Canon Laws Change (and Nobody Tells Me)

Canon laws change (and nobody tells me)

@the-wip-project Day 33

What kind of gestures are your characters often using?

When I read the question today, the answer had been immediate. "Of course, they both typically do this and that!", all the more so since these gestures come directly from canon and it is commonly expected to see them appear in fanfic. Not that it is a hard rule, mind, but still, they do appear on a regular basis (besides, I find these gestures lovely and so in-character that I transpose them into my writing without a second thought)

And yet, I should have had this second thought because, as I was looking for this canon material to complete this post and hand in my homework like the serious girl I am, I've come to realise that these gestures have become rarer in canon! Like, whaaaaaaatt 😲? Where's my favourite tongue-in cheek?

One of them is famous for rolling his tongue against his cheek to show a certain degree of confusion, to the point of annoyance even. He can also be caught rubbing his nape whenever he's embarrassed or flustered .

The other character also does something out of reflex (which the other character never fails to make fun of) in the way he brushes his hair back and parts it sideways. He's also often caught licking his lips all. the. time.

I still use these gestures in my fics, but maybe it's a sign that I should let them go...

@the-wip-project Day 75

Do you write in past tense or present tense? Why do you prefer one?

When I started writing three years ago, I used to write in the past tense. My first two published stories are told in the past.

And then I saw that meme somewhere here on Tumblr...

That ended me 😆 (and my past tense story-telling)

@the-wip-project Day 32

What’s your favorite trope you’re not writing and why?

I don't think I have a favorite trope overall, whether in reading, or (even less) in writing. My reading depends on my mood of the day, so I've covered a large variety of tropes that I thoroughly enjoy. I figured some that I don't particularly like, so obviously my writing is going to stay away from those.

There are some tropes that I really like but would not try out (like royals au for instance), for the simple reason that, so far, no idea of a plot, or a prompt, has emerged in my mind. But I wouldn't go as far as saying that I will not write any at all. Mafia au are also really cool, but complex to set up. I'm not sure my imagination is as flexible as it needs to be to imagine a world of crime and violence (graphic or not).

But now that I think about it, no trope is as intimidating as canon compliant. I'd be too afraid to mess things up, while I love reading about it. Some writers are exceedingly good at it!

I feel this in my soul

@the-wip-project Day 57

How do you always nail your questions with how my moods and thoughts behave? It's honestly incredible.

I've been having a hard time writing recently, sitting down to try, only to stare at a blinking cursor on my screen. The bitter irony is that I know what I want to write - the scenes are all set in my mind, the dialogues, the atmosphere and all. But the motivation (I could go as far as talking about the belief) in what I write is running into smoke. I second-guess every single idea, tone, setting, intention, deeming the whole thing as pointless. And although it defies rationality (and is just a symptom of a tired state of mind at the moment, I'm aware) it's clear the enthusiasm has flagged. It doesn't happen often fortunately, but when it does, it's pretty nasty.

I'm sorry I've not answered your posts either, even though I read all of them and thought them through in my own time. Everything's so super interesting, even though I sometimes ended up feeling a bit overwhelmed with the amount of information and directions to try out. Life gets in the way indeed. Besides, I know I'm a hardcore pantser and very rarely use tangible tools, and I think I'm starting to understand why, why it fits my writing personality (if there's such a thing): and in a couple of words, I feel free.

I'm not saying planning out and plotting are restrictive processes. I do some planning of course: my plots are all set up and I have regular writing sessions - see post here) but I've realized while reading the previous questions that the creative details of my writing do not really obey a sort of organisation, of structure, of meta-thinking etc. If/when they do, it's because they've decided it by themselves haha.

I thoroughly enjoy the moment when I put my life and job on pause (two things already centered around hard planification) and turn onto myself to dig out the remnants of my last daydreaming session, to recapture the ideas that had popped up in the middle of a meeting, the dialogue bit I heard in the school corridors. These instances escape every kind of control (I can lose them anytime) and I love that idea of freedom! It's like catching glimpses of wild animals in their natural habitat; if they want to reveal themselves to me so that I can take a picture of them, they will. If not, I leave them alone to their free will, and come back later.

I don't think it'll push me as far as dropping the wips off. I love my stories too much and my dear writing friend @stankris is here. Moreover, even though losing the motivation and the sense of writing while they usually provide serotonin, is sad, I know it is part of the process. Maybe accepting it can make it easier, rather than pressuring myself even more. I suppose that, as long as I feel entitled to my stories (which is the case), I'll be fine.

But these were my 20 minutes writing something, so thank you 🙏 Take care <3

#100daysofwriting, day fifty-seven, 2021-07-27

Hello writers!

I was listening to Rachael Herron’s podcast yesterday, the one where I stole yesterday’s question from, and in episode 245, in the intro, she talked about how enthusiasm for our writing always flags after a time. Life gets in the way, distractions come up, and writing falls by the wayside. She talked about how we always have to re-prioritize our writing because if we don’t, it will drop off.

It sounds weird that we lose our enthusiasm, doesn’t it? This is something we want to do, this is our special thing, shouldn’t we always be excited to write? Shouldn’t we easily find the time every day to write? That’s not how it works. As Rachael said in that intro, nobody ever just finds the time to write. It doesn’t happen. You have to prioritize your writing again and again. You have to make that choice.

So today, we’re prioritizing our writing. Take 20 minutes and write. No matter what, no matter how, you take those 20 minutes and write.

Today’s homework:

Block 20 minutes to write and then tell us what you wrote about.

The daily questions are just an offer to give you an idea what to write about, you don’t have to use them. You can talk about whatever you want and show off whatever you like. You can reblog from this post but I think it’s better if you make your own post. Tag with #100daysofwriting, mention this blog, keep mature themes under a cut. Please let me know if you don’t want to be mentioned anymore. I like and reply to your posts as barbex.

Mentions under the cut.

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