#cqwrites

Indecisivity should be a real word, given it describes a state plenty of us live in when trying to write.

Anyhoo, morning musings ahead.

This year, I’m more of a NaNoWriMo little leaguer than a professional competitor. I can occasionally be goaded to walk up and take a swing with my wiffle bat, but it’s more likely I’ll be daydreaming behind the bleachers than showing up for practice.

Which is okay. While I’m part panster, from personal experience, I know I need some degree of preparation before writing anything large-scale or I wind up slathering and twitching by page 10.

Having done absolutely zilch to incubate and explore new ideas as of late, November seems better dedicated to getting me in the swing of things. I think I can make any month my personal Write a Novel Now, You Lazy Chickpea! challenge, and it would work almost — if not just — as well as NaNoWriMo. I can Richard Simmons myself into action.

But for now, I really need to rediscover my old habit of writing daily. 

The thing is, I’m obsessing so much over a course of action that I’m wasting time and energy which should be directed at ... well, frackin’ writing. 

“Blue-Light Special”

A quick compilation of my Halloween fics and graphics from last year, as well as those shared with me. If you have any spooky or Halloween-themed creations you’d like to share, please let me know, and I’ll add them to tomorrow’s reblogs!

FICS by others

Little Halloween Fun : Dean/Reader. WC 893. Adorable, fluffy costume shopping by @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid

The Price of Power : TFW, Reader. WC 1110-ish. The Mark of Cain continues to consume Dean’s thoughts, and even sleep offers no escape. A soulful, angsty fic compliments of @sleep-silent-angel

Resolution of the Past : TFW. WC 11,534. A mysterious package bearing a strange mask brings a new darkness into the Bunker. Spooky story that could have easily been an actual ep, by @snarky-fangirl

An Unclean Spirit: TFW, Jody, Donna. WC 9329. Missouri teens’ Halloween party in the woods has dark consequences. Perfect blend of SPN meets Halloween horror flick for those in the holiday mood, by @prettymessedupsituation. Turn on lights before reading.

The Psychic Unity of Mankind : Sam, Dean. IN PROGRESS. The Winchesters come across a case involving a young, strange child and a mysterious figure at the window. A super creepy read that I can’t get enough of, by @snarky-fangirl

VIDEO & GRAPHICS by others

Supernatural (go.back.to.sleep)  DON’T YOU DARE EVER SAY THIS WAS NEVER A HORROR SHOW.

Dark!TFW : “Don’t worry. I promise to stay in the dark where I belong.”

Dark!Sam : “Run.”

GRAPHICS & FICS by me

Welcome Home : Dean drabble

Something Wicked : Rowena graphic

Come Little Children: Rowena graphic

Safe & Unsound : Cas drabble

Lily Baker : Six-word story/graphic for one of Azazel’s Special Children.

11:00 PM :  Ficlet. Late-night conversation between the brothers leaves Castiel unsettled.

midnight : Ficlet (Weechesters). In this world, John isn’t the one with the obsession.

1:00 AM : Ficlet. Castiel has lost his grace.

2:00 AM : Ficlet. Reader/S4 Sam. 

3:00 AM : Ficlet. Reader, TFW. When a hunt goes wrong, you’re sent to Bobby’s.

The Panic Room | alt link (formatting got kinda wonky, here) : Sam, Dean. WC 9417. Sam’s been taken, but forces are working against Dean reaching him in time. 

That’s my exact problem with reader inserts. They don’t bug me as a reader, but as a writer? Oof, no.

Y~ep. :( Reading, I can jump on for the ride and not have to think of the Reader as “me.” But when writing, it’s always: “Well... if I have Reader snap his/her gum, will that jar someone out of the fic because that’s their pet peeve? What if I want to set the story in Reader’s suburban hometown, but people reading my story are from the city?” Etc etc.  I drive myself crazy and waste so much time trying to make the Reader relatable that (way too often) I’m afraid I’m trying to sell a blank slate  

This is really cool! Any chance of expanding it? (not that you don't have enough you're working on... ;)

Aw, ty, Obsessi!  <3 But II've no idea... The reason I kept stalling on it way back when was because I felt like it was super unoriginal... like, the ending I was heading toward felt too much like a mediocre filler ep. :( 

I think that’s a huge part of why I struggle with writing Reader fics. On one hand, I want to keep the character vague, so that anyone can put themselves in the Reader’s shoes -- but on the flip side, that makes me feel like I’m sacrificing the quirks that can make a story unique.

Did the others wind up reporting this situation to the police? Did they mention you were carried off by some unknown guy? Speaking of whom — he was kind enough, but could you really trust someone who ran around armed to the teeth, fighting off magic creatures and who knew what else? There were a lot of questions. Too many. All the same, you didn’t ask a one. Picking the right words while trying to fight off anxiety was like trying to pick where to jump from a moving freight train.

“Hey.”

Your seat belt bit into your chest as you jerked back from Dean’s touch. He had patted the side of your arm to get your attention.

He didn’t apologize, but you flushed under his study of your reaction.

“We’re here,” he said, deflecting the moment with a tip of his chin toward the diner. You looked up from the dashboard to a small, squatting establishment. In place of walls, it had large glass windows, offering a clear view of wooden booths and an old-styled lunch counter. At this hour, most of the patrons looked like the elderly or the lonely, although several groups of teens and younger people spotted the meager crowd.

“We’re eating in?” you asked, stomach coiling.

“That’s the idea. More people, more lights, means less trouble.”

No. Stop talking about the average reader as if they have the attention span of a five-year-old.