Hazel

And welcome to zopyrus, and into_the_greenwood with whom I share a love of the written word. My delving into the word-hoarde is rather like a spin dryer in that it runs on short cycles interspersed with quilting, knitting and other crafty type things. The last couple of days I've opened Word files and 'had a blank' as I call it. I like what's there but can't see how to progress it and so I feel this writing cycle is becoming the start of a quilting one. This is one reason I doubt I'll ever fulfil the dream to have a book published; it'd take me forever to write first draft, edit and so forth. Mm, clearly more EFT required. : )

That I'm moving into a quilty cycle is good as I have a new commission, which is a grand way to say I agreed to make a wallhanging for a fellow marauderphile. I have some ideas in my head already while awaiting details of the brief. *mischievous grin*

It's raining again. More showers than sunshine the last few days. It affects my mood but somehow it's easier to write. That said, I thought I'd post a chunk from the one-shot that's currently got me by the throat. ;) A follow-on around a recent Nape drabble. I went for a different style in this, so it doesn't read like my usual first person. It's also raw text, so, yeah.

( you like it, cher? I get you one for christmas )

That's what time it was when I shut down the laptop last night this morning and sent myself to bed. Not that I was tired--oh no, wide awake and writing/ half watching Johnny Mnemonic, but I knew I had to be up in six hours.

I've got 700 words that relate to Nape's drabble posted y/day, seen from the POV of the tattooists. Did you wonder who they were, and why they went out to the werewolves instead of calling them in? she asks with a mischievous grin. If all goes as I intend, I'll have another slice of Napier's life down by end of play, starting with the drabble (which needs a few extra words to clarify Stuff) and moving on to the pair who brand him, and back to Nape for the finale to round it out.

And on drabbles, I got brave and posted the two I'd written to the 'symbol' prompt to fiction_drabbles and had positve comments thereto. (More +ve than I expected, to be honest. I can tell when people are being kind about stuff I write. The original drabble I posted first was crap and a lot of people are sniffy about fanfic) I hope the other writer who also 'wrote a fanfic piece first and chickened out of posting it' will see I posted fanfic and post hers (I *think* female gender applies) as well.

Now I shall raid the phone directory for names. À bi! :)

After yesterday's grumble on the muse in absentia, I sat before Word last evening and tapped out 1214 words, of which 400 was brief outline as it was already Half Past Stupid and I had to get to bed. It's thin and not up to what I consider my usual standard, (clearly more EFT is required on my self-criticism issues) and is also the start of something else for a character who isn't Nape or Marcus (ARGH!) when I'd prefer to finish the open scenes I have for Nape and Marcus before turning my attention to this other character! *pants* Cack, that was a long sentence, wasn't it. But still, I have played in the worde-hoarde. Which is something after wandering in the metaphorical desert.

I used to read a lot of fanfic. I barely read any now. I say this up front so that when I tell you that this morning I read some that rocked me back on my heels with its rightness (Of course--how could it have happened any other way!) and the superb extrapolation of timeline // characterisation from the meagre details in canon, and just its overall awesomeness, that I'm, well, stuck for what to say in review, you will have context for my assertion. For this must be reviewed; it resonated so deeply with me that the author deserves to know. T'was inspired. IMO it's the best thing they've written. Perhaps I need proper coffee (Only drink decaff anything) to defibrillate the astroglia and their associated neurons so the networks do exactly that; network and produce a warm review that conveys how impressed I was, rather than gushing like a fangirl, which I'd find particularly embarrassing and would doubtless make us both squirm.

Ah ça, onward and upward. Picspam of the completed blocks in the current handpiecing project tomorrow as the light is improving now from its earlier Stygian gloom of thick drizzle from a Payne's Grey sky. À tantôt!

With apologies to Pendulum. I said I would timeline out my SOC's life from birth to the present day. You know, relevant incidents, stuff that affects him. So why did I then go and timeline another character and not him? Muse, I'm looking at you now.

I know why, actually. It was because her birthday is coming up and I had the sudden idea to write about an incident that happened on one of her birthdays. The one that leapt to mind was her decision to 'take back her power' and divorce her serial adulterer husband. I envisaged it on her 40th but since this character appears in the periphery of 'Building Freedom', I also needed the timelines to hang together. Hence...

Instead of editing the piece I wrote y/day, I went with another idea that popped into my head for my SOC, Mike. That, too, was promisingly naughty and when I broke off this afternoon for some cake making and housework (Housework? Wash your mouth out with chocolate!) it weighed in at 2188 words.

Good, eh? I'm chuffed. Specially since a huge chunk is only outlined with bare dialogue and has to be cast into a scene. Now I need to leave it aside for a bit and see how it works when I go back to it. : )

I got my POC's (principle own character) 'strip' drabble edited into some kind of order and posted. So, yayness! Together with Blue Moon, and Questions, written with canon characters, the word count total for that prompt comes to 1499. Wonder what the new prompt will be?

I'm sure there was something else... Ah ça!

Drabbled 179 words with Mike using 'strip' on my second idea. Not sure how powerful it is so I posted to see what response it provokes from my trusted reader. She liked the one I did y/day using canon characters. The one for Marcus isn't really working, even though I stayed up until Half Past Stupid under the impression that *this* time I'd nail what I wanted to say.

Earlier today I had responses from my trusted readers on a defining chapter in Mike's life, and they both commented on the same points, as they did on a read through of raw material. I've learned that when this happens, the wise writer listens and goes to work--that's why you asked for their opinion, n'est-che pon? In thinking through the points they raised, I'm finding new insight into other important but secondary characters, as well as Mike.

It's all good, and my trusted readers help me make it better. Bless.