@gracefrench@pkm.social
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

gracefrench

@gracefrench@pkm.social

Writer of themes, user of wheelchair, fluid of gender, limited of spoons, poly of amorous, and mother of cats.

I post about my life as a #spoonie #writer and #pkm #obsidianMD enthusiast. I maintain #storydevlog posts alongside a growing portfolio of free to read #writing and #screenwriting projects.

Profile pic alt: A white person with a buzzcut and dark blue eyes looks at the camera with an attempt at a cute smile.
Banner Alt: My D drive, named "my (D:)" showing empty.

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gracefrench, to Writers
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

Join my new server to find co-writers, betas and editors.

Find each other and leave, or stick around to network, showcase portfolios, and benefit from each other's experience.

  • Family friendly.
  • lgbtqia+ safe space.

https://discord.gg/UamEUGbM

gracefrench, to accessibility
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

Please Help Make and accessible to and users!

If you haven't already, please this post and 💟 these feature requests:

gracefrench,
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

I really appreciate the boosts regarding this important issue within the community.

If you use please 💟 these feature requests and make usable for and users.

You might have your sight now, but what if you lost it one day? How would you cope without screen reader support?

NaraMoore, to writing
@NaraMoore@sakurajima.moe avatar

2/8. Which words do you overuse? Be honest.

I am just awful with just. I use "a lot" a lot.

I use "I" repetitively and it drives me crazy looking for ways to rephrase. I have the same problem with she. She, my beta reader, frequently marks "Which She."

The grammar checker says I don't use said enough. I ignore it most of the time.

Like most of the other people here, I remove 90% of the over used words.

gracefrench,
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

@NaraMoore Sometimes using words other than "said" is more distracting, as my editor pointed out once. "Said" is hard to overuse, but exclaimed, spluttered, wailed, muttered... Those can get old fast.

gracefrench, to random
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

216
Do your MCs have any birthmarks or tattoos?

Not yet. She's a needle wimp.

gracefrench, to random
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

30/01/24
What genre(s) are not your thing?

Monoplot.

Monoplot is when a conflict exists because monogamy exists.

Love triangles are an example of monoplot.
An exception: when one corner of the triangle is an antagonist and we hate them.

If I have to scream at a book, "just be poly!" then it's lost me.

I have nothing against monogamy, but as someone who isn't monogamous, I can't vibe with stories that hinge on it anymore. They just frustrate me.

gracefrench,
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

@NaraMoore @caointeoireacht Assuming they know their audience well, maybe its not what their readers want, but I don't think it's a truthful response. The true answer is, "I don't want to write about that." Which is a valid answer.
If celebrating monogamy is what some writers want to do, then that's their call. If that's not the goal and they've created a monoplot anyway, then they should face facts that they've got a wet string of a plot. Also, glaring is uncalled for.

gracefrench, to random
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

26/01/24
Would you ever co-write a book?

Absolutely! One of the reasons why I've started my habit is so that people can easily see how I work, including potential collaborators.

gracefrench, to Scotland
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

residents, can anyone link me to articles and other sources about in and the controversy surrounding the replacement of the old tenement buildings with flat blocks? I'm from the lowlands, so I only heard about it second hand in a geography lesson once.

gracefrench, to writing
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

20/01/24
Do you have a blog? Tell us about it and share a link.

I have two.

https://gracemfrench.com/ is for my growing portfolio of free-to-read writing and screenwriting projects and accompanying storydev logs, where I track my process and progress interspersed with situational writing tips as I self-edit.

https://bubskimcboo.com/ is the same thing, but for my fanfiction. It's not live yet.

gracefrench, to fanfiction
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

I don't like the term "Fix-it Fic" anymore.

Pros:

  • It quickly denotes the intention: to re-write a story in a way that is pleasing to you.

Cons:
The use of the word "fix" sounds confrontational towards the original writer.

  • We don't know the circumstances surrounding the choices they made. The fault might not be theirs.
    -Hindsight is a bitch.

Suggestion Suggestions:

  • Re-Write Armed with Hindsight (hindwrite?)
  • Fan re-write

Thoughts?

gracefrench,
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

@geraineon It's both, and as far as I know, it's always been both.

gracefrench,
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

@oceaniceternity They do read fics. Not all, but some do, and when fix-it fics are deliberately hostile, I can understand why they might get annoyed.

gracefrench,
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@geraineon Not at all, I appreciate your perspective, and I wanted to invite any interested party into the conversation. 👍

gracefrench,
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

@borzoiteeth
I'm not talking about sending fics to creators.

My current WIP is basically a "this is how I would have done it" type of "fix-it" fic, and while the term can work for many other types of "fix-its," applying it to my WIP does feel a bit like a middle finger, so I wanted to explore alternative phrases.

That said, reading the responses to this thread, I'm cottoning on to the idea that maybe I'm walking on eggshells that aren't there.

gracefrench, to random
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

18/01/24
Does your work feature on BookTok? How do you feel about the platform?

No, I don't have anything that could be yet.

It would be silly of me to turn down the opportunity to be advertised anywhere, even if unfederated social media is something I'm quite turned off to now.

I'd be grateful to anyone who wanted to talk about my work on any platform, including irl ones.

gracefrench, to random
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

18/01/24
If your MC and antagonist organized a party together, what would it look like?

That has probably happened at some point. No doubt it would be exactly as antag envisioned it should be, but it was still wrong and MC should be ashamed of herself.

gracefrench, to Writers
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

NTS: "Done" is better than "perfect."

gracefrench, to random
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14/01/24 Regardless of the genre you write in, do you bring ideas from other genres?

Genres are simply the set-dressing of a story. The meat of a story is theme, and you can find themes repeated across all genres, and in that regard, yes, I do bring ideas from other genres, especially if I disagree with the angle the writer chose to take.

gracefrench, to random
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

192
List a few themes within novels that will always pull you in whether you're reading or writing them

  • Slow burn, mutual pining friends to lovers.
  • Slow burn mutual pining enemies to lovers.
  • Overcoming abuse
  • Developing/honouring personal boundaries
  • Rebelling against the status quo
  • External problems must be solved by letting go of toxic values. Bonus points if this upsets a community they belong to.
  • MC apologises for bad behaviour; doesn't expect forgiveness.
gracefrench, to random
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

06/01/24
MC POV: What would you ask a Genie if you weren’t sure how they’d interpret your words & believed they might trick you?

"I wouldn't. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is." She squinted in suspicion, and played with the crucifix at her chest. "You're a djinn, aren't you? I've had enough of demons manipulating me. Get out before I set my gnoblin on you."

"I'm not your attack dog!" came a gravelly roar from the next room, "and stop calling me that!"

gracefrench, to writing
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

06/01/24
Have you ever entered any writing competitions? How did you do?

Before Christmas, I submitted to a program by New Writing North called A Writing Chance.

There's still two days to go before submissions close.

If you have an opening chapter or ten pages ready, it's open to any with minority or low-income backgrounds who live in the UK.

https://newwritingnorth.com/a-writing-chance/apply/

It runs every two years, so you can apply again in 2026.

nicole, to random
@nicole@pkm.social avatar

2023 was a tough one for me, and there was an undercurrent of frantic and frenetic productivity to it that made everything worse. This year I want to slow down considerably. Part of that is about experimenting with NOT setting ambitious objectives for myself. Here's my thought process on that, and what I've decided to do instead: https://youtu.be/p6KdfE97y4w

gracefrench,
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

@nicole Letting go of the guilt of not making art or music or any other content is key for me, so letting myself focus on one creative outlet - giving myself that permission - has been huge.

gracefrench, to random
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

05/01/24
What characters in your story are obstacles but not antagonists?

All of them - I think that's what other characters are for. Even "supporting" characters aren't very supportive a lot of the time. Conflict is what drives a story forward.

gracefrench,
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

@NaraMoore @CA_Hawthorne Mh, love that vibe - it feels very studio ghibli.
My approach with mega-project is that most of my characters are main characters, it's just that MC is the "alpha" main character for the time being.

gracefrench,
@gracefrench@pkm.social avatar

@NaraMoore It used to be that way for me. The character I'm writing now, is the MC I had been writing when she was me. Now I'm a lot older, and I'm not her anymore - and that's working out really well for me. There's something to be said about being wiser than your characters.

Also I never just have one love interest anymore. When I was a teenager I believed in soulmates and monogamy, and now... I write soulmate tropes as if they're curses. Mwahahaha.

We've all got our quirks. 🥰

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