Author: Amanda Jane

Amanda Jane is a 30-year-old writer, social media lover and pop-culture obsessed adult*. While she isn't working on her novel, she enjoys watching television shows, wondering about the YouTube business model for vloggers, movies and reading any books she can get her hands on. She might be made up of 20% coffee and 80% sarcasm. *An adult when her parents are looking.

writers:

ironinkpen:

  • break up your paragraphs. big paragraphs are scary, your readers will get scared
  • fuuuuck epithets. “the other man got up” “the taller woman sat down” “the blonde walked away” nahhh. call them by their names or rework the sentence. you can do so much better than this (exception: if the reader doesn’t know the character(s) you’re referring to yet, it’s a-okay to refer to them by an identifying trait)
  • blunette is not a thing
  • new speaker, new paragraph. please.
  • “said” is such a great word. use it. make sweet love to it. but don’t kill it
  • use “said” more than you use synonyms for it. that way the use of synonyms gets more exciting. getting a sudden description of how a character is saying something (screaming, mumbling, sighing) is more interesting that way.
  • if your summary says “I suck at summaries” or “story better than summary” you’re turning off the reader, my dude. your summary is supposed to be your hook. you gotta own it, just like you’re gonna own the story they’re about to read
  • follow long sentences w short ones and short ones w long ones. same goes for paragraphs
  • your writing is always better than you think it is. you just think it’s bad because the story’s always gonna be predicable to the one who’s writing it
  • i love u guys keep on trucking

Realistic Self-Talk

emq:

  • This too shall pass & my life will be better.
  • I am a worthy and good person. 
  • I am doing the best I can, given my history and level of current awareness.
  • Like everyone else, I am a fallible person and at times will make mistakes and am committed to learning from them.
  • What is, is.
  • Look at how much I have accomplished, and I am still progressing.
  • There are no failures, only different degrees of success.
  • Be honest and true to myself.
  • It is OK to let myself be distressed for awhile.
  • I am not helpless. I can and will take the steps needed to get through during crisis. 
  • I will remain engaged and involved instead of isolating and withdrawing during this situation.
  • This is an opportunity, instead of a threat. I will use this experience to learn something new, to change my direction, and/or to try a new approach. 
  • Other people are responsible for their reactions to me. 
  • I can stand anything for a while because I am resilient. 
  • In the long run, who will remember or care? 
  • I see all things through the eyes of compassion.

I say that every time Robert is off screen it’s because he is out buying mini versions of Aaron’s clothing to dress Seb in without his hubby knowing. He’s already got the hoodies and the bomber jackets, and there has now been a mini pair of overalls added to the collection. He subtly starts dressing Seb to match his cuddly dad, and when Aaron eventually twigs he calls his soft lad husband an utter sap but secretly melts and now his phone memory is full because of ‘Seb in overalls’ photos.

littlelooneyluna:

HOLLLLAAA NONNIE,

lol look what u made me do:

It starts with the black hoodie, Seb wriggles out of it like it’s not his thing at all but Robert still carries on dressing him in the get up.

He’s also started to go down the route of rainbow baby-grows and Liv jokes that it’s because of Pride Month.

And Seb’s a fan of grey jumpers as well apparently.

Aaron finds it adorable, seeing Seb in the hoodie makes everyone seem to call him his ‘mini-me’ and that feels good.

He doesn’t even realise that Robert is doing it all on purpose until he’s called into the garage by Cain, lends a hand and is nearly late by Robert who can’t help but pounce on him in his get up.

It’s weird, he feels like he’s younger again in them, feels like he has a crush on Robert all over again. He’s in his thoughts when Robert comes and visits, Seb in toe of course.

“Couldn’t keep away?” Aaron’s got a pen in his mouth and Robert gets excited before he presents Seb like a prized fish.

“Seb wanted to say hi.” And Seb seems to have wanted to dress just like Aaron today as well.

Aaron pulls a hand over his mouth and can’t help but let out a breathless laugh as Seb wriggles about in his dungarees and giggles as Aaron pulls a face at him. Robert passes him over and this warmness spreads over Aaron’s chest as Seb tugs at his beard fondly. He knows him. He knows his fashion as well it seems.

“And he also wanted to dress like me, again.” Aaron arches an eyebrow and Robert shrugs.

“You’re a fashion icon.”

“And you’re full of -“ Aaron pulls a hand over Seb’s ears like he could even understand. “Bullshit.” He says and Robert is this soft sap isn’t he?

“He likes dressing like ya, you’re a good influence on him. What can I say?” And Robert can say a lot more, but Aaron already knows. He loves Aaron and he loves Seb and he’ll always want to keep them close, seeing like this is enough to make him nearly cry.

Aaron can tell clearly. “You’re a sap.” He says, leans in and kisses him though as Seb complains about being squished. Robert smiles back and Aaron rolls his eyes, pretends like he isn’t going to take a picture with the little man later and have it saved in his own file.

He can be a soft sap of dad too sometimes.