#symphonyao3

why don’t i have the message feature anymore? 😭😭😭 what did i DO

I think it’s so cool that you connected two things u love (metal & mellodramattic lol) to write a story, and I was wondering how you got that idea & how you pulled it off so smoothly??

I’ve tried to write about my music/movie tastes in fanfics but it always comes off as a big infodump and it seems kinda forced, so I’m basically asking for tips. You always make it look so effortless and cool╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

Thank u!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This means the world to me you have no idea and I'm gonna ramble so hard rn

OK MY TIPS:

Dont shy away from the fact it's an inspired fic!! I know it's hard and sometimes I cringe myself out so bad when I'm writing- I've nearly deleted ThrashNet soo many times because I feel like it's so dumb. (you can really see this at the start of ThrashNet, my first authors note was soooo insecure!) But NO- talk about whatever you want and own it, otherwise it reads as insecure writing and people will enjoy your interests if you write about them passionately!

Get in the headspace of a fan!! To me, music is about so much more than just the songs. There's a whole culture around every single genre! It goes so deep too; subgenres, style, hierarchies, iconic lore, in-jokes, stereotypes- just think about how that influences your characters.

Draw from your experiences!! Loads of my characterisations are inspired by people I know IRL. Beyond is a combination of all the edgy black metal fans I've ever met. Matt's brother is pretty much my brother. I felt like Matt when I was a teen and then Mello for the better half of university. I even read old metal forums just to see people interacting. It works because it feels real!

Assume your audience is on the same page!! Okay, hear me out- people don't wanna read a wiki article, they just wanna feel like they're in on it. If I want to mention some obscure metal lore I try to write like I'm just reminding a friend who already knows; just one sentence that underpins everything important. People usually get the gist and it doesn't take away from the story, and I think it feels more natural to what the characters would think. Sometimes I explain things in the author's note too so it helps me just easily slide it in.

Play into stereotypes (fondly) I love writing about teenage dirtbag limp bizkit fans and edgy wannabe metal lords- these are all people we've met before (and been), so we all already have a really clear idea of what they're like. It's fun to exaggerate and just be silly with- but don't be mean! It should never read like you're making fun of them; we're all friends in the metalsphere.

Go deep! Think about why YOU like what you're writing about. If it's a musicfic; do you just like the music because it sounds nice? Or did it save your life? Or did it come at a really important time for you? Did somebody you love show it to you? These are all things your character should feel, even if you don't explicitly tell the audience. I read somewhere that you should always know more about your characters than you need for the story and I think that applies here.

CONSUME MEDIAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! Listen to the music, watch the movies, watch old concerts, read tumblr blogs... just do everything! Be a fan and then go write about your faves being fans lol. I also personally got big inspiration recently re-reading ATYD, it's such a beautiful example of characters being influenced by music.

Music is so beautiful to write about because it invokes such deep deep emotions. Everything I write is inspired by music. Coyote Ugly was inspired by Pink Pony Club; I don't even listen to chappelle roan but I heard it on a Billy Elliott edit and I just had to write something afterwards. And now I'm planning a Britpop fic!!!

Wow, I wrote so much I hope that makes sense. Really, just have fun and write about what you're passionate about. People will love it if you do <3

Definitely in playful segments and probably in smut 😈

plus, Matt’s friends (well, mostly just Linda) are still reasonably wary of Mello, so they aren’t letting this rivalry go just yet.

HIIII THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!!!

I'm gonna be honest, it might be a little bit before this next one. I already have about 3k words but I'm very busy at work and this chapter is a special one so I do not wanna rush it!!

HOPEFULLY it'll be out before Monday though!!!