With how it breaks down to: planner, pantser or plantser, it feels a bit like filling in one of those questionnaires and getting your personality type. Like it’s one of those identity things that says something about you when you tell people.
Now I’ve written blog posts about planning before. In fact I think it was a topic towards the end of last year on WriYe. I don’t like to repeat myself so I’ll try to say something a little different this time. In the past I’ve talked about the planning process itself and how precisely I do it. This blog topic tacked ‘why?’ onto the end of ‘what kind of planner are you?’ and it’s the why I wish to consider today.
How much I plan differs based on what I’m writing. I think I have said that before. With original novels I plan for more thoroughly than I do with fanfic. Furthermore with fanfic how much I plan depends on the scope of the project. I have written fanfics with barely more than a premise, so completely pantsing basically. Those tend to be short ‘oneshots’ that aren’t very long. Anything chapter-based needs some kind of plan. The question is how much?
Also far more annoyingly (at the moment) tumblr seem to have broken image sizes. Sometimes I like to put a little additional gif at the bottom as an image, rather than in the photoset, and have it be smaller than full width. It looks like that in the editor but when I click “save” it goes full width.
Please tumblr stop breaking things *begs*
#in which they do stuff that nobody asked for and it wasn’t broken and now it is and where is the logic?#please just stop well stop after making it how it was
You know how I said earlier I hoped there wouldn’t be a cliffhanger at the end of The Flash season 6
Mother of all cliffhangers complete with a “to be continued” tag and everything.
So that’s fun.
Now I could google and spoil myself but then I might find out something I don’t want to know like Cisco and Wells leave the show at the end of season 7. Interestingly Caitlin is still a series regular though congrats to the actress on her baby. I was actually looking to see if they had recast the Hartley Rathaway character but I think the actor had just dyed his hair but then I read that Ralph’s actor got fired so I checked the whole cast wiki page. None of that helps with the cliffhanger though.
Seriously so annoying. Ugh!
You know what ignoring that I can’t currently watch anymore I’m going to circle back to Wells. I mean my favourite Wells was definitely Harry Wells (Earth 2) and I miss that guy, but they all had a certain charm. Gotta be honest if I’m ranking Flash characters then Wells tops the list, and Cisco is probably second. So the Flash without them ??? Sad.
Awww man having just said “I’m nearly done with The Flash” I just realised I only have 2 episodes left 🙁
I swear there better not be a cliffhanger!
Still I can then swap to a few shows with less episodes and knock those out, to get some more off my list faster.
I make it sound like a chore. It’s not like that exactly, I mean I do want to watch the shows on the list otherwise I’d just mark them as abandoned and not bother. I do tend to make tasks and goals out of most things though, it’s the only way I ever get anything done, even supposedly ‘fun’ things.
Like I made a goal to finish at least 2 video games this year to 100% or equivalent (I have to take into account my lack of ability). As I’m really good at starting them, not very good at finishing. If I don’t specifically set aside time then time will slip and it just won’t happen, however much I might actually want to do the thing.
#1 James Watson / John Druitt / Helen Magnus (Sanctuary)
my current obsession
I have zero choice with these guys. I didn’t choose to ship them, they just grabbed me and haven’t let go yet. It’s just tragic. The whole quasi-immortal thing, the century they spent apart, time travel, being possessed by a homicidal energy parasite, what’s a little murder between friends? They have everything.
#2 Myka Bering / HG Wells (Warehouse 13)
again the moment I saw them I was gone. #ships of pain seems to be a theme as do the fact that Victorians out of time make for the best ships bwahaha.
#3 Artie Nielsen / James MacPherson (Warehouse 13)
This is an odd one as I rewatched Warehouse 13 several times and then one day I saw this scene ^^ and my mind went into overdrive and it hasn’t left since. They are a big part of the 60k (and counting) fanfic I’m writing atm. Also #rare pair seems to be a thing for me atm.
This completes the trifecta of ships of pain and betrayal.
#4 Eve Baird / Flynn Carsen (The Librarians)
This is the “non-hurty” ship! Haha. Now I could have put a lot of things for #4 but I thought I’d stick with ships I’m currently writing. I mean don’t get me wrong there’s some angst to deal with here too but generally much less than the epic betrayals in the ‘ships of pain’ above.
First ever ship:
Jack Malone / Samantha Spade (Without a Trace)
Not something I’d go for now but twenty years ago… it was one of those ships that should have been a cliché but wasn’t. I quit this show pretty early (only watched season 1-3). I think I got grabbed because it was subtle. The actors did a lot with body language and the odd line here or there.
Last song:
Ok iTunes is currently playing ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ by Maroon 5 (I always have music playing).
Last film:
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets
I’m a bit of a sucker for archaeological/treasure hunting thrillers to be honest. Oh wow actually the more I think about it… yeah hunting for historical artifacts is a major theme. What’s not to love? There’s treasure and there’s history and there’s mystery and adventure. Oh that’s not in reference to the movie btw. I’m not saying this particular movie is all that great, it’s the genre I enjoy.
Currently reading:
Kingdoms at War (Dragon Gate #1) by Lindsay Buroker
I’ve been reading a lot more lately. It’s been a goal for years but this is the first year I’ve really ran with it. I’m way ahead of target and averaging 6 books a month thus far (if you can average with only 2 months of data lol).
Currently watching:
Sooooo many things. Seriously TVMaze Watchlist keeps track for me. I also made it my goal this year to actually finish shows rather than just starting them. I don’t have access to all the episodes yet (just the first 6 seasons) but I’ve almost finished those for:
The Flash
Currently consuming:
I share the confusion as to what this question is about. If it’s food then I guess it’s lunchtime and so in 10 minutes the answer will be:
Soya yogurt
Currently craving:
Now this could be food? Buuuut c’mon lets be real. True I have food cravings sometimes (don’t we all?) but for the fun let’s say something else, something I crave a lot more frequently.
Lego!
Haha. Seriously. I have a problem. Too much is never enough. I always want more. So many cool actual sets, so many cool Rebrickable sets, and so many dreams of MOC’s I want to make.
Important question: what do you think Wish!Rumpled, who never experienced the curse or being Mr Gold, would wear in the land without magic? Would he still go for suits? Would he shake things up?
I don’t know why but the first thing that popped into my head was “yes a suit but no not like that” – one with sort of ‘dandy’ style to it. Wish!Rumple from what I could remember was even more flamboyant, with flair and eccentricity (he had been possibly locked up without company for years so fair enough).
So the jacket would maybe be longer with tails? Patterns and colours rather than so austere, interesting cuts and accessories. I can just see wish!Rumple prancing about the way he does as an imp in human form, in a way classic Rumple never would.
Wish!Rumple just strikes me as wanting to say “I have power (or money)” but also be a bit more “in your face” about it. Classic Gold is quite understated, very business like, very power in the room but you don’t notice him so much.
I haven’t done an update on moving house in a while have I? I totally forget what I last said or when I talked about it. The word nightmare comes to mind.
I’m paying basically near the equivalent of a Lego Republic Gunship EVERY MONTH (which hurts me as I wouldn’t actually spend that on Lego as I prefer to save but ugh all that wasted money 😫) to not have our stuff so that our house is less cluttered and sells – aaaaaand it’s not selling due to things I can’t control like “the garden is too small and overlooked” (house is on an estate) or “the bedrooms are too small” (they are standard size). Both of which I thought would have been apparent anyway from the detailed floorplan and photos but no I still run around like an idiot polishing the house to make it spotless every single time people want to come.
I am tired and fed up and I looked at renting (more money down the drain yay) to get out of here sooner so I don’t kill mums husband (obviously not but oh so tempting sometimes) but everywhere I rang about was either lying about being available, or wouldn’t rent to me due to my circumstances (which is actually illegal discrimination but it would take too much to fight it).
About the only upside of this is I’m reading a lot more books for all the times I have to sit in the car hiding while people poke around my house (which gives me the creeps tbh as I hate anyone in my space).
Arghhhhh!!!!!!!
#I am so done
urban-trek-thru-middle-earth said: I feel your pain. Our house is for sale at the moment – we might have a confirmed sale early next week – and trying to live in it while keeping it looking like a showhome is driving me *nuts*. I just got the quote from the movers today, and it was so expensive, it made me want to give up and stay where we are. It’s no wonder moving house is one of the three most stressful experiences you can live through.
galactic-pirates said: @urban-trek-thru-middle-earth good luck! I hope you do sell early next week and then you’ll be one step closer to the nightmare being over. In a few months hopefully we’ll both be able to look back at this and laugh as it’ll all be done and we’ll be moved into the new places. I can’t wait haha. Imagining that is all that is getting me through.
Dammit. I was thinking of skipping the next Doctor Strange movie. First marvel movie I was intentionally going to skip.
1) it’s been billed as a horror movie and I’m the biggest wuss in the world
2) personally I just really don’t like Doctor Strange. I’m annoyed he’s in the Spiderman movie (which I haven’t seen, waiting for Disney+)
buuuuut if Patrick Stewart is in it, even for a cameo, and Professor X and the X-Men are going to be a thing… they can be on screen for 5 seconds and I’ll still sit through the whole damn movie.
Guess I kinda have to watch it now huh.
jackabelle73 said: I saw the new Spider-Man movie last week, and enjoyed it more than I expected. Dr. Strange is definitely a part of the movie, but not its focus, FWIW.
This month, likely in honour of Valentine’s day, the WriYe blog topic is about the role of romance in the fiction I write. Well, actually the topic said “in your novels” but I write all kinds of stories, and actually the role of romance changes depending on the type of story, which I thought could be interesting to explore. I’m talking of course about fanfiction, hence the use of the term ‘shipper’ in the title of this post.
Having said it changes, as I was considering how to begin, I realised I’m not sure it does change. With my stories I consider them all to be character-centric. I’m telling a tale of a journey and yes cool stuff happens in cool places but it all comes back to character. Now obviously journeys can take multiple forms – it isn’t all about romance! Personally I’m ace/aro and so romance plays zero part in my life personally. However, I probably do write a lot of romance. It’s a very rich story vein because romance at it’s core is love. Now love can be family and friends obviously, but a lot of what I come up with is romantic love. To be honest until I started writing this post I don’t think I’d quite realised how much.
I was going to say that I never write pure romance, there’s always something else going on, but I don’t think that’s true. Not if I consider fanfic where sometimes there’s a plot (and the relationship weaves around it) but sometimes the relationship is the plot. I remember years ago saying I could never write pure romance, that I couldn’t think of anything more boring, how do you even move the characters across the page without a crime to solve? or some kind of gun battle? But I wrote a 50k arranged marriage fanfic last year and managed just fine. There wasn’t a gun to be seen.
So what role does romance play in my novels?
Let’s go through a couple of examples. My sci-fi thriller where the former agent turned mercenary is framed for murder, and goes on the run with her ex-girlfriend (who happens to be a PI) and has to dodge her former colleagues while trying to clear her name. Obviously the ‘ex’ is not such an ex by the end, as part of the character journey has her realising she shouldn’t push away those she loves just because she’s scared. A leap of faith kind of thing. So there’s lots of running and shooting and intrigue (hopefully) but the romantic relationship, and working out the issues between them, is a big part of the book.
Then there’s my Arthurian retelling about the Fall of Camelot. There’s no relationship drama in this as Mordred and Galahad are firmly in love, but that actually forms the bedrock because they have such a strong bond, and they can seek support from one another. This will contrast with Arthur’s grief at Guinevere’s death. It will be an important thread given their immortality. Promising someone a lifetime is one thing, but spending eternity together? What relationships crumble and what relationships deepen, and navigating that.
With the fanfic that I write I have ‘ships’ like Helen, John and James from Sanctuary, they are my OT3 and current major obsession. I’m also shipping Bering and Wells from Warehouse 13 really hard right now, and to be honest Artie and MacPherson too. That ship doesn’t even really exist (I think there’s less than 10 fics on AO3 and one of them is mine) but on my last rewatch I couldn’t unsee it, and it’s a thing now. On my fanfic WIP list I have a combined total of 10 ideas at the moment, across three fandoms (Sanctuary, Warehouse 13 and the Librarians). Some of the ideas are AU, some of them are canon-divergent. All of them have happy endings with the ships making a life together. Interestingly the sole Librarians fic doesn’t revolve around a ship, though of course I will write Flynn/Eve into it, and wherever the fic ends they will still be happily together.
So in summary…
I’m circling back to what I said at the start of this post – my stories are character driven, and romance plays a much bigger role than I think I’d appreciated until now. Therefore I would class romance to be something of a cornerstone of my stories.
