something something long dead minecraft servers evidence of a life once lived etc etc
With more and more Ao3 authors restricting their works to the archive (due to AI scraping), they're going to be losing guest interaction. And probably generally feeling down because. You know. AI is stealing their hard work.
So! Now is a great time to stop by your favorite authors/stories and drop them some comments! They really appreciate it!
y'all know that whole left-brained/right-brained thing is fake right? and the "brain fully develops at age 25" thing? and the "we only use 10% of our brains" thing? yeah they're all complete horseshit please yell at anyone who says them
super simple low-effort ao3 summary methods that are 1000% better and 1000% less annoying than just saying you suck at summaries:
copypaste the first few lines of the fic. u already wrote ‘em. let ‘em be their own damn hook
if ur feeling fancy & don’t mind showing ur hand a bit, copypaste the first few lines of the fic that u feel are esp. Important or Interesting - the ones where u first start getting into the real meat of things
state the main tropes! theyre probably already in ur tags - just say them again - maybe as a full sentence if ur feelin fancy. or with a joke if ur feelin Extra fancy
ask a question. pose a hypothetical. eg what happens if u take [character] and put them in [situation]?
make an equation. [character] + [thing] = [outcome]
just write like a one-sentence summary of what the fuck is going down. just one (1) sentence. doesnt matter if it doesn’t cover every important aspect. or if it sounds bland. any summary sentence is gonna be miles better than “idk i suck at summaries”
just…explain the fic like u would to a friend? it doesnt have to be a polished back of the book blurb. it can just be “[pairing] coffee shop au, but like, still with murder, and also i made everyone trans. enjoy”
just stick a meme in there
honestly who cares
just put literally anything but a self deprecating comment in there & ur golden
i used to have this dried ghast that i would pour milk on and suck the milk back out of and it was sopping wet all the time 😭i used to slam it against walls and it would make a loud thud
Write a scene from [insert fic] in another character’s POV
Which of your fics is your pride and joy?
What are your top three most commonly used tags on AO3?
What are some words or phrases you feel like you overuse?
What’s something you learned while researching a fic?
Would you ever accept requests or commissions?
Coffee or tea while you write?
What is your favorite line/section from [insert fic]?
How did you get into writing fanfiction?
Is there a character or ship you'd love to write for, but haven't yet?
What makes a fic 'successful' in your opinion?
What was the first fandom you wrote for?
Do you have an 'official' creative writing background such as a degree or previous experience publishing?
What makes you happiest? New fic comments, kudos, bookmarks, user subscribers, story subscribers, or Tumblr asks?
Does anyone you know in real life know you write fanfiction?
What do you struggle with most when writing?
What is something you recently felt proud of in your writing?
How many WIPs do you have and how many do you expect to finish?
How do you get over writer's block?
Share your favorite kiss scene from [insert fic]. If there's no kiss scene, share your favorite moment of intimacy (romantic or platonic)
What stops you from writing more in your free time?
Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?
What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?
Which scene/theme was the inspiration for [insert fic]?
Are there any moments in [insert fic] that feel "blurry" to you? Is this a stylistic choice, or would you go back and clarify the descriptions if you were given the chance?
Do you ever "prep" your fics with outlines or warmups before you start writing, or do you just dive right in?
Are any of your stories inspired by personal experience?
What's the angstiest idea you've ever come up with?
How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?
Have you noticed your style change over time?
What fic meant the most to you to write?
A character you enjoy making suffer.
A character you want to protect.
What is your favorite fic to get comments/messages on?
Wild Card: Ask me something else!
Unusual but sympathetic paper:
Language Matters: What Not to Say to Patients with Long COVID, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Other Complex Chronic Disorders
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/2/275
i made a comic in google slides for some ungodly reason