Latest Posts by candlewriter - Page 7

worldbuilding is what writers do when they want to justify a petty aesthetic choice

It’s rather offensive that my ideas don’t just write and edit themselves into a perfect novel that just appears on my desk for me to read

Don’t attack me like that

PROTIP: Whenever you're feeling discouraged as a creator, think of the absolute worst popular media you've ever seen. Then remember that no matter how bad it was, it got popular

I feel this in my soul

Well put. (Source: Writing About Writing Facebook page)

THEME 7: Unite

Syncs with your mobile theme colors and mimics the new in-dashboard blog view for a consistent look across platforms.

Live preview (temporary) | Static previews: index page, permalink | Code

Features:

Appearance options (show/hide header image/avatar/title/description, title font options, and background/text/accent colors) synchronize with mobile settings

Optional: Featured posts section, updates section, and blog member list in sidebar (require some HTML editing; see under the cut for instructions)

Unlimited custom links, plus a highlighted link under the title

Optional second palette

Customizable post width and font size

Optional search bar, like/reblog buttons, date/timestamps, tags (plus a show tags on click option), and Archive/Random links

Responsive

Supports new post types/pinned posts

And more!

For help, check my theme guide, or feel free to send me an ask. Theme credits and an HTML editing guide for the special sections are under the cut.

All of the below instructions assume that you've gone to your Customize page, then opened the "Edit HTML" menu.

Again, if you have trouble making your edits work, feel free to send me an ask or a DM for help.

Note for HTML beginners

Every bit of text or code is wrapped inside "tags", which have arrow brackets on either side. For example, a paragraph is placed inside <p> tags. Every element has an "opening" and "closing" tag; the closing tag looks just like the opening tag, with a / after the opening bracket. The content inside one section is bracketed by these; for example, a paragraph would look like this:

<p>Text here!</p>

In the above line, <p> is the opening tag, and </p> is the closing tag. Tags of this sort can be placed inside each other:

<p>Some <span>special</span> text.</p>

Note that the "span" tags, both opening and closing, are both inside the "p" tags. You don't want a misordered set, like "<p>Some <span>special text.</p></span>". The opening tag nearest to the start should also have its closing tag nearest to the end.

It is extremely important that while editing the HTML for your theme, you make sure all opening tags have a matching closing tag. If you have a <div> tag, but no matching </div> tag, this might break the theme.

Featured posts

This section fetches the 3 most recent posts from a chosen tag on your blog. To select the tag:

Ctrl+F to "EDIT YOUR TAG HERE".

On that line, there will be a link inside quotation marks, ending in "tagged=featured".

Change featured to the tag of your choice; for example, "tagged=photo". This tag can include spaces, such as "tagged=my writing".

Save and ensure your posts show up as intended.

By default, the tagged posts are fetched from your blog, but you can change this so that the featured posts are from a different blog:

Ctrl+F to "EDIT YOUR TAG HERE".

On that line, there will be a link inside quotation marks, starting with "https://{Name}.tumblr.com".

Change {Name} to the blog username of your choice; for example, "https://starlightthemes.tumblr.com".

Save and ensure your posts show up as intended.

Be careful not to change any other parts of that section. The code for fetching the posts from blogs is easy to break.

Updates section

The updates section has two editable parts: the title, and the actual updates.

To edit the title:

Ctrl+F to "EDIT HERE: UPDATES".

Scroll a few lines down, until you find the line reading "<h2>Latest updates</h2>".

Change "Latest updates" to say whatever you want. Make sure the text stays inside the <h2>...</h2> tags. For example, if you want the heading to read "My activity", that line of code should read "<h2>My activity</h2>".

To edit updates:

Ctrl+F to "EDIT HERE: UPDATES".

A little under this line, you'll see a template, with the outermost tags reading <div class="update">...</div>. If you're adding a new update, copy this template.

Scroll a few lines down, until you find the line reading "<!-- all updates below this line -->".

Now, for each update, paste the template once over (two updates are present for you to start with), and edit three things: -> "3-LETTER MONTH HERE": The first three letters of the update month, e.g. "Jan". -> "2-DIGIT DATE HERE": The two-digit version of the update date, e.g. "01" or "31". -> "UPDATE TEXT HERE": The actual text that'll show up as the update.

Make sure that all the updates are separate- the starting <div class="update"> and the ending </div> of two updates shouldn't overlap.

Make sure all your updates are above the line reading ""<!-- all updates above this line -->".

Save and make sure things look how you want them to.

Members list

To change the title of the members section:

Ctrl+F to "EDIT HERE: MEMBERS LIST".

Scroll a few lines down, until you find the line reading "<h2>Blog members</h2>".

Change "Blog members" to say whatever you want. Make sure the text stays inside the <h2>...</h2> tags. For example, if you want the heading to read "The gang", that line of code should read "<h2>The gang</h2>".

Scroll further down, until you find the line that reads "<h2>{lang:Group members}</h2>". Again, change this to your chosen title, such as "<h2>The gang</h2>".

The actual members list can be customized in two ways. One, for group blogs, you can have it automatically fetch the blog members' main blog names/titles/icons. To do this, turn on "Members list" and turn off "Custom members list" in the main theme settings.

The other option is to manually add any group members and their icons/links. This will also allow you to add customized names and descriptions for each member. To use this option, turn on BOTH "Members list" and "Custom members list". Then:

Ctrl+F to "EDIT HERE: MEMBERS LIST".

A little under that, you'll see a template with the outermost tags reading <a class="member" href="//BLOGNAME.tumblr.com">...</a>. If you're adding members, copy this template.

Scroll a few lines down, until you find the line reading "<!-- all members below this line -->".

Now, for each member, paste the template (two members are present for you to start with) and edit three things: -> "BLOGNAME": Next to "href" in the <a> tag, and next to "src" in the <img> tag. Change this to your member's username, such as "starlightthemes". -> "MEMBER NAME": Takes the place of the username. This will show up in bold at the top. -> "MEMBER DESCRIPTION": Takes the place of the blog title. This will show up at the bottom.

Make sure that all the members are separate- the starting <a class="member" href="..."> and the ending </a> of two members shouldn't overlap.

Make sure all your members are above the line reading ""<!-- all members above this line -->".

Save and make sure things look how you want them to.

Theme credits: Layout/design/icons by Tumblr, Style My Tooltips by malihu, NPF photosets plugin by codematurgy, dark/light mode toggle by eggdesign, custom audio posts by annasthms, scroll to top script by Fabian Lins

Preview header image from Only Vector Backgrounds.

Petition to create the term “rad herring” for when you something in a story has no bearing on the actual plot and won’t help piece together any of the big twists, but is just too fucking awesome an idea not to include.

brain: we’re gonna write a scene while sleeping :)

me: we’re going to remember it in the morning, right?

brain: :)

me: right?

What if instead of editing – and hear me out on this one – I lay facedown on the floor and do nothing

you ever hear a new song and immediately go “oooh the fake scenarios in my head are gonna love this”

This happens daily

loved being like 12 years old and making an OC and saying “yeah they’re a hardened criminal. they’re deeply involved in crime. they’re in a gang” and then never elaborating on that because i didn’t know how crime worked. this is still my approach

i love girls with no ‘maternal warmth’. girls who are affectionate in awkward ways. girls who are not ‘caregivers’ so much as care needers. girls who mean well but come across as assholes. girls who don’t mean well. girls who cry a lot but it isn’t ‘cute’ it’s just annoying. girls who aren’t always the most beautiful one in the room. girls who are obnoxious. girls who kind of suck but u can’t help but love them bc they really are just trying,

you ever hear a new song and immediately go “oooh the fake scenarios in my head are gonna love this”

Whgskl. Okay.

PSA to all you fantasy writers because I have just had a truly frustrating twenty minutes talking to someone about this: it’s okay to put mobility aids in your novel and have them just be ordinary.

Like. Super okay.

I don’t give a shit if it’s high fantasy, low fantasy or somewhere between the lovechild of Tolkein meets My Immortal. It’s okay to use mobility devices in your narrative. It’s okay to use the word “wheelchair”. You don’t have to remake the fucking wheel. It’s already been done for you.

And no, it doesn’t detract from the “realism” of your fictional universe in which you get to set the standard for realism. Please don’t try to use that as a reason for not using these things.

There is no reason to lock the disabled people in your narrative into towers because “that’s the way it was”, least of all in your novel about dragons and mermaids and other made up creatures. There is no historical realism here. You are in charge. You get to decide what that means.

Also:

“Depiction of Chinese philosopher Confucius in a wheelchair, dating to ca. 1680. The artist may have been thinking of methods of transport common in his own day.”

“The earliest records of wheeled furniture are an inscription found on a stone slate in China and a child’s bed depicted in a frieze on a Greek vase, both dating between the 6th and 5th century BCE.[2][3][4][5]The first records of wheeled seats being used for transporting disabled people date to three centuries later in China; the Chinese used early wheelbarrows to move people as well as heavy objects. A distinction between the two functions was not made for another several hundred years, around 525 CE, when images of wheeled chairs made specifically to carry people begin to occur in Chinese art.[5]”

“In 1655, Stephan Farffler, a 22 year old paraplegic watchmaker, built the world’s first self-propelling chair on a three-wheel chassis using a system of cranks and cogwheels.[6][3] However, the device had an appearance of a hand bike more than a wheelchair since the design included hand cranks mounted at the front wheel.[2]

The invalid carriage or Bath chair brought the technology into more common use from around 1760.[7]

In 1887, wheelchairs (“rolling chairs”) were introduced to Atlantic City so invalid tourists could rent them to enjoy the Boardwalk. Soon, many healthy tourists also rented the decorated “rolling chairs” and servants to push them as a show of decadence and treatment they could never experience at home.[8]

In 1933 Harry C. Jennings, Sr. and his disabled friend Herbert Everest, both mechanical engineers, invented the first lightweight, steel, folding, portable wheelchair.[9] Everest had previously broken his back in a mining accident. Everest and Jennings saw the business potential of the invention and went on to become the first mass-market manufacturers of wheelchairs. Their “X-brace” design is still in common use, albeit with updated materials and other improvements. The X-brace idea came to Harry from the men’s folding “camp chairs / stools”, rotated 90 degrees, that Harry and Herbert used in the outdoors and at the mines.[citation needed]

“But Joy, how do I describe this contraption in a fantasy setting that wont make it seem out of place?”

“It was a chair on wheels, which Prince FancyPants McElferson propelled forwards using his arms to direct the motion of the chair.”

“It was a chair on wheels, which Prince EvenFancierPants McElferson used to get about, pushed along by one of his companions or one of his many attending servants.”

“But it’s a high realm magical fantas—”

“It was a floating chair, the hum of magical energy keeping it off the ground casting a faint glow against the cobblestones as {CHARACTER} guided it round with expert ease, gliding back and forth.”

“But it’s a stempunk nov—”

“Unlike other wheelchairs he’d seen before, this one appeared to be self propelling, powered by the gasket of steam at the back, and directed by the use of a rudder like toggle in the front.”

Give. Disabled. Characters. In. Fantasy. Novels. Mobility. Aids.

If you can spend 60 pages telling me the history of your world in innate detail down to the formation of how magical rocks were formed, you can god damn write three lines in passing about a wheelchair.

Signed, your editor who doesn’t have time for this ableist fantasy realm shit.

me, sternly, to a blank google doc: i have written hundreds of thousands of words over the course of my life. you won’t defeat me.

the cursor, blinking: |

A stunning roll cloud moving over Lake Michigan.......

Writing is not about 'telling an epic story' or 'making something that will outlive you'. Writing is about going "You know what would be fucking awesome?" and then committing word crimes

I love being. a writer 

when the character finally has the breakdown you’ve been building to all book

stuck in the constant limbo between “really excited about my own writing” and “pretty sure I can’t actually write”

The steps to traditional publishing

If you decide to pursue traditional publishing, what are the steps after you've written and self-edited your manuscript?

1. Querying

For traditional publishing, you'll need a literary agent 90% of the time.

In order to get a literary agent, you need to query a bunch of them. It is also possible to secure representation at in-person pitch events or on Twitter events like PitMad.

For querying, it is important to compile a list of agents who are reputable and who represent your genre and age category. Then, decide in how many rounds you will query these agents.

Follow their guidelines!

For most agents, you'll need a query letter - a one-page cover letter pitching your book. You'll also need a synopsis, which sets out the entire work in a few pages. Some agents may also request extracts from the manuscript.

2. Getting an agent

If an agent likes your submission they will contact you. Most likely, this will be to request part of your manuscript, or the entire work.

If they still want to represent you after reading the book, they will offer you representation.

You will then sign a contract of representation and the agent will get a percentage of the proceeds of your published books.

3. Agent edits

Not all agents are editors, but most are. If you get an editorial agent, the agent will work with you to polish your novel even more.

This will take as many rounds of edits as is necessary for both of you to be satisfied.

4. Going on submission

Once your book is ready, your agent will pitch the book to editors at publishing houses.

This will usually take multiple rounds and a lot of time.

This is like querying, only more excruciating.

Once an editor shows interest in your work, this process comes to an end.

This also means that the power is back in your hands. Your agent will now let the other editors know that you have an interested editor and that they will have to respond within a certain period if they still want to represent you.

5. Acquisitions

Even if an editor wants to publish your work, they need the go-ahead of the entire publishing house.

This is what acquisitions meetings are for.

The editor will pitch your book to the rest of the company. The marketing, financial etc teams will then decide whether they think the book can be profitable.

6. Offer and auction

If the publishing house wants to publish your book, you will receive an offer from the publisher.

If more than one publisher is interested, the book will go to auction, where the interested publishing houses will bid to publish the work. The best offer will then be accepted.

7. Contract

Once you've decided to publish with a certain house, contract negotiations will begin.

Your agent will be in charge of negotiating on your behalf. However, it is probably a good idea to educate yourself on the things to look out for and to consult with an Intellectual Property lawyer.

Once you and the publisher are satisfied with the contract, you will sign.

You will receive an advance, which is the amount the publisher predicts you will earn in royalties from the book. The first portion of the advance is usually paid upon signature of the contract.

8. More edits

Then, you will have various rounds of edits with your editor to ensure that the book is the best it can be.

Once this is complete, you will probably receive the second portion of the advance.

9. Behind-the-scenes stuff

Your publisher is then in charge of certain procedures necessary for publication e.g. formatting and cover design.

The publishing house will also create a marketing plan, which you should supplement with your own marketing.

10. Publication

And, presto, your book is published.

The process from offer to publication can take anywhere between just under a year to 6+ years.

Should you earn out your advance, you will receive royalty cheques from your publisher.

So, those are the usual steps in broad terms. Some aspects may vary, but this is what you can expect when pursuing traditional publishing.

Reblog if you found this useful. Comment if you have further questions. Follow me for similar content.

writing’s going great why do you ask

[image id: screenshot reading [hi, future self, I’m aware this makes no fucking sense. Please fix it. Thanks.] /end id]

Writing culture is going "how do I show this person my work without actually showing it to them?"

me, a writer, staring at one sentence for 10 minutes straight: i don’t know what’s wrong with you but i don’t like you