Asteroid, Poem Assembled From Quotations From Wikipedia Articles

“Asteroid,” poem assembled from quotations from Wikipedia articles

Hey y'all, @emilymustwrite is back from the dead this NaNo season, and he's super trans now. Name's Lex, I'm 24, and I write fantasy.

This NaNo, I'm writing about a trans boy named Darius who is the crown prince of his kingdom, though when he comes out he is removed from the line of succession and ends up joining a queer revolution. I'm not worrying overmuch about word count, just trying to get back in the swing of it.

I've missed y'all, especially @brynwrites, @authorisada, @james-stark-the-writer, @feathered-quill, and @aschenink (tagging so you know I'm back). Can't wait to write with everyone again 🧡

Tips for (beginner) writers

Set yourself a daily word count. You don't have to do it daily, just make sure everytime you sit down and write you do it with the thought of "I'm gonna write at least a page today".

Don't let bad writing demotivate you. Fuck it, if its bad, it's bad. You can edit it. But don't just stop at bad scenes, write your way through it.

If you're stuck in a scene and you don't know what's coming next, write another chapter. Just a random one. Maybe one you don't even know where to put it in the plot.

When you don't know how to write a scene, write the dialogue, then add the actions.

Don't loose yourself in endless planning. Your characters are bitches, they're gonna do it differently anyway.

Following that, don't characterise your characters in detail before you start writing. As I said, they know better. Instead, characterise them while you are writing.

The Comic Sans writing tip works.

You don't have to edit every chapter right after writing it. You're gonna have to edit the whole thing again anyway and your gonna change things in previous chapters, so save your time and finish the story before you edit.

Never speak the sentence "I'm kinda in a flow, writing is so easy currently." The writing gods can hear you and they hate you.

If you have no motivation to write, read.

Don't be afraid to try out stuff.

Don't be afraid to be evil.

Drink enough water/tee/coffee.

"I have an idea for my story, but I'm gonna memorise it, I don't have to write it down." YES YOU DO.

Make sure you can answer the question "Oh, what is your book about?" with two simple sentences.

Have fun and find your way. Every writer is a little different. Don't care too much what others do.

Publishing is not easy, especially your first book. Find an agent or good people who will support you with self-publishing.

if u a short trans guy i support u n ur compact masculinity. manliness concentrate. ur doing great i promise

Opal?

Thank you!!!! I love doing ask games!!

Opal: What motivates your protagonist to complete their goal?

Darius's goal shifts throughout the story as I've got it planned so far. Originally, he wants to depose his mother in order to take the throne as King and also as revenge for being removed from the succession (he's very very angry to start off with and also probably not the best person), but as he kinda integrates into the revolution that he was trying to use for his own gain he starts wanting better for the common people and starts actually believing in the revolution!

NaNo Update: Day 4

Gods I’m bad at posting about it every day. I started NaNo a day late and my goal is just writing every day, so I haven’t written as much, but I currently have 1222 words, which is more than I’ve written in MONTHS so I’m pretty proud of myself.

Favorite line from this session:

I had always been a tomboyish child, preferring skinned knees to needle-pricked fingers, and for a time my mother allowed me to roam the palace grounds and get into the sort of mischief a young boy would.

My POV has changed to first person past tense which is a choice I usually don’t vibe with in fiction but it kinda rings for this and is letting me take on a much more reflective tone, which should be interesting once I exit exposition and get back into the action.