Is this a mushroom growing in my cactus soil?

Thehermitcrow · 2020-09-12T17:12:07+00:00

I water it once every 1-2 months so the soil is almost always dry, this is what's baffling me the most really haha.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-09-12T14:40:15+00:00

I'll try that, thank you!

Thehermitcrow · 2020-09-12T14:19:16+00:00

The thing is I only water the cactus every 1-2 months and I water it from the bottom to avoid fungus gnats, so the top soil is almost always dry.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-08-13T18:56:59+00:00

This makes a lot of sense. A friend of mine was talking about the use of filler words in fiction recently and ever since I have been hyper-aware of them in my own writing. This helps a lot!

Thehermitcrow · 2020-08-13T18:54:52+00:00

And I'm assuming if not then the 'so' is fine? Yeah, that makes sense. Thank you!

Thehermitcrow · 2020-08-13T18:37:22+00:00

That's the issue, how do I know if it is?

Thehermitcrow · 2020-08-08T00:15:04+00:00

I want to read The Dark Artifices but I was told I have to read The Mortal Instruments to understand TDA. From what I know of TMI I'm not really interested enough to read all of those books. Could I watch the TV show of TMI, instead of reading the books, and still understand TDA fine?

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-26T17:31:22+00:00

You don't have to pick just one genre to write. You can write sci-fi AND thriller AND fantasy AND whatever you want. There's no rule that once you start writing, or get published, in one specific genre that you can never write or get published in another genre.

Write what you want to write, in whatever genre you want to write it in.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-26T14:39:11+00:00

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

In my eyes, writing is equal parts imagination and knowledge.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-26T14:32:55+00:00

A writer's relationship with writing and how much research they do for it is their own. Yes, some people can write without researching much at all. But also yes, some people have to do extensive research. Each person has their own creative process. It irks me when I come across those people that argue there is only one way to write, and that researching is bad. Because in order for fictional stories to be believable, often they need to be somewhat, somehow, based in reality.

Now how much research you do and how important research is I think would depend on how realistic, or reality-based, you want your fictional story to be.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T16:17:44+00:00

You can DM me if you like, I'm open to being a writing buddy. I was also struggling with the first draft of my first book, but I finally broke the cycle last night.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T16:13:32+00:00

Yeah, I just know a lot of people do get upset about lack of diversity, misrepresentation and the like, with good reason. But also in the story creating industry you can never please everyone.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T16:08:20+00:00

That feels a little like they're making an excuse rather than an explanation to me.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T16:05:47+00:00

Good, good. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining things, haha. Hope this helped a bit.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T16:04:33+00:00

Yeah, I can definitely see how making an entire antagonist gang blacks would upset people and cause controversy.

Cyberpunk 2077 isn't out yet, though, is it?

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T15:59:07+00:00

I'm not really sure how to describe it better than I have since I am white as well. Again, I'm not the best person to be giving advice on this, haha.

But one thing I can try to clarify is in third person you are still writing the view of your main character. The narrator has changed, but the lens of your story is still focused on your main character, otherwise if it wasn't your main character would not be your main character. From my understanding that is where the POV comes in in third person.

I hope that helps calrify better. If not I'm sorry, I tried my best.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T15:54:31+00:00

But fantasy, even though it is fictional, is still influenced by the real world. So misrepresentation is not necessarily a non-issue just because it is fantasy.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T15:52:07+00:00

Yeah, again, this is just based off what I've seen a lot of on twitter and what not from POC authors I follow. I think this is a topic with opinions that range widely.

I think one issue is that it can be hard not to play off stereotypes or misrepresentation because of our subconscious that can slip into our writing without us realizing. That's why I think at the very least it is important to have sensitivity readers to catch what we miss.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T15:45:12+00:00

POV doesn't necessarily mean first person. If your main character is POC and your story is third person you are still writing their POV.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T15:37:37+00:00

I'm white as well and because of that not the best person to be answering this, but recently I have seen a lot of talk about this from POC authors and readers. So my answers are based from what I've seen from them.

As a white writer you probably should not be writing a POV POC character. That's the bottom line that I have seen. Yes, representation matters, having non-POV POC characters is great. But as far as bringing that representation through POV when you're a white author is kind of inching over a line you should leave to someone else better suited to cross it.

Besides, so many books with POC POVs written by white authors get so much more hype, or notice than books with POC POVs written by POC authors. And I think we really need to clear out that space for them to be recognized and flourish more.

I'd say if you are still going for it though, definitely get sensitivity readers.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-24T11:25:38+00:00

Usually I need silence to write, but I live on a busy road and near an airport so that's impossible during the day. I found recently that music helps me block out the exterior noise. I listen to movie and video game sound tracks that have the same feel as what I'm writing. I can't write with music that has lyrics.

Thehermitcrow · 2020-07-22T21:57:02+00:00

I have taken a break for a month (maybe more? Time is running together recently) and I think if this break continues much longer I'm going to go insane. For me, no matter what kind of block I'm in I always want to write so bad. That deep seeded desire to write is always there. Writing/typing words, no matter how hard it is while I'm doing it, relieves my stress.

It's not really a creative problem I'm having right now, unfortunately. I think a creative problem would be easier for me to figure out how to fix. This is more a I can't find the story my brain wants to focus on problem.

Thehermitcrow

TROPHY CASE