disgruntledowl

Another Year, Another Hammer Horror Yuletide:

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 20:28:24 GMT

Yuletide is a lot more difficult with a toddler, but I made it through! If you like Dracula or Hammer Horror, check it out!

Vengeance Made Manifest
4,480 words
by disgruntled_owl
for rosecake
Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandoms: Dracula Movies - Hammer, The Brides of Dracula (1960), Horror of Dracula (1958)
Relationships: Marianne Danielle/Lawrence Van Helsing | J. Van HelsingMarianne Danielle/Dracula
Additional Tags: Vampires, Blood, Kissing, Intoxication, Dubious Consent, Mentor/Protégé, Revenge, Hypnotism, Post-Canon, Blood Drinking, cursed artifact, Hurt/Comfort, Hammer Horror Universe, Romance, Attempted Seduction, Foreplay

Summary: As Van Helsing initiates Marianne Danielle into the world of vampire hunting, he shows her a trophy from his greatest conquest: Count Dracula. Thirsty for knowledge about this mysterious enemy, Marianne dares to explore this artifact on her own and falls prey to the insatiable vengeance that haunts it.

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Dear Yuletide Author Letter

Sat, 23 Oct 2021 01:30:05 GMT

Hi there (and sorry for the delay)!

I’m very excited that you’re writing for me for Yuletide. I had to take a few years off from the exchange, and it’s great to be able to participate again. I hope you have fun creating, and I can’t wait to read your story.

First, we can get those pesky DNWs out of the way:

Do-Not-Wants: cannibalism (vampires drinking blood is okay), bestiality, zombies, mpreg, gratuitous graphic violence, scat/watersports, tentacle porn, underage, non-canonical body horror, animal or child abuse. No dramatically different AUs (though missing scenes and canon divergence are okay). No reader inserts or stories written in the second person.

I’d prefer not to read stories about non-canonical infidelity or very explicit rape/non-con. Dub-con is okay. I understand this territory is murky, so don’t worry too much about crossing a line. I’m primarily trying to avoid extreme or violent situations.

Now, on to story likes and ideas:

Relationship Interests: I enjoy gen, het, slash, and femslash. Poly is less of a thing for me, but I am open to reading about it if you find it makes for a compelling story (especially re: the Woman in White). I’m particularly intrigued by romantic possibilities for older characters, sexual extortion, and power dynamics and imbalances (particularly between villains and protagonists).

Other Likes: Gothic tales, noir, intrigue, atmosphere, vampires, ghosts, period settings, spooky monsters, ruins, fairy tale motifs, folklore, nature (forests, deserts, oceans, shores, and swamps), villains and their motives and psychological characteristics.

Fandom-specifics:

Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon & Comics)

I love the autumnal melancholy of this show, and how it manages to be at once so dark and so pure. I found myself wishing I had more time in the Unknown, and would love a vignette that takes Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice on another detour before they make their way to Adelaide. (I have only seen the show and am unfamiliar with stories that might be covered in the comics, though please feel free to reference and build on those.) Other possibilities: more lore/backstory for the Woodsman, his daughter, the Beast, or the Unknown overall. I’ve wondered whether the Unknown can only be reached by those growing up, like Wirt and Greg, or if adults might end up there as well. Did the Woodsman live a life in the “real world,” and somehow find himself trapped in the Unknown through his own mysterious encounter?

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia:

Such a cool take on Gothic horror! I really enjoyed this book and would love to see more fic about its setting in characters. I enjoy the budding romance between Noemi and Francis, and in Noemi and Catalina’s relationship. I’m open to stories about the sexually charged conflict between Virgil and Noemi. (See DNWs: I’m more interested in the verbal sparring and mutual attraction between them, rather than their more explicit sexual interactions. I’m okay with references to the canonical body horror that takes place in Mexican Gothic, but I’d prefer it not be the centerpiece of the story.

Some other ideas:

- - Tell me more about Catalina’s experience first arriving at High Place and learning more about Virgil. How does she experience the environment differently from her more practical cousin Noemi? What is it like for her when she has visions in the Gloom? How does she learn about the healer?

- - How much deeper does Francis go into his botanical and mycological research? Does he access the ability to explore the Gloom in other places? Or does he have any lingering effects or mycological connection to the ruins of High Place that haunt him?

- - Do Noemi and Francis make their way to other Mexican locales that are plagued by the dark legacies of colonialism?

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

I love all the Gothic twists and turns of this novel, and all of the vividly drawn characters. My personal favorites are Marian and Count Fosco. I’ll admit I felt a thrill reading the scenes where Fosco admitted his admiration of Marian. I’d love a lengthy scene of Fosco attempting to seduce Marian, either our of sincere affection or a sinister desire to subdue her, as he has Countess Fosco. I really enjoy sexually charged clash-of-will scenes between heroes/heroines and villains (as I imagine many do). I’m also open to stories of Marian or Fosco in combination with other characters, and potentially other pairings/ gen combinations. There’s something to be said for the intense friendship between Walter and Marian or the profound sisterly love between Marian and Laura, especially when heightened by the dramatic events of the novel.

Dracula (Movies - Hammer)

If I have a consistent fandom, this is it. Horror of Dracula (1958) is my favorite cinematic version of Dracula. Christopher Lee's portrayal of the Count is at once terrifying and sensual, grand and feral. Peter Cushing is his match as the clever, noble, indefatigable Van Helsing. Also, the screenplay puts some interesting twists on the classic Dracula story, such as Harker going on a stealth mission to infiltrate Dracula's lair instead of just selling him real estate. Meanwhile The Brides of Dracula (1960) is one of my favorite movies, period. This sumptuous gothic film gives Peter Cushing’s Van Helsing more of a center stage than he had in Dracula, and he’s surrounded by many other compelling characters. (I love Van Helsing and Marianne, but the Baroness and Greta are captivating in their own rights.)

I'm sure I'll love anything you'd write for this fandom, but here are some suggestions anyhow:

- Van Helsing learning to fight vampires or discovering that Dracula exists

- Van Helsing hunting Dracula once before and failing, almost meeting his doom

- Van Helsing bringing Jonathan Harker into a cabal of vampire hunters

- Dracula plotting to expand his cabal of disciples, perhaps throughout Europe or other parts of the world

- Thrilling or fluffy Van Helsing/Marianne romance is great, though I’d prefer that neither of these characters die in the story. I’m open to other pairings as well (Van Helsing/Dracula, Dracula/Baron Meinster, Marianne/Gina, etc.), although Van Helsing/Marianne is my favorite. Gen pairings are welcome as well.
- What did the Baroness and Greta do when they first realize the Baron has become a vampire (if they did not call for a priest or a doctor)? How did they learn that his affliction is vampirism, and not something else? How does she trap him with the silver chain in his wing of the castle?

- Tell me about a time when the Baroness successfully ensnared a woman or man for the Baron’s consumption. How does she find the victim, and how do both she and the Baron lure the victim in? You could show this ritual happening for the first time. What internal conflicts and fears does the Baroness overcome as she commits to keeping her son alive, even if it means that others will die?

- What happens before the Baron turns the Baroness into a vampire and escapes?

Happy writing!

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Brides of Dracula fic, this time with actual Dracula!

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 02:26:40 GMT

Another Brides of Dracula fic! This one is admittedly sluttier than the last one, but does feature an ominous visit from the eponymous baddie.

Gambling with a Stranger

4,706 words

by disgruntled_owl

Fandoms: Dracula (Movies - Hammer), The Brides of Dracula (1960)

Relationship: Dracula/Baron Meinster, Baron Meinster & Baroness Meinster
Rating: Mature
Additional Tags: Vampire Turning, Gambling, Oral Sex, Hammer Horror Universe, Humiliation, Seduction, Manipulation, Pre-Canon, Horror, Vampires, Gothic,19th Century, Drinking, Aristocracy, Blood Drinking, Intimidation, Stripping

Summary: An exotic stranger suffers losses while gambling at a bacchanal hosted by the Baroness Meinster and her libertine son. The young Baron slakes his lust with the mysterious man now in his debt, but he discovers that seduction is its own deadly game of chance.

Alternate Summary: Baron Meinster plays fuckboy games and wins fuckboy prizes.

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Brides of Dracula fic (finally)

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 01:58:07 GMT

I realize I haven't posted here in almost two years, but finally finishing some Van Helsing/Marianne fic for the Holiday Horror exchange is as good a reason as any, right? I've been working on this a long time, and am happy to have finally gifted it to its recipient and gotten it online.

The Return to Chateau Meinster
17,059 words
by disgruntled_owl for Robber_Baroness
Fandoms: Dracula (Movies - Hammer)The Brides of Dracula (1960)
Relationship: Van Helsing/Marianne Danielle
Not Rated, Depictions of Graphic Violence
Collection: Holiday Horror 2020
Additional Tags: Vampires, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Hammer Horror Universe, Minor Character Death, Kissing, Fairy Tale Elements, Minor Canonical Character(s), Corpses, Vampire Hunters, Castles, Horror, Gothic, Post-Canon, Original Character(s), Diary/Journal, Forests, 19th Century, Vampire Staking, Death by Sunlight, Canon-Typical Violence

Summary: Though the Baron Meinster has been destroyed, his abandoned brides still stalk the forests near Badstein, pursued by the exhausted, vulnerable Van Helsing. Marianne Danielle must summon the courage to return to the horror-filled Chateau Meinster if she is to rescue the man she loves before it is too late.

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Short Story 100: #1-10

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 02:08:03 GMT

As of April 21, I’ve written up 10 stories for my Short Story 100 project, putting me at 10 percent of the project goal. For more info about the Short Story 100, check out this post.

It’s been fun to scavenge for short stories to read. I’m opening up long-untouched collections on my home bookshelves, exploring new sections of the library, and getting cool recommendations from friends (thanks, bironic !). I had a rough idea of where short stories were published before embarking on this project, but it’s been instructive to see where specific stories appeared for the first time, whether in print or online magazines or as part of author collections or anthologies. My “25 or more works written in 2000 or later” rule has given me a welcome shove outside of my classics comfort zone, and I’m discovering new authors that I enjoy, including both Caitlín Kiernan and Raymond Carver.

Thus far, I’d say my accompanying writing exercise for each story has been fruitful. I typically set a timer for 20 minutes or so and try to get through writing the synopsis, the logline, and other notes about things that occurred to me regarding structure, characterization, etcetera. While a complex story can take me more time to write up, I limit the amount of time I spend writing about each one so this overall project doesn’t become too overwhelming. Producing the synopsis takes up the lion's share of that 20-25 minutes, but this work sets me up to create the logline, which is the trickiest but also the most useful part of the exercise. My current challenge is trying to get ideas for short stories, so it helps to capture in one sentence what other people felt compelled to write about. I also appreciate the practice for when I need to write loglines for my own stories. Strong loglines make for good AO3 summaries, and when I write them in the middle of a project that’s lost its way, I can usually get myself back on track.

Based on the stories I’ve read so far, one trend has emerged: short stories are weird, man. At least these were. If they were pieces of music, they’d all be in a minor key. Even when they close on a hopeful note, their sense of uncertainty is what lingers in my mind. I suppose that as I keep reading, I'll learn whether this is a feature of the the stories I'm drawn to, or a more common feature across the board.

( List of Short Stories 1-10 (including loglines) )

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Writing Goals Update 4/7/2019

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 16:06:47 GMT

Status Update

I think I read somewhere once that writing lives go in cycles. Sometimes you can produce a lot, and sometimes things slow to a trickle. In the DIY MFA book, Gabriela Pereira talks about always keeping three parts of a writing life going in some respect: writing, reading, and building community. She adds, though, that each element's share of your time will grow or shrink over time. I write a lot for my job, especially this time of year. It's bureaucratic stuff, but it takes a lot of work to make it clear and to communicate what certain audiences (read: the feds) are looking to read. Lately, by the end of the day my brain is fried from playing word Tetris, which makes working on my personal projects challenging. So for me, this may be one of those times when the writing part shrinks and the reading part grows.

1. Words written this week: 879 words. I didn't meet or exceed my GYWO daily quota (411 words) any day this week.

2. Write 4+ mornings a week: Not quite...maybe two? I think I wrote for an evening or two.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved, but in the evening, with tiramisu and coffee probably way too late in the day.

4. Write two original stories: No progress this week.

5. Write to prompts for story ideas: No progress this week.

6. Post personal fanfic: Still chipping away at my Van Helsing/Hammer Horror fic, and wrote some excerpts for a long-ignored WIP and a future Dracula (Bram Stoker) fandom project.

7. Craft on My Commute: Achieved. More DIY MFA reading. I also read and prepared write-ups for a handful of stories for my Short Story 100 project.

What Else Happened This Week

1. Work, of the "10-hour day/work most of the weekend" variety.
2. Tried to be a good spouse. Fortunately, this included fun stuff, like listening for singing frogs in the woods and watching Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse.

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Clone Wars / Tarkin Feelings

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 02:37:11 GMT

Netflix reports that it will be removing Star Wars: the Clone Wars TV show from the streaming service on April 7. I feel like this is a threat they make about once a year, but as Disney expands its media empire, maybe this show is being snapped up for one of its streaming services. So, I'm frantically re-watching the final episodes of Season 5 (the Jedi Temple bombing ones), which are space noir perfection. Doing so reminds me how much I LOVE the Clone Wars Tarkin, who was so clearly created by a dedicated Cushing fan.

LOOK AT HIM. Those cheekbones, that widow's peak!

He's even better on video! Stephen Stanton's voice work is pretty good, but what really brings Tarkin to life is the way the character moves. He does the Cushing finger thing! I watched S5E18: The Jedi Who Knew Too Much and almost fell off the couch when I noticed it this time.

Damn, I'm gonna miss having easy access to this show.

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Writing Goals Update: 3/31/2019

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 01:59:59 GMT

Status Update

Aaaaand I am back to real life. Real life in the spring, which means work is a beast and not much is getting written. >_<

1. Words written this week: 925 words. I met or exceeded my GYWO daily quota (411 words) one time. I made my March check-in yesterday and am just over 16 percent of my goal.

2. Write 4+ mornings a week: Nope; I made it to three, max. I think I am going to start tracking writing during any time of day, just to see my patterns and determine if evening/night writing actually works better for me.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved. This seems to be the task I complete come hell or high water; maybe this because it comes with coffee and egg sandwiches.

4. Write two original stories: Nope.

5. Write to prompts for story ideas: mmmmmmnope.

6. Post personal fanfic: I didn't get any personal stuff written. I did make some more progress on the Van Helsing fic and I submitted two drabbles to the first 2019 round of the Multifandom Drabble Exchange (see multifandomdrabble). This is my third time doing the exchange and I've always enjoyed lt, both for satisfying tinkering I get to do with really short pieces Iike drabbles and because I can actually finish a thing, get it to someone, and enjoy the thrill of connecting with and being a recipient.

7. Craft on My Commute: I don't think I hit the "four commute legs" threshold mark this week, but I'm coming back slowly to the DIY MFA book and am rediscovering my appreciation for it.

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Short Story 100

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 02:11:56 GMT

The Idea:

Read 100 short stories between April 1, 2019 and July 31, 2019 to learn more about how to create compelling characters and plots in a limited number of words.

Where It Came From:

In the book Memo from the Story Department, director and film professor David McKenna suggests a self education program for screenwriters, which includes an activity he calls “A Hundred Plays in a Hundred Days." He instructs writing students to read 100 screenplays over the course of three to four months and record a log line and a synopsis for each one. By doing this exercise, a novice screenwriter would read the types of work she hoped to master, and she would learn about what makes them work through such focused reading. He closes the description of this exercise with this alluring line:

“Like any workout routine, it only takes effect if you do it regularly. But if you do the work every day, you will transform yourself into something you have never been before, I promise.”

For my pleasure reading I primarily turn to novels instead of short stories, but pretty much everything I write (and finish, anyway) is a short story. I read a lot about different writing techniques through my Craft on my Commute project, but it can be challenging to practice them at the scale of a novel. And while I intend to keep writing fic, I’d like to produce more original work as well, and short stories are where I’m likely to have initial success. There are several structural and character building questions about short stories to which I’d like to find answers, such as

What kinds of plots work at the short story scale? How much time do they cover? How complex do they tend to be? What kind of subplots are involved?
How much do characters grow and change in short stories?

Hence, the adaptation: the Short Story 100.

Ground Rules:

1. I can read a maximum of two stories written by the same author. (If I want to read more, I can’t count them toward my total.)
2. At least 25 stories I read must have been published in 2000 or later. (Otherwise I’d just be giving myself a crash course in ghost stories and Gothic horror fiction.)

3. The stories I read must be at least 1,000 words long.

The Process:

1. Read a story!

2. Record the story’s title, author, publication year, and an estimated word count.

3. Write a log line and synopsis for the story.

4. Record relevant notes about plot structure, character development, theme, or other topics. which may be in response to prompt questions. I'm finding some of these in the DIY MFA book.

5. Lather, rinse, repeat.

What’s Next:

On April 1, I plan to get things started. I have a blank notebook ready, and a bunch of anthologies I can use to find my first set of stories. Help me get off the ground here, friends: do you have favorite short stories that I should read?

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Writing GOals Update: 3/24/2019

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 02:58:24 GMT

Status Update

Hooray for annual late winter/early spring writing retreats! I got a room at a bed and breakfast in Portland, Maine and enjoyed a weekend away from my aggravating job. I would get up and write for a few hours in my room, head out in the early afternoon to write some more at a tea house, and then take walks until dinnertime. While a lot of the local attractions were not yet open for the season, the weather allowed for a few pleasant harborside or cemetery strolls. I also spent a lot of time in Portland's many bookstores; if you like vintage paperbacks (especially horror ones), you'll find this city a paradise.

1. Words written this week: 3,127 words. I met or exceeded my GYWO daily quota (411 words) three times, and made it past the 15 percent mark on my 2019 GYWO goal.

2. Write 4+ mornings a week: I didn't check this box this week, but the weekend mornings when I did write were lovely. My room at the bed and breakfast had a desk, a little floor heater, and a white noise machine, and it was lovely to be able to take breaks with a tasty breakfast downstairs or a relaxed shower. I've found on my retreats that I can sometimes get some leeway on when housekeepers visit by telling the innkeepers I'm a writer working in the room, although this time I got a bunch of questions about my work that I didn't really want to answer.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Couldn't get this box checked either, but I was able to make up for it later in the weekend.

4. Write two original stories: I finished that draft of my fairy-tale style GYWO Yahtzee entry and a first draft of an art-inspired flash fiction piece (see #5).

5. Write to prompts for story ideas: I ended up writing for a visual prompt at the Portland Museum of Art, which had one particular sculpture that I found remarkable. I hesitate to say more because I'd to keep the magic going with the story until I can get a second draft done.

6. Post personal fanfic: This was a pretty fic-intensive weekend. I got a bunch more written on my current Hammer Horror fic, though I spent a lot of that time trying to figure out how to give a particular character a convincing development arc. That's always an interesting exercise when writing fic: how do you force a character to grow and change when their creator may not have been that invested in them to begin with?

7. Craft on My Commute: Kept plugging away at the DIY MFA book during the week, though I gave myself the weekend off from all but guilty pleasure reading.

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Writing Goals Update: 3/17/2019

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 02:26:04 GMT

Status Update

This writing week went better than it had a right to, given my work schedule and other stuff going on in my life, but I'll take the little miracles where I can get them.

1. Words written this week: 2,260. I met or exceeded my GYWO daily quota (411 words) four times, and as of Sunday night I crossed the 20,000 word mark.

I'm finding that I can write words relatively quickly in longhand (about 500 on 30 minutes), but when I am entering things into the computer and revising, I slow way down. It gets tricky to balance making progress against my GWYO goal and actually finishing projects by completing second and third drafts that don't generate many new words (unless I find myself doing wholesale rewrites). Sometimes I am drawn to my GYWO goal, which often feels insurmountable and makes me feel guilty for not writing more, but I'll also look at projects I care about and know they need the kind of attention that won't get me closer to my desired word count. I'd try to make progress on both but most days I just don't have the extra time. I guess it's just a matter of figuring out how to work with that tension from day to day.

2. Write 4+ mornings a week: Made it!

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: A quick one, part of which I spent filling out a Congratulations/Best of Luck card for the executive director of the agency where I work, who retired later that day (and sadly, I can't count those words for GYWO). But! This coming Friday, I leave for my long-weekend, out-of-town writing retreat, so I'll be able to make up for any recent short sessions.

4. Write two original stories: I may have inadvertently started something that would qualify for this. I signed up for GYWO Yahtzee (admittedly, without thinking it through all the way) and received a set of five picture prompts. The idea here is that I'll write something for each prompt, and receive a score based on length and whether I hit on certain things during the story. I took a look at the first prompt, started writing, and just...kept going. It's a longhand first draft, so I'm not yet sure how much of what I've written is really usable, but it felt good to run with an original fiction idea.

5. Write to prompts for story ideas: Achieved (see #4). Essentially, I used one prompt to cover multiple writing sessions.

6. Post personal fanfic: I wrote a Van Helsing (Hammer) headcanon that I'm not sure I'll ever post anywhere, but am glad I have recorded for reference.

7. Craft on My Commute: My Gotham Writers Workshop course is over and I didn't really want to go back to the Story Grid, so I started reading the DIY MFA book by Gabriela Pereira (creator of the DIY MFA website). I've been really enjoying it so far. The early chapters are focused on writing productivity and on using the scientific method to identify writing practices that work for you.

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Writing Goals Update: 3/10/2019

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 02:22:32 GMT

Status Update:

Man, March always wipes the floor with me, but gotta keep on keeping on.

1. Words written this week: 1,721. I met or exceeded my GYWO daily quota (411 words) twice.

2. Write 4+ mornings a week: Not quite.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved, if not on time. I couldn't pull this off on Friday morning, but I visited a coffee shop on way home.

4. Write two original stories: No specific progress this week.

5. Write to prompts for story ideas: I did a couple of these about my character from my Gotham Writer's Workshop course, who is an original character but who is very much based on people I've met in real life. Character development baby steps, I guess. I did end up liking the 500-word or so pieces I created

6. Post personal fanfic: Some, but very little, going on here. Still, I signed up for

multifandomdrabble so you should see something from me before the month ends.

7. Craft on My Commute: I don't think I read or listened to enough podcasts this week to check this box. I read the rest of the lectures for the Character Development course. Next week I'll be transitioning back into regular books.

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Exchanges: Likes and Dislikes

Sat, 09 Mar 2019 22:09:11 GMT

You might be visiting my blog if you've been assigned me as a recipient in an exchange. Here are some details on my general likes and dislikes.

Relationship Interests: I enjoy gen, het, slash, and femslash. Poly is less of a thing for me, but I am open to reading about it if you find it makes for a compelling story. I’m particularly intrigued by mentor and student relationships, romantic possibilities for older characters, sexual extortion, and power dynamics and imbalances.

Other Likes: Gothic tales, noir, intrigue, atmosphere, vampires, ghosts, period settings, spooky monsters, ruins, fairy tale motifs, nature (forests, deserts, oceans, shores, and swamps), villains and their motives and psychological characteristics.

Do-Not-Wants: cannibalism (vampires drinking blood is okay), bestiality, zombies, mpreg, gratuitous graphic violence, scat/watersports, tentacle porn, underage, body horror, animal or child abuse.

Gray Areas: I’d prefer not to read stories about infidelity or very explicit rape/non-con. Given my relationship interests, dub-con is okay. I understand this territory is murky, so don’t worry too much about crossing a line. I’m primarily trying to avoid really extreme or violent situations.

Story Characteristics: I’m good with missing scenes and canon divergence, but I like to stay in the world of the story, so I’d prefer the story not be set in a dramatically different AU (coffee shop, high school, etc.). I'm also not into reader inserts or stories written in the second person. Also, I read a lot of fiction with dark themes, in large part because it's what I like to write. However, I enjoy receiving light and fluffy stories, too, not least because that style is a bit outside my repertoire. So, if you feel inspired to write something happy or silly, go for it!

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Writing Goals Update 3/3/2019

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 03:35:26 GMT

Status Update:

1. Words written this week: 1,058. I met or exceeded my GYWO daily quota (411 words) once. Last week I made my February GYWO check-in. As of 3/1, I was at the 10% mark for my 150,000 word goal. March is always a super-stressful month at work, so I don’t have much hope for catching up. I would like to meet the proposed March monthly goal of 12,740 words, but that might be a real long shot.

2. Write 4+ mornings a week: Achieved.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved. Turned my ankle on the way to the coffee shop, but I made it there and made it happen.

4. Write two original stories: No specific progress this week. I’m still writing scenes for my Gotham Writers Workshop Character Development course, though.

5. Write to prompts for story ideas: No specific progress this week. A lot of the homework for the Character Development course is oriented toward making lists or trying to capture the characteristics of people I encounter to day-to-day life. It’s useful stuff that’s getting me thinking, but it means that I don’t produce that much in the way of stories or produce many more words that count towards my GYWO total.

6. Post personal fanfic: No specific progress this week. I expect that I’ll be working on my recipient-oriented project for a while. Still, sign-ups open for Round One of the 2019 MultiFandom Drabble Exchange (multifandomdrabble) this week, so if I do that I’ll get the satisfaction of finishing something, however small.

7. Craft on My Commute: Achieved. I read Gotham Writers Workshop lecture content and listened to more Writing Excuses. I feel bad because I kind of want to give up on the Story Grid. The book is big and hard to trundle around, and I feel like the book would have been better had the author written it about two or three years after he did, and taken the time in the interim to think through his ideas more. That said, I’m about halfway through, and I am learning some stuff, so maybe I can force myself to push through to the end.

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Winter Raptor Adventure

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 03:46:40 GMT

This past weekend, Mr. Owl and I went a day-long winter raptor tour led by guides from our local Audubon Society. We went on a nine-hour epic quest all over Eastern Massachusetts, from Newburyport down to Middleboro, in search of birds of prey. We've been on a lot of owl prowls and haven't even heard a wild owl on those trips, so it was a real thrill to be able to see:

Bald eagles, young and old, swooping over rivers
A big black raven by the roadside
Northern harriers, rough-legged hawks, and short-eared owls all hunting in a field at sunset
Red tailed hawks everywhere
A Snowy Owl near a runway at Logan Airport, another in a coastal marsh, and a third one in a unexpected location

We were lucky to have the extremely experienced ornithologist Norman Smith and several other knowledgeable Audubon staff leading our group. Smith is well known in birding circles for his Snowy Owl rescue activities, in which he catches owls that are hunting prey at Logan and releases them at beaches on Boston's North or South Shores. (Sadly, owls found at airports in other places are sometimes shot to prevent them from being a hazard to planes.) Though I should have suspected it a little, I was surprised and delighted to find that he had secreted a rescue owl in one of the tour vans. When we got to Salisbury Beach, he took her out of her crate and allowed us to see her up close. He was able to keep her incredibly calm even though people from all over the parking lot were coming to take a look. Looking back at the photos later, I was shocked to realize that he had held her legs steady just above her feet with his bare hands.

The owl had kept a healthy fear of humans though, and flew off right away once he let her go. It was pretty magical to watch this majestic bird take flight over the beach and back into the wild.

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Writing Goals Update 2/24/2019

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 03:14:30 GMT

Helpful Resources:
- How I Stopped Sabotaging My Writing Goals: Confessions of a Late Bloomer by Andrea Jarrell at Writer's Digest
- Twenty Steps to Writing Great Love Scenes by Karen Wiesner on Writing-World.com
- Maximizing Writing Productivity While Working Full-Time by Audrey Wick at Writer's Digest

Status Update:

1. Words written this week: 2,450. I met or exceeded my GYWO daily quota (411 words) four times.

2. Write 4+ mornings a week: Achieved.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved. Unfortunately, during the date I discovered that my laptop may be dying, so I have mixed feelings about this event this week.

4. Write two original stories: No specific progress this week. However, I created a character and wrote a scene for my Gotham Writers Workshop Character Development course this week, so I did do some work in this family.

5. Write to prompts for story ideas: Achieved. I had to make a lot of lists for my Character Development course and I started doing some exercises from the book Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer, which features prompts and exercises provided by a variety of fiction (and perhaps also nonfiction) authors. The exercises in this book are similar to the ones in Steering the Craft in that they include a lot of introductory material and context, which I like.

6. Post personal fanfic: No specific progress this week. I'm still working on the same recipient-oriented gothic horror project from a few weeks ago. I wrote a first draft longhand and now I'm rewriting it as I type it up, and things are going slooooooow.

7. Craft on My Commute: Achieved. This week was a mix of Gotham Writers Workshop lecture content, the Story Grid and podcasts (DIY MFA and Writing Excuses). The Writing Excuses podcasts are particularly useful for commuting because they are about 15-20 minutes long (the length of a painful Green Line connection) and there a ton of them.

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Writing Goals Update 2/17/2019

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 23:42:45 GMT

Helpful Resources:
- #5onFri: Five Vehicles for Showing Emotion by Becca Puglisi at DIYMFA
- 7 Misconceptions About Revision at Writer's Digest
- 6 Tips for Reading Like a Writer by Chuck Sambuchino at Writer's Digest
- Want to be a Great Writer? Then Don’t Focus on Writing. (Do This Instead) by Sarah Cy at The Writing Cooperative

Status Update:

This was not a good week for writing, given work stress during the week and family stress over the weekend. But here’s an update anyway, because it’s important to record the weeks that don’t go well along with the ones that do.

1. Words written this week: 1,271 words. I missed several writing days this week and met or exceeded my GYWO daily quota (411 words) only one time. I kept going on my longhand first draft of a fic.

2. Write 4+ mornings per week: Nope.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved, thankfully.

4. Write two original stories: No progress this week.

5. Write to prompts for story ideas: No progress this week, but my Gotham Writers Workshop online course starts tomorrow, so hopefully activity in this area will pick up next week.

6. Post Personal Fanfic: No progress this week.

7. Craft on My Commute: Achieved. I continued reading The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know. More notes on this book to come.

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Writing Goals Update 2/10/2019

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 01:13:04 GMT

Status Update:

1. Words written this week: 3,127. I wrote every day this week and met or exceeded my GYWO daily quota (411 words) five times, up from previous weeks. This week I wrote most of a shitty first draft, as Hemingway would say, longhand for a fic in a Gothic horror fandom. I find that it’s easier to plow through a story idea when I write on paper as opposed to on a computer, mostly because it’s materially more difficult to tinker or go backward. I know my next draft is going to need a lot of clean up, which is intimidating, but my hope is that I'll be able to give every section of my story a consistent amount of revisions and edits.

2. Write 4+ mornings per week: Close but no cigar according to the rules I established last week.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved! I actually got my act together the night before and got in a whole hour-and-a-half of writing time Friday morning.

4. Write two original stories: No progress this week.

5. Write to prompts for story ideas: No progress this week—all of my writing energy went to working on the fic. I’m starting a three-week Gotham Writers Workshop online course on character development soon, so hopefully that will enable me to check this box in future weeks.

6. Post Personal Fanfic: No progress this week. I realized that the fic I'm writing is one that I'll want to give to a specific recipient because 1) they offered the specific prompt that inspired me to write it, and 2) I am really encouraged by the fact that I can find fans of the source material that may actually want to read it. The recipient I had in mind included the prompt in their recent Yuletide sign-up, so this may be a good candidate for the New Years Resolutions collection. Fortunately I have a slew of other WIPs that would meet the criteria for this personal fic goal, as long as I can make myself finish them.

7. Craft on My Commute: This week I started The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne, who also created the Story Grid website. This book is geared much more toward questions of structure than the LeGuin book. It also is written by an editor rather than a novelist. I've found it helpful to include books by editors and sometimes even agents in my reading list because they see a large volume of manuscripts and can common on patterns, particularly in stories that don't quite work.

I decided this week that this writing goal needs some structure, too. I can mark this goal complete for the week if I read a Craft on My Commute book for at least four of my 10 commute trips per week.

Helpful articles and resources this week:

- Interviewing Techniques for Researching Your Novel by Stephen Harper at Writer's Digest
- Character description: 7 ways to avoid weak imagery at the Now Novel blog

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Craft on My Commute #5: Steering the Craft

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 04:07:08 GMT

I needed to reach the end of Ursula K. LeGuin’s Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story to really appreciate the guiding metaphor for her book. I expected that this book would focus on how to construct a compelling story through plot, themes, and character, but the lessons she presents are more about how to understand, traverse, and reveal stories that already exist. Hers is not the first book I've read that suggests that stories are somehow out there waiting to be discovered and honed, as opposed to something that writers build.

While I still need to built up faith that I'll find the stories I'm meant to write, I'm glad I found my way to LeGuin's succinct, elegant guidebook. The text clearly defines and provides examples of the tools writers use to explore and uncover their stories: word choice, sentence structure, point of view, verb tense, and narration. If you have a rough idea of these concepts, but want to make that knowledge more precise, this book is a great place to start. Her discussions of verb tense and different types of narrators were clear and simple, and revisiting them in this essential way refreshed my thinking about how to identify and use these narrative elements. She delivers her advice efficiently and with a lot of charm (even when being a bit of a curmudgeon), which made the time I spent reading and learning from her delightful.

If you are looking for writing exercises, the ones LeGuin includes in this book are great. She introduces each with a clear description of what idea the exercise is designed to teach or demonstrate and provides examples of how to alter the instructions so you can explore a different aspect of the lesson. The subjects of the exercises range from word choice and sentence structure to exploring narrative points of view to managing exposition and backstory. One thing I like about her exercises in particular is that you don’t need to apply them to a work in progress. LeGuin provides a few simple scene or story ideas to help you get the most out of the exercise and the accompanying lesson.

While reading this book, I realized that I may not have ever read one of LeGuin’s novels. (If I have, it's been decades.) Friends, if you are a LeGuin fan, which of her books would you recommend to a new reader?

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Writing Goals Update 2/3/2019

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 04:01:56 GMT

1. Words Written this Week: 2,959. This week I primarily wrote brainstorming notes and draft text for my fic, which I hope to finish by the middle of this month. I achieved the daily word quota for my Get Your Words Out pledge level (411 words) three days this week. I also completed my first GYWO check-in for January. As of 1/31, I wrote 7,053 words, putting me around 5 percent of my 2019 goal (150,000 words). This is still behind where I need to be, but I did surpass the mini-goal I set last week (6,370 words for the month), given that I started the GYWO challenge about halfway through January. Gotta keep my head down and run my own race.

2. Write in the Morning 4+ Days per Week: Achieved, mostly by moving my Craft on My Commute reading to my ride home. I realized that I should have some more specific rules for this item. So, to be able to check this box, I need to write for 20 minutes or more before noon.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved. I also found a hotel in Maine for my late winter/early spring writing retreat so I now have a longer term treat to anticipate.

4. Write Two Original Stories: No progress this week (see #5).

5. Write to Prompts for Story Ideas: Achieved a little bit. I did one or two exercises from the LeGuin book but mostly focused on my fic (#1). I realized that I needed to reframe this exercise so it will be more useful.
( Thoughts and feelings about this under the cut )

6. Post Personal Fanfic: Some progress this week (see #1).

7. Craft on My Commute: I read most days this week and finished up Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. LeGuin. I also listened to part of Episode 234 of the DIY MFA Radio podcast, in whch the host interviewed David Corbett, author of The Art of Character. It was interesting to learn more about the interests and writing strategies of the author of one of the best (if intimidating) writing guides I’ve read. The podcast option continues to be helpful for this project because I carry a change of clothes and shoes to work during the winter (two on gym days) and sometimes it’s nice not to have to carry a book on top of everything else.

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Writing Goals Update 1/27/2019

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 01:15:57 GMT

Status Update:

1. Words Written this Week: 2,288. This week I mostly wrote for prompts and did some "shadow story" (documentation of "off-screen" events) writing for a fic I'd like to post around Valentine's Day/International Fanworks Day. I achieved the GYWO daily word quota for my pledge level (411 words) two days this week. I'm feeling a bit behind on my word count but I did start my pledge in the middle of the month, so I'll be satisfied if I can hit half the January goal (6,370 words) by February 1.

2. Write in the Morning 4+ Days per Week: Achieved, just barely.

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved! Going forward, I am going to try to wake up earlier so I can make these sessions a little longer.

4. Write Two Original Stories: Some progress this week. I started writing for an idea that I'm not sure will crack the 1,000 word story threshold I've set, but I'm interested to see where the concept goes.

5. Write to Prompts for Story Ideas: Achieved! I wrote responses to several prose style exercises from my current Craft on My Commute book (see #7). I also kept doing the art postcard exercises, which have been fruitful for me thus far (and give me an excuse to buy more art postcards).

6. Post Personal Fanfic: Some progress this week (see #1).

7. Craft on My Commute: Achieved! I started a new book this week: Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. LeGuin. I also listened to Episode 236 of the DIY MFA Radio podcast on writing on a morning when reading proved difficult. It was pretty good; I'll try out a few more episodes to see if I'll want to keep listening on a regular basis.

Helpful articles and resources this week:
- #5onFri: Five Steps to Creating Characters of Color by Andrea J. Johnson at DIY MFA
- One Simple Tip To Improve Your Description by Robert Wood at the Standout Books blog

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Howdy

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 03:39:44 GMT

Welcome to my journal! I live in New England, and I'm a novice writer and very amateur birder. Most of my entries here discuss my efforts to be a better writer. I also occasionally post links to my fanworks (see disgruntled_owl); review books and movies; and, every once in a while, write about my life.

One topic you'll see me write about from time to time is my Craft on My Commute project, in which I read books about writing craft and productivity. You'll find my current list of completed books under the cut.

( Craft on My Commute Books )

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Fandom Stocking Entries

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 03:19:07 GMT

Here are my Fandom Stocking entries, 'cause why not:

Conquered
723 words
by disgruntled_owl for calliopes_pen
Fandoms: Dracula - Bram Stoker, Dracula & Related Fandoms
Relationship: Jonathan Harker/Brides of Dracula
Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply
Collection: Fandom Stocking 2018
Additional Tags: Jonathan Harker, Brides of Dracula, Vampires, Gothic, Blood Drinking, Vaginal Sex

Summary: Once Dracula leaves for London, his women lay claim to his castle and to the victim inside. Now fully in the Brides' clutches, Jonathan Harker must choose whether to resist or to surrender.

AND

Turning Time
340 words
by disgruntled_owl for MiriamKenneath
Fandoms: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel - James Luceno, Star Wars - All Media Types
Relationship: Galen Erso/Orson Krennic
Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply
Collection: Fandom Stocking 2018
Additional Tags: Galen Erso, Orson Krennic, Missing Scene, Angst, Manual stimulation, Memories, Backstory, Betrayal, Hand Jobs, Intimacy, Tragic Romance, Minor Canonical Character(s)

Summary: Galen gives in to Orson's affections to keep him from discovering Bodhi Rook's flight to Jedha. But once he takes Orson in his arms, Galen succumbs to memories, desire, and a longing to change their fate.

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Writing Activities at Arisia 2019

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 21:45:41 GMT

This past weekend I attended Arisia 2019, an annual sci-fi and fantasy convention in Boston. The con program has a number of different tracks, including one specifically about writing with panels that include both writers and editors (more details in the pocket program here). I enjoy this track because it's like writer-advice speed dating. For the price of a one-day workshop at a writing center or adult-education school, I can get perspectives and ideas from lot of different people, who vary in terms of genre, experience, and role in the writing process. Here are some of the panels I attended and lessons I learned.

Tricks for Self-Editing: This leader of this small-group seminar described an approach where writers use colors and symbols to mark up hard copies of their manuscripts. She suggested that writers color code their sentences (or in novels, paragraphs) to make sure each sentence or paragraph is helping to achieve one of two key story story elements: 1) developing character or 2) advancing the main plot. It should also achieve one of these other elements: 3) advancing the setting, 4) advancing a subplot, or 5) establishing an emotional theme. She also suggested putting boxes of various shapes around potentially problematic words or phrases: adverbs, filter words, uses of the progressive or past-perfect tense. These uses may not be problematic in specific situations, but the boxes can help identify when certain techniques are being overused. As a very visual person, I like this sort of thing.

Writing Outside of Comfort Zones: This was probably my favorite session from the whole conference. The moderator,Smith College professor Andrea Hairston, did a great job of setting the stage by describing the importance of narratives to individual identity, how the narrow American mythology leaves the stories of some groups out and commodifies the stories of others, and how caricatures and stereotypes can become so ingrained that it can be difficult to distinguish them from character. The other panelists shared their experiences being black, queer, legally-blind and with having ADD or non-visible physical disabilities, experiencing sexual assault, or being an "invisible bisexual" (I know a thing or two about the last one). This prompted a lot of useful questions for me to think about in terms of creating three-dimensional characters.

( (more here) )

The panelists emphasized the importance of being brave and trying new things and that everyone almost certainly gets some things wrong in their depictions, citing examples from their own work. The important thing is to own, and not deny, your bullshit, and to focus on your next project and opportunities to do things better. The group also talked about how to find, vet, and appropriately use sensitivity readers (and the importance of not generalizing from one person's experience). They also reminded everybody to take advantage of museums and their staff: these are professionals that want to share the histories and experiences of particular groups.

The Past in Present Tense: Escaping Flashbacks: This was the most technical session I attended. Two grizzled veteran sci-fi writers and a novice writer moderator debated when, if ever, to use flashbacks and flash-forwards, and how else to successfully deal with time jumps.

( More under the cut )

The con also features a lot of other sci-fi and fantasy activities: book, movie, music and video game panels; costume contests; video and board games; movie, TV, and anime screenings; and the like. They also have some maker stuff. I attended a block printing workshop, which turned out to be another highlight of the con for me. I cut a mold and printed this design befitting my namesake.

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Writing Goals Update 1/20/2019

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 16:09:48 GMT

1. Words Written this Week: 1,470. I spent most of my writing time working on two fics for fandom_stocking, which totaled about 1,000 words when they were done. I also did a little bit of prompt writing (see #5). I achieved the GYWO daily word quota for my level (411 words) twice this week. I'll need to do a bit more to get my numbers up to stay on track, and will work on that next week.

2. Write in the Morning 4+ Days per Week: Achieved!

3. Friday Morning Writer Date: Achieved! My work week was trash and I was glad to have this practice as a something to anticipate and use to cheer myself up.

4. Write Two Original Stories: No progress this week.

5. Write to Prompts for Story Ideas: Achieved. I spent most of my morning writing time on the Fandom Stocking stories but I did do a few "postcard" exercises where I looked at some random art postcards from my collection and tried to come up with a story based on the images. I'm not sure I'd turn any of the specific results into longer stories, but I was intrigued by some of the themes that emerged.

6. Post Personal Fanfic: No progress this week.

7. Craft on My Commute: Achieved! I read for at least one leg of my commute each of my five workdays and finished James Scott Bell's Just Write: Creating Unforgettable Fiction and a Rewarding Writing Life. I'd recommend this one if you haven't read a craft book in a while and are looking for topics of interest; this one offers bite-size pieces of advice on subjects ranging from plot development to productivity to marketing, which may help you identify areas you'd like to focus on. I also bought a notebook to take notes on these craft books in longhand, which I hope will help me retain the information better.

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