I survived this shit once I'll survive it again and that is a fucking threat
One of the most painful, torturous, agonizing, soul-rending parts of writing is spending WEEKS on a chapter (WEEKS, I TELL YOU!!) Only to belatedly understand that it's not working, you're trying too hard, and that it must go into The Pile.
While most of the internet is still fighting over the results of last week's election, I've written 6 pages and now have the concept of cover art for my next book. Now I'm considering getting back into drawing so I can provide actual artists with roughs so they have something to work with when I have money for more commissions. While the world is currently afire I'm using the flames to make s'mores.
What I'm saying is "turn off the TV, mute your notifications, block social media and GET BUSY MAKING ART." You're not going to solve the world's problems by arguing with trolls, bots and incels - you solve them by MAKING THINGS and THRIVING OUT OF SPITE. Is art going to fix anything? I don't know, but it sure as hell is a better use for your time and energy AND you get that juicy dopamine hit that'll give you the strength to go on.
Also, it really pisses them off when you don't respond to their bullshit which is SUPER funny.
writing is just signing up to emotionally hurt yourself for fun, and if that’s not dedication idk what is
what they don’t tell you about writing is AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHH!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH indeed.
This weekend I made a Tandoori roast chicken for my work lunch and let me tell ya, it was
I spatchcocked it (cut the spine out and laid it flat), rubbed it all over with tandoori spice paste, then laid it in my reliable turkey roaster where I cooked it in the oven at 375°F and turned it every 30 minutes for 2 hours. The skin got all crispy because I used the wire rack in my pan and it got these really nice "scorch" marks from the tandoori paste caramelizing. The bones pull right out of the meat, so I've been eating it with long grain white ans wild brown rice and it is FANTASTIC.
The only thing I will do differently next time is marinate the whole chicken in a tub with plain yogurt and tandoori paste - that should make the chicken juicier and more deeply infused with flavor. My next endeavor is Hyderabadi Biryani 😁
First chapters are so fucking hard because you have to (not necessarily in this order):
I have the day off tomorrow, this is now Monday's problem.
But you can't do TOO MUCH or it's just info-dumping and that is Bad.
Currently struggling with leaving just enough 'breadcrumbs' to keep the reader interested without overwhelming them with an encyclopedic explanation of everything from economics to botany.
Have to remind myself constantly that I can't give away all my secrets yet 🫢
HEY GUYS GUESS WHAT
SECOND CHAPTERS ARE HARD TOO
Update:
Update 2: Electric Boogaloo:
*muffled swearing in several languages*
It's all part of the process, even if the process makes me want to scream and bite someone. I'm just not going HARD enough and need to break through this mental wall so I can make progress the way I want to!
May the rage inside of you burn brighter than the darkness around you.
“This representation was groundbreaking for the time and a lot of people liked it” and “This may have aged poorly and many modern audiences from the group don’t feel represented by it and are bothered by aspects of it” are not mutually exclusive
see also: “it’s okay to feel uncomfortable with these pieces of media due to their clumsy—if not harmful—depictions” and “some people still enjoy them, despite their flaws, especially older people who grew up without the same amount of representation we have today, and it’s not your place to tell someone they can’t like it”
To add: "This is offensive to me because I live in a time when we deem them unacceptable, therefore I will use this example as a measuring stick for how far we've come" AND "now I know how to spot this in my real life so I don't perpetuate outdated ideas"
You NEED exposure to challenging and unpleasant things to understand why they are unpleasant.
Hey guys be cool and normal but reblog this with the homemade meal that would get you the most hyped as a child. I need it for reasons.
My dad's chili. We'd chop onions, garlic and peppers, fry them in the bottom of this HUGE army stockpot in oil or bacon fat, add ground beef or chopped venison, salt and pepper and chili powder, brown the meat, then add several cans of beans. Black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, all the beans! Crushed tomatoes, corn, and sometimes mushrooms. Always pasta - I know people are going to yell at me for putting pasta in chili, but MY DAD'S CHILI was the BEST. No recipe, just cans and cans of beans 😅
We'd make Gallons of the stuff. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, so this huge pot of beans, tomatoes, meat and pasta kept us fed for DAYS. Beans are cheap, tomatoes are cheap, and when you have hungry kids and working parents you want something filling and rich in protein that will make a LOT of food.
I AM NOT DEAD
I am working on my project, and I am STRUGGLING with the opening chapters. It sucks because I can see it in my head but when I sit down to actually write it out, my brain locks. I've tried so many different openings, transitions and ideas my brain feels like Jell-O. I've also been a bit distracted with work and certain goings-on in my country, so I'm a little stressed and anxious right now.
BUT! I've been writing all weekend to try and clear the pipes so I can get going with this project. Hopefully, I'll finally break through this wall and make some REAL progress! I'm going to get there eventually, I just need my brain to cooperate.
I love how idiots nowadays are trying to get people to censor their writings. I am going to write the most fucked up thing in the world just to see their heads explode.
Yes, this is why I write plot-heavy softcore sci-fi erotica romance books. It's kind of a thing of mine to be able to empathize with creatures not of this world and put myself in their place as outcasts. It's also a thing of mine to take my OWN feelings of outcastdom and use them as fuel and/or inspiration to explore themes like being othered, experiencing trauma, struggling with identity and understanding the self.
😁
you are not a wasteland you just need ibuprofen and a hot bath and a shower and a nutritious meal and some water and some fresh air and to do something productive and to do something creative and to do something that takes physical exertion and to do something social
Nyyyyeeeeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhh....
Don't wanna. Takes effort. Boo.
So, yeah! I should probably do this if I want to do what I set out to do and start sharing more of my writing outside of Wattpad. So here's a very short bit of my current work in progress, another plot-heavy softcore sci-fi romance that's mostly about rebuilding your life after trauma, learning to trust again, found family and a whole lotta Fuck The Police. Here we meet Kira, the main protagonist, very briefly. Begins under the cut!
TW: sexual harassment, language, hostile aliens, kidnapping
writing is great because i get to control the chaos, unlike my real life.
Well if that ain't the damn truth...
I had the brief temptation to run STARFISH through an AI to see what themes it would pull out but then I smacked myself in the face because YOU NEVER FEED THE DIGITAL THEFT MACHINE!!!
Dear Nightshade development team, when you come up with an application that can be administered to written work, call me.
