I Have Been Thinking Of The Ways We Tell People Things. My Father's Hands Shake, But He Holds The Phone

I have been thinking of the ways we tell people things. My father's hands shake, but he holds the phone up so I can watch the video from six feet away. My mother emails me the recipe of her beef stroganoff at 6 in the morning with the comment - woke up and didn't want to forget to do this! On the highway, we sing so loudly my voice grows hoarse; on the beach I sneak nice rocks into people's hands so they have something to hold; on the floor we all sit quietly in the same agreeable silence. We are all saying the same thing.

My friends say "Oh you know, keeping busy." This means they are having a hard time but making themselves survive it. I ask them to help me walk me dog; this is me telling them it's okay sometimes to just be present and talk about young adult fiction. When I cancel again because I can't get out of bed, she tells me she's on her way with cookies.

I point out the sunset. She shares her fork before I ask for it. He calls me at 1 AM just because I'm on the road alone, we talk about stupid shit. She waits for me to get indoors safely before driving away. He says - nah, forget it, I'm happy to do it for free.

People are saying it, you know? They say it often and loudly. Sometimes, you know - you just have to be listening.

forbidden fruit | chapter 2

here’s chapter two! this is dedicated to @stardustsroses , happy (late) birthday my love!! <3

masterlist | ao3 | part 1

tags: @staticpetrichor @stardustsroses @nalgenewhore @illyrianbeauty @mariamuses @nomattertheoceans @vivorsomething @b00kworm @maastrash @lost-in-fictionn @acourtofabsandillyrians @ladywitchling

***

Cassia.

Her named suited her. Soft. Ethereal.

Awkwardly, Manon extended her hand in an offer to help her up from her cowered position. Cassia’s stare immediately glued to the razor sharp nails curving wickedly from her pale fingers.

“I won’t hurt you,” she repeated again, cursing the touch of shame that sent a pang down to her very core. Since when did she feel bad about her terrifying exterior?

Cassia visibly swallowed, nodding hesitantly before accepting Manon’s hand, her body so light Manon barely had to exert any energy pulling her up.

“Um, I-” she stammered, timidly meeting her gaze. “Thank you for not killing me.”

Keep reading

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laylabsposts

4 years ago

This blog is dedicated to collecting receipts of Ableism and ableistic users.

I am not here to start or engage in discourse, just collect receipts of Ableism that I see.

If you see an ableistic post, note, thread or user, just @me on the ableistic thing you want me to look at and I will look into it.

The ask box and submissions are open. Submissions are for screenshots of Ableism, the ask box is primarily open for suggestions of ableistic users to look at.

Some things to keep in mind:

The owner of this blog is mentally ill and mentally disabled in multiple ways.

They are also a minor.

This is a side blog and not my main.

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laylabsposts

4 years ago

next fucking level

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laylabsposts

4 years ago

#180: Will It Work?

Writers face this question at every stage of their creative journey. Whether you’ve been writing for two weeks or 20 years, the challenge remains the same. Will the time that I put into this project pay off? Will it do what I need it to do?

When you’re just starting out, most of the uncertainty centres around if you can even finish the story, and if yes, will it be any good? Later on, as a published author, you may wish for your book to hit the bestseller lists. As a best-selling author, you might want to be shortlisted for various awards. And when you’ve won everything there is to win, you will worry about your work being at least as good as what came before. The struggle never really ends.

Writing books is particularly uncertain. When starting a novel, you’re months, perhaps even years away from the finish line — more than enough time to question everything about the project. The more words you write, the stronger the voice in your head becomes. Is this the right thing to work on? Is it going anywhere? The majority of would-be authors quit at this stage.

Other writers struggle before they start. They keep analysing and researching, trying to convince themselves that this is going to work. But no matter how good your idea is and how many notebooks you fill with notes, the uncertainty will never go away. How do you deal with that?

The only way to figure out whether a project will work is to start writing. For smaller projects like short stories and novellas, just power through the first draft. The first draft will tell you more about whether the story has legs than any amount of advance research ever can.

Thinking about writing a novel? There are ways to do this too. Take what you expect to be the most dramatic scene of the book and write that first. Get a feel of the characters, the setting. If you’re a pantser, try writing a short story with the same characters. See how you feel about it. Any red flags?

Thinking about writing something and actually writing the thing are two very different things. If you never start or never finish, the question will remain unanswered forever.

Will it work? Writing it is the only way to find out.

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Past Editions

#179: Throwaway Stories, January 2021

#178: Progress Over Perfection, January 2021

#177: Change Is Good, January 2021

#176: Start Before You’re Ready, January 2021

#175: Writing Without Expectations, December 2020

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laylabsposts

4 years ago

Pros of writing a superhero AU: interesting conflict, moral dilemmas, awesome fight scenes, snarky banter, angst possibilities, fun power sets, world-building possibilities–

Cons of writing a superhero AU: what the fuck are their powers and what the fuck do I name them

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