I do like the laziness angle...

gormenghast. a beautiful piece of classic fiction that utilizes prose poetry in such a way as to fundamentally alter the perception of the reader. its TRUE fantasy, without the set dressing and the crutches. fantasy as DAYDREAM. fantasy as reality, not as science. you can tell Peake was primarily a visual artist the way he paints with words.

on a related subject, i am of the opinion that what the average reader calls "realism" is less related to reality than the most abstract poetry. reality is not made up of color coded spreadsheets and neatly arranged dioramas where all motivations are clear and all plans are clean and efficient. reality is a series of messy disjointed dreams that barely form a narrative. if you want REALISM read ulysses

it is always narratively correct to make your characters sleep together before they sort through the hundreds of lies and misdirections between them. make things worse make things worse make things worse #i love betrayal #i love lying #i love people feeling bad about themselves

i really relate to that character in a way i cant explain in words. put her in the eternal torture chamber now please

i understand wanting to coddle your guy after the horrors or whatever but. there is something sooooo compelling about strangers and even friends flinching away from the Character in the aftermath. something’s not the same as it was, and maybe no one can put their finger on it—what draws their focus that never did before, the intensity of their attention, the way they set their jaw, now, and never quite fully relax their body. but it’s unsettling. even if you can’t name it, there’s the suspicion that something in them broke into a sharp edge, and people can sense the threat.

The fastest way to accomplish The Project is to cease being afraid of The Project. The Project cannot maim you. The Project cannot kill you. The Project is more afraid of you than you are of it. It is okay if The Project turns out differently from how it was in your head, and it is okay if it has flaws. You are capable of engaging with The Project.

hey guys not sure if any of you relate but personally ive been really big into stories lately. characters, even. i find myself impacted by fiction. yeah. that made-up stuff. this is just one brief look into my sick and twisted mind

The key to writing good fanfiction is to harbor a deeply humiliating desire, and the trick there is that even pretty basic and societally-accepted desires like “being held” and “being wanted” CAN and WILL be humiliating if they’re intense enough. Become so estranged from human connection that the idea of someone playing with your hair fills you with yearning so deep you feel like you’re going to throw up and you will write some banger fanfiction. It might have some other consequences too but idrk about that.

my writing gland is purple and swollen

has anyone ever successfully written anything. personally i dont think its possible. if youve ever seen me write something no you havent

do you ever not write for so long that you’re almost afraid to? like what if I’m dumb now

You just gotta unclog the pipe. Are you dumb now? No. The water was sitting stagnant because you were busy doing other things (100% fine btw). If any 'dumb' got in the water then it will quickly leave once you let the water start flowing again. Go get all the stupid out into a doc that doesn't matter. Even several of them. It might take a good while, especially if you're returning to writing after years or after a period of intense burnout, or both (waves). But you're just rusty, and letting that stop you will only ensure you stay stuck! Go forth and write some nonsense!