Very Deep Meaning

Here’s the secret to finishing that first book. Don’t rewrite as you go.

Laurell K. Hamilton (via writingquotes)

Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?

Friedrich Nietzsche, Good and Evil (via books-n-quotes)

I’m going into the forest today I’m bored with all this light I want to know the shadows that make the rest of me bright

anabelbythesea (via wnq-writers)

Tag Game Instructions and Ediquette

It has come to my attention that there are a lot of newbies on Writbelr and you guys want to be involved in tag games but you aren't really sure how they work.

Instructions for the popular games and other things to keep in mind beneath the cut.

If you guys could share this around to help our new friends out that would be great!

I've seen several new users unsure what to do when they're tagged so this is for them (you, if you are new).

Last Line Tag

Share the last line you wrote for a WIP. "Line" is a pretty lose term, it can mean anything from a paragraph to a sentence depending on your personal definition, or depending on how much you feel like sharing. It can also come from any WIP, and normally people share prose but sometimes if they haven't written prose recently you'll see them sharing bullet points from outlines or worldbuilding documents.

Heads Up Seven Up

Pretty much the same as Last Line Tag but, instead of one line, you share the last seven you wrote. Once again, a "line" can be anything from a paragraph to a sentence, they can come from any WIP (you could even have, say 3 lines from one WIP and 4 from another if you want to share both), and it is normally prose but sometimes you'll see people sharing outlines or worldbuilding. It is also very informal. If you want to share eight lines or five lines instead of seven you are completely welcome to do so.

Six Sentence Sunday

Another similar tag. On a Sunday (in your time zone), share the last six sentences you wrote. Again, they can come from any WIP (or multiple WIPs), it is normally prose but can be from other things, and you can share three sentences or ten sentences instead if it please you.

Find the Word Tag

The person who tagged you will have given you four words to find in your manuscript. Ctrl+F your document for instances of those words and share one (if there is more than one) of the lines where they appear. If you don't have the word, you can change it to something similar (for example, you can change giggle to laugh if you don't have giggle in your document) or you can just say you did not have the word and leave it blank. You'll need to pick for new words for the people you tag to find. Try to pick common words, but not too common. Everyone will have a bajillion "said" in their draft but will likely have only two or three "screamed". Pick a mix of nouns, adjectives, and verbs, and an adverb if you want to be spicy.

A Ten But...

Pick a few OCs and use the phrase, "she's/he's/they're a ten but..." to describe them. You are basically saying, "this character would be attractive but for this thing they do." For example, "she's a ten but... she pours vodka into mayonnaise jars and drinks it like a smoothie," or "zer a ten but... zey sabotage all zer friendships."

There are a number of other tag games, but the less common ones will come with instructions.

A few last things about tag game etiquette:

you are under no obligation to do any of the tags you've been tagged in. You are allowed to save them for a month from now, do them tomorrow, or just ignore them entirely. No one is holding you accountable to it.

when tagging someone, especially newer writeblrs, it is generally good etiquette to specify that they are under no pressure to do your tag. Something like "tagging (but no pressure)" is fine.

Generally try to make sure someone is open to tag games before you tag them. If you aren't sure, it is okay to tag them once to see what happens but if they don't respond don't tag them again. Some people will specify in their bio or intro post if they like tag games. You can also make a post asking your followers to interact if they want to be tagged.

Make your own post to respond to the tag. Don't reblog the post that tagged you with your own response.

You can link to the post that tagged you by copying the post link and pasting it into yours. Press the three dots at the top of the post that tagged you and select "Copy Link". On your own post, select a word and press "Paste" or Ctrl+V. The word will be underlined. Anyone who presses it will be hyperlinked back to the other post, like this.

It is polite to like, reblog, and/or leave a comment on a post of the person that tagged you.

Put particularly long posts beneath a Read More.

You can tag as few or as many people as you would like, or you can leave an open tag for anyone who sees the post and wants to participate. You can also tag people and leave an open tag.

That's all Folks! And have fun with the tag games!!

Nano is leaving my dash so dead... Should I follow more people?

Maybe reblog this if you're a writeblr? I like all sorts of stories, but bonus for adventure! And I can rarely connect to romance-heavy plots/subplots.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

                  Let me start by saying I grew up on Beetle Bailey. I’m not criticizing the strip in general. The comic above appeared on May 16. It illustrates a long standing discussion that has been going in our house.   On the surface we see a guy surrounded by women who won’t give him the time of day. He goes home depressed. Are we supposed to feel sad for this lonely fellow? What about the girls? They seem to be taking a lot of blame for his woes. “Hey darlin’”, “Honey”, “Sweetie”.  Are they really supposed to respond positively?  

              This strikes a cord with me because I am one of these ladies.  I myself have had words like that thrown at me from car windows, in the aisle t the grocery store, or at work.   I too am going about my day, not looking or wanting attention. Yet just like these women, I am somehow to blame for not responding appropriately. I am told  that this behavior shouldn’t bother me. It’s just harmless flirting. I should be flattered. I am not.

               If it makes someone uncomfortable then its not harmless. I have met very few women who are okay with this kind of treatment. They have learned the best way to deal with it, is to just ignore it. Any kind of positive response encourages them. A negative response can make the man aggressive and may lead to violence. Going through the day with your head down and headphones on is no way to live. We girls have learned from our experiences. Now we just have to teach the men.

               Our hapless friend needs to learn how very wrong his approach is. Clearly, he wants a relationship. A verbal scattershot isn’t working. Nor would the classic construction worker catcall. I believe it will take someone teaching him, and others of his kind, to be respectful and thoughtful. The more we push for change on a societal level, the more it seems there is resistance. Its time to take it to a more individual level.

               Teach him to be nice and kind, he will win the fair maiden’s hand and perhaps he will pass it on to his own sons.