The Thing I Love About The Arc Minisode In 1x03 Is That From Our Perspective (and How The Scene Is Written)

i have a spreadsheet for every fic ive read this year and its all categorized by like a dozen dif things it’s my pride and joy

I stare at the screen for hours, trying to make the words come out, but they won't. I can't compel myself to take a break, because there's this voice screaming at me from the base of my brain...

"You've been told you're a great writer, and you want to be a published author. But all you have to show for it after forty-four years are a dozen crash-and-burn writing projects. When you have the time to write, you don't, for a host of reasons. If you don't have something written by the time you die--which comes closer with every passing day--you've wasted your gifts, you've wasted all the effort people put into educating you, and you've wasted your life. So sit down and WRITE, you worthless piece of shit!"

How do you get past the paralysis caused by the obligation to produce? Is there a way to trick your brain and your body into writing? Or do you just slog on through, no matter how long you have to sit there to get a thousand words a day out?

Perhaps you could try to be kinder to yourself.

I always give myself permission to write or to do nothing at all (staring out of the window or at a wall is okay). After a while spent staring at a wall it's often easier to write.

Remember if you write a page a day -- 300 words -- at the end of a year you'll have a 100,000 word novel.

since we’re on the topic of bookbinding, i’ve been wanting to get into it but i haven’t actually done any research (yet) other than vibes, so do u have any tips for complete beginners?? :)

@geminibookbinding is who inspired me to finally look up the whole process and figure out where to start! this is the super helpful tutorial i got from them

i had dabbled with binding before though, using Sea Lemon's tutorials to make blank sketchbooks yearsss ago. i still use her text block and diy hardcover videos as a refresher/reminder while i bind!

the biggest thing that stopped me from learning to bind printed fiction was not understanding how to print the text from home, specifically how to get the pages in the right order for signatures. it's actually so easy with some very simple to use programs: QuantumElephant for PC users (free), and I use BookletCreator on Mac ($20)

i want to go into more detail about my process and supplies from a beginner perspective, i hope this helps:

format the text in a word processor

export your document as a single page PDF

enter that PDF file into Quantum Elephant or BookletCreator, to rearrange the pages for your signatures. your program will give you a new PDF file that you can then print.

4. double sided printing: i was so so scared of this at first, but it's incredibly simple. no matter what printer you have, somewhere in your print settings will be an option to print even or odd pages.

print all the even pages first, then when the stack is finished printing, flip them over, insert them back into the paper feed, and print the odd pages.

5. fold the signatures together so you have a stack of little booklets, then mark on the spine where your sewing holes need to be. manually punch the holes using an awl, or diy an awl by stuffing a cork on the end of a straight needle.

6. sewing: take regular sewing thread and run it over a block of beeswax. this makes the thread easier to manage and holds it in place better while you sew. a curved needle is also much easier to use than a straight one, especially for a kettle stitch (using Sea Lemon's tutorial)

7. gluing: glue decorative pages (or plain, but thicker paper) to the front and back to create your end pages, then press the book flat to apply PVA glue to the spine. press it overnight so the glue dries flat. (optional: glue a ribbon to the top of the spine, then sew on headbands) finally glue an additional piece of paper (or mull) around the spine to strengthen it.

8. optional: trim the edges of your book down to create a smooth edge. this one's given me the most trouble because it's very hard to get right with a knife, and the proper supplies are expensive. check your local stationery shop (i.e. Officeworks, Staples) for an industrial guillotine service

9. cover: once you have the final measurements of your text block you can start making the cover. this is essentially gluing cardboard, binders board, or plywood etc to a sheet of fabric. the fabric either needs to be bookcloth, or have some kind of non-porous back so the glue doesn't seep through. you can diy bookcloth from any fabric with tissue paper. then glue the decorate end pages to your cover to attach the textblock!

he’s such an asshole

- I thought you hated it here. - I do. Mostly.

Couldn’t resist, as soon as I saw the suit I had to draw the pookie 🥺🌟

all i’m saying is if someone wrote a gomens fic w femme aziracrow based on casual by chappell roan i wouldn’t be complaining

(PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE)

Just finished Editor's Note.

Kindly,

Fuck you.

No, not kindly. You are entirely at fault.

For everything.

I have never in my life felt an emotion so strongly, one that I cannot place. The best way I could describe it, is an eagerness so tense I cannot move without letting everything out in a half-scream groan of resolution.

It's as if I am crying without tears or the rock in my throat that won't let me speak... thank you.

And thank you for the immense inspiration and elation I have for my own writing after reading this.

Now to read your Kravitz/Taako fics, I'm so excited.

this is so gratifying omg 🥺 thank you so much for reading, sorry for the not-rock in your throat 💛

Silly

Made them for telegram stickers (based on pics I found on pinterest)

i hate my writing. i hate my ideas. i hate my everything

have you ever had to pass a bridge of hatred to finish a novel?

Yes. Not every time, but enough.

I have a question about writing, because you are my favourite fic writer and you write so well.

-How do I write emotions well? I’ve always struggled with that, for some reason. How do I explain how a person is feeling? Should I write loads of it or just explain it short?

Sorry if this is a weird question, genuinely struggling out here 😰😰

AHH thank you dear, but not weird at all! this is one of those highly subjective things can be really hard to nail down with simple rules in a classroom, hence difficult to learn.

i'm a bit of a fluffy writer, so i rely on Show Don't Tell to demonstrate emotions. but i am constantly reminding myself of this post to not go overboard with it. breaking down the sensory cocktail of an emotion is great for emphasis, but would get exhausting if you did it every time. it's okay to write "he was scared."

now, in this case, the "show" of an emotion would be how it physically makes you feel (warm or cold, stomach butterflies, aching, floating), how you express it externally (narrowed eyes, tense shoulders, clenched jaw, parted lips), and what it makes you do (avert eye contact, reach out, fiddle and fidget, move around a room).

examples from And They Were Streamers!

"aziraphale was touched" (meeting a fan) vs: how it makes him feel

Aziraphale’s chest blossomed with a shy, giddy warmth, just like the twinkling of nerves he felt before his first ever stream.

"crowley was agitated" vs: how he expresses it externally

Crowley sat there, breathing heavily with his eyes flickering over the chat window on his third monitor.

"aziraphale was nervous" vs: what it makes him do

Aziraphale returned his hand to hover somewhere around his waistline, where it toyed with the hem of his jacket and longed for a glass to cling to.

i refer to breath, eyes, shoulders, mouths, and fingers a lot. they're very expressive body parts and you feel a lot within them when struck with intense emotion.

if you're dead inside like me (thanks T), it can be helpful to practise mindfulness when looking for sensory inspiration. if you can't remember what it feels like to be overcome with jealousy, pay attention to all five of your senses and imagine what the character might be feeling for each of those.