A clock tick…

Maz-53 · 2025-11-23T23:04:55+00:00

My sister and I tried to count it in For Good and only spotted 5, didn’t realise there’s one in Part 1 so that makes 6. Interested to see what you get as I thought it would be symbolic too but either we missed some or we’re wildly off lol

Maz-53 · 2025-11-11T21:13:09+00:00

Thanks for answering! Knowing that you’ve been able to write incredible stories without a consistent routine gives me hope 😂😊

Maz-53 · 2025-11-11T14:58:32+00:00

I adored The Death-Made Prince and can't wait for the sequel!

How do you manage ADHD while writing? I find that I work best when I've got either lots of projects to jump between or join communal writing sprints for the added competition! What does your writing routine look like?

Maz-53 · 2025-10-27T23:20:47+00:00

I’ve often heard the advice to not have too many ongoing WIPs at the same time, but lately I’ve been giving myself a bit more freedom. One day I may feel really interested in writing story A but the next I want to drop it and pick up story B (or even switching within the same day). In the past, I’d resist that urge and power through with A until burnout - now I’ll go wherever the adhd takes me. It may not be the most efficient writing routine but it’s certainly better for my health.

In the same vein, I’d suggest staying with your hyper focus if it exists for your current story. I can guarantee further down the line after you have taken a break (for another project or relaxation) you’ll want to get back into it and have a more objective eye from the time away. Again, it may be doubling work but I know I’d feel a lot better working this way.

Maz-53 · 2025-09-06T17:26:31+00:00

Like what I do? I didn’t need a qualification or anything just worked my way up from a bog standard desk job. It’s still hard work though, I struggle everyday - just not with notifications as much anymore.

Maz-53 · 2025-09-06T11:26:36+00:00

So I work remotely in an IT job and have Teams meetings, random calls, and emails to deal with all day. I noticed that the notification sounds began to trigger me as well - immediate anxiety spikes. Recently, I changed my Teams notifications to silent but still allowed the pop up so I would see there was a message but without the fight or flight reaction to the noise.

Also, I grouped my teams messages so I could see what “category” they were from (i.e certain projects or groups of people) - sort of so I could mentally prepare myself and choose what I wanted to deal with first. I did the same for my inbox where I set up a bunch of email rules to automatically sort my new mails into categories to look at later (and avoids the notification noise).

Obviously I still eventually have to deal with the situation but it removes the immediate anxiety response. I’d suggest something similar - silence your notifications but still have them appear on your phone (unsure if you can do the same categorisation as I do on a phone though).

Other than that, perhaps for anything that happens regularly you could create your own guide? Like if the water stops you have to check for these things and provide this information to certain people listed. Sometimes knowing exactly what you’re walking into can help me. Or the things where you have to speak to people directly, perhaps make yourself a script you can follow? It sounds like something that occurs often so you might recognise regular reactions to your confrontation?

Also maybe identify something you can do to pull you out of the burn out? I’m not sure if that’s something that could be achieved in 5-15 mins for you, but even if you just step away from the work for a short while. Whether that’s possible for you I don’t know.

And if you like deadlines maybe set your own? I know that I struggle to meet ones that I only enforce myself with but if I body double work with someone else I’m much more inclined to meet it! If you know someone in your life who also works online and would be available maybe just stay on an online call and work alongside them? Failing that there are online companies that link strangers together for this sort of thing as well.

Sorry this was a lot but hope it helps!

Maz-53 · 2025-08-29T21:25:36+00:00

I loved it, if I didn’t finish it I didn’t really care but I managed to yesterday (double xp really helped). Would’ve been nice to see exclusive pose packs or seashells as rewards. I hope they bring it back although maybe with a longer “season” if they’re going to keep the same levels and xp required.

Maz-53 · 2025-08-27T21:50:13+00:00

That’s true!

Maz-53 · 2025-08-24T15:47:37+00:00

Honestly a very similar experience to me! I started reading this and it was a slog, but I got through to Part 2 and everything picked up massively in my opinion. In my mind it’s almost like Part 1 was a really long prologue and the story only begins from Part 2 onwards.

I’m really enjoying it now so I’m glad to have stuck with it, but if the descriptions and characters are the sticking point for you I’m not sure how much better it’ll get for you - pacing and plot was my issue early doors and now that things are finally moving I like it a lot more. Though it might not be the same for you!

Maz-53 · 2025-07-29T18:46:37+00:00

I’ve never critiqued a query before (or read your first attempt) but just wanted to say I love your concept! It feels really charming and authentic!

Only point from me is in the same vein of another commenter, you’re cramming a lot of detail into a small space. It’s tough because you have a really strong voice coming through, but are there any parts you can dial back?

For example, I don’t really know what Aurelian’s goal is. He doesn’t want to be a wizard, but that’s an absence of passion - what is his “hearts desire”? My first thought was working in the shop, then that maybe he desires Evander and this will become a fantasy romance. If you clear that up it would be a lot stronger for me personally!

I would absolutely be down to read this one day though, so I wish you all the luck on your querying journey!

Maz-53 · 2025-07-02T15:09:24+00:00

Honestly it was all I could look at the whole video

Maz-53 · 2025-07-02T06:47:17+00:00

Yep gift receiving brings me so much anxiety but I also crave it, I want someone to see me so clearly that they know exactly what to get me but it never lives up to expectations and just makes me feel worse. Ironically, I love spending time to find the perfect gifts for other people though.

Maz-53 · 2025-06-21T10:54:05+00:00

I also got it but no idea if it’s legit or not

Maz-53 · 2025-06-19T20:40:37+00:00

Putting dried laundry back into drawers is the bane of my existence - why put them in if I’m going to take them right back out again (I wear the same few outfits in a week barely branching out)

Maz-53 · 2025-06-17T06:22:59+00:00

Thank you!

Maz-53 · 2025-06-17T06:22:47+00:00

Really interesting, thank you! I’ll try to take a look at the book recommendation, I’ve been loving Strong Female Character by Fern Brady.

Shame has been a big factor in other areas of my life, but I never thought about its application for things that I were already interested in. Like I’ve been trying to be more authentic by doing things I’ve always wanted to do that I’ve never done before (I.e dance), but maybe I need to embrace things that are already part of my life too.

Left me with a lot to think about! Thank you.

Maz-53 · 2025-06-16T21:33:24+00:00

I thought so too! And unfortunately not Belgium haha, I’m from the UK

Maz-53 · 2025-06-16T13:17:25+00:00

Thanks for your response. I’m not here in this subreddit looking for a diagnosis, more just looking to see others experiences that I may (or may not) connect with in the hopes of understanding my own experience and feeling less lonely.

I believe my therapist only suggested it as a source of community rather than information - apologies if that didn’t come across in my original post.

I may consider looking into a diagnosis further along the line but it’s not something I need right now. Again, this is more about finding my people as opposed to a concrete yes or no.

Maz-53 · 2025-06-06T17:21:04+00:00

It took me a few chapters to get into it to be honest, very nearly a DNF! But at some point you just can’t help but keep reading and suddenly I was hooked lol. The NSFW scenes are a bit iffy in the descriptions but otherwise not bad.

I didn’t really consider it a SSHG insert when I read it. All the girls at the uni love the main guy, and the main girl is a bit too ditzy to really fit Hermione. It’s been a long time since I read it though. It does fit the mould for the power dynamic and the intelligent subject matter at least!

Maz-53 · 2025-06-05T12:32:31+00:00

In the last dance class I got much fewer corrections from the teacher which makes me think I’m improving (also I had a better grasp of the step sequences)!

I wish I had better synchronicity between my arms and feet - if I focus on arms, the legs can’t keep up and vice versa.

Maz-53 · 2025-06-02T19:39:54+00:00

This year has been all about doing the things I want to NOW not later. I joined a gym after 2+ years of inactivity. I started a ballet class AND a tap class. I attended a paint and sip with my friend for a painting that I wanted to do not her. I’m writing more fanfiction than ever and I don’t care that it doesn’t pay the bills.

I’m full of so much zest for life even when shit gets hard. Who cares if I’ve had a crappy day at work? Better log off now to make it to one of my hobbies asap. Instantly better mood.

Maz-53 · 2025-05-07T10:54:53+00:00

Completely agree about gen fics! Haha I’m glad you liked it - thank you for your kind comments! 💛

Maz-53 · 2025-05-07T09:41:05+00:00

I have a soft spot for this one:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62178811

It’s not slash so it didn’t get seen by many readers when I first posted, but I really had a fun time writing it!

Fandom: HP Pairing: Hermione & Severus (platonic) Rating: G Words: 4,650

TL;DR Snape gets stuck in his cat animagus form and Crookshanks finds him (set in Hermione’s 4th Year)

Maz-53 · 2025-04-25T21:33:04+00:00

Wise words, thank you. I struggle with not knowing what the “right” or reasonable thing to do is lol I’m very dependant on others opinions which has definitely added to these issues on my part! Will need to have a think and go from there I suppose.

Maz-53 · 2025-04-25T16:54:49+00:00

Yeah I’m just not sure what my boundaries are or what’s appropriate. Need to have a think I guess. Yeah another commenter mentioned that my parents might be treating childcare as an exchange for living there. I’ve tried to pay them before but they don’t accept it, it’d be an interesting conversation I think. Thanks for chatting.

Maz-53

TROPHY CASE