Do I want to sign up for paperlegends Merlin Big Bang?

I have a couple of epic canon story ideas that could easily be 30K+. But I don't know if I'm very good at writing at the moment.

Maybe I'll sign up and see how it goes...

Sign ups don't start for another month or so anyway.

But it would be nice to actually sign up for and COMPLETE a big bang for once, especially seeing as I know I'm actually capable of writing that much.

Hrrrrm.

Fanworks I am proud of creating:

• EVP: Supernatural Fic Podcast
  I put this together back in 2006, organising and editing together an issue every fortnight for a handful of months. In hindsight, whoa. (I was writing a thesis, running a wiki, vidding and writing at the same time.) That was fun. Wish I had the energy to do something like that again!


• SupernaturalWiki
  While missyjack basically runs this now, I still host it and am so proud of how far it's come since I set it up. The wiki gets over 300K visitors per month, at about a 50/50 split of new and regular visitors, and has over 2000 articles. And no wank! It's a pretty damn awesome community and site.


• Firefly fic: Stroke of Luck
  I still love this epic Jayne/Simon AU I wrote. In hindsight, I cringe a bit that I didn't even have it beta read, but I still have a great fondness for and proudness of it.


• Merlin fic: Along a Wandering Wind
  The longest thing I've every written, and I think I worked harder on this fic than any other I've ever written. At this point in time, it's definitely my favourite of all my fanworks.


• Torchwood fic: We Happy Few
  The second-longest thing I've written, that also had a lot of hard work go into it. It was so satisfying to write this - the culmination of a million shit-talking story-telling conversations had with friends about the adorable ridiculousness of team Torchwood.


• Torchwood/pulp novel mashup fanart
  I love making fanart, I don't do enough of it. These still make me so happy to look at, and make me pine for doing more art like this.

(FYI: Day 1 Snowflake Challenge)

So, since last week I've written about another 8K words - the uni AU is now at about 34,000.

I've finally written to the end of the major plot points/conflicts that I knew I wanted to hit/had planned out, so I'm taking a few days to figure out where to go next (though I think I've got it, now). I'm still not sure how it's going to be concluded, though.

Though, I have some concerns for my pacing - the first 15K spans over two weeks; the second 15K covers a single day. Doh. Ah well, that's what beta reading is for :D

Here, have another snippet: ( Read more... )

I just had a random procrastinaty 45 minutes of reading back through my entries of the past few months, and of course came upon my endless squeeful in-progress posts about writing the Epic Romance. And boy, that was fun!

And I realised I haven't talked much about my latest story, the Uni AU, despite it also rapidly climbing into the tens of thousands. In fact, right now it's just over 26,600 words. And probably has at least another 10K to go. And then lots of re-writing of early scenes, because it took a little while just to get a PLOT going.

Anyway, even though I have the next scene or three all cued up to be written, I'm having trouble getting enthused about writing at the moment, so figured perhaps fishing for some encouragement might help.

So here's a scene. Please read and get excited at me, if you're thus inclined! Naturally, I'm super-freaking-verbose, so the shortest one I could snip and still make reasonable sense still ended up over 1K.

Background for this scene: ( Read more... )

( kicking the footie around in Edinburgh Gardens )

pornspiration is a multifandom LJ community for fans who want to work on their porn writing. From the profile:

The purpose of this comm is to help improve our porn-writing skills--better sex one verb at a time! Whether you’ve never written porn, are looking for fresh inspiration, or have questions about a new kink this is the place to find help! Writing workshops, discussions, and resources are all focused on titillating your muse and giving her them the tools to write those steamy scenes.

I'm kind of excited about this community. Since I started writing NC-17 stories in Torchwood, I have become more and more interested in the mentality and technicalities of writing fannish porn, especially in that exhilarating/terrifying period when you're doing it for the first time. I've been itching to meta on it, or write a subjective guide to it (I think someone - neifile7? - cheekily suggested "masterclass" last time I vaguely discussed this) for quite a while.

So, it looks like pornspiration might be a great context to do it in. Already someone in the "ideas" post there has made a comment about wanting a workshop on "fluidly integrating porn into story" for first-time porn writers in particular, which I'd love to do. And I'm also interested in doing something on the mentality of first-time porn writing-- breaking through that nervousness/self-consciousness/anxiety that the practice of explicit writing is often shrouded in.

But I need to figure out what a workshop looks like, first, and how I could translate such a thing into that model.

In conclusion: if you're interested in all of this kind of thing, go and join the community! It's locked, for reasons that can be located in their admin docs, so I think it's especially important to go join in at this stage so that it manages to get off the ground. You can share you ideas for what you'd like over there.

If you're not interested in joining the comm, but you're interested in what I'm talking about, then talk to me? Give me ideas about what such a workshop(s) might look like, and what you'd want it to talk about.

So. I've pulled out of merlin_muses - not because I can't write anything, but because the story I started for the prompt has taken on a life of its own. So, rather than trying to rush it and make it fit the prompt, I decided to just let the story take free rein and be what it needs to be and take as long as it needs to take (*sniff* the lil' tyke!).

This also means that I can ramble about it in my journal while I'm writing it (yay!), and also post it when I want it and how I want it, which is exciting, because I think I'll end up including other media in it as well.

So. I am writing a modern AU set in MELBOURNE, supposedly a university AU but so far not much has happened at university (one of the ways I'm departing from the prompt). The 'pairing' is Arthur/Gwen/Morgana/Merlin, and the story is basically about them living in a poly relationship in a sharehouse together.

It is SO FUN to write. So much so that I've written nearly 17,000 words of it, and there's definitely much more to come. It's been a while since I've written actual alternate-universe AU, and characterisation is weird - made weirder still because I'm writing about my home town and stomping grounds, so sometimes the degree to which I'm sinking into autobiography is worrisome.

BUT IT'S STILL FUN! Even though I never thought that flippant idea would require so many words.

Well, I claimed a prompt on merlin_muses that had a relationship dynamic that delighted me; it also happened to request it in a modern university AU, so I figured... I'll probably never write more than one university AU, so I might as well make THIS one the Australian one.

Which isn't mean to my prompter, is it? I hope not. Because it's way too fun to write.



ETA: oops, sorry for the sudden slew of posts, LJ flisters! All the crossposting from Dth finally went through for the past few days of downtime.

Okay, so this may be the fever talking, but you know how there are a million college/university Merlin AUs? And half of them are set in a US university?

Well, I'm seriously tempted to write one set in an Australian university.

Please, someone either talk me out of or in to this...

Well, I'm back in the Southern Hemisphere and that means I'm back on my COMPUTER again! It's odd using an actual keyboard after five weeks on the iPad.

But, this means I can make proper posts with links and things in them!


Excitingly, while I was away diane_mckay recorded more of my stories as podfic! And in multiple fandoms! WHEE! There are some Torchwood, Firefly and Supernatural stories you can download and listen to on her journal :D

Also, waltzing_mice made some lovely fanart of Merlin for Along a Wandering Wind which made me very squeeful also :D


Speaking of the Epic Romance, it has been lovely to get lots of hits and comment and kudos on it while I was away :D And a few recs, too! I love to collect those and go re-read them when I need cheerleading for writing. I'm not the only one who does that, right?

And speaking of recs - if you see any for it around that you don't think I've seen, can you point me to them, please? I think it's at the point of its lifespan now where its old enough that comments/kudos are tapering off, but I'm still seeing the hit count speed and slow periodically, so I'm curious as to where people are coming from.

In semi-related news, I've already written ~4000 words of another plotty story in that 'verse. (And the 'verse now needs a name, of course.) Hah. Hopefully that might come along faster now that I have a proper keyboard to work on! Oh yes, it's good to be back with the good writing conditions, even if winter does my head in.

Doing this belatedly because my holiday schedule has slowed down a bit, and my writing neurons are firing, and my typing fingers need warming up, so:

Pick one of my [Merlin] stories and a timestamp sometime in the future after the end of the story, or sometime in the past before the story started, and I'll write you at least a hundred words of what happened then, whether it's five minutes before the story started or ten years in the future. Can be from any character POV i.e anyone in the fic.

My Merlin fic is here.

(Amusingly: iOS not only autocorrects 'feedback' to 'feedbag', but 'Merlin' to 'Merkin'.)

So, haha, hilariously I had thought that once I'd posted the Epic Romance, I'd stop thinking about it and move on.

Like I said, haha.

It's still occupying most of my fannish brain, but I'm okay with that, as it's a pretty great place to be. After all, it's the world and dynamics I custom built for my own glee! So I've half been reflecting on the process of writing it, and how it helped to shift and clarify what I'm interested in; and half in how I'm planning to perpetuate all the fun stuff I set up (and do more of what I like with what I've got, instead of starting again from scratch).

But, I've been kind of plotting a reflective post for a while, so this seems like an opportunity to make it. ( on the writing of the epic romance )

( on writing more in the 'verse )

SO, MEANWHILE, in mind of all this, I've actually started writing another story in the Epic Romance 'verse (2,500 words and counting!). Part of what's helping this along is being in the UK right now, and walking through this incredible countryside and pretty much constantly shrieking on the inside in inspired glee.

Because, okay, I know this landscape must be pretty yawn, mundane, for a number of you, but I am from Australia, okay? We don't do landscape like this AT ALL. And this is the landscape my 'verse is set in. So it's like stepping right into the world.

Seriously, I wish plein air writing was a thing, where I could just plonk myself down in the woods and start writing a scene set right in front of me.

( some photos )

/ramble!

Major revisions: done!
Line beta revisions: done!
Proofing/spagging: in progress!
Title & summary: DONE OMG!

I MIGHT JUST GET THIS POSTED THIS WEEKEND!

Not looking forward to the epic chopping up I'm going to have to do to get it postable on LJ. Stupid word count limit! My largest part is 12,600.

It's actually tempting to just post to Dreamwidth and cross-post the master post. Seeing as I tend to disable comments for all but the last part anyway... But omg, need validation for this story so much that I don't want to not allow comments somewhere I might get feedback!

Cannot believe how close I am to having this thing done, seriously.

Social Mediæ has had nearly 700 hits on the AO3 in the 3 days since I posted it, which is over what my next most popular Merlin story has had in nearly 2 months. Hah!

But, I have much glee over people loving puns as much as I do.

If you see it recced around, can you let me know? I'm assuming it is in at least one place, as the count is steadily climbing with each refresh.

I like to keep track of such things (and of course, they give me extra glee to read!)


In other news, I am working on re-writing the Epic Romance with beta feedback. WHEE.

And working on a gwaine_quest story.


And, you know that bit in the S3 finale where Gwen says, "My mother was a maid in Sir Leon's household, we practically grew up together"?

WHY THE HELL ISN'T THERE ALREADY FIC ABOUT THIS? Because that was totally not the first time she made him wear a dress. (MAYBE I'LL JUST HAVE TO WRITE IT MYSELF, THEN.)


Also, for the first time ever while I'm in a fandom, I'm deliberately spoiling myself, and ooooh, it's fun! I think that the best way for me to enjoy Merlin is to know as much about it beforehand, or you know, have watched it beforehand, so I'm not in a constant state of tension over impending fail.

I think I'm in dire love with my epic romance story. I've been trying to make myself not read it since I sent it to the betas, because I know that'll just make me change things. And, well... I've only changed things in the last part, ok! (And now I love those new things, and want to read them again...)

Deep breaths. It's a long story. I must be patient... Besides, *my* fresh eyes on it if I can leave it alone for long enough will make editing much better.

Rewatched the finale of Merlin season 3 with nixwilliams last night (so much better watching with someone else!), and felt pleased afterward that it all gelled pretty smoothly with the fic (which launches off pretty much right after it, and I'd only watched it once before). Also made me go KNIIIIIGHTS and make silly faces and kick my legs a bit. (Quote of the episode from nix: "HOW DOES HE EVEN SWAGGER ON A HORSE??" answer: like that.)

But, during dinner with nix & DB, ideas for an epic crackfic were formed, so I really ought to focus on writing that because it's something the world really, really needs.

And I have heaps of other ideas, too! I've identified 8 stories from writers who've listed themselves on remix_goes_wild that I want to play with. And I also want to do a sequel to my threesome porn, which will be yet more porn, but with more threesome-relationship-development plot in it.

(Speaking of which, according to the KMM delicious, I am the only one who's filled a Gwaine/Lancelot/Merlin prompt!??? Surely that can't be right? Are there any other stories of that threesome in the fandom at all? PLEASE POINT ME TO THEM!

Also, it makes me sadface that even so many of the non-Arthur/Merlin prompts on the KM are basically "Merlin/other to make Arthur jealous". I WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY AND SEXING, OK? In summary: going to write far more threesome/poly fic. Actually quite tempted to fulfil ALL those those threesome prompts on the meme. Except for the pining/jealousy ones, hmph.)

Anyway, there are another handful of KMM prompts I have bookmarked too, and other ideas-of-my-own... Oh, and I signed up for a few prompts on gwaine_quest.

Phew :D

There are also emails I need to write, but eh, who cares about those.

Okay, definitely starting that crackfic right now. It's only 8pm! I've got hours to go wild with it.

Instead of partying on my weekend away, I finished the first beta-ready draft of the Epic Romance.

CHECK IT OUT:



Thasright, the wordcount has come in at almost 61,300. I have just sent it off to my first round of betas (I am staggering my editing iterations, so if you volunteered & haven't received it, your time will come!), and this is one of the most exciting bits - sharing for the first time the massive blurt of words that I've sorta kinda fallen in love with. Please be gentle.

And now I can do that nerdy thing where I begin to craft the header to post with it. And the horrible thing where I rack my brains to try and come up with a suitable summary. Sigh!

And now for deep breaths and walks in the sunshine. And FOOD. I just remembered that sustenance is required in order to function, and not just easter eggs.

( truly outrageous cumulative progress graph under the cut )

As you can see from that, the sheer number of words I've written in the past two weeks is bordering on ridiculous.

And you know how, when you're writing something, you try to avoid too much repetition in the words you use, and it feels really obvious when you're using the same simile/turn of phrase/significant piece of dialogue more than once?

Well, freaking hell, with nearly 40,000 words written in two weeks, I think I've going through my entire vocabulary at least four times, but all my words have not only been washed, wrung out and hung to dry countless times, but are also in desperate need of darning and a good bleach.

And the best bit is that my word fatigue has hit right when I'm up to the MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE EPIC FREAKING ROMANCE, Part Six: The Sexing.

Gaaahhh.

It sucks because I want this epically huge story to be really strong and good, but it's hard to tell if it is right now because all of it just feels very tired and repetitive. And I don't want my sex scene to suffer for it, because I'm usually good at them!

Maybe it's just time to take a break from writing.

How do I do that, again?


Also, this is going to need the betaing of a lifetime once it's done. (Another con of writing long stories: the proofing/editing/rewriting stages are epic in their own right.)


On plus side: this picture makes me stupidly happy. I think my OTPs are Gwen/Arthur and Gwaine/Merlin, and Lancelot can just go ahead sleep in whichever of those beds he fancies.

Top 10 stories of mine by hitcount on the Archive:

1. The Secretary (Torchwood - 1762)
2. Underwood (Torchwood - 1596)
3. We Happy Few (Torchwood - 1511)
4. A Fowl Morn (may turn into a fair day) (Torchwood - 1462)
5. little rattle stilt (Supernatural - 1442)
6. Goodbye Dolly (Torchwood - 1414)
7. Lucky Number (Torchwood - 1407)
8. Golden Ratio (Torchwood - 1354)
9. First Aid (Torchwood - 1144)
10. Well Played (Torchwood - 944)

( Commentary )

Oh god, I've been writing pretty much constantly for 3 days (~13,000 words! Just this weekend!), and I can't get my brain to shut up. IT'S OKAY. IF YOU CLOSE THE COMPUTER, THE WORDS WILL STILL BE THERE WHEN YOU OPEN IT AGAIN.

Sorry for the constant talking about my current wordcount, but seriously, this is pretty much the most significant thing going on in my life right now and OH GAWD THE WORDS THEY JUST WON'T STOP. It's exciting and exhausting. I love writing. Especially as it's a hobby that involves not leaving my bed much.

And oh boy, you should see my graph! ( ok, you twisted my arm, here it is )

And even though I know I'm not getting any more sensical writing done tonight, I still can't stop looking at my graph (and of course this picture).

And now I really need to sleep. Yay for valerian.

Check out how freaking productive I've been over the past three days:



Current wordcount: 22,161 ETA: 23,454 (GO TO SLEEP!)
Current mood: Wheee, epistolary fiction! Though, the more epistolary it gets, the more regency the language. Whut. Anachronisms: it's made of them.