the_rck | Entries tagged with advice

Years ago, I used to use a filter for posts related to writing. I stopped because I didn’t feel like I had anything worth saying (I was often working on anonymous exchange stories that I couldn’t talk about) and because, as far as I could tell, nobody was actually interested. I’m thinking about talking more about my writing, possibly even going into details about aspects of particular stories that I’m struggling with or think are working well. Right now, when I go into details about my writing (anything more than a paragraph), I cut tag it.

Would people rather I filtered? If I start using such a filter again, would anyone be interested in reading it? I find talking about what I’m working on useful, but it’s generally more useful as dialog instead of monolog. I tend toward darkfic, so I would probably still use cuts, warn for content, and specify fandom.

Right now, I’ve got seven people on my writing filter on LJ, and two or three of those are people who haven’t posted to LJ in more than two years. A couple of the others are folks who I don’t think actually read my posts any more. I’ve got five people on the filter on DW.

I was going to make a poll about this, but I can only do that on DW, and I want input from folks on LJ, too, particularly the new people who’ve started reading me recently. So, if I do start posting more about the writing I’m currently doing, should I use an access filter or should I post publicly and cut tag things? I don’t feel any urgency to keep what I’m doing secret. I mainly don’t want to bore people or make them uncomfortable.

( Discussion of shapeshifting and gender and pronouns and such as applies to Chronicles of Amber fanfic ideas )

I kind of want to work on this story right at the moment since it’s the one I think will flow best while I’ve got three kids running around, but I’m completely blocked by the questions above.

I have no idea if anyone will care about any of this, but why not ask?

For

wipbigbang, I’m considering the following WIP. The minimum length for the challenge is 7500 words. These are the stories I’ve started that I think could go that long without getting so very long that I can’t finish them by the deadline. They’re all things I’m happy to think about writing and have enjoyed so far.

I’m willing to share the bits I’ve written of these stories if anyone’s interested. There’s a Narnia story (darkfic, child abuse issues), a DCU story (mangling of canon, darkfic, consent issues, moral compromises), a Chronicles of Amber story (mangling of canon, possible consent issues, serious opportunities for me to muck up gender identity and non-identity issues), and three Weiss Kreuz stories (one darkfic and two PWP).

I’m not sure that I’ll act on whatever feedback (if any) I get. I’ve already talked to a couple of friends who… Well, the story one liked, the other loathed. The story the second one liked most, the first one loathed. So, yeah. Scott has declined to offer an opinion. He doesn’t read darkfic or smutty fic, so none of this appeals to him.

Sign ups close on the 3rd, so I’m running out of time, and I was having trouble deciding even before stress started making my brain dribble out my ears.

( The possibilities )

What on earth do people use to stuff into the empty space in boxes they’re packing to ship now? I keep running into the lack of available newspaper. Part of one of the boxes I’m packing can be usefully filled using wadded up plastic shopping bags because the spaces in question are tiny, but I have other boxes with bigger spaces, and I really don’t think I’ve got nearly enough plastic shopping bags to fill those.

We don’t have any styrofoam peanuts around. We don’t tend to keep them unless we know we’ll be packing a box within a couple of weeks. I really hate to buy the silly things, but I’m not sure I have a choice.

Those expecting packages from me, I have boxes. I have the books in boxes. I’m just trying to figure out how to fill up the rest of the space so that the books don’t slide and bounce around. I’m hoping to avoid sending Scott out to buy something, but right now, I don’t have any other ideas.

Hm. I’ve been looking at my bookshelves and trying to decide what can go. Some things are easy— I’m never going to reread anything by Laurie King, too anxiety provoking. Scott isn’t interested, and Cordelia has decided that all mysteries are evil. But Dave Barry? Doonesbury? Various encyclopedias and histories on interesting topics that I’ve had for twenty years and never opened? I don’t think any of us are going to read Dickens or Alcott, but aren’t those the sort of thing that one should keep just because one should own them? Are there really books like that?

Will I ever reread any Marian Babson? Margery Allingham? Margot Arnold? Christopher Stasheff? Samurai Cat? Should I keep my Baum Oz books given that Cordelia hated the first book and now considers herself too old for such things? What about Pippi and Mrs Piggle-Wiggle?

I’ve kept a lot of books because simply looking at them carried me into their stories again, but now, I’ve forgotten the stories of so very many of those books that it doesn’t work so well any more. Also, most of my books are in places that I can’t get at very easily.

It’s not as if I have anyone to loan these books to at this point. Cordelia has people she lends books to, but I don’t.

At any rate, I’m looking at books and asking myself questions. Do I remember this book? Will I reread it? Could I write fic for it and enjoy doing? Could I draw on it for story ideas for a game or a novel? Do I take pleasure in simply owning the book, in revisiting the story and characters by looking at the outside of the book? Is there useful research material here that I can’t find more easily online? Did a friend/relative give me this book or are there memories tied up in this book for other reasons? Is it beautiful in some way?

It may be as interesting to me to note what I keep as what I don’t.

I spent a lot of time yesterday making these lists and making notes about what I remember about these books. I'm posting these mainly so that I don't lose track of them, but I'd welcome comments-- positive or negative-- from anybody who's read any of these.

These are listed alphabetically by author, but the title is first because that's how I typed them in to begin with.

The stuff in the ‘Everything else’ category is the most likely to go out the door without much further consideration because I mostly have no idea why I picked it up to begin with. I’m particularly interested in comments on these, but I don’t have much to say about any of them.

( Everything else )

I spent a lot of time yesterday making these lists and making notes about what I remember about these books. I'm posting these mainly so that I don't lose track of them, but I'd welcome comments-- positive or negative-- from anybody who's read any of these.

These are listed alphabetically by author, but the title is first because that's how I typed them in to begin with.

( Things by known authors )

The next few are on other lists and just cross indexed here. I have a phobia of deep water which includes things set on boats.

Involve deep water so I’ll never read them:
The Mermaid’s Madness by Jim Hines: See series list.

Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix: See series list.

A Door Into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski: See borrowed books list.

Endless Blue by Wen Spencer: See known authors list.

I spent a lot of time yesterday making these lists and making notes about what I remember about these books. I'm posting these mainly so that I don't lose track of them, but I'd welcome comments-- positive or negative-- from anybody who's read any of these.

These are listed alphabetically by author, but the title is first because that's how I typed them in to begin with.

I've sometimes got multiple unread volumes in a particular series. The lack of ability to read anxiety inducing books didn't seem real when it first started. I was sure, absolutely sure, that it would go away soon.

( In a series I've already read part of )

Three books behind this cut. One of them, I can return, but I’m not sure I can return the other two.

( Borrowed books )

I want to read these next three even though they’re not my usual type of thing because the point of the Yuletide swap is to try something I wouldn’t otherwise.

( Yuletide book swap books )

I spent a lot of time yesterday making these lists and making notes about what I remember about these books. I'm posting these mainly so that I don't lose track of them, but I'd welcome comments-- positive or negative-- from anybody who's read any of these.

These are listed alphabetically by author, but the title is first because that's how I typed them in to begin with.

I don't need much feedback on the first category, but it's also not very long, only eight books.

( Maybe already read )

There are some on the next list that I'm on the fence about keeping, but most of them are things I would like to finish. I just don't know if I will.

( Partially read )

I do intend to read all of the following. Probably.

( graphic novels and manga )

Looking for some advice from friends who are Jewish—

Cordelia has been invited to a classmate’s Bat Mitzvah and wants to go. That won’t happen until February, but we’re trying to figure out things like what she should wear. Right now, the only dressy clothes she has are her orchestra clothes which are all black. She has a white shirt that might work instead of the black shirt, but I worry that she shouldn’t wear black to a joyous occasion.

I expect that Scott and/or I will accompany her just because she’s twelve and can’t really get there on her own. The question of what we should wear is more difficult because Scott doesn’t own anything dressy at all and my one dressy dress is very definitely summer weight and not great for February.

We’re also not sure how we should behave in the temple so as to be respectful. The Temple Beth Emeth website says that they’re a member of the Union for Reform Judaism and of Women of Reform Judaism, if that makes a difference.

I have the impression that monetary gifts or gift cards for bookstores are traditional, but as I’m not sure where I got that impression, I’m quite prepared to be told that I’m wrong. I’m assuming that, as we’re not family and not close with the family (though the girls are fairly close), we wouldn’t be expected to give a large gift. Would something in the $10-$20 range be appropriate? I know that the girl likes to read, so I’d be inclined toward a gift card, if appropriate, just because that’s more fun for her.

If it comes down to it, I will either talk to the girl’s parents to ask for advice or see if I can talk to someone at the temple. I’m sure we’re not the first non-Jews invited to a Bat Mitzvah there.

I know, I really do, that I made the right call not to try to do Yuletide this year. I’d have ended up defaulting, just as I expected. it just makes me sad that I didn’t write something this year. I mean, I’d have loved getting a story, too, loved it quite a bit, actually since that’s a generally really great thing, but the writing is the most important thing for me. I enjoy that handful of comments that tell me that I got the voice right (assuming I did) and the characters right (again, assuming I did).

I’ve been poking at the list of prompts, sorting out the ones I maybe could write. Later, I’ll pare it down to ones I actively want to write. I’m a little afraid that that last will leave me with pretty much nothing because writing still seems daunting at the moment. Really, really daunting. I have no idea how to start writing again.

Anyone have advice for techniques for getting those first few sentences/paragraphs written after a long period of stress and ill health? I’m hopeful that, if I can get started, even if it’s not with something that’s going to go somewhere, I’ll be more able to write other things. It might not work, but it might.