This year, I want you to be unapologetic when you create.

Don’t apologize for your writing, drawing, music, designs, films, sculptures, cosplays, knitting, sewing, cooking, and anything else I might’ve missed.

Don’t apologize for the quality.

Stop being afraid of what you can accomplish. You might think you can do so much better, well guess what? You will. You’re always improving. But if you start to apologize for the best you can do at this moment, then you might restrain yourself, stop yourself from taking risks that will help you.

I know this is a hard thing to stop. I do it all the time. When I submit art to people that I’m not so confident about, I’ll apologize in advance.

Writing Tip #2. Sometimes I just stare at my screens and I am at a loss. No words are forming, no lines are shaping. Simply nothing. I stare and stare and type but nothing comes out that even slightly satisfies me.

Chapters are tricky, and even though you know the general outline of your book and the direction it is headed, it can sometimes happen ( even after thousands of words already written ) that you simply do not know how to start a chapter, write a chapter, or what chapter it will turn out to be. 

I, for example, have been at a loss today, and this was when I went on Instagram (Yes, procrastination, I know. Bad. Bad. Bad!) and just looked at the stories (are they called stories? I don’t know anymore, every app has them for some reason). And I saw that one of my all-time favorite writers @lbardugo was starting a new project / somethingish called Productivity Sprints, where she simply sets a timeframe, or a starting time and lays everything aside for fifteen minutes. In these fifteen minutes, the only thing you are supposed to do is write (or be productive, if you don’t write.) Start doing what you have set out to do, start writing, drawing, cooking, singing, whatever. Just do something. Get yourself in there and push it.  So I thought to myself, hey why the f not? I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, my chapter was lying here vague in my thoughts and had no corporeal form whatsoever. So I started with fifteen minutes. I paused for five. I went again for fifteen (or even thirty minutes) , then paused for five. After that, I had written roughly 1500 words ( not yet a chapter, and it won’t be until tomorrow most likely since I am exhausted, but hey! More than nothing.) The chapter I dreaded took on form and is now something I can expand on more easily in the days to come.  So the gist is; productivity can easily be evaded. There are billions of things these days that can occupy your mind, your body, whatever. But if there is a project you are wanting to do, if there is a chapter you cannot write for whatever reason - just lay everything aside and concentrate. Concentrate on what you want to form, write in the general direction and don’t get yourself distracted. 

Enchanting Bookworm Inspired Digital Illustrations by Simini Blocker

NYC based illustrator Simini Blocker understands the enchanting world bookworms revel in. From Hogwarts to Neverland or King’s Landing, Blocker captures the spellbinding imaginative realms literature has introduced to us with vibrant colours, gorgeous brushstrokes and fitting quotes from our favourite authors. You can find her gorgeous illustrations on Society6 and Etsy.

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for the self-conscious beginner: No one makes great things until the world intimately knows their mediocrity. Don’t think of your writing as terrible; think of it as preparing to contribute something great.

for the self-conscious late bloomer: Look at old writing as how far you’ve come. You can’t get to where you are today without covering all that past ground. For that, be proud.

for the perfectionist: Think about how much you complain about things you love—the mistakes and retcons in all your favorite series—and how you still love them anyway. Give yourself that same space.

for the realist: There will be people who hate your story even if it’s considered a classic. But there will be people who love your story, even if it is strange and unpopular.

for the fanfic writer: Your work isn’t lesser for not following canon. When you write, you’ve created a new work on its own. It can be, but does not have to be, limited by the source material. Canon is not the end-all, be-all. 

for the writer’s blocked: It doesn’t need to be perfect. Sometimes you have to move on and commit a few writing sins if it means you can create better things out of it.

Some simple ways to choose:

Pick your favorite ending.

Flip a coin.

Write both endings.

A more in depth look:

Endings should fit their beginning. 

The central themes and plot lines of the story should carry through from the first chapter all the way to the last. Some combinations of themes and plot lines can work really well for any type of ending, while other combinations do not. 

A story that’s hopeful and funny and relies on themes like forgiveness and family will have a target audience who likes and anticipates happy endings, but who may put up with a bittersweet one if it’s more sweet than bitter. 

A story that’s grim and emotional and portrays realistic failure and pain will have a target audience who craves bittersweet or tragic endings. 

A story that uses humor to explore difficult topics like vengeance and suffering but still shows that people can have joy despite hardship would likely feel natural with any type of ending.

The full third act of any book should also follow through in your protagonist’s character development. Often the most impactful endings are ones which are caused by the final choice your character is forced to make. Learn more about character arcs here.

NO MORE BAD THOUGHTS. DONT SAY YOURE A BAD WRITER. DONT SAY YOU WONT AMOUNT TO ANYTHING. NO MORE SAYING THAT NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR WRITING.

You are growing.

You are learning.

You did not work this hard to throw it all away.

Look at your past self. Look into their eyes. Would you tell yourself that? To just give up? To that little kid that dreamed of being a successful writer, would you do that?

No more bad thoughts.

Only encouragement. Only hope. Only writing that is made to be improved. Only growth.

A few days back on AO3 I found an unfinished, two chapter spideypool fanfic that was cute and had lots of potential and was also last updated two years ago. Two whole years! And it had only three comments, all of which on chapter one, none on chapter two. I enjoyed the fanfic, despite it being far, FAR from being finished and the chance of it ever updating again anytime soon was just about zero. So you know what I did?

I wrote a damn comment. On chapter two.

And I made sure that fucker was long and had a small theory of where I think the author would take the fanfic in the future. I let the person behind the fic know that I friggin LOVED the two chapters I got to read! That I would LOVE to see more! That I’d jump out of my skin in happiness and virtually hug them half to death if I saw that they updated it.

Let me remind you this fic wasn’t updated in two YEARS! I was the first to comment on it in a year. And the first to comment on chapter two! And you know what happened today?

I got a reply.

From the author of the fanfic. And the author said how I gave them life for a project they had loved (still did) and that they were now working on a third chapter. After two YEARS of not updating. Of not writing. And it makes me so friggin happy seeing what I did. What I caused.

With a single. Damn. Comment.

All that it took for me was to think a bit about what I wanted to tell the author and the comment it. All it took was one comment. And suddenly this person was inspired to continue a fanfic they had abandoned for TWO YEARS!!

I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be more proud.