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[RokofAges75]

When I wrote, I tried to do my best to make almost every story a Group story. Giving them as much equal time as possible by alternating chapters for each boy. The reason I did that was because I wanted to make sure that no matter who you considered your favorite, they would be equally featured in the story, thereby having people want to read it regardless how the plot ended up going. In that aspect I was a very one trick pony and most of my stuff was Nick centered but by the time people realized that, they had already invested their time in it lol

I believe the only story I ever wrote which didn’t include everyone was Fly Fishing and I knew from the get-go it was going to be a Kevin and Nick story. I felt most comfortable writing in their voices so it was a no brainer for me. The biggest issue with that one was just trying to figure out why. I almost revisited the idea of having them compete on Amazing Race but I knew I’d have to do too much research on places and I was far too lazy to do that so I went with something I could totally see Kevin doing which was fishing.

I have written stories where each one of the boys took center stage. The hardest was Howie, which was also the worst (Sorry Howie) my most popular though was Brian ironically lol

[nicksgal]

Honestly, I have no idea. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a concert but the last one I went too yes, they did all those things. I think the last time I saw them Eva was just born so it’s been a minute lol

I think it's getting better! There's hope! Or at least in Colorado, so you should probably just come here.

I agree with all of this except the choreography.  I love when they dance!  But definitely no backup dancers, just the boys.

Same! Can't give up the Boys dancing. Could do without backup dancers.

[Rose]

Yeah team dancing Boys lol.

I think had Kevin never left some things would've still happened. The cruises though, I wonder lol.

[nicksgal]

Man, AJ is such a good influence. I was trying to write his scene instead of finishing something with a slightly sooner due date, since I knew that other thing wouldn't take too long. Even though I knew what to write, it just wasn't flowing right. Then I decided to finish up the other thing to pass the time and now it's fine. Oh, AJ. I wish Nick was a good influence instead of picky, loud, and chatty.

Anyway! Trying to think of a new writing topic! If anyone else has something they're dying to talk about, I'm ready to participate!

[RokofAges75]

I have also been trying and failing to come up with discussion topics, but I did find a list of ten questions every fic writer secretly wants to be asked. (https://wyseink.tumblr.com/post/164167799585/10-questions-every-fic-writer-secretly-wants-to-be).  I think these are all meant to be answered about whatever story you answer for #1.


1. Of the fics you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

2. Which scene was your favorite to write in [title of fic]?

3. Which part of [title] was hardest to write?

4. If you could change anything in [title], what would it be?

5. Did you make an outline for [title]? Did you stick to it?

6. Which scenes did you cut, and which were added in [title]?

7. Who was your favorite character to write in [title]?

8. Which came first, the title or the fic?

9. Which idea came to you first in [title]?

10. What are some facts readers may not know about [title]?

[nicksgal]

I have also been trying and failing to come up with discussion topics.

I actually panicked and thought "Have we run out of things to talk about? Oh no!"

And then I started going through every literary thing I knew. Did we talk about themes and motifs yet? Would anyone talk about those without considering them spoilers? Conflicts? Heroes vs villains? And every stupid question I could think of. What line spacing do we use when writing? How productive is everyone with a few cocktails? Long sleeves or sweatshirts? Hair up or down? And questions about the Boys. Who gets the most sympathy in a story? Who's most likely to be evil if one of them needs to be evil? When will there be a Howie trend?

And then I thought "Well, I guess it's better to have no ideas for discussion questions than no ideas for writing. Maybe everyone's just busy writing."

The typical weekend question still stands: How's it going for everyone?

Also, April Camp NaNo is coming up if anyone wanted to hang out in the writing group I made for July's Camp and set some April goals. Our writing group is also missing a header and an icon if anyone's feeling creative.

[nicksgal]

1. Of the fics you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

Am I the right person to answer these? Because it's clearly PBox. I have nothing new to say, haha.

2. Which scene was your favorite to write in PBox?

Let's see... I've long professed my love of the ch. 43 ("Wishes")/44 ("Disciple") chunk. Ch. 33 "Abyss" was always one of my favorites too. Thinking over the edit I did, there's a couple that I really enjoyed adding or adding to, like a bunch of expansions to the early Nick & Brian banter and some of the rewrites I did in the end for the individual Boy-focused chapters and the ending battle scenes. I'm trying to think of anything I'd post a snippet from, that wouldn't delve into too spoilery territory... Apparently, I'm totally fine just stating things as facts that are spoilers, but posting sections, I'm not. Weird. Oh, I know two:

• Chapter Eleven: To Emeradotouhou: Nick and Minako play this game they've dubbed "you ask, I answer" and the whole scene was fun to add to their little bond. While there's some emotionally heavy stuff, the gem from the first instance of it is:
  
  

  She smiled. “My turn…”
  
  “Minako, I really don’t remember…”
  
  “You have wings, so I’m assuming you can fly. How do you know how to ride a horse if you could just fly?”
  
  Nick was silent for a moment as he pulled the horse’s reins and walked it in a circle until it came to a stop.
  
  “Unless you can’t fly?”
  
  Nick’s shoulders shook.
  
  Minako gripped his chest. “Nick… Are you…?”
  
  It was quiet at first, but rather than the crying she expected, she was interrupted by his laughter. As he continued to laugh, he leaned his head down and the sound grew louder, purer, and more joyful.
  

• Chapter Twenty-Three: Connected: There's a new part at the beginning that I wrote mostly to add some lightheartedne ss into the increasingly dark story. I'm apparently mostly sharing "things that make me laugh, but everyone else probably doesn't care about. So here's some snippets of the "Priestess of Cats" section and "Kevin discusses salves."
  
  

  He let go of Minako’s hand and raised his finger in the air. “Ah! While you and Nick were away we received a report of missing livestock. While most were found in various fields, a kitten proved rather elusive. It was eventually found at the palace near the quarters you had been using. A lady’s maid called out that it was a kitten, however, one of the nobles thought it was Nick yelling at you and remarked that he was ‘rather rude to shout at Her Eminence’.”
  
  Minako squeezed Nick’s hand as she giggled.
  
  Nick continued to smile at her gently. Wait… a kitten… He frowned in confusion. “I wouldn’t yell at Minako…”
  
  Minako leaned against him and continued to laugh. Brian also began laughing heartily. Howie and Kevin began laughing shortly afterward.
  
  Nick crossed his arms. “...Anymore…” He hunched his shoulders and mumbled. “Also why would I call her a kitten?”
  
  The others continued to laugh loudly until Howie cleared his throat.
  
  “The kitten, of course, was returned to its residence with esteemed honors and deemed a savior from mice.”
  
  Minako continued giggling. “I’m glad you found the priestess of cats, Howie.”
  

  
  

  He smiled. “In addition to using demonic healing methods, I am trained in human healing methods, so I like to practice making medicines and salves.”
  
  “Salves?” Minako cocked her head.
  
  “Medicinal ointments.” He reached into his tunic and pulled out a small container then pulled off its lid. “They help soothe wounds as they heal and disinfect.” He held it out to Minako and Nick.
  
  Minako sniffed it hesitantly as Nick tore his hand from hers and hurriedly covered his nose and mouth with both hands as he hunched into himself.
  
  “Yes, it’s quite potent if you’re not used to it.” Kevin chuckled as he closed the container again.
  
  “It’s not that bad.” Minako frowned. “What’s in there? Honey?”
  
  He smiled. “Beeswax and honey are two of the main ingredients, Minako, very perceptive. Demons have a keen sense of smell compared to humans, so what you’re smelling is the combination of the ingredients with the stronger scents more detectable. What Nick’s smelling is the combination of ingredients, the individual ingredients, and possibly traces of my scent from making it.”
  
  Minako continued to frown, her gaze fixed on Kevin. “Do you all smell different from each other?”
  
  He nodded as he put the container back inside his tunic. “A little. Demons with different powers will smell different. The more similar two demons are, the more they smell the same.”
  

3. Which part of PBox was hardest to write?

Ooh, we're back to "I have nothing new to say." The end, because of all the death... But especially Brian's. Spoilers as facts! That was a long six month hiatus from writing PBox.

4. If you could change anything in PBox, what would it be?

Well, considering a did an overhaul edit, lots of things! But for the story as is, I did not remove anything that was already there unless I replaced it with something else that had a similar basic structure and intent to the original. Even the sections with larger overhauls, the premise of what happens stayed the same, even if the words changed or expanded.

In the OF version of it, there's even more hack and slash, but two big things stand out. First, there are portions where one chapter ends and another begins with different viewpoints on the same event. I call this an unfortunate product of posting as a serial and have plans to either combine these sections into one chapter or do away with the less interesting one entirely. The other major change is where the story starts, which is Ch. 2 "The Hidden Demon." Since, as you know, somewhere along the way someone decided that it was his story most of all. And if it's Nick's story, he should probably be in the first chapter. It's honestly probably where I would start it from now anyway, but as I said above, chapter-to-chapter the premise remains the same after the overhaul edit.

5. Did you make an outline for PBox? Did you stick to it?

Nope! Not until the end when I had very specific plans. Then we all got to enjoy the staying power of "Kevin's power to heal is awesome. Also there's plants." Which is obviously a great outline. I know everyone's feelings on "I suck at summaries, lol," but how does everyone feel about "I suck at outlines, lol"? Because, yup.

6. Which scenes did you cut, and which were added in PBox?

I feel like these questions assume that major revisions happen before these fanfics are posted at all, haha. I cut nothing in the original run! Everything I wrote continued to exist. I'd call the edit more "cut and replace plus add" so on a scene level, a lot of things ended up very different than the original version (even the ch. 1-9 edits I did way back when).

Added... most of ch. 10 is pretty different in the details, ch. 11 got that aforementioned "you ask, I answer" game, ch. 12 got Minako focusing on Nick/Nick focusing on Minako/more Brian that it didn't have before, ch. 13 got more Nick & Brian goodness, ch. 23 got a whole BSB focused scene added (which you saw some snippets of)... Those are the bigger ones I can think of, but every chapter changed in some way during the edit.

7. Who was your favorite character to write in PBox?

Oh look, another question where I feel that I have nothing new to contribute. You're still my favorite, Nick.

8. Which came first, the title or the fic?

Both concurrently? It definitely had a title before I finished writing it, but the idea came before the title.

9. Which idea came to you first in PBox?

Nothing that actually ended up in the narrative, but the image of demon Nick carrying a girl and a box feels like it would be from the end of the story?

10. What are some facts readers may not know about PBox?

I already shared my "why Nick doesn't wear shoes" fun fact and I've talked about so many things in my updates thread or this one that would be things worth mentioning. Anything else I can think of feels like it would spoil PNecklace, so... I literally can't think of anything.

I think Howie's individual chapter (ch. 34) was the first one I wrote on my first laptop. Everything prior to that was written on ancient desktop that I still have the tower from. You know, just in case I ever want to figure out how to rescue all the old fanfics on it. But that's a pretty boring fact?

[RokofAges75]

I actually panicked and thought "Have we run out of things to talk about? Oh no!"

And then I started going through every literary thing I knew. Did we talk about themes and motifs yet? Would anyone talk about those without considering them spoilers? Conflicts? Heroes vs villains?

Those could all be good topics if you want to turn them into questions.

As for your "stupid" ones...

What line spacing do we use when writing?
1.15 (Google Doc's default)

How productive is everyone with a few cocktails?
Usually not.  I will occasionally have a drink while writing, but alcohol tends to make me sleepy.  I'm much more productive with caffeine.

Long sleeves or sweatshirts?
Sweatshirts in winter, t-shirts in summer.

Hair up or down?
Down - mine's usually too short to pull up.

Who gets the most sympathy in a story?
Nick... because he's usually most in need of sympathy from us torturing him so much.

Who's most likely to be evil if one of them needs to be evil?
Hm... I really haven't read many stories where one of them is evil, but it seems like it would be Howie or Brian - the sweet ones, the ones you'd least suspect.

When will there be a Howie trend?
At this point, probably never.  Sorry, Howie.

The typical weekend question still stands: How's it going for everyone?
Pretty good!  I worked on Chapter 6 of My Brother's Keeper this morning and am back to working on it again.  I've basically finished rewriting the parts I needed to rewrite and piecing in the parts from the old version I still wanted to use, so I'm finally ready to move the story forward, which is exciting after being stuck in the same place for three years.

How's it going for you, Dee?

[nicksgal]

As for your "stupid" ones...

"Random" is probably a better word than "stupid", but line spacing is much less interesting than font choice, haha.

Who gets the most sympathy in a story?
Nick... because he's usually most in need of sympathy from us torturing him so much.

Who's most likely to be evil if one of them needs to be evil?
Hm... I really haven't read many stories where one of them is evil, but it seems like it would be Howie or Brian - the sweet ones, the ones you'd least suspect.

When will there be a Howie trend?
At this point, probably never.  Sorry, Howie.

It's true, Nick is the king of uneven sympathy.

I feel like Howie usually ends up evil? Unless I'm projecting 00Carter on everything else I vaguely remember? Maybe "evil Howie" is the new trend.

The typical weekend question still stands: How's it going for everyone?
Pretty good!  I worked on Chapter 6 of My Brother's Keeper this morning and am back to working on it again.  I've basically finished rewriting the parts I needed to rewrite and piecing in the parts from the old version I still wanted to use, so I'm finally ready to move the story forward, which is exciting after being stuck in the same place for three years.

How's it going for you, Dee?

Morning and evening working? That is productive writing! That's great that you were able to utilize parts you'd already written and cut. And now you get to keep going. Getting unstuck after so many years is a wonderful feeling, no?

I finished ch. 28, have a general idea of what needs to happen in ch. 29, then it looks like it might be time to work in my next chunk of "interesting bits." After that, I have a loose plan for the last 20ish chapters (depending on how much chapter space those pre-written interesting bits take), so it feels kind of like winding down. I even have the last line of the story planned. But also not winding down at all because then I already have pieces of the final book written.

Outside of PNecklace, over the past week and a half, I wrote the first two scenes of Death by Snail.

In general, I've had a productive day. Did some laundry, did some cleaning, exercised, wrote. I think I'm happy it's semi-consistently warm again, haha.

[RokofAges75]

1. Of the fics you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

Am I the right person to answer these? Because it's clearly PBox. I have nothing new to say, haha.

LOL You're the perfect person to answer these because they're designed to all be about one story, and of course you would pick PBox.

I'm apparently mostly sharing "things that make me laugh, but everyone else probably doesn't care about. So here's some snippets of the "Priestess of Cats" section and "Kevin discusses salves."

The first two snippets you shared were cute!  The third one made me think of the scene from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when they're smelling the love potion in Potions class, and it smells different to each person depending on what they're most attracted to.  I was waiting for a description of what each demon Backstreet Boy smells like LOL.

I know everyone's feelings on "I suck at summaries, lol," but how does everyone feel about "I suck at outlines, lol"? Because, yup.

LOL Even as an outline person, I think it's okay to suck at outlines or not need to use them at all.  No one else sees that part, so no one else would even know.  Whereas "I suck at summaries" makes it look like you're not only flying by the seat of your pants, but you also have no idea which direction you're going.

I feel like these questions assume that major revisions happen before these fanfics are posted at all, haha. I cut nothing in the original run! Everything I wrote continued to exist. I'd call the edit more "cut and replace plus add" so on a scene level, a lot of things ended up very different than the original version (even the ch. 1-9 edits I did way back when).

Yeah, I thought that was pretty presumptuous of the questions too, considering most fanfics - at least in our fandom - don't seem to undergo major revisions before being posted.  Your overhaul of PBox is the exception rather than the rule.  We're lucky if people even bother to proofread before posting LOL.  I wonder if that's different in other fandoms?

8. Which came first, the title or the fic?

Both concurrently? It definitely had a title before I finished writing it, but the idea came before the title.

This makes me wonder if anyone actually comes up with a title first and then creates a story idea to go with it... or if anyone writes an entire story before finalizing the title.

I think Howie's individual chapter (ch. 34) was the first one I wrote on my first laptop. Everything prior to that was written on ancient desktop that I still have the tower from. You know, just in case I ever want to figure out how to rescue all the old fanfics on it. But that's a pretty boring fact?

I just got a new desktop computer for Christmas and saved my old one too.  It still has videos on it that wouldn't fit on my new hard drive because apparently the old one held a lot more.  I bought a two-sided USB cord that will connect the two to transfer files, but I haven't tried it yet.  That may be an option for rescuing your fanfics if the old computer still works.

[nicksgal]

The random questions!

What line spacing do we use when writing?
I have no idea. I always start with the Google Doc standard and then at some point, it inevitably goes away and I end up with a self-inserted space between paragraphs.

How productive is everyone with a few cocktails?
Depends? I've had many less cocktails while writing on weekends in 2021 than I did in 2020. A White Claw or two wasn't too bad when the mood struck; more than two was dicey.

Long sleeves or sweatshirts?
I'll write in whatever I happen to be wearing, but on the weekends, it's usually yoga pants and a tee shirt. Then a sweatshirt if I get cold.

Hair up or down?
Down, but if it feels like time to do serious writing, I am team messy bun. I need a haircut.

Who gets the most sympathy in a story?
Unfairly Nick! I found this out the hard way!

As some of you know, I'm currently toying with the process of editing the fanfic out of PBox (and it is a process, even in an AU and fantasy story). I've recruited a couple of friends to help me through the process (fresh eyes, if you will) and one of them recently commented on Nick's mood whiplash between ch. 3 and ch. 4; I could tell they were not expecting "Yeah, he's a bit of a prickly porcupine in the beginning.

[RokofAges75]

I feel like Howie usually ends up evil? Unless I'm projecting 00Carter on everything else I vaguely remember? Maybe "evil Howie" is the new trend.

Howie was my first thought too, but I'm basing that on only a few stories - 00Carter, a slash story where Howie raped Nick (not my own LOL), and an old parody of The Exorcist where Howie was possessed.  But I can't think of more than three stories about any of the other boys being evil, so... yeah.  Evil Howie should totally be a trend LOL.

Morning and evening working? That is productive writing! That's great that you were able to utilize parts you'd already written and cut. And now you get to keep going. Getting unstuck after so many years is a wonderful feeling, no?

Yes it is!  I wish that would happen on Guilty Roads, but I'm excited about hopefully being able to post this one eventually.  We'll see how the next few chapters go.  I feel like I did more revising and copying/pasting today than actual writing, but I've still spent several hours working on it.  I figure every change I make makes the story a little better than it was before, so that's still progress.

I finished ch. 28, have a general idea of what needs to happen in ch. 29, then it looks like it might be time to work in my next chunk of "interesting bits." After that, I have a loose plan for the last 20ish chapters (depending on how much chapter space those pre-written interesting bits take), so it feels kind of like winding down. I even have the last line of the story planned. But also not winding down at all because then I already have pieces of the final book written.

Outside of PNecklace, over the past week and a half, I wrote the first two scenes of Death by Snail.

In general, I've had a productive day. Did some laundry, did some cleaning, exercised, wrote. I think I'm happy it's semi-consistently warm again, haha.

Wow, it does sound like you've been productive lately!  That is a good feeling to be on the final stretch of the story, especially when you already know the last line!  I'll throw your question to me back at you:  Can you tell us what the last line is?  Or the last word?

I'm excited to hear you have two scenes done of Death by Snail!

And good for you for getting all that done today besides writing!  All I did in between my morning and evening writing sessions was eat and watch TV LOL.  I cleaned last weekend, so my house isn't in too bad of shape, but I do need to do laundry.  I'll do that later tonight or tomorrow.

[nicksgal]

LOL You're the perfect person to answer these because they're designed to all be about one story, and of course you would pick PBox.

I'm so predictable, haha. Would everyone else have a harder time choosing a favorite? I figured you would pick Broken.

The first two snippets you shared were cute!  The third one made me think of the scene from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when they're smelling the love potion in Potions class, and it smells different to each person depending on what they're most attracted to.  I was waiting for a description of what each demon Backstreet Boy smells like LOL.

Aw, thanks! Any excuse I get to make Nick laugh at something, I take it because his laughs when he crumples in on himself are my favorite -- they're just so genuine and I laugh or laugh harder every time because it's infectious.

And "priestess of cats" is just silly after the darker admission that "I know things here are crummy and especially hard for Howie, the King, so let's focus on something lighthearted instead." Team Dark needs those fluffy moments, as you know.

I'm pleased to hear it made you think of something similar in Harry Potter. I haven't even considered what they smell like, it was honestly something in the original version of PBox that was a late addition for a different reason and then it popped up again when I started writing PNecklace for that similar reason and one other. So when I did the edit, I thought I should probably lean into it a little more if smell seemed important. Adding it in that same scene could also give away two things I did not talk about in PBox, which are Nick and Howie's exact powers. There's probably a creative way to foreshadow those without being very specific, though. Hmmm... Something to ponder.

LOL Even as an outline person, I think it's okay to suck at outlines or not need to use them at all.  No one else sees that part, so no one else would even know.  Whereas "I suck at summaries" makes it look like you're not only flying by the seat of your pants, but you also have no idea which direction you're going.

I'll just add it to my user profile: "I suck at outlines, lol." Then everyone will know that I can somehow keep an intricate story straight in my head or in two sentence notes here and there when I feel like it, haha. I'll be honest, I have a hard time summarizing my stories as well, so I typically agonize about them for a long time before posting the story. Something about making it interesting, but vague enough is difficult.

There's a part of me that is grateful to those people who put "I suck at summaries, lol." Then I know that they're a pantser who may not always have a clear direction. Perhaps we can also convince people to start adding "I suck at typos, lol" or similar things to their stories. I may venture to add "I suck a brevity, lol" or "I suck at leaving stories I love alone once I finish writing them, lol" to mine.

Yeah, I thought that was pretty presumptuous of the questions too, considering most fanfics - at least in our fandom - don't seem to undergo major revisions before being posted.  Your overhaul of PBox is the exception rather than the rule.  We're lucky if people even bother to proofread before posting LOL.  I wonder if that's different in other fandoms?

With PNecklace, I actually rework a lot before posting and even as I'm writing, I'll type in suggestion mode if I started a scene on a different day and come back to it later. I don't think I've ever cut an entire scene from my plans though. I'll cut paragraphs and save them for later if I don't end up reworking their intent into the chapter that eventually gets posted. But they're definitely not the type of edit that question seems to be talking about, where you hack and slash a rough draft for a cleaner overall product.

I think I've heard of a few people doing some hack and slash if it's been a long time since they've come back to a story. Kind of like what you did with these past couple of chapters. So I wouldn't say it's unheard of, but I think time definitely plays a big factor in it and you're right, it's always exceptions, not rules. Although, Mare seems like the type who would do some major editing to her work prior to posting.

This makes me wonder if anyone actually comes up with a title first and then creates a story idea to go with it... or if anyone writes an entire story before finalizing the title.

In fanfic? Doubtful. Maybe if there's anyone out there that finishes an entire story before posting it. I feel like "posting as you go" is an integral part of the medium. I'd say PBox and PNecklace are the earliest I've had titles for any story I've planned on, but there were still many other things that I planned before I figured out the titles.

I just got a new desktop computer for Christmas and saved my old one too.  It still has videos on it that wouldn't fit on my new hard drive because apparently the old one held a lot more.  I bought a two-sided USB cord that will connect the two to transfer files, but I haven't tried it yet.  That may be an option for rescuing your fanfics if the old computer still works.

Ooh, new desktop. My laptop is technically my work laptop, so I think I need to just break down and buy a new personal laptop.

I wish. When I say ancient, the tower connected to the monitor with those cables with the huge teeth things that had the screws to keep them secure. I wonder if they even make one of those that has a usb on the other side, haha. It had a floppy slot and everything. I guess if it could connect to a modem, I could email them to myself... If I could get anything to show up on a monitor.

[RokofAges75]

I'm so predictable, haha. Would everyone else have a harder time choosing a favorite? I figured you would pick Broken.

I will actually probably pick Curtain Call.  But that brings up another question:  How do you pick your favorite of your own stories?  Is it the one you consider to be your best work?  Or the one you have the deepest connection to or strongest feelings about?  Broken was my best work at the time I wrote it, but it's not anymore.  It will always have a special place in my heart though.

Aw, thanks! Any excuse I get to make Nick laugh at something, I take it because his laughs when he crumples in on himself are my favorite -- they're just so genuine and I laugh or laugh harder every time because it's infectious.

He has a very cute laugh!  Did you see the video he shared of him reacting to old videos of himself?  https://youtu.be/6QawjXmEeRU  So cute!!!

I'm pleased to hear it made you think of something similar in Harry Potter. I haven't even considered what they smell like, it was honestly something in the original version of PBox that was a late addition for a different reason and then it popped up again when I started writing PNecklace for that similar reason and one other. So when I did the edit, I thought I should probably lean into it a little more if smell seemed important. Adding it in that same scene could also give away two things I did not talk about in PBox, which are Nick and Howie's exact powers. There's probably a creative way to foreshadow those without being very specific, though. Hmmm... Something to ponder.

It was a nice touch to remind us that they are demons and not human, thus their sense of smell is magnified.

I'll be honest, I have a hard time summarizing my stories as well, so I typically agonize about them for a long time before posting the story. Something about making it interesting, but vague enough is difficult.

There's a part of me that is grateful to those people who put "I suck at summaries, lol." Then I know that they're a pantser who may not always have a clear direction. Perhaps we can also convince people to start adding "I suck at typos, lol" or similar things to their stories. I may venture to add "I suck a brevity, lol" or "I suck at leaving stories I love alone once I finish writing them, lol" to mine.

In fairness, summaries are hard!  I also try to keep mine intentionally vague, but interesting enough to click on.  The difference between us and the "Sorry, I suck at summaries!" writers is that we put forth the effort to agonize over them and come up with something instead of writing that cop out.  But yeah, at least they're self-aware LOL.  Mine would also be "I suck at brevity" LOL.

With PNecklace, I actually rework a lot before posting and even as I'm writing, I'll type in suggestion mode if I started a scene on a different day and come back to it later. I don't think I've ever cut an entire scene from my plans though. I'll cut paragraphs and save them for later if I don't end up reworking their intent into the chapter that eventually gets posted. But they're definitely not the type of edit that question seems to be talking about, where you hack and slash a rough draft for a cleaner overall product.

I think I've heard of a few people doing some hack and slash if it's been a long time since they've come back to a story. Kind of like what you did with these past couple of chapters. So I wouldn't say it's unheard of, but I think time definitely plays a big factor in it and you're right, it's always exceptions, not rules. Although, Mare seems like the type who would do some major editing to her work prior to posting.

There are definitely some of us who do more revising before posting, but that doesn't seem to be the norm.  Then again, I could just be underestimatin g most of the writers who aren't on here talking about writing all the time with us because I don't know what their process is like.  I didn't used to do much revising beyond basic proofreading before posting.  It's only in the last few years since I started hoarding chapters that I started revising more.

I wish. When I say ancient, the tower connected to the monitor with those cables with the huge teeth things that had the screws to keep them secure. I wonder if they even make one of those that has a usb on the other side, haha. It had a floppy slot and everything. I guess if it could connect to a modem, I could email them to myself... If I could get anything to show up on a monitor.

Mine had the same type of monitor, but it still had USB ports.  No floppy drive though.  It's about ten years old.  That is why I prefer desktops to laptops for file storage, though, because they last a lot longer.  I've never had a laptop make it more than a few years without having some kind of catastrophic hard drive failure, which is why I'm team Chromebook and Google Drive now.  But it's nice to also have a real computer that I can install programs and store files on.

[nicksgal]

Howie was my first thought too, but I'm basing that on only a few stories - 00Carter, a slash story where Howie raped Nick (not my own LOL), and an old parody of The Exorcist where Howie was possessed.  But I can't think of more than three stories about any of the other boys being evil, so... yeah.  Evil Howie should totally be a trend LOL.

I guess that's one way to keep Howie interesting and in the story without falling back on winking. Maybe in my Nick is Brian's guardian angel story, Howie can be the villain, haha.

Yes it is!  I wish that would happen on Guilty Roads, but I'm excited about hopefully being able to post this one eventually.  We'll see how the next few chapters go.  I feel like I did more revising and copying/pasting today than actual writing, but I've still spent several hours working on it.  I figure every change I make makes the story a little better than it was before, so that's still progress.

I think it can still happen! Especially now that it's happened once! Revising and copying/pasting still counts as writing! You're right, every change definitely makes it a little better as you go! I'm always pro-tweaking as you go, especially if you're not looking at it for a few days and you're mid-chapter.

Wow, it does sound like you've been productive lately!  That is a good feeling to be on the final stretch of the story, especially when you already know the last line!  I'll throw your question to me back at you:  Can you tell us what the last line is?  Or the last word?

It's a weird feeling, being twenty chapters out but knowing that it's coming to a close. I'm sure twenty chapters sounds like a lot, but anyone reading will see what I mean when it gets to the point I'm at now, it's kind of a turning point in the direction of the rest of the novel.

Fun story, I actually settled on the last line for PNecklace after starting the process of changing PBox to OF and switching around the order of the story a bit (starting with Nick's introductory chapter instead). I've actually also had the last scene of the entire larger story planned since I was writing PBox originally, so knowing what it was going to be, I was able to rearrange the wording in a way that the first line of PBox worked together with the last line of the last story (don't bother checking the version on AC, it wasn't edited to do the same thing... yet... but I may change it so that it does, somehow). In following the mantra of "write what's interesting," I may or may not have the last couple lines of the entire series written down.

Anyway, knowing that, I thought, "Boy wouldn't it be fun if the last line of PNecklace was similar to that idea, where it worked together with the first line of the story, especially because of some of the deeper themes we've been exploring and PNecklace being that for the whole series." So I decided to lean into it hard. That thought may only make sense to Julie since she gets all my best vague spoilers in favor of list assistance since she's not actually reading along, haha. All that being said, the last word of PNecklace is "Nick."

I'm excited to hear you have two scenes done of Death by Snail!

And good for you for getting all that done today besides writing!  All I did in between my morning and evening writing sessions was eat and watch TV LOL.  I cleaned last weekend, so my house isn't in too bad of shape, but I do need to do laundry.  I'll do that later tonight or tomorrow.

I keep wanting to post little snippets of it, but I figure that you all would enjoy it more once it's just ready to be posted in its entirety.

I woke up this morning thinking that I felt motivated to exercise, so I figured I had better actually do it! But now my legs feel like noodles... which is the perfect time to sit and not move as I write.

I have also taken several breaks to eat, especially because we've been watching the Food Network or the Cooking Channel pretty much non-stop all day.