#cinnamontails-ff

@cinnamontails-ff and @spacesunderstairs both tagged me! This is a lovely idea, so thank you both so much!

I've posted many favorite snippets to this blog already, so here's one you haven't seen: a snip from an AU that probably won't get written for a while but demanded to be put in a doc anyway.

@cinnamontails-ff tagged me to participate in this game. Thank you so much for thinking of me!

What's been your biggest learning point this past year?

Everyone is different. That means everyone's perspective is different, and no one can or should try to tell a story the same way another author would. All you should do is tell your story the way you want it told, and those the story will resonate with will find it.

How has your writing developed this past year?

I'm developing the ability to explain why things are happening or why a character is acting a certain way without explicitly spelling out the reason. Before this year the last time I posted any fic at all was 2018. And in those six years, I had a lot of academic writing to do -- which meant lots of outright explanations, because one can't leave things up to interpretation in academic writing. I'm still getting out of that mindset, I think, but that's one way I've developed this year.

Good writing habits?

I have started finding spots where I can go to focus on my writing. I'm hoping to start making visiting those places part of my regular schedule this year!

Bad writing habits?

I have a very distracting habit of editing as I write. Sometimes I make it two or three paragraphs without stopping to edit. Sometimes I make it two sentences. But I have got to learn to get through the thing first before I start editing.

Favorite thing you wrote?

I love both of my Diana fics, but say yes, but only if you want to wins the top spot by a very slim margin.

Favorite reads?

I refuse to choose. Please check out my Ao3 recs -- that list is full of so many incredible authors, and I reread their stories so often.

Biggest win?

A year ago I wasn't at all anticipating joining a new fandom, much less being active enough to make friends and build a community. And yet here we are, and I'm so glad for it. This would have been an absolute mess of a year for me if you hadn't been with me.

Goals for the new year?

My goals are to write something every day, specifically something that makes me happy (meaning something that's not for work or school or anything else), and to learn to write without stopping to edit along the way.

Your favorite words of the year, aka the words you check each chapter for, making sure you didn't repeat them 788 times?

OUCH. The repeat offenders are look, lean(s), eyes, smile, hand(s), and smirk. Depending on the fic, I might even cut a kiss scene, because lips can start racking up search results, too.

What are you excited for in the new year?

You mean besides making more friends and reading more amazing fics? I'm hoping to start posting my longfic this year, so. That's pretty exciting.

Tagged by @cinnamontails-ff this time -- you're such a sweetheart!

❤️Send this to at least 3 people to spread some OC appreciation!❤️

Hiiiiiiii, Cin. Can you feel my hug through the screen? I hope you can.

How would you describe your OC's personality/aesthetic?

Personality-wise, Diana is observant and attentive, empathetic and loyal, curious and thorough. She also internalizes strong emotions, both positive and negative, and she's much too trusting that strangers have good intentions.

As for her aesthetic, Diana takes great pride and comfort in donning the silver and muted blues of the Selûnite faith, but she also enjoys the bright, lively colors of Amnian textiles. I think her preferences lean toward what we'd call Bohemian -- she likes loose skirts or dresses and often wears a patterned scarf to keep her hair back.

What's your favourite thing about them?

Her faith. I adore Diana's unwavering faith in her goddess, in the people she loves, in the goodness of the world. I wish I had her faith, especially when it comes to my own God.

Tell us a fun fact(s) about your OC or their creation!

Diana was not originally supposed to be ginger! I started the character creation process thinking, "There's a bunch of redheaded Tavs already and I'm going to look like I'm copying their creators if I give Diana red hair. Not doing it. Not doing it."

And then, whoops, I did it. I'd wanted to give Diana brown hair with a reddish tint to it, and nothing I tried in the character creator got anywhere close to the color I had in my head. So I ended up settling for what she has now, thinking I was just going to have to pretend, but the color grew on me and now I can't picture her as anything but a redhead.

2, 7 and 17 for the ask game ❤️

2. Which of your fics is your pride and joy?

So far I’ve only posted one on this account (The Barbarian Witch), but on my Ao3 I’ve got a few that I had posted to my old account. Out of all of them, I’d have to say The World on a String (Captain America fic). I haven’t worked on it in ages, but I’m really proud of how it’s come along so far.

7. Coffee or tea while you write?

It really depends on if I feel like it’ll take more energy to write a certain scene or not. If I don’t take that into consideration, though it’s definitely tea.

17. What is something you recently felt proud of in your writing?

27. Are any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

31. What fic meant the most to you to write?

You always ask me the writing questions that are hardest to think about, and I adore you for it.

27. Are any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

I wish they were. But no, they're not. They are simply the fantasies that live in my head. I write them out because that's the only way to make them real.

31. What fic meant the most to you to write?

All my fics mean something to me because I pour a lot of myself into these works (more than I probably should, if I'm being honest), but i'll peel my heart like a pomegranate if you promise it won't go to waste wins this one hands down. It's the first smut I've ever shared with eyes other than my own, but beyond that, the love and encouragement of friends made me determined enough to start writing and brave enough to start posting fanfic for the first time in nearly a decade.

It's a hobby that, for a lot of reasons, I thought I'd never have again. i'll peel my heart like a pomegranate gave it back to me.