nott theodore Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 (Also known as Siân makes terrible life decisions while trying to get back into writing.) So, it's been a while since I actually did any proper writing, and I'm not anticipating great success from this JulNo - but I don't have anything to lose by trying, right? Zero planning has gone into this month (about time I embrace my inner Gryffindor, I guess) so I'm just going to work on a combination of stories that have been hiding in my notebooks or on my laptop over the last few years and hope that I make some progress on them. Those projects... Light Up the Skies Molly II/OC. Featuring a slightly socially inept Molly Weasley, an infuriating boss, a potentially dangerous work mission and a somewhat attractive dragon handler. (This is the rewrite of an old short story that's going to be expanded into a novella (novel?) to hopefully (a) fit in with my Jigsaw universe and (b) produce a much better story. I have two/three chapters of this written already, a few more partly written, and a reasonable outline for the rest of the story too. Fingers crossed that means it'll go somewhere eventually?) Babel Towers Hugo/Scorpius. Featuring a languages academy, attempts to adult, hilarious housemates, pining, blackmail and maybe some romance. (This was my JulNo project three years ago, and I've reworked parts of it since - again, I have a few chapters written, most of the characters in place and the novel mostly plotted out. One day it'll hopefully see the light of day, but that might still be a while off.) The Art of Confidence Lysander/OC. Featuring fake-dating, an attempted murder investigation, plenty of alcohol, slightly questionable ethics and maybe some feelings. (I posted the first two chapters of this novel last year and the story's been stalled ever since. It definitely needs more planning and plotting, two things which I definitely don't excel at, but maybe I can get some of that done this month? Or just write scenes that are in my head so that I have more to work with? Who knows at this point. I'd like to get this story rebooted again at some point, though.) I'll also be counting any words that come from other stories that I work on through July - I'm not ruling out the possibility that I'll be distracted by drabbles or other stories, since I've proven how great my focus on writing tends to be Goal: 5k? 10k? Honestly I don't mind, I'll take any words that I didn't have before at this point Any questions or thoughts are welcome - thanks for stopping by!
val Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 Yes, yes, yes, YES, YES, YESSSSSSSSSS - I'm very excited for all your projects and will be (nicely) poking at you. Is there any one of these you're most feeling, instinctively? Hugo/Scorpius, tell me about that? It's not the most common choice, so I'm interested to know how the pairing came to mind, and what you like about them (if that's not too big of a spoiler)! Also, languages -- are you planning on having them work on languages known to us, or languages specific to the HP universe? If the latter, how are you going about it? You say you have scenes in your head for TAOC, is there anything you can share? I'm so excited you're back to writing!!!
grumpy cat Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 29 minutes ago, nott theodore said: I'd like to get this story rebooted again at some point, though yes pls because 1) your writing is superb and 2) i really loved the start of this story *_* 31 minutes ago, nott theodore said: a somewhat attractive dragon handler i am here for this. and also for molly and dangerous work mission, it sounds fantastic
magnifique Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 woooo good luck Sian!!! tell me more about this hugo/scorpius fic, you're the only other person I've found so far who is writing them even adjacent to each other which is a SHAME because I think they're both so interesting. I'm not shipping them in my fic because Scorpius is Ace and it's meant to be focused on friendship and platonic bonds as a fic but I'm so here for anything shipping them as well tbh so I want to know what they're like and what your idea is and anything else you want to talk about!! I'm also here for Molly II and this spicy dragon handler and as a longtime lover of Jigsaw, how do you see it fitting into that verse specifically??
Aphoride Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 Siaaaaaaaaann I'm so so glad to see you back around and back writing again! You're way too good not to be writing and I miss reading all your beautiful, clever stories While the others sound so good, you know how much I love Babel Towers, and I'm so so excited you're back working on it Some questions: 1. as you're working on three different novel(la)s, is there any one in particular you're most excited about writing? 2. will much of your original plans for Light Up the Skies change now that you're adapting it to fit into the Jigsaw universe? 3. what's your go-to NaNo snack? 4. which, if any, do you think you'll struggle with most and why? 5. will i be back? (yes!)
just.a.willow.tree Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 Your writing is and I am SO HAPPY you're doing JulNo! 1. Laura asked a similar question, but how much of Jigsaw are you planning on fitting into Light Up the Skies? Will Roxanne play a significant role in Light Up the Skies, or will the whole plot of Jigsaw mostly be background info/history? I love Jigsaw so much, and I'm so excited to revisit this world! 2. I neeed to read TAOC, but I want to ask: Who is this OC? What is your Lysander like? How do their personalities mesh (or not mesh )? Are they at all qualified to be investigating murders? Good good luck! I'm so excited to see what you come up with this month!
nott theodore Posted July 2, 2020 Author Posted July 2, 2020 Ah, these responses are just so nice and unexpected thank you for all the encouragement and questions! On 6/30/2020 at 9:11 PM, val said: Yes, yes, yes, YES, YES, YESSSSSSSSSS - I'm very excited for all your projects and will be (nicely) poking at you. Ahhh, thank you!! Is there any one of these you're most feeling, instinctively? At the moment probably Babel Towers, because I've been reading through my notes and old chapters, but it tends to cycle round a bit. Hugo/Scorpius, tell me about that? It's not the most common choice, so I'm interested to know how the pairing came to mind, and what you like about them (if that's not too big of a spoiler)! Also, languages -- are you planning on having them work on languages known to us, or languages specific to the HP universe? If the latter, how are you going about it? I've had head canon for Scorpius for quite a while now (maybe like five years?) which involves him travelling and learning languages, and while I was writing Jigsaw, the bits that I wrote of Hugo helped his story become more solid - so I knew they'd already have that in common. I like the way that they balance each other out (or will do, hopefully), and the idea of kind of subverting the Scorose pairing (partly because Scorpius and Hugo are both gay, but also with less drama). As for the languages, Babel Towers is a centre for modern languages (because it's absolutely ridiculous that they don't seem to be taught anywhere in the magical world?) but there will be chances to learn more HP-specific languages, too! You say you have scenes in your head for TAOC, is there anything you can share? Spoilerrrss hmm, I can say that I'm looking forward to writing Lysander and Emmy revealing their "relationship" to the others that they work with, and there are a few concrete scenes that I have in mind for them together, but I can't really say much more than that yet. On 6/30/2020 at 9:35 PM, grumpy cat said: yes pls because 1) your writing is superb and 2) i really loved the start of this story *_* i am here for this. and also for molly and dangerous work mission, it sounds fantastic Thank you so much! If I can make progress on both of them I'd be very happy. On 6/30/2020 at 10:18 PM, magnifique said: woooo good luck Sian!!! Thank you!! tell me more about this hugo/scorpius fic, you're the only other person I've found so far who is writing them even adjacent to each other which is a SHAME because I think they're both so interesting. I'm not shipping them in my fic because Scorpius is Ace and it's meant to be focused on friendship and platonic bonds as a fic but I'm so here for anything shipping them as well tbh so I want to know what they're like and what your idea is and anything else you want to talk about!! Ahhh I'm glad you're excited! I don't know, I just love the idea of Hugo and Scorpius together, especially as I see them in this story? I feel like they've got a lot in common, not least of which the fact that they're both helpfully at a languages academy together in a time when it's not a particularly usual choice. It's not going to be a particularly easy road for them (when is it ever with me, mwahaha) but I'm looking forward to writing more of them! (I also need to check out your story, it sounds awesome!) I'm also here for Molly II and this spicy dragon handler and as a longtime lover of Jigsaw, how do you see it fitting into that verse specifically?? I should probably have mentioned that Babel Towers also fits into the Jigsaw universe, shouldn't I? All of my next-gen longer stories are basically part of the same verse. Light Up the Skies starts in the May after Jigsaw finishes (which is April). Roxy might appear briefly in it, and there'll be references back to what happens in Jigsaw and some of the relatives will appear again, but Molly's a different character to Roxy, so her interactions with her family are going to be more limited. On 7/1/2020 at 3:13 AM, victoria_anne said: SIANNNNNNNN YAY! I was smiling like crazy reading this because all of these ideas sound amazing and you're such a fantastic writer so I can't wait to read them ahh! I'm particularly excited about the dragon one (for obvious reasons) but it also sounds like it would just be so much fun! Babel Towers has always been high on my to-read list (and I know I'm not the only one) so I hope you can get a few words down for that, too, and eventually start posting! As for The Art of Confidence, I totally know the feeling of hitting that wall so good luck in trying to plan a little bit more. I'd love to see a Lysander/OC from you! Anyway, I'm so glad you decided to give JulNo a go, and even if you only write 100 words, that still more than you had before! I'll be cheering you on! Thank you so much for all this encouragement I can't wait to hear more about your projects, too! 6 hours ago, Aphoride said: Siaaaaaaaaann I'm so so glad to see you back around and back writing again! You're way too good not to be writing and I miss reading all your beautiful, clever stories While the others sound so good, you know how much I love Babel Towers, and I'm so so excited you're back working on it Laura!! Thank you for stopping by! 1. as you're working on three different novel(la)s, is there any one in particular you're most excited about writing? (Saying it like that makes me nervous, oh dear...) At the moment, I think Babel Towers is probably the one I'm feeling most, but it does change quite a bit. But because of how things fit into the Jigsaw verse timeline, I could really do with posting Light Up the Skies first, so I kind of want to write that too and be able to actually post something for once 2. will much of your original plans for Light Up the Skies change now that you're adapting it to fit into the Jigsaw universe? Hmm, there's not actually too much that's changing based on it fitting into the Jigsaw verse - Molly's characterisation is going to be slightly different and more fleshed out. It was originally a short story that was six chapters long, and it's going to be a novel/la now, so I think the main thing that's going to change is the fact that I think the plot is going to (hopefully) be more interesting and realistic. 3. what's your go-to NaNo snack? Chocolate, every time 4. which, if any, do you think you'll struggle with most and why? Probably TAoC, just because I have far less actually plotted out for that and don't know the characters as well. Light Up the Skies and Babel Towers are both set in the same world as Jigsaw, so even if they aren't focusing on the same characters, I feel more comfortable writing them and in that universe since it feels more familiar. 5. will i be back? (yes!) 45 minutes ago, just.a.willow.tree said: Your writing is and I am SO HAPPY you're doing JulNo! Good good luck! I'm so excited to see what you come up with this month! Eva!! Ah, this was so sweet 1. Laura asked a similar question, but how much of Jigsaw are you planning on fitting into Light Up the Skies? Will Roxanne play a significant role in Light Up the Skies, or will the whole plot of Jigsaw mostly be background info/history? I love Jigsaw so much, and I'm so excited to revisit this world! I'm so glad you're excited about more of the Jigsaw verse! It's mainly going to be background history to LUtS, and Molly's not really close to Roxy so she probably won't appear that much, unfortunately. She'll play a bigger role in Babel Towers, though, which is also set in the Jigsaw verse! Mainly I'm excited to write more of those characters and hopefully get down on the page the universe that's been in my head for far too long 2. I neeed to read TAOC, but I want to ask: Who is this OC? What is your Lysander like? How do their personalities mesh (or not mesh )? Are they at all qualified to be investigating murders? Aww the first two chapters are technically posted but I have hidden them for now, oops. My OC is called Emmy, and her and Lysander have been best friends for years, since they met in school. So you could say they get on pretty well, but the fake-dating is definitely going to add another dimension (and some pressure) to their relationship. As for investigating murders - well, they might not be the ones who are actually investigating... Thank you so much for all your comments! This has given me so much to think about and more motivation to write!
shadowycorner Posted July 3, 2020 Posted July 3, 2020 Hi dear! I am really, really enjoying working together on this House Cup! So, I've actually never read anything by you, but boy do i plan to!! I like that you have fics about queer relationships. I admit I don't have a lot of experience with writing them. I've read a few and it's been nice broadening my horizons. Also my brother has come out as gay not so long ago, and seeing him represented is very very nice every time. Also the Molly II sounds a lot of fun! 1. If you were to recommend me a fic of yours to read as the first one, which one would it be and why? 2. Why do you like NextGen? is it your favorite eras? Do you/have you/will you write in other eras as well? 3. what do you think is the reason of your long writer's block and how can i help?? 4. favorite fic or thing or scene you've ever written? Thanks ! :)
nott theodore Posted July 3, 2020 Author Posted July 3, 2020 2 hours ago, shadowycorner said: Hi dear! I am really, really enjoying working together on this House Cup! So, I've actually never read anything by you, but boy do i plan to!! I like that you have fics about queer relationships. I admit I don't have a lot of experience with writing them. I've read a few and it's been nice broadening my horizons. Also my brother has come out as gay not so long ago, and seeing him represented is very very nice every time. Also the Molly II sounds a lot of fun! Eli! I'm having so much fun working with you for this HC, and thank you for stopping by my nest! And you definitely don't need to read anything by me - I haven't written properly for a long time (nor am I writing now... JulNo, what's that?) so there's really not much need 1. If you were to recommend me a fic of yours to read as the first one, which one would it be and why? Hmm, this is a hard question! It depends what mood you're in because I have quite a few fics. But if I was going to recommend one to start with for my next generation verse, probably either And Again, which is Dom's coming out story, or The Binchester Affair, which is Vic on a curse-breaking field trip (both of these are one-shots). 2. Why do you like NextGen? is it your favorite eras? Do you/have you/will you write in other eras as well? I think I love the possibility of next gen? It's definitely my favourite era to write in (at least for longer stories) because I'm not as constrained by canon and I just have a big universe imagined for it (I started writing Jigsaw, my only finished novel, in 2013, maybe? So it's been in my head for a long time). I love reading other eras, though, and I think that I've actually written something in every era by now, even if it's just a one-shot. 3. what do you think is the reason of your long writer's block and how can i help?? Aw this is so sweet! I think it's a combination of factors, really - I finished Jigsaw in 2016 and didn't really have anything else lined up to write, which was nice at the time but has led to me mainly writing in bursts (normally for HC events - I don't know if you've realised yet but I'm a tad competitive ) and then just... not writing for a long time. And a few real life things as well. But this sense of community always helps to motivate me to write and get involved, so I'm kind of hopeful at the moment! 4. favorite fic or thing or scene you've ever written? This is such a difficult question! It honestly changes and depends on my mood or what sort of story I want to have written. Jigsaw is really special because it's the first novel I ever completed, and then a few one-shots: This Treasure, a (sad) Ron/Hermione story; The Story of You, an Albus/Gellert story; Paper Faces, a Daphne Greengrass story; and Witch, a story that's set in the HP universe in the 1600s, bringing historical witch trials into canon. That's a total cheat, but I've written quite a lot of fic through the years, so that's as limited as I can be, I think
grumpy cat Posted July 3, 2020 Posted July 3, 2020 45 minutes ago, nott theodore said: And Again, which is Dom's coming out story 10006/10 would recommend, this is such a good story, i loved reading it i'm sorry i'm kinda useless with my comments but basically i'm just here to cheer you on!
queenonyx Posted July 4, 2020 Posted July 4, 2020 What genre of writing would you like to do when not writing fics in the Potterverse? Is there anything you would like to expand on in your writing? Like fashion, technology, media outlets as some examples. What are your favorite ships? You are not limited to just HP!
nott theodore Posted July 4, 2020 Author Posted July 4, 2020 4 hours ago, queenonyx said: What genre of writing would you like to do when not writing fics in the Potterverse? Is there anything you would like to expand on in your writing? Like fashion, technology, media outlets as some examples. What are your favorite ships? You are not limited to just HP! Ah, thank you for stopping by with these questions! 1. This question is actually easier to answer than it would have been a year ago or so. I actually write and edit educational texts for a living, so there's that. I've also written and edited satire, as well as written feature articles and had some poetry published in an anthology. I'd like to properly branch out into original fiction eventually, but otherwise I'm really interested by journalism and by blog writing. 2. This one is harder! I don't feel like I tend to pick things specifically for the ships but I'll try and answer (though they're likely to be niche fandoms haha). Jily and Tedromeda from Harry Potter, Anne and Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables, Pedrazar from Nothing Much to Do/Lovely Little Liars and Elu from Skam France. I haven't written any of them except Tedromeda though
shadowycorner Posted July 4, 2020 Posted July 4, 2020 10 hours ago, nott theodore said: And you definitely don't need to read anything by me I am definitely going to ignore that :D I can totally understand how finishing a big project and real life stuff and just the overall situation can lead to a small writer's block at first, and then it just gets bigger and longer and coming back is suddenly really difficult. But you're doing so amazing and I'm very very happy you felt inspired and creative with all the drabbles, I'm definitely reading them soon because I want to see what the Inspirobot madness did to others and compare it to my aftermath of that insane drabble writing :D Your answer to the favorite scenes is totally valid and fair, I actually meant to phrase it 'scenes' so I'm happy to know there's quite a few. Oh oh oh I am really so excited about you hanging around after the HC and writing more again :)
nott theodore Posted July 17, 2020 Author Posted July 17, 2020 Posting an update, because we are nearly three weeks into July and... well, JulNo is kind of going, but it hasn't exactly been the roaring success that I'd hoped because real life kind of got in the way again (it's so inconvenient when it keeps doing that). Out of the projects I posted about originally, I've been focusing mainly on Babel Towers because that's the one I'm feeling most at the moment (which isn't saying much, honestly). Maybe because I have a notebook with some old chapters of that in and rereading it has given me some motivation for it. I've been working on fine-tuning the plot for it a bit more - there are some themes that are going to be more prominent in the story now than they were previously, and other plotlines that I'm cutting (though I still need to figure out what exactly is going in their place in terms of scenes, oh dear). So far I've written the first half of the first chapter - I'm writing that by hand, so I don't know exactly how many words it is, but I'm guessing about 1.5-2k? Here's a little snippet, for anyone who's interested: Quote 'Let him breathe, Hermione!' his dad commented eventually. She pulled away, slightly sheepish. 'I'm just going to miss him, that's all,' she said. 'Can you believe our kids are so grown up?' 'Rosie still lives at home and is terrified of doing the laundry.' 'You'd say that to her face, would you, dad?' Writing Hermione and Ron is kind of terrifying but since they're Hugo's parents and unfortunately an important part of this story, I haven't got much choice Other than that I've been working on a one-shot called They All Fall Down for the Underrated Character challenge. It's about Pomona Sprout and her way of coping with grief. I'm about 1.5k into that at the moment (hopefully it won't be too much longer than 3k? Who knows) so I'm aiming to get that finished by the end of the month and hopefully work on Babel Towers or one of my other projects again. It would be nice if I could at least hit 5k...
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