I have finished my Yuletide fic. And uploaded it. After I had it opened and the form filled in for ages while I tried to think up a summary (the title on the other hand came quite easily). I usually try to get it finished early, but I don't generally manage quite this early. The difference this year is that work hasn't been so busy for so long and I haven't had Rotaract. Usually I'd be dealing with our stall at the Christmas fair at the start of December, Cheese & Wine in January, various Christmas dinners and all the usual Rotaract stuff. It's actually been a quiet time of year, which makes a nice change.

Next I have six fandom_stockings to write. And I've signed up to write a 2000-5000 word Five Things fic for fivetimesbb. That's 400 words a thing it can't be too hard, can it? (famous last words). The current working summary for it is Five songs Johnny Chess wrote based on the stories his parents told him of their adventures with the Doctor in the TARDIS.

Along the same lines, but not involving actual writing, I am reccing for calufrax the first week in January. I know there were fics I wanted to rec last time but had to narrow it down. If only I'd written them down...

Of course, there's still Yuletide Treats. I haven't decided if I'm going to write any of those yet.

I have been good this weekend and got some writing done - namely my story for lotr_community, which was due in today. There was only two weeks to write it and I spent the first week writing fandom_stocking fics, and then second week working. But now it is done. The stories won't get revealed until tonight (or it might be tomorrow night, now I come to think of it) so I can't post it until then.

But I have posted a Jack & Elizabeth (Stargate Atlantis) fic: The Blue Devil. I wrote the first draft of it in December 2009. Then was too busy to write more for a few months, but managed to finish it off. Then tanaqui was too busy to beta it for a few months, but it was worth the wait. So then I somehow managed to come up with a title a couple of weeks ago. Now I've got round to posting it. Although I can't for the life of me work out why/how I came up with that title. Oh, well.

Now I need to finish some other stuff I've started. I decided, in order to help me finish stuff to join fanbingo. There's no deadline on it, but my challenge to myself is to fill it this year. My card looks like this.

I'm also quite tempted by Big Bangs. There's an LOTR Big Bang starting this year at lotrgficbigbang and I do have a story starring Arathorn and Gilraen that I started a long time ago and pretty much needs starting again. It might be long enough, but I think I need more time to get back into that way of writing. So maybe next year.

There's also the tardis_bigbang. For the first week of picowrimo I wrote about 1000 words a day of a DW story. It needs a lot of re-writing and I'm not halfway through, so I could finish that. Except that the TARDIS Big Bang doesn't give enough time for writing, so I would have to start now probably.

And looking at this Jack & Elizabeth story again reminded me that I have a plot written down starring the two of them that would be a crossover between all three Stargate series and could well be long enough for a Big Bang. The scifibigbang is for Science Fiction and Fantasy, so all three of my ideas could be eligible for that. And based on last year's dates, it could be enough time for me to write something.

Decisions, decisions....

I've been home for a few days to see the cat, who is crazy. And very naughty. I get a few things done, then have to stop to play with the cat. He particularly likes paper. He takes it off to play with - no idea why but it keeps him happy. He also likes having a ping pong ball thrown up the stairs for him to chase. Or often for me to chase because he's just sat there and watched it. There are photos of him, some of them are new.

I have managed to change my blog about a bit to get rid of some of the crap I had down the sidebars, and only have one sidebar, so it doesn't look so cramped and busy any more. And discovered while I was doing it that my tag cloud didn't display. It does now. And I did my Remix reviews for Sel's website, which would have been so much easier if I'd done them at the time and not had to re-read them...

Writing-wise I have looked a bit prolific lately. Partly because I actually got off my arse and wrote stuff this month. I managed to write something for lotr_community: The Ghosts of Men about the Dead Men. I got my fic in for intoabar early: The Magic Ring where Maria Jackson unexpectedly finds herself in Rivendell. And I wrote an episode tag for SJA: Death of the Doctor by starting it before the episode was broadcast: The Importance of Family starring Jo.

For November there's picowrimo which is a mini Nanowrimo where you set your own goals. I haven't had the energy to do it the past few years, but this year I am going to finish my Four, Sarah and Harry end up in present day UNIT fic that I started a long time ago. I thought that after that I'd done every combination of Sarah and Harry fic, until I thought of two more I could write. So it seems not. And then there'll also be Yuletide, of course, but by the time the assignments have gone out and I've done some research it'll be late November by the time I start writing that.

Having effectively taken September off writing, it's been really hard to get back into it. I thought signing up to write the monthly prompt at lotr_community and signing up for A Ficathon Walks into a Bar (intobar) would do it, but then I just couldn't get started. I eventually managed to start my ficathon walks into a bar story by giving myself permission not to do my lotr_community story if I couldn't manage it (on the basis the LOTR one was due first).

So then I had a busy week and didn't get much done. But I managed to sit down this weekend and finish them both off. So now I am all ready for picowrimo and Yuletide. As long as I'm not ill like last year.

Is there anyone willing to beta a 300 word fic, which is basically a series of three drabbles? It's due next weekend and features no named characters and is about the Dead Men (the ones that live on the Paths of the Dead).

Today I am not at work. This is because I'm off to London this afternoon. This evening is the SJA episode Death of the Doctor featuring Jo Grant. And the Eleventh Doctor. And Lis Sladen and Katy Manning are going to be there, which is very exciting. Originally I had been going to work today and I'd have 15 minutes between getting home and catching a train. But then I rearranged my days off, so I have to be ultra organised tomorrow as I'm going back to London tomorrow afternoon, getting back late at night, going to work the next morning and then going to ballet straight after.

I almost don't quite know what to do with my morning, but I have been distracted watching Armstrong and Miller videos on their website (and then discovered they have a whole load more on their youtube page). But I am not going to see them until November.

But I have finished the first draft of my ficathon walks into a bar story, which has Elrond and Maria from SJA meeting. Although not in a bar. After effectively taking September off writing it was so hard to get started - I spent the whole of the weekend procrastinating about it. But I feel much better now I have a first draft, even if it is awful and without any actual emotion. I have a few weeks to get it finished in.

I lay in bed this morning, refusing to get up before 9am after I slept for a whole 15 minutes later than I would have done if I'd been going work. I was trying to decide what to do in London. I remembered my sister told me there are lots of second hand bookshops in Tottenham Court Road, but the trouble with those is they involve spending money, carrying round books and standing with my head on one side looking at bookshelves makes me dizzy. So instead I googled London museums and upon seeing the list it came up with I immediately remembered one I wanted to go to: the Imperial War Museum.

I was working through London museums, but it got put on hold a bit while I've been ill. At least they're free, so it doesn't matter if I don't finish any of them in one go. I originally had no interest at all in this one until I went to the War Museum in Ottawa as I had a day left and had run out of other places to go. And I unexpectedly enjoyed it. I didn't know much about wars between Europeans and the natives and hearing about WWII from the Canadian perspective was so different to what you hear here. The Imperial War Museum is just down from Westminster, which is near where the BFI is and I have two hours between the museum closing and the screening starting. Even I can't get that lost that it'll take me that long to get between the two. And the BFI is next to the place where I saw ISIHAC back in the summer. Tomorrow I have to find the Bloomsbury theatre to see Chris Addison, which will be a whole new adventure as I've never been to that area at all...

I keep thinking I should update, but then I have nothing to say. I feel like my life has nothing going on it at the moment. Or at least nothing interesting. Which I've just realised is a terrible lead in to this post, which is a summary of what I'm up to... Read more...

TGI the weekend. This week has been so busy at work - I've been doing 9 hour days. Which at least means I leave after the rush hour, but doesn't leave very long evenings or energy to do anything in them. This would be why I haven't been around very much.

And my right wrist hurts. It's caused by me sleeping on it, and I sleep on my right when I'm stressed (and I've been dreaming about work this week - and not sleeping much because my brain won't stop working). And the bit of my left hand between my thumb and forefinger hurts. I only just worked out last night that it must be caused by holding the mouse. I might have to try a small mouse out next week and see how that goes.

On the plus side I didn't get as tired and as dizzy as I thought I would. But I did get a sore throat instead. And had to miss my two Rotaract meetings this week, which is really annoying. I do only have a four day week next week, as on Friday I'm going to see ISIHAC. Although this does, of course, mean doing five days work in the space of four. Mind you, this week I did six and a half days work in the space of five...

I did, however, manage to write 25 of my 100 drabbles (well, I started on 1st June). I ought to sort out posting some of them this weekend. I did also find mini eggs in the health food shop, which kept me going in the afternoons (I was looking for smarties, and got some of those too, but mini eggs are nicer).

Because our overtime year ends at the end of June and I'll have at least three and a half days then, I'll get paid for it at the end of July. And I've just won tickets to the final Saturday at Wimbledon (Women's Singles Final, Men's Doubles Final, Women's Doubles Final) and because I know this money is coming to me, I can afford to go. I am also going on the first Thursday - both times are to Centre Court too. Mind you, if I'd got tickets to the final Sunday I wouldn't be caring how much money I had

I do mean to update this more often, but I'm so behind on everything in my life it's just not funny. The last week of Wimbledon was so hot - around 30C, and humid - that it was just too hot to do anything. Well, I watched Wimbledon (and am now sad it's all over - no more tennis till the US Open and that's only on the radio), but my TV puts out a lot of heat. I could only use my laptop or netbook if I sat back from them and used the wireless keyboard, so my hands didn't get too hot. And I even got hot sitting under the light. But I did a lot of reading.

Then it got cooler again and I planned to do lots, but I had a busy couple of days at work and that nearly wrote off last week. The crowning glory was being really sick that I thought was a stomach bug, but might actually be an intolerance reaction to something. I don't know what, but I can't find out until all my symptoms go away, once my system's cleared of whatever it is.

So my dizziness hasn't really improved much over the past couple of weeks therefore... But I saw an ENT yesterday who said it can take 5-6 months and it's only been four and a half so far. But every doctor and ENT I see say something different, so who knows. But it says something that I've become resigned to it now. Well, I am today, when I'm having a bad day I'm not so much. But I am typing this on my netbook while lying down having a break from packing because I got too dizzy to do any more.

In other news, Wallingford Rotaract won Club of the Year within the district, which was great and unexpected. I'm still quite thrilled about it and we found out at the handover on 4th July. I finished my remix fic, although it's annoying the archive goes live this weekend because I'm away till Tuesday on the annual windmill trip, which should be nice and relaxing. Then when I come back I really need to write my who remix fic, since that's due in on the 3rd...

With useful headers and everything. Read more...

This weekend I've watched lots of tennis. Which was good, but I wish they'd just stick to showing us the court in such a way that they don't have to move the camera, and not show us a picture from behind one of the players where you can't see anything and the camera moves too much. I also could do with them not showing us an aerial view of the court and then spiralling round and in. But at least we get six days of French Open viewing (at the weekends) whereas for Wimbledon we only get three.

I saw Sports Island 2 for the Wii and I want it - it looks good. Not that I can play on the Wii at the moment, mind you. Or cross stitch, which is really quite frustrating.

All of a sudden remix is happening, so I'm going to be writing two at the same time.

I need to do a reading my weight in books update - it might be in a while when there's no tennis.

My hayfever's gone from practically nothing to me spending the afternoon blowing my nose, last night with itchy eyes and sudden asthma when it got dark Friday and today. At least it's quite late, so hopefully it'll only be a month and half - which I calculated should only cost me about £30 in drugs.

I have a writing-related question that's bugged me for a while and only now occurred to me to ask.

Third person omniscient I get is where you have a narrator who knows everything and can get in everyone's heads. I've seen examples, I've read descriptions of what it is on the internet, everything is fine.

Except, what's the difference between writing an omniscient point of view and just switching between points of view in a way that's wrong? I can't find an explanation of this (perhaps because people only give examples of what's right, not what's wrong) and I just don't know how to tell whether something's been written in the correct point of view or not.

Is there anyone who can explain it to me?

This is something hhertzof and I were talking about the other day. If the other day can be construed as a week, or perhaps two weeks, ago. It's about how we write.

I have to have in my head (or on paper, or both) the whole story before I start writing. It might change as I write it, but before I put finger to keyboard, I know where I'm starting and where I'm finishing, regardless of the length of the story. If it's short enough then it'll all be in my head, if it's long then I'll have to write it down. When it came to Sarah Jane of the Chalet School my notes were on a spreadsheet, it got that complicated.

When I was reading RTD's book I found he does pretty much the same thing, although he does the actual writing part far more quickly.

I'll spend days, or longer, thinking about scenes. Sometimes I can quite happily spend an hour in bed at the weekend thinking about it all and never pick up a book because I'm too preoccupied. Plus reading involves opening my eyes, putting my glasses on and admitting I'm not going to get back to sleep. The trouble comes when I have to put pen to paper and I have it all in my head, but once I start to write it all goes. Even if it's just a moment before.

For example, that short paragraph up there? I stopped and thought about what I was going to say before I wrote that, but when I came to write it that's all I could remember. It was a longer paragraph in my head.

So how do you write yours? (although it's probably a bit early for the Cadbury's Creme Egg adverts)

I've just been in the newsagent buying the paper and I happened to notice the title of a magazine in there. I looked closer because I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. It was called:

Hobby's

It's enough to make you go around with a big black marker in your pocket and join the Apostrophe Protection Society.

Reading my RSS Feeds this last week there are some that make me think I am not on the same planet as most of the rest of the population, in that there are major dramas that have gone on that I didn't think anything of at all.

Like, people avoiding LJ/the internet until they'd read Harry Potter. Whereas when I took a break from reading it I read my RSS Feeds. I just didn't read the ones that had spoilers in them - I either marked them as read without reading, or left them unread to read until I'd read it.

And then people are running round like chickens with their heads cut off about LJ going down for an evening. I only noticed because I thought I wasn't tired when I got in, so turned my computer on. By the time I got there I was, but it was fine before I went out and was fine in the morning. I've known websites down far longer than that. So why is one such a big deal? Do people not visit any other website? Do they not have real lives?

You know that thing where you read really good fanfic and then just can't write any of your own because it can never be as good? I had that last night but with my own. I went and read an old one of mine (well, not that old) and apart from a few bits I thought I could have changed, I mostly didn't think I could do any writing last night because how could I possibly write anything even vaguely that good again? So I had planned to do some beta'ing but I procrastinated and read something else of mine. Which was older and loads of bits that needed working on. So I went and wrote 2000 words before I got too tired and went to bed to listen to my neighbour's TV.

I was having a bit of a surf last night and came across some stuff on various LJs about RPGing that is buried in my History somewhere. But it got me thinking about it and my experiences of it.

I wasn't expecting it to get that long, though... Read more...

I decided the other week, because I am completely mad, to set myself the challenge of writing 20,000 words this year. Something is defined as written when it is posted up somewhere. So anything I've previously done most of the work on and just needs a bit (lot) of betaing that actually gets finished counts. And hopefully motivates me to finish. Like the one that celebrates its third birthday in April. And is only 1000 words long (although the first draft was 150, so it's grown a bit). As I've already posted one this year I decided it counted, so here's a pretty picture to illustrate my progress (with a different coloured bar to differentiate it from my reading my height in books progress):

3,851 / 20,000 (19.3%)

No idea whether 20,000 words is a good amount to pick, mind you. Although if I average 5000 words a fic (which I seem to be at the moment), that's only four stories. At the rate of one every three months, which sounds a do-able challenge.

Because, as has already been well established I am mad, I have signed up for the Free Your Mind challenge/ficathon thingy and have to write Jack/Elizabeth (that would be the Stargate kind, not the Pirates of the Caribbean). By the 3rd March. Um. Argh? And is there anyone crazy enough to beta it?

I did start a Weir/Caldwell fic the other week. I got three paragraphs in, and although they were very pretty paragraphs, it just wasn't going anywhere and I concluded that it just wasn't going to happen. Which is a handy thing to find out.

I am partway through writing Shep/Weir flirting for Langford U, which is currently at 2000 words and needs more plot - due to having eight characters in a scene and I've only focused on two of them so far. I'm only on the first draft, though, so based on the last two I wrote, the finished one should be more than 4000 words.

On Saturday night, at about 1am (so technically it was Sunday morning) I had a slightly (very?) crack!fic like idea of Sheppard in our universe accidentally swapping places with the Langford version. With twice the UST as people try to figure out what's going on and how to get them back. I'm sort of tempted to write it but I'd also have to figure out what's going on, how they got there and therefore how to get them back. Which I haven't so far. But I've imagined (and then forgotten most of) lots of interesting conversations.

Why is it that my mobile randomly dies - but only when I'm using it? It's my sister's old one so I will have to get onto her about it, see if she had the same problems. If it keeps doing it I'll be buying a new battery and going back to the old one - which is five and a half years old and works perfectly fine, except for needing a new battery once a year. The only thing it doesn't do, is if someone rings me it doesn't tell me what time it was. But then if I answer I don't need to know and if I don't answer and they don't leave a message Orange tell me. And the old phone fits into my rabbit, which is a distinct advantage as far as I'm concerned.

I also managed to write something! Something fictional, rather reports and news items and other stuff for Rotaract. It's three sides of A5 and is of course not what I'm supposed to be writing. I've stopped looking at the Birthday Cards forum on HASA because there are still some from March I haven't got round to yet... I told myself that any writing is good though, so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Which is good because i was almost cringing as I wrote some of it, it was so bad. But then my first drafts generally are - afterwards I go back, fill in the gaps, add some description (because, believe me, there's none at all in those three sides and I can already tell it needs it). My first drafts are more like summaries with conversations and thoughts in.

My blog entries are usually first drafts...

Have thought about what I've achieved today (in comparison to what I wanted to do) and I have:
1. Written a cheque for my phone bill.
Wow. How amazing. By the time I get round to doing this month's statement it'll be next month. Not good. I've had some more ideas for scenes for Enterprise though, how useful.

Forgot to mention on my list yesterday I'd also like to be able to get out of my room at any time without having to move an ironing board. Although I now refuse to move it because I don't want to burn my fingers again.

I have this tendency to just write scenes. Thats it, not the rest of the fic! I tried it with a Farscape scene I had in my head and I really didn't like the expansion. It's weird coming back to half finished stuff later on. I remember writing a Farscape fic where either Crichton or Aeryn was going to die, I just couldn't decide which. I actually have the whole plot for a (very) AU post-Die Me Dichotomy fic, it just needs more in it. Then there's another Enterprise one that started off as one thing and ended up being the aftermath, which was much more interesting. Although that just got started.

The best thing about coming back to fic much later that you've forgotten is that you see it in a different way. Some of it is crap (because its usually first draft stuff at that point), but some of the phrases stick out and I think, "I really like that line."

There was one from Confessions:
He lifted his eyes from the floor to look at Yoda - not a long distance admittedly.
It probably doesn't fit with the rest of the scene, but I like it.

Actually, looking at it, bits of the post-DMD fic are not bad ideas. I've discovered the same Enterprise fic in 3 different files - all of them have different bits, mind you. And there's a Star Wars one I'd completely forgotten about. There's the Stargate one Judith helped me with I ought to do something with and there's the Quantum Leap one I wrote for Virtual Season 8 that was too short.

I really ought to spend some time sorting them out. Some of them probably won't need to much work. Pretty much none of them have titles, for some reason I have trouble thinking up titles. Although on the way home Unusual Circumstances came into my mind, which sounds quite cool. I just need something to go with it!

The first line of my Enterprise one:
"But she's a Vulcan!"
I quite like that one.

Its quite interesting to see how much I've grown up since TPM, when I discovered fan fiction. I can definitely identify Mary Sue characters and there are really cliched things I wouldn't dream of writing now (because no one would say that in the real world). I've also realised, having tried various things, I'm best at writing angsty short things, specially vignettes, really. I still have to go back and put the action between the dialogue back in afterwards because the characters are too busy talking to each other to give me time to write their movements.

I was thinking I didn't have much to write today! Not been to bed before 1am the past two nights and not going much before that at this rate either.