ostarella | Ch 9 and this and that

Well, I've gotten two pages written on chapter 9 now. One POV from Dao Quy and one from Hannibal. I was going to work on Face next, and then decided I want to finish all the DQ and Hannibal sections first, then slip Face's POVs in between. I don't usually work that way, but for some reason I want to get a handle on those two first, and then fit Face's stuff to juxtapose them.

One thing I'm discovering about Dao Quy is that I really like her character, and I'm finding myself wishing I was writing a story (ala Tess) about her and Face. I won't be able to have her too much in this story, because that would really be going off on a tangent, and add several really unnecessary chapters, but I might write one of their time together as sort of an addendum.

Speaking of Tess, I think I'm going to use that Character Test for her and the others. Maybe that will get me back on track there as well. Finding that site was really a godsend for this story, I know that.

Oh my. Having quite an email discussion with JFM about slash and characterization, and with Billy on writing as a whole - so enjoyable to be able to speak frankly, and really discuss things. Sometimes I think talking about writing is more interesting than actually writing - writing is WORK!

I'm thinking about going back on the list - just for commenting and discussions. No posting for a while yet. Not until Covenant is completed, at any rate. And not right away - still feeling a little too antagonized, so not a good time for it. But I do miss it.

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Unfinished ones are maddening like you say. Until Journeys I was proud of my finishing record. :D

Sometimes I think it's gotten so people think they have to have something ready to publish before they put it up there, and it shouldn't be that way.

Definitely not! That's why I've got into the habit of putting first drafts on there and letting people help me knock them into shape. After all in the end, we're not writing for the audience of just the ATSB, but rather the people who read the VA archive, or fanficton.net, or our own sites, however they find the stories. The Yahoo group could use more rough drafts and experiments.

For one thing I think it makes you more open to making changes. If you've spent ages polishing something and everyone tells you that bit doesn't work and you should take it out, well you'd likely resist it, because of all the work you've done to it. But if it's just the draft, then it's a lot easier. You get less "precious" about the work I think.

Yeah, it's like with chapter 7. Sure, I put a lot of effort into it, but it was an experiment. I thought it worked, and obviously it didn't. But that's why I put it on the list first. But I think the expectation is there, especially on the part of newbies, that it has to be great or near-perfect before they post. Maybe they're afraid of having it picked apart, or maybe they think they aren't supposed to post a rough draft, but I wish someone would bring that up. Much much better to have the problems discovered, or suggestions made, before it's "set in stone", at least in the author's mind.

Well, I've gone ahead and suggested the idea of "brainstorming" story ideas and working on the early stages of a story. Let's see what everyone else thinks.

Of course if it takes off it's probably only fair that I put my money where my mouth is and offer up one of my undeveloped bunnies to have its brain stormed. The Ghost of General Stockwell could be a good one, it has a good (I think) hook, but then zippo to follow up. Yet I'm too fond of it to put it on the orphanage for adoption.

I see that - be interesting to see if anything happens. I hope it does - it would be nice to "work with" writers from the beginning, watch how something really evolves into a finished work. I definitely think it would be a good way for newbies and lurkers to take that first step.

I must admit, that's why I put my stories on as WIP. Four Wishes was the first story I actually started to post on the ATSB which wasn't *finished*. But it was a very good motivator to keep me writing.

All my other stories were *finished* as in they had an ending. FWs did to some extent.

I'm not sure I'd be that brave to say, here, what do you think about this bunny...other than throwing a little titbit of a story via a quick pick and seeing it's reaction! ;o)

Oddly enough, I have never posted a story to the list that was finished beforehand. In fact, most of them I only had a vague idea of where it was going to go.

Yeah, I'm not sure a bunny would be that big a deal to put on the list - collectively there are thousands out there ;-) But the quick picks, or a general outline of a story - I think those are things that would be far enough along to invite discussion, without really giving away the show ;-)

I think with the group while it's frustating if something isn't finished, well it is a work in progress group, not an archive, so you take your chances there with someone not finishing.

Now I had such a hiatus with Journeys I'm even more wary about putting anything on an archive until it's finished at least in first draft form. I do put chapters up on archives as I edit them, that helps keep me going.

I started making sure I had always *finished* the story, before posting, because that's the way I thought it should be done and I was worried I wouldn't finish it. There are too many stories unfinished!

Anyway, Four Wishes was kinda *finished* in my mind, but not on paper, so it was good to post on the ATSB as a motivator. AND I would never have thought about the ending and Amy's behaviour (without spoiling too much on here, although I think I discussed it on here, for advice.) So now, I am inclined to start posting as I write-ish. I don't think I could do it as JFM does... her nightly output is up on the ATSB.. I've got to seriously read through mine, and make LOTS of corrections first. And then more get spotted on the ATSB ;o)

When I first started, I'd seen the WIP designations, so I just assumed the authors were posting as they wrote. Who knows if that were true or not. Now - well, I hate editing my own stories, at least once I've "completed" it enough for posting, and especially as a whole. I might start a new chapter, or have notes for it, but until I know what needs correcting on the current chapter, I don't want to move ahead. I never know when someone will suggest something that I like, and it ends up taking the story in a new direction, or at least, a new route to the ending.

But then, I guess I write differently. I admire JFM's organization and people who can do that, but I write more - "intuitively" ? Not exactly the word I'm looking for; maybe "seat of the pants" would be a more suitable description :D And I guess that mandates "simultaneous" feedback for me. If I completed a story and then saw an idea I liked for an early chapter, I'd probably end up throwing out the balance of the story and going in that new direction. :-/

Ch 9 and this and that

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