agilebrit: (Tony Stark--Anteaters)
[personal profile] agilebrit
I have accomplished absolutely nothing of note. No outline, not even a line. I copied and pasted the seven part plot-point outline into a blank doc. That's it.

This is probably a function of the fact that my brain is mush do DUE (!!--see what I mean???) to the cold I've managed to come down with. I feel somewhat more with-it now than I have most of the afternoon, but I'm still logy and tired and bleh.

But I've started "Cold Days" and tagged an RP post. I am in the midst of making dinner for my Hung'r'd Brood. And there's a cat on me. I suppose the day's not a total loss. Plus Castle and Hawaii Five-0 are on tonight and Castle looks awesome.

Someone upload me some motivation?

Date: 2012-12-04 01:58 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] arhyalon.livejournal.com
It was a rather sad day for me also...though maybe I am sad too soon. ;-)

I'm reading Cold Days, too...which I am enjoying.

Date: 2012-12-04 02:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] agilebrit.livejournal.com
I'm sitting here staring at my blank outline and going "You suck, Julie. Write something. Write anything." I even have a very very basic sort of hook for it, to wit: my spaceship crew (whom I have used before and love dearly and sort of cribbed from Firefly but they're mine all mine now) gets an upgrade to their computer system, which goes horribly wrong somehow, and which I also want to tie into their cargo.

I just need to figure out how it goes wrong, what the cargo is, and how they're connected. It sounds simple, and normally I'd just pants my way through it. Well, I pantsed my way through my last story about them and the story ended up being fundamentally broken. I'm going to try to fix it between now and January, but I make no promises to myself.

I just started Chapter 9. I love the Harry Dresden universe so much.

Date: 2012-12-04 02:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] arhyalon.livejournal.com
I don't think I knew your name was Julie!

I'm on chapter 28, I think. I don't normally get much chance to read, but this weekend I went camping with the Cherubim and his Boy Scout Troop (Orville was sick and stayed home.) And there wasn't a whole lot for me to do. Really enjoyed reading! Will probably fit more in tonight.

But not so much that I can't write tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to this description I have to write about a mural that shows a confrontation between the storm goblin known as the Heer of Dunderberg and Captain Vanderdecker (extra points if you know who that is. ;-)

I am now curious as to what is going to happen to your poor starship crew.

Date: 2012-12-04 02:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] agilebrit.livejournal.com
Alas, I get no extra points! But after a conversation with a friend, I have more of a hook, anyway. They have to upgrade the computer system because of a new government regulation, and the thing proceeds to spy on them for the Feds. And now they have to hide what the actual cargo is from the computer because they took this job under the table. As they do. Wackiness shall ensue!

*evil laughter*

Date: 2012-12-04 02:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] arhyalon.livejournal.com
Okay, that does sound like a really amusing story! And so like the modern day.

Vanderdecken (sorry I wrote Vanderdecker before) is the name of the real captain of the The Flying Dutchman. ;-) He is thought to have finally broken his curse by finding love in the Hudson Highlands...since my current series is set there, I threw him into the background.

Date: 2012-12-04 02:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] agilebrit.livejournal.com
Oh, him! I should have known that, but it's been ages since I read Brian Jacques' "Castaways of the Flying Dutchman" so I totally forgot. That's awesome.

And Hubby has given me the cargo: A colony of sentient meerkats who want to relocate to another planet (because Reasons), but the Feds don't want them to because Invasive Species! Or some other stupid reason.

So there we have it. And if you have the inclination to read any adventures of my intrepid crew, the first story in a sort of ongoing episodic series is here. It's 5200 words.

Date: 2012-12-04 04:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] arhyalon.livejournal.com
Cool. I'm off to bed but will try to take a look tomorrow!

Date: 2012-12-04 09:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] johncwright.livejournal.com
Welcome to my world. At times, I write like one possessed, each word singing like a golden note from the trumpets of the gods of old uprearing in triumph after their battle with the dim and hoary giants. At other times, I find whole writing days have passed with me doing nothing but rereading the previous words, making small changes here and there: niggling, puttering, and pothering and nothing gets done.

For motivation, I suggest three things: First is the Gene Wolfe method: turn off the television, unplug the computer modem, eschew all distractions. Do some hard physical exercise that does not require concentration. If you are plump like me, take a walk instead. Do not do dishes or other chores that need doing.

Second is the L Jagi Lamplighter method. She is a fine writer and you should read her intricately plotted books some day. Find some particular book that is your favorite, the author whom you most admire. I suggest Tolkien or Tolstoy. Have the book in a special spot on the shelf so that you have no excuse to go browsing and selecting a book, which will eat up your procrastination time. Pluck up the book and open it at random. Find a scene or a paragraph you admire, and ask yourself what your favorite author is doing right. Then sit down at the typewriter and do it.

Third is the John C Wright method. Find a particular book that is your enemy, a book you hate with red-eyed passion. Pick up the book and read a passage at random. Tell yourself how much better you could do that particular trick, pull off that particular trope, or have something happen much more realistic or much more dramatic or both than this vile doggerel of a book.

Another method is to stab the main character and see what happens.
Edited Date: 2012-12-04 09:57 pm (UTC)

Date: 2012-12-04 10:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] agilebrit.livejournal.com
I shot my protag twice in my last Thing. It helped tremendously!

Right now I'm in the Outlining Phase of my Massive January Short Story NaNo Project. Considering the fact that I've never actually outlined anything in my life before the last Thing, this is a radical departure in Process for me. But if I don't have a plan for this project, I'm doomed to fail, so outlining is a go.

I'm actually ahead of schedule on it, so that's something, I guess, and I did eventually accomplish part of an outline on the third of seven stories I'm planning last night. So the day wasn't a total loss after all.

Now I need to fill in the middle bits of it. Augh.

Date: 2012-12-13 02:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] johncwright.livejournal.com
Best of luck to you. May the divine muses smile.

Date: 2012-12-13 06:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] agilebrit.livejournal.com
Thanks! Four outlines down now, and I'm wrestling with the fifth, although it's starting to come together in a pleasing way. I at least have a notion of what it's about. Now I just have to wrap Plot around that, if that makes sense.

October 2020

S M T W T F S
    123
45678910
1112131415 16 17
18192021222324
25262728293031

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 14th, 2025 05:20 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios