Sadie

Who Do You Let Go?

A character faces an impossible decision, Two people they care deeply about are in a life-threatening situation, but they can only save one.

How do they decide who gets to live and who must die? What factors influence their choice? How do they carry the burden of this decision going forward?

Betray Your Best Friend

Betraying their closest friend could save countless lives, but this betrayal would forever destroy their friendship.

How do they weigh the lives of many against their loyalty to one? What happens if their friend learns the truth?

The Painful Truth

A character uncovers a deep and painful truth that could shatter the lives of those they love.

Do they choose to reveal this truth, despite the potential devastation it could cause? Or do they protect their loved ones by keeping it hidden?*

The Sacrifice

The protagonist is faced with a choice to sacrifice something of immense value – be it their greatest dream, their freedom, or even a part of themselves – to save the life of someone they love.

What are they willing to give up? How does this decision change their life and relationships?

Thief or Desperate?

To survive, they have no choice but to steal.

How do they justify this action to themselves and others? Can they maintain their humanity while betraying their principles?

Forgiveness or Eternal Pain?

A character is confronted with the possibility of forgiving someone who has caused them deep, unforgivable pain. This person pleads for forgiveness, but the wounds run deep.

Does the character choose the path of forgiveness, which might bring healing, or do they hold on to their pain and the desire for revenge?

Loyalty Tested by Fire

A character is placed in a difficult situation that challenges their loyalty to their friends, family, or beliefs. A tempting offer could lead them to betray everything they once stood for.

(Even when life beats you down)

Look, I’m a mom, I have ADHD, I’m a spoonie. To say that I don’t have heaps of energy to spare and I struggle with consistency is an understatement. For years, I tried to write consistently, but I couldn’t manage to keep up with habits I built and deadlines I set.

So fuck neurodivergent guides on building habits, fuck “eat the frog first”, fuck “it’s all in the grind”, and fuck “you just need time management”—here is how I manage to write often and a lot.

Focus on having fun, not on the outcome

This was the groundwork I had to lay before I could even start my streak. At an online writing conference, someone said: “If you push yourself and meet your goals, and you publish your book, but you haven’t enjoyed the process… What’s the point?” and hoo boy, that question hit me like a truck.

I was so caught up in the narrative of “You’ve got to show up for what’s important” and “Push through if you really want to get it done”. For a few years, I used to read all these productivity books about grinding your way to success, and along the way I started using the same language as they did. And I notice a lot of you do so, too.

But your brain doesn’t like to grind. No-one’s brain does, and especially no neurodivergent brain. If having to write gives you stress or if you put pressure on yourself for not writing (enough), your brain’s going to say: “Huh. Writing gives us stress, we’re going to try to avoid it in the future.”

So before I could even try to write regularly, I needed to teach my brain once again that writing is fun. I switched from countable goals like words or time to non-countable goals like “fun” and “flow”.

Rewire my brain: writing is fun and I’m good at it

I used everything I knew about neuroscience, psychology, and social sciences. These are some of the things I did before and during a writing session. Usually not all at once, and after a while I didn’t need these strategies anymore, although I sometimes go back to them when necessary.

I journalled all the negative thoughts I had around writing and try to reason them away, using arguments I knew in my heart were true. (The last part is the crux.) Imagine being supportive to a writer friend with crippling insecurities, only the friend is you.

Not setting any goals didn’t work for me—I still nurtured unwanted expectations. So I did set goals, but made them non-countable, like “have fun”, “get in the flow”, or “write”. Did I write? Yes. Success! Your brain doesn’t actually care about how high the goal is, it cares about meeting whatever goal you set.

I didn’t even track how many words I wrote. Not relevant.

I set an alarm for a short time (like 10 minutes) and forbade myself to exceed that time. The idea was that if I write until I run out of mojo, my brain learns that writing drains the mojo. If I write for 10 minutes and have fun, my brain learns that writing is fun and wants to do it again.

Reinforce the fact that writing makes you happy by rewarding your brain immediately afterwards. You know what works best for you: a walk, a golden sticker, chocolate, cuddle your dog, whatever makes you happy.

I conditioned myself to associate writing with specific stimuli: that album, that smell, that tea, that place. Any stimulus can work, so pick one you like. I consciously chose several stimuli so I could switch them up, and the conditioning stays active as long as I don’t muddle it with other associations.

Use a ritual to signal to your brain that Writing Time is about to begin to get into the zone easier and faster. I guess this is a kind of conditioning as well? Meditation, music, lighting a candle… Pick your stimulus and stick with it.

Specifically for rewiring my brain, I started a new WIP that had no emotional connotations attached to it, nor any pressure to get finished or, heaven forbid, meet quality norms. I don’t think these techniques above would have worked as well if I had applied them on writing my novel.

It wasn’t until I could confidently say I enjoyed writing again, that I could start building up a consistent habit. No more pushing myself.

I lowered my definition for success

When I say that nowadays I write every day, that’s literally it. I don’t set out to write 1,000 or 500 or 10 words every day (tried it, failed to keep up with it every time)—the only marker for success when it comes to my streak is to write at least one word, even on the days when my brain goes “naaahhh”. On those days, it suffices to send myself a text with a few keywords or a snippet. It’s not “success on a technicality (derogatory)”, because most of those snippets and ideas get used in actual stories later. And if they don’t, they don’t. It’s still writing. No writing is ever wasted.

A side note on high expectations, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism

Obviously, “Setting a ridiculously low goal” isn’t something I invented. I actually got it from those productivity books, only I never got it to work. I used to tell myself: “It’s okay if I don’t write for an hour, because my goal is to write for 20 minutes and if I happen to keep going for, say, an hour, that’s a bonus.” Right? So I set the goal for 20 minutes, wrote for 35 minutes, and instead of feeling like I exceeded my goal, I felt disappointed because apparently I was still hoping for the bonus scenario to happen. I didn’t know how to set a goal so low and believe it.

I think the trick to making it work this time lies more in the groundwork of training my brain to enjoy writing again than in the fact that my daily goal is ridiculously low. I believe I’m a writer, because I prove it to myself every day. Every success I hit reinforces the idea that I’m a writer. It’s an extra ward against imposter syndrome.

Knowing that I can still come up with a few lines of dialogue on the Really Bad Days—days when I struggle to brush my teeth, the day when I had a panic attack in the supermarket, or the day my kid got hit by a car—teaches me that I can write on the mere Bad-ish Days.

The more I do it, the more I do it

The irony is that setting a ridiculously low goal almost immediately led to writing more and more often. The most difficult step is to start a new habit. After just a few weeks, I noticed that I needed less time and energy to get into the zone. I no longer needed all the strategies I listed above.

Another perk I noticed, was an increased writing speed. After just a few months of writing every day, my average speed went from 600 words per hour to 1,500 wph, regularly exceeding 2,000 wph without any loss of quality.

Talking about quality: I could see myself becoming a better writer with every passing month. Writing better dialogue, interiority, chemistry, humour, descriptions, whatever: they all improved noticeably, and I wasn’t a bad writer to begin with.

The increased speed means I get more done with the same amount of energy spent. I used to write around 2,000-5,000 words per month, some months none at all. Nowadays I effortlessly write 30,000 words per month. I didn’t set out to write more, it’s just a nice perk.

Look, I’m not saying you should write every day if it doesn’t work for you. My point is: the more often you write, the easier it will be.

No pressure

Yes, I’m still working on my novel, but I’m not racing through it. I produce two or three chapters per month, and the rest of my time goes to short stories my brain keeps projecting on the inside of my eyelids when I’m trying to sleep. I might as well write them down, right?

These short stories started out as self-indulgence, and even now that I take them more seriously, they are still just for me. I don’t intend to ever publish them, no-one will ever read them, they can suck if they suck. The unintended consequence was that my short stories are some of my best writing, because there’s no pressure, it’s pure fun.

Does it make sense to spend, say, 90% of my output on stories no-one else will ever read? Wouldn’t it be better to spend all that creative energy and time on my novel? Well, yes. If you find the magic trick, let me know, because I haven’t found it yet. The short stories don’t cannibalize on the novel, because they require different mindsets. If I stopped writing the short stories, I wouldn’t produce more chapters. (I tried. Maybe in the future? Fingers crossed.)

Don’t wait for inspiration to hit

There’s a quote by Picasso: “Inspiration hits, but it has to find you working.” I strongly agree. Writing is not some mystical, muse-y gift, it’s a skill and inspiration does exist, but usually it’s brought on by doing the work. So just get started and inspiration will come to you.

Accountability and community

Having social factors in your toolbox is invaluable. I have an offline writing friend I take long walks with, I host a monthly writing club on Discord, and I have another group on Discord that holds me accountable every day. They all motivate me in different ways and it’s such a nice thing to share my successes with people who truly understand how hard it can be.

The productivity books taught me that if you want to make a big change in your life or attitude, surrounding yourself with people who already embody your ideal or your goal huuuugely helps. The fact that I have these productive people around me who also prioritize writing, makes it easier for me to stick to my own priorities.

Your toolbox

The idea is to have several techniques at your disposal to help you stay consistent. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket by focussing on just one technique. Keep all of them close, and if one stops working or doesn’t inspire you today, pivot and pick another one.

After a while, most “tools” run in the background once they are established. Things like surrounding myself with my writing friends, keeping up with my daily streak, and listening to the album I conditioned myself with don’t require any energy, and they still remain hugely beneficial.

Do you have any other techniques? I’d love to hear about them!

Back to the Blog Main Masterlist

🪶The parents that are left [angst] There weren't many patrol partners Joel Miller tolerated: his brother and Iris. On a cold January day, Joel pays her mother a visit and finds out you can bond over anything. Unfortunately.

🪶 Resting Eyes [fluff] Joel didn't think he'd ever feel at peace again, but you and your books, you've brought it back to him.

🪶Muscle Memory [fluff] It's not easy being a single mom in Jackson but help can come from the most unlikely places.

Activision Blizzard is in this boycott and that’s because they have already started using AI in their stories as well as their marketed items in the new modern warfare game

Do what you will with this info this is more so to spread information but I find it disappointing and honestly gross that they didn’t disclose this that they used AI

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

Joel Miller Masterlist

* indicates smut. 18+, minors do not interact.

one shots:

Tailgate*

-> your best friend drags you to a tailgate party, and you end up being introduced to one very attractive miller brother.

A Forever Thing

-> you and joel have been trying for a baby since the night you two married, but haven’t had any luck—until you do.

Help Me Forget*

-> joel and tommy stumble upon an unexpected body in the snow on their patrol, and they bring the person back to jackson with them.

Pout*

-> joel’s noticed you’ve been working a little too hard, and he misses you. he decides to use his all-consuming charm to coax you to relax… in more ways than one.

Forbidden Fruit*

-> you return back home from college after graduating with your master’s degree, and joel miller is surprised to see how much you’ve really grown up.

Shotgun*

-> you and joel smoke together for the first time.

Ride, Cowgirl*

-> you tell joel one of your fantasies that’d been on the back burner, but he encourages you to bring it to life.

Love Me Tender

-> after a terrible mental week, joel checks in on you and makes sure you’re taken care of.

Something in the Orange

-> you and joel enjoy a peaceful autumn morning together.

Ring*

-> tommy teases joel about you and him having marriage problems when he notices you aren’t wearing your wedding ring.

Mask*

-> joel throws his annual halloween party, and you’re both determined to settle your aching need for each other.

Mystery

-> tommy drags joel to a club which he detests to, until he sets his sights on you.

Checkmate – blurb*

-> screwing your dad’s best friend shouldn’t feel this good.

Checkmate – one shot*

-> you and your dad’s best friend play a dangerous game, and one of you ends up losing faster than you both anticipated.

Nobody Does It Like You Do*

-> good girls always get rewarded.

Birthday Girl*

-> joel gives you a sweet surprise on your birthday.

Traditions*

-> you and joel make holiday traditions in your new home.

Sweet Thing*

-> the most unlikely pair in jackson just can’t get enough of each other.

A Merry Little Christmas

-> christmas morning at the miller household is always chaotic in the sweetest way possible.

Dawn’s First Light*

-> joel tells you he loves you for the first time.

Hiraeth*

-> the most invigorating and intoxicating drug you’ve had in your life is completely forbidden—and then there’s weed.

Real Love, Baby

-> joel has a bad day at work, but seeing you dancing in the kitchen makes it all better.

An Ode to Forever*

-> after an arduous day, joel draws a bath to help you both relax.

or

an ode to how much you love joel miller, and he, you.

The Hills*

-> drugs. sex. fame. joel miller. something about hollywood or other. it all seems to become a blurred line when you get invited to an oscars after party at a house in the hills.

Sweet*

-> it’s a lazy sunday, and joel prefers to have his coffee in bed with a side of you.

Clouded*

-> saturdays are meant for errands and chores. joel convinces you otherwise just for once.

Pretty Little Thing*

-> it’s summertime and you’re working at a retro diner on the outskirts of austin. you’ve seen many faces and heard many voices all in a passing blur; ones you’ve never really payed any mind to—until one handsome southern gentleman in particular catches your special attention, and he’s got a voice you’d recognize anywhere—one that’s gotten you off more times than you’d like to admit.

drabbles:

Angel*

Sir*

[untitled]*

series:

Fate, After All*

-> your mom thinks it’s a bright idea to keep setting you up on blind date after blind date. none of them work in your favor—until one unintentionally does.

Law of Attraction*

-> you and your criminal law professor have an undeniable attraction toward each other. it’s only natural that you both explore that attraction—but navigating a dynamic like that is never as simple as it seems.

A Burning Desire (ongoing)*

-> you were fine with being single, basking in the freedom and independence of it all—until a handsome firefighter walks into your life and completely flips your world around.

Yours, Always (ongoing)*

-> in which you find an old mixtape made by the one that got away.

These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coats, Pixar’s Story Artist. 

You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.

Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.

Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.

Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.

Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.

If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.

No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.

You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?

You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?

What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

Sources: [1] [2]

About me

18+ account - minors do not interact

+ Starstruck Heights - complete

Summary: You meet Joel Miller on a flight not realizing exactly who he is. Sparks will fly. Will Joel star in your future or will your insecurities and guarded nature push him away?

+ Buried Truths - in progress

Summary: You move to Austin after getting a job offer from Dell (UT Austin) Med’s Department of Pediatrics after completing your residency. You meet Sarah Miller when she gets injured during a soccer game and meet her father whom you end up falling for. However, you have a dark secret that could shatter your entire world… and how much of your heart that you can give to Joel Miller.

+ Defying Algorithms - in progress

Summary: One day, while updating your tech company’s dating app algorithm, you accidentally create a glitch that causes the app's messaging system to malfunction a couple weeks before the launch of the app. Desperate to fix your mistake, you enlist the help of your co-worker, Joel Miller, a cynical, grumpy, and charming app developer who believes in love as much as he believes in unicorns. As you two work together to undo the glitch, you and Joel discover a connection of your own that goes beyond a simple equation.

+ I Wanna Enjoy The Morning With You (part 1) + Third Date (part 2)

Summary: Snippets of Jackson Joel & his lady.

+ Piña Coladas (part 1) + The Demi Moore Effect (part 2) - Coming Soon! Summary: You are a single mom and physical therapist with a crush on Francisco Morales, your helicopter pilot client who is currently recovering from an injury. Due to professional boundaries, you cannot find yourself to act on your feelings. You struggle with your age and doubt that the man could ever be interested in you, completely oblivious to the mutual attraction that exists between you two.

+ Riddles Summary: You realize your husband may not be who you think he is.

+ Unexpected

Summary: Random moments of your life with Hubby!Dieter

+ Wine and Dine

18+ account - minors do not interact

joel miller x f!reader

Rating: E

Warnings: Smut (18+MDNI), language, alcohol use, mutual pining, fluff, flirting, slow burn-ish, angst-ish, romcom vibes (any additional warning will be listed in each chapter)

Fic Summary: In a world where technology has taken over nearly every aspect of life, traditional forms of courtship and romance have all but disappeared. You work for a tech company that develops the latest dating app. Despite your job, you are a hopeless romantic who longs for more meaningful connections in a world obsessed with swiping right.

One day, while updating the app's algorithm, you accidentally create a glitch that causes the app's messaging system to malfunction a couple weeks before the launch of the app.

Desperate to fix your mistake, you enlist the help of your co-worker, Joel Miller, a cynical, grumpy, and charming app developer who believes in love as much as he believes in unicorns. As you two work together to undo the glitch, you and Joel discover a connection of your own that goes beyond a simple equation.

PART 1: The Glitch

PART 2: The Fix

PART 3: The Launch - coming soon!

Epilogue - coming soon!

💀🌹 Some Editorial Photoshoot of GhostJade idk 💀🌹

Got some downtime so I drew this before I went to sleep. Hope y'all like this doodle! (❤️ ω ❤️)

*pics for aesthetic purposes only!

Summary: You and Simon have a confusing relationship, you're settling and he refuses to ever let things become more between you, but when you end up pregnant with his kid things start to dramatically shift between you. Can things work out between you or will things end up just as Simon thought?

Pairings: Simon 'ghost' Riley x Fem!Reader

CW: fem!reader, mentions of pregnancy, mentions of sex but no actual smut, unrealistic representations of pregnancy, childbirth, medical staff, and the military, mentions of trauma (on both reader and simons side), age up but it's unspecified, oc's kinda but mostly just random filler characters, eventual childbirth, mental health issues, military induced injuries, blood, violence, suggestive language and wording, just a lot of overall angst and hurt (but there will always be comfort dw)

Please do not repost my fics onto other platforms and please do not attempt to claim my writing as yours! I do not give anyone the right to claim, change, or repost my works on other sites! Reblogs on tumblr are permitted! Please don't steal my work <3

─── ⋆⋅𐀔⋅⋆ ────── ⋆⋅𐀔⋅⋆ ────── ⋆⋅𐀔⋅⋆ ────── ⋆⋅𐀔⋅⋆ ──────

Chapter One ༊ Cry, Cry

“i’ve never noticed how nice your voice sounds up close.”

“this might not be the best moment, but you smell really good.”

“here, let me hold onto you so we don’t get separated.”

“i’m really nervous.” “it’s okay. just focus on me, alright?”

“i promise i’ll keep you safe, no matter what.”

“i’m not sure if you’re aware, but your elbow is digging into my side.”

“we’re never telling anyone about this, understood?”

“i know you’re not a fan of close contact, but we don’t have much choice.”

SIMON RILEY x FEM!READER TASK FORCE 141 x PLATONIC!FEM!READER

Part One: Traitors Among Us

Part Two: Innocents Among You

Part Three: The Guilty Plea (coming soon)

Part Four: ???

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