Motivational *mumble* Friday Post

[dawn_felagund]

I am two days late this week! This is ridiculous. My theory that my brain works worst on Wednesdays (Wednesdays have been my least favorite day of the week since I was a little kid) is being proven by my attempts to make motivational posts on Wednesdays! My apologies, everyone.

This week's quote is in honor of muses ... or whatever that crazy, fickle force is that makes us write like unstoppable superheroes one day and then fritter away the entire uninspired day on Tumblr the next. I also liked it because this is, after all, the Season of Writing Dangerously, i.e. taking creative chances that might sometimes feel a little like madness.

"The man who arrives at the doors of artistic creation with none of the madness of the Muses would be convinced that technical ability alone was enough to make an artist ... what that man creates by means of reason will pale before the art of inspired beings."
~Plato

As always, feel free to brag, rant, plead for help, whine, celebrate, cheer each other on, and anything else related to your SoWD projects!

If you have a quote, image, video, or other idea that you think would inspire your fellow participants in one of these motivational posts, please do let me know. Also, we're coming up on the halfway point of SoWD in about two weeks, and we have something special planned for that occasion. If you like making banners and such and would like to help us out, please let me know. (If you've volunteered generally to help with SoWD, no need to volunteer again; you're on the list of people I will contact.)

Here's to a week of madly productive muses! :)

Comments

[ladybrooke]

Bright side: I have 5 of 25 stories written and posted. :D 20% done! With a few more that will be posted soonish.

Not so bright side: Having met my goal of starting my CampNaNo, I think I'm going to stop trying to reach the goal, because the finger on my left hand that I slammed in a car door last spring and my entire right arm have been acting up and throbbing the past few days. I might dabble in it more later, but right now I just want to not do the frantic 2000 word sprints I end up doing for NaNo. On the bright side of that, I have enough chapters written that after getting it beta read and all that, I could post one weekly for three months - giving me more than enough time to get the next set of chapters done when my arm doesn't hurt as much.

I'd offer to help, but I'm not good at making banners. If there's anything I can do, just let me know!

[independence1776]

Congrats on the 20% done!

As for the Nano: that's a smart idea. Taking care of yourself matters more than meeting a wordcount goal.

[j-flattermann.livejournal.com]

Well, 20% done is fantastic and the rest sounds like a good plan to me.

Take your time don't rush. Your health is much more important, so give your arm a rest. I know exactly how that feels for since childhood I am suffering from writing cramps. I am left handed but wasn't allowed to write with the left so I have to write with my right hand and that hurts as hell after a while.
In school it was so bad that at times I couldn't even get the pen out of my fingers for they were just hardened stiff.

So my rec - don't be too hard on yourself. Give it time. You're doing great.

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you for the offer, Brooke, and will do! :)

Ugh on the arm ... although I am glad that you are wise enough to prioritize healing! Would that I'd been able to do this at your age! :) Would that I could do it now ...

I hope you feel better--and congrats on your progress! :)

[independence1776]

The good news: I edited my final RAFA 'verse fic! I upped my third SWD goal to writing, editing, and posting my last B2MeM 2013 fic instead of just writing the first draft of it.

The bad news: I wrote the first draft of said fic. It sucks, to the point where I'm wondering why I even thought it was a good idea in the first place. So I could really use some encouragement.

[leianora.livejournal.com]

You are too hard on yourself, dear. If you need someone to objectively look at it, let me know and I'll be willing to help.

[ladybrooke]

I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is (minds like to play tricks).

But you can get it done! :D Even if this draft is bad, that's what editing is for.

[j-flattermann.livejournal.com]

I have that problem too ever so often and it helps me to leave it be for a while and then re-read and work on it with a fresh set of eyes.

I'm sure it's not as bad as you believe it to be.

[dawn_felagund]

I have a theory with quite a bit of anecdotal support from my writing/editing life: The best writers are those who fall flat on their faces sometimes and have an "OMG this might be the worst piece of fiction ever to trickle onto a page" moment.

I know it absolutely sucks to spend time on something and realize that it is not what you wanted to say or even anything you'd ever want to show in public. I've so been there! But this experience also means that you're 1) good enough to realize what you think is good fiction and 2) self-aware enough to know when you're falling short of the mark.

During my time as an editor (now years ago), the worst writers inevitably believed themselves to be awesome. Something might be terrible, the entire fiction staff might believe it to be terrible, and yet these writers would assert that the fiction staff was just too stupid to "get" the writer's obvious genius.

To the contrary, I've worked with writers who hate their work and have [frequent] moments of believing themselves to be the worst writers in the world or having produced fiction that is not worth the paper it was written on, and these writers have created some of the best stories I've ever read.

So I think this says quite about you as a writer: that you are self-aware, you have high standards, and you will ultimately learn from this rough draft and produce something that is beautiful and worthy of you as a writer. It was a stumble, maybe, but you are good enough to recover from it with grace! :)

Good luck with the second draft! *hugs*

[leianora.livejournal.com]

I'm going to hell for the story I'm writing. Even though I didn't officially sign up for this, I've been working my butt off on a story in which Faramir becomes the sexual slave of Caranthir. Yes, I know they lived in different ages, but I just kinda ignored that fact. Most of the first and second age elves have appeared in my third age story. They're doing things to each other and to Faramir that are kinky; and thus, I'm going to hell. :D

[moetushie]

I am in favor of this. Not you going to hell, of course, but your story.

[ladybrooke]

Meh, if you're going to hell, so are a lot of the rest of us. I've written drug selling Orodreth with body piercings before, and didn't get too much trouble over it.

Your story sounds fun. :D

[j-flattermann.livejournal.com]

It sounds that you are up to something quite interesting.

Have you written something like that before? _ I know I am not very good at the kinky writing but I like reading it.

I shall keep my fingers crossed that it all works out fine for you and there is no need to write canon all the time. Your's sounds like a great AU.

[independence1776]

I don't think you're going to hell for writing it, either! What's the point of fanfic if you can't have fun? :D

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Oooh what a bunny!

[dawn_felagund]

You know what, I think you'd see a lot of us there too. Writing crazy AU naughty fanfic. ;)

I'd love to read it when you're finished!

[moetushie]

I am 240 words into chapter 5 of Racing to the Finish, and since I can't remember my other goals, I think it's safe to say that I might be failing them.

While I forgot to add Sultry in September in my goals post, it is there in spirit, and I have also been thinking about it... A lot ... Though not actually ... Writing anything. As of yet.

[j-flattermann.livejournal.com]

"I am 240 words into chapter 5 of Racing to the Finish".
Hey that is good news.

I usually set myself reminders in my calendar when I am working on several challenges that are having deadlines or goals to fulfil. Helps me not to forget what I am up to and what I still have to do.

[just-jenni.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of trying to do something completely different from my usual stuff. Luckily my Sultry in September assignment is a very challenging one that would also work as a piece that would fit the Season of Writing Dangerously. I've read through all the comments above and the stories that others are writing are fascinating in the extreme. Maybe titillating is a better word. I'm just coming off a very long stretch of writer's block and feel quite empowered by the visions of others that might enable me to start writing again this week.

[independence1776]

I hope you're able to start writing again!

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Oh muses... yes. I am not doing well with my goals. I got a decent start on my SiS story, but now it is completely pushed aside by a very fanatic Celegorm muse who thinks that heartofoshun had a really good idea for a novel or two.

It's like this:



Help? I am so doomed!

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

I think I know this guy!

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

Anyone feel like doing some beta work? I have a two-parter that is fairly well finished but still needs some work. No idea how long it runs, but I am guessing under 5k, since it is basically done, just needs a bit of fine-tuning in places.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

What are you writing about, and what kind of beta are you looking for? (I'd potentially be available, but depending on era and topic I don't know if I could offer the kind of beta I usually do).

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I don't know where they went, but all my muses for the SoWD projects have gone on hiatus and don't seem to be coming back. It doesn't help that it has been hotter than a herd of Balrogs here all week and that nixes my impulses to do anything except lying around and trying not to liquefy entirely.

Could I gauge some interest for my fic projects, maybe, in order to work up some drive to continue one of them? Which sounds best?

* Maglor and his wife attempt to make things work again after she's left him when learning about Alqualondë.
* Cuiviénen!Indis and her girlfriend go to a gathering of the the tribes, learn about Avari and afterwards hunt mammoth.
* Nerdanel and the orphans of Tirion after the Darkening.
* Fëanorian OC-centric story, the prelude of the Doriath kinslaying.
* Female!Maedhros/Female!Fingon Bechdel Test pass in Aman.

[ladybrooke]

Keeping in mind that I'm insanely picky in what I think I like without seeing the story first, I'm really interested in the Nerdanel and the orphans of Tirion story. Which is saying a lot, because she's normally a character that I pay zero attention to. :D

But I'm sure any of them would be interesting to continue. *hugs* I hope it both gets cooler there soon and that your muses come back. It always sucks when that happens.

[ysilme]

That is an interesting theory, having specific brain-slow days... :o) That quote is awesome! I particularly like the "madness of the Muses".

I have been on a short holiday trip last week and managed to spend a surprising amount of time around it with inconsequential stuff, so all I have to show are three new drabbles and a first start into my podfic - as in, story selected, permission obtained, first reading samples sent to author for evaluation.

As I wasn't there last week to post my question for help in time, I hope it is ok if I post it now here (instead of at last week's post where I put it first before realising... *blushes* ):

I'm puzzled by military ranks and hierarchy among the elves of the second and third age, and need some help with that. My general understanding of military is not large, though better in earlier century from the Napolenoic eara downwards than in modern military; but also often lacks the English counterparts of what I know in my own language. To be more specific: I'm writing about Elrond and the founding of Imladris. I don't fully understand how to place his "rank" as herald under Gil-galad, and what that position entailed in the elven/ Noldor military. Also I need some ideas about other military positions which would have been likely for Gil-galads army and what perhaps to name them. Nothing too detailed, just to give me a general idea and to know what other characters with what function would be around Elrond at the time he scouted for a place to be/ found the Bruinen valley / were there at the Fall of Ost-in-Edhil.

So if anybody has given this a thought or can point me somehwere, I would be immensely gratefull.

[independence1776]

With the caveat that I have no freaking clue how "herald" fits in-- my general guess is that he's close to Gil-Galad and may possibly be something like an aide or second-in-command-- here's a link to the modern Bristish Army ranks (British Army website) and a link to the World War 1 ranks (unsourced Wikipedia article). I went with those because I figured that-- if any-- army would be what Tolkien would base the Middle-earth armies on.

I hope that helps somewhat!

[zdenka]

I wrote and posted some Tolkien drabbles, and wrote some more of my perpetually unfinished WIP, but I've been too self-conscious to post anything towards my goals. *fail* It's fine to post bits and scraps of things in the mad rush of B2MeM, but if I post it now, 2 or 3 years later, it feels like it actually has to be good. Argh, I just want to get this pile of ficlets off my hard drive so I can stop worrying about them.

[dawn_felagund]

If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. I'm happy to put an eye on things, which is almost never as bad as you think it is. ;)

Good luck! *hugs*

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

I've been traveling and also frantically getting ready to travel even more on a really long trip, so I've been ignoring my poor Muse. I've made some progress with some of my goals, but I'm concerned that my traveling will mess up my plans to make more progress. If only I could write while riding in a car without getting sick! Once I arrive at my destination, however, I should be able to spend time writing. I'm luring my Muse along on the trip with promises of spending time together once we get more settled! ;-)

[ysilme]

Good luck with your travelling muse!

[elfscribe5.livejournal.com]

The motivational stuff must be working. I report that I have surpassed my modest goal of 10,000 words and am currently at 12,725. However, most of it is backstory and chapters not written in order, so it may be a while before I get anything posted. I did post a chapter of a new fic on my LJ. So, anyhow, yay for modest, achievable goals!