Process
I’ve Started 23 Writing Projects. I’ve Finished 2. Here’s Why.
I have a folder on my computer called "Writing Projects." It contains 23 documents. Each one is a project I started with full conviction that this was the one. There is a book that would I would call my masterpiece. And the series that would take off. Most are ideas that were too good not to pursue.
By Ellen Frances8 months ago in Writers
How to Write When You’re Afraid Your Ex/Boss/Family Will See It
I hover over the "publish" button for three full minutes before I finally click it. I do this every single time. As soon as I publish, my article goes live. What I've written is now searchable, findable, and anyone can read it. I mean, literally anyone.
By Ellen Frances8 months ago in Writers
Author's Notes: Puss's Boots
Puss's Boots. This story is over ten years old, over 475 years old, and over thirty years old. As a child, I fell in love with a picture book of Puss-in-Boots; I loved the simple, colourful, elegant faux-Medieval art designs even more than the story. Years later, I studied history thrive fashion, and this one book still lives with me. I wrote this story three times; it was my first original fairytale, and my first original queer story. Now, it has been rewritten to the form that now next represents all the fairytales that have come after it. In many ways, this story is a bridge between my Queering Fairytales series and my Fairytales in Space series; the characters are aspects of the ones thar would later go into space and makeAlicante and Zero their home, but it's heart is the more traditional Fairytale. This story has the usual queer twist that all of my stores do, but there is also a bit of a twist in this story. I will credit you in the comments of chapter seven if you guess it correctly here.
By Dionearia Red8 months ago in Writers
Why GPT 5.3 Codex, Claude Opus 4.6, and Claude Sonnet 5 Are the Future of AI Technology
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and the advancements seen in recent iterations of AI models showcase the potential they have in transforming various industries. Among these cutting-edge technologies, GPT 5.3 Codex, Claude Opus 4.6, and Claude Sonnet 5 stand out as the future of AI. These models are at the forefront of advancing machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and AI-driven solutions. This article delves into why these models are seen as the vanguard of AI technology and how they work together to drive AI innovation.
By Abbasi Publisher8 months ago in Writers
Author's Notes: Little Snow-White
"Snow-White, Rose-Red, will you beat your lover dead?" "But Little Snow-White is still a thousand times fairer than you." Two women white as either snow or roses, two sisters that loved and stood together rather than attack each other, and a princess whose "dead body" was nearly sold and then given to a strange prince. These stories begged to be put together in a way that offered the romantic love of a fairytale as well as the familial love that is so often missing from them. Where to begin? This tale has some rather serious updates: gone is the evil dwarf, now is the evil wizard, who just so happens to be the Evil Queen's father. The darker versions of these stories could get very dark, and while Snow White and Rose Red is more fun and fluffy (save for the Bear and the dwarf's physical fights and the Bear murdering the... what was I saying?), but Little Snow-White? It is dark. I adore the original 1812 idea of the biological queen/mother even though most modern tales remove it - which is fair as it is the easier story to tell and one of the changes the Grimm's Brothers themselves even made, especial considering the queen wants to canabalise her fourteen or so year old daughter. The Prince in the 1812 edition then tries to buy the princess's corpse. Even by the second edition, the story is sanitised some, and, for modern readers, I wanted to make even more changes, even as I brought back some of the 1812 elements. I also combined my favourite Shakespearean tropes of cross-dressing for protection with true love complications, but I did keep the 'true loves' queer in keeping with my theme of this series. Ialways loved the idea of a woman disguising herself as a man in order to do what she needs to do, and my favourite stories growing up was a princess getting a knight to fall in love with her, and then, she would be revealed as a woman and they could be together: Zelda/Sheik, Mulan, Viola from Twelth Night amongst others. Now, as an adult, I understand and support just making them all queer, which, looking at the meaning of the word, they are. There is some really good Viola/Orsino genderfluid Fanfiction on A03. The framing narrative is back as well if you missed that.
By Dionearia Red8 months ago in Writers
Author's Notes: Sleeping Beauty
Take one Meddling Fairy (colour: Lilac); one cursed Princess who knows she is cursed, thank you very much; two loving but, ultimately, clueless parents just trying to do their best; two siblings willing to brave a curse for (what they sincerely hope will be) freedom; and two nobles looking for love: what do you get - Sleeping Beauty. The Sleeping Beauty - a classic Fairytale and and even more classic ballet. This story is inspired by Staatsballett Berlin - Deutsche Oper Berlin Version of The Sleeping Beauty; I loved the love shown between the King and Queen and the two of them and their daughter, but I thought there was always something sad about how she is asleep, wakes up, and is suddenly married off. I took elements of that and the fact that at least in the ballet she does meet and dance with the Prince before they are tied together in marriage - much, much better then the 1812 Grimm's Brothers' version - and asked "What if she fell in love with someone else?" Then, I was left with the poor prince and the Countess (a woman he clearly doesn't love, but she at least seems to be trying to keep up appearances); who would love them? My solution is Snow White and Rose Red. I've always loved fairytales with siblings, maybe because the girl always saves her brother and proves herself more clever and competent. Another favourite of mine is Snow White and Rose Red; two sisters, both clever and kind, one a bit more assertive, one a touch sweeter. They are brave, gentle, strong, clever, loving, humble, hard-working girls. Don't get me wrong, this is Snow White and Rose Red in name only (and names hold power in fairytales, so they are these characters in name), but this story might just appear in another retelling in this series. This story is slightly different than the other Tales/Othering Fairytales stories as it lacks the framing narrative, but it does fit with the general idea, so the title stands. I hope you enjoy this fun, sweet, and gently tale. It is somewhat sad, but it is also a short, and, in my humble
By Dionearia Red8 months ago in Writers
Author's Notes: The Fairytale of Cinderella
Take an ancient story, add a queer foundation, characters that really want to make their marriage work, Rogers and Hammerstein, Into the Woods (just for flavour), a bit of soulmate magic, and, perhaps, you will find a true Happy Ever After. This story is the 'sequel' that would not be ignored about Cinderella. From the beginning of the film version of Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella, I loved the relationship between the Prince and his Mother in the 1990s film especially; the reprise of 'Do I Love Her Because She Beautiful' (sung by Whoopi Goldberg) showed a loving mother who really does want the best for her son, even when she doesn't always show it well. This was compounded with tales of queer royals throughout history having both wives and lovers, some happy, most not. I wanted the best of both worlds: a queer prince but a happily married Cinderella who was finally free of her Stepmother's cruelty. This idea has formed over the years into this story. A bisexual prince with a male true love who marries a girl who loves him, and, somehow, they end up happily? Like all fairytales, this story features magic and love, but, also, a desire to work to make Happily Ever After really happen. I wanted to note that I know I stated in 'The Fairytale of Beauty and the Beast' that Cinderella was marrying a duke, but that had to change. She is now marrying a Prince. You will understand why in the text of the story. Again, grammar is stylised and not accurate or 'correct.' This is on purpose. I hope you enjoy this short, sweet, and lovely little story.
By Dionearia Red8 months ago in Writers
Author's Notes: The Fairytale of Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is an old fairytale whose protostory can be dated back to Ancient Greece, and it has always been my favourite fairytale. I grew up with the Disney version, and the beauty of it - the rich colours, the fantastical yet very real and grounded designs, the cleverness of Belle and a Beast who grows to match her... all these things have always resonated with me. As I grew and learned different variations, I realised how changeable and adaptable fairytales are, especially in queer terms. The Beast is a creature transformed, a creature trying to find 'his' humanity again; the Beauty is Other, different, odd. Apart. They are a queer couple even when they are not. This new version mixes several traditional versions with a female Beast, a wise and clever heroine, and a few Disney references because, well, why not? As mentioned above, this story features a female Beast, but our Beauty doesn't realise that until nearly the end, so pronouns shift and change, sometimes even within the same paragraph. I also am playing around with an almost storytelling cadence, so grammar is more thematic than accurate; I also dictated part of this story to help get the lyrical quality it has. All in all, I am really, really proud of this work. Thematically, it complements my other Fairytales: Puss's Boots, and my high fantasy/scifi Sleeping Beauties and A Dance at Midnight, but they are not related, per say. (And look for an author's note about them being posted soon that will help to explain their universe) I hope you enjoy this short, sweet, and lovely little story.
By Dionearia Red8 months ago in Writers
Craft over catharsis.
I like reading, 📚 I like writing, ✍🏾 I like sharing, I like exploring, and I like art. All the above, connect you to something. If I create by writing, I will want to share. Writing is an art, and a preserver of history, culture, and values. While art allows me to explore. Craft is a generic term for all kinds of art. It is not selfless but desires to share. It looks for a problem to solve, and solutions to adapt. When I think of catharsis, it is a temporary state, fleeting, might be exciting, and less involving. It sounds lazy, laid-back, and a bit selfish.
By Kusauka Chimbe8 months ago in Writers
