#hancesome

Here’s my contribution to @fortheloveofbluebigbang: art for Put Me Back Together Again, written by the amazing @mayisingtoyou, and beta’d by the equally talented, @ghostmayawrites!

Hunk Ship Week - Day 1: Warmth/Strength

Shay: Yes they always are.

Lance: You know what else is incredibly beautiful?

Shay: Hunk?

Lance: Hunk.

I’m just gonna start this out by saying i’m so honored that you asked me this especially since i’ve only been writing for less than a year whoops but anyway... Buckle up.

Proper grammar is very important

While it might be easier to type how you text and message people, basic sentence structure is important in a. Making your writing legible and b. Making it flow well

Use commas, just be careful how you use them

If what your saying can be said as an aside, chances are you’re going to use a comma or a hyphen

COMMAS ARE NOT USED SIMILAR TO THE PAUSE POINTS WHEN YOU SPEAK GET THAT OUT OF YOUR HEAD RIGHT NOW

Yes sometimes, commas and speaking pause points line up, but it’s not always

Use sentence length to set the mood

Longer sentences slow the reader down, so using FANBOYS or semicolons can really help to create a calm mood

Shorter sentences make the reader read faster, so you can use it to show anxiety or fast paced thoughts or actions

Make grammar your bitch

Proper grammar is important, but misusing grammar can be extremely helpful in setting the mood

For example: run on sentences, bad grammar, but if you use them, it shows that the character is having one long, trailing thought and possible anxiety depending on how the run on is structured

Also, not everyone talks properly. Not everyone says “I’m going to go read.” In fact, most native English speakers say “I’m gonna go read.” Learn how the character speaks, and use that.

If you’re going to use google docs (cause lbr not everyone can afford Word) get the grammarly extension on chrome, it’s like your own personal beta

PLAN

Know where you want your fic to go and make notes

If it’s a longer fic, write out a timeline, get your thoughts down and in order, it’ll save time as you write it out as well as prevent forgetting any plot points

Write down what the characters are like at the start of the fic and then at the end of the fic. Longer fics should have some sort of change and growth

However, if you’re going to write a shorter fic, this doesn’t always apply. Some shorter fics are specifically written just to show one point in a character’s life or characters lives and therefore there might not be much growth

Stay open to ideas

Sometimes your writing is going to take you in a different direction than planned. That’s okay.

If you don’t like where it’s going, DON’T DELETE THE SECTION, instead, move it somewhere else, i.e. a new doc, and start from where it started to veer off it’s path

DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER WRITERS; THIS WILL BE YOUR DOWNFALL

First, everyone has their own way of writing, don’t try and mimic it, or your writing won’t feel genuine to you or your reader

Second, there is always going to be someone better than you. Always. The more you compare yourself, the harsher you’ll get on yourself, and the less you’ll like writing

Third, everyone has to start somewhere. You will post bad fic. I have. Everyone has. It’s how you start, and it’s how you get feedback and grow. Don’t be ashamed of it

Fourth, you are never done growing. You will always be learning new ways to write, new ways to better express feelings and thoughts

Body language

Body language is a solid 60% of conversations, whether you notice it or not

People can actively hid something in their voice from you, but it’s harder to do so with their body, as so much of what we do is subconscious

Learn what your character’s tells are: when they’re lying, annoyed, happy, frustrated, upset, etc. Also, using general tells are pretty good, too. Quite a few people tend to look to the left when they lie, or cross their arms when they’re being defensive.

Showing is better than telling

Through body language, thoughts, and actions, you can show a character’s feelings a whole lot better than outrightly saying it.

This doesn’t mean never tell, but when you do it all the time, the story gets kinda boring

Find your audience

You want to hit moms in their forties? Write like a realistic, romance author

Wanna hit teens? Write about more fantasy and science fiction, hitting romance while still developing characters as they grow and age

Reach out to others in the fandom

talk with people, make friends, come up with headcanons together

encourage them and they will encourage you

having people to talk to about things is honestly so important and the entire reason i’ve been able to keep writing as well as the reason why i stopped for months before i started writing for voltron

Find how you relate to characters. Don’t make them you, but use how you understand yourself to write them. It’s how I write anxiety, depression, adhd, and anger disorders

Have fun when you write

Talk with friends who enjoy what you’re writing about, share little snippets, get people excited or make them cry

Get yourself excited about making people squeal because of tooth-rotting fluff, or have their heart melt with heavy angst

Read other’s works

Learn what you like and what you don’t, what others like and what they don't

See what works when it comes to imagery and what’s better to just say

But oh my god, don’t ever steal. You’re writing should always be your own. You can take inspiration from other people, but when you steal their work it’s unbelievably rude and is extremely upsetting to the author, plus it’s against literally every sites rules and copyrights, and don’t copy their writing style, it just doesn’t work

One thing I do, that I honestly wish I didn’t, but is at least helpful for me

I always get in the mindset of the character, i.e. if Keith’s upset, I get myself upset and then write, or if Lance is super enthused, I get myself really happy

This can be really exhausting and taxing at times, so do this at your own risk

Music can completely change how you write

Find or make a playlist that has the mood for how you want to write something

Be aware of how the song is affecting your writing, and change it if you need to

When the characters are talking, try to hear their voices in your head and channel that when you write

If you listen to the character’s speaking what you want them to say, it becomes easier for the reader to hear that as well

It makes the characters a lot more believable

Relationships aren’t black and white

there’s cutesy little things, fights/arguments, sex (if you write that) and so much more

think about how you interact with your friends. how you sometimes get frustrated with them and just need to be alone, or how easy it can be to talk with them and spend time with them and how sometimes it can be a mix of the two. it’s a lot like that just with romance and kisses

no two relationships are the same. keith and lance don’t have the same dynamic as shiro and allura. hunk and lance don’t have the same dynamic as hunk and keith. everything and everyone is different and compliment each other in different ways. 

that so many ship names are or can make cute words or sound like other words.

Hunk/Lance– “You’re so hancesome.” Shiro/Keith– “Sheith your sword, man.” Hunk/Keith– “Gimmie a delicious heith bar.” Pidge/Lance– “Put some pance on!” Shiro/Matt– “I haven’t shatt all day.” Shiro/Lance– “Give peace a shance.”

then you have the new lance/lotor as lancelot and i think that is the cutest thing, even if i’m not bothering with any of the fandom lotor stuff, that’s a great ship name, right off the bat.