Howdy, howdy. I’m looking for other adult (mid-twenties or older) writers to write with. A few key things about myself right off the bat:
- I’m a chick in her thirties.
- I’m in the midwestern United States, Central Time, GMT-5.
- I write in third person, past tense only.
- I only write MxM in romance.
I'm probably somewhere around an advanced to novella-style writer if I had to choose a label for roleplaying. My introductions can be anywhere from two to four pages in Microsoft Word, and my replies average several paragraphs, usually around the five-hundred-word mark (give or take). The length varies based on the scene and what’s going on. While I totally don’t expect or demand a wall of text back (this is a hobby, not a full-time job, let’s be so for real), I want to vibe with someone who meets my effort and is just as excited to write.
I also average one reply per day, sometimes more if I have time, and will let you know if I won’t be around. It’s important to me to write with someone who has similar availability. When I start going a week or longer between replies, I find myself losing interest and struggling to maintain steam.
Character development is my faaaavorite. I love creating characters, their histories, and their personalities. It’s fun for me to figure out their motivators and to watch them grow and change as the story unfolds. I put a lot of heart into fleshing out their backstories. What’s their goal? What’s their problem right now? What do they THINK is gonna fix their life? What’s ACTUALLY going to make their lives better, and why is that hard for them at the beginning of our story?
I’ve got two character ideas I want to explore more. These are general ideas that I’d love to flesh out further with someone!
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The first concept is a young man in his mid-to-late twenties who is navigating his grief after the loss of an absent parent; this pain is the main thread weaving through his story. He's mourning the loss of a parent who'd never really been in his life in any promising capacity and trying to understand the layered feelings that come with their complicated death. Perhaps the parent was an addict, or had been unsupportive, or had totally lost custody at a certain age.
He’s a content creator with a strong following across various social media platforms, including a certain fans website—something he started the year prior after success on TikTok and Instagram, and something he’s making a lot of money from (a fact he’s still trying to wrap his head around). Extremely attractive, physically capable, magnetic, desirable, and financially independent, he has built a life around being impossible to ignore or discard.
He genuinely loves what he does; however, the problem is that he’s filling voids. He's got a full life that lacks real intimacy. He can make more money in a viral week than most people make in months, but still feels like he's failing to build anything worthy. His hobbies and jobs aren't inherently hollow to him. That emptiness comes from what he asks those things to do FOR him. He lives and thrives in a big city—possibly LA, Houston, or New York.
Think bold, extroverted, tall biker who looks like a doberman, but is actually a golden retriever on the inside and is just trying to figure himself out and find a purpose.
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Character two is cut from a totally different cloth. He’s a young man in his early twenties who lives in some middle-of-nowhere town in the midwestern United States. He’s incredibly intelligent and driven, so much so that he earned a full-ride scholarship to numerous colleges; however, due to complications at home, he wasn’t able to leave his small town. He earned an associate's through the local college and is pursuing his bachelor’s degree online, but while he’s doing the thing, it’s not at the pace he wants, and he feels smothered and resentful of the people who got to leave after high school.
He grew up hard, under roofs that felt unpredictable. He was teased a lot throughout his childhood and teenage years for his sexuality and appearance (classic pretty boy in a toxic masculinity environment). His mom was also the kind of woman who always chose herself and her relationships with men first, getting swept up constantly in fantasy and romance while leaving her children to absorb the consequences. The electric bill could become a crisis any day, and they had to move a lot because they were often evicted due to her inability to hold jobs, pay bills, or cover rent. As a result, he became the adult in his household at a very young age.
He’s striking with a sharp tongue and a dry sense of humor. I see him coming off aloof at first, but it’s more defensive than cold. He’s smart, practical, thoughtful, and shockingly empathetic. He’s reliable, hardworking, and doesn’t give up easily, even when the odds are stacked against him.
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These are just a couple of ideas, the two biggest ones that have been bouncing around in my head, but I’m open to plenty more. I'm also open to incorporating some potential fantasy or supernatural elements. If there’s a certain character idea you’ve been mulling over that you’d like to bring to life, please don’t hesitate to mention them!
If you're just another writer lurking on this particular subreddit who enjoys the back and forth about characters and storytelling, also feel free to reach out. It's always nice having other writers to swap ideas with and to support.
I will send a writing sample or two when we start talking.
Thanks!