Creative process
Why I decided to start this project
There are many thoughts inside my head, so I took some and gave them faces. It's basically therapy and coping, but maybe we can pretend there is a cooler reason behind it. Like, I don't know. Fun?
No, it's definitely not my huge fear of being forgotten. (It is.) I definitely do not have a need to leave behind proof of my existence. (I do.)
How I actually get things done
Executive dysfunction all over the place, but guess what? I have Ritalin.
I take my meds, put the phone away, make a cup of the tastiest coffee ever, and just start doing something. The beginning is always the worst part, so even the smallest task counts.
I tell myself I will write ONE sentence. Or that I will work for ONE minute.
And when I actually do write that one sentence, the momentum is already building, and I magically end up doing more. And when it doesn't work, I still wrote one sentence, and that's already better than nothing.
Also, to-do lists are EVERYTHING.
How I create OCs
When I want to make a new character, I never start with the design. I take a concept and give it a personality. I don't think about small details at first, and instead I focus on creating a harmony between how the character acts and how their mind works.
Let's be honest: creating characters is difficult. But there's one strategy I use that can easily make your writing make more sense to both you and all the potential readers.
Whenever you write anything, always ask, "Why?", "How?", "What caused this?", "Does this make sense?"
Here's an example of my own thought process:
- "What if I make a character who doesn't speak at all?"
- "Seems too extreme. Maybe they can speak sometimes?"
- "Okay. So, a character who is mostly silent."
- "But why?"
- "Because silence feels safer to them, maybe."
- "Okay, but why?"
...And so on.
The goal here is to avoid leaving things vague, because an attentive reader will eventually notice that something feels off.
For more details, click the button below.
The way I write
I keep saying that I will write a novel, but if it ever does happen, it likely won't be the usual format where it's just text upon text. I'm pretty impatient, and I love to write things in bullet points a lot.
- I don't like it plain.
- I like it weird.
- And I don't care what people think.
- Oh, and I love the font Times New Roman.
Imperfection is my signature.
My life beyond writing
I've never really matched the norm, and whenever I tried, it felt even more wrong. Seriously, living with a bunch of mental disorders is not easy, especially when the problems they cause mess with your social reputation.
I made a few friends, then they left because they noticed that the emotional side of my brain isn't developed enough. Then I made new friends. Later, they left again because I wasn't able to learn the unwritten social rules, and the cycle kept repeating.
Buildings seemed really cool to me, so I studied civil engineering for four years in high school. I hated it at first, then I liked it, then I pretended to like it, and then I absolutely fumbled. Honestly, I wouldn't have even started if someone told me about all the math it involves earlier. Everyone else was good except for me.
So, I chose to study philosophy and linguistics, even though many people were against it. They kept telling me how I could have made so much money, but I simply didn't care. After all, why spend my entire life doing something I don't enjoy?
Inspiration
Music
Whenever I write, I listen to random playlists to match the vibe. I don't have any favorite songs, but I have made small playlists for my OCs that I sometimes use to get in the right mood.
Other media
I may have gotten subconsciously inspired by things like:
- Needy Streamer Overload
- Doki Doki Literature Club
- Class of '09
- Omori
- Your Turn to Die
- Serial Experiments Lain
- Danganronpa
- Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Small side note:
I haven't seen those stories in a really, really long time, so I don't remember much of the plot anymore. The vibes really stuck with me, though, and I think the ability to give someone a lasting feeling just by creating a story is a huge skill that any author should have. Most people don’t remember all the details anyway.
Vibes
Here are some of my favorite things:
- Hot lemon tea at 8PM
- Coffee with milk and cinnamon
- Being with a close friend platonically
- Compliments regarding my creations
- Solitaire while sitting on the carpet
- The smell after rain
- Soft plushies and pillows
- Writing into my diary late at night
- Midnight chats
- Calm cafe hangout
- Drawing for fun with no pressure
- Big blanket
- Someone who understands boundaries
- Quiet nature walk
- Listening to music on the bus
- Green light for migraines
- Knowing that someone is reading this
Q&A
Q: "Why do you write in English?"
A: Writing in my native language feels weird to me for some reason. Also, global reach.
Q: "How do I pronounce your name?"
A: Both "day-nah" and "dah-nah" are correct pronunciations. I don't really care anyway.
Q: "You have mental disorders?"
A: I don't like to talk about it too much, but yeah. I was officially diagnosed in 2025. The therapist said she doesn't want to put labels on me, but the paper said something like, "Yeah, this bitch is autistic with a sprinkle of attention deficit." So, that's that. Explains a lot.
Q: "Does your username have any meaning behind it?"
A: No. It's literally just my name (Dana) and an animal (duck). Very original, I know. I considered changing it, but the emotional attachment goes hard, and I've had the username for years, so I can't let go of it anymore.
Q: "What's 'D.C.'?"
A: My initials.
Q: "Why did you make a website?"
A: The original plan was to just write something and put it on AO3 or somewhere similar. However, I wanted to have full control over how everything looks, and this website gives me the chance to make everything my way.
Q: "Are you in a relationship with anyone?"
A: Most of the time.
Q: "You say you're not an artist, but you still draw. Why?"
A: When I say that to people, it lowers their expectations. They don't ask to see any drawings, and I can draw things as ugly as I want without the pressure of trying to match some kind of standard.
Q: "Are you working on anything else right now?"
A: Not really. I do own a few other OCs, but I'm not planning to do big things with them.
Q: "What do you enjoy writing the most?"
A: I love writing guides because it's fun to help people. Anything that involves charts, bullet points, or logic is the best. Also, writing dialogue is another one of my favorite things. I like whatever doesn't put perfectionistic pressure on me.
Q: "What do you usually struggle with when writing?"
A: Things that involve a lot of emotion.
Q: "Do you like your OCs?"
A: Hell no. I would not want to spend a single day of my life with those social hazards.
Q: "Did you draw the images on this website?"
A: Yes! All of them!
Q: "Why did you leave Art Fight?"
A: Because it was stressing me out.
Q: "Do you do commissions?"
A: No.
Q: "Can I make fan art of your OCs?"
A: Yes, and I WILL absolutely be obsessed with any drawing! Just please don't expect me to return the favor. I'm seriously not much of an artist. (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
Contacts
The only account I own there is @dana_duckk. Anything else is not me. I use Instagram to post fresh updates and random thoughts, so it's basically like a diary made public.
Threads
I started using Threads around the second half of July 2026.
Perfectly Imperfect
Funny website name, isn't it.
Discord
I own two Discord servers:
One Line Online: the debate server
P.I. Archive: the official P.I. server
E-mail
I decided to use the following e-mail for everything project-related: danaduck96@gmail.com
This website
There is one place here where you can send a message without having to crawl into my DMs:
More to explore
The Google Drive folder
I put a lot of interesting things in there, such as:
- My writing attempts
- The detailed documents about my OCs
- Some of my older drawings
- Beautiful fan art
- Templates + tips
My OC quiz on uQuiz
I made a simple "personality test" that you can try out if you want to see which one of the P.I. characters matches you best, if any. Take the results with a grain of salt.
Art Fight
I stopped using it after 2026, but the account still exists.
Marc Segar's survival guide
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about the unwritten social rules nobody will ever tell you about. It's essentially the "how-to-people" tutorial.
My guide to OC-making
I did already mention it earlier, but this document might be good for you if you're writing a fictional character. I and at least ten people have used it, so it's proven to be great, probably.
Tutorial: How to Brainwash
Here, I will be covering some tips and tricks on how to grow the chances that people will become interested in your creation.
This tutorial can work both in real life and online.
Especially useful if:
- You own fictional characters
- You are writing a story
- You're making a video game
- You have a comic or webcomic
Note: Keep in mind that this might not work every single time, as your success also depends on timing and audience. Also, the whole process can take anywhere from a month to multiple years, so don't expect instant success.
