| Writers' Abode |

[Laced]

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?

I am currently working on a comic! It has sort have been on hold since I want to work on some stuff that I can get money from. I am also working on doing some models and getting everyone's design figured out. My comic is about an empire where people can remember everything. Their government is very controlling and propaganda is everywhere. The protagonist has yet to realize how awful the empire is. She is on a mission to kill the deuteragonist. The deuteragonist is one of the people who started a rebel in the empire which led to a civil war.

Light novels are mostly Japanese, I believe. I do have one that is Chinese, they probably have been made in many countries by now. They are just normal books but then there is a drawing on one page. One of my favorites is Baccano! it is a bit hard to find some of the volumes in English. There are several different time lines in it. The first book is during the American prohibition. The Chinese one that I like is much more popular and easier to get all the volumes in English. It is called Heaven Official's Blessing it is a slow burn romance. I have read others but these are my favorite that I even decided to buy the books of.

have you utilized beta readers for any of your pieces? if you have, or plan to, how will you go about finding beta readers, and when in your writing process are you comfortable sharing to beta readers?

I have in the past! I currently haven't had anyone read the start of what I have in my comic. I think I will just start posting it and not have any beta readers. Solely because I need to stop spoiling my comic for my friends. THEY NEED TO WAIT!

[scmarshtacky]

It is called Heaven Official's Blessing it is a slow burn romance. I have read others but these are my favorite that I even decided to buy the books of.

TGCF fan spotted! Though it's ironic since as a 'light' novel, it's a massive series. XD I would double the recommendation though. It's an incredible ride of a story.

[*StormCloud*]

I am currently working on a comic! It has sort have been on hold since I want to work on some stuff that I can get money from. I am also working on doing some models and getting everyone's design figured out. My comic is about an empire where people can remember everything. Their government is very controlling and propaganda is everywhere. The protagonist has yet to realize how awful the empire is. She is on a mission to kill the deuteragonist. The deuteragonist is one of the people who started a rebel in the empire which led to a civil war.

Ooo this sounds so cool! I am always super impressed by people who do comics. It takes a lot of skill to write and draw separately, I really admire people who can do both!

Light novels are mostly Japanese, I believe. I do have one that is Chinese, they probably have been made in many countries by now. They are just normal books but then there is a drawing on one page. One of my favorites is Baccano! it is a bit hard to find some of the volumes in English. There are several different time lines in it. The first book is during the American prohibition. The Chinese one that I like is much more popular and easier to get all the volumes in English. It is called Heaven Official's Blessing it is a slow burn romance. I have read others but these are my favorite that I even decided to buy the books of.

Thanks for the recommendations! (I love a good romance and slow burn is particularly delicious.) I'll have to check those out!



Have you utilized beta readers for any of your pieces? if you have, or plan to, how will you go about finding beta readers, and when in your writing process are you comfortable sharing to beta readers?

I have had very few beta readers overall - actually when I think about the number of people who have read my work, even the finished stuff, it's surprisingly low. When I have shared things, it is largely just to get a second pair of eyes and opinions (on unfinished or finished drafts), since I know I'm likely to be blind to my own weaknesses.

I love sharing my writing, but a lot of my IRL friends and family aren't that interested in reading or not interested in my genres. I guess that's part of why I was drawn to this group <3 it's so nice to have a group of people to nerd out with about writing!

[tenor]

well i WAS just gonna go through tonight and update the front page in preparation for QOTW rollover tomorrow but i was reading through everyone's responses for this week's QOTW and i couldn't help but yap a little, too... c:

I'm looking specifically for a beta then that means the alpha (my work) is already done to the best of my ability.

zen , THIS. this made me cackle and is also excessively relatable. i love encouragement, but after i've finished my drafts, unless you find a plot hole or critical error then i pretty much just black out criticism :')

not only was this one sentence relatable but you worded this so hilariously, i had to comment on it. you're based for this.

They give their thoughts on the latest chapter. They hound me for the next one. The compliments put the wind in my sails.

...

Sometimes I feel like I am in writer jail. I stare at the desk ornaments. My fave being the figurines of Gojo and Geto from Jujutsu Kaisen. I stare at them and silently plead they will give me the words. It doesn't help lol.

my sister is my primary beta reader for all of my pieces, since i never plan to publish, and she certainly, as you said it, 'puts the wind in my sails'. without her encouragement and support i probably wouldn't have even written past the prologue, and here i am nearly done w book 2 :>

and sorry, very small moment but i giggled at the satosugu shrine bc i dont have any figurines on my desk but i do have multiple stickers made of my oc's that i stare at for hours while desperately asking the gods to put words on the blank page in front of me :')

[BlueEyedKite]

my sister is my primary beta reader for all of my pieces, since i never plan to publish, and she certainly, as you said it, 'puts the wind in my sails'. without her encouragement and support i probably wouldn't have even written past the prologue, and here i am nearly done w book 2 :>

and sorry, very small moment but i giggled at the satosugu shrine bc i dont have any figurines on my desk but i do have multiple stickers made of my oc's that i stare at for hours while desperately asking the gods to put words on the blank page in front of me :')

Hold your sister close. She is a treasure. I hope you included her in your dedication page, published or not.

It is indeed a satosugu shrine hahaha. I stare at Gojo's dumb smiling face during the worst of my writer's block. Help me, oh honored one (he doesn't). I should get a Yuji figure...

Hold up, you have merch of your OCs?!?! Who made that? You? I would kill for stickers of my OCs! You just gave me Christmas list ideas.

[tenor]

----snip----

Hold your sister close. She is a treasure. I hope you included her in your dedication page, published or not.

It is indeed a satosugu shrine hahaha. I stare at Gojo's dumb smiling face during the worst of my writer's block. Help me, oh honored one (he doesn't). I should get a Yuji figure...

Hold up, you have merch of your OCs?!?! Who made that? You? I would kill for stickers of my OCs! You just gave me Christmas list ideas.

yes! she's the primary person on my dedication page :3 i included one specifically for her ^.^ she's my best friend, i really wouldn't be here without her.

and rraaahhhh i need a choso figure. i LOOVE multiple characters from jjk but a bbg choso would make me cave.

and :3 i made stickers! it's just art that i've made, a few i've commissioned, and i literally just used a normal printer on sticker paper :3 it's so convenient and ive used like at least 50 sheets of sticker paper (on my final manuscript i printed and gave to my sister, i put stickers all on the blank pages hehe) <3

eeeee this week's QOTW is from Kite c: thank you so much for the suggestion!

here's the current 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:

what aspect of writing doesn't come easily to you? how do you keep writing when you feel this challenge, or when you feel writer's block of any kind?
do you have issues starting a story, introducing characters, executing your plot, or wrapping up a storyline? have you experienced writer's block? how have you personally overcome these challenges, or how are you currently working to overcome these challenges?

Code: Select all

[b]what aspect of writing doesn't come easily to you? how do you keep writing when you feel this challenge, or when you feel writer's block of any kind?[/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

[Little Trickster]

what aspect of writing doesn't come easily to you? how do you keep writing when you feel this challenge, or when you feel writer's block of any kind?

I have trouble making things sound interesting. I know the basic plot but it's like, how do I make it interesting and long enough to fit a chapter length? Generally when this happens I type out the basic facts
Example: I would write "When he got the message he got in the car and drove to the agency" Then I'll try to think of what might happen during the drive. Example: "When he got the message he got in the car. During the drive he nervously tapped his finger on the steering wheel." Then I'll go through it once more, sometimes putting it aside and waiting 'till later, and I'll edit it again to sound more interesting.

[strawberrylament]

what aspect of writing doesn't come easily to you? how do you keep writing when you feel this challenge, or when you feel writer's block of any kind?
I've always had a bit of trouble developing characters. I tend to make them all the same or give them no personality at all. Dialogue is one of my favorite parts of writing, but at the same time, I struggle with distinguishing characters because their conversations usually come out flat or seem like it's somebody talking to a clone of themselves.
I did however come up with a method to combat this, where I write down the character's name and a few guiding personality traits. then I split the paper into two sides, where on one side I write down a common situation someone may be faced with, and on the other side, I write how they would react to said situation and what they would never do in said situation. I've found it helps with guiding their actions in my actual writing.

I have trouble making things sound interesting. I know the basic plot but it's like, how do I make it interesting and long enough to fit a chapter length?

I struggled a lot with this too !! i tried doing the "don't use thought verbs for six months" advice and found that it helped with writing more descriptive scenes (I wouldn't recommend going all-in tho, because then you can get too wordy and border on purple prose).

[TheCrazyGiraffeLady]

i'm new to the writers' abode!

you can call me: TCGL - or Giraffe (honestly I will answer to that...)
my pronouns are: She/her
here's a bit about me/ my writing journey: I've been writing since I was young - from random paragraphs, to rewriting the end of a film I hated (Ring of Bright Water - its sad, very sad...), to just picking a place and a mood to write a descriptive piece. And now I focus on two storylines;

1. Aftermath, our Earth but humans have vanished, leaving behind all we have built but nature is reclaiming. The stories follow Flam, a giraffe who seeks to explore all she can about the ancient civilisation of Humans - she's heard the stories passed down from generation to generation, and now she wanted to preserve all she can before nature truly demolishes it all. I started writing about Flam when I was 10, which is when I got a giraffe toy IRL, and over the years her world has changed but her adventurous spirit has always remained the same. This is definitely my main focus, as through Flam, I can travel the world and visit anywhere I want!

2. Elysian System/IBEAR - this is a massive galaxy, with various planets that all have their own storyline and characters, but everything can be linked back to The Institute of Biological, Ecological and Astronomical Research (IBEAR). This started when I was at university studying zoology, at a place known as IBERs (sadly I don’t know it exists anymore as the university did a make over of the science department). Currently I have 6 worlds; Veritas (the main hub of IBEAR, where most scientists live, work and socialise), Kirat (an advanced world of feral felines caught in an out of control lovers quarrel), Valera (an island in a lake in an island in the sea), Aquativa (basically a world that’s just Pangaea, dinosaurs included), Selene (a world which only shows for those that truly need it, a home for rest and recovery to allow healing), and Equus (a moon that is owned by IBEAR and is basically a private holiday ranch for scientists and their families, though it also doubles as a sanctuary for animals who need aid).

anything else? It’s nice to meet you all!

[BlueEyedKite]

Hi Giraffe! Both your storylines sound so imaginative! I have never read a work through the pov of a giraffe, I'd like to though! I wonder what it is like to see the world so up high all the time? ^^ hope you feel welcome here!