TV), 山河令 | Word of Honor (TV 2021), The Old Guard (Movie 2020) )
( PH 23 (fic, art) - Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Succession (TV 2018), Severance (TV) )
( PH 24 (fic, art, podfic) - Teen Wolf (TV), Sense8 (TV), League of Legends, Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater, The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself (TV), All For The Game - Nora Sakavic )
CLAIMED!
Thank you!
icanhascheezburger_feedMost cat rescues are complicated, thankfully this one is rather less. You see, in most cases, the Cat Distribution System needs to see that the would-be pawrent has what it takes to care for a kitten. That means determination, cunning and patience, all the qualities it takes to get a cat out of its hiding place in your walls.
But in this case the CDS knew that trick would not work, namely because we are talking about a dog lover who would likely not go to the effort initially, but only because they needed converting. Which is exactly what happened when this doggo doter 'stumbled' upon a cute kitten dressed in a fancy sweater in the sweltering heat. And before she knew it, she became a cat momma and never looked back. The CDS never ceases to amaze with its unending power and potential to find the right home for the right cat child.
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The -ber months are upon us!
Sep. 7th, 2025 01:47 pmnanslice
The first BIG harvest! And probably the biggest one, although I do keep bringing more and more in. My first year of really trying is going so well! And also four pints of homemade tomato sauce! We have a deep freezer so I'm going to just freeze them (these are freezer-safe). This is just half of the sauce tomatoes in the picture above, so we should have another four cans there, and there's also SO MANY GREEN TOMATOES STILL OUTSIDE. I'm monitoring night-time temps and as soon as it gets too chilly (below 50s), I'll be bring all the tomatoes in to finish ripening on the counter.
Also started a bunch of greens (broccoli, bok choi, chard) to hopefully get some nice cool weather crops popping off. I have plants to further rabbit proof the gardens before these little babies go out, since the rabbits have such a preference for leafy greens. :\
In terms of fandom,
eatdrinkmakemerry is gearing up! This is one of my absolute favorite exchanges for making cozy, seasonal works. ;3; Which is not the only thing acceptable for this exchange, it's just my go-to because I love cozy bullshit, hahaha. The 2025 info post is here, if y'all would like more information and maybe like to nominate when noms open. Bring your friends! Let's have a good fandom time! <3 I admit to kind of failing in fandom lately; just not really have the focus for it. So I hope that this helps out with that. ;3;
It's also the time of year where spooky watch lists are being dropped and this one caught my eye:
Some of these I probably won't watch (The Fall of the House of Usher has a cat in it and I know something bad happens to it so I Will Not Watch) and I'll probably add some of my faves (Hocus Pocus not on there is a gd travesty, although I just realized these are movies available on Netflix....man, whatever). There's also some mystery movies that I'd like to watch (I've never watched any of the Knives Out franchise and it's apparently amazing! It's so annoying, with all the different streaming services, to find what you actually want to watch. :\
Also, has anyone seen the trailer for Good Boy? A horror movie from the point of view of the dog. ;o; I definitely want to watch this one.
Let's see....I think that might be it for me! It's a lovely day out (we've had some not great air quality due to wildfires but it seems like it's blown out for the most part). I think, however, that I might just curl up with a book and let the birds sing me straight into a nap (seems unlikely, lmao).
2025 Disneyland Trip #60 (9/6/25)
Sep. 7th, 2025 01:16 pmtorachan( Read more... )