dawn_felagund | *It* Has Begun....

Since I was a good girl and did my NaNo despite lots of real-life obstacles, then I have rewarded myself with a December free to write whatever I want. No projects...well, except for the holiday gifts, but that's a special exception. And writing anything includes writing nothing, which (aside from the holiday project) has pretty much been my December.

But today, I was sitting at my desk, the warrants were done, and I had a half-hour before Bobby picked me up for lunch, and I got to thinking about the AMC prequel, about the romance of Nerdanel and Feanor. Back in May, while waiting to meet my mother-in-law for dinner, I had jotted down a rough out-of-order outline in my paper journal but hadn't touched it since. My hope was to start the project in the new year.

But suddenly, I really wanted to work on it. So I dug out the journal, created a scary new folder on my flash drive called "Nerdanel and Feanor Novel," opened a new MS Word document, and started to put the outline in a more sensible order.

So it has officially begun.

It might just be that I will have three novels-in-progress going at once. Am I crazy? The Midhavens/NaNoWriMo novel is still unfinished, but I am probably at the most difficult part. I think that it is fairly obvious that I am not really good at writing plot-heavy stories. If too much happens, my stories start to unravel. It's like playing connect-the-dots: I write what is happening, but the characters and the mood--the strong points of my writing, I think--become almost non-existent. The chapter I am in is where the backstory and present story both have major life-changing events that also relate to each other (that makes no sense, I know, and I'm sorry), and it is very, very heavy on plot. I have known that the chapter sucked since I was writing it, and I think it's best to step back and give it some more thought. I have a feeling that I will be scrapping the whole thing and starting again, having (rather unsuccessfully) written a rehearsal. It is an important chapter, but it is also a chapter that must be handled delicately, given some of the subject matter. It's also a chapter that I want to have a strong impact, not to feel like a slightly flesh-out outline.

I have decided, then, to take a while off from this story. Once this chapter is finished, it should slide rather easily to the end.

At the same time, Bobby and I are in the beginning stages of our collaborative project: writing a novel-length version of The Tree of Hours, the short story that I wrote last Christmas for him. I've never cowritten before, but the first time might as well be with Bobby. (Also, besides me, he is most familiar with my fantsyverse.) We're just in the preparation and prewriting stages right now, but we're both excited about it and hope to be started by the new year.

The Nerdanel/Feanor story is now fully outlined, aligned with the AMC timeline, and I wrote the first two pages. Who knows how long that one will take; for me, stories about Feanor are either really fun or really difficult. Since this is a whole novel, half from his PoV, it will probably be a bit of both. He is a tough character to write.

It's funny because whenever I start a new novel, I actually get nervous. It's like I feel that if I mess up on those first few steps, the rest of the novel will be scrap. Maybe I'm still paranoid after having to hammer the first ten or so chapters of AMC into shape, both stylistically and mechanically. I never want to go through that again, so I make sure that I know what tense and PoV I want to use. (And I changed both on the N/F novel before one page was finished....) Doing ten revisions solely to tweak tenses is not fun at all.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Is this going to be a kissing story. . . ?

A kissing story?

Meaning a romance? Yes, but not in the formulaic sense. It will be a romance because it is about the love/obsession between these two characters primarily. But it will not be happy-dappy-touchy-feely. It will be less of these things than AMC was.

There will be kissing in it. It's a Dawn Felagund story; there's almost always naughty bits.

Is that what you meant?

Eh. I meant it primarily in the Fred-Savage-in-The-Princess-Bride sense. Never have been one for romances.

Good luck!

Thanks! :) *pets Elrond*

Oh girl {{{hugs}}} You're gonna be fine and there are plot and storyline beta's out there to use as a sounding board and can keep good oversight of a story to help out. Not the detailed minor things, but the helicopter view thing. (eugh I am not awake yet, so I am not sure I am making sense) Since I am most often such a beta and you lose sight, just let me know.

It's funny because whenever I start a new novel, I actually get nervous. It's like I feel that if I mess up on those first few steps, the rest of the novel will be scrap.

Well this is why I am hesistant to post a wip and I mostly give in because a beta is so bouncy about it or friends are so looking forward to see it at an archive. I always try my best to get it in best shape possible, but I think I just lose readers who read the first chapter without reading the rest because it's a wip and they don't want to wait for it so long before I update. Oh it's a Rhapsody WIP, who knows when that *ever* gets finished. It would explain the big hits on the first chapter and then nothing... (because the second chapter most often gets posted weeks later) I do have a strong outline and yes a plot is in there, woven into layers and such. But I just don't have much time to write. *sighs* I want a month of writing too.

Maybe I'm still paranoid after having to hammer the first ten or so chapters of AMC into shape, both stylistically and mechanically. I never want to go through that again, so I make sure that I know what tense and PoV I want to use. (And I changed both on the N/F novel before one page was finished....) Doing ten revisions solely to tweak tenses is not fun at all.

Nopes, I can see that, no fun. I once had a story back (yeah a wip, Starfury, (Isil wrote a companion piece to that, The Quest) with the note of the first five pages looked at by a beta with the note that I had to make changes in the passive voice to active voice. I was bewildered because I had *no* idea what that was and neither was it explained by the beta. That halted me for 6 to 7 months because a) I felt ashamed that I had no idea what I did wrong and what I could do about it b) Isil dragged me out of that writing block told me to write Abrecan, and got me signed up for archives. I still get nervous when people start to give feedback with grammar terms and I have no idea what they are talking about. Being an ESL writer is tough sometimes.

But still, with a WIP you have a right to change it, *you* always have readers who want to read your material for a second time :c)

And writing with Bobby!!!!! Oh that sounds so much fun!!!

Thank you, Rhapsy. :) I am using an outline for this story; I am trying to get in the habit of doing that with all of my longer works. I am at last becoming a responsible novel-writer. *sigh* So I hope that I will not lose sight of it. We'll see. :)

I absolutely cannot share WiPs, especially novels. It's just against my nature; the story must be mine in its entirety until it's finished. Then I trim the bits I don't want others to see. I trimmed an entire subplot from AMC; I will trim a lot from the NaNo novel too, I suspect. I write more honestly if I convince myself that no one will read it but me.

Being an ESL writer is tough sometimes.

I am always so grateful that English is my first language. I really admire those of you that learn it as a second (or third!) language. It's not easy. I'm working with a friend from Croatia on copyediting her stories, and we get into these long and detailed discussions of English grammar. I have been studying English grammar for years now and there are questions that she asks that I do not know the answer to. I have to look it up; even then, I am not entirely sure.

When I beta for people, I try really hard not to toss out jargony terms. That's for native speakers as well as ESL because, trust me, most native-speaking Americans don't know what passive voice is either! At the same time, I don't want to be patronizing, but I figure that the worst that will happen is the author will know exactly what I mean and skip my explanation.

I'd really like to have in the SWG Reference section eventually short articles on troublesome aspects of English grammar and mechanics. It can be really tough.

And writing with Bobby!!!!! Oh that sounds so much fun!!!

I can't wait to start! Right now, we are both writing short stories for the other to read on Christmas morning. That will be us: sitting side by side, glued to the other's work, with Alex on the floor chewing a candy-cane-shaped bone and a littering of wrapping paper at our feet. ;)

More reading to be looking forward to. Great!!!
Good luck and happy writing!

Thank you! :) With me, you will learn, there is always writing on the way. I tend to be prolific. ;) I'm glad that it's something you look forward to!

Now that's really quite a scary title for a new folder... novel... *shudders* I guess there won't ever be one with that ending on my flash drive, or hard drive, or anywhere...

... but then I'm the woman with 3 folders for barely begun screenplays on my PC, so that's not less scarier, I fear. ;)

*snicker*

Being the oddity that I am, a novel tends to scare me less than a short story. I can ramble and waffle and whatever in a novel, and if it gets off course, that can be a good thing. AMC was one huge drift off course. ;) Short stories require much more focus and effort. There was once a time when I swore that I would not write stories shorter than novels. I quickly discovered, though, that short stories are harder but a far more convenient way to spend an afternoon!

I think for me it would be harder to write a whole novel, but then, I've never tried it. ;-P Though I guess that writing a screenplay is actually closer to writing a short story than to writing a novel. Due to the way the medium 'film' works, it usually needs a very compact plot or you'll really lose your audience along the way. ;)

SQEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

*jumps around in complete happiness*

Hear that, Feany?

*grabs Feany and does happy dance*

LMAO!!!

Feans will be pleased to learn that over the course of the novel, he will get to lose his virginity and have lots of divine sex, some of it described in exquisite detail. Nelyo had to come from somewhere. ;)

*ahem*

Feanaro: *huge grin* We shall have to hold long meetings so I can tell you about it in exquisite detail. What say you? *keeps grinning in a wicked, Feanorian way*

Me: *also grins, but not quite so broadly* *pets Feany* I will grudgingly read about you losing your virginity to your wife and I will enjoy the exquisite details.*begins to pout*

Feanaro: You're jealous... *smiles*

Me: *raised eyebrows* Me? Never!

Nelyo had to come from somewhere. ;)

He, he, he!

I think I'm gonna enjoy these ~~long, sordid, clothing-optional~~ meetings!

It Has Begun....

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