Latest Posts by candlewriter - Page 8

how do you be a writer, they ask. how???? easy. every morning i get to the keyboard and unleash unspeakable violence on people that i made up

from the studio that brought you “i swear i already revised this chapter”, may i present: “is this scene actually dull or have i read it eleven billion times”

"does it have to be queer"

yes, next question, unless the next question is "why", in which case I am pulling the lever

did it hurt? when the little people inside your head refused to follow your carefully-plotted novel outline?

the problem with making competent characters is you have to eventually show them being competent, and unfortunately my brain doesn’t work that way.

Me, a writer: ah, but what if I just don’t write

I know it's been said 100 times before, but it bears repeating: your story doesn't have to be perfect.

I just finished reading a fully published, printed book that sometimes dragged on. I found myself critiquing it, zoning out every now and then, finding some of the characters annoying.

But you know what? The emotional peak still made me tear up. I was still rooting for the main character the whole way. I still saw how heart felt, relatable, and well-thought-out the plot was.

Not every chapter, not ever paragraph, not every sentence, not every word needs to strike a chord for your story to mean something.

With all it's imperfections, your story is worth telling.

my toxic trait is writing first-person protagonists who never describe themselves

“my poor characters are so fucked up” my brother in christ you are the one fucking them up

did it hurt? when the little people inside your head refused to follow your carefully-plotted novel outline?

Unreasonable Ideas

no google docs you don't understand this is a sexy, necessary grammar mistake

imagining a tender moment between your own ocs but you are the only person with any context

this is your reminder to SAVE your work 

baby i can be your morally ambiguous person you have an undefined relationship and long and complicated history with who commits crimes and even kills for you so that you don't have to sacrifice your values and your reputation as an upstanding moral citizen by getting your own hands dirty as an act of devotion

As you write, you will naturally improve. Do not wait until you think you are good enough to start. You are always good enough to start improving.

writer culture be like

I want to finish revising my WIP, I want to fall into my new short story for the weekend and only emerge once it’s done, and I also want to get started on a new novel that I’m obsessed with. Instead of doing ANY of these things, I have too many options and am just scrolling endlessly instead