I’d Like To Report That I Am Still In The Depths Of Hell

and they were streamers 👀

i've been wanting to rotoscope another gif since that kiss, and @blairamok's ice skating wip looks SO AMAZING i was inspired to have another go

(much to love the gif makers!! crowley + aziraphale)

I stare at the screen for hours, trying to make the words come out, but they won't. I can't compel myself to take a break, because there's this voice screaming at me from the base of my brain...

"You've been told you're a great writer, and you want to be a published author. But all you have to show for it after forty-four years are a dozen crash-and-burn writing projects. When you have the time to write, you don't, for a host of reasons. If you don't have something written by the time you die--which comes closer with every passing day--you've wasted your gifts, you've wasted all the effort people put into educating you, and you've wasted your life. So sit down and WRITE, you worthless piece of shit!"

How do you get past the paralysis caused by the obligation to produce? Is there a way to trick your brain and your body into writing? Or do you just slog on through, no matter how long you have to sit there to get a thousand words a day out?

Perhaps you could try to be kinder to yourself.

I always give myself permission to write or to do nothing at all (staring out of the window or at a wall is okay). After a while spent staring at a wall it's often easier to write.

Remember if you write a page a day -- 300 words -- at the end of a year you'll have a 100,000 word novel.

since we’re on the topic of bookbinding, i’ve been wanting to get into it but i haven’t actually done any research (yet) other than vibes, so do u have any tips for complete beginners?? :)

@geminibookbinding is who inspired me to finally look up the whole process and figure out where to start! this is the super helpful tutorial i got from them

i had dabbled with binding before though, using Sea Lemon's tutorials to make blank sketchbooks yearsss ago. i still use her text block and diy hardcover videos as a refresher/reminder while i bind!

the biggest thing that stopped me from learning to bind printed fiction was not understanding how to print the text from home, specifically how to get the pages in the right order for signatures. it's actually so easy with some very simple to use programs: QuantumElephant for PC users (free), and I use BookletCreator on Mac ($20)

i want to go into more detail about my process and supplies from a beginner perspective, i hope this helps:

format the text in a word processor

export your document as a single page PDF

enter that PDF file into Quantum Elephant or BookletCreator, to rearrange the pages for your signatures. your program will give you a new PDF file that you can then print.

4. double sided printing: i was so so scared of this at first, but it's incredibly simple. no matter what printer you have, somewhere in your print settings will be an option to print even or odd pages.

print all the even pages first, then when the stack is finished printing, flip them over, insert them back into the paper feed, and print the odd pages.

5. fold the signatures together so you have a stack of little booklets, then mark on the spine where your sewing holes need to be. manually punch the holes using an awl, or diy an awl by stuffing a cork on the end of a straight needle.

6. sewing: take regular sewing thread and run it over a block of beeswax. this makes the thread easier to manage and holds it in place better while you sew. a curved needle is also much easier to use than a straight one, especially for a kettle stitch (using Sea Lemon's tutorial)

7. gluing: glue decorative pages (or plain, but thicker paper) to the front and back to create your end pages, then press the book flat to apply PVA glue to the spine. press it overnight so the glue dries flat. (optional: glue a ribbon to the top of the spine, then sew on headbands) finally glue an additional piece of paper (or mull) around the spine to strengthen it.

8. optional: trim the edges of your book down to create a smooth edge. this one's given me the most trouble because it's very hard to get right with a knife, and the proper supplies are expensive. check your local stationery shop (i.e. Officeworks, Staples) for an industrial guillotine service

9. cover: once you have the final measurements of your text block you can start making the cover. this is essentially gluing cardboard, binders board, or plywood etc to a sheet of fabric. the fabric either needs to be bookcloth, or have some kind of non-porous back so the glue doesn't seep through. you can diy bookcloth from any fabric with tissue paper. then glue the decorate end pages to your cover to attach the textblock!

crowley: maybe in another universe im not in love with someone who i know can never love me back and who is the epitome of goodness and a literal angel and i will never be good enough for them and i have so much anger inside me

ten: god i hope so

Hey!! Sorry for the bother, but @/pheon1xr0se a mutual of mine and super talented fic writer for our ineffable community has been dealing with sickness, and her and her family are at risk of losing their home. I’m reaching out to a few larger go names in the fandom to see if it’d be possible to spread her fundraising link and raise some awareness?? Much love 🫶🫶🫶🫶

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-us-raise-money-to-buy-a-home

best of luck phoenix!! 🥺

Crowdfunder UK

Help Us Raise Money To Buy A Home

Help raise money to buy a park home for myself and my children to live in.

Hello! I am a young -like, under eighteen- aspiring author and I am currently writing a book. I am nervous about the whole affair and would enjoy some advice! Why, I pretend I hear you asking? It's because I'm worried that the... uh, excrement will hit the fan.

I would really appreciate tips, especially from you, cause you're a literary genius and an author, so if you have any tips- well, I'd appreciate the advice.

In other words. HOW DO I WRITE PLEASE TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!

Thanks!

You write. You finish things. You write the nest thing. You make your peace with the things you write not being as good as the things in your head. You keep writing.

Once you've started writing things that aren't as bad as the first things, you start letting people see them.

Silly

Made them for telegram stickers (based on pics I found on pinterest)

12K WORDS IS NOT SLOW BURN YOU COWARD GIVE ME 30K WORDS BEFORE THEY EVEN TOUCH HANDS OR ELSE I DONT WANT TO READ IT PLEAAAAAAAAASEEEEE

i hate my writing. i hate my ideas. i hate my everything

have you ever had to pass a bridge of hatred to finish a novel?

Yes. Not every time, but enough.

Hello Neil,

in S2 we see Crowley in the bookshop throwing books mindlessly away when something gets his attention. Even thou it is so Crowley it leaves me shocked each time he does it (I'm a bookseller).

Are those real books? What would Aziraphale say if he ever finds out?

Hope you don't mind me asking. -Shen.

While those were real books, they were also highly trained stunt books, and they had rehearsed the bit where David Tennant threw them down, so none of them were hurt.