Motivational Wednesday: Assistance Swap Meet!

[dawn_felagund]

Believe it or not, this week, we will be one month into the Season of Writing Dangerously. It has been awesome to see everyone talking about their progress on the last two week's motivational posts. It seems like a lot of us are reaching that point where we are wrapping up pieces for our goals ... except, in many cases, for that one thing. Maybe it's a question about canon or uncertainty about whether a piece is polished enough to post. Maybe it's difficulty getting started on a piece that could be helped by brainstorming with someone or even getting occasional encouraging emails from a fellow participant.

This week, we open the post to requests for help with the caveat that, if you ask for help, you also read through other's requests to see if you can help them! (You might not be able to, and that's fine. But please at least look first!)

You can ask for help with anything, from uncertainty about a word in Sindarin to a request for a beta reader.

Remember, too, that these posts are SoWD participants' space to brag or vent about your progress and cheer each other on. So even if you don't need any specific assistance this week, please feel free to use this space to talk about your projects, if you want.

As always, if you have any ideas for how to cheer on and motivate your fellow participants in these posts--whether an inspiring quote or piece of art, or an idea for something that will encourage and hep those working toward their goals, or something totally and wildly original--send me an email or PM.

Good luck, everyone! :)

Comments

[independence1776]

I completed one of my goals! I moved all of my LJ-based stories to SWG.

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

I accomplished one of my goals -- updating a WIP that hadn't had a new chapter in almost a year. \o/ A wonderful thing that I'm happy about, along with being embarrassed that it took so long! Next up is posting a chapter to a different WIP that hasn't been updated in more than 2 years! I just looked at my notes for that chapter, and realized I have already written part of it -- and the notes are quite detailed, so I ought to be able to do something with them. I think the problem is I am daunted by the task of writing a battle that involves multiple characters. I'll really look at it carefully from all angles in the next day or two, and if I'm still blocked, I'll ask for help!

[j-flattermann.livejournal.com]

Is there Anyone in need cheering on? Offer cheer leading!

*\0/* *\0/* *\0/* *\0/*

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I got started on reviewing more! Granted, it's only been one review so far, but it's a start. (And there were ~3,000 words of SoWD-goals-unrelated writing, though Tolkien-based... not sure if I should count this in since I've technically already passed the 2,000 words of upward space to get me from the estimated wordcount to the 50,000 words that are my goal if everything gets accomplished, and they were impromptu rather than planned as part of this project. Hm.)

In terms of help, if anybody needs a beta (preferably for Silm/Elf fic), or wants to talk through tangles in their writing, feel free to poke me! I have two stories still in my betaing queue, but planning to give them their final look-overs tonight and that'll free me up for more.

[ellynn-ithilwen.livejournal.com]

Another cheer-leader available here! :D There are no official cheer-leaders like last year, but if you want unofficial one, I'm here. ;)

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

I need help finding or being able to explain the linguistic shift that lead to Finwë dropping the "Þ" (thorn) and changing it to an "S".

[myaru.livejournal.com]

I've made hardly any progress - and I was doing so well before. :/ Problem is, with both the Elrond and the Finrod fics I'm working on, I feel like what I have isn't a story, but fragments and scenes instead. Part of that is probably just me. I feel like I don't know how to write a story anymore. (As in, how do you string scenes together into a bigger piece again? I used to know, and now I'm not so sure. o_O) But with the Finrod fic, I wonder if I shouldn't just embrace the fragmentary nature of it and write an "anthology" of related scenes instead.

I never really intended to write Finrod, so I'm a little bit stuck. On him, on Amarie, and the rest of his family.

Volume 107/Issue 9

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User caras_galadhon referenced to your post from Volume 107/Issue 9 (http://middleearthnews.livejournal.com/396326.html) saying: [...] es! • From : ~Season of Writing Dangerously: Motivational Wednesday: Assistance Swap Meet! [...]

[hhimring]

Has anyone responded to this yet?
Have you checked the entry for "The Shibboleth of Fëanor" on the Tolkien Gateway site yet or were you looking for something more thorough and sophisticated?

[hhimring]

Nothing wrong with an anthology of scenes if that is how it comes out!
But maybe if you start writing them out you'll have connecting pieces grow up in between? That has happened to me, sometimes, at any rate.

[zdenka]

If I finish some older B2Mem stuff, which is one of my goals, should I still post it to that comm? Or would that be silly now that it's July?

[dawn_felagund]

Woohoo! I am happy for you and happy about this, too, as the site owner! :D

[dawn_felagund]

How's it going? Just thinking about writing a battle scene is enough to make me hide under the chair. ;) My husband did his Masters degree in Ancient History with a focus on ancient and medieval warfare, so if you think that might be helpful, just give me a holler! :)

Congrats on updating your WiP! That's awesome! :)

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! We had official cheerleaders the first time we ran this event but did things differently this time. I hope someone takes up your offer! :)

[dawn_felagund]

Can I poke you for help with Quenya? 8^)

It's just names, place names, and such. Nothing major. I'm all thumbs with the languages!

And one review is a start in the right direction! And whether the writing counted toward your goal or not (and you can always revise your goal so that it counts ;), that's still awesome. We always need more Elleth!fic in the world. :)

[dawn_felagund]

Yay! Thank you, Ellynn. I hope someone takes you up on it. I can vouch that you're one of the most supportive people I know! :)

[dawn_felagund]

I'm actually doing a short story writing project with my students right now. I have them start by identifying the central conflict of the story and then drawing a plot pyramid around it. I don't know if that will help! I have never been one to find prewriting helpful, but if you need to find that central thread so that the various pieces hang together, maybe it will?

Or like Himring said, it might emerge as you write more. I've had this happen many a'time. Actually, my massively long novel AMC started as a series of character studies that eventually developed a plot thread that I followed that made it into a single story. It might happen, too, as you get to Finrod & Co. better.

If you want to bounce ideas, help, opinions, anything, please message or email me! :)

[dawn_felagund]

Me too. That happened with AMC, actually. Especially when writing unfamiliar characters, I usually have to get to know them before they'll tell me an actual story about themselves!

[dawn_felagund]

You can certainly post it to the comm if you want! :) Followers there might be happy/relieved to have something to read that's not posted in the mad dash that is March. But the comm is available for B2MeM pieces no matter when they're finished.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Definitely - that, I think, I should be able to manage, though if not then I know where to forward your request. :)

And --- thank you! *squee* I'm not sure how much shameless and self-indulgent Finrod/Curufin AU smut the world needs, but since there's been a dare that will get me an illustration if I actually post it, well, how could I resist? ;) I'll think about revising the goal, at any rate, though I should really focus on my project fic now...

[dawn_felagund]

I am always (always) available as a beta, to bounce ideas about stories, to meet on chat to talk about stories, whatever you need. Seriously, even in the throes of my last semester, when I hadn't a moment to even read a book that wasn't assigned, I was accepting every beta request to come into my inbox. I am unable to say no to beta requests. And I actually have free time this summer, so if you need it, you should totally take advantage of my Felagundish nature on this and ask. ;)

[febobe.livejournal.com]

I could use some encouragement from anyone willing to give it...was trucking along nicely, but I'm split between a few fics, having a hard time committing to just ONE, though I'm making considerable progress nonetheless. And I've got some RL medical stuff going on, which sometimes tears me off in a different direction as I try to cope. If someone could just say a few words to help inspire hope in my heart that this is worth doing and I can do it...I know it is, truly, but sometimes I just need to hear it, please? :}

Thanks so much! Off to see whether I can help someone else while I'm here. <3

Grateful snugs,
Febobe :)

[febobe.livejournal.com]

Requesting cheering - I've posted a comment here about it - if you please! :)

Thanks,
Febobe :)

[febobe.livejournal.com]

I'll take cheerleading from anyone who cares to offer it!

Thanks,
Febobe :)

[febobe.livejournal.com]

Yay! Go you! One review is still one review! *cheers you on wildly*

Cheers,
Febobe :)