| Writers' Abode |

[scmarshtacky]

Fr, I could have written this (although obviously my book has a different name lol). I have so many ideas and started/mostly completely stories, but I am a relatively slow writer so it takes me a while! And have so much editing to do from any highschool-era writing!

Yeah, it's quite the arduous task, isn't it? XD I enjoy the editing process and I've introduced new scenes and story flow with it, all of which I'm happy with, but at the same time, I'd like to solely focus on its continuation. I'm at 45 of 70 chapters - still so far to go. lol

Also, YOU CAN DO IT!!!! (Not trying to make this about me, but the book that I am finishing now was largely written over two different NANOWRIMOs, just sitting down and trying to get words on the page is super helpful for a slow writer like me and hopefully you too????) have you done anything with NANOWRIMO before?

Sameeeeeee! That's Fortis too. I started it on a Nano ages back after having the idea in my head rolling around for a while. It feels... poetic, I guess, in some way to also be able to finish it on a Nano. I should've been able to finish it last year, but I just didn't quite get there.

I've done Nano at a casual capacity. Never even close to completion, but it does at least force me to set aside some time dedicated to writing that I might not do otherwise. I think my highest count was only at 25k words or so?

I hope we can help motivate you >:) Is there anything about Fortis Anima that you are open to sharing? (It sounds like we have similar writing interests and I'm super interested to hear about your work, if you're up for sharing!)

Sure! This is the current working summary. Will probably change it again at some point as it still seems a little shallow and generic, but that's what it's at for now.

All Liz ever wanted was to live a normal life, with normal friends at her normal school. Unfortunately, the classmate she's forced to pair up with for a history project is anything but normal. After sneaking out and witnessing him slay a black-shelled monster, Liz is swept up into the hidden secrets of the city. Alongside her new friend, Alan, Liz fights to return to some semblance of her old life.

And just a little snippet of the two MCs bantering. Setting is Autumna Festa - the country's big fall festival.

Alan chuckled and darted to the side as Liz lunged for him. With her chasing him in a futile mini-game of tag, they made it to their designated area on the other end of the park in just a few minutes. Now that the sun was rising properly into the sky and the caffeine was kicking into her system, Liz finally felt alive enough to function.

“Let’s go do the shooting game really quick!” Liz said as they passed by a handful of tents on their slow circuit of the west sector of the venue. “Loser buys lunch.”

“You’re on!” Alan got one hit in three and earned himself a pack of colorful balloons.

The gun felt clunky in Liz’s hands, and the scope on the little plastic rifle was drastically off. She missed her first shot by a disappointingly wide margin. Readjusting herself and compensating for it landed her a solid second hit on a palm-sized stuffed animal. She was feeling fairly confident about her win over Alan… until he started jumping up and down and dancing around beside her. Narrowing her eyes, Liz turned to scowl at him. “Stop! You’re distracting.”

He grinned. “Who me? I’m not doing anything.”

Once he’d stopped, Liz settled into her position once again. She had just set her finger lightly against the trigger when a deafening POP sounded right beside her ear. Liz jumped a mile in the air, and with her startle, she’d pressed the trigger on the gun. She couldn’t even see where the small pellet had hit, but she knew it’d been drastically far off from where she’d originally aimed.

“You-!” she whirled on Alan who had the open pack of balloons in one hand, and a torn remnant of rubber from the one he’d popped in the other. “I think you’re feeling a little too good now!” Liz swung at him.

He moved sideways, and with his elbow, he hit the underside of her forearm, shifting her punch up and over the side of his shoulder. Her face following his parry must’ve been quite hilarious because Alan stopped there to double over laughing. It gave her a fantastic opportunity to try a second time. Her leg shot out and she hit the crook of his knee with her own. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but did drop him down to the ground. From there, she pounced at him, leaving him flat on his back. All the while, his shoulders shook with mirth.

There were enough people in the park now that the two had drawn the attention of a handful of passersby, and once she’d calmed down enough to notice their little crowd, she flushed in embarrassment and leapt back to her feet. “Come on. You too. Stop laughing!”

[*StormCloud*]

Yeah, it's quite the arduous task, isn't it? XD I enjoy the editing process and I've introduced new scenes and story flow with it, all of which I'm happy with, but at the same time, I'd like to solely focus on its continuation. I'm at 45 of 70 chapters - still so far to go. lol

Exactly! Is there a word-count range you're trying for as far as length?

It feels... poetic, I guess, in some way to also be able to finish it on a Nano. I should've been able to finish it last year, but I just didn't quite get there.

Okay, you've convinced me. I'm DEFINITELY going to finish my book this month. I only have a couple chapters left, maybe 5-7? (But my SO and I recently moved and it has been very busy/chaotic so I just haven't had the time to write.)

I've done Nano at a casual capacity. Never even close to completion, but it does at least force me to set aside some time dedicated to writing that I might not do otherwise. I think my highest count was only at 25k words or so?

Yep, this is exactly it. The habit of writing is one of the hardest parts. I think the second time I did NANO I got very close to, if not hit 50k, but technically it's supposed to be on an entirely new novel so 🤷‍♀️. The helpful part is just working on the habit (and trying to get out of the "every phrase has to be perfect" mindset that I tend to write in when left my own devices.)

After sneaking out and witnessing him slay a black-shelled monster, Liz is swept up into the hidden secrets of the city. Alongside her new friend, Alan, Liz fights to return to some semblance of her old life.

Oooooo I'm fascinated, this sounds like fun. Urban fantasy was my first love in reading.

And just a little snippet of the two MCs bantering. Setting is Autumna Festa - the country's big fall festival.

Yay, that's a great sample! I love the friendship between these two! I can't help but wonder if you have a little romance stewing between them? Either way, I definitely want to watch them fight mysterious black monsters together. >:)

[Little Trickster]

do you prefer to write in first-person or third-person?
I generally write in first person. It gives freedom to show emotions and thoughts better than third person. You can also give more personality and the reader gets to feel more personal with the character. I only have I think two books that are third person, everything else is first person lol

[tenor]

sorry for the insane amount of inactivity, y'all!
it makes my heart happy to see y'all yappin w/o me >:)
im so proud :')

here's the new QOTD/QOTW:

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if you're uncomfortable with me putting your answer on the front page, please say so in your post, and i'll respect your wishes!!

current prompt:

do you prefer to write in first-person or third-person?
first person: using i/me/we, from the direct perspective of the character
third-person: using he/she/they, explaining scenes from an outer perspective

Code: Select all

[b]do you prefer to write in first-person or third-person?[/b]

(answer here)

if you'd like to answer more prompts, you can see some of our previous QOTW's in this post! feel free to answer them even if they're no longer the QOTW!! <3

what's your favorite setting to write about, and why?

Hmm, I don't really know. The setting I've written the most about is Warrior Cats, but I'd like my answer to be a little more...solid? Because there's no timeframe for WC, which is good for the story, but...yeah. Idk, it's hard to explain.
Other than that, I like to write about a plan ol' modern-day setting. It's just easier than way.
(Plus, for my supernatural story, it's fun for everything to be modern and all that, but there's vampires and deities and werewolves and all that? It's just cool lol)

bonus: what's your favorite setting to write IN?

If you count "making them up in my head", then I'd say I like to walk around my house to write them. For actually writing them, I only write my stories down if I plan to share them, so most of the time when writing, I just put it into a forum post or a Google slide if it's for school.

YESSS i love the idea for your supernatural story to be modern >:) and as for warrior cats, i think they could be a bit more modern if you wanted, esp with any two-leg/human interactions, or cars or other threats? it would be easy to make the setting a modern timeframe, but a lot of times that setting would just be a natural/uncultivated area i think!

and LOLLL i also like to walk around and think up my ideas. honestly a lot of my spontaneous ideas come from dreams/destressing in bed/the shower. so i also take a bunch of notes in my phone or sometimes on a sticky note at work so i dont forget lol

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genuinely, i listed 'themselves' because i thought of seb LOLOL i was at a loss trying to find options cx

That is hilarious! 🤣 I must be doing an okay job of communicating his character lol

LOLLL my thought process was that he already thinks he's so cool, has a pretty big ego (when he has all that power at his fingertips anyways), and i feel he wouldnt make an effort to dress up unless kayla forced it upon him :'>

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i'm new to the writers' abode!

you can call me: cswolf, wolf, or wolfie
my pronouns are: she/her
here's a bit about me/ my writing journey: I love making OCs and RPing and writing little one shots.
anything else? nope c:

WELCOME to our abode, wolfie !!!
im so excited to hear more when you decide to share !
i also am a freak for making OC's. i used to roleplay alllll the time with my big sis and our oc's/plushies but then social anxiety happened and i dont think i could ever do it again with the fear of having writer's block that would last a few weeks and end the roleplay randomly :') BUT i definitely respect RPing, its very fun and i love the spontaneity of it :3

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i'm new to the writers' abode!

you can call me: scmar, Tacky, Zen, any random combination of the letters in my username. I've been called a ton of things and respond to all of it.

my pronouns are: Any is fine. Again, I respond to all and have been called by everything

here's a bit about me/ my writing journey: I started writing a bit more seriously when I was around 14. That was, uh, 15 years ago now. lol I have an abundance of original works, but I don't write particularly quickly on any of them. ABY (All Because of You) is my first 'completed' work, but I've been going back and editing through it because the writing I did back then as a high schooler really did need a lot of improvement. The whole thing is roughly 650 pages long, and it's a ton to get through.

My next most completed thing is Fortis Anima which is probably 3ish chapters away from the completion of the first draft? This one I do have hopes of publishing one day, even if it's just self-published. Please someone give me the strength and motivation to finish this during Nano. It needs to be done already.

Other than that, I have a small collection of short stories, a couple of works with 3-4 chapters that maybe I'll finish, and so many things on the back burner that I doubt I'll be able to finish them in my lifetime.

I occasionally write fanfiction, but I generally find it less fun to play in someone else's sandbox than it is to play in my own.

My preferred genre of writing is fantasy/supernatural, action, and a little twist of romance.

anything else? I'm hoping that by joining here and being amongst other writings, I can find the motivation to work a bit more steadily on my own stuff. Granted, here I am filling this out instead of actually opening the documents. lol

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what's your favorite setting to write about, and why?

I prefer building my own worlds and creating it all from scratch. Generally it's a place with its own geography, supernatural/magical elements, magical systems, economies and so on. Each of my works has its own world and they all have different features. I love them all so it's difficult to pick any one of them. XD

bonus: what's your favorite setting to write IN?

Favorite setting to write in is probably by the fire in the winter. But the setting I actually write in is usually at work when we're not quite as busy. XD Luckily for me, the company network allows me access to google docs.

hey zen !!!
welcome to our humble abode!!

WWWAAAATTTT 650 pages is so crazy thats amazing !!!
also, Nano is now goin on, so >:) now's the time to crunch down ! you got this !! finding motivation is SO DIFFICULT sometimes, im currently in my own little writer's block phase only a few chapters away from my first draft of my second book in my own series :'))) its a real problem. i know HOW i wanna wrap it up but putting words on the page is very very overwhelming -- especially since i know that the book after this is going to be so fun to write, every inch of me wants to just start writing the next one lolll its a real issue. so, to avoid that, i havent been writing at all the past few weeks :'))

"I occasionally write fanfiction, but I generally find it less fun to play in someone else's sandbox than it is to play in my own."
genuinely, THIS. i used to be so into writing fanfics, but anytime i wanted to do something out of the blue or contradictory to the author's canonical world, i felt guilty. its so much more fun, imo, to take inspiration from those worlds instead and make it my own >:)

"I prefer building my own worlds and creating it all from scratch. Generally it's a place with its own geography, supernatural/magical elements, magical systems, economies and so on. Each of my works has its own world and they all have different features. I love them all so it's difficult to pick any one of them. XD"
YESSSS this is so me. we are one in the same. sometimes??? ill do a location in america or like iceland but most of the time, so that i can create geographical features out of my own head instead of relying on google maps, i like to pull together my own little map to reference :3 i find it so fun to make up my own biomes all within one continent lol, my current New Foundland's continent for my current series is a bit overwhelmed with different geographical features, but i kinda love it. all packed in one, a little chaotic mess.

"Favorite setting to write in is probably by the fire in the winter. But the setting I actually write in is usually at work when we're not quite as busy. XD Luckily for me, the company network allows me access to google docs."
oooohhh by the fire in winter gives cozy vibes. :3 i dont have a fireplace but i can imagine this being one of my favorites as well if i did, just huddled up in a blankie LOL
but yes i also find myself writing at work. i work in an office/as an office manager and receptionist so it's pretty easy for me to find downtime when clients aren't constantly in and out. i also am blessed to be able to bring my personal laptop to work because i kind of never bothered to learn google docs :')

RRAAHHHHH i read your tidbit with alan and liz and i'm such a fool for it !! i lovelovelove playful banter between characters, and i am with storm, curious of a brooding romance? >:) lolll we both are just little freaks for romance i think. but your writing is SO crisp and i love how im already drawn into these two characters just from a little snippet :')

ANYWAYS!!!
welcome, and im so excited to learn more, and hopefully we can help you find motivation to finish up your fortis anima during nano!!!

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do you prefer to write in first-person or third-person?
I generally write in first person. It gives freedom to show emotions and thoughts better than third person. You can also give more personality and the reader gets to feel more personal with the character. I only have I think two books that are third person, everything else is first person lol

yes !! this !! i write alll the time nowadays in first-person. i used to sway more towards third, and i might honestly try to experiment with it a bit more in future books, but first-person helps ME to dive more into the characters' world :3

[Laced]

do you prefer to write in first-person or third-person?

Okay, so I don’t really write in a novel format anymore! I haven’t done that since 2017. I have always done third-person. Mainly because my favorite books were typically written in third-person. I’m not sure if I would still write in that style if I were to try again. I personally don’t think I was very skilled with writing novels.
I’d much rather try to make comics instead. This is mainly because most of what I read nowadays are comics. I’m also an artist. All my main characters have specific designs. In most novels I have write, the character description are a bit more vague so the writer can imagine the character in their own way more. However, over the past years I’ve mainly been reading light novels. Since light novels have random images throughout them, the characters basically have canonical appearances. Even more so since all the light novels I have read are also anime. I don’t think many books in America are written as light novels? I think it’s either a comic or not. I’m not completely sure on that matter.

[*StormCloud*]

do you prefer to write in first-person or third-person?

Okay so I know this probably supposed to be a pretty easy question, but . . . it's not lol. In theory, I like first person and how intimately the reader connects with a character in first person. Ultimately though, I find first person to be so frickin' limiting. I also think the use of first person is also responsible for having characters seem dumber than they actually are, since if a writer wants to leave breadcrumbs of information, they need to (or often do so) in a way the reader notices but the character does not.

I also feel like with the right technique, you can get a lot of emotion into third person. (I actually just found an old snippet that I originally wrote in 1st and then changed to 3rd to compare & share, but then I realized it involved seewcide discussion & isn't CS friendly)

All that to say I like both, but I find myself writing mostly in third person.

[scmarshtacky]

Exactly! Is there a word-count range you're trying for as far as length?

Nope. It's just when the content gets done. XD

Yay, that's a great sample! I love the friendship between these two! I can't help but wonder if you have a little romance stewing between them? Either way, I definitely want to watch them fight mysterious black monsters together. >:)

Maybeeeeee there's some feelings. :P

Do you prefer to write in first-person or third-person?

Generally third. I like the feeling of having a bigger picture from different viewpoints. On a rare occasion for a short story I'll write in first. But it's always on something that has a much smaller scale

[Little Trickster]

Y'alls I'm bored and need some ideas! Based on the titles and genre which book should I work on more? (I need more motivation to actually write my books)

The Mask of Fire (Paranormal, Mystery, comedy horror)
Warrior Cats: Darkened Tides (Warrior Cats Fan fiction)
Romeo and Juliet, as seen by the mouse in the corner (Comedy romance, adventure)
The Ominous Presence of a Pickle (comedy horror)
Imaginary Friends (comedy, adventure)

There they are, that's not all but those are what I work on most. Hope you don't mind me just spilling my book collection on you lol

[scmarshtacky]

i know HOW i wanna wrap it up but putting words on the page is very very overwhelming -- especially since i know that the book after this is going to be so fun to write, every inch of me wants to just start writing the next one lolll its a real issue. so, to avoid that, i havent been writing at all the past few weeks :'))

This so much in all of the ways. XD The hardest writing is always the build up right before something. Because, even though I know I have to build a little bit, I have no interest in it. I want to jump straight to the good stuff. It's like a roller coaster. The slowest part is right at the crest of the hill before you get that rush downward.

My big story, ABY, is the first part of a trilogy. Half-Bloods' Legacy (HBL) is the second one and it's also kind of a building block for the third, Prince of Lightning. It's the last one that I really would like to get to. But ABY is stuck in the editing phase, and HBL is only halfway done. XD Granted, between them all, it's 821 pages of content. Only after calculating that number do I realize that I actually am insane. LOL

genuinely, THIS. i used to be so into writing fanfics, but anytime i wanted to do something out of the blue or contradictory to the author's canonical world, i felt guilty. its so much more fun, imo, to take inspiration from those worlds instead and make it my own >:)

Yeah. For me, I feel it's absolutely mandatory to maintain the mindset and attitude of the character, which means I have to be constantly mindful and careful to follow their thought process. I have to lock myself inside of their head, and it's so much harder to do that with someone else's creation. Whereas if I go out of character with my guys it's just kinda like, "Welp, looks like they were having a bad day during that segment. They'll get over it eventually."

my current New Foundland's continent for my current series is a bit overwhelmed with different geographical features, but i kinda love it. all packed in one, a little chaotic mess.

That sounds so cool and like so much fun! I'm still fine tweaking some of the geographical aspects of Akukai, which is the alternate world that ABY has. One of the things I've done during the editing process is flesh out a lot of its features - more geographical information and landmarks, as well as towns and species of plants and animals. It's so much fun bringing a completely new area to life!

RRAAHHHHH i read your tidbit with alan and liz and i'm such a fool for it !! i lovelovelove playful banter between characters, and i am with storm, curious of a brooding romance? >:) lolll we both are just little freaks for romance i think. but your writing is SO crisp and i love how im already drawn into these two characters just from a little snippet :')

Thank you! <3 I'm so glad you like it :D Character banter is a joy to write, and it always makes me smile going back and re-reading through it. It doesn't matter if I've read over that scene 100 times, I'll still laugh and have a good time with read through the scene.

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Y'alls I'm bored and need some ideas! Based on the titles and genre which book should I work on more? (I need more motivation to actually write my books)

The Mask of Fire (Paranormal, Mystery, comedy horror)
Warrior Cats: Darkened Tides (Warrior Cats Fan fiction)
Romeo and Juliet, as seen by the mouse in the corner (Comedy romance, adventure)
The Ominous Presence of a Pickle (comedy horror)
Imaginary Friends (comedy, adventure)

There they are, that's not all but those are what I work on most. Hope you don't mind me just spilling my book collection on you lol

My vote is on the first, The Mask of Fire. But, I'm a fan of paranormal and mystery things, so I'm biased. XD

[*StormCloud*]

do you prefer to write in first-person or third-person?
I’d much rather try to make comics instead. This is mainly because most of what I read nowadays are comics. I’m also an artist. All my main characters have specific designs. In most novels I have write, the character description are a bit more vague so the writer can imagine the character in their own way more. However, over the past years I’ve mainly been reading light novels. Since light novels have random images throughout them, the characters basically have canonical appearances. Even more so since all the light novels I have read are also anime. I don’t think many books in America are written as light novels? I think it’s either a comic or not. I’m not completely sure on that matter.

This is so cool! Do you have any comics you're working on right now? I have never heard of light novels before, do you have any favorites you would recommend to a curious reader?

Y'alls I'm bored and need some ideas! Based on the titles and genre which book should I work on more? (I need more motivation to actually write my books)

The Mask of Fire (Paranormal, Mystery, comedy horror)
Warrior Cats: Darkened Tides (Warrior Cats Fan fiction)
Romeo and Juliet, as seen by the mouse in the corner (Comedy romance, adventure)
The Ominous Presence of a Pickle (comedy horror)
Imaginary Friends (comedy, adventure)

There they are, that's not all but those are what I work on most. Hope you don't mind me just spilling my book collection on you lol

I am with Tacky (or Zen? Do you have any preference?)
Anyway I agree, Mask of Fire sounds the most intriguing to me! (Although my second vote would be The Ominous Presence of a Pickle, from sheer curiosity.)