"i've changed my mind" updates

I decided to put up Ch. 11 Part I of Diamonds and Dust after all. Part I alone is about 14 pages, and I know that Part II is probably going to go over that, once I get around to actually finishing it. I might have to split that up into II and III but we'll see what happens. Basically, though, because my summer course has officially started, I don't know how much time I'll have to sit down and write and I didn't want to leave D&D without an update for another month and a half. I'm hoping that, like usual, I'll have a couple nights here where I'll be totally inspired and will slack off on my reading a little so that I can make some progress.

Wow, how academic does that sound? ;p

After The Rain Has Fallen is complete, but I'm waiting for my sister to finish beta-ing it for me. So that, at least, might be uploaded in the next week or so.

Charlie is stalling. Actually, I'm thinking about making the entire Harris family series into a collection of challenge responses - each story would be from a specific character's point of view and would respond to a specific challenge at SKoW. Sounds fun to me, anyway.

one-shots and progress updates

Recently I've been working on a new challenge response for SKoW challenge #23 - So Many Songs, But I'm Feeling So Lonely! The title will be After The Rain Has Fallen (sound familiar, Sting fans?) and involves a thief, the necklace he's after, and the princess who wears it. It's actually about 80% done right now, and let's just say that its M rating is highly appropriate at this point. I just have to wrap it up and then go through it again and edit the things that need editing. My goal is to have it done, actually, in the next couple of days... as in, before my summer course starts. I think this class is going to be pretty intense so I'm not too sure how much time I'll have to spare for writing. At least, in the beginning I should have some extra time, but I know once June hits (and once, of course, round six of SKoW starts up) I won't have a whole lot of free time at all.

I've discovered that I like writing one-shots. It's a nice change of pace from my usual chapter-to-chapter approach, and it's also given me a chance to step back from Diamonds and Dust and The Ghost Stone and sort some things out there. I had really wanted to make another update to D&D before this class started but I don't think that's going to happen after all, especially since this one-shot idea got me so excited. Part One of Chapter Eleven is ready to go, but I have yet to really start Part Two and until that's done the former won't be uploaded.

I really have no idea what's going on with The Ghost Stone. I'm a few chapters ahead of what's on FP right now, but I'm kind of experiencing writer's block with that one. I know what I want to happen, but it's not connecting right now and I'm not going to force it. Kind of the same thing with Part Two - I'm pretty much waiting for inspiration to strike.

In the mean time, I put a new poll up on my FP profile - go vote!

boo, real life

Recently there has been a gigantic lapse in writing. Mostly this is due to final semester stuff that has to be done - three papers (each of them anywhere from 12-20 pages) and one final exam that I complained about often (who gives final exams in a graduate literature program? I mean, really!). I still have one paper left, but I'm half way done and so not worried about it. One would think, then, that I might be able to get back on the ball with all my FP stuff. Sadly, this is not so. I think it might be because I'm still in that "finals" mentality but I haven't been able to write much of anything when it comes to fiction.

What is odd, however, is that the research I do for my papers has only given me more story ideas. "Megs, what's up with that?" You ask. Well, my dear, I haven't the slightest. But just in case any of you are interested in adaptations of Shakespeare from the Restoration era in British theatre, you'll be glad to know that I've been inspired while reading about some of the first actresses of the stage. Naturally, anything I write from this will have some definite feminist leanings (as, arguably, most of my stuff does). So far it looks to be a kind of historical fiction attempt and will thus require more research into specific actresses and/or theatre companies, but for now that's where my mind's at.

I also just watched a western the other day called The Searchers, but unfortunately it did not put me back in a Diamonds and Dust groove. I think the key is more Bob Dylan, actually, so I'll work on that. I'm just stuck in a difficult place right now with D&D - my mind alternates between finishing the story and what revisions I'm already planning to make (some of them major), so it makes it difficult to buckle down and beat it out. Eventually, though, I will.

Charlie is still working on his sequel for me, hashing out the details and such. I may revise TEAHODSC before posting it, just so the two fit a little more seamlessly, but this won't be for a while yet, I don't think.

Leave me comments! I'm lonely.