anathemafiction

Progress Report

Kill your darlings.

William Faulkner said it, and it's hard, but he was right. Sometimes, you really have to kill your darlings, and this week I killed a darling of mine that I had a lot of fun writing in the first draft.

But alas, the scene just didn't fit. It's a pity because I really liked one of the interactions in it, but I think I can reuse it (or at least something similar to it) further ahead in another chapter. For now, I'll have to remove it because I thought of somethin...

Lingering Glance

The rapier might have been a bust, but something tells you that Juturna''s gift won't follow the same outcome.

Your fingertips course the outline of the little coin as they've done so many times before, feeling the familiar ridges and bumps. This could get you something more in exchange. You start to pull it from your pocket—

When the candles flicker, and the breeze coming from the air shaft suddenly picks up intensity, as if a wind blows through. You blink as the blue lights of...

Progress Report

We meet once again.

I'm sorry, first of all, for the delay in this report. I wanted to finish writing a particular set of choices before I set up camp and sat to speak with you all for a while, and alas, I didn't manage to finish them yesterday. But I did it today, so here I am! 😊

Truth be told, this week wasn't the most productive in terms of writing. I just didn't have as much time as I'd like. I got a piece of news on Wednesday that forced me to put pretty much everything on...

Upstaging — Lance & Rafael

Someone told him, long before, that if you have nothing positive to say, then perhaps you should say nothing at all.

Lance likes that rule. He likes not saying anything at all, for it's rare for those who talk to listen, and Lance enjoys listening. There's no better grave than the one you dig for yourself, so why should he ever stop anyone from talking their way into their own hole?

Lance prefers to listen, but as of now, he's finding it hard to stay quiet.

...

Saucy Queries

Are there any... brazen questions you might have for the ROs? Maye you have a little saucy snippet you'd like to see with a particular character?

Feel free to ask away! The other spicy Q&A was a big success, so I figured, let us try another round. 

Hope you participate! ♡

Progress Report

2k Words today!

And what a nice round number that is. I swear it wasn't on purpose. 

This week has been a really productive one. I managed to write every single day, and I had a lot of fun doing it — which is obvious by the obnoxious amount of times I posted here this week. It's just that when I'm excited, I need to talk about it when someone, and since no one in m...

Failed Endeavor — Alain & Ysabella (Mature)

You have both legs around his hips.

Your hands clasp the sides of his cheeks and neck, thumbs pressing on the corners of his mouth, and little fingers playing with the curls below his ears. You're raised on your knees, legs bend on the cushions, standing taller than him so you can tilt his head back and make him look you straight in the eyes.

"Oh, hello," Alain says in his usual nonchalant way as if he's having a casual conversation about the weather, and there is...

Q&A Submission

Hello!

I'm in the mood to answer some queries and play with your prompts to make up some fun scenarios, so it's time to host another character Q&A! The last two were so fun, so I beseech you to ask questions to your heart's content!

As always, your asks can be directed at any character that appears in the first book or in the alpha of Book Two. You can also direct them at me, although I'm of the opinion I'm quite dull when compared with them. 😄

Hope you participate...

A Bard's Tune

Ahhh!! I'm having such a blast writing Lance's romance options — flirting? Teasing? Little hints of interest, small motes of something between you two. It is early and tentative, but, finally, it is here.

(Some of you better pick the option in the Summary to have Lance promise to play you a song — bonus angst points if you broke up with Hadrian or Alessa right before going outside 😋).

I love Hadrian and Alessa with all the devotion of a creator, but I'm so glad to ...

Step by Step...

3k words again!!

Today I had another great writing session! Plot-wise, I didn't move forward a lot, but I just finished a scene with two major variations depending on past choices, and man, it feels so good. I always say I get carried away with dialogue, and... well, today was no different. 😄 I just can't help it. If I think of a response, I have to write it, especially when it's a ...

The Witch and her Familiar

The Witch and her faithful owl by the always stellar SBeep (Tumblr | Twitter). I am in love with this piece. I don't think I'll ever not imagine the Witch as she is right here.

Beautiful and dangerous and just slightly inhuman. ❤️

Progress Report

3.4K words today! 🥳

It's been a while since I've hit that mark! To be honest, I was aiming for 3.5, but I just couldn't find it in myself to type anything else — my sentences were turning incoherent and uninspiring and I'm not about to sacrifice quality (and fun) for an arbitrary number.

But, with that, I finished scene two of the chapter!!! It's a fun one 😋. The ...

Crossing the Line —The Pirate King & Neia

What you're doing requires delicacy.

You can't be too forward, or else suspicion rises, and the game is tipped. But you don't have the luxury of being too vague, either — if you talk in circles for long enough, he'll lose interest, and discard you as a rambling, probably coinless customer. Or worse, as someone with an agenda.

No, you need to play this just right, and as you lean on the counter, you put forth your best, most dazzling smile. "I've heard many things about your stor...

A Trade

If you had the chance to ask Mist, lord of the whisper network in Tarragona and the lands beyond, information on something, what would you ask?

These are my current options (this text is from the first draft, so it's unedited and a bit rough. 😋):

You can only ask one. What would you like to learn?

1) "Tell me of the Devil's Guardian," you say. "The woman who was dragged by the Inquisition."

2) "What do you know of the Theers?" you ask. "Of Lord Rowan and his asc...

Descriptions are Hard

Hello!

I'm working on a particular description in Mist's office that... has been giving me some trouble. I got to a point where it's not bad, but I'm still not entirely happy with it. I was feeling a bit lost, but then I remembered: I have wonderful people on Patreon who can help me a bit with this!!! I hope you don't mind lending me just a little bit of your time. 

So, I'm trying (...

Progress Report

We meet once again. Further down the river, always further down. 

I realized I never actually said how many scenes Chapter Two has. 🤦 I was too excited to talk about my progress that I forgot such an important detail. In any case, here's Chapter Two! It's those four last arrows. 

It's made of four scenes, and right now, I'm in scene 2. This is one of the longest �...

Sneak Peek

"I always took a liking to privacy. Even when fake, the illusion of it it's worth maintaining," the voice speaks again. It's not particularly deep, nor is it light. But the words are spoken without a hurry, with the kind of confidence of one who believes time bows to oneself.

The immense armchair turns on a fixed wheel, and seated in the middle with his arms on each side and his legs crossed, you see the man called Mist for the first time. The back of the chair rises high above his head...

Progress Report

Amazing week!!!!

When it comes down to it, writing is, essentially, putting words into the world. Translating thoughts into matter, if you want to be philosophical about it. And yet, it's amazing just how different one kind of writing can be from the other. 

After writing in the free, almost frenzied style of the first draft, it's such a breath of fresh air to really dig into the second draft. Now, sentences and the way they're constructed matter, dialogue matters — not jus...

Yet another poll!

Those of you lovelies who have played the Alpha, which of the three animal companions was your favorite?

If you'd like to, tell me why in the comments! I like to hear about what works and what doesn't — especially since I'm currently writing a scene with an animal in Chapter Two. 🤭

Lingering Glance

Lance smiles. "Eris sacerdos in aeternum."

"You'll be a priest forever," you translate, the words rushed from your lips on their own accord.

"'Thou art a priest forever'," Lance corrects. "If you want to stay true to the scriptures."

Hadrian looks down at his clasped hands. "Let's hope that's not true," he says in a low murmur.

- - -

👀

Regarding Art

Hello!

So, I want to be transparent for a moment. Last month, I commissioned two pieces from two incredible artists — I'm so excited to see them completed!!! I'm even more excited to share them with you all — but, as is bound to happen with art and creativity, it's taking both of these talented people a little more time to finish them than I accounted for.

There wasn't a deadline, so it's not the artists' fault. It's just how life is. The problem, of course, is that I...

Progress Report

Friday's gloomy sky looms above us, and thus it marks the end of yet another week.

A week that I was supposed to be resting, but I didn't quite manage to. 😄 It turns out my schedule wasn't as full as I predicted it would be — some appointments were moved to next week — so I couldn't resist the temptation of the Rose. 

I didn't write a lot, but I've officially begun the second draft!!! 

2023-04-21 16:12:01 +0000 UTC View Post

A Stolen Shirt — The Pirate King & Neia (Mature)

The stars are out and beautiful.

They stretch as far as his black eyes can see, their pale light painting the water in a thousand white dots. They seem to surf on the waves, moving up and down with the massive bulk of the ocean. Sky and Earth collided.

The breeze is faint but it’s enough to cool his heated skin. His long, black hair falls freely down his back and sways in the breeze's gentle caress. It blows on the sweat coating his body, drying it and sending little shivers dow...

Playing with the Origins

Now that the Origins have been revealed, I love leaving little tidbits that pull Romanus right back to the past... 🤭

It reminds you of another glass-like dome. One that once reflected all the shades of the rainbow, one you saw in another lifetime.

Finished the first draft of Chapter Two!!!!

Hello!!!!

I didn't write a Progress Report because I wanted to give this good news instead. 😄 I just wrote the last line of the first draft of chapter one, making it 85 notebook pages. This chapter isn't as branchy as the last one, both route-wise and relationship-wise, so I believe it'll probably be shorter than the first. But, let's be honest, I can never be 100% sure 😅.

As with all first drafts, there are some parts that I know I'll have to re-work a bit ...

Sneak Peek

He stands atop a low, light-brown table with one foot propped on the back of a chair so that his knee can serve as support for his lyre. A golden tooth catches the glow of the nearby torch, and blue hair falls down a pale forehead.

A deep crimson vest, the color of a late sunset, tar-like trousers, a yellow belt, and moss-green shoes make up for his outfit, but you don't miss now the small folded crossbow hanging from his waist.

His arms are bare from the shoulders down, his misma...

Commodity — Alain & Ysabella

The wine glass hangs perilously from his fingers.

Alain is vaguely aware that it's almost spilling onto the immaculate golden cushion of the plush sofa he has chosen as his perch for the evening. The nobleman decides that he does not care. Wine stains can also serve as decoration, let it show this sofa has had some use — even if by one sprawled, slightly drunk, good-for-nothing noble.

Alain twirls the glass, hearing the wine splash inside, and his lips quirk whe...

Progress Report

We meet once again.

I've kept to my promise: my notebook is near the end, and I have to keep recharging my... propelling pencil? Is that what it's called in English? That's such an odd name 😄. In any case, I keep having to add new leads to my pencil, for the words keep flowing.

I don't want to give too many spoilers because I know not all of you have read the alpha, but I'm always done writing a foggy meeting. 🌫️ 

And with that, the goal for next week is to fini...

Meddling — Hadrian & Alessa

He tries his hardest not to stare.

Hadrian clenches his jaw and sets his eyes on the tankard in front of him. The dark beer sways gently from side to side, looking stale and thick, but despite it, Hadrian brings it to his lips to take a deep gulp.

It tastes as bad as it looks. He grimaces as it goes down his throat, burning his tongue and prickling his eyes, but Hadrian welcomes the sting. Anything to keep his mind off...

You.

His eyes betray him once ...

Silence

Hello everyone!

First of all, I'd like to apologize for how quiet I've been. This whole Easter week is a holiday in Portugal — and, I think, most Christian countries?🤔

Why am I saying this incredibly obvious and boring fact? Because while I'm having time off work, so are most of my family. I've had a very unexpected (but welcome) visit from a couple of them and since last Friday, I've been swamped with family gatherings. Honestly, I really needed this, but it does translate t...