SoWD Weekly Motivational Post: What to do with your story and those plotbunnies/nazgûl/ninjas?

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Hi all,

I am filling in for Dawn who is away on vacation and I am posting it a wee bit earlier since I have unexpected family obligations tomorrow.

This week's motivational post is all about those ideas ideas to write about, no matter the timing!



When I started on my projects for this year’s Season of Writing Dangerously I thought that I had my stories that I wanted to write at least a bit outlined. I knew what I wanted to write and in general I knew what I wanted for character development. Now, roughly two months later I have a story edited by my beta and I wonder what happened with my well thought out plans. Did the story suffer? No, the writing journey just happened, as much as I sometimes wish a story would go, it sometimes ends up very different. I am very happy with the end result, but I do admit that I am scratching my head how A&B suddenly became M+X.

Besides that, while I was writing it, many other ideas to write about came to me. One of them seemed to be that cute little plot bunny that lived for so long with a dear friend of mine so I adopted it, but it became a plot ninja! It was very hard to put that story on hold until I did meet the deadlines I had for my other story.

This week I would like to give you the opportunity to do two things:

1. Share your writing journey here: vent away! What went differently? What stumped you? Is there something with your story that has caused a writers block on your writing journey? Maybe other participants can help you solving it.

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
- John Steinbeck

2. Look at that corner, yes that corner where all those cutesy plotbunnies are sitting, looking at your ankles. Put them up for adoption before they turn into those viscious Plot Nazgûl! Fellow writers, if you see a plot bunny that has been put up for adoption, please let that person know. For those who do wish to avoid these plot bunnies, I have some Tevlon boots right over here!

Don't forget 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 want to talk about your story struggles above or want to put a plotbunny up for adoption, please feel free to use this space to talk about your projects, if you want.

And 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 help those working toward their goals, or something totally and wildly original--send me or Dawn an email or PM.

Comments

[myaru.livejournal.com]

Last time I commented with my progress, someone asked a question that brought me up short. It's pretty simple: am I writing the fics for A and B at the same time? You wouldn't think this would be a revelation for me, but it kind of was, because it made me realize I had put my main SoWD project on hold to work on a bunch of plot bunnies that really should've waited! So I've reassessed my priorities.

1. I'm back to working on the Elrond and Maglor fic, which was the whole point of joining this challenge, and I've actually made some progress on it. This story has changed so many times - I get a few scenes in, realize it isn't working, and end up having to reassess what I think it's about, and what my goals are for the character arc, and so forth. The opening scenes have been rewritten (to some extent) three times now. However, I think I'm finally on my way to getting a bit farther than that... which is a good thing since time is running out.

On the up side, if I ever want to write a post about my drafting process, I suppose I've got the material for it. Not sure if I think this is good or not. I'd also have to admit to how lazy I am about the process, for one. :P

Now I just need to find some solid, detailed information on bone-setting and related medical treatment for some era or other. I've come up with comfrey, and various other disturbing revelations about "surgery" and medical care until the late nineteenth century. A lot of this I'm familiar with from other writing projects, but detailed examples on the care of broken bones seem to be missing. I get the gist and that's it. So if anybody knows of a good book or essay to check out, I'd appreciate a rec very much. I haven't checked out the little_details community yet. Maybe I should do that now.


2. Clearly my goals for this challenge were too high. There's no way I can write three longish fics for a fandom I'm unfamiliar with in a short time, when those fics are competing with other, more personal projects for space in my schedule. I should be able to start all of them, but I'm not really sure that counts? So I may have to resign myself to only finishing the Elrond fic. I think I'm okay with that.

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Well I sometimes can write two different stories at the same time, or more. The B2MEM bingo card madness comes to mind immediately. :D

1) This happened to me as well with the story I just finished. I wrote it, wasn't happy with the start, re-wrote it, edited it again and now my beta has made more suggestions.. The rest is good, but the opening scene was extra work. So yeah I can relate to that! But go you on making progress!!

I am not sure if you ever heard about Surgicalsteel (a SWG member and on LJ known as surgicalsteel? She's former surgeon who knows so much about things like this. Here is an open thread at her LJ (http://surgicalsteel.livejournal.com/412377.html) where her friends, but also strangers ask her all kinds of medical questions and how it could be best written in their fanfic. Just have a look, maybe someone already asked that question!

2) Well you can always adjust your goals, RL happens or stubborn muses happen. Or sometimes you are hit by a muse stampede and you write way way much more. You decide what counts and you can adjust your own goals: all is game during the Season of Writing Dangerously!

[myaru.livejournal.com]

I'm incredibly sorry for the delay in reply. I wanted to thank you for that suggestion though - I looked at surgicalsteel's entry, and think I might ask for help if I can screw up enough courage to talk to someone I don't know. :p I'm weird about that - sometimes I'm fine talking to whoever, but fic-related stuff usually has me hiding under the table when it's time to talk about it.

[ysilme]

(I'm posting this again without the link to the story because my comment got marked as spam due to the link)

You could also ask curiouswombat. She is a trained nurse with, as I gathered, interest in historical orthopedics, and in her story "The Return of the Key" (to be found on Faerie and on her LJ) her main character heals from several broken bones with interesting bits about medical treatment and bone healing.

May I ask where this fic will be found when you're done? Anything with Elrond and medical treatment sounds very intriguing to me!

[myaru.livejournal.com]

When it's done it'll be on SWG, and probably FFN and AO3, as that's where I usually post fic. I post unfinished/unpolished stuff at runiclore. This fic is up there in its partial state, but if you go to see it, know when you go in that it needs help. :P

I'm so sorry for the delay in reply. I get notifications, but Thunderbird filters the strangest things. Usually what I don't want it to.

[moetushie]

1. I definitely bite off more than I can chew for SoWD -- in my defense my summer turned out to be a lot busier than I had imagined, and my SinS fic a lot longer than I'd hoped. I'm procrastinating now -- no, no, I'm lying fallow for a bit, to gather up my creative juices for another burst of writing. It's all good.

2. Oh geez, I do have a lot plot bunnies, but they don't stick around for long. I've written a Silm daemon AU -- all three hundred words of it! I don't think it'll ever get anywhere. Basically, Maedhros comes back from Angband without a daemon. Cue drama.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Basically, Maedhros comes back from Angband without a daemon. Cue drama.

!!! THAT SOUNDS AWESOMELY FASCINATING

If you ever feel like sharing that, I might be... slightly interested. *innocent look*

[moetushie]

Aha, most of this WIP is me trying to figure who would have want daemon, even if they don't appear in the story. Sometimes it's easy -- Lúthien would have a nightgale, Maeglin, a mole. Fingon would have something big and furry and terrible loyal... And a lot of the elves, I gave bird or butterfly/moth daemons.

But actual plot with characters and stuff? Too much for me, man.

Right now it's just Fingon and Maglor discussing Maedhros' daemon-less condition.

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

I have been looking at the calendar and I've been thinking: really? End of August? Where does the time go? It feels like you were just plotting your story and *poofems* the SinS deadline is there! Good luck with the last bits of your fic :)

And your bunny is awesome, it really had me thinking: wow how would that have landed, also with his brothers!

[moetushie]

August always goes by unfairly quick for me! And thank you. :)

I think it would have been very divisive, to say the least!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

You mean intercisive? *ducks and runs*

[moetushie]

*groans and throws tomatoes*

The sad thing is, this joke could be made in non-AU contexts BY CRUEL PERSONS SUCH AS YOURSELF.

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

*gets a bucket and a cloth to clean the floor* ;)

[moetushie]

I'm sorry for throwing produce over your nice motivational post.

*helps clean up*

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Hahaha :D You don't have to apologise for having fun!

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

I still very much want to accomplish all the things I declared in my original goals, but it will only be possible if I can get a handle on my Real Life. Of course it turned out to be busier than I expected, and now that September is approaching, it's just that much worse. But I have made some progress in spite of that, so I'm not going to give up on the remaining goals yet. My real issue is not inspiration, but time to spend re-grasping my inspiration after a busy day and then going with it to get something written. Perhaps a very strict schedule of writing time over the course of the next couple of weeks will help me.

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

I find that hard as well, and what I hate the most is that once you have secured an hour of writing for yourself... nothing comes. Ack!

[ladybrooke]

I want to accomplish my goals still, and it's looking a little more likely that I actually will (I've actually managed to write 2 more stories in spite of my hands, so...maybe?)

So, what went differently: I ended up being in the mood to write original stuff instead of fanfic, which didn't help. The fanfic I did/do want to write I ended up cringing about, because it's different, crack, not at all what I feel like the fandom wants, etc. My hands/arm troubles continue to plague me.

'm actually keeping my bunny and plan to write it (because I love this bunny), but if anyone else wants to write Angrod and Eldalótë fic where she doesn't like her in-laws and all the ramifications of that, do it!

Current bunny with her is actually one where she and Angrod deal with rumors going around Valinor that there is something wrong with him mentally, due to him marrying below his station and to someone who does not like his parents. Possibly also one where she ends up bitter and even more loathing of them due to how she is treated following most of the Noldor going to Middle-earth.

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Writing=writing :) But... don't worry too much about what the fandom wants: just remain true to yourself and the readers will find you!

I have to edit a novel with Eldalóte in it, does that count too? ;)

But good luck with writing and watch your hands *hugs* (says the former rsi patient)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Accomplished my SoWD goals... now I really have to get cracking on me beta-ing and the birthday gifts I've been planning. What do you mean, it's almost September? O.ó

My most recent plotbunnies are one of the night Isildur awakes again (you know, after his Fruit Of Nimloth stunt), and one of Caranthir's wife being an anthropologist doing some fieldwork among the Haladin... but I want to write them myself. Is that ok?

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Just a month to go and then this year SWOD is over. Amazing how fast time passes! And of course you can write your own bunnies *fetches the pom poms* :D

[independence1776]

I posted my last RAFA 'verse fic and thus completed my second goal!

(Plotbunnies and the like I dislike talking about, so I'm going to ignore that part. :) )

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Congrats!!!!

[independence1776]

Thanks!

[hhimring]

At first, I went almost too fast with my projects and now I've sort of got stuck in the middle of my Maglor fic. But it's a bank holiday weekend in the UK, so I should be able to get going again--except my back is playing up quite badly today and also I have to overcome my anxiety that I can't quite match what I've already written in the first half with what I'm doing in the second half...
Also, I was convinced that having finally managed to write my Enerdhil fic in the Elessar series, the little vignette about Earendil that comes next in the series would emerge easily--and now, no such thing!
My current bunch of killer rabbits can't be called plot bunnies, really, because they are mostly plotless: last week I was especially haunted by Formenos: how peaceful that time of exile may have seemed for much of the time, on the surface, and what dark and painful undercurrents ran underneath...
Also, for some reason I feel tempted to sign up for the September LOTR community challenge. This is absurd, because it calls for a recipe fic and I'm someone who simply can't cook!

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Maglor fic: is it more a story/plot thing or did you change something else? Or has Maglor decided that he wanted something else?

Just try not too stress to much about unwilling ideas/characters: I am certain it will come, but a back that doesn't want to cooperate surely isn't helping *hugs*

This is absurd, because it calls for a recipe fic and I'm someone who simply can't cook!

Well... it is a challenge after all.. Good luck with that and your musings about Formenos do sound fantastic!

[hhimring]

I kicked myself into writing the middle section of the Maglor fic!
It's the one about Daeron and it's here:
http://hhimring.livejournal.com/65008.html

Thank you very much for the encouragement!

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely welcome. And now that my SinS story is up at AO3 I deserve some reading of good fic *nods*

:D

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

because it calls for a recipe fic and I'm someone who simply can't cook!

So you're predestined for writing recipe fic about someone who can't cook! ;)

[hhimring]

Thank you! Now I wonder which character in Middle-earth might be quite as bad at cooking as I am? Tar-Vanimelde? Gollum?!

[ysilme]

My thoughts exactly - perfect situation for a recipe/cooking disaster. Galadriel on a romantic outing with Celeborn back in Doriath, valiantrly trying to cook what he shot for her? Though considering what I all owe you reviews for, the first thing to mind when I read you writing about this challenge was Maedhros trying to manage something one-handed. I once cut my dominant thumb badly in the middle of something that couldn't be postponed, it was a nightmare just making do with one working hand and a half.

[hhimring]

Thank you!
My Galadriel happens to be one of the heroes of the Crossing of the Helcaraxe. She can prepare a meal even out of things you would not consider edible! (Wait, that's not very romantic either, is it?)
As for Maedhros, I've covered that already, in a very low-key fashion, in a passage where he says to Aredhel: I don't do much cooking these days. Not that that idea couldn't be developed!

[ysilme]

Hm, then your Galadriel could have a problem I usually have: I'm a rather creative cook, but following a recipe is difficult - just because I can't stop experimenting and improving. This can misfire spectacularly, though, if working with totally unknown ingredients. I've successfully proved it.

[j-flattermann.livejournal.com]

Another week is past and here is my appreciation, support and encouragement doodle for all of you who care to look.
I know that most of you are still in the thick of it but 'good things need time'.

http://j-flattermann.livejournal.com/369670.html (http://j-flattermann.livejournal.com/369670.html)

[hhimring]

Thank you very much once again!

[j-flattermann.livejournal.com]

No need to thank me, my part in this is small enough and if it helps to lift someones spirit, I shall be more than happy.

[ysilme]

I would be immensely grateful if somebody could look over and nitpick two small bits of cobbled-together Sindarin resp. Tengwar letters for two drabbles I wrote. I just have the barest understanding of both and put it together from what I found online.

"The other looked up, scrutinizing the offered result.
“Much better, Elros. But the “rómen” and “alda” are still wobbly.”

and

“Look!” Elrohir looked up, satisfied, and smiled at his father. “I can now write adar!”
Proudly, he showed the ando and óre on his slate."

The drabbles would be here and here. Thank you already!

I might probably need to adjust my SOWD goals a bit. We're leaving for our summer holidays in two weeks where I'll probably be without internet connection, and I let myself get sidetracked by different fannish activities quite a bit...(winks to rhapsody11) so while I already reached my overall goal, as in being much more active in fandom, coming out from under my shell and getting my writing into gear, I might not manage all my goals in the way I planned them. Mainly, I've still not overcome my inherent need for careful research and much better knowledge of the background of what I want to write about than I currently have, and just write my bunny down without knowing exactly what has happened before and what comes after. This need has hindered me quite often in the past, resulting in very few published stories versus a huge amount of unfinished writing on my harddrive. But I've much less leisure in the next two weeks, and experience shows that this usually helps a lot. *g* So I might not manage to have it beta'ed, nitpicked and published by the end date, as we return only on the 22nd, but I'm hopeful I will have it written at least .

But no matter if I meet my goals or not, I've already had an interesting and helpful writing journey and have learned a lot about myself and my writing.

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

I am not that good with Tolkien languages, but I just want to cheer you on for doing so great with your goals! It is great to read that even though you might not meet your goals, it still turned out to be a good learning experience :)