drusillas_rain (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
drusillas_rain) wrote2011-03-10 12:15 pm
drusillas_rain) wrote2011-03-10 12:15 pm
On WIP's (tl;dr on Drow)
There have been a few posts about WIP's on my flist lately, some of which I commented on, others of which I just didn't know what to say.
See, I have a WIP that effectively became the reason I withdrew from HP fandom.
The background
I swore I would never ever post a WIP. I have binders and files of unfinished stories. I never participate in those "what's in your WIP folder" memes, because it would take way too long for me to list everything. I'm also a fairly slow writer. But then I came up with the idea for Drow - it was inspired by some art, and was only going to be a short one-shot, which then grew. I outlined it. I posted 3 times a week. And it totally worked.
Until I realized it was a trilogy.
The second part went pretty well - I wasn't posting as frequently, but with the outline, I was able to get through it.
Then came part 3, which is where it all fell apart.
It's all outlined. I still think about it at least once a week, even though it's been over 4 years since I last posted. At the time, I was going through a really rough time and as a result had really bad writer's block that last 2 years. When it finally cleared I wanted to write again, but Drow was there and I couldn't let myself write anything until it was done. Except, Drow still wasn't happening. So, I switched to original fiction. The occasional drabble. I've done 2 fests, that I never linked to my lj because it felt like a complete betrayal to the readers of Drow.
Betrayal?
The last chapter of Drow was posted in 2006 and I still get the occasional anon comment of "so, you gonna finish this or what?". It breaks my heart every time, because I hate when it happens to me as a reader. I've also distanced myself from HP fandom, which honestly makes me sad. I mean, I still participate in the online HP community, but in a "I care about your existence" kind of way. I've also embraced new fandoms.
Look, I know Drow isn't the best story in fandom. But it was the first story that I really let myself explore the kind of writing I wanted to do. I used to even discuss the plot points with a non-fandom friend over dinner and he was fascinated by the twists and turns, as were the readers.
So what now?
TLDR from above - wtf do I do now? How do I fix this?
Over the past year I've been working really hard on my output as a writer, both in fandom and original fiction. I wrote a holiday fest fic that's even been recced on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
crack_broom (so I guess it means it doesn't totally suck) that was over 10K. I'm working on submitting a 2nd original story to my RL critique group and that I hope to submit to a mentoring program for new writers. I'm blogging more in various places. But, I feel that if I ever want to move on and really be able to feel free to write, I need to finish Drow.
Your thoughts here
I want to finish Drow. I want to take the folder with all my notes in it which has lived on my desk since 2006 (even through a major renovation of my study) and do something with it.
But, how? Do I go back and re-edit what was posted and then re-post it chapter by chapter?
Do I just leave the chapters where they are and start posting it again section by section?
Or do I finish it and then just post it all in one big chunk on AO3?
Thoughts? Opinions? Rants? Hugs? All would be appreciated.
--
Ok, this is surprising. I actually feel lighter having written this all out. That kind of soul-bearing relief doesn't usually happen to me. But I want to make things right with the world and with fandom. Thanks for listening <3
See, I have a WIP that effectively became the reason I withdrew from HP fandom.
The background
I swore I would never ever post a WIP. I have binders and files of unfinished stories. I never participate in those "what's in your WIP folder" memes, because it would take way too long for me to list everything. I'm also a fairly slow writer. But then I came up with the idea for Drow - it was inspired by some art, and was only going to be a short one-shot, which then grew. I outlined it. I posted 3 times a week. And it totally worked.
Until I realized it was a trilogy.
The second part went pretty well - I wasn't posting as frequently, but with the outline, I was able to get through it.
Then came part 3, which is where it all fell apart.
It's all outlined. I still think about it at least once a week, even though it's been over 4 years since I last posted. At the time, I was going through a really rough time and as a result had really bad writer's block that last 2 years. When it finally cleared I wanted to write again, but Drow was there and I couldn't let myself write anything until it was done. Except, Drow still wasn't happening. So, I switched to original fiction. The occasional drabble. I've done 2 fests, that I never linked to my lj because it felt like a complete betrayal to the readers of Drow.
Betrayal?
The last chapter of Drow was posted in 2006 and I still get the occasional anon comment of "so, you gonna finish this or what?". It breaks my heart every time, because I hate when it happens to me as a reader. I've also distanced myself from HP fandom, which honestly makes me sad. I mean, I still participate in the online HP community, but in a "I care about your existence" kind of way. I've also embraced new fandoms.
Look, I know Drow isn't the best story in fandom. But it was the first story that I really let myself explore the kind of writing I wanted to do. I used to even discuss the plot points with a non-fandom friend over dinner and he was fascinated by the twists and turns, as were the readers.
So what now?
TLDR from above - wtf do I do now? How do I fix this?
Over the past year I've been working really hard on my output as a writer, both in fandom and original fiction. I wrote a holiday fest fic that's even been recced on
crack_broom (so I guess it means it doesn't totally suck) that was over 10K. I'm working on submitting a 2nd original story to my RL critique group and that I hope to submit to a mentoring program for new writers. I'm blogging more in various places. But, I feel that if I ever want to move on and really be able to feel free to write, I need to finish Drow.Your thoughts here
I want to finish Drow. I want to take the folder with all my notes in it which has lived on my desk since 2006 (even through a major renovation of my study) and do something with it.
But, how? Do I go back and re-edit what was posted and then re-post it chapter by chapter?
Do I just leave the chapters where they are and start posting it again section by section?
Or do I finish it and then just post it all in one big chunk on AO3?
Thoughts? Opinions? Rants? Hugs? All would be appreciated.
--
Ok, this is surprising. I actually feel lighter having written this all out. That kind of soul-bearing relief doesn't usually happen to me. But I want to make things right with the world and with fandom. Thanks for listening <3
no subject
Why?
Is it because you don't like leaving something unfinished? Do you feel somehow "obligated" to fandom to finish it? Do you feel that you need to write to be "truly" part of the fandom? Do you feel the need to "fix" it because it doesn't meet the standards that you now set for your work? Or is it because you find the story still compelling in some sort of way?
The last reason would be the only one I'd be responsive to. I know it's hard to let go of unfinished business but I think you need to give yourself permission to let it go unless you still find the story itself truly compelling and really want to continue telling it. Don't feel that you need to bow to fandom's expectations or the entitlement issues of strangers.
Just my 1.3 pence's worth. :)
no subject
You're right though that I haven't really felt part of fandom since I had to stop posting and had to take a hiatus. I've even been to cons since then, but have still felt like an outsider (beyond the personal relationships I had developed).
<333
no subject
But as to the fic, if you feel you need to finish the story, I'd recommend finishing it off rather than going back and editing what you've already posted. If you edit the old stuff first, you run the risk of getting tired of it or feeling overwhelmed. At least, I would if I was in your position. I'm not re-editing any of the old parts of the Fic o'Doom as I'm going back to it. I'd be ecstatic to just get a first draft of the bloody thing completed. :D