What are you Writing?

[J. Soda]

What are some of your WIPS right now? Right now I'm working on an eldritch horror story about human nature that takes place in a pizza shop (that definitely isn't loosely based off of somewhere I used to work lol). It's been fun to work with the themes and write that out in my style, so that the two play together really obviously. I'm excited that I don't plan for it to be super long either, I always pressure myself to write things longer than I would actually prefer, yadda yadda something about shorter stories being less impressive in the professional space. Would love to see what people are working on and the inspirations behind them :) 

[DiffydaDude]

an eldritch horror story about human nature that takes place in a pizza shop

Isnt that just Spiderman 2? LOL
But im not much of a writer, but i do enjoy the art of writing, like calligraphy and stuff. I think its super cool seeing how the letters are written, sometimes even more than what they actually say; it could say "Wire me 10K or you die" and ill still think its the most beautiful calligraphy.

[J. Soda]

Ah cool!! Calligraphy is something I want to learn eventually, and how we choose to structure our letters is really interesting too! It can be super personal, so I get that :) Definitely a connection to other people and an art in itself. And I'm not super familiar with Spider-man 2, are you referring to the game and the pizzas he has to deliver? That's all I can find when I search it up, I wish I was more well versed

Isnt that just Spiderman 2? LOL
But im not much of a writer, but i do enjoy the art of writing, like calligraphy and stuff. I think its super cool seeing how the letters are written, sometimes even more than what they actually say; it could say "Wire me 10K or you die" and ill still think its the most beautiful calligraphy.

[mostlypixels]

I'm excited that I don't plan for it to be super long either, I always pressure myself to write things longer than I would actually prefer

Write what feels natural to you. Forcing the words out might make things worse in the end. :)

As for what I'm writing right now... I'm not. I should... but I started playing a farming sim and it's consuming my life.

What I should be doing instead is getting back to 4thewords and continue the story I started during Nanowrimo (it's a romantic comedy). Nanowrimo does burn me out a bit, but I had fun with this one, even though the main characters in the aforementioned romance only just now started talking to each other. I'm 100k words in. That is two Nanowrimos.

But I've had a lot of fun with it. It's great to write something with low stakes and no intricate plot.

[Melooon]

I posted these short stories a few months ago; but Im actually writing a bunch more to add to them! So these are really like first drafts: https://melonking.net/melon?z=%2Fhidden%2Frippletown

The idea of these hyper-focused characters that engage in everyday life yet seem to constantly be failing to notice the wonder and incredibleness of the world around them is the overall theme, with everything interconnecting yet seeming unrelated at first. Im not 100% sure what triggered them, but I think reading other stories always makes me wanna write stories.

As for longer writing, I definitely agree, there can be just as much value in a paragraph as a whole book; it's just a matter of what you say and who reads it!

I'm planning to illustrate them too and maybe send it out to a few publishers as a children's book if it seems good enough!  (that's a goal to aim for at least)

[J. Soda]

Sometimes things take over, don't beat yourself up too much. Do 2 minutes when you can, and keep going if you want!! I find that really helps me determine if I actually want to do something. Thanks for the advice too :)) I'm trying to keep that in mind, making and creating with only my own interests involved before anybody else's. I love romance, and romantic comedies are so fun!!! I love a good slow burn too, I think if it's fun to write, like you said, then it's engaging to read! It's awesome when you can tell something's been written with that whimsy to it, the low stakes and build up to to it!

Write what feels natural to you. Forcing the words out might make things worse in the end. :)

As for what I'm writing right now... I'm not. I should... but I started playing a farming sim and it's consuming my life.

What I should be doing instead is getting back to 4thewords and continue the story I started during Nanowrimo (it's a romantic comedy). Nanowrimo does burn me out a bit, but I had fun with this one, even though the main characters in the aforementioned romance only just now started talking to each other. I'm 100k words in. That is two Nanowrimos.

But I've had a lot of fun with it. It's great to write something with low stakes and no intricate plot.

[J. Soda]

I love that writing style!! It evokes so much imagery, and is so matter of fact!! It gets across the message in such a a way that is so blatant but subtle because it really is just the action portraying it. That's fantastic, I think that would be an amazing piece to illustrate and publish, with more added like you said :)) I love that you get so much across with just the paragraphs, very relevant to what I've been thinking about and very lovely

I posted these short stories a few months ago; but Im actually writing a bunch more to add to them! So these are really like first drafts: https://melonking.net/melon?z=%2Fhidden%2Frippletown

The idea of these hyper-focused characters that engage in everyday life yet seem to constantly be failing to notice the wonder and incredibleness of the world around them is the overall theme, with everything interconnecting yet seeming unrelated at first. Im not 100% sure what triggered them, but I think reading other stories always makes me wanna write stories.

As for longer writing, I definitely agree, there can be just as much value in a paragraph as a whole book; it's just a matter of what you say and who reads it!

I'm planning to illustrate them too and maybe send it out to a few publishers as a children's book if it seems good enough!  (that's a goal to aim for at least)

[starbreaker]

What are some of your WIPS right now? Right now I'm working on an eldritch horror story about human nature that takes place in a pizza shop (that definitely isn't loosely based off of somewhere I used to work lol). It's been fun to work with the themes and write that out in my style, so that the two play together really obviously. I'm excited that I don't plan for it to be super long either, I always pressure myself to write things longer than I would actually prefer, yadda yadda something about shorter stories being less impressive in the professional space. Would love to see what people are working on and the inspirations behind them :) 

Man, I haven't done any serious fiction writing in months. I got bogged down on my last WIP, Spiral Architect, sometime in September 2023 and have been stuck ever since.

It's basically a heavy metal/cyberpunk/science fantasy pastiche. Lots of violence, depictions of injustice under capitalism, and other stuff that isn't appropriate for kids and not necessarily suitable for all adult readers.

I had started writing it from the protagonist's first-person viewpoint, with a bit of fourth-wall breaking, but got stuck when I realized I might need additional viewpoints to tell parts of the story the protagonist didn't directly experience. Here's a bit from the first chapter.

The E train to Jamaica Station was practically empty, and I had the rear car mostly to myself; an unkempt old woman with an equally unkempt little yappy dog occupied the other end of the car, but since they were both content to ignore me I returned the courtesy. I had not been in a sociable mood in any case. I rarely was after carrying out a mission for the Phoenix Society.

Ostensibly an independent agency, the Phoenix Society kept the United Nations honest when not ensuring the proper behavior of lesser powers through the judicious use of Adversaries like me. As an attorney at war, I upheld the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through diplomacy and force of arms. For my sins the Society tended to reserve me for situations where diplomacy had already failed. That generally suited me; forcibly calling tyrants to account was at least a more interesting day job than many musicians managed.

Today’s case had been different, not least because the Society had dumped it on me despite this being the first day of a long-awaited leave of absence. The details of the matter are of little consequence; you can dig them up yourself if your ennui plagues you. I had been on my way to Triangle Shirtwaist Studio in Greenwich Village to rehearse with my band when I had gotten the call, which had required me to get off near Hell’s Kitchen.

No sooner had I carried out my mission and gotten back on the A train when I had received a priority interrupt from Claire Ashecroft, a good friend of mine (to her perpetual disappointment). Her bestie from university was missing. Not only had she not shown up for a weekly gaming session, but Claire had not been able to reach her at her workplace or home despite her talent at social engineering — a polite euphemism for confidence games designed to con systems and people into granting access one should not possess.

Thus I found myself on the E; the easiest way to get on a transatlantic express maglev from New York to London was via Jamaica Station. I would not be making our rehearsal after all, so I had best call my band mates and do them the belated courtesy of explaining my absence.

[J. Soda]

I love the world building you establish so quickly, it seems such an interesting blend of ideas!! :)) The main character's personality comes off very obviously from the way you write, which is awesome! Adding more perspectives is always tricky, I haven't had the need to engage in it yet, but I've always considered how it would flow together nicely. Good luck to you on getting it all sorted, you got this! Give yourself the time you need to sort it all out in your mind

Man, I haven't done any serious fiction writing in months. I got bogged down on my last WIP, Spiral Architect, sometime in September 2023 and have been stuck ever since.

It's basically a heavy metal/cyberpunk/science fantasy pastiche. Lots of violence, depictions of injustice under capitalism, and other stuff that isn't appropriate for kids and not necessarily suitable for all adult readers.

I had started writing it from the protagonist's first-person viewpoint, with a bit of fourth-wall breaking, but got stuck when I realized I might need additional viewpoints to tell parts of the story the protagonist didn't directly experience. Here's a bit from the first chapter.

[mostlypixels]

I posted these short stories a few months ago; but Im actually writing a bunch more to add to them! So these are really like first drafts: https://melonking.net/melon?z=%2Fhidden%2Frippletown

They are so charming! They set up such a nice atmosphere so quickly, and they're so melodious to read. I especially loved the "Molly Moose" part. That last line was... unexpected. And, by that, I mean "perfect".

If you do send them to publishers, I hope they'll be picked up!

[grubbyfox]

i've been working on a series of a fanfic since about 2017 i believe. it's kinda cringe and self-indulgent, hehehe but who cares. i write it only for myself anyway 

[mostlypixels]

i've been working on a series of a fanfic since about 2017 i believe. it's kinda cringe and self-indulgent, hehehe but who cares. i write it only for myself anyway 

I've been writing fic since before I knew fanfic was a real thing, because I didn't have the internet. Have fun, it's a fantastic hobby. What's your fandom? :D

All writing is good practice, too.

[schiavona]

I have been (trying) to write a fanfic about my most recent fixation (It's Palia :P) utilizing the element of water and the season of spring as themes as part of a planned 4 fic cycle, each focusing on a different season and element. I'm about 1000-ish words in and roughly halfway through the planned outline for it, but you all know what they say about plans. I'm hoping to actually finish it and pop it up on my site before Spring is actually sprung.

[J. Soda]

i've been working on a series of a fanfic since about 2017 i believe. it's kinda cringe and self-indulgent, hehehe but who cares. i write it only for myself anyway 

Fanfic is awesome! I've tried over and over to actually write for fandom but haven't thought of/made a project that I'm really invested in that regard. Hats off to you! 

[J. Soda]

I have been (trying) to write a fanfic about my most recent fixation (It's Palia :P) utilizing the element of water and the season of spring as themes as part of a planned 4 fic cycle, each focusing on a different season and element. I'm about 1000-ish words in and roughly halfway through the planned outline for it, but you all know what they say about plans. I'm hoping to actually finish it and pop it up on my site before Spring is actually sprung.

That's super cool, I love when the natural world is used in the themes, I find there's so much inspiration to be pulled from there! I hope it all goes well, plan and writing wise, don't be hard on yourself if you don't get it done when you planned. A little at a time will get you there eventually