Motivation!

[luzula]

We all agreed in the chat this weekend that sometimes it's hard to stop procrastinating and actually get something done on your project, so I thought I'd put this post up as a place to report your progress. How much did you get done today? How about this weekend? Feel free to use the comments as a place to report your daily progress the rest of the week, too--I know it helps me to report in every day.

Also, we'd love to see you post something to show off your recent progress: a snippet from your fic, a detail or draft from your art, an outtake from your podfic. That way we can all squee about it!

During chat, we also decided on having two more chats before the next posting weekend: one will be on the weekend of the 18-19th of May, and one the weekend of the 8-9th of June.

Comments

[ride_4ever]

Oh dear. Cyberspace just ate the rather lengthy reply I tediously tapped out on my mobile phone. Not going to try that again right now. I'll be back to try posting again when I get to a computer.

[luzula]

Yeah, it sucks when that happens! I've never had that kind of phone, but it seems pretty tedious to type on.

[ride_4ever]

So, I haven't made any progress in a while on the AU. I've been spending my writing time on dS poetry for fan_flashworks and on tightening up my dS apocalypse!fic (along with "bonus material" from ButterflyGhost) for the GLBTQ literary festival later this month (details of that will be appearing in dS noticeboard comms). Also, due to that same literary festival, which is going to take me two days of travel to reach, I'm probably going to miss the next Skype AU chat scheduled for May, but am hopeful of connecting with the June chat.

[luzula]

Well, but you're still being creative in lots of ways! I'd call that a win. : )

[brigantine]

Welp... Not quite the progress I'd hoped for so far, but it's okay. I'd hoped to have a rough first draft done by now, but I don't, which is /o\, but not the end of the world.

I've found in the past that at this stage of writing anything that's likely to turn out longer than 2,000 words - and this definitely will - I'm often flailing and slightly panicked for a while in the beginning, and then kind of all of a sudden I start getting a better idea of what the story is actually about,, and things will start to click. After that, it usually (fingers crossed) goes along fairly steadily.

So, still at the OMG WHAT IS THIS STORY ACTUALLY ABOUT? stage, but I feel like I'm getting through it. This weekend I came up with an idea for a character that I hadn't even realized I needed until I thought of him, so that was \o/ moment. All in all, I'm feeling pretty optimistic. :D

[luzula]

Yay, I'm glad you have progress, if not a finished draft! And hey, you don't actually need a finished draft yet, if you plan to post it in the middle of June. : )

[luzula]

Well, I have chosen one of my several ideas: the one where Bob dies instead of Caroline and she goes on to become a Mountie. I've got 350 words of it so far, and here's the beginning:

***

"Constable Benton Fraser, RCMP," Ben said, picking up the phone.

"Ben?" his mother's voice said in his ear. "How are things?"

"Oh, fine. Just back from patrol, filling out forms. You?"

"You know that dam project I was telling you about?"

Direct as always. "Yes."

"Well, I think they're going too far now. I think they actually tried to bribe me so I'd keep quiet about it."

Ben blinked and pushed the forms to one side. "They tried to bribe a Mountie?"

"Not in so many words, so I can't actually nail them on it. But oh, how I want to." He could hear the frustration in her voice.

Ben frowned. "So what else have they done?"

"Well, they're trying to keep it quiet, but I'm pretty sure the dam is having some bad effects on the wildlife."

He'd grown up in that area, even if he was posted elsewhere now, and he couldn't bear the thought of that land despoiled by industrial development. "You know, I have some vacation time I could take out. Maybe I could come down?"

"Oh, that would be great. It's been some time, Ben. Buck and I would love to see you."

***

...and it'll go on from there. I think they might not go down to Chicago, or only do it briefly, so probably there will be very little of the Rays. But! There will totally be Eric Kitikmeot, and probably some Fraser/Eric, too!

[brigantine]

So Ben and his mom are going to solve a case together? \o/!!! What a cool idea!

[luzula]

Yes they are! Ben and Caroline and Buck are going to work together with First Nations groups and environmental groups and they are going to stop the dam. \o/

[ride_4ever]

Ben & Buck & Mountie Caroline! Environmental issues! Fraser/Eric! Sounding FTW!

[luzula]

Thanks! I hope it will be--now I just have to write it...

[ardyforshort]

I am A-OK with lack of Rays if I get Fraser/Eric and Caroline and environmental issues and other awesome stuff :D

[luzula]

Yay! I think it'd just be too much to work the Rays in--there's plenty to work with anyway. : )

[sage]

Yayes: After the chat Saturday, I finished the face and head details on both of the complete aliens. Pics would spoil (I haven't even put them on Ravelry yet), but I am totally pleased.

I did end up using diluted glue to block the floopy antennae, and it turned out perfectly. \o/

Yay progress!

That said, I'm still torn about what sort of spacecraft to make. Rocket? Saucer? Something else? It wouldn't be to scale (relative to the size of the characters), but the fact of the spaceship is an important element of the story, so we need to see it.

[luzula]

Yay for finished aliens!

Hmm, is the spaceship one that is supposed to be able to land on a planet? Then it probably needs some sort of aerodynamic shape. If it's one that stays up in space all the time, you have more options.

[brigantine]

Complete Aliens ftw! I am no help at all about the space ship. Either rocket or saucer shapes sound like they would turn out adorable. :D

[ardyforshort]

Oh yay, I'm so looking forward to seeing these :)