Writerly Ways a day late
Sep. 7th, 2009 11:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessMostly because i was so tired and feeling rather bad about my writing this week. Not that I didn't do much. No, I churned out 4400 of original fic and an uncharted amount of fanfic but those words were such a struggle.
I think I'm rather down about wondering where that anthology is (I have trouble loading the forum here which might have info for me and I won't load erotica websites at work for obvious reasons). Not to mention listenin to how other people have been screwed recently (but yay to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mjaedin whose enovels are doing good)
I think I've made a decision. This latest vampire novella is going to be my last novella unless I'm dead sure I can turn it into a fullblown novel. It's getting very disillusioning to work hard on something that has a micromarket. There are just a handful of places I could possible sell something that length. We'll see how long that sticks since I DO like seeing the open calls for these places. It helps me think of things to do but seriously that's a lot of work for little payoff. The pay scale isn't good for them either.
In the light of that I really feel in some ways I wasted a lot of this year regardless of how much fic I've churned out. I'm not working on wider audience novels when I'm consumed with this erotica novellas. And I think that part of it is I know i can sell the erotica where I'm not so sure of the others.
It crystalized for me two days ago when I was reading a Hughes/Roy doujinshi that was rather sad. I want to be able to write something that makes people cry or laugh. I want to write something that stays with them. Hell, my ego is big enough that I want a fandom to spring up around and have fanfic writers totally rearrange shipping canon and put people together who never would be and wank over why they're right.
Some days I think I'm asking for too much. THen I start reading something published in my preferred genres and say, HOW did this get out there? I know I'm this good if not better. Then I think they probably tried harder than me. I'm lazy about that sort of thing and this year has been better. I have been putting it out there but not as much as I should.
On the upside, I've been thinking about the professional criticism I got for Machiavelli Moon. It's rested for several months now and I can see it objectively instead of defensively. All three reviewers liked it but the one from Publisher Weekly said it there were too many characters with more and more pouring in. S/He isn't wrong. I'm wondering if I can restructure this a bit. Remove Sulien's insane daughter and save her for book two or something. Give her role over to the evil lady scientist who NEEDS an expanded role anyhow otherwise the motives in this are weak. It probably means another readthrough of the end without editing. Sigh. This is the worst time of year for something like that.
I'll leave you with a quote I snagged frommoschus on facebook. "We write by the light of every book we ever read." -- Richard Peck
and hmmm I totally underestimated my ability to write. I will have to up the word count
96397 / 100000 words. 96% done!
I think I'm rather down about wondering where that anthology is (I have trouble loading the forum here which might have info for me and I won't load erotica websites at work for obvious reasons). Not to mention listenin to how other people have been screwed recently (but yay to
mjaedin whose enovels are doing good)I think I've made a decision. This latest vampire novella is going to be my last novella unless I'm dead sure I can turn it into a fullblown novel. It's getting very disillusioning to work hard on something that has a micromarket. There are just a handful of places I could possible sell something that length. We'll see how long that sticks since I DO like seeing the open calls for these places. It helps me think of things to do but seriously that's a lot of work for little payoff. The pay scale isn't good for them either.
In the light of that I really feel in some ways I wasted a lot of this year regardless of how much fic I've churned out. I'm not working on wider audience novels when I'm consumed with this erotica novellas. And I think that part of it is I know i can sell the erotica where I'm not so sure of the others.
It crystalized for me two days ago when I was reading a Hughes/Roy doujinshi that was rather sad. I want to be able to write something that makes people cry or laugh. I want to write something that stays with them. Hell, my ego is big enough that I want a fandom to spring up around and have fanfic writers totally rearrange shipping canon and put people together who never would be and wank over why they're right.
Some days I think I'm asking for too much. THen I start reading something published in my preferred genres and say, HOW did this get out there? I know I'm this good if not better. Then I think they probably tried harder than me. I'm lazy about that sort of thing and this year has been better. I have been putting it out there but not as much as I should.
On the upside, I've been thinking about the professional criticism I got for Machiavelli Moon. It's rested for several months now and I can see it objectively instead of defensively. All three reviewers liked it but the one from Publisher Weekly said it there were too many characters with more and more pouring in. S/He isn't wrong. I'm wondering if I can restructure this a bit. Remove Sulien's insane daughter and save her for book two or something. Give her role over to the evil lady scientist who NEEDS an expanded role anyhow otherwise the motives in this are weak. It probably means another readthrough of the end without editing. Sigh. This is the worst time of year for something like that.
I'll leave you with a quote I snagged from
moschus on facebook. "We write by the light of every book we ever read." -- Richard Peckand hmmm I totally underestimated my ability to write. I will have to up the word count
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no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 04:42 pm (UTC)I totally feel the same way. For me it was when I started to make a more serious effort with my writing that I found I was so critical of my own work that it's so hard to actually get anything done. And I do think that part of the success of good writing is having readers really see the pairing work, that's why it's taking me forever and a day to get my Scar/Roy pieces done, which is the pairing that got me started writing fanfiction way before the recent developments of the manga *sigh*
no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 07:05 pm (UTC)yeah I think you would have to try hard to get people to see how Roy/Scar would work.it would be challenging
Writing
Date: 2009-09-07 09:12 pm (UTC)Wanted to say also --- some fanfic means as much to me as the canon it comes from, and your fic definitely falls in that category. I'm still relatively new to the FMA fan community (though I've BEEN a fan a long time), but I've read A LOT of fic and yours stands out to me. Before I friended you I didn't know you wrote original stuff, so now I definitely want to see it! You mentioned the name of one of your works above, could you point me toward more?
Sorry if this seems nosy/odd coming from a complete stranger, but I HAD to say something! :)
Re: Writing
Date: 2009-09-08 02:46 am (UTC)music? cool. Love music. Used to play sax (that's the extent of my talent)
My original fiction is on a filter. I'll have to add you...and friend you...
Re: Writing
Date: 2009-09-08 03:08 pm (UTC)Sax = cool. I can't play any wind instrument. I am in a metal band, play keyboards and harp, and sing. It's a lot of fun!
OH YES PLEASE! I would love to read! :) No obligation, though. ;) It's just, if your fic is this good, I would LOVE to read your original stuff, yaknow?
Re: Writing
Date: 2009-09-08 09:12 pm (UTC)I can't play harp. I've always wanted too though.
I figure as long as everyone on the filter k nows that multiple people know this fiction is mine and I will come down like a sledge on anyone taking it, I'm ok with them being on the filter. I love it if people comment but that isn't always the case
Re: Writing
Date: 2009-09-13 04:25 am (UTC)Re: Writing
Date: 2009-09-13 04:27 am (UTC)Re: Writing
Date: 2009-09-13 04:33 am (UTC)Anyway --- I will look through your previous posts - do you have your original stuff tagged differently?
Re: Writing
Date: 2009-09-13 06:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-09 01:10 am (UTC)Well I agree with this. But for me I would just like to write something! Then I would like to get it printed. I'm a hack and I know it but also know from reading numerous bad books by published authors that being good doesn't neccessarily have anything to do with getting published.
I want to write the things that I want to and enjoy writing but I don't know that other people will like it that much. I mean I can't imagine people crying over anything I wrote. Although I got an e-mail once and someone did say they cried over Avigon so that's cool I guess.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-09 01:37 am (UTC)I keep trying. So far I can't seem to convince anyone I'm worth a look outside of the Amazon contest
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