(no subject)

[popkin16]

I've been feeling so lackluster about all my fic ideas lately. I'm really not feeling the fic I started for the harlequin challenge, so I've been trying to come up with an idea that I do like, and nothing is happening. I've never been idea blocked before! It's incredibly frustrating.

Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on myself lol.

Comments

[melagan]

Sometimes a story just needs to stew for awhile. It's frustrating but it happens. Anytime you want to talk it over, you know where to find me. Meanwhile try dusting off one of your many other gems.

I seem to recall a dragon rider au....

[popkin16]

LOL YES. I do have my dragon rider AU to do still. And my sci-fi AU.

I think I'm just stressing because I want to get started right now so I have as much time to get it done. I write so slow~ Plus I really REALLY love harlequin fic XD

[selenic76]

Impatience is a problem of mine too at times :D I just want the story to be done! Then I stress both about it not being done, and not being able to write because I stress about it not being done, and you can see how this can turn into a vicious circle :)

Allow yourself a breather, don't push if it makes you feel worse. You don't want to start hating the story after all. Try that notebook thing, and doodle 'John ♥ Rodney' all over the front page ;) Or list all the things you love about Rodney, and why he has/is the perfect bottom :D Just have fun is what I'm saying :)

And like melagan said, you know where to find us! (we always have ideas for you!)

[popkin16]

Thank you! That's great advice, and I see you understand about the vicious circle, too :P melagan inspired me to look at some old ideas to work on for a bit and I found one that fits for the harlequin challenge! It's a soulmate AU. I've got to come up with a way to add some drama/angst though - perhaps in a "true to harlequin books" kind of way XD

I forgot to take a notebook with me to work on Tuesday (I also forgot my ipad). I'll be gathering my stuff for work tomorrow soon and I'll put my notebook right on top.

[selenic76]

Oooh, I love soulmate stories, yay! ^_^ I'm happy melagan could help you out. We can talk more about the story on Sunday if you haven't found your drama by then :)

[popkin16]

I may take you up on that. I have an idea, but I'd like a second (and third) opinion :)

[mific]

Oh hey, and the new Whatif_au prompt is Soulmates! Two challenges with one fic?! :D

[popkin16]

How long are the promots open? I would love to do two-in-one but I write really slow...

[brumeier]

The AU prompts don't have deadlines, so you can definitely do a two-in-one and just post it when you get it done!

[brumeier]

I feel you on this one. The entire month of May was like that for me. No matter what I tried to work on I was like...meh.

Sometimes it helps to read through WIPs, see if anything sparks. Or just walk away for a day or two, engage in something else creative.

Good luck with the Soulmates idea. I'm always down for that! ::grins::

[melagan]

Hot damn. This mean I can still try my hand at a western au? I really need to write a lot faster.

[brumeier]

It sure does! I'll update the Master Lists as new stuff comes in, regardless of when. Write that western! LOL! (I need to write mine, too!)

[mific]

That's the great thing with the Whatif_au comm. Soulmates will be the main prompt in June, but the prompts never close. You can add a work for them later whenever you finish the story, no need to wait for an 'amnesty' period or anything! Brumeier's the mod so you know it's a sensible set-up. :D

[popkin16]

*slams fist on table* SOLD. That's what I'll be doing then :D

[popkin16]

I like that it's so low pressure! And I do trust brumeier to do a good job :D I think I'll do a double challenge then :)

[popkin16]

Yeah, I've been feeling this way for a while. But an old WIP has me feeling excited again, and hopefully that feeling sticks with me long enough to finish it...

Thank you for the good luck wishes :D I really love the idea, but as always it's whether or not I can execute it well...

Good luck with your own stuff :)

[brumeier]

LOL! That's what I like to hear!

[popkin16]

I should probably check out the whatif_au comm to see how things are done first lol. Can I just post a link there when my fic is done, that kind of thing.

[brumeier]

It's seriously like the easiest thing ever. You post a link to your fic, tag it with the challenge number, and that's it! I add you to the Master List and voila. Each month is a new theme and you can take as long as you want to fill it. Or don't fill it at all, if it's not your kind of theme. Zero obligations.

[popkin16]

*_____* This comm sounds amazing! I'll probably need the full Harlequin challenge time, which means my soulmate AU won't be finished for a few months, but with the whatif_au prompts open...everything is working out so well. I'm excited!

[brumeier]

I set it up to be pretty stress free, because I know how much I struggle with deadlines most of the time. ::grins::

[popkin16]

I'm so picky about my challenges. I like a deadline to motivate me to actually work on the fic, but if the challenge is too strict then I just stress myself out. Which is why I think the whatif_au comm might be perfect for me.

[brumeier]

I try to motivate myself with a loose monthly deadline, because a new theme goes up every month. But if I don't, it's no worries.

[popkin16]

That's how I like it :)