{Juansen Dizon, I Am The Architect Of My Own Destruction Page 24/ Anaïs Nin, The Diary Of Anaïs Nin,

Death of the author: Treating the author’s stated interpretation of their own work as merely one opinion among many, rather than the authoritative Word of God.

Disappearance of the author: Treating the context and circumstances of the work’s authorship as entirely irrelevant with respect to its interpretation, as though the work had popped into existence fully formed just moments ago.

Taxidermy of the author: Working backwards from a particular interpretation of the work to draw conclusions about what the context and circumstances of its authorship must have been.

Undeath of the author: Holding the author personally responsible for every possible reading of their work, even ones they could not reasonably have anticipated at the time of its authorship.

Frankenstein’s Monster of the author: Drawing conclusions about authorial intent based on elements that are present only in subsequent adaptations by other authors.

Weekend at Bernie’s of the author: Insisting that the author would personally endorse your interpretation of the work if they happened to be present.

im not joking when i say that my friends are everything to me

relationships are so much healthier when the goal is to experience life together and not to try to make the person into who you want them to be or to make them do what you want them to do. 

did it hurt? when your word count for the day turned out to be not even half of what you thought it was?

It’s 1 am and I just… stories really were made to save us, huh?

ty for the tag, i love this <3

parts of a story as aesthetics-

characters: ivy creeping up a building wall, jasmine perfume, chipped nail polish, white satin pillows, laughing with your friends while walking down the block, that smirk when you figure out a secret, jeweled masks for masquerades, looking up to see the rain fall on you, earbuds falling out on the bus, listening to podcasts

plot: heated philosophical debates at midnight, poetry of different cultures, the bridge of every song forever on loop in your head, the fire in you that makes you crave, listening to lord huron, acoustic guitars, leather-bound diaries, analog clocks, that realizing moment when everything makes sense, flannel clothing

romance: pastel candy hearts, ruffled skirts, holding a warm hand in the middle of the night, soft hair, sunlight streaming through the curtains, reblogging fanart, oversized sweaters, calligraphy, listening to the songs your parents did, that pining look across the room, faux fur, pastel purple, bright eyes

development: plot twists, redemption, seeing the good in everyone, auto tuned voices, quoting the most obscure people of the century, pursed lips, bubblegum pink hair, dangling earrings, combat boots, starry skies, soft voices, mullets, tapping out songs, marbled countertops, falling out pom-poms

world-building: seeing more than what is in front of you, warm brown eyes, braiding your friend’s hair, replying to everything with finger guns, playing the piano, the smell of bread in the air, watercolors, hair in front of your eyes, craning your neck to look, the only raised hand in the room

i mean this so seriously if you have any sort of creative project you can and should be a little obsessed with it. you should reread your own writing and look at your own art and brag about your ocs its literally good for your health

sometimes i just really want to just take my spine and whip it around like a lasso to crack it

How to Write a Love Letter

Intro

Today I'm going to be talking about love letters, also known as one of the best (and oldest) motifs in literature. From Pride and Prejudice to The Cruel Prince, people have loved reading about love letters from the beginning, which means there's a lot of pressure to get it right! 

I believe there are two main standards/challenges to consider when writing a proper love letter: 1.) it must sound genuinely impassioned and 2.) it shouldn’t sound like it’s been written before. This post is going to hopefully help with those two standards. Without further ado, let's dive in!

The unspoken is spoken

Many times, people write love letters because it’s easier to put their feelings and thoughts on paper than to speak them aloud. Maybe they’re afraid to express those feelings and thoughts, or maybe they don’t have the time or ability to do so. Whatever the case, these emotions likely build up in them over time, so that when they write a love letter, their words are passionate and intimate. There are many different core emotions that could be at the heart of a love letter (sorry for the pun), including fear, hope, longing, curiosity, grief, and uncertainty. Love letters can be addressed to anyone--people who are alive, missing, lost, or dead--and often many different emotions are involved with it.

How to open a love letter

“Dear [name]” is a classic, if somewhat overused, way to begin a love letter. Ways to switch it up would be including an inside joke, pet name, or a memory from the past. Or, you can forgo the “Dear” altogether and just write the name, which implies that the letter-writer is desperate to get to the point.

There are many different ways to begin the content of the letter. Typically the first item on the agenda is for the letter-writer to explain why they are writing the love letter. You can talk about recent events, past events, or launch into a description of the letter-writer’s predicament. Or you could begin by writing about something seemingly unrelated to love, that eventually connects to the recipient of the love letter in some way.

Figurative language

However much figurative language you use, it has to make sense for the character who’s writing the letter. If they’re typically a blunt person, then their letter will likely be blunt. If they’re a poetic person, then their letter will probably be poetic. Basically, the voice of the letter should sound authentic to the person writing it! Sometimes, the letters that use flowery language aren’t the best letters. Sometimes it’s the letters with simple images and language. Another thing to keep in mind is that specificity conveys even more emotion than five similes in a single sentence ever does. Have the letter writer remember a single moment, or a few events that were significant to them, and include as many details as you can.

The heart of the letter

(Did I really just make the same pun twice in a post? Yes, yes I did.) In fiction, the letter-writer always has a purpose with their letters. Sometimes they’re trying to communicate with the recipient of the letter about a misunderstanding. Maybe they even want to apologize for that misunderstanding. Or maybr they've been separated from their partner, by choice or circumstance, and desperately want to reconnect with them. Whatever the case, the letter should have a point--what is the writer hoping to take away from this? What are their hopes and goals? Keep this in mind the entire time you're writing the love letter.

i know it’s been said before, but it bears repeating: a big, big part of maintaining your confidence & self esteem as a creator is fully embracing the concept of “you don’t have to be good like them.  you can be good like you.”

for example, i’m not someone who’s particularly good at coming up with complex, elaborate plots or incredibly unique ideas.  it’s just not how i choose to write.  and it would be easy for me to look at someone with an elaborate, super unique plot & decide that because i don’t write like that, i’m not a good writer.  after all, unique plots are good, and my writing lacks those, so my writing must not be good, right?  well, no, actually.  i just have different strengths, like taking a simple premise & digging super deep into its emotional depths.  that’s what i do well & it isn’t any better or worse than people who do elaborate world building or come up with really creative and unexpected plots.

your writing is never going to be all things to all people.  it just isn’t.  inevitably, you’ll have to make creative choices that favor certain aspects of writing over others.  there is truly no getting around that & it’s honestly a good thing, because it means you’ve developed your own style.  but you’ll always encounter other creators who posses strengths that you don’t.  it doesn’t mean one is better than the other or that your writing isn’t good enough. 

comparing yourself like that would be like taking a piece of pizza & a cupcake & going “oh no, that cupcake is so sweet & my pizza isn’t sweet at all.” or “gosh, the garlic crust on that pizza is delicious and my cupcake doesn’t have ANY garlic.”  obviously your pizza isn’t sweet.  obviously your cupcake doesn’t have garlic.  a food can’t have every single delicious flavor at once.  the cupcake is good like a cupcake.  the pizza is good like a pizza.  so you don’t have to be good like them.  you can be good like you.