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[edenfalling]

In a fit of inspiration, I just finished chapter 3 of "First You Have to Get There." And chapter 4 is actually semi-planned-out.

These chapters are about 3,000 words each, and it's taken me 3 years to get this far. That's a chapter a year. (Literally, actually.) If I didn't know that I've been mostly ignoring the story, I'd be a lot more embarrassed by that speed than I actually am.

Now I get to print it and use the Editing Pen of Death! (I love saying that. Editing Pen of Death. It has such a nice ring to it.)

You know, if I weren't so easily irritated, a control freak, and such a lazy bum, I'd make a very good beta-reader. But I tried it, and I have no motivation whatsoever to keep a good schedule; also, I kept wanting to rewrite sections whole cloth. Which is okay for a writer, but not at all good for an editor. *sigh*

Anyway, with luck the chapter should be up in a few weeks. If I could just find some similar inspiration for "Secrets," I'd be a happy woman. Then I could start delaying writing chapter 8! *grin*

Comments

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

You know, these chapters are about 3,000 words each, and it's taken me 3 years to get this far. That's a chapter a year. (Literally, actually.) If I didn't know that I've been mostly ignoring the story, I'd be a lot more embarrassed by that speed than I actually am.

Whoa. I don't feel nearly so bad now. I think one reason I've stopped trying to do chaptered fics (besides the fact that I suck mightily at writing them) is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the feeling of being FINISHED that I get when I complete a ficlet/short story. I've done stories ranging from 400 words (which I did in 15 minutes) to 35,000 words (which took me 2 months, and really, the latter is more like a novella), but to me there's nothing like the feeling of being DONE. And maybe chaptered fics feel too much like "real life" or at least "work" to me; where I work, we've been working on the same stuff for 13+ years and IT NEVER ENDS, it's NEVER DONE. (Don't ask.) So the J part of my INFJ really loves the closure that comes from being able to say, Okay, that's it, I'm moving on :)

[edenfalling]

Heh. Well, I didn't ever plan to write the story in the first place -- it's the sequel to another story, and is in some ways more of a protest at other fics than an original fic idea -- so I've never been terribly bothered about getting it done in anything resembling a reasonable time.

Yeah, the feeling of completion, of just sitting back and knowing you don't have to work on a story anymore... that's a fabulous feeling. Which, actually, is one reason why I like chaptered fics -- I get that kick for each chapter. But I do write a lot of short things to fill time while I'm meandering through chapters of "Secrets," because it's nice to have things that are complete in and of themselves.