For my sci-fi novel I tried... Well I am—and I did— try to include the general Assembly Hall and it's protocol during meetings, and it literally kicked my ass. 😭😭😭 So hard, and looking at it. It was only like four pages. 1.2k words. This was harder than a 6k chapter. The things we endure for the sake of accuracy.
It's time to vote. So if you registered and you haven't done mail in or early voting. Please go vote.
People talk about changing things and here's your opportunity to do so.
And don't be the person who says oh it's not going to change anything of course not voting won't change anything. You got to give it the chance.
It may seem tedious or annoying, but it'll be worth it in the end.
Especially if y'all are the type to talk about how bad things are on social media or tiktok here's your chance.
The presidential elections are not the only ones that matter.
These matters too.
So show up and show out.
Edit: ACCIDENTALLY PUT MIDTERMS I MEANT PRIMARIES.
Like I feel like no matter what method I take I just can't break The tiktok algorithm jail. I try threads. I tried Twitter. I tried substack. I wonder will I have to end up paying somebody to market it? I mean I'm still finishing up the second book but I heard the earlier the better to begin marketing. The first book of the series probably won't be out until next year.
Like I'm just tired I've been trying almost everything. And on tiktok I've tried alternating the methods and also just posting basic things as well and the basic things will get more views or more engagement than my book will and I'm just like what the fuck am I doing wrong?
Question
I'm doing third pov close, but I have a habit of saying the person's name sometimes, but i've been told that with third pov close you're not supposed to say the name at all. You're supposed to frame it as everyone of the characters' observations.
So instead of
Calm... She told herself as her eyes darted around the counter.
A small gasp slipped from her lips as she felt goosebumps line her spine. And someone's gaze. Heavy against the back of her head.
She turned to see a towering silhouette. Its head brushed the door frame, its hand looked as if it melted into the mahogany. Her legs felt like they were going to give out. Shaking
Slower. More drawn out. Like lndividual clicks against her inner eardrum.
The knob shook and felt incredibly cold against her fingers.
Her chest rose and fell trying to calm the climbing beat of her heart.
A silver fork.
Aged Porcelain plate with worn angels.
That looked more like burned newborns.
Her breath hitched as she felt goosebumps bloom against her spine.
A drilling pressure against her skull. She swallowed the bile that began to cuddle her belly and burn her throat.
God. Someone was watching her.
One foot at a time. She shifted turning to the door. Slow movements. She needed to stay slow.
Her eyes caught the figure from her corner.
Tall. Dark. An outline of its head brushing beyond the door frame. Its hand grabbed the other side of the door, but she couldn't see where its fingers stopped. Maybe it was the angle.
Or did it even have them.
The floor. It felt like it was trembling now. It would give under her feet. She was sure of it.
Something like that. Sorry, these are both awful examples.I just pulled them off the top of my head. It's not even the genre I write, but I spent all of yesterday watching horror movie so I guess it's all my head could manage for an example.
I'm tired, and my brain is fried, but hopefully this is still coherent enough.
I'm trying to figure out, does close third have to be one or the other, Or could it be a small mix of both? I tend to lean more the second example, but I sometimes slip into doing the first way.
I'm self taught. I'm constantly learning. So, I just need a little help.
I say this as a writer working on my own science-fiction romance series; and this isn’t me promoting myself right now. I’m genuinely asking for advice.
I don’t like taking the easy route because, when I read it, it often feels lazy to me. I know for a fact that I could execute the easier route well, but part of me wants to attempt the less common path because it suits my character better. Choosing the easy route almost feels disingenuous.
This book has been a long time coming—not because I didn’t know what I wanted to do or struggled to write it, but because I was constantly stuck between two choices: Do I follow the path my character would realistically take, or do I make the choice that moves the plot toward its ending?
Now I’m finally asking readers : Which would you prefer? Something new and unpredictable that may not be executed perfectly, or something familiar that the writer knows they can pull off?
I say this as a writer working on my own science-fiction romance series; and this isn’t me promoting myself right now. I’m genuinely asking for advice.
I don’t like taking the easy route because, when I read it, it often feels lazy to me. I know for a fact that I could execute the easier route well, but part of me wants to attempt the less common path because it suits my character better. Choosing the easy route almost feels disingenuous.
This book has been a long time coming—not because I didn’t know what I wanted to do or struggled to write it, but because I was constantly stuck between two choices: Do I follow the path my character would realistically take, or do I make the choice that moves the plot toward its ending?
Now I’m finally asking readers : Which would you prefer? Something new and unpredictable that may not be executed perfectly, or something familiar that the writer knows they can pull off?
In the Uber. Wore spanx under my romper body suit to smooth me, but it grabbed my thong and yanked it to the side. So now I'm sitting in the back with a cleft lip. He's already outside waiting for me 😂😂😭😭
Chapter One: "Roach by day, Beelzebub by night."
"Ugh, this is exactly why I don't like coming over here!" Nana groaned, brushing off her shirt. "There's too many gnats out here."
She rubbed her nose viciously as one found its way inside. "What the fuck, Ty!"
"Bug spray." Ty handed her the brightly colored bottle, eyes glued to her phone. "Use it."
Nana pushed the bottle away. "Nah, I got sensitive skin. You know I can't use that."
Ty darkened the phone screen and placed it face down against her dress. She let out a dramatic sigh, then looked up at her friend. "So what you want me to do?"
Nana gave her a pointed look. "Move back home," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't even know why you took the house. It's in the middle of nowhere!"
She gestured beyond the porch. The wheat field seemed to stretch out endlessly. Only when you squinted did you see the road in the distance. The stone path. A barn eroded by time and touch.
Ty leaned back in her chair. The loud creak punctuated the silence. She pursed her lips. "I like it."
"You like it?" Nana repeated.
"Yup—and it was free. Paid off." Ty reminded her.
Nana blinked slowly at her. "Bitch, please..." She flipped her braids over her shoulder. "Who you think I am?"
There was a moment of silence. The sun dipped lower, casting a red hue across the skyline. Nana put her arms on her knees, cupping her face. "I'm just saying, running away ain't going to fix it..."
Ty sat up in the chair. "I'm not running aw—" She paused, feeling something on her neck.
A leaf that was moving.
She shot up out of the chair, grabbed at her neck, and screamed.
Nana stood and turned. "What's wrong?" Her eyes darted over her.
"Bitch, it's something on me!" Her voice trembled. "Get it off!" She swiped at her body, jerking her collar.
"Just wait," Nana said, looking over her. "I don't see nothing."
Ty felt the small patter of feet climb over her cheek. Her screams grew louder. She flapped her arms, trying to pull it away, tearing off her lash extensions.
"Oh shit!" Nana said, moving back. "It's a big ass—huge ass roach on your face!"
Ty wailed, her face twisted in anguish—that was the last thing she wanted to hear. It seemed impossible to catch. Every time she swiped, it was like it disappeared and reappeared on another side of her face.
"Hold on! Stand still." Nana pulled off her slipper, balancing herself. Her eyes wide. "I got it..."
Ty grunted as she felt the pleather sting of the slipper hit her face.
Rage replaced fear.
"Bitch!" She smacked Nana back. "Did you just hit me with a..." She grabbed the slipper and began smacking her with it.
"Okay! Damn!" Nana cowered, covering her head, wincing as the shoe connected again and again.
Ty pulled away, panting heavily, tossing it down by her feet.
"Aggressive much..." Nana slipped the shoe on, casting a side eye her way. "But I think I got it."
Ty felt around her face. It was gone. She looked around for the body.
Then she heard a buzz. Her eyes followed the sound. There it was—perched atop the lantern.
Nana stepped beside her, looking up at it. "Damn... that fucker resilient."
Ty nodded. A slow nod as she leaned over to the chair, grabbing the bug spray. Making sure never to take her eye off it. Its wings still fluttered. Like it was preparing.
As soon as her hand brushed the cool plastic, she snatched it up. "Bitch!" A large mist covered the lantern. She coughed, waving her hand in her face. The fog slowly faded. She exhaled with smug satisfaction.
Got it. She thought.
The smile fell as she saw it still fluttering. She scrambled and looked at the can. Eyes darting over it to see why it didn't work.
Bug prevention—ticks, mosquitoes, and gnats.
"Shit!" She tossed it to the ground.
Nana leaned over to her ear, "Told you you shouldn't have moved out here." She drawled.
Someone recommended it to me without running it down for me. I'm trying to understand it, but I'm not the best with technology. Can I post and it will pop up on their timeline like social media or do I just drop the link in different places with a short blurb about what I'm doing?
Like I've ran into this a lot after redownloading the app. Where is the tact? It used to be let's hangout and see where it goes. It was an unspoken rule that if someone was in town a few nights. Sex is what they may want, now they just do this.
This just makes me feel so icky. The least you could do was pretend to be innocent. I don't know maybe it's me, maybe I did something or they feel I'm unattractive enough to not decline them. Maybe I'm just too old school, but this is just a turn off and it's scary.
When i got divorced I worked on myself and dating or sex wasn't a priority. Now getting back out here this is what I see.
This is not me shaming casual sex. I'm not against it. It's just the lack of effort.
Is this how people do it online now?
If not, I'll find another way to convey his shock and fear. I'm trying to use different phrases; I don't want to be repetitive. I'm just trying to see if this is okay.
It's so annoying when it does this. It'll say "my type" likes me,(I like Asian and black men,) but never shows them to me. I have to pay to see them. I know it's a marketing tactic but at the same time with other apps it'll at least show me one of the likes after a while but this will never show me who my type is.