I always miss the really obvious stuff.

[puella_nerdii]

So I do think I've recovered from the latest crippling bout of self-doubt, mostly.

Those of you who know me know that I procrastinate like hell. Not because I'm averse to doing work, but because I'm a perfectionist to the highest degree, and the task of sitting down/standing up/assuming whatever position is necessary and working on something

Comments

[grazie]

I have much the same problem-- and this is only reinforced by the fact that when I tend to go back over research papers that I waited until the last minute to do, I find them full of logic holes and times where I simply... do not complete an argument or get off subject.

But this is... Academic writing more than novel writing. I wish you much luck!

[puella_nerdii]

Thanks! I -- er, perhaps I shall dare to be hopeful.

...I am admittedly guilty with the same thing with academia, except possibly more so because I actually AM good at writing papers at the last minute. I tend to get As on them. My bad habits are positively reinforced. /facepalm

[grazie]

I'm much better at writing stories, I think. I just have this horrible problem of Not Finishing them because I don't have the same deadlines to worry about.

I've gotten better at paper writing since I've come to college at least! Maybe I've learned a thing or two after all in these past four years. This paper I'm finishing up isn't going to be my masterpiece or anything, but I am looking forward to sharing some of my resources for it at "Undone Sundays."

[puella_nerdii]

Ooooooh, what's the paper on? *tentyfingers*

With stories, I think I tend to -- not run out of steam, exactly, but I hit a bump and end up turning the bump into a mountain of Oh God How Am I Going To Get Past This I Do Not Know Enough And I Suck. Hetalia's made it worse, in some ways, because I am convinced that I have to research everything ever before I can even type a friggin' sentence.

[etrangere]

(PS: Speaking of "I always miss the really obvious stuff," WHERE HAS PRINCESS TUTU BEEN ALL MY LIFE AND WHY DID I NOT PICK IT UP SOONER. Between that and Mad Men, I am sort of in a These Shows Give Me Everything I Want Out Of TV-induced state of mediabliss.)
do you know of The Wire? ^^

[puella_nerdii]

You bet I do! The Wire is fucking brilliant. (And offered lots of good employment opportunities for local actors! Lots of friends and acquaintances and professional associates of mine in the area worked on it at some point.)

[etrangere]

Lots of friends and acquaintances and professional associates of mine in the area worked on it at some point.)
wow that's awesome!

I only started watching it recently (actually same with Mad Men) so the 'why did i not pick this up sooner" cry made me think of it ;)

[puella_nerdii]

Apparently it was a great place to work! I kind of wish I'd actually been reading extra casting calls and things like that while it was still on the air, because I'd love to have been a part of that.

[byzantienne]

The inside of your head is very like the inside of mine, on this. *hugs so much* Especially on important projects. You saw how long it took me to write that Smear letter once you all said 'and this one goes in the book'.

Not to mention everything else I'm stuck on lately.

So I'm really, really pleased that you feel better about all this crazy, 'cause someone should. *smile*

(also yes OMG how did you not watch Tutu before this~)

[puella_nerdii]

Oh, I still feel the same as ever, but I want to do something about that and stop moping around, as attractive as moping around may seem. (And I am quite good at moping around.)

And as for you -- stop it. Stop it right now. I think Mith and I might need to introduce you to the write-x-words-in-x-minutes game.

(I don't know! I mean, christ, I'm an Utena fan, I really should've seen it ages ago. But I have finished the first half of the series now and I KIND OF LOVE IT A LOT. I don't know if I'll end up ficcing it, as I am entirely satisfied with the series so far and expect to remain so, considering how well it's crafted, but I uh possibly ship Fakir/Ahiru something fierce.)

[byzantienne]

eep.

But the x-words-in-x-minutes game is -- but the words have to be correct words otherwise the fic doesn't hold together with voice and theme and -- eeeeeeep.

(*griiiiiiins* Oh I think you'll remain satisfied. *does not spoil!* There are things I could fic for it, but they're thematic and meta more than anything else. And I ship Fakir/Ahiru too.)

[puella_nerdii]

Linden?

We are making you play the game.

(*nod* And as I usually write fic to fill in the missing bits -- yeah.
Mith and I are cosplaying them, I think. Because she would be such a hot Fakir. And I -- I just really really adore Ahiru. She is that kind of protagonist done right and oh god I want to hug her forever and ever.)

[vulchu]

YOU GO FOR IT PUEL! I may suck at following this advice myself but just writing something, even if it's crap, is awesome. And sometimes you've got to push through the block to get to something really good and juicy. But basically just keep on rocking it out. I think your stuff is awesome. ♥

AND I SEE YOU ARE WATCHING TUTU (llamrei will be pleased) I APPROVE OF THE WATCHING OF TUTU. :D)

[puella_nerdii]

*hugs* You are such a sweetheart, have I mentioned that lately? But you're right, I think I just need to push through it and stop worrying about not being good enough -- and writing again and again and again will hopefully make the act of writing more habitual for me, something that I can do without worrying about the quality of what I'm producing.

She should be pleased, she sent me the DVDs because she is SO AWESOME LIKE THAT. AWESOME LIKE THE SHOW IS AWESOME. EXCEPT MORE AWESOME BECAUSE SHE ACTUALLY EXISTS.

[vulchu]

aslkdjf you haven't but thank you ♥ But yes, just get in the habit of it, that way when inspiration strikes you're ready for it. And the editing process is separate from the drafting and writing process for a reason! Just put the ideas out there and decide later if they're good or not.

SHE IS THE MOST AWESOME. And also existing, I am very happy that she exists. :D HOW FAR HAVE YOU GOTTEN IN THE SERIES THOUGH?

[puella_nerdii]

I have a bad habit of editing-as-I-write -- I go back and edit later, too, but doing that is almost hard sometimes because I've labored over what I wanted to say so much already. Not that a certain amount of line-editing can't be helpful, but I think I'm getting trapped by it.

Finished the first season! I adore Ahiru to ridiculous extremes oh gosh she is so damn cute without being saccharine, which...I do not find often enough in anime. (Also man does she have great chemistry with Fakir. *cough*) But show! I love show! Is so brilliantly constructed, and the attention to continuity is beauuuuuuuutiful.

[evilsimon]

Haa, I do much of the same thing. I've found that having a couple of stories/files that I really don't plan to show to anyone else has helped me a lot. Not only can I play around with styles that I wouldn't dare use formally, I can have no shame about overuse of adjectives or semicolons or run-on sentences like this one.

Also, hi! Followed you back from JF due to saying_yes_2010 and thought you seemed pretty cool!

[puella_nerdii]

*nod* I think you're right about that one, and I do miss being able to play with what I write -- I think I'm getting too worried about reception/accessibility/omgperfection/blah.

Hi there! I am glad you think I am cool! ...I am kind of an utter dork, but uh, hopefully I am a cool dork.

[evilsimon]

The one thing I lost years ago that I still haven't relearned is the ability to write perfectly chronologically. I picked up the habit of writing in bursts, skipping around the story, and I'm not sure whether that's good or not.

I am also a complete dork! S-so there's that?

[puella_nerdii]

Oh, interesting! See, I've gotten myself stuck in a kind of rut where I have to write in chronological order or else I freak out, and I'm wondering if I shouldn't try to shake that up a little. (Part of this is probably because my outlining skills are a bit weak -- I think strengthening them might help with the detail-fixation thing, as I could move the plot forward even if a few details didn't quite gel right.)