Seriously? Twelve years?

[ultranos]

After an off-hand comment by a friend while I was describing some of the plotlines in xaos, I decided to excise any last messianic archetypes lingering on the character of Ashura, and in the process fixed about 5 gaping plot holes. (See Also: I was a fucking moron age 13-17.) So I found myself today tooling on the xaos Master Doc (my handy bible of critical information for this 'verse). I've been working on this document on and off for the past 4 years, and I keep telling myself that once it's in decent shape, then I'll start writing. I'm starting to wonder if this is a mistake, though. Because the more I think about it, the more this story has been mutating and growing in new and interesting ways. And I can't possibly document all of them without, you know, actually writing the story.

I'm wondering if maybe the Master Doc is just an excuse. Because the characters are starting to talk now, and if I don't take advantage of that, maybe I'll end up waiting another 5 years.

I dunno. I had so much trouble with this the first time around because I didn't have an outline and then wrote myself into a stupid corner. And so I decided that I would have an outline this time around, but now the "try to make an outline" thing is utterly failing because the outline keeps changing (or doesn't even exist), and maybe I'm wondering if I should just give up and sketch out notes on how the universe works and then let the characters go.

By the way, it's ridiculous how much I cannot know about characters I designed twelve years ago. At least I now know why a certain character resisted all my attempts to pair her with a boy. (Seriously. TWELVE YEARS.)

Question for anyone reading: would you prefer I posted these things about original works (xaos, Wintermarch, "Taming Fenrir"-verse) under a filter? I'd kinda like to be able to toss snippets and plot ideas and background info around and have people critique them or offer their own ideas. (Or hit me with a clue-by-four when I need it)

Comments

[rydra_wong]

I am definitely on for sounding-board duties re: original fic.

[ultranos]

Awesome! (I really don't want to make the same mistake I did before when I was younger. That being "this is cool, I should put it in!" without, you know, thinking about it. I can only check myself so much! *grin*)

[havocthecat]

I'd love to see them, filtered or otherwise.

[ultranos]

Cool! I'm debating on filtering, mostly because I don't know how public I want to make these things while they're still in flux, you know? I'm trying to decide the best way around that.

[havocthecat]

Yeah, I know. The last time I posted stuff that was remotely like original fiction (an au I was pondering filing some serial numbers off of), I had someone say, "Gosh, I'm going to write that as original fic!"

...to say I was displeased would be mild. So I totally get filtering it.

[ultranos]

...*headdesk* What. I do not understand some people, Havoc.

Yeah, I mean, I don't exactly have a huge flist, and I pretty much trust all you all on it, but, well, some of these have been in my head for almost half my life at this point, and I'd be full of rage if someone even thought about stealing them. (Possessive Nos is possessive.)

[auguris]

So hey I left this comment window open for the whole weekend and forgot about it. Go me!

I would not be against such a filter. You know I like writerly bits.

[ultranos]

I've done that before. /o\

I would not be against such a filter. You know I like writerly bits.

This surprises me not at all. YOU KNOW ME TOO WELL.

(TWELVE YEARS. AND I FINALLY EXCISED ALL THE STUPID OUT OF XAOS.)