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Looks like I’m playing the Kiss Game! @firawren asked for a Kristanna #11 (a kiss to the neck) — I was going to draw but then this idea came to mind (I might still get the pencil out). I hope you like it, teehee.

Icecream, of course

The agitated thrum of cicadas was almost deafening as the heat rose off the path in distorted, shimmering waves. Kristoff ran his hand down the back of his neck to wipe off the sheen of sweat and wiped his hand along his pants leg. The shade from the towering tree above their bench provided little relief.

As always Anna had turned to food to displace her discomfort — icecream, of course. She ran her tongue around the top of the cone and sighed with pleasure as the frozen treat melted in her mouth, soothing her from the inside out.

Maybe it was the heat making Kristoff delirious but suddenly the thick air around him felt ice cold compared to the burning of his cheeks. He gulped down the rest of his icecream to soothe his dry throat but it just didn’t seem enough.

He stole a sideways glance at Anna only to notice that the weather was melting her icecream as quickly as it was thawing his resolve — a stream of creamy chocolate trickled from the corner of her lips and down past her chin into the depths of the neckline of her dress.

With a shriek of surprise Anna was knocked out of her icecream dream as something hot, wet and moving trailed along her collarbone! Kristoff’s golden hair skimmed her bare skin as he chased the drip up her neck, his humid breath tickled her ears and she erupted into a fit of giggles. Suddenly he was laughing too and peppered kisses back down and across her shoulder, attending every freckle.

Anna’s nose wrinkled as she booped his with what was left of her treat and promptly licked it off in one fell swoop.

“Agh!” he scrunched up his eyes and brushed off her saliva with the back of his hand before being hit with a firm kiss to the mouth. His eyes and mouth burst open in bewilderment but before he could lick his lips and return the affection Anna was tugging him by the hand into the hot sunshine.

“C’mon! I want more icecream!”

🩷🍦 🩷 🍦 🩷 🍦 🩷 🍦 🩷 🍦 🩷 🍦 🩷

Please do not use or repost my work without express permission. Frozen (c) Disney

I love stumbling across stories that are passionate, insightful and find you discovering something a little unexpected!

Some fan art for All Tied Up by @annas-hair-donut / @loonysama

Go and drop some comments and kudos! 🩵

Please do not repost or use for any purpose without express permission. Respect creators and their copyright.

Hey authors, I gotta question for you!

I’d love to hear more of your experience in the comments💕💕

What I see in the dark -

I see eyes, peering at me with malicious intent, their gaze piercing my soul and claw at my skin. I bleed, it pools on the bed, the ground, there the shadows lap up my suffering. The way I cry, they adore it. If they could laugh at how I sob and hit my head, yanking out hair as if it burns me, they would cackle.

I see hands, they grab at my ankle when I try to flee the bed I'm locked in, pulling me under with no chance to take a breath. Their grip is strong, bruises line my legs and crush my bones. They wave at me, trying to tempt me to come closer. But I don't. I wouldn't dare.

I see a mouth, it's teeth eager to bite me, it's lips curled into a twisted grin, a tongue twitching eagerly at the idea of a feast. I curl under the covers and beg for my parents to save me from it. From the memories. The deepest, darkest ones. From the way it's perverse intentions change me, infecting my mind.

I see a man. He glares at me. In the mirror. The TV screen. The corner of my eye. Under the bed. Under the floorboards. In the walls. On the ceiling.

Why won't he stop.

Why won't he leave.

He's going to kill me.

Are you an accident prone writer? I know I am. 📝

Run with the Stars

I’m a writer, a published author. This reality humbles me. But lately I feel like I’m running a million miles an hour and making as much progress as someone trying to cross a finish line on a treadmill.

Getting this third manuscript pulled together has taken much longer than I ever anticipated. And that’s just to get it ready for submission (for consideration). Most of the reasons for this slow down are varied and valid. Shifting gears from creative nonfiction to fiction is an adjustment; one I underestimated. Life also happens and sometimes won’t take a backseat to anything. But there are other aspects I can control, instead of letting them run the schedule.

One thing my Aspergirl pointed out to me in the middle of all this was how this MS read more like naked retelling of events rather than allowing the reader a true glimpse into a new world. Her advice woke me up. It made me realize as much as I love writing, I had become stale. It explained why the last handful of articles I wrote feels flat. I’m grateful for her and her insight. I know what I needed to fix this; I needed to reacquaint myself with nature.

Can you relate?

Sometimes writing means we spend too much time ignoring our senses. We become dull and lack sheen. Our minds become hungry for stimulation a keyboard and laptop screen will never be able to provide. We need to step away and step outside, or at least peer out the window. We need to feel the breeze tousle our hair, to watch the leaves swirl about when a storm is heading our way. To sense the electricity in the air before the sky opens and drenches the dry grass. To hear the rapping of the rains against our windows, hoping we remembered to close everything up tight. To feel ourselves tense up when thunder makes our home feel like it will expand and contract with each burst.

In other words, our bodies as well as our minds need to know we are, indeed, alive. This life will be reflected in our writing, as well as any deadness that lingers inside.

~Julie

i don't think there's anything more human than annotating a book. you have a physical copy of thousands upon thousands of words- words that are meaningless, unless put together in the perfect way- and within those meaningless words, you find the meaning. you find what you're meant to find, and you make note of it. you make note of it so, when you come back, you're filled with that emotion. that lovely feeling, that heartbreak, that pain and sadness and anger and laughter and suddenly it isn't just a physical copy of thousands upon thousands of words. it's more like home.

and don't get me started on how it feels to see other people's annotations. seeing the thoughts and feelings of other people, splayed right there on the page; it's a window, isn't it? it's a way to see what they're processing. what sticks out to them, what makes them feel, what makes them tick. is there anything more human than that, seeing a person's heart and soul with your own eyes, among a physical copy of thousands upon thousands of words? they take in these words and, in return, give the physical copy something of themselves. and i think that's absolutely breathtaking.

I WROTE A BOOK

READ IT

English translation here 👇

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=libraryscience

the worst

Your narrator and each of your characters should sound different from one another (unless your story is in the first person and one of the characters is actually telling the story!). Remember that no two people speak in exactly the same way, so if all your characters sound identical to your narrator, it will pull the reader out of the story.

Every person has distinct vocal habits or “go-to’s,” words or phrases they use often, and giving your characters their own vocal “go-to’s” can help lend them some realism and make it easier to tell them apart from one another. Here’s a little hint: we use these “go-to’s” even more often when we’re distracted or not fully paying attention to the conversation and what we’re saying.

People sometimes stumble over their words. Let your characters stutter, or repeat themselves, or forget what they were about to say, or even ramble sometimes, especially if they are feeling flustered or overwhelmed in the scene. This will add realism to your dialogue, and make your characters seem more real to your readers!

Just like in real life, the situation should affect how your character speaks. For example, if a character has just gotten a big, unpleasant surprise, they probably won’t be in the right frame of mind to make a calm, articulate speech. Think about what’s happening and how it will affect what your character says and the way that they say it.

Most people speak differently depending on who they are talking to. For example, you probably wouldn’t talk to your boss the same way you would talk to a friend! Think about your character’s relationship to the person they’re talking to, and how they feel about that person, and let that come out in their dialogue.

Descriptive verbs (like “exclaimed” or “demanded” instead of “said”) are a great way to breathe some life into your dialogue, because they give the reader more information, telling us not just what the character said but how they said it. On the other hand, when used too often, or incorrectly, descriptive verbs can pull the reader right out of the story (for example, using “demanded” when the character isn’t making any kind of demand in their dialogue).