Fiction-writing woes
After a nearly two month-long hiatus, the fanfiction bootcamp is back in action. My assignment is due October 2nd and I haven't started it yet.
I'm struggling with the length of my fiction and trying to get at least a plot idea with everything I try. If I try to write something plotted for this assignment -- well, I don't have that kind of time anymore. I've been trying to write short fiction when what I really write is novel-length stuff. In short fiction you have to be a lot more concise. Every detail has to count for something. Every word you choose has to be special. Me, I'd rather meander around, explore the characters, their motivations, their lives, whatever, and eventually the whole thing winds up at a conclusion. We hope. I'm still interested in learning to write short fiction, but I shouldn't force myself to write that and be unhappy with it rather than to write what I'm comfortable with.
There's also the issue (with the fanfiction) that my chosen character is a villain and not sympathetic at all. I think that may be a bit of the reason why after nearly three months no one, including the person who was assigned my piece, has critiqued my assignment from last time. That and, well, it's summer and people are busy doing things and running away from hurricanes and stuff. I get that. But the person who was supposed to critique my piece has gone missing from the list. Her Yahoo profile doesn't come up anymore. I don't know if she's one of the people who were running from hurricanes in the last month or so, but she's the listmom. It worries me that she's up and vanished.1
I was going to chat with one of the group members tonight, but I just don't feel like discussing it. Maybe I'll shoot him an email tomorrow when I'm thinking about it.
stinkbug ejection count:2 (there are more. I just don't care enough to fuss with them right now.)
1 - Don't think I believe this little fanfic group is more important than people's lives and homes and whatever else may have been beaten to within an inch of its life by the hurricanes, 'cos I don't. I'm just wondering what's going on.
I'm struggling with the length of my fiction and trying to get at least a plot idea with everything I try. If I try to write something plotted for this assignment -- well, I don't have that kind of time anymore. I've been trying to write short fiction when what I really write is novel-length stuff. In short fiction you have to be a lot more concise. Every detail has to count for something. Every word you choose has to be special. Me, I'd rather meander around, explore the characters, their motivations, their lives, whatever, and eventually the whole thing winds up at a conclusion. We hope. I'm still interested in learning to write short fiction, but I shouldn't force myself to write that and be unhappy with it rather than to write what I'm comfortable with.
There's also the issue (with the fanfiction) that my chosen character is a villain and not sympathetic at all. I think that may be a bit of the reason why after nearly three months no one, including the person who was assigned my piece, has critiqued my assignment from last time. That and, well, it's summer and people are busy doing things and running away from hurricanes and stuff. I get that. But the person who was supposed to critique my piece has gone missing from the list. Her Yahoo profile doesn't come up anymore. I don't know if she's one of the people who were running from hurricanes in the last month or so, but she's the listmom. It worries me that she's up and vanished.1
I was going to chat with one of the group members tonight, but I just don't feel like discussing it. Maybe I'll shoot him an email tomorrow when I'm thinking about it.
stinkbug ejection count:2 (there are more. I just don't care enough to fuss with them right now.)
1 - Don't think I believe this little fanfic group is more important than people's lives and homes and whatever else may have been beaten to within an inch of its life by the hurricanes, 'cos I don't. I'm just wondering what's going on.