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writig hard
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...via various people.
One of the posts that's stacked up in my head not-being-written is in response to that article about what is wrong with write every day and the responses to it that I saw on my reading list, and on the one hand I agree with them, and on the other hand now that I've gotten into a habit of 'write something every day' (not 'write 750 words', not 'write for 1 hour', but 'write at least two words for goodness sake even if you erase it immediately afterward') I really get thrown off when I break the habit for a couple days. Like I did last weekend when I went away for four days, and I'm still all blocked about 'oh I can't make tonight be the night I start the habit again, it doesn't feel right'.
On the other hand I've been *thinking* a lot about my wips, even if not writing them. Also: the 'write every day' thing has gotten me writing more on days when I'm not really feeling it, and so for the first time I'm consistently getting drafts of stuff where I can already see what revisions I need even as I'm writing it. Which on the one hand is scary and I don't know what to do, on the other hand feels like a big step forward in writing.
So here, have a list of the stuff in my wips file in scrivener and what I currently think is most wrong with them:
Primary Failure (aka 'the Enjolras and Grantaire Primary Election AU') : My scene list calls for a transition/logisitics scene here but the transition scene, as it is shaping up, is both a) boring and b) I don't actually know how to work the transition, so I should probably just skip to the next interesting scene, the party at the Corn Palace where Dr. Feuilly came dressed as Zombie Joe Hill, only idk if I have the courage to actually skip ahead that far without explaining how they got there.
Everybody Loves a Wedding (aka 'the Guardians of the Galaxy get group married') : The action scene I've been stalled in the middle of for ages is basically working fine as an action scene, it just... feels perfunctory for me, I think I need to re-write it with the rest of the team standing back and just Groot running into the fight by himself, except I think I may be getting comics!Groot characterization too mixed up with movie!Groot.
I <3 Boobies (aka 'Marius is a literal booby and Eponine is an animal control officer') : I finally got Marius, Eponine and Cosette in the same room together but now that they're in the same room Eponine is having way way too many feelings at the same time, and I can't fit them all into the narrative, and meanwhile Eponine's intense desire for Cosette to just go away so she can call her little brother and process the feelings is, I think, making me rush Cosette out of there too fast when really we need more interaction first.
Good Ship Bini (aka 'the Les Mis Pirate AU') : I am at the point where I need to resolve some stuff and reveal some backstory but I can't figure out the right way to do it, and also at this point I have so much headcanon for these people that I can't judge how much effort I need to put into selling the audience on them.
Logovore (aka 'librarians vs. ancient evil') : I am 4000 words and about 1/3 of the way into what is supposed to be a 5000 word original short story, help.
Natashenka (aka 'the one where four-year-old Natasha and the Winter Soldier have to go on the run together') : I want this to be really good and it's a really hard story to do justice to and I'm scared, and also I've kinda broken up with MCU canon so I still really like the story but it's hard to be as enthusiastic about it anymore. :l
Fari (aka 'i finally actually write something in the genderqueer sword & sorcery universe') : I'm pretty sure one of my main characters is doing absolutely nothing plotwise except being decorative and sarcastic and I should write zir out, but I don't want to. Also, I really need to properly figure out how wandering soldiers of fortune work in a society where monetary exchange has not been invented yet.
Paris Lui-Meme Imite (aka 'the modern e/R AU') : I need to figure out how I'm structuring the sewer digression before I try to actually write the thing, just rambling for thousands of words is not flowing as easily as I expected.
Arayeli (aka 'the one where pain is power'): I feel like all I am doing is playing with worldbuilding, which is fine, but do I need more focus storywise? Or is it fine for a secondary-world short story to have a pretty barebones plot/very little character arc in order to demonstrate the worldbuilding?
The Valjean/Montparnasse Kinkporn (yeah this one doesn't even get an aka) : actually storywise there's nothing wrong with this, I just need exactly the right mood and exactly the right time and space to write from this far down in my id, and that hasn't happened lately.
baseball, america, apple pie (aka 'the one where Bucky is a Yankees fan') : I keep adding bits onto this and even have an ending sketched out for it now, but I think the problem is that really deep down I just don't ship Steve/Bucky in my heart of hearts, just dump the bastard and run away with Sam (yes that applies to both of you)..... also see above about falling out of love with MCU
Raven Swallows the Sun (aka 'the one where the Winter Soldier was sent to seduce Captain America instead of kill him') : I. Is it possible to write trope-tastic au otp slashfic that ends with them confessing their eternal love and then Steve admitting he'd rather date Sam and Bucky agreeing with him? LOOK I HAVE. PROBLEMS.
Mars Needs Women (aka 'Nanette and Dolph are a, 100% ace and b, DEFINITELY had sex while marooned on Mars, are you kidding me Blish') : Needs to somehow be shoved from a massive amorphous feelsdump about just how much I identified with Nanette and turned into something resembling an actual story before I can even figure out what comes next.
Jean-the-jack (aka 'the AU where Valjean and Javert rule the Paris underworld with a velvet glove. and punchings.') : I'm not actually ready to commit to writing this tbh but I do have two paragraphs of it and, well, I needed a burglar so we wouldn't be 13. <_<
...ok I don't know if that actually helped but I do feel better now that I've gotten that out.
p.s. if anybody read one of those and went 'oooh, I can fix that' I would be delighted to send you what I have in return for you telling me what you think.
...via various people.
One of the posts that's stacked up in my head not-being-written is in response to that article about what is wrong with write every day and the responses to it that I saw on my reading list, and on the one hand I agree with them, and on the other hand now that I've gotten into a habit of 'write something every day' (not 'write 750 words', not 'write for 1 hour', but 'write at least two words for goodness sake even if you erase it immediately afterward') I really get thrown off when I break the habit for a couple days. Like I did last weekend when I went away for four days, and I'm still all blocked about 'oh I can't make tonight be the night I start the habit again, it doesn't feel right'.
On the other hand I've been *thinking* a lot about my wips, even if not writing them. Also: the 'write every day' thing has gotten me writing more on days when I'm not really feeling it, and so for the first time I'm consistently getting drafts of stuff where I can already see what revisions I need even as I'm writing it. Which on the one hand is scary and I don't know what to do, on the other hand feels like a big step forward in writing.
So here, have a list of the stuff in my wips file in scrivener and what I currently think is most wrong with them:
Primary Failure (aka 'the Enjolras and Grantaire Primary Election AU') : My scene list calls for a transition/logisitics scene here but the transition scene, as it is shaping up, is both a) boring and b) I don't actually know how to work the transition, so I should probably just skip to the next interesting scene, the party at the Corn Palace where Dr. Feuilly came dressed as Zombie Joe Hill, only idk if I have the courage to actually skip ahead that far without explaining how they got there.
Everybody Loves a Wedding (aka 'the Guardians of the Galaxy get group married') : The action scene I've been stalled in the middle of for ages is basically working fine as an action scene, it just... feels perfunctory for me, I think I need to re-write it with the rest of the team standing back and just Groot running into the fight by himself, except I think I may be getting comics!Groot characterization too mixed up with movie!Groot.
I <3 Boobies (aka 'Marius is a literal booby and Eponine is an animal control officer') : I finally got Marius, Eponine and Cosette in the same room together but now that they're in the same room Eponine is having way way too many feelings at the same time, and I can't fit them all into the narrative, and meanwhile Eponine's intense desire for Cosette to just go away so she can call her little brother and process the feelings is, I think, making me rush Cosette out of there too fast when really we need more interaction first.
Good Ship Bini (aka 'the Les Mis Pirate AU') : I am at the point where I need to resolve some stuff and reveal some backstory but I can't figure out the right way to do it, and also at this point I have so much headcanon for these people that I can't judge how much effort I need to put into selling the audience on them.
Logovore (aka 'librarians vs. ancient evil') : I am 4000 words and about 1/3 of the way into what is supposed to be a 5000 word original short story, help.
Natashenka (aka 'the one where four-year-old Natasha and the Winter Soldier have to go on the run together') : I want this to be really good and it's a really hard story to do justice to and I'm scared, and also I've kinda broken up with MCU canon so I still really like the story but it's hard to be as enthusiastic about it anymore. :l
Fari (aka 'i finally actually write something in the genderqueer sword & sorcery universe') : I'm pretty sure one of my main characters is doing absolutely nothing plotwise except being decorative and sarcastic and I should write zir out, but I don't want to. Also, I really need to properly figure out how wandering soldiers of fortune work in a society where monetary exchange has not been invented yet.
Paris Lui-Meme Imite (aka 'the modern e/R AU') : I need to figure out how I'm structuring the sewer digression before I try to actually write the thing, just rambling for thousands of words is not flowing as easily as I expected.
Arayeli (aka 'the one where pain is power'): I feel like all I am doing is playing with worldbuilding, which is fine, but do I need more focus storywise? Or is it fine for a secondary-world short story to have a pretty barebones plot/very little character arc in order to demonstrate the worldbuilding?
The Valjean/Montparnasse Kinkporn (yeah this one doesn't even get an aka) : actually storywise there's nothing wrong with this, I just need exactly the right mood and exactly the right time and space to write from this far down in my id, and that hasn't happened lately.
baseball, america, apple pie (aka 'the one where Bucky is a Yankees fan') : I keep adding bits onto this and even have an ending sketched out for it now, but I think the problem is that really deep down I just don't ship Steve/Bucky in my heart of hearts, just dump the bastard and run away with Sam (yes that applies to both of you)..... also see above about falling out of love with MCU
Raven Swallows the Sun (aka 'the one where the Winter Soldier was sent to seduce Captain America instead of kill him') : I. Is it possible to write trope-tastic au otp slashfic that ends with them confessing their eternal love and then Steve admitting he'd rather date Sam and Bucky agreeing with him? LOOK I HAVE. PROBLEMS.
Mars Needs Women (aka 'Nanette and Dolph are a, 100% ace and b, DEFINITELY had sex while marooned on Mars, are you kidding me Blish') : Needs to somehow be shoved from a massive amorphous feelsdump about just how much I identified with Nanette and turned into something resembling an actual story before I can even figure out what comes next.
Jean-the-jack (aka 'the AU where Valjean and Javert rule the Paris underworld with a velvet glove. and punchings.') : I'm not actually ready to commit to writing this tbh but I do have two paragraphs of it and, well, I needed a burglar so we wouldn't be 13. <_<
...ok I don't know if that actually helped but I do feel better now that I've gotten that out.
p.s. if anybody read one of those and went 'oooh, I can fix that' I would be delighted to send you what I have in return for you telling me what you think.