just write some forking fanfic, by Queer In Knitted Things

[Queer in Knitted Things]

Can I remember the last time I wrote fanfic? No. Have I even slightly planned what I'm going to write? No. Am I burned out and meant to be self-caring instead of putting pressure on myself to Achieve Things the whole time? Yes. Do I have six thousand forking things I should be doing rather than attempting nano? Of course. 

Is any of that stopping me? Apparently not. 

Welcome to November's ridiculous project: just write some forking fanfic

(Full disclosure: I have no idea how to create a novel nest.)

My aim for nano is to just write some fanfic, any fanfic. I've signed up for the full 50k on the nano website, but I'm going to also be counting words I write for my blog/side hustle towards that target. The hard part, though, will be writing for "fun" - I'm really struggling to remember what "fun" is right now, and I'm hoping that writing some fanfiction will help me remember. I miss fanfic... or at least I miss the me who used to write it, the me who knows how to find joy in things.

Hi, I have really severe depression. My mental illness (and inability to manage it and my university studies) is why I haven't written any fanfiction in ages, even though it's something I used to love. I'm not sure that jumping head first into nano is exactly advised behaviour for one's year off from uni (my mental health advisor specifically told me 'don't write a book') but I'm going to try it anyway. Even if I just write and post ONE chapter of some truly awful fanfic, I'm going to count this project as a success. 

I've signed up for nano before and never come anywhere near finishing. I'm not expecting to this year, either, but it's a fun (read: ridiculous, for me) goal and I want the bump of motivation to WRITE THE THING. I'm excited about this, but also slightly terrified, especially having looked through everyone else's novel nests. Y'all have some amazing ideas and well thought out plots and I have nothing but a handful of ideas that I've considered writing at various points in the last few years:

• Lily Luna Potter kicking arse and attempting to navigate her early twenties as a hit witch,
• Alicia Spinnet getting her heart broken in some Yule Ball lesbian angst,
• Ted Tonks and Andromeda Black protesting something (it would really help if I knew what) and falling in love,
• Albus and Scorpius , and
• Rose and Scorpius fake dating fic, possibly from the perspective of a journalist from Hogwart's newspaper who lands this huge scoop that this golden couple aren't really dating but would be outing them both if she published the story (have I already started writing this? can I even remember my password to log into the archives?)

This is going to be hilariously bad, isn't it? Umm... wish me luck?!

[shadowycorner]

Hey, first of all I want to send lots of hugs your way for sharing this, and for trying. I think it's okay to give yourself options when it comes to writing and NaNoWriMo. Like yeah, it can make you more stressed (in which case you can always opt out, it's totally okay to bail on it whenever), but it can also be amazing, whether you get the 50K or not, whether you finish a fic or not. If it just gets you writing. I can imagine how sad it is to lose the 'fun' in writing. Once you really lose it, it's hard to find again, but I promise that it is out there somewhere waiting to huggle you again.

Some of our NaNo nests may look fancy, but trust me, and I'm sure I'll have people here back me up, most of us still don't really know what we're doing, we've just developed good picspam skills to mask it or we've had years and years of unpreparedness before (totally me!). We're still here to support you whatever you do and I'm sure plenty will be excited for some of the ideas you have here - Lily Luna training to be a hit witch? Merlin's pants, yes! Scorose fake dating fic??? I'm ready for it! Ted and Andromeda meeting and falling in love at a protest? I WANT IT! And all of it really.

Good luck and I definitely recommend signing up for a NaNo buddy to keep you motivated and vice versa  

I have some Qs ??

1. How did you get into fanfic? What was your favorite thing to read and write when you discovered it/started writing?

2. Listening to music while writing - yes or no?

3. What is it that made you choose those particular characters on the list to write about?

4. If you had to go on a time-traveling adventure with any HP character, who would it be and where would you go?

Eli