Thorns in Winter

Feyre grew up in poverty, hunting and trying to keep her family alive. She suffered, but that wasn't her fault; it was her father's. Later, at the MTU, Feyre also suffered a lot, but it wasn't her fault either. And then there was that mess with Tamlin before Feyre went to the Night Court. People will say it was abuse, but... I didn't see Feyre complaining about anything related to anger issues, claws, broken furniture, or anything like that. The ONLY thing was him locking her away (and let's be real again, for understandable reasons). She was acting suicidal, and while Tamlin's option wasn't the best one by far, it was the one that worked, since she didn't follow him, as she said she would, and she didn't die.

So she destroys the Spring Court (Tamlin suffers all the consequences that should be hers), possibly killing and destroying the lives of many and nothing happens to her again, she doesn't even let herself think about it. Then the war comes and the war ends, and Feyre is there, getting another new house, painting, having a child and NOTHING of her really maturing as a GIRL, Feyre was only 19 years old at the beginning of this series (if I'm not mistaken), nobody matures THAT much in adolescence, especially someone in her conditions. And mainly because she couldn't read, couldn't write, had no knowledge whatsoever (she probably never even studied, otherwise she wouldn't be illiterate). She didn't evolve in ANYTHING, not in knowledge, not in the magic itself that she gained and especially in thoughts and behaviors.

And it's ironic that someone so manipulable was married to someone so manipulative.

Her personality is based on: Feysand and Arrogance.

Anyway, I don't know if Sarah will ever make Feyre rethink her actions or if she will continue to be this arrogant governess with no knowledge of her own race or culture.

This is what I wanted to see at ACOMAF. If I didn't get it in the books, I'll damn well do it myself.

(no ✨vibes✨, just structure, stakes, and first-sentence sweat)

hello writer friends 💌 so you opened a doc. you sat down. you cracked your knuckles. maybe you even made a playlist or moodboard. and then… you stared at the blinking cursor like it personally insulted your entire bloodline.

here’s your intervention. this post is for when you want to write chapter one, but all you have is aesthetic, maybe a plot bunny, maybe a world idea, maybe nothing at all. here’s how to actually start a book, from structure to sentence one.

—

🌶️ STEP 1: THE SPICE BASE ~ “WHAT’S CHANGING?”

start with this question:

what changes in the protagonist’s life in the first 5–10 pages?

doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. they could get a letter, lose a job, run late, break a rule, wake up hungover in the wrong house. what matters is disruption. the opening of your book should mark a shift. if their day starts normal, it shouldn’t end that way.

🏁 opening chapters are about motion. forward movement. tension. momentum. if nothing is changing, your story isn’t starting, you’re just doing a prequel.

—

⚙️ STEP 2: THE CRUNCHY BITS - CHOOSE AN ENTRY POINT

there are 3 classic places to start a novel. each one works if you’re intentional:

The Day Everything Changes most popular. you drop us in right before or during the inciting incident. clean, fast, efficient.

pro: immediate stakes con: harder to sneak in worldbuilding or character grounding

The Calm Before the Storm starts slightly earlier. show the character’s “normal” life, then break it. useful if the change won’t make sense without context.

pro: space to introduce your character’s routine/flaws con: risky if it drags or feels like setup

The Aftermath drop us in after the big event and fill in gaps as we go. works well for thrillers, mysteries, or emotionally heavy plots.

pro: instant drama con: requires precision to avoid confusion

📝 pick one. commit. don’t blend them or you’ll write three intros at once and cry.

—

🧠 STEP 3: CHARACTER FIRST, ALWAYS

readers don’t care about your setting, your magic system, or your cool mafia politics unless they’re anchored in someone.

in the first scene, we need to know:

what this person wants

what’s bothering them (externally or internally)

one trait they lead with (bold, anxious, calculating, naive, etc.)

that’s it. just one want, one tension, one vibe. no bios. no monologues. no “they weren’t like other girls” essays. put them in a situation and show how they act.

—

⛓️ STEP 4: OPEN WITH FRICTION

first scenes should create questions, not answer them.

there should be tension between:

what the character wants vs. what they’re getting

what’s happening vs. what they expected

what’s being said vs. what’s being felt

you don’t need a gunshot or a car crash (unless you want one). you need conflict. tension = momentum = readers keep reading.

—

✏️ STEP 5: WRITE THE FIRST SENTENCE - THEN IGNORE IT

okay. now you write it.

no pressure. you’re not tattooing it on your soul. this isn’t the final line on the final page. you just need something.

tricks that work:

start in the middle of an action

start with a contradiction

start with something unexpected, funny, or sharp

start with a small lie or a weird detail

💬 examples:

“The body was exactly where she’d left it - rude.” “He was already two hours late to his own kidnapping.” “There was blood on the welcome mat. Again.” “They said don’t open the door. She opened it anyway.”

once you’ve got it? keep going. don’t revise yet. don’t edit. just build momentum.

you can come back and make it ✨iconic✨ later.

—

📦 BONUS: WHAT NOT TO DO IN YOUR OPENING

don’t start with a dream

don’t info-dump lore in paragraph one

don’t give me three pages of your OC making toast

don’t try to sound like a Victorian cryptid unless it’s on purpose

don’t introduce 7 named characters in one scene

don’t start with a quote unless you are 800% sure it slaps

be weird. be sharp. be specific. aim for interest, not perfection.

—

🏁 TL;DR (but make it ✨useful✨)

something in your MC’s life should change immediately

pick a structural entry point and stick to it

give us a person, not a setting

friction = good

first lines are disposable, just make them interesting

and if you needed a sign to just start the damn book, this is it.

💌 love, -rin t.

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:

Tansies: A Declaration Of War

Chapter 4: Calla Lilies: Life and Death

FINISHED | Rated Explicit | 4/4 chapters | 19,027 words

Main Tags:

Rhysand POV, Betrayal, Angst, Tamlin and Rhys Become High Lords, Lovers to Enemies, MPreg / Male Pregnancy, Pregnant Tamlin, Unplanned Pregnancy, Violent Birth, pre-ACOTAR, Canon Divergent, Feysand Baby-With-Wings Pregnancy Drama but with Tamsand, Flashbacks, Torture, Fated Mates, Main Character Death, Ambiguous/ Open Ending, Sad Ending

Summary:

After the Lady and Princess of Night are killed, Rhysand and his father break into Spring to enact their revenge. Rhysand is convinced Tamlin is to blame.  But a month after the violent death of both their fathers, Rhysand discovers a terrible secret that causes him to struggle with his hatred for his star-crossed lover.

Two words: Angsty.  M-preg

Read on Ao3

Start from the Beginning

Taglist:

@chunkypossum , @umthisistheonlyusernamenottaken , @pegasus-anarchy , @amalhe-kofee , @highlordofkrypton , @thrumbolt , @buffy-vanserra , @irithiadourden , @sonics-atelier , @gwynrieldreams , @tbdel , @thornsinwinter , @lifeisabiscuit , @eatsbooks , @jir67 , @fourteentrout , @queercontrarian , @works-of-heart, @the-darkestminds

Excerpt below cut:

Fae healers:

Grow a guys wings back? Stick his guts back in? ABSOLUTELY!

Masterlist

First of all thank you so much to everyone who participated! This was just supposed to be a silly little event to express my frustration at SJM not naming so many of her characters and going to (honestly kind of ridiculous) lengths to not give them a name, so I'm super happy so many of you resonated with it enough to create something, and give those characters a name, a voice, a face.

Thank you so much! See you again next year, maybe?

Day 1: Significance

All the World's A Stage by @some-sort-of-firefly

Eleni Merel by @fieldofdaisiies

Modern AU Sylas Vanserra by @velidewrites

Raivis Vanserra by @olenvasynyt

Sacrifice by @queercontrarian

Significance - Lady of Spring by @thornsinwinter

The Hollow Women by @acourtofladydeath

What Is My Name by @slytherin-pen

Day 2: Anonymity

Anemones by @themadmorrigan

Blood Brothers by @zenkindoflove

Imala Vanserra by @fieldofdaisiies

Not a World I Know by @some-sort-of-firefly

The Lady of Autumn - Outfits by @olenvasynyt

Day 3: Free Day

Adonto, Captain of the Peregryns by @fourteentrout

Give Your Name To Me by @some-sort-of-firefly

In Silt and Sun by @jules-writes-stories

Kallax Eiran Vanserra by @fieldofdaisiies

like the hungry crow in autumn by @buffy-vanserra

Mama's Boy by @slytherin-pen

Marcel Vanserra by @velidewrites

Nuan's backstory by @shadowqueenjude

Plenty Nights Under Pink Skies by @climbthemountain2020

Regis Vanserra by @mygreendandelion

The Brothers by @secret-third-thing

The flame that tempers steel by @irithiadourden

The LOA by @westrangecollectionkoalaposts

The Mantle by @wrraccountant

The Shadow of You by @queercontrarian

to explain the infinite by @temperedink

Thank you so much for all your submissions! Let me know if I missed any of you - this has been so amazing!

Our New Fic Author Highlight is @shadowhunter2003 and their fic:

Cupcake

Summary: Elain is in for an awakening when she spots Lucien enjoying a cupcake at the Velaris farmers’ market. Inspired by this tumblr headcanon.

"His heart belonged to her and her alone. She could hear the damn thing beating in her ear every time he was near. No one else but her got to give him stupid nicknames and stupid cupcakes.” -Elain Archeron, chapter 1

What we love about it: Jealous Elain is #1 in our hearts, though her bakery is a close #2

Status: Finished, 1/1

my pride and joy: Elucien lake date 🦊🌸