As I was gone for a while, I thought it might be good to reintroduce myself to the writeblr community!
Heya, I’m Julia and I’m a 23-year-old writer from Scotland. I’ve been writing for eleven years and I have more story ideas than time to write them. Aside from writing, I read (mostly fantasy and sci-fi), play video games (Dragon Age <3), paint with watercolours and make polymer clay jewellery and figurines. (Too many hobbies, not enough time!)
I write mostly fantasy, although I’ve dabbled in sci-fi and contemporary in the past. I’ll be making proper introduction/reintroduction posts for my WIPs in the future, but for now here’s a summary.
My current WIPs are:
The one I’m currently writing: an adult high fantasy standalone novel tentatively titled Priestess of Fire; features a bi protagonist and an f/f romance; the setting is inspired by the Byzantine empire; there are meddling gods, temple ruins, mercenaries, an unstable empire, love, revenge, powerful magic, heartbreak, destiny and an overarching search for purpose.
The one I’ve worked on the longest: an adult low fantasy series tentatively called The Crown of Palenia (six books divided into two arcs); there are six POV characters and a lot of queer rep; it’s set in the same world as PoF, just about a thousand years later; the setting is inspired by Renaissance France; there are meddling nobles, an unstable country, an exiled princess, duels, balls, rebellion, dying magic, sacrifice, secret romances, not-so-secret romances, poisonings, betrayals, war and a lot of morally grey characters.
The one in the middle: an adult high fantasy duology without a name; all I can say is that it’s set in the same world as PoF and TCoP (somewhere in the middle, timeline-wise) in a land inspired by the early medieval Slavic history; it was inspired by a Russian folk rock song and will have a slightly older protagonist (she even has a child).
The dark one: an adult dark fantasy standalone called Finist; it’s a retelling of the Russian fairy tale The Feather of Finist the Falcon and I wrote the first draft during last year’s NaNoWriMo; it’s currently shelved, as I need time to decide what exactly I want the central theme to be.
The adventure one: an adult fantasy trilogy without a name that I might make my NaNo project this year; features a lesbian swordswoman protagonist, a gay disaster nobleman and a demon on a road trip/epic quest; setting will be most likely inspired by Renaissance Italy; there will be duels and magic and romance, with a sprinkle of banter.
The YA one: a YA urban fantasy duology called The Keepers of Moscow; it’s a story that’s very dear to me, but for now it’s on the back burner.
Aside from the above, I occasionally write short fiction and my asks are always open for prompts and questions. My DMs are also always open, so don’t be afraid to send me a message as I’d like to make some new friends on here and reconnect with old ones!
Hey welcome back! Good to see you in the writeblr sphere again Can’t wait to catch up with your writing journey.
My name is Juri and this is my very first foray into writeblr! I have been lurking around the writeblr tags during my occasional visits here on Tumblr before deciding to set up my own sideblog dedicated to my WIPs as an accountability of sorts because I pledged to hit 50k on my first draft/s this year (oof). I also want to share some of my stories with the community and hopefully gain more writer friends to scream about the process of drafting, hitting that word count, laughing at writing memes, and overall just basking in the different worlds of the stories we create.
Quick getting-to-know-me sesh:
I’m a 20-year old Filipina, I use she/her pronouns, chaotically bisexual, and have a soft spot for all things sweet and fluffy as well as the strange, the unknown, and the magical (I mean, who doesn’t?)
I also like to read books and I run a dedicated book blog over on Wordpress where I ramble about my current reads and getting over my reading slump.
Other than reading and writing, I like to listen to music, bingeing TV series and movies, casually playing mobile games, dessert/bakery-hopping, or admiring haute couture pieces I can’t afford from fashion designers I admire (*cries in broke*).
I write in a variety of genres but most of my WIPs gravitate towards fantasy and romance. I also tend to incorporate Philippine folklore and mythology in my writings.
My current WIPs at the moment!
Sugar Darling (tentative title) - An NA fantasy about a human baker and a rookie Grim Reaper who form an unlikely pact to fend off ancient threats and guide wandering spirits off the mortal plane while running a magical cafe for the supernatural.
Whispers of the Deep - An Adult fantasy about a half-monster girl trying to clear her name after being accused of releasing a dangerous deity into the wild.
Both of these are still in their early stages and I’ll create a proper post with a more in-depth synopsis and character intros, so this is all for now~
I’m really looking for other writeblrs to follow and I’d really love to make some new friends! Please leave a like or a reblog so I can follow you~ I promise I’m a nice person!
Welcome! I love the fantastical elements of your WIPs and look forward to knowing more. Best of luck hitting your 50k!
“Ms. Trellis!” he said, as if finding her standing in the doorway of her own office was a delightful surprise. God, he really was unnervingly tall, and Evelyn was saying this as the girl who’d towered over all the boys in her dance classes for years and years. In one hand, he held the handle of his jaunty purple umbrella, which helpfully prevented the sun from roasting him to a crisp. In the other, a cloth bag that read Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, which had unnerving implications for a vampire.
This is the CUTEST thing I have ever seen omg I absolutely love this idea - it sounds like so much fun already!! Please add me to your taglist, if you don’t mind! (Also your graphic is insanely cute too. What did you use to make it?)
There are a lot of iconic squads of fictional characters out there who play off each other to absolute perfection. They keep us coming back for more and inspire fanfiction and fanart and shoving whatever piece of media they come from down the throats of everyone we know. (Just me?)
Frodo and Sam. Sherlock and Watson. Sam and Dean. The Gaang. Whether they’re siblings, lovers, frenemies, or bitter rivals, character dynamics can bring life to a work of fiction in a way few other things can.
What are your favorite character dynamics? Do you prefer duos or an entire squad? What elements in a dynamic make it truly *chef’s kiss*? Do your preferences differ if you’re the reader as opposed to the writer?
I’ll start things off with two of my favorite character dynamics/tropes. The first is grizzled and/or gruff loner character who Does Not Form Attachments that adopts the smol bean who is a living ray of sunshine or otherwise just their child/charge now. From John Silver taking Jim Hawkins under his wing in Treasure Planet to the titular Mandalorian forming a clan of two with Baby Yoda, I cannot get enough of this trope. It tugs at the heart strings and sets up great potential for suspense, strife, and angst. There’s something about the innocence of the smol bean proving the warmth of their rough and tough guardian and bringing out their potential for good, especially in the context of a more morally ambiguous character.
The second dynamic is enemy-to-adopted-weird-uncle-who-still-hasn’t-really-changed-sides-exactly. The most prototypical example of this is Hector Barbosa in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. He’s the primary antagonist of the first film, but by the third (spoilers) he’s marrying two of the heroes mid-battle. He’s not exactlyfriends with the good guys, but at the same time, he is. The longstanding comedic irony in this group dynamic is one of the primary draws for me, as well as that unique push and pull of being fond of someone you can’t necessarily trust to be on your side. I revel in the massive grey area of these kinds of relationships.
I don’t know that I have a true preference for group dynamics or one-on-ones, but group dynamics often prove to be more difficult to balance. There’s actually a pretty clean split between my two active WIPs. In The Calm Before, it’s more a series of one-on-one dynamics, while Here There Be Monsters has to deal more with how a larger group interacts and relates as a whole.
Join in and start chatting about character dynamics! Reblog or tag me in your own ‘Write Angle’ post with your take. No deadline for participation, and no need to necessarily answer the questions above - they’re just prompts to get the ball rolling!
Taglist under the cut. Drop me a line to be added/removed.
I love character dynamics like you’ve mentioned! I’m such an absolute sucker for stoic, brooding characters who adopt a cheerful companion as well. I have a relationship like that in a wip of mine and it’s just,,,,lovely. Another one I love is best friends ganging up on everyone else, whether it be through pranks or morals or a heartfelt moment, you know They’re always going to stick together no matter what.
Yessss the Power of Friendship ™! I’m always onboard for an unshakeable group of ride-or-die friends. What do you think the greatest challenge is in writing a stoic character/cheerful companion dynamic?
Finding a balance, definitely! You want them to get along but you don’t want it to feel forced, the stoic character won’t instantly love the cheerful one’s personality unless the point of the plot is that they do. Depending on what you want to go for, the two can fall for each other’s personalities instantly or have a long, hard trek to acceptance and love, platonic or romantic.
Hey guys! So, money’s been stressful lately. Long story short, I’m a disabled, genderqueer writer and editor, and my hours at my low-wage job were recently cut with no warning and through no fault of my own. I really need to find freelance work so I can keep a roof over my head and help my partner with bills.
I am a multiply-published author of short fiction, and am also experienced in writing novels anywhere from 50k to 130k words (though I can absolutely write something shorter/longer as needed). I have worked as a ghostwriter in a professional capacity. While my personal expertise is in sci fi/fantasy/horror, I am comfortable writing or editing any genre. I am an alumnus of the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference, as well as multiple fiction workshops and craft intensives. I am willing to provide complete samples of my work on request.
I am offering my services as an editor, ghostwriter, andsensitivity reader, and will also be opening up writing commissions. All details, including pricing, contact information, and explanation of services, are below the cut.
Aaahh coming up soon - the wonderful crossover Happy!AU with @ocean-blue-whump which is, contradicting the name, full of angst and trauma.
Characters include a horny trophy husband, a very tired assassin assistant, a sexy female crime boss, an evil male crime boss, a traitor, a bunch of creepy minions, and even one (!) minion with a conscience.
Featuring lovely tropes: both lady whump and dude whump, caretaker whump, angst, love, kidnapping, a lot of organized crime, begging, captivity, forced to watch, a gun in a mouth (intense, very beautiful), more forced to watch, noncon, aftermath, angsty caretaking, guns, and a successful rescue (at some point).
hello again, everyone! i’m august b., and i made this blog a few months ago, but i’m ready to introduce myself as a ~proper writeblr~ now and start posting more organized content about my projects! i use they/them, read an unholy amount of ya novels, and constantly have ink on my hands despite taking nowhere near the amounts of notes i should. i mostly write an unholy mix of horror, coming-of-age,love poetry, andliterary fiction, but different pieces of me basically want to write everything besides high fantasy.
status:drafting | genre: coming of age, horror | word count: 21k
formerly: guilt and gay in greece on trains. this is the project y’all will be hearing about ~the least~. i’m about a third of the way through my first draft of this at the moment, and it’s definitely the wip i’m most emotionally invested in. i won’t be posting about this because it’s important to me that very few parts of it see the light until i’m satisfied with it, and also i posted some character intros and stuff on my old blog, @noteaboy, so i’m bored of creating writeblr-type content for it. anyway, it’s gonna have to be enough for you guys to know it’s really brilliant and i’m having a lot of fun with it!
status:brainstorming | genre:coming of age, literary fiction, idk-what-to-call-it-but-it’s-a-sad-small-town-and-everyone’s- pretty-tired | word count: nothing so far babeyy
in a town where everyone is named after a bird, one child turns into a bird every generation. but why does this generation’s bird-child have to be crane, blue’s former best friend and, probably, the boy they’re still a little bit in love with? slow-paced and atmospheric, this story follows blue over the summer at the end of which crane will turn, surprisingly, into a crane. told through a series of vignettes, sketches, and mostly-short chapters from varying perspectives, this story walks the line between verse and prose, growing up, mourning, and staying in love.
[…]
status:drafting | genre:coming of age, poetry | word count: 3k
70′s summer sapphics and swimming pools. formally called the best shade of pink is a light shade of red, this is a novella in verse. this story reads as if written by neave, a thirteen year old girl who is mostly would rather be on her own, outside of the company of her creative writing teacher, dr. azul. that is, until she meets julia. julia is frankly electric, a bit self-centered, a constant live wire, and beautiful. a story about david bowie, swimming pools, and trying to define yourself in a hard-to-get world.
' , @b‘ !
anyway, nice to meet you and thanks for reading! i’d love if you could rb + boost + if you’d like to be added to the taglists for any of the above, please dm me or send me an ask :)
The interrogation idea just grabbed me :D never written a scene with police officers before. Introducing Wes for the backstory event that will shine light on his departure from family, choosing a different magic and causing the rift and enstragment with his brother. Why is this so much easier than writing the first chapter.
The interrogation room was small and closed up, reeking of sweat and smoke. The absence of sky in sight was making my skin itch, but how would I explain to the officer next to me that a dragon needs space, even if he is currently human? As far as he was concerned, Shifters weren’t supposed to take such mythical forms. As far as he knew, I wasn’t supposed to exist.
Silver says nothing more as he stops in front of the doors. It’s a small church, abandoned and covered in moss and vines, a hole in the stone of its walls, graffiti scrawled across the bits of it that peek through the vines. The wooden doors have rotted with time, one hanging off the hinges, both door handles long since broken off. Silver reaches forward to grasp one of the doors, sliding his fingers into the gap between them and wincing at how spongy the wood is beneath his hand. With a hard tug, he pulls the door open. It scrapes against the stone beneath it, wood creaking in protest, and he has it halfway open when the bit of wood he’s gripping breaks. He flinches at the snap, stumbles back, grip tightening on the lantern in his surprise.
NOTHING:
Silver rolls his eyes and looks away, eyes scanning the courtyard as he contemplates his life choices. He doesn’t even know why he thought bartering with a Corrupt - much less one named Vendetta of all things - would magically work out for him when nothing’s ever worked out for him before. He remembers the stories his aunt had told him, the warnings to never let anyone get inside his head. But when it comes to never letting anyone hurt him, Silver has failed time and time again. The story Vendetta told him had appealed to Silver’s empathy, and his promise to help Silver recover had sounded so sweet.
YOU:
“Oh?” Vendetta says, and Silver’s insides freeze over at the pure danger in his voice. Vendetta takes a few slow steps towards him, and Silver takes a step back. “That’s not how it works, hm?” Silver glares up at Vendetta, mouth pulling into a shaking snarl. He knows that tone, has heard it too many times, and his bones ache with remembered danger. “You have no idea what I can do.”
GROUND:
“So valiant,” Vendetta says, voice dreamy. “Always wanting to protect those you love.” His grin melts into a vicious smirk. “But you’re the one who needs protection… Aren’t you, Silver?”
Silver’s face goes a hot, burning red, body warming despite the cold. “Screw you,” he snarls, and then pushes himself off the wall, thumping to the ground, his shoes sinking into the soft dirt.
OUTSIDE:
The day goes mostly as it should. Lyssa renews the protection sigils around the outside of her house, gets herself ready for the night, buys some ingredients for their after-mission picnic. She’s not excited, not necessarily, more full of nervous energy than anything, as she always is before their little adventures. In her mind, she packs the feeling up in a box and sets it neatly aside, something that she’s gotten quite good at doing.
(couldn’t find strength in any of my WIPs!)
ANIMAL (from my doc for future scenes of Said the Snake):
“Like an animal,” she whispers into his ear, pressing a kiss to the lobe. “Play dead.”
HOME:
Piggy doesn’t know what she’s doing.
They put her in her new home a month ago, and she doesn’t know what she’s doing. She knows a few things, but she doesn’t do them right. She knows how to make tea, and what kind she likes - green tea, with honey - but sometimes her hands shake too hard and she breaks the cup. She knows how to brush her hair, but she always forgets to. She knows how to make her bed, but she waits days and days and days to do it.
The Severin Conspiracy || Character Introduction || The Becker Siblings
The Becker siblings were a very unique trio. Their parents owned a bakery near the market place, but the siblings could usually be found at one of the pubs that were scattered throughout the streets around the town square. They were supposed to take over the bakery at some point, but sometimes I honestly wondered if Alex and Jasper even knew how to bake.
i’ve started a server for writers of all kinds; songwriters, poets, playwrights, journalists, novellists… you name it! if you’d like to join, please click here!
“Um,” Llanedd managed between shallow breaths as their fingers tapped frantically on a trembling leg. Their heart was either thumping at the speed of a gorgon’s glare or had stopped completely, it was hard to tell. “I think you might have me mistaken for someone else.”
I really want to share more of this scene, but it’s probably the biggest plot twist in the whole book
While Ophelia’s terror felt like a storm, something she could only keep at bay if she moved towards it, Sebastian’s was a still and frozen kind. The Blue Prince’s lithe frame was rigid with anxiety, imposing a shadow of stern detachment on his form. A façade of unflinching heroism.
“They’ve broken in to kill us,” Sebastian said. “Can’t you see that?”
TRAITS:Human of the Northern Vale, (@zmwrites this is for you) First of His Name, The Unbroken, King of the Northern Vale, Companion of the Quest, Victor at the Battle of The Underneath, Goblin-Bane, Consort of the Voice of the Emerald Groves, Friend of the Champion of the Northern Vale (I could add more… but I won’t… for now)
STRENGTHS: Charismatic and Dutiful, Cares Deeply For His People
WEAKNESSES: Unchecked, and often Unable To Overcome Grief or Rage
EXTRA: Alaric was the youngest person go be crowned King of the Northern Vale in hundreds of years, gaining the title at fourteen and receiving full rulership at sixteen
FIRST IN TEXT INTRODUCTION;
“We have waited so very long for you, Champion of the Northern Vale. And now you are here.”
Sadie could not help but look up from her bow then, taking in the King properly for the first time. He looked like a king, or at least every king Sadie had seen in movies or read in her books; everything about him was golden, his hair, his skin, the crown upon his brow. He gleamed like something not entirely real, not entirely tangible.
Their eyes met and she gave him a tentative smile, unsure how to respond to the scrutiny of a monarch. The King grinned in response, and he suddenly looked so young, beholden of a boyish sort of charm. Sadie realised that he couldn’t be any older than twenty-five for all that he was the King of an entire Vale, and inexplicably her nervousness fell away. She grinned back.
TRAITS: Champion of the Northern Vale, Human, of the ‘Earthlands’
STRENGTHS: Curious and Eager To Help
WEAKNESSES: Naive and Prone To Burning Out
EXTRA: Wielder of the Champions Gift; Pyromancy
FIRST IN TEXT INTRODUCTION;
The missing girl looked so small on his laptop screen, a tiny blip in a hallway stacked with grand paintings, all too-long school blazer and halo of brown curls. Connor always felt a kind of kinship with these news stories, a kind of sadness. The missing were his kind after all, no matter where they ended up. As the therapist they had gotten him when he was fifteen and still angry would have said, obsessing over other missing kids was futile. Connor knew that from experience now, after years of chasing and always coming up empty and hollow. He knew not to dwell. But in the process of scrolling away, of putting Sadie Blaine behind him, he caught it. At the very end of the clip, before the unexpected glitch that had reporters frothing at the mouth, the missing girl reached out and touched the painting. Or so he had thought at first glance. Now Connor saw what he had missed before, the missing girl was not touching the painting, no. She was going through it.
TRAITS:Champion of the Valelands, Human, of the ‘Earthlands’
STRENGTHS: Fiercely Loyal and Fiercely Independent
WEAKNESSES: Uncompromising and Untrusting
EXTRA: Wielder of the Champions Gift; Meteoromancy
IN TEXT INTRODUCTION;
The newcomer stood apart from the rest of the gathered crowd, reminiscent to Sadie of King Alaric’s pale, manic shadow; silvered rather than golden, in constant motion as opposed to the King’s assured stillness, slender where the King was solid. But he was of a height with the King and adorned with the same aura of power, the same look of regality.
“Connor,” King Alaric said, a smile of genuine warmth bleeding through his serene mask, “You’re home.”
The man, Connor, came forward, embracing the King like a brother, a friend, and for the first time Sadie noticed his attire, yet another stark contrast to King Alaric’s court robes; jeans, sneakers and a red hoodie. Her heart leapt into her throat.
“You’re a Champion!” She said, starting out of her chair in a rush.
He looked at her then, and when he spoke it was like the crack of thunder rolling through the hills, the toil of a storm overhead, “I used to be.”
BASICS: ‘Valiant’ Valiant As The Sword Strikes True, 293 moons (approx. Twenty Four), She/Her
TRAITS: Elf of the Emerald Groves (the Western Vale), Queen Consort of the Northern Vale, Companion of the Quest, Voice of the Emerald Groves
STRENGTHS: Intelligent and Incredibly Skilled in Combat, Logical
WEAKNESSES: Never Acts First, Prideful
EXTRA: Valiant is one of the founding members of the Free Council, set up in the Valelands after Connor’s quest was complete
FIRST IN TEXT INTRODUCTION;
Champion! They cried again and again.
Champion! Champion! Help me! Champion!
Shecouldn’t help them though, couldn’t do anything but make it worse. She tried to tell them that, to make them understand but their voices kept rising, frantic, reverent, relentless. The trees and the grass and the bugs, the animals and the wind, all pleading for their Champion. Sadie clapped her hands over her ears at some point to ward off the sound but it made no difference. Someone began to scream and sob amongst the cacophony, it took her a while to realise she was making those noises, throat raw, tears streaming down her hot cheeks.
It took her even longer to realise the sounds of the living around her had faded, just one voice, soft and soothing, spoke to her.
“Hush, hush,” it whispered.
Sadie blinked up at the owner of the blissfully quiet voice and gasped. She was beautiful, skin as dark and rich as the night sky, hair a regal spill of thick black twists over one shoulder, ears long and pointed. Impossibly pointed.
“Are you a dream?” She asked, awestruck by the woman’s obsidian eyes, the quick flash of amusement behind them.
“No, I am Valiant As The Sword Strikes True, daughter of the Emerald Groves. And I have been looking for you.”
About Me: Fable, she/they, 22, queer, uni student, most likely found down amongst the weeds and dirt, looking for things to add to my collections
Favourite Books: The Protector of the Small Series by Tamora Pierce, I’ve read a lot of good books but I always come back to these ones even a decade after I first read them
Favourite Tropes: The Rejection of the Call trope, or where the hero does not want their glorious destiny. In fact anything that subverts the classic Chosen One trope is so very interesting
My Writing: I write queer fantasy, mostly high fantasy set in my own worlds but I do have a few ideas surrounding fantasy in our irl world. I tend to draw from folklore and mythology for inspiration when it comes to the fantastical elements of my stories, but I also love to create my own magic systems. I can’t avoid sarcastic, smart ass characters, sometimes I think I channel my unspoken annoyance at the world into them.
WORKS IN PROGRESS;
WIP: ROOKS & RAVENS
When their sister is taken by Faeries, Theo and Ned must follow to try and win her back.
Queer Fantasy / Family & Duty / Faeries
WIP: THIS HALLOWED EARTH
Five teenagers accidentally dig up the corpse of a Nephilim, an angelic abomination that has been corrupting their small-town for centuries.
Queer Rural Gothic / Nature vs Civilisation / Soft Magic System
WIP: CATCHER OF THE DAWN
After nearly hundreds of years in perpetual night another Dawn-Catcher has been chosen to venture into the wild lands outside of civilisation and find the vanished spirit of the sun. None before her have returned.
Queer High Fantasy / Chosen One Trope / Inspired by Studio Ghibli
