almost done with nano!
Nov. 30th, 2012 10:16 pmThe Gabled Window
Working on: The end!
Word for this chapter: 2514
Yeah, I got this.
Congrats to people who've already won!
The Gabled Window
Working on: Uncovering the big baddie's plot.
Word for this chapter: 54
So I'm about 5k behind schedule. I'm a little disappointed in myself, but life's been shitty recently and you do what you can. The positive thing about this nano attempt is that it's been more cohesive than the previous years', so maybe I'm finally getting a hang of this here plotting business.
other blabbles
Jun. 7th, 2012 08:51 amI really want to get back into writing. Since last years NaNo novel, I haven't done much of anything other than Dragon Age and SWTOR drabbles. I've been reading a lot more, and listening to writing and fantasy/scifi-themed podcasts, and I'm itching to get back into the habit.
It was a combination of Star Wars, terrible Star Wars novels, and damn fine fantasy novels. Star Wars inspires me, bad novels encourage me (I can totally do as well as these!), and good novels give me a goal to reach toward. And also the podcasts, too, since they make me want to be part of a community like that.
Need to: finish draft two of SQ, start draft one of T, fucking finially finish draft 12080234980 of P. Can it be done? Eh, no.
In preparation, I made another damn blog, this time over at wordpress. See, that is going to be my professional blog! Cuz I'm a Real Writer (tm) now or something! Sure! Let's go with that and not the real reason, which is I'm addicted to making blogs. I have this one, which was my main for a while; these posts get split and sent to LJ: stories go to one journal there and real life stuff to the other; my tumblr, where I've been spending basically all my time; and now this wordpress one. I've had so many others that died pathetically and alone.
It was a combination of Star Wars, terrible Star Wars novels, and damn fine fantasy novels. Star Wars inspires me, bad novels encourage me (I can totally do as well as these!), and good novels give me a goal to reach toward. And also the podcasts, too, since they make me want to be part of a community like that.
Need to: finish draft two of SQ, start draft one of T, fucking finially finish draft 12080234980 of P. Can it be done? Eh, no.
In preparation, I made another damn blog, this time over at wordpress. See, that is going to be my professional blog! Cuz I'm a Real Writer (tm) now or something! Sure! Let's go with that and not the real reason, which is I'm addicted to making blogs. I have this one, which was my main for a while; these posts get split and sent to LJ: stories go to one journal there and real life stuff to the other; my tumblr, where I've been spending basically all my time; and now this wordpress one. I've had so many others that died pathetically and alone.
boring rp stuff
Mar. 5th, 2012 01:52 pmTVTropes whhhhhhy. I've been on this site all morning, ignoring all the work that piled up over the weekend. TVTropes, I wish I could quit you.
The site should have a way to make pages for your own characters. I know that would take a ridiculous amount of space, but unreasonableness aside, it be fun to make cohesive lists of the tropes that your characters, stories, universes make use of.
Commence boring RP shit that I am compelled to compile.
( Read more... )
The site should have a way to make pages for your own characters. I know that would take a ridiculous amount of space, but unreasonableness aside, it be fun to make cohesive lists of the tropes that your characters, stories, universes make use of.
Commence boring RP shit that I am compelled to compile.
( Read more... )
BB
Working on: Getting the boys back to school.
Word for this chapter: 283
The plot's gone hay-wire. I'm trying to figure out how much plot this 50k needs to encompass. In my imaginary world of make-believe awesome, this book is part of a series... Just never planned how long this series was going to be. I need to figure out where the story is going to be at 50k so I can sort out the pacing.
Catching up on NaNo this weekend. November's been a busy month - lots of school work and other responsibilities - and now I have to contend with both Skyrim and Skyward Sword. Video games! I ask you!
This draft is awful. Maybe a smidge better than last years, but still eye-bleedingly bad. Most of the cast is nameless (I've got Name, Namer, Dickface, Name, Nambles, Name, and Name-Name), half the word count is from directionless conversation ("What do you want to do today?" "I don't know - What do you want to do?"), and I've jumped forward in time so many times that I completely lost when the story is taking place. And also while I might be able to hit the 50k, the story won't be anywhere near done. So all in all, a relatively successful NaNo! I wish I were one of those people who are able to develop perfect manuscripts, who plot everything in their heads and then merely have to let their fingers walk over the keyboard to get it all down. My method of writing is to vomit up letters and hope that words come out of the mess.
It's that time of year again!
Oct. 31st, 2011 04:41 pmI'm not sure if I'll have time to finish it this year, but I'll be trying NaNo again. I'm Jaeness over there. Going with fantasy, yet again. This idea's been bubbling around in the stew of my brain for the past two years, and I'm excited to try to get it down on paper.
In preparation, and also because I'm a terrible procrastinator, I'm editing my 09 NaNo SQ. I've chopped it to pieces, exorcised the entire middle 10 chapters, and axed a bunch of characters. I hope the editing makes the plot more streamlined and not less interesting. Last year's attempt is a lost cause. It just wasn't meant to be 50,000 words. A long story maybe, or a novella but a novel it ain't. And someday I'll finish draft 3 of my 08 NaNo... Someday.
WriteWay has a free one month trial, so I'm going to see if the bells and whistles can help me better organize my thoughts.
In preparation, and also because I'm a terrible procrastinator, I'm editing my 09 NaNo SQ. I've chopped it to pieces, exorcised the entire middle 10 chapters, and axed a bunch of characters. I hope the editing makes the plot more streamlined and not less interesting. Last year's attempt is a lost cause. It just wasn't meant to be 50,000 words. A long story maybe, or a novella but a novel it ain't. And someday I'll finish draft 3 of my 08 NaNo... Someday.
WriteWay has a free one month trial, so I'm going to see if the bells and whistles can help me better organize my thoughts.
Dragon Age Big Bang
Oct. 19th, 2011 01:04 pmRivers Til I Reach You
f!Hawke, on the run from Kirkwall, follows her lover Anders to Denerim, where he has partially begged, partially tricked Queen Cousland into protecting them. Out of the bargain, the Queen-Commander gets their help as she travels across Ferelden, chasing reports of Orlesian involvement in her own country's collapsing Chantry. Also: babies.
I've been severely neglecting my DA Big Bang fic. I got some substantial writing done on the train yesterday and just now did a word count: one-third of the way through. Not bad, but I'd hoped to have it done before NaNo started. ...Yeah, that's probably not going to happen. Slight consolation that the rest of the DA:BB community is procrastinating just as much as me.
so clsoe i can taste it
Nov. 30th, 2010 09:00 pmI have three hours to write 800 words. I can do this.
Congrats to those who've already finished!
na-na-na-nano
Oct. 16th, 2010 09:36 pmStoked for NaNo this year! I tried to arrange my projects so that I'll have November relatively homework-free, but we'll see how that pans out.
My story! involves werewolves. Well, more like shape-shifting than true lycanthropy. I'm excited to be writing pure fantasy. Last year was urban fantasy, more like an extended ghost story than true fantasy. The main character is a youngish woman from a nomadic tribe that circles the steppes. When her brother steals sacred treasure to fund his new life in a faraway city, she chases after him, even as he descends into darkness. Cue the scary music! DUH DUH DUHHHH! I've requested books about Mongolia and Central Asia in general from the school library; it's a part of the world I don't know much about but have always been interested in.
My story! involves werewolves. Well, more like shape-shifting than true lycanthropy. I'm excited to be writing pure fantasy. Last year was urban fantasy, more like an extended ghost story than true fantasy. The main character is a youngish woman from a nomadic tribe that circles the steppes. When her brother steals sacred treasure to fund his new life in a faraway city, she chases after him, even as he descends into darkness. Cue the scary music! DUH DUH DUHHHH! I've requested books about Mongolia and Central Asia in general from the school library; it's a part of the world I don't know much about but have always been interested in.
FA - Chapter two's almost done
Sep. 6th, 2010 07:13 pmFine Art (zillionth draft)
Working on: Chapter two: Daisuke vs the art club
Word count for this chapter: 1624
Finally had some time today to get back into writing. The second chapter's coming along, but needs some fine-tuning before I submit it anywhere.
1. Tell us about your favorite writing project/universe that you’ve worked with and why.
2. How many characters do you have? Do you prefer males or females?
3. How do you come up with names, for characters (and for places if you’re writing about fictional places)?
4. Tell us about one of your first stories/characters!
I wrote an atrocious fantasy story about dragons for 6th grade English. Before that I wrote an atrocious fantasy story about cats for a 4th or 5th grade assignment. I'm a big fan of fantasy. And atrocities. My first story though, I think, was about a British solider from Revolutionary War who ended up in modern times. If I'm remembering correctly, I thought that up after a school trip to Lexington/Concord. Even as a kid I apparently had a thing for Brits.
Like a lot of fans, I had a cast of self-inserts and Mary Sues for my first fandoms: a Sailor Moon character (named Sailor Sagittarius, after my zodiac sign); a girl from Boston who moved down south for Tom & Huck; a client-turned-detective who impresses Basil from The Great Mouse Detective; a small-village girl who gets caught up in Link's quest; a chorus girl who rescues Erik from despair. Wish-fulfillment, basically.
( Remaining questions )
2. How many characters do you have? Do you prefer males or females?
3. How do you come up with names, for characters (and for places if you’re writing about fictional places)?
4. Tell us about one of your first stories/characters!
I wrote an atrocious fantasy story about dragons for 6th grade English. Before that I wrote an atrocious fantasy story about cats for a 4th or 5th grade assignment. I'm a big fan of fantasy. And atrocities. My first story though, I think, was about a British solider from Revolutionary War who ended up in modern times. If I'm remembering correctly, I thought that up after a school trip to Lexington/Concord. Even as a kid I apparently had a thing for Brits.
Like a lot of fans, I had a cast of self-inserts and Mary Sues for my first fandoms: a Sailor Moon character (named Sailor Sagittarius, after my zodiac sign); a girl from Boston who moved down south for Tom & Huck; a client-turned-detective who impresses Basil from The Great Mouse Detective; a small-village girl who gets caught up in Link's quest; a chorus girl who rescues Erik from despair. Wish-fulfillment, basically.
( Remaining questions )
writing in first person
Jul. 1st, 2010 02:14 pmAfter weeks months years of neglect, yesterday I started re-writing my epic(ally bad) fanfic "Fine Art." I never stopped thinking about it, even as I went through high school and college, and I do intend to finish it. At some point. Hopefully. I'll keep telling myself that.
So anyway I re-read chapters 4 and 5, which have been moldering in Google documents. They're ok, I guess. But there's too much dialog, not enough action. And Daisuke should be all about movement and energy. And there's my big problem - Since my read of Daisuke is he's more about impulses than ponderings, I can't have too many scenes of navel-gazing. And then I start to worry that I'm making him too observant. I began re-writing the chapter where he talks to Willis... And I think it's a bit better. Shorter, definitely. I need to have Willis as some sort of presence - he's sort of the Greek chorus here - and since he's one the other side of the planet, he can only communicate through phone calls.
But if the pace gets too fast, I think Daisuke's maturation doesn't get explored enough. He can't change completely, not that quickly.
So I'm stumped.
Daisuke needs to a)join the art club, b)join the soccer club, c)get to Ken's house. Those are his physical movements; he's also got to a)begin to see himself as more than just a member of the Chosen Children, b)see the rest of the gang as more than just the Chosen Children, c)develop enough emotionally that he can begin sexual maturation, d)fall out of infatuation with Hikari and in love with Ken, e)probably a crapload of other things.
I think I just don't have enough practice with first-person POV. With third-person perspective, I can write about things that Daisuke wouldn't notice, but since he's narrating, I'm limited in showing only the things that he is interested in or he's willing to pay attention to.
And I'm bad at action. I really am. Oh god, so terrible. Bad at description, too. But I love writing dialog.
So anyway I re-read chapters 4 and 5, which have been moldering in Google documents. They're ok, I guess. But there's too much dialog, not enough action. And Daisuke should be all about movement and energy. And there's my big problem - Since my read of Daisuke is he's more about impulses than ponderings, I can't have too many scenes of navel-gazing. And then I start to worry that I'm making him too observant. I began re-writing the chapter where he talks to Willis... And I think it's a bit better. Shorter, definitely. I need to have Willis as some sort of presence - he's sort of the Greek chorus here - and since he's one the other side of the planet, he can only communicate through phone calls.
But if the pace gets too fast, I think Daisuke's maturation doesn't get explored enough. He can't change completely, not that quickly.
So I'm stumped.
Daisuke needs to a)join the art club, b)join the soccer club, c)get to Ken's house. Those are his physical movements; he's also got to a)begin to see himself as more than just a member of the Chosen Children, b)see the rest of the gang as more than just the Chosen Children, c)develop enough emotionally that he can begin sexual maturation, d)fall out of infatuation with Hikari and in love with Ken, e)probably a crapload of other things.
I think I just don't have enough practice with first-person POV. With third-person perspective, I can write about things that Daisuke wouldn't notice, but since he's narrating, I'm limited in showing only the things that he is interested in or he's willing to pay attention to.
And I'm bad at action. I really am. Oh god, so terrible. Bad at description, too. But I love writing dialog.
Everyone and their pet donkey has heard of the wank involving Diana Gabaldon and the evil that is fanfic by now so I'm late jumping onto the bandwagon, but I just gotta say that damn, that woman is tripping balls crazy.
If I ever get published, I'd consider fanfic about my book an honor greater than any award. Because it means that not only do people like your stuff, they're inspired by it.
Fanfic is awesome! It gives me new ways to explore the characters, situations, worlds. It keeps that universe open and alive. And where else am I going to read about mpreg? Come on!
Also, if I get published, I will read the hell out of any fanfic for my stuff. In fact, I'm going to write my own. One of the amazing things about fanfic is that it allows you to write characters in ways that you couldn't get away with in profic. That is, there are tropes that are acceptable for fanfic that aren't for profic.
...I might have already planned out some fanfic. I can neither confirm nor deny that I've worked out a gender!switch story.
If I ever get published, I'd consider fanfic about my book an honor greater than any award. Because it means that not only do people like your stuff, they're inspired by it.
Fanfic is awesome! It gives me new ways to explore the characters, situations, worlds. It keeps that universe open and alive. And where else am I going to read about mpreg? Come on!
Also, if I get published, I will read the hell out of any fanfic for my stuff. In fact, I'm going to write my own. One of the amazing things about fanfic is that it allows you to write characters in ways that you couldn't get away with in profic. That is, there are tropes that are acceptable for fanfic that aren't for profic.
...I might have already planned out some fanfic. I can neither confirm nor deny that I've worked out a gender!switch story.
Unfunny business
How religion has let society down by Franklin Veaux - A thoughtful post about sex and organized religion. "This obsession with sex extends to social ideas about morality. If someone tells you "I have strong morals" or "I believe in good moral values," you can be pretty sure that what they're talking about is sex."
Appropriate Cultural Appropriation by Nisi Shawl - Shawl uses the term "Invaders" along with "Tourists" and "Guests" to describe authors relationships with other cultures. I found that a helpful method of definition; it gives a clear distinction between respectful and ignorant methods of appropriation. "A good deal of transcultural writing's bad reputation is owing to authors and audiences who act like Invaders. In one unpublished story I've seen, the writer took a sacred song here, a tattoo there, snapped up a feast featuring roasted pig and manioc root from somewhere else and presto! South Pacific Island culture at our fingertips!"
How religion has let society down by Franklin Veaux - A thoughtful post about sex and organized religion. "This obsession with sex extends to social ideas about morality. If someone tells you "I have strong morals" or "I believe in good moral values," you can be pretty sure that what they're talking about is sex."
Appropriate Cultural Appropriation by Nisi Shawl - Shawl uses the term "Invaders" along with "Tourists" and "Guests" to describe authors relationships with other cultures. I found that a helpful method of definition; it gives a clear distinction between respectful and ignorant methods of appropriation. "A good deal of transcultural writing's bad reputation is owing to authors and audiences who act like Invaders. In one unpublished story I've seen, the writer took a sacred song here, a tattoo there, snapped up a feast featuring roasted pig and manioc root from somewhere else and presto! South Pacific Island culture at our fingertips!"
Random interesting shiznit
Mar. 19th, 2010 04:41 pmOn writing
[writing|process] Language, language, and the temptations of etymology by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jaylake - I love reading Jay Lake's posts, no matter what the topic. In this one he ponders word choice in fiction, and when a word's etymology makes it inappropriate to use in a story. This is something that keeps me up at night - Good to know that I'm not (completely) insane.
Coll-ab-o-ration by Rachel Swirsky - I had always wondered how authors collaborate on a story.
Yaoi, slash, and characterisation by![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lanjelin - Thoughts on yaoi - Let me show them to you. I'm interested how the gay experience compares and relates to slash/yaoi (fan)fiction, and this essay brings up some good points about how authors characterize their characters through sexual tropes and labels.
Real world stuff
A Host of Mummies, a Forest of Secrets from The NY Times - Chinese archaeologists discovered an amazing cemetery in the middle of a desert in Xinjiang. What makes the find even more interesting is that the 4,000 year old corpses are from European descent. The whole article is great - I love reading about burial customs, and the fact that the bodies were buried in boats in the middle of a desert really fascinates me.
The Ides of March - and Caesar's Comet bydr_nebula - On comets and Cesar's assassination.
[writing|process] Language, language, and the temptations of etymology by
jaylake - I love reading Jay Lake's posts, no matter what the topic. In this one he ponders word choice in fiction, and when a word's etymology makes it inappropriate to use in a story. This is something that keeps me up at night - Good to know that I'm not (completely) insane. Coll-ab-o-ration by Rachel Swirsky - I had always wondered how authors collaborate on a story.
Yaoi, slash, and characterisation by
lanjelin - Thoughts on yaoi - Let me show them to you. I'm interested how the gay experience compares and relates to slash/yaoi (fan)fiction, and this essay brings up some good points about how authors characterize their characters through sexual tropes and labels. Real world stuff
A Host of Mummies, a Forest of Secrets from The NY Times - Chinese archaeologists discovered an amazing cemetery in the middle of a desert in Xinjiang. What makes the find even more interesting is that the 4,000 year old corpses are from European descent. The whole article is great - I love reading about burial customs, and the fact that the bodies were buried in boats in the middle of a desert really fascinates me.
The Ides of March - and Caesar's Comet by
dr_nebula - On comets and Cesar's assassination.
porn and cowboys!
Jan. 19th, 2010 02:39 pmWheeee! Time for another round of PORN BATTLE! I submitted some 3:10 to Yuma prompts - I've been on a cowboy-high over the past week. I uploaded my Yuma prawns to AO3 the other day, and that inspired me to re-read those and then all the stories posted on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
threetentrain.
Regarding my own crap, I think 2007 was actually the peak of my writing ability. I haven't written much since then, certainly no real porn. I've been working on it, though; I drabble bits and pieces of stuff in my journal, but I haven't written anything that other people can read. So! Stoked for a new porn battle!
threetentrain.Regarding my own crap, I think 2007 was actually the peak of my writing ability. I haven't written much since then, certainly no real porn. I've been working on it, though; I drabble bits and pieces of stuff in my journal, but I haven't written anything that other people can read. So! Stoked for a new porn battle!
