Season of Writing Dangerously: Motivational Wednesday ... Oops, THURSDAY!

[dawn_felagund]

Yes, yes, I forgot to post the weekly motivational post yesterday. I blame the fact that I was actually working on my SoWD project when I should have been making the motivational post! :D

First of all, congrats to our Impetuous Participants. Since I was late with the post, if you've started your project as of my posting this, then you can claim your prize!

This week's motivational post comes from fantasy author George R.R. Martin. Whether you love his books or hate them, the quote below, to me, expresses one of the reasons why the fantasy genre is such a wonderful playground for the imagination. Hopefully, the quote will inspire you to wing off to your own fantasyland in the next week and make some progress on your projects! :)

“The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real ... for a moment at least ... that long magic moment before we wake.

Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end. Reality is the strip malls of Burbank, the smokestacks of Cleveland, a parking garage in Newark. Fantasy is the towers of Minas Tirith, the ancient stones of Gormenghast, the halls of Camelot. Fantasy flies on the wings of Icarus, reality on Southwest Airlines. Why do our dreams become so much smaller when they finally come true?

We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La.

They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to middle Earth.”

― George R.R. Martin

Please use the comments section of the weekly motivational posts as your own space. Whether you want to brag or blow off steam, feel free to share your progress and experiences so far. Links and snippets are most welcome. If you need help in any way, this is a good place to ask as well.

Comments

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

Happily writing Fingon, and he won't shut up! I'll start posting soon. =)

[dawn_felagund]

Woohoo--a chatty Fingon sounds lovely! :D Hope it keeps going well!

[huinare.livejournal.com]

So far I am having a SoWNE (Season of Writing Non-Existently). Tonight might be the night this all changes (she says every night)!!

[dawn_felagund]

Good luck! I admit I've been taking solace in doing the story-posting part of my goal. (Working on posting one right now ...) But tomorrow evening, I am denying myself Internet access and working on an actual story.

[independence1776]

I've moved most of my LJ-only stories to SWG! The rest will be posted Saturday. (Three stories are currently in "Trinkets", my random ficlet collection. My B2MeM stories were backdated.)

However… I'm feeling guilty because of it. I thought I only had three stories to post in "Trinkets" and I found seven more. Even though I'll be posting all seven on Saturday, one chapter right after another, I feel like I'm annoying people. For both posting a bunch of chapters at once and for being on the Most Recent list two weeks in a row. (Technically it will be three, because I hope to post something non-SWD-related next weekend.)

[dawn_felagund]

Congrats on getting the stories cross-posted! I'm slowly working my way through that part of my goal too, so I appreciate the tedium and effort it sometimes entails! :D

If I can offer consolation on the last bit, as someone who goes to the archive every day--usually multiple times--and so sees how the archive is used: I wouldn't class either of those things as annoying. The archive has been hopping lately, so the Most Recent page is quite populated. Yet it's not so hopping that stories don't get at least a few days in the Most Recent box on the front page. And you're certainly not the only person to post a bunch of chapters at once; I was generally posting AMC in groups of ten chapters! :D

In all of the years of the SWG's existence, I've never heard more than mild grumbling over massive uploads that take up pages and pages of Most Recent, which certainly isn't what you're doing (and you'd certainly have the right to do that too, if you wanted). I understand how you're feeling, since I felt guilty every time an update of AMC nudged someone out of the Most Recent box, but I don't think most people feel that way, or even notice.

[shirebound]

They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to middle Earth.”

I hope to get that chance, too.

[dawn_felagund]

Me too! Although I'm very hot-cold on GRRM, I love this quote! :)

[dreamflower]

Two out of three of the fics I have hoped to get updated have been, and look on track to stay that way. Next week, I hope to add the third one.

Chapter 27: The Wedding Bilbo and his cousin Siggy pull off their prank; Adalgrim ties the knot.

Chapter 16 Aragorn gathers the information he needs to make his judgment on the hobbit prisoners.

[dawn_felagund]

Yay! That's awesome! Congrats. :)

[ladybrooke]

Since for once I'm actually happy with a story I've written (and apparently others are too - it's easily one of my most popular stories I've written recently, considering all sites), a link:

A Pet Fingon: Fëanor gets a surprise one day, when his sons show up for their lessons with a new 'pet'. Starring Fëanor, Fingon, Celegorm, and Caranthir. Short.

~

Currently sitting at 3 of 25 stories, 15k on NaNo (meaning I get to play severe catch up tomorrow!), and only 13 stories left to post on Ao3.

I probably should not have decided to do an original fic challenge at the same time. Oh, and some contests. And a fortnightly challenge. And fan-flashworks. And Sultry in September...At least my already fast typing speed is getting sufficient practice! Even if I didn't know that typing so much could make my whole arm hurt. But still, someone hit me with a brick if I try this again next summer. Please.

Also, does a Lord of the Rings Online/Silm crossover count as sufficiently Tolkien enough to count in my story count? Because I'm writing Sauron romance (post Dagor Dagorath) now, because of that game. *grumble*

[dawn_felagund]

Congrats on your story! And your progress, which is characteristically impressive! :D

Yes, the crossover you describe would definitely count as Tolkien. I'd view LotR Online-based stories similar to movie!verse: an interpretation of Tolkien's universe. Definitely still Tolkien.

Good luck with the rest!

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I didn't get a lot (read: anything) written this past week because I had a friend visiting (though we talked fic and I think I have come to a few conclusions that just need implementing in writing now), but author reveals for the Not Primetime exchange happened, so I could actually share that particular SoWD fic: In the Silent Spaces (http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/archive/home/viewstory.php?sid=1903), in which Finduilas takes matters in Nargothrond into her own hands.

[dawn_felagund]

Ooooh ... I'm going to have to read that one! I saw it posted but my online time was very short yesterday.

Volume 107/Issue 6

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User caras_galadhon referenced to your post from Volume 107/Issue 6 (http://middleearthnews.livejournal.com/395677.html) saying: [...] AWARDS: • From : ~Season of Writing Dangerously: Motivational Wednesday... Oops, THURSDAY! [...]

[mangacrack.livejournal.com]

Not directly concering to Impetuous Participants, but I need to take my rants somewhere public: My final paper for the University is Tolkien related. It is great fun and I've learn so much that I will delightfully insert into a story one day, but right now I have to convince my prof that the Silmarillion is an awesome, worthwhile story.

I am aware what looks I will receive not, but yes she is doubting me. She has studied design and rides on the hype of the new digital media. Doubtful that she ever read the Hobbit, LotR or Sil. Currently I am drafting my arguments what kind of illustrated Silm. books there are, how my own would look like and what effects ebooks have.

Right now I'm faltering between "Oh my god, I'm going to die." and "Take that heathen."

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Oh, rock on! I hope you can convince her - that sounds like an awesome paper!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to middle Earth.

See, GRRM, and that's the great thing about fanfiction: It allows you to go (back) there without dying first... [/snark]

Anyway, I actually managed to finish&upload one chapter of TTS this past week. Now, with the huge LARP event only a bit over a week away, I have no time for writing (which of course is often a reliable source of inspiration :P), so I'm actively not hoping to get anything more done before August... but hey, already ahead of my original plan. Woo hoo!

[dawn_felagund]

Congrats! And I hope you enjoy the LARP. :)

I wonder if by the capitalization "middle Earth," GRRM isn't trying to assert, "Not Tolkien's Middle-earth! The Norse version!! Yeah!" Because I guess wanting to inhabit another writer's world, possibly appropriating his characters and settings, does not align nicely with an anti-fanfic stance, eh GRRM? But we all know what he means.

One of the many reasons I am thoroughly tepid on GRRM. But I do love this quote.

[hhimring]

Something tells me GRRM is not a vegetarian...

Another double drabble about Aerin here:
http://tolkien-weekly.livejournal.com/987668.html

[dawn_felagund]

Lol, I doubt it. I'd be surprised as hell to hear he's ever eaten a veggie burger. Or even meat well-done! :D

Off to read the double now!

[j-flattermann.livejournal.com]

I just posted my last part of the story.
Four parts overall 7,356 Words and 9 drawings.

[dawn_felagund]

Congrats! :D

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

I've been working on the part of my set goals that is a "new" story, but I'm really starting to get burdened with the need to put that aside for now and work on the other part of my goal -- to post a chapter in one of my WIPs that's been neglected. I was dismayed to realize that it's been a WHOLE YEAR since I last updated that fic. Gah!! I always lose track of the time, since I'm thinking about it all the time and working on my notes and that makes it seem like it hasn't been that long. But in the end, it hasn't produced a new chapter, even after a year. I let Real Life derail me too many times, I guess. If I can keep Real Life limited today, I am totally going to work on that next chapter!

*is determined*

[dawn_felagund]

I wish you the best of luck today! *gives RL an intimidating look* It's amazing, isn't it, how RL can derail writing endeavors, seemingly without our even knowing it? Sending cookies for the muses your way today!

[dawn_felagund]

Okay, I want to brag a bit, because I started my Sultry in September story this weekend, which will be one of my five stories for SoWD. Friday evening was a couple hours of reading and gathering notes--this time period is one of those that JRRT seemingly changed his mind about every time he set pen to paper--yesterday afternoon was some geographical research, and last night, I started writing. I finished about 2,000 words, just over three pages. And the best part of all? I loved it and now can't stop thinking about the story and where I want it to go, which is really the goal for me: I don't write because I have to but because I love it, and RL has done its part to hold that love at bay for over a year now. It's good to be back. I can't wait to work more this afternoon.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Go you! So glad to hear you've found your writing spirit again. \o/

[burning-night.livejournal.com]

Since author reveals are now done, I can share that I finished If You Believe In Nothing Else (http://archiveofourown.org/collections/notprimetime2013/works/862112) for NotPrimetime, which was on my list. Have also edited all of that lingering Potluck piece; now I just need to stick to my intention to finish it!

[dawn_felagund]

Woohoo! Congrats on your progress and I hope everything keeps clicking. :)

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

I am not in the least inspired, and if that is fantasy, I will never write another line of it. He sees nothing, he knows nothing, no wonder his fiction is so trite and tedious.

[dawn_felagund]

I'm honestly curious what you hoped to accomplish with this comment.

Surely you realize that the motivational post for Season of Writing Dangerously cannot possibly appeal to every single participant in SoWD, much less every single person to stumble over the post (since you're not signed up as a participant). I regret that this week's quote obviously upset you so much, but I'll keep beating the same tired drum that I have been beating for the past eight years in this sometimes ridiculously petty and ungrateful fandom: that maybe building up instead of breaking down isn't the better direction to take?

In other words, I remain very open to others' ideas for motivational posts and wait for your suggestions over email or PM, but I won't hold my breath.

[ladybrooke]

So, second post in this thread....

But I accomplished my secret little extra podfic goal, no matter how much it may suck (I'm in no way a good judge, as I kind of hate my voice and everything related to my voice). Except I still haven't figured out which link actually goes to share it, but at least it's recorded.

Going to go hide now.

[dawn_felagund]

No hiding! :D I'm really happy for you and I hope you share it because I'd love to hear it!

We've had the I-hate-my-voice conversation before ... I only got around to not hating mine once I heard it all the time from having to record myself teaching and such in grad school. Once upon a time, I did everything in my power not to hear myself. So I feel your pain on this one but am sure your voice is lovely! :)

Any web address ending in .mp3 will work, although this may vary based on where you stored it (if there is a link to click to actually get to the MP3 file). If you need any help, you know where to find me. :)

[ysilme]

Ooops, I still didn't manage to answer to this... *blushes*

I have been productive, though it certainly doesn't look much. I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to write my drabbles - nearly each one means more research is necessary, and if only to find out which term would be most fitting or suitable for X or Y... part of me finds it most fascinating how different writing is in different fandoms, while the other part finds it a bit frustrating. ;o) But this turns out to be a vocabulary- and research-challenge for me as well. Which is a good thing,

Anyway, the amount of things produced runs about the level I thought I could manage, so I'm satisfied. I've posted one of the several Elrond drabbles I'm working at, and three (and here and here) of the tolkien_weekly, and finished more of the necessary basic research. The rest progresses nicely - podfic is chosen and permission obtained, and sevral drafts coming along nicely.
What I now need is a source for military terms, particularly chain of command, for Gil-galad's army.

[dawn_felagund]

I have been productive, though it certainly doesn't look much.

It looks like quite a bit to me! Congrats! :)

Also, you're under no obligation to report your progress, so no worries if you miss a week--or many weeks. :) We have the weekly posts because 1) it is a good reminder for those of us who are good at setting aside our creative projects for "more important" things *ahem* and 2) it helps some people to have a place to brag and rant and ask for help.

What I now need is a source for military terms, particularly chain of command, for Gil-galad's army.

Do feel free to post anything you need help with to this community. Unfortunately, I have no military background or skill with Tolkien's languages, so I'd be all thumbs on this one! :) But we have people here who could probably help with this.

ETA ... and you might want to check out this week's motivational post too. ;)