I've written 150,000 words, but it looks like it might take again that many to finish it. It just keeps taking so long to do the stuff I want to do.
I kind of naturally write long pieces. The short pieces I've done, I've agonized over every word, because each one is so important, you know? And then I still had to go back in and cut half the unnecessary words.
The thing about a longer piece is I don't approach it like that. The words themselves aren't so very important. They can fade into the background, as can the style, so that the ideas and events can be absorbed into the readers' minds in the least distracting way possible. They can and should, unless you're far more clever than me. For that reason, if I know something's going to be short, it can take me a day just to get a 100 words out. But if I'm starting the rough draft of a novel or something, I can belt out 10,000 words in a day if I'm really truly going at it (with nothing important going on).
keeping it all inside until it bursts on to the page works
Good way of putting it!
fuels the desire to write.
This sounds like it would be the most important thing, for me. It bursts but then I get bummed, and want someone to pet me and tell me go ahead, do the next part.
I'm working on something right now that's in the 10,000 range
To quote Kita: OMG wtf are you writing??? I'm excited to hear you're doing a longer fic!
I am glad that you are excited that I am doing a longer fic. I, myself, am outraged. Heeeeeeeee.
The thing about a longer piece is I don't approach it like that. The words themselves aren't so very important. They can fade into the background, as can the style, so that the ideas and events can be absorbed into the readers' minds in the least distracting way possible.
This is such a good point, and one that I had to learn the really, really hard way, so I wish that we'd talked about two weeks ago. See? Talking is good! Let's talk more about our fics! But yes, I realized at some point, I think, unfortunately, *after* I had pulled out all of my eyebrows in frustration, that I couldn't make every sentence a MASTERPIECE, every turn of phrase a WORK OF GENIUS, or this was going to take forever. Sometimes, Character A says something, you add an adverb after the quote, Character B says something snarky in reply, you add an adjective after the quote, and then they're kissing. Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am.
fuels the desire to write. This sounds like it would be the most important thing, for me.
Yeah, I mean, that's why we talk about our fics, to get the juices flowing in a direction that's not in circles inside our own heads.
I'm excited to hear you're doing a longer fic!
Er, heh. Don't get too excited. It is, believe it or not, a Xander/Connor pleasureslave fic. I know, I know. How I have 10,000 words to say on the subject is a mystery to me, too. I'm really having a lot of fun with it, though, and it *is* the longest thing that I've written/will write that's not AtS No Limits (that is to say, where the characters and plot points and developments are entirely of my own choosing), and I'm finding that I don't suck as much as I thought I did with dialogue, and realizing these things about yourself, breaking those barriers, it's why we write, yeah? That, and the feedback. :)
Sometimes, Character A says something, you add an adverb after the quote, Character B says something snarky in reply, you add an adjective after the quote, and then they're kissing. Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am.
Exactly! *claps* I've read a publihed novel or two in which every word seems a stroke of brilliance, but most novels/novellas I really like, it's not a word or turn of phrase I remember. It's what happened and what characters said. And brilliance every word can be exhausting to a reader. They might be taking in their breath at every word--but then they haven't breathed for an hour and you've killed them.
I doubt anyone who reads this big long fic of mine will have a single moment where they think, "wow, nice turn of phrase" or "new and exciting metaphor!" Which isn't a good thing; there should be some finesse. But the hardest part of longer writing is integrating the "wham bam" aspect with fancier/impresive/poetic/whatever part; I sometimes find my style clashing. In a story like the one I'm writing, I don't even know where to begin sprucing it up a little, calling attention to the writing rather than the story once in a while--but in the end, I'm not sure I want to. The story holds up for me, it should for maybe two other people as well :o)
Er, heh. Don't get too excited. It is, believe it or not, a Xander/Connor pleasureslave fic. I know, I know. How I have 10,000 words to say on the subject is a mystery to me, too.
LOL! On the contrary, I'm even more excited! I've been reading lots of crack lately, and it makes me want to try my hand at it myself because some of the stuff out there could be really quality entertainment if the writing was decent and the characterization consistent. I've been having bunnies I despaired of losing all respect with everyone I admired on lj if I actually wrote them. Including slave fic. But when it gets down to it, any concept can be a work of genius in the hands of someone great. So anyway, I'd trust you to make something like that really really good, and, and Xander/Connor! Cool! I'm still excited!
In a story like the one I'm writing, I don't even know where to begin sprucing it up a little, calling attention to the writing rather than the story once in a while--but in the end, I'm not sure I want to. The story holds up for me
It's hard to say without having seen the story, but there are certainly lots of fanfics out there that aren't stylistically writerly, but still strong pieces of writing. Back when yahtzee63 used to write in the Buffyverse, I remember thinking how smart her writing was, with her layered, intricate plots and her clear, concise characterization. And she wasn't poetical in the least. I don't remember ever thinking, "wow, what a great turn of phrase," when reading her work, but I do remember thinking, "wow, that was an AMAZING story." So, I'm sure that your story will stand on it's own merits in that same way.
it makes me want to try my hand at it myself because some of the stuff out there could be really quality entertainment if the writing was decent and the characterization consistent
And I have had the opposite happen, where I read some crack pieces that were of such great quality and the writing was more than decent and the characterization was so fabulously consistent that I immediately wanted to see if I could do it, too. I actually wish that I didn't go into it with that attitude, because it's pleasureslave fic, after all, and it should be fun! and hot! and entertaining! I don't need to make this story a meaningful representation of everything I have ever thought about Connor.
Yeah, yahtzee63 is a great example! (Have you read her ALIAS fic? Lot of it is great, too.) I'm not sure my own is quite as good a plot as the kind of the Yahtzee did (way too much porn. Also, shippines.), but hey, I get a kick out of it.
I have to go to your crack dealer, it seems. Not much crack pops up on my flist. I started reading more of it when that Top 5 Recs comm geared up at the end of last year, and a lot of the recs seemed to be AUs, slave fic, etc...but I wasn't too enthralled with most of them. Heh. Enthralled.
Anyway, I have trouble approaching things with the, "this is just for fun" mentality. I always get worked up about it and want to make it meaningful, and often feel that the "meaningfulness" doesn't really jive with the premise. But sometimes that disconnect is what makes it interesting--like when you read a picture book and figure out the meaning of life, you know? Unexpected insight can sometimes make itself felt more.
I don't know if this fic is your cup of tea. I don't know if it's anyone's cuppa; I need to stop stressing, but I can't because my brain is gone.
I kind of naturally write long pieces. The short pieces I've done, I've agonized over every word, because each one is so important, you know? And then I still had to go back in and cut half the unnecessary words.
The thing about a longer piece is I don't approach it like that. The words themselves aren't so very important. They can fade into the background, as can the style, so that the ideas and events can be absorbed into the readers' minds in the least distracting way possible. They can and should, unless you're far more clever than me. For that reason, if I know something's going to be short, it can take me a day just to get a 100 words out. But if I'm starting the rough draft of a novel or something, I can belt out 10,000 words in a day if I'm really truly going at it (with nothing important going on).
keeping it all inside until it bursts on to the page works
Good way of putting it!
fuels the desire to write.
This sounds like it would be the most important thing, for me. It bursts but then I get bummed, and want someone to pet me and tell me go ahead, do the next part.
I'm working on something right now that's in the 10,000 range
To quote Kita: OMG wtf are you writing??? I'm excited to hear you're doing a longer fic!
Reply
The thing about a longer piece is I don't approach it like that. The words themselves aren't so very important. They can fade into the background, as can the style, so that the ideas and events can be absorbed into the readers' minds in the least distracting way possible.
This is such a good point, and one that I had to learn the really, really hard way, so I wish that we'd talked about two weeks ago. See? Talking is good! Let's talk more about our fics! But yes, I realized at some point, I think, unfortunately, *after* I had pulled out all of my eyebrows in frustration, that I couldn't make every sentence a MASTERPIECE, every turn of phrase a WORK OF GENIUS, or this was going to take forever. Sometimes, Character A says something, you add an adverb after the quote, Character B says something snarky in reply, you add an adjective after the quote, and then they're kissing. Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am.
fuels the desire to write.
This sounds like it would be the most important thing, for me.
Yeah, I mean, that's why we talk about our fics, to get the juices flowing in a direction that's not in circles inside our own heads.
I'm excited to hear you're doing a longer fic!
Er, heh. Don't get too excited. It is, believe it or not, a Xander/Connor pleasureslave fic. I know, I know. How I have 10,000 words to say on the subject is a mystery to me, too. I'm really having a lot of fun with it, though, and it *is* the longest thing that I've written/will write that's not AtS No Limits (that is to say, where the characters and plot points and developments are entirely of my own choosing), and I'm finding that I don't suck as much as I thought I did with dialogue, and realizing these things about yourself, breaking those barriers, it's why we write, yeah? That, and the feedback. :)
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I do too. I'm worried about your eyebrows.
Sometimes, Character A says something, you add an adverb after the quote, Character B says something snarky in reply, you add an adjective after the quote, and then they're kissing. Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am.
Exactly! *claps* I've read a publihed novel or two in which every word seems a stroke of brilliance, but most novels/novellas I really like, it's not a word or turn of phrase I remember. It's what happened and what characters said. And brilliance every word can be exhausting to a reader. They might be taking in their breath at every word--but then they haven't breathed for an hour and you've killed them.
I doubt anyone who reads this big long fic of mine will have a single moment where they think, "wow, nice turn of phrase" or "new and exciting metaphor!" Which isn't a good thing; there should be some finesse. But the hardest part of longer writing is integrating the "wham bam" aspect with fancier/impresive/poetic/whatever part; I sometimes find my style clashing. In a story like the one I'm writing, I don't even know where to begin sprucing it up a little, calling attention to the writing rather than the story once in a while--but in the end, I'm not sure I want to. The story holds up for me, it should for maybe two other people as well :o)
Er, heh. Don't get too excited. It is, believe it or not, a Xander/Connor pleasureslave fic. I know, I know. How I have 10,000 words to say on the subject is a mystery to me, too.
LOL! On the contrary, I'm even more excited! I've been reading lots of crack lately, and it makes me want to try my hand at it myself because some of the stuff out there could be really quality entertainment if the writing was decent and the characterization consistent. I've been having bunnies I despaired of losing all respect with everyone I admired on lj if I actually wrote them. Including slave fic. But when it gets down to it, any concept can be a work of genius in the hands of someone great. So anyway, I'd trust you to make something like that really really good, and, and Xander/Connor! Cool! I'm still excited!
Reply
It's hard to say without having seen the story, but there are certainly lots of fanfics out there that aren't stylistically writerly, but still strong pieces of writing. Back when yahtzee63 used to write in the Buffyverse, I remember thinking how smart her writing was, with her layered, intricate plots and her clear, concise characterization. And she wasn't poetical in the least. I don't remember ever thinking, "wow, what a great turn of phrase," when reading her work, but I do remember thinking, "wow, that was an AMAZING story." So, I'm sure that your story will stand on it's own merits in that same way.
it makes me want to try my hand at it myself because some of the stuff out there could be really quality entertainment if the writing was decent and the characterization consistent
And I have had the opposite happen, where I read some crack pieces that were of such great quality and the writing was more than decent and the characterization was so fabulously consistent that I immediately wanted to see if I could do it, too. I actually wish that I didn't go into it with that attitude, because it's pleasureslave fic, after all, and it should be fun! and hot! and entertaining! I don't need to make this story a meaningful representation of everything I have ever thought about Connor.
I'm still excited!
Me, too, about your fic!
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I have to go to your crack dealer, it seems. Not much crack pops up on my flist. I started reading more of it when that Top 5 Recs comm geared up at the end of last year, and a lot of the recs seemed to be AUs, slave fic, etc...but I wasn't too enthralled with most of them. Heh. Enthralled.
Anyway, I have trouble approaching things with the, "this is just for fun" mentality. I always get worked up about it and want to make it meaningful, and often feel that the "meaningfulness" doesn't really jive with the premise. But sometimes that disconnect is what makes it interesting--like when you read a picture book and figure out the meaning of life, you know? Unexpected insight can sometimes make itself felt more.
I don't know if this fic is your cup of tea. I don't know if it's anyone's cuppa; I need to stop stressing, but I can't because my brain is gone.
Reply
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