Hot Take: Actual Literary Analysis Requires At Least As Much Skill As Writing Itself, With Less Obvious

Hi there! Could you do a clothes folds tutorial please?

there are probably more qualified people than me but the long and short of it is 1. understanding what fabric you want to draw and 2. where the points of stress on the figure are

let’s say you have a nakey man who probably got into sniper’s drug stash:

quite unbecoming

let’s put some trousers on him, shall we?

so you see how folds radiate from the point of stress, yes?

it’s important to note that thicker fabric tends to fold less than thinner fabric

and now you have a very scared, clothed lad

of course, it’s always best to work from reference so setting up a friend to draw or taking a selfie is always helpful

Some of my favorite words and phrases to describe a character in pain

coiling (up in a ball, in on themselves, against something, etc)

panting (there’s a slew of adjectives you can put after this, my favorites are shakily, weakly, etc)

keeling over (synonyms are words like collapsing, which is equally as good but overused in media)

trembling/shivering (additional adjectives could be violently, uncontrollably, etc)

sobbing (weeping is a synonym but i’ve never liked that word. also love using sob by itself, as a noun, like “he let out a quiet sob”)

whimpering (love hitting the wips with this word when a character is weak, especially when the pain is subsiding. also love using it for nightmares/attacks and things like that)

clinging (to someone or something, maybe even to themselves or their own clothes)

writhing/thrashing (maybe someone’s holding them down, or maybe they’re in bed alone)

crying (not actual tears. cry as in a shrill, sudden shout)

dazed (usually after the pain has subsided, or when adrenaline is still flowing)

wincing (probably overused but i love this word. synonym could be grimacing)

doubling-over (kinda close to keeling over but they don’t actually hit the ground, just kinda fold in on themselves)

heaving (i like to use it for describing the way someone’s breathing, ex. “heaving breaths” but can also be used for the nasty stuff like dry heaving or vomiting)

gasping/sucking/drawing in a breath (or any other words and phrases that mean a sharp intake of breath, that shite is gold)

murmuring/muttering/whispering (or other quiet forms of speaking after enduring intense pain)

hiccuping/spluttering/sniffling (words that generally imply crying without saying crying. the word crying is used so much it kinda loses its appeal, that’s why i like to mix other words like these in)

stuttering (or other general terms that show an impaired ability to speak — when someone’s in intense pain, it gets hard to talk)

staggering/stumbling (there is a difference between pain that makes you not want to stand, and pain that makes it impossible to stand. explore that!)

recoiling/shrinking away (from either the threat or someone trying to help)

pleading/begging (again, to the threat, someone trying to help, or just begging the pain to stop)

Feel free to add your favorites or most used in the comments/reblogs!

Hi do you mind if I ask how you deal with loss of creativity in writing? Lately, I’ve noticed that all my ideas nowadays are unoriginal and bland and I feel helpless about it. I finally have the motivation to write but no inspiration. Is there a way to improve creativity in my stories?

Guide: Filling Your Creative Well

Whether you’re an artist, singer/songwriter, sculptor, or writer, ideas don’t come out of thin air. If you put a pair of shoes, a sweater, a ziplock bag of clothespins, and a hat into a box, shove it into the garage and let it gather dust, you can’t expect to open it up in six months and find some amazing new thing. You can only get out of that box what you put into it, and our storytelling brains work the exact same way. If you’re not constantly feeding other stories and inspiration into your brain, you’ll never have new ideas to pull from when you write.

Thankfully, even if you’re in a rut or a tough place in life, there are a variety of accessible ways to feed new ideas into your creative well. Here are some things you can start doing to fill it back up again. But don’t expect a barrage of great ideas just because you took a walk or watched a movie. Filling up your creative well takes time, so start now and before you know it the ideas will begin to flow.

1. Consume Other Stories

read a variety of fiction, including novels in different genres, short stories and micro-fiction, poetry, essays, and fan-fiction.

read about myths, legends, folk tales, faerie tales, and ghost stories. See if you can find any that are relevant to your area or your ancestry.

watch a variety of different TV series and movies, leaning a little heavier on things that will inform what you write in some way.

watch documentaries on a variety of subjects. These can be found on TV, OnDemand, streaming, on YouTube/Vimeo, and at your local library.

stay up-to-date on local, state, national, and global current events. When a story strikes a chord with you, research it further.

take an interest in real life stories of total strangers. Look for interesting blogs and vlogs. Spend some time on pages like Humans of New York, Humankind Stories, The Dodo, or 60 Second Docs. Listen to podcasts like This American Life and Radio Lab.

play board games and video games, especially ones with a story or that allow some level of role playing.

go to a public place, sit on a bench, and discreetly observe the people around you. Don’t be a creeper, obviously, but see if you notice any interesting stories unfolding around you. If you see an interesting person, without staring at them, see if you can imagine who they are or what their life might be like.

2. See the World

Before you panic, this doesn’t have to mean traveling abroad. It doesn’t even mean you have to leave home…

if you can travel the world, by all means, do that! If you can’t, try planning out a trip you’d like to take someday. Figure out where you’d want to stay, where you’d eat, and what you’d see while you’re there. Then get online go to the web sites of those places, look at pictures, walk around on Google Street View. Look for video and video tours on YouTube.

if you can travel around your country, state, province, region, etc. Do that. And again, if you can’t, try planning a trip you’d like to take someday, then see how much of it you can experience from your computer screen.

try choosing a random location and go “walk around” via Google Street View. Click on photos. Sometimes there are walk around photo tours of places.

watch travel shows, travel documentaries, and travel movies. You can find them on TV, OnDemand, streaming, YouTube/Vimeo, and at your library.

see if your friends or family member have any travel books or travel-related coffee table books you can borrow to flip through. Or go to the bookstore or library to flip through some. If nothing else, think of interesting places, then do a Google Image Search to find photos of that place.

follow facebook pages, instagrams, and tumblr blogs dedicated to a particular place. If you have friends and family who are from different places, or have traveled to different places, ask them to tell you about it.

take a short road trip, or a “Sunday drive” as they used to be called. Be safe about it, of course, but just get in the car and explore some local roads you’ve never traveled before.

visit a nearby town you’ve never been to. If you can’t do that, find someplace in your town you’ve never seen. If nothing else, take a walk in your neighborhood and try to walk down a block you’ve never been down before. (Again, make sure you’re being safe about it.)

ask some friends or family members to go visit a local state park with you. Take a short hike or walk and enjoy that time in nature.

see if there are any interesting street festivals to attend in your town. Many towns do sidewalk art festivals, craft fairs, food truck rallies, carnivals, and seasonal or cultural events.

go spend a few hours walking around a local museum, botanical gardens, or other local attraction.

3. Learn About History

watch TV shows, documentaries, and movies about different historical figures, events, and time periods.

choose a person, event, or time period that interests you and research it thoroughly. Think about ways you can incorporate those ideas into whatever you write–no matter how far your usual genre may be from that event.

learn about the history of your town. See if your town has an historical society. Go to their web page. See if there are any interesting local sites to visit.

research your family tree. Ask family members about family history and see if they have interesting childhood memories to share. See if anyone knows interesting stories about parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

choose an historical figure or event that interests you, then try to re-imagine their life or that event in a different time period or setting. What if Henry VIII was the king of England now? How would that have played out differently? 

learn about daily life and survival in different time periods. Learn what people ate, how they passed the time, how they dressed, and what traditions and rules they lived by.

choose a subject matter like music, fashion, dance, or food, then research how they’ve changed through the ages.

4. Learn About the Future

think about an element of your daily life that either frustrates you or that you deeply rely on. Do some research to see how this thing is projected to change in the future? What advances are expected to be made? How might this thing be different in twenty or thirty years?

learn about the different ways people are planning for the future now. Cities that are implementing green technology, people that are finding interesting new ways to combat pollution or the effects of climate change, and organizations that are planning to colonize the ocean, space, or even other planets.

think of a notable person you’re interested now, like perhaps a pop star or a political figure, then imagine what their life would be like if they were alive in a futuristic city 100 years from now.

watch TV shows and documentaries about the future, or watch movies that take place in the future.

I think I’m going to make a list of recommended TV shows, movies, books, and other resources one of these days. I will eventually link that here. So if you come to this post as a re-blog, click on the original post to see if I’ve updated. Or you can look on my main site. I’ll try to have it up by the end of September 2018.

heyyy do you have any advice on how to write smut cause its sooo difficult for me *cries in virgin*

ur like one of my fav smutty writers and idk if you have any tips 😭

first off thank u very much i appreciate that :)

this isnt the first time ive been asked for writing tips so im gonna give a lot of info. youre bound to find something useful in this mess

im so sorry but one of my solutions to giving myself confidence in smut-writing was to literally fuck and fuck a lot

after losing my virginity it still wasnt enough experience tbh. so i gave myself room to explore my sexuality and was privileged enough to do it with a partner that encouraged that growth. that experience of fucking sure didnt hinder my smut-writing ability if you know what i mean ;0 but everything else about writing i learned from years of practice. ive been writing since i was in elementary school like id come home from fourth grade and read and write on quotev klsdjfsfj smut writing skills came later post puberty

when i tried writing smut as a virgin i genuinely couldn’t get past the build up. i was fantastic at writing the build up, it was the actual sex part that was hard bcos even tho i had done enough research (i read a lot of porn) it didn’t instill me with enough confidence that i could write it correctly, and so i never did. however! i sure wish i’d committed to it more, so let me see if i can write out some tips that would’ve helped me in the past

(this is just how i write smut, im by no means an expert)

my timeline

the way i write smut is pretty formulaic so i’ll break it down:

hook line ⟹ settings ⟹ build-up ⟹ foreplay ⟹ sex ⟹ ending

☥ hook line. maybe: a dialogue piece to kickstart; an ambiguous line that reels you in; an exciting action. i dont like starting my story with the name/pronouns of a character doing something boring. i.e. “you were getting ready for the day…” idk it’s not the worst thing in the world and we've all done it but just writing out what i try to avoid.

☥ build up is key to me. i have such a hard time reading and writing porn with no plot. i’ll do it sometimes if i like the writer enough, but i rarely write smut without the build up bcos i feel like that’s where the juice is. its whats fun and what you get to play around with bcos the actual sex part of the fic is pretty predictable.

focus on what’s said and unsaid in dialogue between characters. focus on the emotion each of them are feeling and how that emotion manifests into body language.

⟹ dirty talk is not for everyone, but god i love it. literally get nasty with it, this is your writing and we’re all just readin it. build anticipation using dirty talk, make filthy promises, make threats. make your characters talk about the nasty shit they wanna do to each other.

imagine someone you really wanna fuck, imagine the things youd do to them if you had the chance,,, write it into your characters.

☥ foreplay. goes hand in hand with dirty talk, its where the touching starts. decide how you want to play it. who gets oral, who gets fingered. both? one of them? neither and they just go straight to fucking?? i like foreplay, but if youre writing a “quickie” scenario then it may not be in the cards.

lets say it is in the cards tho. so some things to remember:

⟹ foreplay gets the dicks hard. when dicks get hard they leak pre-cum. balls have like no cushion and theyre soft and have little sacks in em that move around. the skin of this genital is often described as velvety bcos its soft. ive honestly never had sex with an uncircumcised penis so i have no idea if there’s a difference between how they feel.

foreplay makes the pussies loose and wet. the inside can be lumpy. it can be ridged or smooth. it can be all kinds of flesh colors like brown and pink.

without the foreplay (which can be verbal communication, or touching of the body or genitals) its a little painful for afabs bcos theyre too tight or too dry. and a flaccid dick is a little unpredictable to try to fit in.

⟹ afabs can have multiple orgasms, amabs are less lucky. afabs can cum and squirt multiple times, amabs can cum multiple times.

⟹ genitals get really sensitive after cumming though. so if you write someone finishing, write out how they might need some time before they finish again or start fucking, or that they get overstimulated getting touched still after they came and that sensitivity is a little uncomfortable.

⟹ the head of the penis is the most sensitive and that’s what makes it cum/orgasm. clits on pussies are the most sensitive and its what makes cum/orgasms happen. its very difficult if not impossible to achieve orgasm (if youve got a pussy) through penetration alone without clit stimulation

⟹ you can cum/squirt and not have an orgasm

☥ sex

⟹ changing positions can change angles and hit new pleasurable spots inside pussies.

⟹ probably write a couple different positions during the sex part, just to keep things fresh.

⟹ sprinkle in dirty talk to prolong the sex scene and to avoid sounding repetitive because if youre writing p in v it’s pretty standard to thrust over and over again until youre done. its a lot less glamorous when you spell it out like that, so you gotta add shit to make the sex scene more enjoyable to the reader whos not actively experience the sex.

☥ ending. i usually end the one shot after the fucking is done.

the smut tips

☥ think back to a time you were really turned on. from a show, from a book, something someone said to you, your own sex life, porn you really liked,,, take inspiration from it. use it and channel that own arousal within you.

if youve got a dirty fantasy and it gets you so hot and bothered thinking about it, write that.

if youve got a partner that fucks you crazy good and supplies you with inspo for dialogue or for settings or for scenarios, write that too. theres been a whole bunch on my blog that was inspired by my boyfriend. not everything, but enough to mention it.

also! another thing that people underestimate is the inspiration you take from other blogs. like mine for example, if you like my stuff take inspo from it. study my writing style and you’ll see all kinds of little tips in subtext id never be able to list for you. i do that with other blogs, i dont copy them but i definitely learn little things i like from them and incorporate it into my writing for a more cohesive story. if i take an idea though i ask for their permission & credit them.

☥ the most important tip i can give you is be as self indulgent as possible. youre wasting time worrying about other people. “will they like this? will people think im weird? what if they think im weird for writing this?” fuck that noise. warn accordingly, and go ham. your self indulgence is your best friend. it’ll guide you through all those dirty things you want to say or do to someone, let it take root and write what excites you. chances are you will find your people, and your fic will be set apart bcos it’s so specific to you that people will be drawn to that. and if theyre not? it ends up not being popular? it doesnt matter! because you had fun writing it right? fuck yea u did

☥ the types of words you use are so important. words that invoke a certain emotion or sexy feeling. its difficult to explain but i try my hardest to use “beautiful language” paired with dirty, disgusting, cacophonous language. marry them together so you can convey whether youre “love-making” or “fucking”. i dont like words that dont look or sound good in my head. like when you paint, you probably use colors you like looking at to create the entire picture on the canvas that’s beautiful. so pick out paints that are pleasing to the eyes. the bold ones and the soft ones.

examples of words i dont use cos i hate the way they sound and the way they look: “vagina” and “penis” LMAO

even “butt” isnt a word i like to use. i’ll almost always use “ass” or “backside”

⟹ the smut writer’s dictionary

☥ i keep comedy out of it for the most part, ive never really seem humor added positively into a smut that added to the experience. its usually physical humor stuff like the characters bumping heads or stubbing their toe or something its just cringy to me idk. if i add comedy (i am not good at writing comedy)i put it before the smut. and if you must have some sort of lightheartedness id keep it casual, light, and personal. like an inside joke or something tongue in cheek. you dont have to hide your deepest desires behind humor , you can be serious

☥ your pain tolerance is heightened so run with that. get spanked its fun

more important tips i love and stand by:

☥ call backs are important to me. it’s like if you have something in the future of your fic to be used, try to incorporate it in some small way in your establishing settings or build up. but it’s not as important to others as it is to me. an example would be in my one shot “talk huttese to me”, at the end anakin fucks reader on the tool table. at the very beginning of the fic, when i had reader taking in the surroundings of the “garage bay”, she scanned the drawer stack where she set his broth she brought him, and the tool table he’d later fuck her on. its kinda like,,, foreshadowing (i think?). you’re setting up your reader to be like “?? i wonder why the author thought it would be important to mention the tool table.. wonder if anakin fucks her on it later.” but even if your readers dont react that way, i still think it ties things together nicely

☥ try to write 15-20 mins uninterrupted. create a ritual. i use the bathroom, refill my water, grab a fun drink like sweet tea, put on a silent youtube video (like my ahsoka star wars lofi live i love so much), listen to a playlist of music (preferably music you havent heard before so it can fade into the background. maybe even cultivate a playlist for the vibe youre going for in your story, aids greatly in creating an atmosphere in your writing if youre translating the music in your ears), and turn your phones notifications off (ofc i leave on notifs for calls in case of emergencies, but i can answer my friends’ texts after my writing session). set a timer so you dont have to keep checking the time.

☥ don’t stop in the middle of your storytelling to check the thesaurus or dictionary. write out whatever word/phrase first came to mind and highlight it to come back to later to alter or replace it completely. you’re interrupted your creative flow and its difficult to come back to it when youre checking the thesaurus every five seconds. this hack was crucial to my ability to stay on task i promise you

☥ avoid sounding repetitive by using the same words close together. you’ll create a fuller story by adding to your vocabulary using the thesaurus.

☥ avoid listing actions, break them up with adverbs at the start of your sentences if you must, or description of things or the place your character is in, or explain the emotion your character is feeling or what that emotion is causing within your character. starting sentences over and over again with the character’s name or pronoun breaks up the flow for the reader.

☥ really try to finish your works in progress even if you think its bad, the challenge of it will help you practice and learn to overcome your own mind trying to hold you back

☥ if you dont like the direction your fic is going,,, and youre experiencing writer’s block:: cross out the most recent bit and take it in a new direction. “oh but indy!! i really have a certain goal in mind!!” great, find another way to get to it because youre blocking yourself from finishing this forcing yourself into a non entertaining corner. switch it up! challenge yourself. “but indy!! i really liked what i had for this scene!!” yea but youre blocked right? youre not writing anything else for this scene and you cant, right? if you like what you have for this scene (an action, a dialogue piece youre proud of, a plot twist) save it! use it for a different piece !

hope this helps you and others!

Why don't zoomers use emulators or torrent things anymore? A good amount of zoomers could probably figure it out with time but people either just buy digital games or use pirate streaming sites.

I think there's a certain technical knowledge gap between people whose first computer was a Windows XP machine and people whose first computer was an iPad. On a mobile device like that, even the filesystem is abstracted away from you, so if that's all you've used your whole life, you may not know what a "folder" or a "file" is. If you don't know what those are, how could you be expected to understand something like torrenting? Then add the layer of a VPN, which is basically a necessity when torrenting lest you get a love letter from your ISP, and I'd say it's all but impenetrable for our strawman.

Idk man. Torrenting isn't hard, but there's a barrier to entry that a lot of people who grew up using smartphones aren't equipped to handle. There are plenty of millenials who don't know how to torrent either, and plenty of zoomers who do. It's just a technological generation gap.

Beg for your Life!

Stocktober 2023 Day 27 #Warriors

Full details here

31 Days of Stock, with Prizes for completion!

Models: Me/Lyndsay

Photographer: Charlotte

If you want to help support me and get awesome stuff like early access/polls & pose requests Become A Patron / DA Subscriber or you can check out my Ko-Fi store for exclusive stock!.

Read My Rules Before You Use My Stock.  

Character Movements #1

1. Sighing: The character releases a deep breath, conveying frustration, relief, weariness, or resignation.

2. Shivering: The character's body trembles involuntarily, often indicating fear, coldness, or a strong emotional response.

3. Trembling hands: The character's hands shake noticeably, suggesting nervousness, anxiety, or fear.

4. Clenching fists: The character tightens their hands into fists, expressing anger, determination, or frustration.

5. Biting nails: The character nibbles or bites their nails, indicating nervousness, anxiety, or anticipation.

6. Tapping fingers: The character rhythmically taps their fingers on a surface, suggesting impatience, irritation, or deep thought.

7. Pacing: The character walks back and forth in a small area, indicating restlessness, anxiety, or contemplation.

8. Slumping shoulders: The character's shoulders droop or sag, conveying defeat, sadness, or exhaustion.

9. Tilting head: The character inclines their head to the side, expressing curiosity, attentiveness, or confusion.

10. Rubbing temples: The character massages their temples with their fingertips, suggesting stress, tiredness, or a headache.

btw, everybody who wants to learn/get better at drawing anatomy, the best advice i have for you is to grab the morpho simplified forms book/pdf, sit down, and draw every single drawing thats in the book. or at least thats what i did and it worked really well.

its a lot and it might look like shit at first and it might be difficult and frustrating, god knows it was for me, but it turned out to be enormously helpful at the end. i got significantly better at drawing figures and faces, and whats more important, is that i actually know and understand the fundamentals, the basic shapes and structures and i can apply them moving forward

you just wanna understand the basic things and how they work etc etc. the improvement will come after you draw a fuckton of these. like here, this is 2022 february vs july, its not a Huge difference, but you can see how later i knew what i was doing as opposed to earlier where i was just trying my very best to copy what i saw on the screen

(the hands especially were a nightmare to get through first, but it was worth it. dont be discouraged if something doesnt look the way you want it to, you will get there!)