Tag: novel

lj-writes:

Ok 40 minutes until my next stop write SOMETHING you piece of shit

I did write something, thanks @awakening5 and @thehungryvortigaunt for the encouragement! Well actually I spent half the time whining on paper (or “freewriting” if I want cover) about how blocked I was and the gap between expectation and reality, but that helped me loosen up enough to get the scene started without worrying about getting everything perfect.

And I ended up actually being moved by my own writing?? (I’m a huge dork tho, I’m easily moved.) I think, besides the usual issues, for this particular scene I was hesitant to write about the heroine’s awkwardness following a very brave/very reckless decision. Reality sets in as the rush fades and she finds herself among strangers eating unseasoned meat from a leaf, and I kind of dreaded writing that. Once I allowed myself to sink into it, though, I found myself touched by her uncertainty and vulnerability and by her love interest’s gruff and fumbling care for her despite their being virtual strangers. They are so young and so foolish, so brave and passionate and alive. They also have NO idea how much worse everything is about to get and my heart goes out to them 😈

I’m on a bit of a writing high after working on my novel for the first time in like two months, between RL eating me alive and a sense of dread about this particular scene. My prior attempt at writing the PoV character for this scene was a miserable failure, and I was afraid she was going to be a diversity token with nothing to do except be lesbian and autistic. Boy, did she surprise me. I started with her being a bit overwhelmed and upset by having her routine interrupted, dropped her into the planned scene, and boom. She was lesbian and autistic, of course, which made her awesome. She was also scared and insecure and angry and brilliant and visibly falling for a warrior woman, all the while dealing with a serious moral dilemma. I love her so much.

7-7-7

attackfish:

floranna2:

snickfic:

taylorj8771:

spacecadetsidney:

The rules are as follows: Go to page 7 of your WIP, go to the seventh line, share seven sentences, and tag 7 more writer-bloggers to continue the challenge. 


“Sidka,” Zhenya said, low, as if he talked quiet enough no one would ever have to know he’d stooped to this. “Sidka. What you want?”

He hummed into Sid’s hand, deep enough that Sid could feel the tickle on his skin at the same time he felt the thrum in his bones. His voice was low, and rough with it. “What I can give? You want babies? Can’t have, can’t adopt, but there other ways. Just say. Anything. You can have. Want babies? Just say,” Zhenya whispered, lips brushing Sid’s hand on each word. “Just say and come home.” Zhenya’s breath ghosted across Sid’s face.

@northisnotup @taylorj8771@sidsass @theladyscribe @koramberlynne @icosahedonist @gilajames 

I feel so honored! I haven’t written anything of quality in months though, but here’s from my only work in progress that’s able to span 7 pages:

“I’m not sure whatever I do next should be in hockey. It might be better to take some months off, don’t you think?”

“It’s probably better if you took a couple of years off, Sid. But it’s *you*. Hockey’s too much a part of you to do that.”

“I’ve thought about going back to school. Maybe taking more online classes.” Sidney fiddles with his mug. “That doesn’t feel right either though.”

@icedbatik @pinetreelady @anon8771 @itstartledme @neveranygoodupthere @hazel3017 @snickfic

As Sid watched, Geno reeled the quarry in at last. Sid had figured the odds of a knot of lake weed were about fifty/fifty, but no, that was definitely a ***–still not quite as big as Sid’s first catch, but a healthy ***-pounder. Not bad at all.

Just as Sid was going to head down, Geno turned to look at him. Or not at him—at the deck, where he probably expected Sid to come from. Sid had come out the door from the daylight basement instead, and he was halfway down the slope now, still mostly shadowed in the trees. Some instinct kept him from waving.

(Not gonna tag people, but consider yourselves tagged if you want!)

Something
yellow came in to her view, but her eyes were having trouble in refocusing. That
something, someone took her helmet off and slapped her.

Pidge blinked,
eyes on the wall next to her where the slap had turned her head. It hadn’t been
a hard slap, and when she turned her head back she could see Hunk’s face. There
was a bit of vomit on his jaw and the look on his face made her feel cold
inside.

“Can
you walk?” the voice was brusque, making her flinch. She couldn’t even start to
build up enough brain function to answer, so Hunk just nodded and lifted her
into a fireman’s carry.

@attackfish @tara-l-blackmore @phoenixyfriend @shadowsong26x @darkpuck @beckyh2112 @deleriumofyou

Mai folded her arms irritably. “I’m just standing here waiting for you to tell me how you plan to work a miracle.”

“So like, before certain ancestors of mine decided they’d rather steal a planet than find their own, kids used to get lessons in school about what to look for in a potential terraforming candidate,” Zuko said with a shrug. “Uncle found a whole bunch of the old educational videos for me when I got banished.”

“So this planet meets the criteria that used to be taught to young children,” Mai said without enthusiasm.

“Well I mean you could put it that way.” Zuko scowled, and Mai resisted the urge to soothe it away.

@laylainalaska @veliseraptor @lj-writes @skymurdock @fanjapanologist @salutslut @avatarsymbolismsblogs (you can share meta if you want!)

“I am sorry, my lady, for thrusting myself upon you.”

“But my lord-“ the warrior at his side began.

“Come, Namusan.” The Little Chief stopped him and bowed to Saru, meeting her eyes fleetingly with his own as watchful as a tiger’s and yet shadowed with something more, before he spun away.

“Wait.”

She faced him fully now, drawn by what she had seen in his eyes, and saw again when he turned to look at her.

“I may stay, my lord, briefly.”

@loopy777 @ghostborscht @dicktouchingfinn @kyberfox @thehungryvortigaunt @spacecadetjaylah @dazedclarity

Past prologue

I’ve never been very big on writing prologues, but I ended up writing one this time around because I just couldn’t make the central conflict work without dealing with the death of the protagonist’s brother in some way. Call it a prologue or an opening scene set in the past before a time skip, it’s what I’m going with for now. But I’ve changed the opening so many times, who knows if I’ll stick with this one.

Part of the reason I was hesitant to write this scene is because it would include a suicide which would be a grim way to start, but it is a grim scene in general. I’ll have to check and see if ritual/grief suicide could have been a thing in my time period, but I think I can get away with one guy killing himself as opposed to hundreds of men committing group suicide for a dead king around 3 centuries later.

I’ve started logging my work, and today’s output was about 600 words an hour after a little less than an hour of writing. It’s a pleasant pace for me–much slower than that and it means I’m stuck, much faster and I could burn out like I did after Camp NaNo 2014. I could reach my daily goal of 500 words a day in around an hour’s time, which seems realistic enough to aim for without exhausting myself.

I also read more of a book I checked out on ancient place name etymologies and finished the chapter on research methods. The systematic 20-step approach to recreating ancient place names pleases me–there’s a lot of junk etymology out there and it’s good to see a scientific approach that isn’t a leap off the deep end of logic or a jingoistic hard-on. I really want to read more books at the school library before my contract runs out this fall.

Spoilers for the Phasma novel

Considering that Hoax and Plasma, the most prominent members of the FO leadership, both betrayed and killed their parents, Kyle Ron doing the same was probably just the price for staying in the treehouse. Like, “Can you believe Ren still has both parents? And he hasn’t killed even one of them? Kriff, what a loser.”

rose-tico:

I only finished the first 10% of the phasma novel but there’s this one thing surprises me and i have to say it right now : this book neither idolizes the first order nor excuses the first order’s actions from their point of view to say ~the good people also did bad things and bad people aren’t always bad~. as a person who hesitated to read this book because of  first order/empire glorification bullshit, i’m pretty shook?

there is a character who works for the first order, who believes what he’s doing is right, but then the book also explains why that character is wrong because the lead character is from the resistance. there is a clear divide between good and evil… so far. it’s good.

I thought the book did an excellent job of deconstructing the First Order and revealing its rotten core, actually. I think the utter ruthlessness and selfishness of Phasma’s character is simply a mirror of the First Order, because… (spoilers below the cut, in case you haven’t finished the book and plan to)

SPOILERS BELOW

the real conflict isn’t that Phasma is an abuser, serial backstabber, and murderer. There are and always have been people like that, and the only question is whether their communities catch them out and stop them or let them into the higher reaches of power. The First Order utterly fails in this regard because Phasma’s selfish and murderous actions are known, condoned, and shielded by the leadership of the First Order.

The true rot, then, the real reason Phasma is dangerous, is in the First Order. The problem is that people like Phasma and also the two Huxes are not checked but encouraged in their immoral behavior, continuing to rise in the ranks over people like Cardinal who honestly believe in the supposed ideals of the FO.

This shows that the ideals of the First Order are a lie, much as Phasma’s constructed identity as a dedicated and flawless soldier is a lie. Much like Brendol Hux lied when he said he wanted equality and justice, and then promptly committed mass murder on the people he speechified about helping.

The First Order is nothing but an exploitative fiefdom of unscrupulous backstabbers who have no principles or morals whatsoever, held up by gaslighting its more sincere followers into believing it to be the ultimate good. And that is why, I fervently hope, it’s going to burn to the ground when its own supersoldiers rise up against it. Now that would be poetic justice.