writing update: Today I Learned

[a_flyleaf]

• There is really no inspiration nudge quite like getting away from a screen, whipping out the Actual Physical Notebook, and repeating a mantra like “it doesn’t have to be good it just has to be written.” Internal screaming over the discombobulation of it all is inevitable. But writing will happen!!
• Sometimes ideas that sound really $adjective are actually not $advective at all, or at least much less than they were in your head. But also sometimes they are extremely $adjective, just in an entirely different way. Only one way to find out: get! it out! of your head!!!

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Did I say I’d be doing this every day I had an update? Apparently by that I meant, instead, every day I have something substantial to share. Every day I actually write, and not just read?? Idek.

search of re

So I had two goals written out last round: 1) read some examples of the AU/genre, and 2) dig into the historical context more. 2’s been going well enough, I think; I now have nonzero information about the author whose name is basically synonymous with the genre, and also about stuff that inspired him! The thematic tenets are, at least on paper, very much down.

1 is more in progress. Thus far I have read two stories, the first being one of the author’s earliest (and also not having basically any hallmarks of the genre, but oh well), and the second being a story by a writer he cited as inspirational (which is also more or less unrelated to the genre, having come long before and all, but one of the thematic cornerstones is very much There). It turns out, by the by, that the pop culture version of this genre, with Expanded Lore and the stuff of Hollywood, was… apparently more other writers’ inventions? and that such elements, to the OG author, were more plot devices than independent fixtures in their own right?? wild.

Take that with Much Salt, as I haven’t actually read any of the defining stories yet (priorities, right) so I am probably mischaracterizing things. It is kind of amusing to me, though; this idea that like, “allegorical monster movie gets cheap sequel that amps up the Wow, Cool Monster to the complete disregard of theme” is not remotely unique or new to Hollywood.

actual writing

Y’know how I said I had two ideas, one darker that I was leaning away from? Yeah nah that’s the main one now, the (relatively) lighter concept was(/is, still) cool in theory but no particular story Hooks were coming to mind. On the other hand, earlier today I was like “fuck it, let’s write the dark idea; if it sucks it sucks but at least I’ll know” and then lo and behold I like it more. It even makes the AU aspects less window-dressing-y 🥳

It’s also somehow not aaaaaas dark as it was in my head?? Or at least, uh, the initial idea was heavier, but after scrawling out a draft those aspects turned heavily subtextual. IDK. Major rewrites are necessary but it’s good to have something to actually, like, revise.

up next?

• read more actual genre stories, historical and maybe also fic-y
• use ^that knowledge to fill some holes
• keep!! writing!!!!!

P.S. the first idea would actually be a viable “sequel” here, but for scope’s sake we’re ignoring that. I will prattle about that once the thing’s done, probably.