So... apparently it's June now...

[hells_half_acre]

I know I said I'd be more productive in June... and I HAVE been....

But so far that productivity has come in the form of marathoning the new Arrested Development season and sewing curtains, and not so much in the form of finishing or starting any of my writing projects - fandom related or otherwise.

So, um, apologizing yet again for my quietness these past few weeks. I did START my (gen) Sassy fic, but I'm not really feeling it at the moment, I guess, so I'm not sure if/when it will get done.

I also really want to write another original novel, so I have a feeling that most of my creative-writing mojo is going to be focused on that project for the next little bit.

Not to mention that I'm trying to work a lot at my day job before I take my vacation, because unlike a lot of the world, I don't get paid vacation.

I feel bad though, because the whole point of Ficlet April was supposed to get me into the routine of writing everyday - and it did not work. :(

In other news, I've taken up archery... and let me tell you, I'm the one you want on your zombie apocalypse team:



Anyway, I hope all you guys are well and I'm sorry I haven't been around as much to entertain you with my shenanigans.

Comments

[borgmama1of5.livejournal.com]

Remind me never to piss you off while you are armed!

Impressive!!!

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[et-tu-lj.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's impressive (and a little terrifying). I just hope I end up on your side, in the end.

Good luck with whichever project you decide to pursue. If a new original is what you're feeling most, go for it. :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Impressive and terrifying was the consensus from my family when I posted the pick on FB, so you're not alone with that assessment. ;)

Part of me thinks that I should try to fix the original novel that I wrote last year - but I'm just not sure where to begin with that one, as much fun as it was to finally get down on paper, I think it suffers from the ailment known as "I came up with this idea in high school and it shows."

[et-tu-lj.livejournal.com]

Part of me thinks that I should try to fix the original novel that I wrote last year - but I'm just not sure where to begin

Oh god, I know what you mean. I tried and failed twice already on my second draft. Only letting it sit forever until I'd forgotten everything let me figure out how to tackle it. I read it fast just looking for the good bits, pasted just those handful of scenes into a new file, and let myself forget again. Now, seeing only the good parts without the intervening crap is finally making me see the rest of what needs to happened. So 3rd time's the charm? Staying obsessed with it just made me even more stuck though.

Setting it aside for a while doesn't have to be a bad thing, I think. Maybe it'll simmer away and you'll figure it out while your attention is elsewhere. Maybe you'll come up with a new story you like even better and it'll be even easier with what you've learned along the way. Either way, I believe in your abilities. You'll get there, one way or another, with it's this story or another.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the moral support!

I think you have a good point though - I could sit and plug away at it, or I could take a break - write something else, and then return to it later with fresh eyes... and also maybe more of a willingness to make drastic changes.

I think part of the problem is that because I came up with the basic story and characters in high school, they've been with me a very long time and I'm VERY reluctant to alter them in any drastic way, even if they're not working as they are.

[et-tu-lj.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see.

Is it mostly the characters themselves you feel reluctant to mess with, or everything?

I had a fanfic like that once, and how I got past it was looking for repeated elements and trying to get rid of the repetition or make it purposeful. Specifically (since I'm not sure if that made sense or not), it was a Snape during the Death Eaters era fic, and I was very attached to my core character development, but the story wasn't working overall. 80% of the scenes were set in either Snape's potions lab or the entryway of Malfoy Manor, so I started by moving scenes to other locations, both individual sets within the major location (a study, library, gardens etc) and other locations when possible. Then when it still felt monotonous, I tried to give the outdoor scenes different weather conditions, and the indoor scenes different lighting. Eventually, seeing how much those minor detail changes improved the story let me break free of my stranglehold on the plot/characters and be willing to bend there some too. (Also, confirmed my pattern - I write character and relationships first and wow is the setting vague and unanchored.)

If it's a story that's too deeply ingrained to forget about, maybe something like that might be worth a try? Sharing my story in case it helps, but idk if our processes are similar.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I think the problem is that I've got 7 characters that could all have their own story... and also - and I find this is a problem with all my ideas - I have very well developed "good guys" and very under-developed (or non-existent) "bad guys".

Also, I realized after I wrote it that it's basically a hurt/comfort fest.

So, yeah, multiple problems. :P

[cappy712.livejournal.com]

If you decide you want to write another story - I'm more than willing to read for you :-) Thank you.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

[franztastisch]

OH MY GOD ARCHERY I AM SO JEALOUS!!

And for any story related readings, I am here. :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I'm jealous of myself, I love it so much.

And thanks! :)

[franztastisch]

Bah. I wish I had money to do archery. There is an archery club just outside York and I really want to join one day. Even if everyone will the laugh at me because my arms are so weak I have to use a child's bow.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Well, everyone uses fairly light bows to begin with until they build up more muscle. And maybe it's not so much that you're so weak that you have to use a child's bow, it that some children are so strong that they can use YOUR bow. :P

But yeah, the money issue is a problem. More so if you want to buy your own equipment... which I kind of want to do. I can't take the classes in July or August though, because of my summer travel plans, so I'm hoping that I can put the money I would have spent on classes towards buying my own bow and arrows, and then starting back up with classes in the fall (provided that I'm not unemployed after September, which is possibility.)

[franztastisch]

That's not making me feel much better. :P

Yeah, I know equiptment is expensive. But to be honest, to start off, I'd just like to be able to join. Anything else is just a bonus.

Where are you off to this summer?

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Ah, well, I tried.

I'm not going anywhere special. Just home to Ontario for a few weeks to visit my mum and help her with some maintenance up at the cottage... and then I'll have a brief side-trip to the Montreal area to meet my close friends' new baby.

[franztastisch]

Aww mum and friends and baby! That should be fun. :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it a great deal.

I should post pictures of something, maybe. I think the area up around my cottage is pretty gorgeous in a Canadian-wilderness sort of way.

[franztastisch]

Canadian wilderness sounds fantastic. I think you should. :)