Part-time Ghost

- Not doing too well at this uni thing so far; if I can't make it through February, I think I'll have to quit Greek. I don't want to, but my workload isn't really managable at this point and I can't afford the stress. I was close enough to another depressive slump before Christmas, I don't want to jump head first into another not even three months later. :/

(I've been sort of... not entirely here for the past week and probably forgotten to reply to tons of comments and entries, and I'm sorry about that.)

- On the other hand, procrastinating (as I have a bad tendency to do when I don't want to confront the reality of my studies) means I start putting my effort into things I shouldn't be doing, such as drawing. So far: slashy Claws of Axos illustration that I started and never finished months ago now coloured, lineart for Femslash February done aaannd... am currently sketching fanart of Cycladic fresco.

Also known as: my life, in three images.

- In honour of the last, and new-found, Plantagenet:



(Shut up I haven't seen anyone make a Horrible Histories reference yet, I had to make my own).

Because I need to stop procrastinating as well as add some organisation to my increasingly busy life.

For someone who has been writing for almost as long as she's known how to, I recently realised that I've actually never written a proper chapter fic. Sure, I've tried, but never successfully. Or I've deliberately avoided it because I've been under the impression that without knowing the ending I can't write a proper beginning, or manage an overall plot/theme.

So if my fellow fic writers have any advice, I'd love to hear it. Do you finish the entire story before publishing separate chapters? Do you keep notes while writing, or have you done avid planning beforehand? Do you even know where the story is going to end up when you start writing?

I keep worrying I'll somehow lose sight of the overarching plot if I focus on separate chapters, or not give the side characters enough to do, etc (especially since I usually write from one character's PoV). On the other hand, I worry about never finishing at all, as I tend to be easily distracted by new shiny plot bunnies.

I'll probably look for a bit of advice online as well, but fic writers have a pretty unique experience in that they can publish several chapters at separate times. And... I just don't know how to go about managing an epic!fic I've mostly finished already, but have a lot of editing to do and some key parts left to write (most notably the beginning).

In other news, uni continues to rock my socks off (HITTITES! and more Egyptians).

And, as I've been meaning to make a post like this for some time and need to distract myself from feeling guilty about not writing when I have the spare time for once... here is a list of fic ideas I've been meaning to write lately (and by lately I mean, like... the last six months?). Mostly Doctor Who, though not exclusively so.

( Bunny hatch )

*Rolls out*

Apparently participating in LJ friending memes the same week you start uni again is a bad idea? I've been too busy "skimming" ten millennia of human development to say hello properly. I haven't even commented on other people's introductions properly... anyway.

Hello!

Behold, the long awaited introduction post!

( At least it's not a bullet point list )

Oh, and I also have a Tumblr. And Skype + MSN in case anyone wants to talk.

Now, I have twenty pages left of Iron Age settlements in the Near East to read, so I should probably start to get around to finishing them...

And then I didn't update for two weeks because I started work and got sick within five days. Never change, self.

So, these past five days have been a haze of watching X-Files (I'm on season 5 atm, and I really need to stop taking MONTHS-LONG BREAKS between seasons because I keep forgetting the overall storyline)and Doctor Who episodes. Today I actually managed to get dressed for the first time this week and make lunch that wasn't reheated carrot soup that I managed to cook up on Monday with some effort.

I have also listened to an absurd amount of audio plays, or at least a lot more than I'd usually get through in four days. Namely, the second half of the Fourth Doctor Adventures season one, which, the main thing I have taken away from is that Leela is possibly the most perfect fictional being in existance and Crispy!Master is capable of completely unexpected amounts of sass?? Also Leela/Master team-up on horseback was something I didn't know I wanted until it made me gasp for air.

Finished Dark Eyes today as well. Non-spoilery opinion is that I found it rather enjoyable... until the last part. I was absolutely delighted to have Paul McGann on my iPod again, and it has some good bits of writing and characterisation, but it's the kind of long story where the conclusion kind of makes or breaks it, and I didn't find "X and the Daleks" satisfying at all.

The GOOD bit is that it's a story about hope. Dark!Doctor has become something of a trope over the course of the years in NuWho, but Dark Eyes doesn't go too hard on the angst and emphasises the Doctor's search for hope in a way that feels genuine, and thus more compelling than some writing in the TV series (I am looking at you, Doctor "my companions became displaced in time and lived a happy life without me so I SHALL NEVER SAVE HUMANS AGAIN" Eleven).

I also really liked Molly O'Sullivan. Irish WWI nurse (okay, VAD, whatever) who is tough as nails and punches people in the face? Awesome.

BAD bits: it's a Dalek story going behind cut because spoilers.

( Read more... )

... Wow, I went off a tangent there.

So I guess I'm listening to Love and War next? Probably Love and War.

So, in honour of a new year and new beginnings, I have now moved to DreamWidth.

I'll still be around on LJ, obviously; there are still many communities that are active and friends that haven't moved. But I've been thinking of moving for a long time, and what with LJ being even more unreasonable than usual lately it seemed right.

If you have a DW account, my username is regndoft.

(Now let's see if this crossposting actually works...)

2012 will be over in less than an hour, so I should probably write a bit about that... but first I should probably post my responses to that fic meme here for posterity. :P

Three prompts all in all (alas, I'm not wildly talented, nor am I wildly popular); two Good Omens and one Doctor Who. The GO bit surprised me as well, as I don't exactly blog an awful lot about it. Still, it's my favourite book, so I'm not complaining.

Crowley and Aziraphale, traveling Time Lord and Companion

( Read More )

Newt/Anathema, superhero AU

( Read More )

Fourth Doctor and Leela, coffee shop AU

( Read More )

Haven't updated in a week now; not that much have happened, thank Someone. The exam went... all right, I think. Considering how I've felt the past weeks I think I managed well, and I've talked to my teacher, who said I didn't have to worry and that there'd be time to catch up next term. Good.

Christmas came, Christmas went, and it was all quite nice. For the first time I can remember my family spent Christmas alone, without any friends or relatives, which was... a huge difference, to be honest. I quite enjoyed myself. The food was nice and presents lovely; there's not much more I can ask for for Christmas.

Finished The Hobbit, started reading Kursaal today. Planning to re-read Neverwhere when I go to London next week (next week! How time flies) and have reservated Xenophon's Anabasis and The Fellowship of the Ring from the library, too. Looking forward to reading the books I got for Christmas as well... lots of reading to do these two weeks before going back to work for good.

Also, Yuletide happened! I have received two amazing gifts so far, both for Catherynne M. Valente's book Deathless (which is one of my favourite books - the way to win my heart is contemporary Russian history told through a deconstruction of Russian myth and folklore, apparently).

( Cut for size )

Life is a bit up and down atm, both because of internal and external factors. So I'm not going to talk about those things, but focus on things that actually make me feel better about myself. There.

- Somehow, despite Yuletide refusing to cooperate, I've been feeling... better about my writing lately. I walk into bookstores feeling a strange mix of envy and excitement, marvelling at the new and shiny covers standing in rows on the shelves. I don't know what changed, but suddenly imagining myself as an author isn't strange at all - even though it's something I never let myself believe I could accomplish for almost ten years.

- Today I finally posted the last package that needed sending for Christmas. And it wasn't a particular hardship either, as the sun was shining, the air was crisp and the sky a brilliant shade of blue... Usually when I go walking in winter, it's to be somewhere on time, work or university. I'd probably enjoy it more if I went out for proper walks by myself.

- Translated a short letter by Epicurus. Exam in less than a week and I still haven't started studying properly, but somehow I'm not too worried about that.

- Made gingerbread cookie dough! While listening to Christmas music. Very cathartic, somehow, and I love the smell of ground cloves.

- Holly Black has a Tumblr. This makes me pretty happy, ngl - Holly Black was one of those authors whose work I connected to when I was younger, and in more recent times (being able to read her works in English) I have realised that's partly because she's basically a huge geek. c:

- If you aren't following who_at_50 you probably should be, because it's a neat idea and shaping up to be great fun.

- Finished listening to The Nightmare Fair and started re-listening to Jubilee.

( Have some spoiler-ish thoughts )

(I think I need a Master icon).

Welcome, everyone from the Doctor Who friending meme (which is not quite dead yet, btw, so if you haven't checked it out you should!) An introduction is probably in order.

Sadly, my introduction skills leave something to be desired. So have a bullet point list and feel free to ask questions.

(I really like bullet point lists. And parantheses.)

( A guide to recognising your fellow LJer )

As I said, something to be desired indeed. Feel free to throw questions my way, or just talk about whatever. It's usually harder to make me shut up than say anything at all.