Weekly Writing Update
Sep. 22nd, 2021 05:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deemoyza- Finished my Seasons of Drabbles assignment, coming in at over 3k words (multi-chapter triple drabbles). XD I really fell in love with one of the prompts, and the ideas just took off from there. Reveals are Saturday; I hope my recipient likes it!
- In other writing stuff, my comments-to-reply-to backlog on AO3 has grown. I really want to tend to it, but time has not been cooperative (seriously, this whole summer was just one thing after another). I do have a night off tomorrow, so I'll try to start chipping away at it then. I cherish every comment I receive; it pains me to think that commenters might believe otherwise due my silence. I must remedy that!
- And a couple of other thoughts on writing that I didn't think warranted their own posts, so I'll stick them under cuts here.
In this little lull between exchanges, I started thinking about my WIPs, where I left them, and why I stopped writing when I did. I'd really like to get around to finishing them, but realistically, that's probably a goal best left for next year. I currently have four that are published, three of those being a higher priority than the other.
- "Where I Belong" (Selphie, FF8) - The third installment in my Esthar Chronicles series, this one remains unfinished because I'm not confident enough to really tackle what might be a sensitive topic, and a bit intimidated to offer a less-than-stellar interpretation of a fan-favorite character. In short, Selphie has discovered, via old newspaper clippings, that she's the daughter of a late soldier who was stationed in a mining town on the Esthar side of the Vienne Mountains, and heads to that town to dig up some answers about her past. The town, whose economy was built on mining materials for weapons, has fallen on hard times since Laguna took power and instituted Esthar's (in)famous isolationist policy. Far from being Adel apologists--they recognize she was a tyrant--most of the townsfolk simply want acknowledgement from the capital, and options to make a decent living in their hometown once more. Speaking with them, Selphie not only uncovers details about her family and contemporaries, but is also forced to reevaluate her perception of Laguna in light of what she discovers.
And this is probably the most intimidating point to write in this fic. While I don't actively dislike Laguna, his shine has kind of worn off for me over the years. In recent playthroughs, I've found I really don't have any patience for his "act now, think later" personality--especially in how it results in him not only remaining in Esthar, away from Raine when she needed him, but also running a country, having had no experience in a successful leadership role. Yes, he's cute and funny and charming, and he has a big heart, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't hurt people, even if he didn't intend to; I guess I'm just really interested in who those people might be, and just how little power his charm and enthusiasm have in the face of the very real consequences he has wrought. (Really, I'm so excited to dive into this, but I have to admit, I'm not sure I'm ready for any possible backlash. :/)
- "Walk in Shadow" (Lulu & Ginnem, FFX) - This one fell to the wayside simply for lack of time. I have the pilgrimage plotted, as well as the important points along the way, and even have some snippets of the climax written already. It's just been difficult to find the time and focus to string them all together.
- "What the Water Gave Us" (OCs, Ocarina of Time) - I'll admit, I've just been too chicken to forge ahead with this one, having grown more attached than I thought I would to a character whose time is up. :'( That, and logistics--you know, the all-important, hyper-realistic details that are so prevalent in a world where a little boy can manipulate time by playing an ocarina. XD Really, I just need to trust my gut on this one, and stop opening up the nesting dolls of mundane worldbuilding details.
- "40-Love" (Rinoa & the Garden crew, FF8) - This is just a silly little tennis AU (an offshoot of a silly hotel AUthat I'd also like to write someday) that just kind of drifted to the back burner through no fault of its own. It'll be something fun and fluffy to work on when I need a break from other stuff.
I am hoping to get at least one of these finished in the next year, and I will post them here and on Tumblr starting from Chapter 1 just to avoid the confusion of popping in and saying, "hey remember that fic from two years ago? Here's a new chapter, out of the blue!" XD
- And then there are two outstanding fic requests on Tumblr that need getting to, sometime this year, hopefully!
It seems that every time I turn around, there's a new horror story in the world of traditional publishing and the promotion/social media presence that's required of it. And while that's been more than enough to stick a pin in my dreams of becoming a published author, I find that I still have an itch to write original fiction, if only to share with the internet.
But actually writing said original fiction has been about as easy and pleasant as pulling teeth, and I think I've finally figured out why: I'm taking it far too seriously. Of course, there are stories that are serious and deserve to be treated that way, but I realized the reason I'm having so much more fun with fanfic at the moment is that I feel free to cast most of my reservations to the wind and just write whatever comes to mind; to experiment, to be silly or spicy or dramatic or sometimes all three at once. So, I figure, why not try to transfer that approach to original fiction?
It will mean leaving some of my longer-simmering projects on the back burner to simmer some more, but that might be for the best. I need to rebuild some confidence in my original writing and learn to see it as fun again. To this end, I'm considering doing one of those daily prompt challenges that pop up in October. I'll do as many as I can--no pressure to do every single one!--and hopefully, not only stretch my original writing muscles, but also push the boundaries of my comfort zone a little bit, on my own terms. I already have a story in the works for the Spook Me Ficathon, so maybe I can add a few more fics to that.
Weekly statistics.
Total words written this week: 2,400
Total words written this year: 87,466
Total days written this week: 2
Total days written this year: 69
- In other writing stuff, my comments-to-reply-to backlog on AO3 has grown. I really want to tend to it, but time has not been cooperative (seriously, this whole summer was just one thing after another). I do have a night off tomorrow, so I'll try to start chipping away at it then. I cherish every comment I receive; it pains me to think that commenters might believe otherwise due my silence. I must remedy that!
- And a couple of other thoughts on writing that I didn't think warranted their own posts, so I'll stick them under cuts here.
In this little lull between exchanges, I started thinking about my WIPs, where I left them, and why I stopped writing when I did. I'd really like to get around to finishing them, but realistically, that's probably a goal best left for next year. I currently have four that are published, three of those being a higher priority than the other.
- "Where I Belong" (Selphie, FF8) - The third installment in my Esthar Chronicles series, this one remains unfinished because I'm not confident enough to really tackle what might be a sensitive topic, and a bit intimidated to offer a less-than-stellar interpretation of a fan-favorite character. In short, Selphie has discovered, via old newspaper clippings, that she's the daughter of a late soldier who was stationed in a mining town on the Esthar side of the Vienne Mountains, and heads to that town to dig up some answers about her past. The town, whose economy was built on mining materials for weapons, has fallen on hard times since Laguna took power and instituted Esthar's (in)famous isolationist policy. Far from being Adel apologists--they recognize she was a tyrant--most of the townsfolk simply want acknowledgement from the capital, and options to make a decent living in their hometown once more. Speaking with them, Selphie not only uncovers details about her family and contemporaries, but is also forced to reevaluate her perception of Laguna in light of what she discovers.
And this is probably the most intimidating point to write in this fic. While I don't actively dislike Laguna, his shine has kind of worn off for me over the years. In recent playthroughs, I've found I really don't have any patience for his "act now, think later" personality--especially in how it results in him not only remaining in Esthar, away from Raine when she needed him, but also running a country, having had no experience in a successful leadership role. Yes, he's cute and funny and charming, and he has a big heart, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't hurt people, even if he didn't intend to; I guess I'm just really interested in who those people might be, and just how little power his charm and enthusiasm have in the face of the very real consequences he has wrought. (Really, I'm so excited to dive into this, but I have to admit, I'm not sure I'm ready for any possible backlash. :/)
- "Walk in Shadow" (Lulu & Ginnem, FFX) - This one fell to the wayside simply for lack of time. I have the pilgrimage plotted, as well as the important points along the way, and even have some snippets of the climax written already. It's just been difficult to find the time and focus to string them all together.
- "What the Water Gave Us" (OCs, Ocarina of Time) - I'll admit, I've just been too chicken to forge ahead with this one, having grown more attached than I thought I would to a character whose time is up. :'( That, and logistics--you know, the all-important, hyper-realistic details that are so prevalent in a world where a little boy can manipulate time by playing an ocarina. XD Really, I just need to trust my gut on this one, and stop opening up the nesting dolls of mundane worldbuilding details.
- "40-Love" (Rinoa & the Garden crew, FF8) - This is just a silly little tennis AU (an offshoot of a silly hotel AU
I am hoping to get at least one of these finished in the next year, and I will post them here and on Tumblr starting from Chapter 1 just to avoid the confusion of popping in and saying, "hey remember that fic from two years ago? Here's a new chapter, out of the blue!" XD
- And then there are two outstanding fic requests on Tumblr that need getting to, sometime this year, hopefully!
It seems that every time I turn around, there's a new horror story in the world of traditional publishing and the promotion/social media presence that's required of it. And while that's been more than enough to stick a pin in my dreams of becoming a published author, I find that I still have an itch to write original fiction, if only to share with the internet.
But actually writing said original fiction has been about as easy and pleasant as pulling teeth, and I think I've finally figured out why: I'm taking it far too seriously. Of course, there are stories that are serious and deserve to be treated that way, but I realized the reason I'm having so much more fun with fanfic at the moment is that I feel free to cast most of my reservations to the wind and just write whatever comes to mind; to experiment, to be silly or spicy or dramatic or sometimes all three at once. So, I figure, why not try to transfer that approach to original fiction?
It will mean leaving some of my longer-simmering projects on the back burner to simmer some more, but that might be for the best. I need to rebuild some confidence in my original writing and learn to see it as fun again. To this end, I'm considering doing one of those daily prompt challenges that pop up in October. I'll do as many as I can--no pressure to do every single one!--and hopefully, not only stretch my original writing muscles, but also push the boundaries of my comfort zone a little bit, on my own terms. I already have a story in the works for the Spook Me Ficathon, so maybe I can add a few more fics to that.
Weekly statistics.
Total words written this week: 2,400
Total words written this year: 87,466
Total days written this week: 2
Total days written this year: 69
no subject
Date: 2021-09-23 11:57 am (UTC)And lookit all those WIPs! Damn, I can relate with the ones I got piling up too D: also really relate with your thoughts RE: Laguna. I just... was always upset that he left Raine behind. Like I don't know how he'd be ok with that :( and it hurts because first he left Julia behind, then Raine. Who else has he let down? I get he "means well" and all, but sometimes the people with the best of intentions hurt us the most, you know? I'm very excited to see how you tackle that! And best of luck with diving back into any of your WIPs!
I love your approach to original fiction! I have an original WIP just glaring at me that I need to return to one day and yeah, that's more or less the philosophy I used with writing it. Just throw all those expectations and genre/publishing standards out the window and have fun. Best of luck with those original ventures too! I've loved the little snippets of ideas you've posted here. I'm sure whatever you create will be amazing 💕
no subject
Date: 2021-09-29 02:19 am (UTC)About Laguna, I, too, have always been upset that he couldn't have found a way to get back to Raine before she died. If he was able to send Ellone back, I don't see why he couldn't have gone back with her, at least for the short term, and leave Kiros and Ward in charge of Esthar. And why did the Estharians put their trust in him, anyway? But yeah, he's a good guy who means well, but his lack of foresight and willingness to fling himself into situations must make it hard on anyone who wishes he'd just settle down. He already has two broken hearts to his name; how many are there that we never knew about?
It is a tricky topic to handle, but I'm looking forward to figuring it out once I sit down with the Selphie WIP again.
Thanks for your feedback and encouragement on original writing! I'm looking forward to transferring the most fun aspects of fanfic writing to original characters and settings, and finding fun ways to fulfill different prompts! :D