Reblog If You’ve Read Fanfictions That Are More Professional, Better Written Than Some Actual Novels.

...Welp, we've been married for a week now.

Holy crap.

I'll probably draw more later. I've been a bit distracted as you can imagine 🙈 Hope everyone's been well!

Writer Jargon 101 ✨

Show, Don’t Tell – The golden rule! Instead of flatly stating emotions, reveal them through actions, dialogue, and sensory details. Like, don’t say, “She was angry.” Show her slamming a door or clenching her fists.

Head-hopping – When you switch POVs in the middle of a scene without clear demarcation. It's confusing and jarring, like taking a sudden detour while driving.

Purple Prose – Over-the-top, flowery writing that can come off as trying too hard. A little flair is fine, but don’t smother your reader with excess.

In Medias Res – Starting a story in the middle of the action. No boring build-up, just bang—we’re already in the heat of things.

Foreshadowing – Dropping subtle hints about what’s coming next. A small detail now could be a huge reveal later. It’s like dropping breadcrumbs leading your readers to an epic twist.

Chekhov’s Gun – If you introduce an object or detail, it better serve a purpose later. No random things just hanging around. Everything matters.

Canon vs. Fanon – Canon refers to the original source material, while Fanon is the fan-created version. You can take liberties with Fanon, but Canon needs to stick close to its roots.

Saturation Point – That place in your writing where things become too repetitive, too familiar. You’ve got to find a way to push beyond it to keep your writing fresh and engaging.

Bait and Switch – Leading your reader to expect one thing, then suddenly giving them something unexpected. It’s like pulling the rug out from under them.

Plot Device – Any element (object, event, or person) that drives the plot forward or allows the resolution of the story. It’s the item or moment that has to exist for the plot to make sense.

Vignette – A brief, evocative scene that focuses on one moment or idea, often without a formal plot. It's about capturing a snapshot of a bigger picture. Think of it like a small, poetic portrait within a larger narrative.

Mise-en-Scène – A French term used to describe the setting or visual elements within a scene, especially in film and theater. It refers to how everything is placed or designed to create a specific atmosphere.

Framing Device – A structure or technique used to tell a story within a story. It's like having a character tell their experiences through flashbacks or letters, giving the plot a layered, nested feel.

Endowment Effect – When writers unintentionally overvalue a character or plot point simply because they created it. It’s the I’m so proud of this, it’s got to stay! mindset. Sometimes less is more, so watch out for this.

Conflict (Internal/External) – Internal conflict is the emotional struggle within a character (e.g., wanting something but being afraid of it), while external conflict comes from forces outside of the character (e.g., fighting an enemy or dealing with societal pressures).

Pacing Breathers – Moments in the story where the action slows down to allow the characters to breathe and reflect. These help balance the high-energy scenes and give readers time to process.

Symbolism – Using objects, actions, or settings to represent larger ideas. Think of a wilting flower symbolizing the decay of a relationship. It’s subtle but adds layers to your story.

Subtext – The hidden or underlying meaning in a scene or dialogue. What isn’t said, what’s implied but not directly stated. Like that tension between two characters that’s so obvious but never spoken aloud.

Red Herrings – Misdirection! These are the details or clues that seem significant but lead readers down the wrong path. It’s like planting a fake trail to keep your reader guessing.

Narrative Whiplash – When you suddenly change tones or perspectives, jerking the reader’s expectations. It’s like riding a bike and then suddenly taking a sharp, unexpected turn. Used well, it adds suspense, but too much can feel disorienting.

To those readers who became writers, we intuitively know what works and what doesn’t, but just in case I’m putting it out here so writing becomes easier!

Had to draw these two-

technically I ship them both with Thad and Doll too, but I just wanted to draw these two for rn-

I am so proud of this-

“how did you get into writing” girl nobody gets into writing. writing shows up one day at your door and gets into you

Trained from birth as an assassin, your mind was bound by a powerful control spell. Sent to kill an archmage, they cast Dispel to weaken you—accidentally freeing your mind instead. For the first time, your dagger points wherever you choose.

Dissasembly drone yap time: they are really good at hiding their young, like, freakishly good at it, the reason? Worker drones. they have learned that disassembly drones chase laser pointers, so the workers use this to lure them out of hiding, to kill them, so the disassembly Drones are now really, really good at hiding stuff

Brutal.

Turning the tables a little there I like it. A baby DD has gotta be the cutest little thing to. Tiiinnnyyyy itty bitty litte claws, itty bitty little teeth

It's such an amazing feeling when someone picks up on something in your writing that you 100% intended but didn't think people would notice. Like, YES!! My writing properly conveyed the thing it was supposed to!!! You are so awesome for noticing that!!! I am so awesome for writing that!!! I feel so good about my story now!!!!

Everyone is talking about the DD’s having more feral animalistic traits but I headcanon that worker drones also have some traits.

They can’t purr but they do make this cute high pitched grinding noise. It’s short little bursts and it means they are very pleased with something.

They scatter like scared cats when theres a sudden loud noise now. That trait cropped up after the DD’s came to Copper 9.

They enjoy sleeping in very large groups. They feel safer this way, it’s like a schooling behavior.

Families with small pill babies will often times hide away until the baby can walk on its own.

They swat. Much like a cat they tend to bap and swat when irritated with someone or something. It can hurt but it really dosen’t do damage

They show their teeth when being aggressive or showing fear. They pull their lips back and show off their….frankly pathetic teeth in comparison to DD’s. It can be normal to see two drone just standing there near nose to nose just staring and showing their teeth. And yes that can often times mean they are about to fight.

They really like a nice good under the chin scratch. Most do, not all. Sometimes their foot will even twitch just a little

They can and will shake off like a dog. They can do it standing up and prefer doing it that way. They make a rather audible rapid ‘tink clank tink clank tink clank’ sound when they do it. They are more water proof than you think. They can spend a little time submerged in water but past a certain point they will be too far gone and suffer water damage. They also can’t swim so if submerged in deep enough water worker drones will ‘drown’ (die from internal water damage). They do handle rain well enough. Solver drones and DD’s have a longer span of time they can remain submerged.