Dragons Can Absolutely Count! And Honestly, I Can Relate To Your Love For Them. There's Just So Much

For Storyteller Saturday, can you tell us something fun about your current WIP? :)

Thank you for the ask! 💚 /p

So, as the title suggests, in Every Hero needs a Villain, every hero in this has a villain counterpart that sort of serves as their opposite in some ways. I made it this way to help inspire more personality diversity in the cast. Heroes are inspired by the dreams and hopes of humanity, while villains are inspired by the nightmares and fears of humanity. My favorites so far are Mrs Robust, inspired by people's fears of two sided businessmen, Nurse Sanguine, inspired by fears of an overly chipper nurse, and Cuddlefort, inspired by hopes of having a good intimate relationship with a partner.

(Btw, if people want to send my worldbuilding questions for the hero and villain society I am working on for this, I will happily send some back in kind).

I might make a community for it where I share more bio stuff as I work on them, if people are interested.

Your poetry is always so gorgeous. The imagery in this one sent shivers down my spine.

I miss when you were in the margins

of my class notes

Your name and mine

held together by a heart and a plus sign

I'd flip through the pages

and know that you were waiting for me

at the end of the hour

with your hands full of wilting wildflowers

you decided to pick up on your morning run

because you didn't know the difference

between alive and dying

Petals fell to the floor

during the trip from your hands to mine

and walking proves to hurt them further

as they shake and quiver in my hands with each step

losing a little part of themselves

the further we get

By the time we get home

there are no more petals left to save

and the stems don't stop their drooping

as we put them into the vase

Water doesn't help them

doesn't give them time

they just brown and fall further

but you take no notice

as you put them on a shrine

with other wilted wildflowers

"what do you do to contribute to society" i post my ocs to tumblr dot com lol.... 5 people on there like them.......

Beta Reader Call!

I am currently polishing up the third draft of my portal fantasy novel, A Song in the Wilderness, which means it's finally time for one of my favorite parts of the writing process: beta reading! I have already reached out to a couple of regular readers, but I am in search of two or three more beta readers to give me some fresh eyes on this story.

Have you always wanted to try beta reading but don’t want too much pressure? Do you need more reading material to while away the sweet summer hours (or cold winter nights, for my Southern Hemisphere friends)? Are you eager for a chance to take a red pen (literal or otherwise) to someone else's writing? Do you want a quiet, character-driven story about faith, duty, and sacrifice? This might be the project for you!

Note: Responses must be submitted by May 12th.

*If you are interested in reading this story but don't want the pressure of formal beta-reading or if the deadline doesn't work for you, please see my note near the bottom.*

A bit about the story:

More than ten years ago, Paige tripped through a portal and ended up in a different world—with no way to get back. She arrived with nothing but the clothes on her back, a kitten in her pocket, and strange new powers that nearly destroyed her before she learned how to deal with them. The people of this world taught Paige to survive. Like her, they have had to eke out a living on the far side of their own apocalypse, carving out a tenuous peace in a world ravaged by war and disease. Over the years, many of those people have become her friends, and one of them hopes for something more. But Paige doesn't want more. All she has to live for is the hope that one day she will find the answers she seeks. All she wants is to go home. And then everything Paige has come to know about this world changes in a moment. The high king of the northern clans is dead. War is brewing across the desert. Paige's friends are looking to her, with her strange Traveler's gifts, to help them survive. Paige has no desire to be drawn into this conflict. Instead, deciding she has nothing to lose, she makes a desperate gamble. That gamble takes her into the wilderness, where she finally learns just how much she must give up in order to gain the one thing she wants most. A Song in the Wilderness is a portal fantasy about learning to live on the other side of your own apocalypse. "This story broke me. I am completely at its mercy." - My sister

Estimated word count: 85,000 words (roughly 330 pages in standard book format; around the same length as Persuasion, The Secret Garden, Sabriel, The King of Attolia, and Cinder)

Note: This is not (in my opinion) the kind of story I typically write. There is very little action. The plot is character-driven and is heavily introspective, examining faith, responsibility, and relationships of all sorts. Outside of events that cover three or four chapters, there's no clear antagonist. Where it does align with my usual writing is in themes of grief, sense of place, and hope.

Project tag on tumblr (mostly spoiler-free)

What I need from my readers:

Open, honest feedback about:

Plot/story structure: Does it make sense? Is it compelling?

Characters: Are they consistent and realistic, with clear motives, believable choices and actions, and distinct personalities?

World-building and writing style: Is it concise, or is it simply swimming in exposition? How is the pacing? Also, exactly how much attention should I put on transitions from one scene to the next?

With this being a third draft story, my main concern right now is the overall structure of the story. I need to know what works, what doesn't, and what needs more attention in the next round of revisions. Whether you prefer to leave editorial or reactionary comments, line-by-line or in summary, so long as you can point out the story and writing issues that stand out to you, we’ll get along just fine. You do not need to have prior beta reading experience, just a willingness to read critically and offer honest feedback.

Note: If at any time you decide, for any reason at all, that you won't be able to complete this beta reading project, you only have to shoot me a message to let me know. There are absolutely no hard feelings. I've been there.

Dates and things:

This project will run from May 17th to June 30th. You can read the story at your own pace any time within that time frame, but I do ask that you have the project completed and your notes submitted by June 30th.

I will have a questionnaire for you to fill out at the end of your reading. Additional notes can be in-line comments in the document itself or in a summary either emailed or messaged to me--whichever and however much works for you. I am open for messages if you randomly decide you want to discuss details with me. (PLEASE talk to me about my writing! It's my favorite thing!)

Most of my readers prefer to work in Google Docs for the convenient comments feature, but we can look at other options if necessary.

If interested:

Complete the reader request form here by Monday, May 12th! Note that there is a link on the first page to the prologue and first chapter, so you can get an idea of my style and make sure it works for you.

If I get enough readers before the 12th, I will consider closing requests for now.

*If you are interested in reading this story but don't want the pressure of beta-reading or the deadline, please feel free to still contact me! Either I can still add you to my list, but for a more casual reading of this third draft, or I can put your name on the list for the fourth draft (date TBD, hopefully around August or September).*

A bit about the writer:

I'm a 30-something office admin by day, spec-fic writer by night, and hapless backyard gardener when the mood strikes me. Most of my stories start out as a "what if?", with characters piling into the clown car as soon as I have a vague setting worked out in which to answer the pivotal question. My least favorite step of any writing project is the rough draft. In writing, I try to follow Jane Austen’s philosophy: “My characters shall have, after a little trouble, all that they desire.” Most of the time I manage it.

My writing trademarks according to my writing group are: forehead kisses, protagonists with a martyr complex, way too many side characters, good dialogue, “repressed Victorian romance plots”, keen examinations of grief, and just a pinch of MelodramaTM.

You can find samples of my writing right here on tumblr:

Zenith Station (sci-fi short story collection, always ongoing)

Or on Dreamwidth:

The Tides That Bind (low fantasy, last completed novel)

Original characters are really just a random assortment of personality traits and physical features taken from myself, from people I saw on the street, and from my favourite characters from other people.

Ooo intriguing!

Happy storyteller saturday! What are you most looking forward to writing in your current WIP?

I think for Released, it's the moment Mallory loses it completely.

For Out of Sight and Mind, it's always going to be the moment Ari loses Edward.

For Neon Glow, it's probably the "oh shit, we're really in trouble now." moment.

Thanks for the ask! :D

white people go like “is anyone going to redesign this nonhuman evil character as a poc?” and not wait for an answer

Me going to tell my fandom (my Tumblr followers) lore about my oc that will shatter their hearts (I will get 2 notes)

LISTEN UP MOTHER FUCKERS

SEE THIS WEBSITE? 

ITS CALLED WOLFRAM ALPHA

THIS IS THE BEST GODDAMN WEBSITE FOR ACADEMIC SHIT. FUCK GOOGLE. 

THIS MOTHERFUCKER WILL LET YOU SEARCH “HOSPITAL BEDS IN CHAD VS. IRAN” 

AND IT GIVES YOU A STRAIGHT GODDAMN ANSWER 

MAYBE YOU’RE NOT INTERESTED IN DOCTORNESS OF THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES COOL SHIT 

HAVING TROUBLE WITH MATH?

HOLY SHIT

OR MAYBE YOU WANNA DICK AROUND

WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT