And what happens? Yesterday, I had to stop typing because the muscles in the fingers of my left hand hurt so much that I could no longer hit the keys. I couldn't even move the mouse without pain. (I'm right handed but I use Leftie to control my mouse because I'm weird like that. Also, I can write and eat with my right hand while still doing computer stuff.) Anyway, I actually had to walk away from the computer because the temptation to keep typing was so strong. I went and read a book, but even turning the pages hurt. What with not being able to write, and now not being able to read in comfort, I felt deprived.
So it's official. I got an idea for a fanfic, and suddenly, it's taken over my brain. I can't stop thinking of it, I can't stop writing it. It goes around in my head when I'm trying to get to sleep at night, and when I wake up, it starts going around again. I've been writing more each day for the last week than I've written for, oh, I don't know.
And what happens? Yesterday, I had to stop typing because the muscles in the fingers of my left hand hurt so much that I could no longer hit the keys. I couldn't even move the mouse without pain. (I'm right handed but I use Leftie to control my mouse because I'm weird like that. Also, I can write and eat with my right hand while still doing computer stuff.) Anyway, I actually had to walk away from the computer because the temptation to keep typing was so strong. I went and read a book, but even turning the pages hurt. What with not being able to write, and now not being able to read in comfort, I felt deprived.
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My story is still trying to be a novella. I'm continuing to write it, but much of it is ending up as "tell" and not "show," a cardinal sin. Is it because I know I'm going to cut most of it out? It's rather depressing and not at all conducive to a good work climate. And I'm still not sure about the ending. I might have to change my original idea somehow, or find a new one. *sigh*
I've also been gripped by an idea for a fanfic, which further saps my desire to work on the story. Why is it so (relatively) easy for me to write fanfic, and so difficult to make the jump to fully original works? Am I going to be a fanfic writer the rest of my life, with a mere handful of fans and no money? Well, of course there's no guarantee of money even if I do manage the switch to original fiction, but still. The good news is that I have finished translating the book and have started on volume four of the series. At least that's one thing I can look back on and say I've done. Well, I was writing happily along recently, and then I realized that I was going to have to edit my story so severely that I'd probably end up cutting out everything I'd written so far. My goal is to submit a 5000 word story to Mindflights, not to write a novella, and I shamefacedly realized I'd written well over 5000 words without even getting to the meat of my idea yet. It was a very humbling thought, and a little depressing, too, knowing that I'd basically have to start again, and in a different place. I feel as though I have made no progress at all.
In happier news, one more day of translating, and I will be finished with the book! I have already ordered the next one (the last in the series) and will translate it for SecondSon, too. I hope it's helped not only my German, but also my understanding of storytelling, especially how to introduce concepts that will later be crucial to the resolution of the story. Random thought of the day: With the exception of strawberries, all the fruits that I like are either green or yellow. When I was young, I used to dream about being an astronaut, or being on a huge spaceship similar to the Enterprise, or helping to colonize strange new worlds. When I found out that being an astronaut here on earth requires more math than I was willing to learn, not to mention a level of fitness that I couldn't even imagine achieving, I switched over to dreaming about becoming a librarian, and travelling in foreign lands.
Now I dream about restful sleep and air conditioning. And becoming a published author, too, of course. It's just hard to concentrate when you're chronically tired. Sometimes I sit and surf the web without really reading the pages that I click on, because I'm simply waiting for it to be time to go to bed. Or because it takes me a while to finally overcome my inner sloth and start doing something halfway constructive. Despite all that, the translation is coming along nicely. I might even finish the book before the end of April. And I did four walks last week instead of only three, which would make me proud if I weren't too tired to feel much of anything. The story is making progress, too, though much slower than the translation. Unfortuately, I'm starting to wonder if I haven't run into a snag. I'll have to keep writing to find out, though. |
Melanie Goldmund
I've written fanfic under the name Zelofheda, and some original fic under my real name. Archives
September 2019
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