I Was So Right About This. My Favorite Things That Ive Learned Are The Differences Between Hyphens, En

I was so right about this. My favorite things that I’ve learned are the differences between hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes and when to use them; how to use active voice; what a dangling modifier is and how to avoid them; and that you can use semicolons as commas when the items have lists!

My writing is going to be so good at the end of this semester 😩

I really like how my story turned out today

Little Red Writing Hoods Writing Challenge!!

Book Club meeting for the Little Red Writing Hoods server~

Task: Write an epilogue to a pre-existing book. (Mine is The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh. It's our book of the month for last month)

Time brainstorming: 10 minutes

Time writing: 45 minutes

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If you think you know stress, try planning a wedding with gods as your guests. Hyeri and Nari are constantly by my side, teaching me of the spirit realm’s traditions and picking out decorations. Shin takes care of the invitations as he is the one who knows all the gods and their houses. I don’t have to do much, but as the only human I feel all the weight on my shoulders.

On the morning of the wedding, Hyeri is the only one with me as Nari finalizes everything. The scene feels familiar, but the roles are reversed. Once it was I who dressed Hyeri up as a bride, now it is her turn to dress me.

“Are you nervous?” She asks as she strokes my hair.

“About marrying Shin? No. But the wedding? Absolutely. And then there’s the problem of me being human…”

“Shhh. Everything is going to be great. Listen; There was once a girl who was flung to her death in shiny robes and a painted face. She thought her life was over before she had the chance to live, but she woke up in a strange new place. In this place she had a duty to fulfill, even though she didn’t know anything about the world around her. Her duty was to marry the Sea God, or at least who she thought was the Sea God, but that was impossible. For he was never there. She spent her days in misery, knowing that she would really die this time if she could not fulfill her duty. But as the time limit drew near she came face to face with death. He had come early to take a peek at the soul he would be collecting. And she saw that he was sad. He knew how unfair her situation was, but there was nothing he could do. The God of Death asked the girl if she was scared of him, but she knew then that she wasn’t because death was kind. She had already accepted death once, why would there be fear in accepting it again?”

“The girl knew it was wrong to abandon her duty, but she couldn’t help but  follow where her heart lured her. She spent her nights with the God of Death at the river of souls where they would talk and dance in the moonlight. Eventually her time came to an end, but the God of Death did not want to give her up. He asked the girl to marry him and she agreed. But there was only one problem. She was still human.”

“So what did she do?”

Hyeri smiles gently and sticks a pin through my hair. I look at the updo in the mirror in front of me. It is perfect.

“The god gave her a bit of his life and in doing so made her just as immortal as him.”

Hyeri rests her head on my shoulder. “You look so beautiful, Mina. The day is going to be perfect.”

Nari enters the room. “Everything is ready, it’s time to get out there, Mina.”

I take a deep breath as I stand. The movements make my skirts cascade around me. Nari takes one of my arms as Hyeri takes the other and they walk me to the start of the aisle before taking their places on the altar, leaving me with Mask, Dai, and Miki. Usually it’s the father who walks the bride down the aisle, but without a father here, I asked my great grandmother and grandfather to walk me. 

I peek at the altar and my breath catches when I see Shin waiting for me there. Fat tears slip down my cheeks. This is really happening.

“You cry too much, Mina,” Dai says. Mask wipes my tears with her finger so as not to mess up the makeup that Hyeri put so much effort into.

“I can’t help it,” I say. 

I look deep into the eyes of my beloved ancestors before saying, “Let’s go.”

Hyeri is right; everything is perfect. The wedding is outside and the scenery is beautiful. The trees bloom brilliantly with a little help from a fertility goddess. The water is still and a rainbow stretches over the sky, reminding me of the day I saved the spirit realm. I catch the eye of the Goddess of Moon and Memory in the audience and she even smiles at me. Nothing could be more perfect.

But of course there is one thing more perfect. Shin looks like the most beautiful thing in the whole universe in his lotus colored robes. My eyes fill with tears again as I come to stand in front of him. 

Shin is holding something in his hand. I can’t see what it is, but that doesn’t matter to me. I can’t take my eyes off of his face as he begins his speech.

“Mina, you came into the spirit realm unexpectedly as a girl who was not chosen, but had a mission in her heart. And not only did you save us, but you touched all of our hearts with your kindness and strong will. I am glad that you were not a bride chosen for me so I could choose you, myself.”

Shin finally opens his hand to reveal what he was holding; a small, smooth pebble with a lotus etched into it. My heart skips a beat as I remember that stone I picked up for him so long ago. 

“My soul belongs to you, Mina.”

Shin blows a breath onto the rock. It shimmers like someone coated it in glitter as he holds it out to me. I do not hesitate as I take the bit of his soul, but I do not expect it to feel so powerful. My whole body tingles and I begin to feel lighter, stronger, more whole.

A gasp pushes its way through my lips. Now I am the one shimmering. The crowd applauds at my transformation. But of course the moment is cut short when Nagmi starts calling for a party.

I dance the night away amongst the gods and goddesses and my new husband. This night is the end of my life of chasing after others and living in fear of gods who want me dead. My life has just begun.

A few days ago my friend told me that when she was younger she had a friend with a pet chameleon, but when it died the girl gathered the whole friend group to dissect her dead pet. My friend said she was so desperate for friends that she stood there and watched. It’s now my life’s mission to find a way to incorporate this into a story. It’s so messed up that it begs to be written.

18 days ago I said I was going to start a mystery novel. What have I done since then?

I made a list of characters

We got Chinwe, the college student who went missing. Rachel, her girlfriend who is trying to find her. Alyanna, Chinwe's best friend who was also the last known person to see her. Yejin, Chinwe's toxic ex who goes to a different school than the rest of them. Ms. Jones, Chinwe's mom who is also very close to Rachel.

2. I outlined a plot

Because the police aren't investigated Chinwe's disappearance, Rachel decides to do it herself. Chinwe is a photographer and loves to post on instagram, so that's the first place Rachel goes for clues. She finds incriminating evidence against Alyanna and a possible connection between Alyanna and Yejin, who she has never met in person. Yejin and Rachel end up teaming up to find the girl they both love, which leads to Rachel having to cross state borders to get to her.

3. I wrote some quotes

I don't want to completely write it yet because I'm focused on another wip right now, so I just wrote some basic quotes. Because I'm a hopeless romantic, I wrote Rachel's first conversation with Chinwe and their interactions together that will eventually be memories Rachel is reliving while driving to where she thinks Chinwe is being held.

4. I came up with a title

I cycled through a lot of options for the title and landed on We Faceless Folk. It's supposed to represent how the police (at least here in the US) don't see marginalized people as people. I will use it as a tag when I post about this story from now on.

Side Note: During this time I also finished writing a labor-heavy chapter for my main wip. This took me nearly a month to complete.

Side Side Note: It's going to take me years to finish We Faceless Few, but I have a google doc with the second draft of my main wip, Spiritwalker, open to other writers/readers to read and offer feedback. If that sounds interesting, send me a message and I'll send you the link!

And that's on productivity!

Tropes I don't like

I was reading this book lately with this trope that really annoyed me and now everyone has to hear about all the tropes I hate. Btw, I’m not saying it’s bad to like these tropes or write about them. I just don’t like them. Does anyone else feel the same?

staring at someone’s body + fingers accidently touching

This one is two tropes because it was the combination of them that made the book so annoying to me. I wouldn’t mind as much if the characters interacted in other ways between the staring and finger touching, but nope. That was the only way we could tell they were interested in each other. What I really can’t stand is when two characters meet for the first time and the female mc just stares at the male mc’s body and describes every detail to the readers. It just feels like the author is holding up a sign that says they will get together, and that takes away from the excitement of romance for me. Especially when it’s the second these characters meet.

love triangles

First of all it’s never an actual triangle. It’s more like an angle. Second of all, it’s always so toxic. I have yet to see a girl choose the guy who actually cares about her instead of the one who treats her like garbage.

pick-me girl

I hear people toss around this term loosely so let me clarify. I’m not talking about a girl who has non-feminine interests. I’m talking about a girl who thinks she’s so much more interesting than other girls because she like to talk about war and eat meat. (I’m looking at you, The Last Dragon King)

giving up powers

Is it too much to ask that my favorite characters are special and powerful? (I’m looking at you, A Court of Silver Flame)

writing current events

This makes sense in some cases, like if a story takes place in the 1920s you will have some 1920s references. But if I see a character say “rizz” or mention covid, I’m done.

LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY FIRST AND SECOND DRAFT I'M SO PROUD OF MY PROGRESS!!

Here's the last section of my first chapter in my first draft

The coachman opened the door to the carriage and offered a hand to help me inside. I have ridden in carriages before, but never had the luxuriousness to myself. The seats were made out of velvet and the floor was polished hardwood. The wheels were so smooth that I barely felt movement as the horses sped down the cobblestone roads. I looked out the window for a while, silently watching my home fade away and the shopping district come into view. I watched my people go about their lives until the shopping district became the residential area and the residential area dissolved into the forests that led into Herbneivorous territory. We still had a long way to go and I needed to conserve my energy so I closed my eyes and drifted away into sleep.

And here it is in my second draft

The coachman opened the door to the carriage and offered a hand to help me inside. As I entered and sat myself on velvet cushions so soft they partly swallowed me, I did not take even a single glance back at the black-brick mansion. My path had already been laid out, and it led away from Spiritwalker Mansion. I would not be able to keep moving forward if my head was turned back, even for a second. As we began to move on wheels so smooth I barely felt movement, I silently watched the small buildings of the shopping district come into view. A few witches milled about, going into shops with purses in their hands and coming out with baked goods or home appliances. I thought it funny how I had kept watch over these people my whole life through the meticulously written words of the mistresses—I knew how well their businesses ran, when a new witch was born, when one died, and many more details—yet this was one of the few times I had ever seen my people go about their lives. Sadly, I did not get to see more of what my people do when politics are not involved because the shopping district melted into the residential area, and the residential area dissolved into the forests that led into Herbneivorous territory. We still had a long way to go and I needed to conserve my energy so I closed my eyes and drifted away into sleep.

I know I still have a long way to go but it's so much better right?