Tag Archives: Sam talks Writing

Posted on by

I’ve been going back and forth about sighing up for the Rumbelle Showdown. As far as I know, I’ve taken part in every event since I joined the fandom but I think I’m going to give this one a miss. To be honest I’m not brave enough, and that is the real reason. However, I am legitimately busy as well, which makes for a good excuse.

I have 5 WIP’s, a prompt verse with half a dozen unfilled prompts, three new WIP’s I’d like to write next, several oneshots *cough* or long oneshots on the list as well and that’s just the immediate fandom stuff. I have a lot more ideas on the list, plus my actual real life to do list … well let’s not go there heh 🙂

Why am I posting about this? I’m procrastinating basically. Rather than knuckle down and write, I just did the “organizing” in choosing what I’m writing next, and putting everything in neat priority lists. Does anyone else do that? Never fear though, writing will happen! Thanks to my migraines I still have 13k to write before new year – oops.

Under my Skin Lachlan: So, what are your thoughts on your lovely, literary neighbor?

Posted on by
image

I almost fell over when I first saw her, of course I’d had a few but I know how to hold my whiskey thank you. It was dark, and she was all lit up by the outside light, just like an angel. I could not believe someone that pretty was living next to me on the farm. I was going to ask her out you know, but up until last night I barely got in a “hello” and a “goodbye”.

Her creative passion reminds me of the past and I don’t know if that’s good or bad, or whether it even matters. I think I probably will ask her if she wants to get a drink. She looks like she could use one and it’s not like I’ve got anything to lose.

Really random question since you said that you’re going to be writing today: are there any particular things that help you focus when you write? Idk, some songs that you like to listen to to fuel your imagination, or a special font that you always use, or a comfy chair that you need to sit on to feel completely relaxed and ready to write… I’m curious!

Posted on by

Yup I have a bit of a routine for writing! I sometimes because of circumstance have to shake it up, but mostly it’s the same.

If I’m at home then I’m on my PC. I have a black office swivel chair, it’s kinda old and a bit collapsed and fraying but it’s still comfy. It’s kinda big for the room, especially because a couple of days ago I lost my home office and everything has been squished into the one room, but I wouldn’t swap it out for anything. I write in Word 2003, in Calibri font. I don’t know why but I always fix the margins to 2cm and Calibri before I start.

I have two monitors. Every day I have a fresh document, and if I work on multiple projects in a day then I have a new document for each. I open this in the right monitor. On the left monitor I have my planning document, and the overall document for the current project. Plus google chrome so I can spellcheck words I’ve spelled so badly Word’s dictionary can’t fix them, or I can pull up the thesaurus when I can’t think of a word, and of course tumblr when I need a distraction 🙂

If I’m home alone then I play music through the speakers – I’m always playing music – but if people are here then I put my headphones in. What I listen to varies, sometimes it’s music that fits the project (I create project playlists occasionally), or sometimes it’s something to get the blood pumping. There’s this song Odd One by the Sick Puppies, which if I really can’t focus, I always put on repeat until I get going. There’s something about the line “we’ll laugh at this one day” which just helps me calm down and put the work into perspective.

I can work away from home. I have a Macbook Pro laptop, which isn’t as old as my PC (my PC is 2 years older). The U key is loose and I have to hammer it on occasion as it falls off, but the battery life is still really good (it’ll last hours and hours) despite being 8 years old. I have Pages on that, and I don’t do anything special as it’s a Mac and doesn’t have any fonts. I just create a new document and write. It usually messes up my formatting which is irritating when I port it back to Word but that’s fixable. Headphones are a must to cut out distractions.

To be honest though. Routine is irrelevant, it’s all about mentality. If my subconscious says “nope, won’t, you can’t make me” then nothing on Earth is going to get me to write. However, if I’m in the right headspace, then I could be in the living room, half-holding a conversation and still write. I could be anywhere, and then jot a few paragraphs down on my phone. I don’t know why sometimes I can write, and sometimes I can’t. It’s very annoying.

Thanks for the question! 🙂

Posted on by

woodelf68:

still-searching47:

theoneandonlylittlebird:

still-searching47:

What even is this fic? I keep typing to discover where it’s going and I swear to merlin if I’ve accidentally started another damn verse … 

Well 1) it’s Lachbelle and anyelle is never as popular, so I’m probably safe. 2) I think I’ll just have to keep typing and make it a long oneshot, rather thank risk ending it ambiguously in a way that could be construed as chapter one. Alright problem solved *stares at fic* ok, so what is happening with you? I’ve already used all the prompt words and I have no clue /headdesk

*perks up*

Did someone say Lachbelle?

*creeps closer*

How can I best encourage this behavior?

You just did! Thank you 🙂 It’s reassuring to know that maybe at least one person will read the fic. There’s such a dearth of Lachbelle on AO3 I thought perhaps nobody liked it. It’s not like that would stop me though, in fact that’s why I’m writing it. I want more Lachbelle so I figured I better write some 🙂

Of course this kind of inspiration helps too …

image

Of course the problem now is that I’m getting more ideas. I quite want to write Lachlan and Lacey as well. They fit together just as well as Lachlan and Belle but in a different way.

Is it set in California or after he gets to Scotland? I keep hoping someone will write one that would carry on from the end of the movie.

The Lachbelle is definitely set in California as I’ve already started writing it. I haven’t started writing the Lachacy but thanks to @ripperblackstaff I have a pretty good outline, which would also set it in California.

Ripper tried to persuade me to set it post-movie in Scotland, and you’d think given I’m from the UK I’d want to do that, but I don’t. I’ve spent so long writing America set stories, I don’t actually have the confidence to write my home country.

Plus a post-movie fic would be depressing. Either everyone would hate him, or they’ve forgotten about him/don’t care. He would need to get a job but with his circumstances he’d probably get a dead-end job he hated, certainly nothing like his farm job. The weather is miserable. He probably wouldn’t be able to rent anywhere nice, especially if he had to furnish it. Hopefully it would be decent enough his daughter would be allowed to visit, but that would be awkwardness itself, then after she’s gone he’d be even more alone. I’d be surprised if he didn’t start drinking heavily again.

The problem is (in my mind) is that even if Lachlan then met Belle/Lacey who was in Scotland for some reason, his situation isn’t really fixable. He can’t go back to the life he made for himself in California. I suppose (you are making me think now heh) that the solution is to keep moving. Perhaps Belle/Lacey is travelling, and Lachlan doesn’t have any ties so he could go backpacking with her. Along the way perhaps he could stumble across a better life for himself, maybe a farm that reminded him of California on the Mediterranean coast. I don’t know.

ripperblackstaff:

omg where can I read Lalacey, lachacey or whatever their shipname is ? I haz a mighty need

Heh I haven’t written it yet. I’m writing Lachbelle at the moment which will be posted before the end of the month. I have plans for Lachacy but that’ll be sometime next month now probably. I will tell you when I post if you like 🙂 Got any prompts you’d like worked in if I can manage it?

Posted on by

That moment when you have opened and closed all your WIP documents, so you start something new …

#i really can’t focus today#i regret everything#but i’m desperate to write something – anything at this point

whitesheepcbd replied to your post:
That moment when you have opened and closed all…

Are you asking for prompts? 😉

I wasn’t actually but consider me intrigued … what was the prompt? I’m guessing you had one. No promises (just in case) but if I like it, then I’ll write it for you anyway. How does that sound? 🙂

Posted on by

I just did some adding up, and I need to write 17k more this month, to reach a pretty big milestone for the year. Given my average chapter length is 3.5k-4.5k that makes for about 4 updates, so I think I’ll try and update all my WIP’s by January 3rd, which should get me my 500k for the year.

I only wrote sporadically before June, as before that I couldn’t type because my left arm hurt so bad, which makes me wonder how much I can do next year 🙂 If I continue to get a minimum of 60k a month, then 750k for the year would be doable easily.

Naturally of course I don’t feel like writing at all right now but isn’t that always the way heh 🙂 Just need to make myself do it anyway.

little-inkstone replied to your post “I just did some adding up, and I need to write 17k more this month, to…”

*waves pompoms* I know you can do it!!!

Thanks! *hugs you*

Unfortunately I couldn’t get into any of my WIP’s today. I know I need to write them because a couple haven’t been updated in a month and I feel really guilty. However, instead I started a fic for the Monthly Rumbelling non-smut prompt. It’s a Lachlan/Belle oneshot nobody asked for but never mind 🙂

Conspiracy Afloat (RSS)

Posted on by

little-inkstone:

still-searching47:

image

Synopsis: When Mr. Gold buys Storybrooke marina, one of the marina’s few permanent residents, Belle French, swears he won’t get away with it. She sets sail and anchors in a remote cove and that night Belle witnesses a murder. At first light she returns to the marina to report it … but nobody believes her. Gold’s purchase of the marina now takes on even more sinister implications, and her growing attraction towards him only complicates matters. Vowing to investigate herself, if the sheriffs won’t, Belle soon starts to unravel a town-wide conspiracy.

Prompt: Conspiracy
Theory/Secret Society AU

Note: Banner by the lovely @rowofstars – thank you so much, you are awesome! 🙂

——-

@little-inkstone it was me, I was your Santa! Did you guess? 🙂

Anyway, I tried to include, or at least reference, all the things you said you liked e.g. Drova, Red Cricket, Granny, your smut preferences etc. I’m not so good at the pining, but there’s bed sharing and a tiny bit of fake relationship going on. I also got a small amount of inspiration from this prompt aesthetic as well.

Your gift comes in several parts and it’s all on AO3 because it came to just over a combined 31k words. I called the verse ‘Love at the Marina’ and the verse contains:
– Conspiracy Afloat (Seven Chapters, Main fic)
– Trouble Sleeping (Oneshot, nsfw)
– Unending Conspiracy (Oneshot, prompt and ficlet collection)

I really hope you like it! It’s been fantastic chatting with you these past weeks, thank you for being so friendly and nice. This fic was a bit of a departure from my normal style because the main fic was told entirely from Belle’s POV. Usually I swap between characters like mad, but I realized once I hit chapter three that I hadn’t switched, so figured I should leave it that way. Due to the single POV, there is a couple of extra oneshots, from Gold’s POV. I would have done more but I ran out of time.

Thank you again for being the best giftee ever!

I just finished all of my gifts!!!!!!!!  WORDS I HAVE NO WORDS!!!!!  THIS IS BEYOND AMAZING!!!! EVERYTHING ABOUT IT PERFECT AND WONDERFUL AND I WANT TO FIND A WAY TO SNUGGLE IT AND YOU FOR BEING SUCH AN FANTASTIC SANTA AND FOR WRITING ME THIS SHEER AMAZINGNESS!!!

I’m literally blown away by this fic and how you manged to include so many of the things I love!!!!!!!!!!!! BED SHARING, LACEY, SECRETLY WOOBIE GOLD AND SO SO SO MUCH MORE!!!!  THIS FIC HAS EVERYTHING AND I KNOW I’LL BE REREADING IT A LOT!!!!

Okay, I’m going to try to control the caps now! XD  You were a truly amazing Santa and I loved chatting with you!  Your messages kept me sane after I broke my leg and needed to rest and talking to you was a blast!  Thank you for being so friendly and nice to me!!!

I can’t get over how perfect this fic is!  And I didn’t just get one!  I got 3!!! (4 if you count Gold’s POV chapters as two separate fics!!!!)  I’m trying to order my thoughts but it’s so awesome that I’m having trouble not just slamming my hands on the keyboard!  You’re characterization of everyone was perfect!  Belle and Gold especially!  The way you set up conspiracy/secret society was fantastic, it was believable and not heavy handed, and it made total sense!  I love that Belle was suspicious of Gold at first but saw the real person he was on the inside!!!  Everyone thinks he’s a beast, even Belle at first, but then she sees him for him, the soft adorable woobie wrapped in a sexy suit!

Speaking of sexy, the bed sharing was awesome and the smut was amazing!  It really feels like the culmination of their short (but so so wonderful) courtship!   The way Belle knew it wasn’t just a one time thing, but the beginning of something warmed my heart!  And that being proven in the epilogue when Belle knows she’s going to be apart of Gold’s life and family made me feel extra warm and fluffy inside!

There is just so much I want to talk about!  The town, the conspiracy, poor Graham being corrupt but I think I have to end this reblog here before I write a whole essay of garbled fangirling!!! So again THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH!!!  I can’t over state the amount of love I have for this verse!!!!

I’m utterly thrilled that you loved it so much. Now excuse me while I go cry over this wonderful comment. Seriously, I don’t know what to say. I want to respond but I’m just overwhelmed. Thank you so much! I really am so happy that you liked it. You’re an author so you know we take it as a compliment when people just want to slam their hands into the keyboard 🙂

Heh well you said you wanted innocent!Belle flailing around, and Gold being off-limits/a bit suspicious and I did my best. In the initial draft I had Belle have a secret crush on Gold, so they really had been secretly pining for each other for a while. It didn’t quite work when I wrote the whole thing, because like you said Belle was challenging her preconceptions about him. Haha yeah exceptionally fluffy endings are my thing. I always try and bring an element of realism, so life isn’t perfect, but they definitely have a “happy for now” going on as that makes me all warm inside too.

Thank you!!! You have been a fantastic giftee, and if you ever want to chat (even though it’s not RSS anymore) then you know where I am. My askbox/chat thingy is always open 🙂

rumbelleluv:

This was so lovely and amazing.  I loved how you really fleshed out this plot and made it so so interesting.  So many of the characters made their way into this story both in little and big ways.  It was wonderful the way you wove this story 😀

Gold and Belle slowly making their way together was amazing too. AND we got three good fanfic tropes out of it.  Share a cabin, share a bed (twice!), and fake-dating (that turned real ;)).  I loved it!!

The ending seemed like such a story book happy ending too, with them all around the table eating and getting along like one big happy family. It was great 🙂

Awwww thank you so much!

Yeah there were a few bit players woven in. I couldn’t resist the slight hint about Mulan and Merida – BraveWarrior 🙂 and then of course we have to give Leroy and Astrid a happy ending in fanon as canon has forgotten them. Heh yeah I like my syrupy happy endings, trying to give a snapshot of the future and plus I also couldn’t resist the slight Swanfire. I’m really happy you liked it! Thank you so much for the wonderful comment 🙂

Hey, I can’t wait to read your RSS fic, but I won’t be able to until this evening (expect asks about it next Tuesday ;). Anyway, today’s ask: how did you get started writing? :)

Posted on by

Awwww thanks, I hope you’ll enjoy it and I welcome any and all asks heh 🙂

Ok, so how did I get started writing? Well, I don’t know really, it’s something I’ve always done for as long as I can remember. I was a voracious reader as a child, and I’m assuming at some point somebody told me I could write my own stories. Maybe I’d run out of reading material for the millionth time, and it was to keep me occupied I don’t know heh.

I don’t remember my early stuff. It was obviously on paper and I don’t have it, but I’m not ruling out the possibility that my mum does. Mum’s keep that kind of thing 🙂 However, I never delete anything digital. I mainly wrote fanfic until I was 16 (and then I quit fanfic for a decade until I started writing Rumbelle) but I do still have the original stories I attempted when I was 11. I never look at them for obvious reasons but back then I was obviously quite ambitious. I had started 3-4 different books in the same series, they were mystery/adventure novels, sort of a private investigator type deal. I imagine there were several because the start was shiny, and not complicated, and once I got into the nitty gritty detail of the plot I lost interest.

I wish I had a funny story about a ‘lightbulb moment’ when I first started writing, but nope it’s just been a part of my life since forever.

Posted on by

One benefit to being up before the sun, is my RSS is probably going to get posted at a decent time today. Given that I live in England, and the time zone differences, it’ll be like morning in America.

Ooops I said my next RSS post would be me actually posting it /hides. Well I have actually finished it! I just need to read through it and post it all to AO3, so I’ll be back in a few hours 🙂

Posted on by

I’m very glad I live in England. I’m going to have extra Tuesday time. I still have one more scene to write and then I need to read through everything *gulp* haha, ok I’m going to stop going on about RSS now heh. Next post I make will be me posting the fic tomorrow 🙂

image