Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[nicksgal]

That's my thought too.  It's a fresh take on ideas that I liked without feeling like I'm just rewriting something old.  They were all pre-2003, so I guess they were fair game!

How many are left in the arsenal that could benefit from a fresh take?

[RokofAges75]

You're on chapter five already! Way to go! There's always time to write, especially if you feel like you probably wouldn't post it until summer anyway.

Thanks!  In fairness, I was already on Chapter 4 when I hit a wall with it three years ago.  I had to rewrite part of Chapter 3 and 4, so this is the first brand new chapter I'm starting.  Yeah, there's no pressure at this point, but now that I'm done posting Bethlehem, I do want to have something to update as soon as I can.

Now there's nothing left for me to try and hate it after I try it, haha. I've tried everything at least once... unless there's something I'm not thinking of. I'll take your word for it, but I think I'm firmly back in my fade to black camp. I spent most of the time thinking "Do people actually want to read this? I know Tracy said she doesn't care for them and she's the only person I know that's reading." and laughing and googling. It wasn't even racy synonyms, it was mostly verbs and adjectives, haha. As long as they're not impaling anyone, I say everyone use whatever synonym you like.

I'm a fan of fade to black too.  I was looking back at the few I've written, trying to remember what synonyms I'd used, and they are not graphic at all compared to the stuff on AO3.  The most graphic one I've written was a rape scene, which I guess goes to show my preference for horror over romance LOL.

Death by snail is on my immediate list after this little chunk of chapters. Possibly after the next one, depending on if it smooths into the next interesting bit I have or not. Guardian angel... there's more research to be done.

Yay!!  Hurry up, little death snail!

[RokofAges75]

How many are left in the arsenal that could benefit from a fresh take?

Here's list of topics I based stories around pre-2003 and have not recycled:

- Child abuse
- Painkiller addiction
- Ghosts
- Tour sabotage
- Girl band
- Suicide attempt
- Vampirism
- Brain tumor
- Giant comet on a collision course with Earth
- Long lost evil twin
- Childhood best friends falling in love
- Angels
- Robbery/hostage situation

I do have ideas written down that include tour sabotage, suicide, and a brain tumor, so I guess those have the potential to be recycled.  I already decided the suicide idea and the brain tumor idea are too depressing even for me, and I don't see myself trying to recycle any of the others, but anything is possible.

[nicksgal]

Thanks!  In fairness, I was already on Chapter 4 when I hit a wall with it three years ago.  I had to rewrite part of Chapter 3 and 4, so this is the first brand new chapter I'm starting.  Yeah, there's no pressure at this point, but now that I'm done posting Bethlehem, I do want to have something to update as soon as I can.

How many chapters would you like stocked before you feel like you can post it? If it's ten, you're halfway there!

I'm a fan of fade to black too.  I was looking back at the few I've written, trying to remember what synonyms I'd used, and they are not graphic at all compared to the stuff on AO3.  The most graphic one I've written was a rape scene, which I guess goes to show my preference for horror over romance LOL.

I figured I should write it like I'd write a violence scene if I was bothering to show the violence, so I guess it's decently graphic, but it could be way worse and it could be way less. I don't know! I just kind of decided ahead of time what body part synonyms I planned on using and then struggled with stupider synonyms, like "Is there a better way to say 'ripped his shirt off'? Because there's gotta be something else to say."

Semi-related, I think the only graphically violent thing I opted to avoid was some kid killing. I thought, "You know, I think this is where I draw the line. It's just a little too sad." So I summarized instead, which I hate but, it needed to be said, even if I wasn't going to show it...

I totally believe that due to your preference for horror. Team Dark strikes again!

Yay!!  Hurry up, little death snail!

Haha, post 2020, we all need a little more Nick deaths in our lives, apparently...

[nicksgal]

Here's list of topics I based stories around pre-2003 and have not recycled:

- Painkiller addiction
- Giant comet on a collision course with Earth
- Angels

I do have ideas written down that include tour sabotage, suicide, and a brain tumor, so I guess those have the potential to be recycled.  I already decided the suicide idea and the brain tumor idea are too depressing even for me, and I don't see myself trying to recycle any of the others, but anything is possible.

Painkiller addiction seems on the nose. I am intrigued by tour sabotage, but don't write the others if they seem too depressing.

Giant comet on collision course with earth could be an 1,000 Ways story.

Tag me in for the angels one on your behalf. I mean, realistically, what else would I write about after finishing an epic about demons?

[RokofAges75]

How many chapters would you like stocked before you feel like you can post it? If it's ten, you're halfway there!

I've aimed for around ten with the last three stories I've posted, and that worked out so that I was able to update at least weekly the whole way through without running out of chapters, so I guess that's what I'm aiming for again this time.  We'll see how I'm feeling about it when I actually hit Chapter 10, but yeah, that doesn't seem that far away.  If I stay inspired, I may be able to start posting it sometime this spring.

I figured I should write it like I'd write a violence scene if I was bothering to show the violence, so I guess it's decently graphic, but it could be way worse and it could be way less. I don't know! I just kind of decided ahead of time what body part synonyms I planned on using and then struggled with stupider synonyms, like "Is there a better way to say 'ripped his shirt off'? Because there's gotta be something else to say."

Semi-related, I think the only graphically violent thing I opted to avoid was some kid killing. I thought, "You know, I think this is where I draw the line. It's just a little too sad." So I summarized instead, which I hate but, it needed to be said, even if I wasn't going to show it...

I totally believe that due to your preference for horror. Team Dark strikes again!

It sounds like you have a happy medium!  Sit on it and come back to reread it later.  You may like it more than you thought.  (Or you may still hate it, in which case, scrap it.)

I agree about the kid-killing.  I only kill fictional kids, not real Backstreet kids, and even then, I'm usually not as graphic.  Song for the Undead was more on the graphic side, but again, that was for the sake of horror.  Team Dark all the way!

Haha, post 2020, we all need a little more Nick deaths in our lives, apparently...

LOL Killing fic Nick is a good way to relieve stress.

[RokofAges75]

Painkiller addiction seems on the nose. I am intrigued by tour sabotage, but don't write the others if they seem too depressing.

Giant comet on collision course with earth could be an 1,000 Ways story.

Tag me in for the angels one on your behalf. I mean, realistically, what else would I write about after finishing an epic about demons?

LOL Painkiller addiction is a topic I know I could write way better than I did the first time, which was beyond terrible, but not a topic I find particularly interesting.  That was an idea I wrote because a friend suggested it, not because I came up with it myself, and it shows.

Haha, I just remembered I had a giant asteroid on a collision course with Earth in my first pandaskunk story, so never mind - I did recycle that one (and parodied Armageddon).  But death by comet definitely needs to happen at some point in 1000 Ways.

You can have angels!  It's your destiny!

[nicksgal]

I've aimed for around ten with the last three stories I've posted, and that worked out so that I was able to update at least weekly the whole way through without running out of chapters, so I guess that's what I'm aiming for again this time.  We'll see how I'm feeling about it when I actually hit Chapter 10, but yeah, that doesn't seem that far away.  If I stay inspired, I may be able to start posting it sometime this spring.

Have most of your recent stories ended up being about 20 chapters? That seems a lot more brief than Broken/BMS. Maybe you found your gift for brevity over the years after all! Always sending inspiration your way.

It sounds like you have a happy medium!  Sit on it and come back to reread it later.  You may like it more than you thought.  (Or you may still hate it, in which case, scrap it.)

I agree about the kid-killing.  I only kill fictional kids, not real Backstreet kids, and even then, I'm usually not as graphic.  Song for the Undead was more on the graphic side, but again, that was for the sake of horror.  Team Dark all the way!

I'll probably finish up this little section, the before I didn't quite finish before deciding today was the day to write it and any little tweaks I have for the after that I've had finished for a while, and then sit on it. I have until the beginning of June to decide for sure!

I think that was the problem. They weren't Backstreet kids, but they were [spoiler]essentially Nick's siblings circa Nick age eight[/spoiler], and it just seemed ishy what with the ages and all. Plus that whole cursory celebrities thing.

I feel like horror is generally more graphic, so I wouldn't go into a horror expecting otherwise.

LOL Killing fic Nick is a good way to relieve stress.

I haven't had any major stress to vent with a Nick killing yet! Just an interesting snail death story. Am I doing this wrong? lmao

[nicksgal]

LOL Painkiller addiction is a topic I know I could write way better than I did the first time, which was beyond terrible, but not a topic I find particularly interesting.  That was an idea I wrote because a friend suggested it, not because I came up with it myself, and it shows.

Haha, I just remembered I had a giant asteroid on a collision course with Earth in my first pandaskunk story, so never mind - I did recycle that one (and parodied Armageddon).  But death by comet definitely needs to happen at some point in 1000 Ways.

Is it because there's not many weird side effects or life or death hospital scenarios? Aw, yeah, if you didn't come up with it from the beginning, it wouldn't be very interesting to you.

Oh pandaskunk, the best way to do fun parodies and use space danger! I should read those. Maybe that's how you recycle some of these: into pandaskunk.

You can have angels!  It's your destiny!

Oh noes! I didn't realize that when I came up with PBox in 2005 that I was accepting the quest to become a main character! Is it too late to refuse the call? haha I would be a really boring main character; clearly whoever thought me up has had writer's block for the past 10 years after I said "let's not write fantasy anything for a while."

lmao. In all seriousness, I've got demons, angels, elementals... What am I missing?

[RokofAges75]

Have most of your recent stories ended up being about 20 chapters? That seems a lot more brief than Broken/BMS. Maybe you found your gift for brevity over the years after all! Always sending inspiration your way.

LOL Maybe!  If I plotted the length of my stories over time, I think it would resemble a bell curve.  I got more and more long-winded leading up to BMS, which was 200 chapters (plus an epilogue and post-epilogue), then have progressively been working my way back to more reasonably-lengthed novels.  Undead was 120 chapters, Curtain Call was 90, Sick as My Secrets was 80, A Heart That Isn't Mine was 50, and Bethlehem was only 22.  I also had Secrets of the Heart in there between Curtain Call and SAMS, which was only 25 chapters.  I think My Brother's Keeper will be longer, like maybe 50, but not 100.

Thanks!  Same to you!

I haven't had any major stress to vent with a Nick killing yet! Just an interesting snail death story. Am I doing this wrong? lmao

LOL No, killing Nick can happen for any and all reasons, including pure entertainment purposes!

[RokofAges75]

Is it because there's not many weird side effects or life or death hospital scenarios? Aw, yeah, if you didn't come up with it from the beginning, it wouldn't be very interesting to you.

I don't know, maybe.  I did manage to work side effects and hospital scenarios into that story, but it still sucked.  I guess I just don't personally find addiction interesting enough to write about as the main plot of a story.  The original painkiller one was a Brian story, but I've never written one about AJ or Nick's substance abuse issues either.  They pop up in back story because that history is part of who they are, but it's never been a focus for me.

lmao. In all seriousness, I've got demons, angels, elementals... What am I missing?

Hm... fairies?  Mermaids?  (Ooh, your sea monster could be a scary mermaid, like in Harry Potter.)

[nicksgal]

LOL Maybe!  If I plotted the length of my stories over time, I think it would resemble a bell curve.  I got more and more long-winded leading up to BMS, which was 200 chapters (plus an epilogue and post-epilogue), then have progressively been working my way back to more reasonably-lengthed novels.  Undead was 120 chapters, Curtain Call was 90, Sick as My Secrets was 80, A Heart That Isn't Mine was 50, and Bethlehem was only 22.  I also had Secrets of the Heart in there between Curtain Call and SAMS, which was only 25 chapters.  I think My Brother's Keeper will be longer, like maybe 50, but not 100.

Those are a lot longer than I was thinking, haha. But, you know I like my 50 chapter stories. Do you see yourself finding a story that needs to be BMS length again or no?

LOL No, killing Nick can happen for any and all reasons, including pure entertainment purposes!

I think Nick would say otherwise (and PBox Nick), but that's part of the fun!

[nicksgal]

I don't know, maybe.  I did manage to work side effects and hospital scenarios into that story, but it still sucked.  I guess I just don't personally find addiction interesting enough to write about as the main plot of a story.  The original painkiller one was a Brian story, but I've never written one about AJ or Nick's substance abuse issues either.  They pop up in back story because that history is part of who they are, but it's never been a focus for me.

I think the personal demons bit is more interesting than the medical aspects of it.

Hm... fairies?  Mermaids?  (Ooh, your sea monster could be a scary mermaid, like in Harry Potter.)

You know, mermaid mythology is actually really interesting. At the moment, that joke is still just a joke in my mind, but who knows... Maybe mermaids was what it was missing.

I have no good fairy ideas. Realistically, how the demons in PBox function is more like how fae would function than how demons typically function. So...

[RokofAges75]

Those are a lot longer than I was thinking, haha. But, you know I like my 50 chapter stories. Do you see yourself finding a story that needs to be BMS length again or no?

LOL No.  But I never thought Broken or BMS would be as long as they were!  However many chapters it takes me to tell the story I want to tell is how long it will be.

[RokofAges75]

You know, mermaid mythology is actually really interesting. At the moment, that joke is still just a joke in my mind, but who knows... Maybe mermaids was what it was missing.

Did you watch that mermaid "documentary" Animal Planet did a while back?  It was called "Mermaids: The Body Found."  It was fake, but it was so fascinating.  Great science fiction that almost made it seem possible for mermaids to be real.