Further Up and Further In… sorta
Had time the other day to sit down and plot out part of RoKM. Got plans for three chapters down on paper finally, and am currently working on the plans for the fourth. I remember from my very rough outline that it’ll hover around thirteen or so chapters, but I’m betting it’s going be longer now, as my original first chapter is becoming my fourth. On another note, in order to satisfy my beta I whisked the first section of chapter two off to him, so I’m hoping to rework that up to posting standard sometime soon. Once I get the other two sections written, that is…Also, I thought it might be interesting to see a fic in the land of Bism. Any takers?
Back to the College Life
Well, here I am again, falling behind in my updates again. I suppose that can happen when you’re trying to settle back into a routine. Ah well, here I am, still at it.I’ve been writing like crazy these past few days. Only posted one new thing, though, but that’s subject to change. I came across Psalm 77 while doing my morning devotions the other day. It talks about how we can remember all that God has done in the past to comfort us during the difficult times. It’s a perfect Psalm for Tirian, so I couldn’t resist doing another ‘Psalmfic.’ Rather than make an entirely new fic out of it, I simply added it to “Your Servant is Calling.” The two pieces go nicely together, I think, and it seemed appropriate. I’m very pleased with the way it turned out, and I think it’s a bit better than the one based on Psalm 86. I think the reason I feel that way is that I feel my writing has improved since then, it felt a bit more… real, I suppose, with this one to me. *shrugs* But that’s just me.
Anyway, I’ve also written a VERY short intro to a series of oneshots based on the fruit of the spirit. The series itself will focus on nine Narnians and describe one of the fruit of the spirit through their eyes, their experiences, and their encounters with the Lion. It didn’t feel right to just jump into it, though, so I wrote a short intro to the series. It’s too short to really be worth posting by itself, though, so I’m gonna wait until I have my first chapter written and ready to post, focusing on Love. That was another difficult decision, by the way, which order do I go it? The order of which my characters joined the Narnian world, or in the order of the fruit of the spirit as presented in Galatians? In the end I decided to go with the Galatians version, as I think that’ll have more of the effect I want it to.
And finally, much to the elation of my beta, I have FINALLY finished the draft of the first section (of three) of chapter two of RoKM. FINALLY! Took three tries, and I’m still not entirely satisfied with the conversation between Miraz and Sopespian, but that’s what a beta’s for, is it not? Hoping to work on part two a little later today.
And that concludes my life in the writing world for the past few days. Hopefully I can get some more writing done soon!
Back at School
Whew, I survived the move…Anyway, while doing my morning devotions today, I came across Psalm 77. Beautiful Psalm… and it’s amazing how it as well fits Tirian perfectly. I may add on to Your Servant is Calling simply because of it. It’d be more like an expansion of one specific part, as it would work better that way. I don’t know yet, but I do like the idea. I suppose only time will tell.
Attack of the Plot Bunnies!
AGH, they’re everywhere!Don’t have a whole lot of time, but I want to get these down before my brain pushes them out. First off, another Psalmfic about Digory set to Psalm 29: came across that Psalm today and it reminded me of the creation and end of Narnia. Honestly, people do songfics all the time, but the Psalms are songs too, why doesn’t anybody do them…*sigh.*
Other one: Whatever happened in England when Frank and Helen turned up missing? Someone was bound to have noticed that they were suddenly gone. What happened next? Something to think about.
Catching Up
Lot to talk about in this one, the first of which is the fact that I’m going back to school next week, which means prolonged periods of hectic-ness until I get settled again.
Also, some of the, erm, less-than-desired characteristics of Narnian fanfiction have really been getting under my skin the past few days. Going to rant on them later in this post, so be forewarned.
But as a result, I spun out something quite different than my usual writings. Yes, I wrote my first ever ‘Sue parody… and most likely the last, though I supposed I can’t ever be too sure where my mind takes me. I can’t really explain where the idea came from, but it felt really good to write, despite the fact that it’s definitely not my best work. What’s it about? Let’s just say I have an idea what the Deplorable Word might have been.
I’ve also got a plot bunny bouncing around in my head for another spiritual piece. Basically, it’ll be a series of oneshots, each featuring one of nine Narnian characters and how their experiences in Narnia and with Aslan display one of the fruit of the Spirit, listed in Galatians. I’ve already figured out which Narnian to use with which, but I kinda want to get some work done on RoKM Chapter Two before them, my beta’s been badgering me about it.
Ooh, and another thing: The Lion’s Call is holding nominations for the Lion Awards next month. For anyone as yet unaware, the Lion Awards are the annual Narnian fanfiction awards they hold over there. Last year’s was the first, and I wasn’t fanfic-ing yet then. But I am now, so I’m looking forward to them! I really don’t feel right about nominating my own stuff, but I do have some fics by other people I want to make sure to nominate, and I really hope some of my stuff gets nominated by other people. I actually have a slim chance now that I’ve written something, after all. 
Two things I want to rant about in this one. First off is the number of people who complain about ‘the problem of Susan.’ Yes, it’s sad. Yes it’s disappointing for Susan fans. But people, it MAKES SENSE. Not all who have seen and felt stick with it. There are people who fall away from their faith, which is what Susan has done. I have nothing against Susan redemption fics, because I do firmly believe that she eventually found her way back to Narnia – after all, “Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia.” But I also happen to agree with Mr. Lewis, where he wrote in a letter that the story of Susan’s redemption would probably be longer and more grown-up than he cared to write. There’s a bunch of things that I think the authors of most Susanfics miss, or else don’t get. Lewis didn’t just throw her out for no reason. She has many things she needs to realize before she can return, and in most fics about her, she… doesn’t. It’s not because Aslan didn’t want her, it’s because she didn’t want Him. It’s amazing how few fics actually get that.
Second thing that bugs me is the number of ‘Aslan’s daughter’ type fics going around out there. AUUUUUUUGH! Do people not get Aslan’s character or something… he’s downplayed so much in these fics, he gets twisted so much that he’s barely recognizable as the same Lion we see in the other ones. It just… ooh, it gets under my skin. That’s all I have to say on the subject. Well, for now at least.
One last thing: a friend showed me a draft of the first part of a fic about why unicorns have indigo horns. So happy to see a unicorn fic! Oh, which reminds me… I’ve been contemplating doing something to encourage more Biblical-based fics, a la Your Servant is Calling. An LJ community, a C2 on fanfiction.net… SOMEthing. It’s something I think should be done more often, and I want to do something about it. I suppose we’ll see.
Title: The Deplorable ‘Sue
Rating: PG
Summary: Charn may not have been destroyed in the way you think it was…
Me and My Writing
No updates today, but I’ve been thinking about my writing, and thought it best to get ‘em out there.I’ve spun out ten posted pieces so far, and as such I think I’ve come quite a ways. I can really see a difference between my earlier pieces and my more recent ones, and I believe that my style is really starting to define itself. A lot of my pieces focus more on emotion and thoughts than events, which doesn’t really surprise me because that’s what I like to read the most – something that really makes me feel something, not just something exciting that happens. I like things that make me feel for the characters, really get inside their heads. It only makes sense I’d write things like that myself.Another thing I’ve seen is that oneshots seem to be my forte. That’s kinda odd, because I don’t beta them, and they’re mainly the result of sudden urges to write that don’t want to contain themselves. I can’t quite put my hoof on it, but I think part of it lies in the fact that I prefer to be to the point. I don’t like being extremely roundabout about things, and with oneshots I can get a simple idea across in one piece. That’s not to say I’m not enjoying the long piece(s) I’m working on, but I think oneshots are my strength.
One more thing: I received a very nice review from a fellow fanficer I highly respect (she spins out AMAZING stuff) and realized something. My pieces tend to be thought-provoking. That’s a good thing, because I like thought-provoking things. Even my poems seem to do such, even though that may not have been my conscious reason for doing so. But now that I think about it, it really does seem I have an underlying reason for all my fanfics, whether I realize it at first or not. RoKM was just an idea at first, but as I write it, I realize that I’m really trying to portray the devastation and the evil that can come about through jealousy and envy, and what happens when we let it get the best of us. My LB fic was just a wondering of mine, but (when I finally get around to writing something worth posting on it) it’s turning into a story of the rare joy of a strong, deep friendship such as the one Tirian and Jewel share. Dunno what I’m subconsiously thinking as far as Solid as Stone is concerned, but I’m sure I’ll found out eventually. 
Well, that felt good. Maybe someday I’ll look back on this and smile about how far I’ve come since now. Or maybe I’ll laugh instead.
It’s September!
New month, and new opportunites to fanfic! Of course, I have to go back to school this month, too, but considering I didn’t get as much done during the summer as I thought I might, maybe it won’t have as much as an effect as I think it might. I suppose it all depends.Anyway, I’m a tad behind in my updates. First of all, I got a tad more work done on Solid as Stone, though not a lot, the other day. Secondly, during some contemplations I came up with not only an idea, but another oneshot out of it. I was thinking about some other fanfics I read and the brilliant battle scenes they write. Now, there’s a reason I kind of keep my distance from battle scenes, and that’s because I really don’t know the first thing about writing one. They say to write what you know, and let’s face it, I know next to NOTHING about battles. So that got me thinking: What DO I know? Well, math is a strong subject for me, but that doesn’t fit too well in a Narnian setting, now does it? The next thing that came to my mind was music. Ah, now there was something I could do something with! After some contemplation a little fic about Tumnus and his flute wove itself together in my mind, and thus my tenth piece, A Faun and His Flute, was born. I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. I never expected me to write anything about Tumnus, but he was the best way to get what I wanted to get out, out. And Lucy is such a joy to write! I wish I had the chance to write about her more often, but I do tend to keep away from the Pevensies, as I prefer to explore some of the lesser-used characters, such as Miraz, Tirian, and Jewel. Sometimes the frequently-seen ones are the ones best able to express what I want, though, and this was certainly the case.
Moving on, I think I’m going to attempt to actually get my plans for a few stories (namely, RoKM, Solid as Stone, and my LB fic) on paper… er, computer. You know, write down what I want to have happen, little chapter breakdown sort of thing, basically get all my thoughts together and down in one place so I know where I’m going. Also might work on RoKM today, too, or maybe my LB fic. Dunno yet. Lots of options, and only so much time to do it in, so I guess I’ll just play it by ear for now.
Title: A Faun and His Flute
Rating: G
Summary: Tumnus looks at his music in a different light, with the help of his friend.
