i don't know who needs to hear this, but 'perfect' writing is a trap. all writing is subjective. what we create today, we may see as flawed tomorrow. what we see as flawed today, we may see as perfect tomorrow.

writing is the act of transmuting the human experience through words. and the human experience? it's a messy, chaotic thing filled with rough edges and uneven lines and mistakes and failures. you can erase all of that. you can. but then you're left with something sterile and artificial. you've effectively squeezed the soul out of your work, and i can think of nothing less appealing.

this isn't to say don't edit your work. please do. but keep it within reason, and make sure you're moving forward and not backward. momentum is key.

don't sit on an idea for three decades waiting for that dance with inspiration, or that dynamite first line, or that eureka plot twist, or the words to flow like magic from your fingertips. because it won't happen. and if it does, it'll strike like lightning and disappear twice as fast. the only surefire way to finish a story is to start.

so write. for the love of god, just write.

along the way, things will fall in line. i promise. and if they don't? then they already have. the magic of art is that everything we create is a snapshot of who we are at the time of creation. it's like a time capsule of human experience, and there's a beauty in that authenticity-- in the mistakes we make and the wrong turns we take. don't run from them. embrace them.

let their lessons flow through you and channel them into something tangible. if it's hard, then start with one word and keep going. don't erase it. don't start over. don't let yourself believe your story isn't worth telling because if you don't tell it, then no one else will. and that'd be a damn shame.

so one word a day. one sentence a week.

whatever it takes.

it might be tough letting go of the idea of perfect. silencing your inner editor. your inner critic. it might be tough realizing that your story will never meet your standards, not completely, but it won't be half as tough as looking back and wondering where all the days, weeks, and years went; that in the pursuit of perfection, you forgot to ever write a story at all.

so leave perfect behind. readers don't want it. why would they? they can't possibly relate to perfect-- none of us can.

instead, give readers a window to your imagination, stormclouds and all. you'll be surprised by how many stick around for the rain, how many relish the sound of your thunder, and how many cherish the worlds that only you could bring to life.

She’s a 10 but she thinks switching to another wip could solve all her writing woes the moment they appear

A Tale as Old as Time - Bard the bowman x OC - Chapter 4 - Illicit Desires

New to this journey? Here’s chapter 1. Or chapter 2! Or chapter 3.

Originally posted by lordoftherazzles

A tale as old as Time - Bard x OC - Chapter 4: Illicit Desires

Summary: Brea tends to her bowman, and deals with the likes of Alfrid and her parents...

Warnings: A flirty, hot as hell bowman <3 . Also, conflict.

Author’s note: aah I love this series so much that I wrote this next chapter in just fourteen days. And knowing myself, that's fast as fuck!! I blame my amazing (writer) friends for fueling my Bard obsession (but really, thank you❤️❤️). And special kudos to @legolasbadass for being so kind to act as my beta-reader, you are the best! ❤️❤️

I hope you all enjoy this update ❤️❤️

She couldn’t turn away from the eyes that held her. 

Eyes as deep, as dark as the night, 

yet there was something that sparked with warmth

that kept those eyes from being cold. 

-Lora Leigh

Eventually, morning came.

After making sure their father would live to see another day and making Brea promise them to stay until they got back, Sigrid and Bain set off to work. Though both had no desire to take over the hard labor their father did every day–especially during this time–the reality was that the life of a bargeman and his family was fickle. Steady jobs were hard to come by, and Bard’s reputation of being an accountable and trustworthy boatman had to be upheld at all cost, for these qualities had often saved them from total ruin.

Brea watched the eldest Bardlings from the window pane in the front door as they made their way over the docks. She had argued that the people of Laketown would understand that Bard had to rest for a few days–surely their opinion about him wouldn’t change that quickly–but Sigrid had merely shaken her head at that and had told her friend the people weren’t the problem: the master and his loyal subjects were. 

Keep reading

onyx dragon by jellycat

The Escape ~ Part Two

Summary: Thorin and his Company have found themselves imprisoned in Mirkwood, only to have help from one of the most unlikeliest of elves…

Pairings: Thorin Oakenshield x OFC Carys Greenleaf

Characters: Thorin, Carys Greenleaf, Thorin’s Company, Thranduíl, Legolas, Bilbo Baggins  

Warnings: None

Rating: T

Word Count: 3.3k

Tag List: @mrsdurin @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @legolasbadass @kibleedibleedoo @xxbyimm @arrthurpendragon @exhausted-humxn-being @rachel1959 @laurfilijames @sketchy-loo6195 @sherala007 @enchantzz @knittastically @notlostgnome @myselfandfantasy @medusas-hairband @guardianofrivendell @jotink78 @sorisooyaa @ruthoakenshield @frosticenow @quiall321 @dianakc @buckybarnes-thorin @glassgulls @evenstaredits @heilith @asgardianhobbit98 @albionscastle @absentmindeduniverse @way-too-addicted-to-fandoms  

Part One can be found here.

“You took it upon yourself to let them go, Carys?”

Thranduíl never raised his voice, but the iciness in his words was more than enough to make Carys’ stomach clench into painful knots, which in turn made her feel sick as a sweetly brackish taste flooded her mouth. Although she’d heard him use this same tone on others, such as members of his guard who disappointed him and enemies in his dungeons, he’d never used it with her before. 

Swallowing hard to try to calm her roiling gut, she squared her shoulders and met his furious stare. “I did. It was wrong to hold them and you know this, Father. They did nothing to merit imprisonment.”

His eyes grew colder, his gaze unwavering. “That was not your decision to make. You deliberately went behind my back, stole from me, and let them go and I cannot forgive that.”

Keep reading

Richard Armitage's voice sends me into a damn tailspin. I could listen to that man read a takeaway menu and still end up a pile of goo.

Originally posted by e7sas-angel

Originally posted by oreillystolemyheart

richard armitage in obsession 🤓

Dear Writer Friends:

First: It's perfectly natural to feel disheartened when your efforts seem to go unnoticed. It can be difficult when you put so much effort into something and yet it seems to make no traction, while you look over at someone seeming to put minimal effort in getting so much more attention than you. And it's okay. You're not less than them. You don't matter less. Your words still matter and your efforts do as well. This is why comparison is an enemy to our craft.

Second: You are not any less important than other writers. They may get more notes but your words still have the potential to help someone else, inspire them, motivate them, uplift them, help them heal... your words have so much power to them, even if you don't see what they're doing for others. Even if it feels and appears that all of your effort is in vain.

Third: Writing is hard. It takes a lot of work, a lot of patience and creativity and it does not make you any less to be exhausted by it. Take breaks when you need to. You are human, you need breaks, you need time for yourself to get your mental energy back. It is perfectly normal to get drained from using your creativity so much and you should feel no shame for needing to rest. Creativity is draining.

Fourth: What you do is amazing. Just think about it... we take thoughts in our heads and we can create entire worlds, galaxies, universes from a single thought. You can have the simplest thought that a non-creator would just let go by. But you're creating this massive project out of that single thought. That's amazing.

Fifth: To writers that have tons of WIPs, you're awesome. It's not something to be upset over or feel bad about. If you're jumping WIP to WIP and never able to finish your WIP, that's nothing to be ashamed of. You don't need to change yourself. Your creativity is just that massive and expansive and maybe you just haven't quite gotten the million dollar idea yet. It's okay, keep trying, keep trekking and keep writing.

Sixth: To writers that only write one WIP at a time, you amaze me. Your dedication to a single WIP is inspiring. It really is. It may not always feel that way, but you are dedicated and passionate about your WIP and that's amazing. You have the ability to create something so vivid because of how much time you put into this one project, that it could feel like you're in the world. You are doing amazing things. Keep it up!

Writing is a challenge. It's not something that should be taken lightly. We shouldn't be putting ourselves down because we don't write like our more successful friends. We shouldn't be comparing ourselves to other writers because there are just so many ways to be a writer, so many ways to write. There are fluff writers, angst writers, horror writers, writers who work on 100 WIPs at a time, writers that work on one at a time, writers who are highly into description and those more into dialogue. No matter what kind of writer you are, you should be proud and love your work and the energy you put into your craft because it's something that is admirable. Even if you're not where you want to be as far as how good of a writer you are, you have the potential to be as good as you want.

Keep writing. Keep pushing forward and putting in the effort. Keep trying. Your efforts are seen and they're not done in vain. You're doing incredible things. Don't let the self-doubt monster scream at you. Scream back and let it know you won't be bullied into silence.

🤍 H