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[nicksgal]

You know, I use suggest mode when I'm giving my students feedback on their writing, but I always forget about it when I'm writing myself.  Normally I think all the green and strikethroughs would bother me, but I could have used it last night.  I ended up cutting out a few paragraphs from a previous Kevin chapter, but I didn't want to completely delete them until I had filled the gap between what came before that part and what came after to make sure it still flowed well, so I just awkwardly wrote around it until I felt comfortable deleting it.  That would have been the perfect time to turn on suggest mode.

I wish you could change the color, lol. I'd rather mine were pink or something. I'm always jealous that I get stuck with green and other people get to pink. Yeah, suggest mode it the best whenever I'm trying to work around something I wrote, then changed my mind on. That way, I can still see it as I flesh out the scene around or instead of it. I haven't been using it as much on this story and I'm forgetting how easy it makes things if I come back to them after a few days. If it's a previous chapter, but I'm not ready to part with it yet, I'll usually move it into a new document -- either "deleted scenes" or "edits."

That one resonated with me as well.  I've never stopped writing for more than a few months at a time, but even in my day-to-day writing, I can tell when I've hit a wall and it's time to stop for that session because forcing myself to keep staring at the computer is not going to get me anywhere.  The nice thing about making it part of a daily routine is that I can just say, "I'll come back to this tomorrow, if not before" instead of wondering when I'll work up the motivation to open the story again.  The times when I have taken months off have been because I was busy and overwhelmed with real life stuff and couldn't devote enough time to writing without taking it away from something more important (but not necessarily enjoyable).  As much as I love it, fanfic just became one more thing that stressed me out because of the pressure I put on myself to keep writing, keep updating, so I had to give myself permission to take a break from it until I had more time.  When I was backdating chapters of SAMS on AO3 yesterday, I got to the point in the story where I literally didn't update it for eleven months because of that.  I'm glad I've been able to get back on track.  I'm sure that must have been even harder for you after being away so long, but it sounds like it was the right decision for you to make.  You do seem to be enjoying it a lot more than you did right before your hiatus.

Exactly! That's what I enjoy about the streak routine aspect of it. I think that opening and staring at blank pages was a horrible routine to get into, because it just reminded me that I had nothing on a constant basis. But now, I can think, "well, at least I wrote something," even if I hate it and end up deleting it later. But I've also learned my limits from my hiatus and think that I can better recognize when something isn't working and be better about giving myself grace (however, I definitely want to make it to 150 days, what an accomplishment!).

I think it's important to take a break, even if it's a hobby we love, since a stressful hobby is not very fun! And if eleven months was what you needed, then it's good you took it until it felt like fun and not stress again. There's times when eventually something just has to give when there's too much on your plate.

Looking back at early chapters of PNecklace, I was rustier than I thought when I started up again, haha. On a whole, I feel much better about everything now.

You explained it perfectly!  I get what you're saying, and I agree.  We've said it before, but we have to write for ourselves first and foremost - because we enjoy it, and because we have a story to tell that we believe in and want to finish, even if no one else reads it.  Feedback is wonderful, but so is the satisfaction of finishing a project you've worked hard on, whether or not anyone else acknowledges your effort.  It's that intrinsic motivation.

I think that comes with experience.  It's easier to write for yourself and not worry about feedback when you get to the point where you actually enjoy your own writing.  I still enjoy and look forward to feedback, but I don't beat myself up and wonder what I did wrong if I don't get it.  I hadn't gotten any in a couple weeks and had accepted that maybe what I'm enjoying writing just isn't what other people want to read right now.  Then, out of nowhere, I got a comment on my site from a reader who has given pretty regular feedback on the last few stories I wrote before MBK.  She apologized for being MIA the last few months, said she had just been busy, but got caught up on the story so far and was loving it.  Just a reminder that you never know who's reading or why someone may have stopped reading - often times it has nothing to do with your story at all.  We're just at that age where life happens.

Yes, exactly that! And it is important to remember that everyone has their own things going on and while our stories may be close to the center of our world at any given time, they could be periphery for other people. I've thought about this often, but as I'm writing, if I have free time, I would prefer devoting it to my own work than reading other peoples' work (as selfish as it sounds). I need to be better about balancing it more.

LOL!  I enjoy ellipses as long as they're not overused... and I love semicolons!  I did not understand the semicolon hate in that thread; I think semicolons are a sophisticated alternative to the comma and conjunction combo.

LOL! I believe we've also done a disservice to the em-dash in this discussion -- a great punctuation to use when adding additional information into a sentence. 

[nicksgal]

Those are all great questions!  I have also wondered what they do all day before a show (or at least before soundcheck).  And how quickly they can pick up new songs and choreography.  The videos of BackSync rehearsing at Lance's house were super cute.  They reminded me of the year I did a 90s boyband number with a group of teachers at my school for the teacher act in our talent show; we learned the choreo for Everybody and Bye Bye Bye and rehearsed in my classroom just like that LOL.

Kevin sleeps in, I assume? lol I loved their rehearsal videos. I'd put money on AJ already knowing the Bye Bye Bye choreography based on how into it he seemed. I love that you did a teacher act with boyband choreography. How long did the practice take?

It seems like they do save mementos.  Brian loaned a ton of stuff to the Grammy Museum exhibit, so it seems like he keeps a lot.  AJ posted a TikTok with a shirt he'd worn onstage during the Black & Blue tour.  I'm not sure about the surfboards, but that would have been a cool thing to keep!

They should just film a reality show during their next tour or album cycle and give us some answers!

Good. They should get to keep some of that stuff; they've worked hard.

Yes! This is the type of reality show I'd watch.

LOL I do like your answer because it sounds like it could be any of the above, which means whatever I've written on this topic in my stories was probably fine.  Thanks!  All that makes perfect sense.

I know Nick lives in a gated community called Southern Highlands, so he probably doesn't even have a gate in front of his own driveway.  Rose would probably know more.

Also, LMAO at Justin "24 hour parenting is not normal" Timberlake.  What an entitled douche.

I'm glad the ambiguous answer suited your needs, lol. I think many things like this can fall into the "it depends" category.

He just doesn't strike me as someone who would want to deal with that many gates.

Yes. I died laughing when I read that quote sometime around April last year because I had the same thought. Like, dang, Justin... when did you decide that you were the best thing since sliced bread? lol So entitled.

[nicksgal]

In response to the gated community discussion I can kind of chime in here, my aunt lives in a gated community in Vegas just off of the Las Vegas strip. There was a gate at the entrance but not at each of the homes, and there was a little guard station but the guard wasn’t always there. I think she had to show some kind of card in front of the sensor fo the gate to go up.

I looked up where Nick lives and he lives on the edge of a golf course, according to google maps. His house is pretty easy to find, but it doesn’t have a gate around the actual house just around the community where he lives. Sorry for sounding like a stalker lol but I was on this website about celebrity homes and Nick’s just happened to be on there.

Thanks, Tracy!  That looks like how Nick's community works too.  I have also creeped it on Google Maps and used Street View to see what the entrance to the community looks like.  There's a sign directing visitors to check in at the guard station, whereas residents can scan their card or whatever for the gate to go up.

It's crazy how much information you can find on the internet these days.  That's how I was able to piece together a blueprint of Kevin's old house, because there are still pictures from the real estate listing online from when he sold it back in 2009.  I've got the same thing for Nick's Franklin house and relied on those pictures a lot when I was writing Curtain Call and other stories that took place when he still owned it.  It is helpful to us as writers, but also a little scary when it comes to finding info on their current homes.  Good thing they have those gates and security guards! LOL

It's crazy to me just how easy this stuff is to find on google! From a writing aspect, it's good for accuracy, but if you're looking a privacy, yeah, yikes!

I wonder how close he lives to the holes. I would be really upset if gold balls constantly broke my windows.

[nicksgal]

How is everyone’s writing going? I’ve been doing pretty good even without feedback, which like I said previously is very surprising. I usually am able to crank out a chapter a week, depending on when during the week I get one started. I try to shoot for updating on Mondays, Wednesday at the latest. I think this system has helped me a lot, not to mention it seems like I am more productive writing at night than I am during the day.

Glad it's going well and that you've gotten a good routine down! I think a chapter per week is a good goal/output.

Does anyone else have a preferred time they write?

I think I get the most done if I wake up at a decent time and get going before 11am. Any later than that and I get increasingly useless as time goes. I decided I wanted two cups of coffee today and here I am, still mood listening and catching up on forum posts... At least I'm almost all caught up. This is how y'all feel coming back to the long conversations, isn't it? lol

I am back to my night owl writing routine as well.  I had been doing my best writing first thing in the morning after I wake up, but now that I'm staying up later and sleeping until later in the day, I can't justify staying in bed ALL day to write.  At some point I have to get up and take care of stuff I can't do in the middle of the night, like errands and yard work.  So I've switched to writing late at night, which has always been my favorite time to write.  It has rained like every night the last two weeks, so I've been going upstairs to my writing room where I can hear the rain on the roof and open the window because it's cooler at night, and it's been so pleasant!

But beds are soooo cozy! lol I would also feel useless if I spent all day in bed. All that rain sounds lovely!

That’s awesome you’ve kept at it. I think what’s helping me stay on track is listening to music while I write. It doesn’t matter what music really, just any music. I also watch science fiction movies if I’m home for background noise. Titan A.E. Was a huge inspiriation for Take Me Home even though the stories aren’t that similar. I just always thought the character of Cale reminded me of Nick even though Matt Damon plays him lol

Hadn't you said before that you often write in silence or am I making that up? Do you feel like your routine changes with the story?

And on Titan A.E., yes! I agree completely. I think it's Cale's haircut, lol.

[nicksgal]

Update:  I did not make 50,000 words, but I was within 5,000 words of it and did finish Chapter 23 with about ten minutes to spare before midnight LOL.  Also, my average writing speed came up to 5 words per minute! Haha.  I'm aiming for 25,000 words in July, but hoping I can surpass that and come closer to 30,000.

Edit: I had a Nano troubleshootin g question here earlier, but I figured it out, so never mind.  I clicked a link in my email to register for Camp Nano the other day, and it prompted me to make a new project.  Then I realized I didn't really want it to be listed as a separate project since I'm still working on the same story, but I couldn't figure how how to set a new goal for my old MBK project and tie it to July Camp Nano because that wasn't coming up as an option.  I finally figured out that if I deleted the new project so I no longer had one associated with July Camp Nano, it would come up as an option for a new goal on the old project.  So what's what I did.  Now I'm ready! LOL

That's how I was in April. That's why I think the word count goals can be kind of limiting and think it's good to have a second, less tangible goal sometimes. Weren't we both "with x minutes to spare" in April too? haha. And woo! Five words per minute! You're a speed demon! I think 25,000 is a good goal. I made mine about 30,000 because of my typical output, but now I feel like I should lower it. We'll see what happens if I can get into the groove or not.

Glad you're ready! You've got this!

Come and write with us... forever... and ever... and ever.

LOL! Thanks for improving my joke.

Thanks for all the info ladies. Seems a little overwhelming for me this time around, but maybe next time I’ll be ready to write something.

I think if I hadn't been a month in on PNecklace inspiration, I wouldn't have done it either last year. It's definitely something to commit to when you feel like you're in the right spot. But like Julie said, it is fun to track your goal and see your writing hang out around your par bar when you're at that point.

Soooo I've been looking at my notes for current stories. I probably won't commit to writing on them until I get moved in three weeks and my life settles a little. But I'm looking and I feel like that's a start.

Yay! Looking is a great start!

[nicksgal]

I definitely have a lot of emotions I want to channel into writing this year. I've been doing notes, so I figure post move I'll probably dive in. I've also had an idea for a story but I'll sit on that till I finish something.

Obviously everyone copes with grief differently, but writing was a great escape and distraction for me after my grandpa died a few years ago.  That is when I finally got going on A Heart That Isn't Mine, and I've been writing consistently ever since.  So channel those emotions, girl!  I hope something great comes from it.  I would love to see you finish When the Daylight's Gone, and I'm curious about this new idea!

I think there's real power in being able to write something down to process it. It's similar to having a conversation with someone, but it's like being able to have that conversation without having to think about or wait for the other person's feelings and reactions. Just seeing something written on the page can be really cathartic.

I read a great article about this the other day, though it specifically uses examples on the "trauma of the pandemic," but I think it still applies here: https://hbr.org/2021/07/writing-can-help-us-heal-from-trauma

Dee and I are here a 00Carter revival whenever the time is right, too.

Yup!

[nicksgal]

How is everyone’s writing going?

Only okay? Right now I'm stuck in the idea that my story is funnier from Nick's perspective, but that adds an inherent flaw to his avoidance of being a main character. Although now that I'm thinking about it, something like the Great Gatsby, clearly Gatsby is the main character, but Nick Carraway is the narrator. I really did set out to give all five Boys the POV though, so... I wouldn't call it a struggle, but it is definitely way less productive than PNecklace was. I've written 586 words so far this month, but I'm always way less productive by Thursday.

I'm hoping being on break will give me my mojo back. And that listening to old school Backstreet will help get me into the right mood for this story. I had Backstreet Boys and Millennium going yesterday and this morning, then I remembered that I'd uploaded my old itunes to google play music once and that it was now on YouTube music, so I am deep into the Red Album at the moment. Although, to properly dive into the nostalgia, I should see if my boom box still works and crank some actual CDs! lol Because it's definitely confused by the Red Album and the American Backstreet Boys both being self-titled, but with different songs. So it has both AFY and QPG as the second track, and both INBYH and Backstreet's Back as the fourth track. I didn't realize just how much I missed songs like JTBC until I heard it just a moment ago, lol.

I've yet to write anything today. I'm useless, lol. I told hubs I would go to the baseball game tonight though, so who knows how the rest of today will go.

How's everyone else three days into July? Catching up on these threads made me realize we have not had a questions recap in a while, making it more time consuming to catch up. I feel like y'all all come on when I'm gone or sleeping -- is it me making this place quiet? lol

Edited to Add: Good news! Nostalgia music seems to be working as I have finally surpassed 500ish words in a writing session and feel pretty good about my work instead of ho hum.

[Rose]

You know I think jumping back into 00Carter might be the best thing for me. Because y'all know how I am with collaborating. I push myself harder cause I don't like letting anyone down. Guilt lol. My schedule fluctuates but I'm ready to dive back in.

[RokofAges75]

I forgot, you make new documents instead of greenlining over things, lol. Interesting. Why do you think you leaned toward something more similar to the first than a combination of the two or a completely new option?

Love your little Titanic reference, lol.

Yeah, I did make three separate documents for that one because I started from scratch each time instead of revising the old version.  It helps me to have a blank canvas; I get overwhelmed by all the strikethroughs and green text.

The second version was probably the least plausible of the three beginnings, as far as how I was going to get Nick from Point A to Point B, so I scrapped it and went back to a situation that was more similar to the first one.  It was still different, but closer to version 1 than version 2.

Thanks for noticing my Titanic reference! LOl

Makes sense that your readership would mimic your writing. In regards to getting rid of Leighanne, may I suggest the always delightful "set prior to INBYH's American version video and/or ALAYLM video," problem solved and "getting rid" unnecessary! (Admittedly, I'm fuzzy on this release timeline... I think ALAYLM may have been first?) Or realistically, as long as it was before they got married, it's a lot easier to get rid of a girlfriend than a wife (though not impossible if you consider divorce rate statistics). Relationships can all end in mundane ways under the "right" circumstances that have nothing to do with catastrophe. But I get it, hard when you want to keep stories more modern.

Yes, Brian before Leighanne is always a good option.  ALAYLM did come first; they met on the set of that video.

I adore your kitchen! It's so big and cute!

I've enjoyed putting nails in the walls -- something my mother would have never let me do in our apartments when I was growing up, lol. Like I never knew how much I loved frames until I could actually hang things where the weight of a frame wouldn't be a deterrent. But on a whole, I haven't super redecorated our house, since hubs has been contemplating the timeline for either selling it (or possibly keeping it as a rental property) since I moved in with him, so I just didn't want to get too attached to a pricey renovation project if we were moving elsewhere in the next few years. I am looking forward to really personalizing our next place though.

I figured you would and it goes with the kitschy 1952 vibe of your home, lol. How's life with your new shower curtain? Has it made you feel more stabby? lol

Thanks!

I am also a big fan of frames.  I guess that's a sign of adulthood - I put my BSB posters in frames now instead if just taping them straight to the wall.   I love those Command strips for hanging stuff; they're easier than nails and don't put holes in the wall.

I love the new shower curtain, but nothing is up yet because I decided I am going to paint first.  I just haven't gotten paint yet.  It's been a busy weekend!

Like what do they really think about while one of the other Boys is singing and they're doing choreography they've practiced a million times or even just sitting on the stools. I assume not laundry or anything, but there's had to be times where Brian's passionately singing INBYH and Nick is just contemplating a cheeseburger or how badly he has to use the bathroom, lol.

LOL Another great question!  Cause you're right, I'm sure there are times when they perform on autopilot, especially those songs when they're just backup singers.

I'm finally on Summer Break, so I think I'll have plenty of time to do house stuff and write! Yeah, I'm averaging about 500 words a day on this new story, which is much lower than PNecklace was... Blah! It's my fault for trying to be realistic instead of funny, haha.

Yay!!!  You just need time to get into the groove of this new story.

[RokofAges75]

Yes, exactly that! And it is important to remember that everyone has their own things going on and while our stories may be close to the center of our world at any given time, they could be periphery for other people. I've thought about this often, but as I'm writing, if I have free time, I would prefer devoting it to my own work than reading other peoples' work (as selfish as it sounds). I need to be better about balancing it more.

Very true!  I am the same way about writing vs. reading.  I do enjoy reading, and I know it's important to read a lot if you want to be a good writer, but when my time is limited and the inspiration is there, I would rather devote it to writing than reading.

I love that you did a teacher act with boyband choreography. How long did the practice take?

Yeah, it was a music-through-the-decades kind of thing, and of course my immediate suggestion for the 90s section was boybands.  We pulled it together in a few days practicing after school.

That's how I was in April. That's why I think the word count goals can be kind of limiting and think it's good to have a second, less tangible goal sometimes. Weren't we both "with x minutes to spare" in April too? haha. And woo! Five words per minute! You're a speed demon! I think 25,000 is a good goal. I made mine about 30,000 because of my typical output, but now I feel like I should lower it. We'll see what happens if I can get into the groove or not.

Glad you're ready! You've got this!

LOL Yep; I think I finished with like 30 minutes to spare in April.

I am off to a terrible start with this month's goal, but it's been a busy holiday weekend.  My routine is all messed up, and I haven't had a good long writing session yet this month.  I've kept the streak alive, but only barely.  Hopefully I'll get back on track tomorrow.

No shame in lowering your goal, especially since you're working on a new story.  I still don't know how people do 50,000.  I could lock myself in a room for a month straight and still not hit 50,000 words.

[RokofAges75]

I think there's real power in being able to write something down to process it. It's similar to having a conversation with someone, but it's like being able to have that conversation without having to think about or wait for the other person's feelings and reactions. Just seeing something written on the page can be really cathartic.

I read a great article about this the other day, though it specifically uses examples on the "trauma of the pandemic," but I think it still applies here: https://hbr.org/2021/07/writing-can-help-us-heal-from-trauma

Absolutely!  I am not someone who likes to talk about my feelings, so writing is a great outlet for me.  I haven't kept a journal in a long time, so I don't usually write about my own personal stuff, but I find fiction to be a great way to channel feelings and experiences, whether consciously or subconsciously .

Writing is also a great distraction.  If I can get my mind to focus on someone else's fictional problems instead of my own for a while, awesome!  And when the writing goes well, it puts me in a better mood.

You know I think jumping back into 00Carter might be the best thing for me. Because y'all know how I am with collaborating. I push myself harder cause I don't like letting anyone down. Guilt lol. My schedule fluctuates but I'm ready to dive back in.

I'm here for it!  I think we should start slow and give each other plenty of grace, knowing that none of us has written on it in years.  We should probably find somewhere else to talk about it so we're not spamming up the forum with 00Carter stuff again LOL.

[RokofAges75]

Only okay? Right now I'm stuck in the idea that my story is funnier from Nick's perspective, but that adds an inherent flaw to his avoidance of being a main character. Although now that I'm thinking about it, something like the Great Gatsby, clearly Gatsby is the main character, but Nick Carraway is the narrator. I really did set out to give all five Boys the POV though, so... I wouldn't call it a struggle, but it is definitely way less productive than PNecklace was. I've written 586 words so far this month, but I'm always way less productive by Thursday.

I'm hoping being on break will give me my mojo back. And that listening to old school Backstreet will help get me into the right mood for this story. I had Backstreet Boys and Millennium going yesterday and this morning, then I remembered that I'd uploaded my old itunes to google play music once and that it was now on YouTube music, so I am deep into the Red Album at the moment. Although, to properly dive into the nostalgia, I should see if my boom box still works and crank some actual CDs! lol Because it's definitely confused by the Red Album and the American Backstreet Boys both being self-titled, but with different songs. So it has both AFY and QPG as the second track, and both INBYH and Backstreet's Back as the fourth track. I didn't realize just how much I missed songs like JTBC until I heard it just a moment ago, lol.

I've yet to write anything today. I'm useless, lol. I told hubs I would go to the baseball game tonight though, so who knows how the rest of today will go.

How's everyone else three days into July? Catching up on these threads made me realize we have not had a questions recap in a while, making it more time consuming to catch up. I feel like y'all all come on when I'm gone or sleeping -- is it me making this place quiet? lol

Edited to Add: Good news! Nostalgia music seems to be working as I have finally surpassed 500ish words in a writing session and feel pretty good about my work instead of ho hum.

Yay!  Nostalgia for the win!  Glad you're getting into a groove with it.

That is quite a conundrum with wanting to write the story in Nick's POV without making him the main character.  But I think you're onto something with the Gatsby reference.  Nick can narrate, but still focus on what the other guys are doing more so than what he himself is doing.  It could be his reaction to the plot unfolding around him and events happening to the others.

[Rose]

Any ideas of where we wanna talk 00Carter? And oh yeah we'll definitely all need patience. I'm just very self critical lol.

[RokofAges75]

Google has a chat feature.  That might be a nice replacement for good old Yahoo Messenger, and I know we all use Google already.  Dee, what is your gmail?

We had also talked about trying to do a live reading via Google Meet to catch up - might be funny.

[nicksgal]

Yeah, I did make three separate documents for that one because I started from scratch each time instead of revising the old version.  It helps me to have a blank canvas; I get overwhelmed by all the strikethroughs and green text.

The second version was probably the least plausible of the three beginnings, as far as how I was going to get Nick from Point A to Point B, so I scrapped it and went back to a situation that was more similar to the first one.  It was still different, but closer to version 1 than version 2.

Thanks for noticing my Titanic reference! LOl

They don't bother me as much as they used to. At first, they definitely did, but now that I've used it so much, they're just friendly little greens as I edit. I think it helps knowing that they're only there until the editing is done. But, I can also see why they would be overwhelming and a blank page could be easier.

I think it's great that you tried several different ways! It's hard to be sure something won't work until you write it down. Sometimes, if I'm juggling a couple different ideas, I'll write the craziest sounding one first just to see how it goes. Full disclosure, I have ended up keeping the craziest scenario a few times.

Yes, Brian before Leighanne is always a good option.  ALAYLM did come first; they met on the set of that video.

I think I get confused since chronologicall y INBYH was a single before ALAYLM existed, but not in the US.

Thanks!

I am also a big fan of frames.  I guess that's a sign of adulthood - I put my BSB posters in frames now instead if just taping them straight to the wall.   I love those Command strips for hanging stuff; they're easier than nails and don't put holes in the wall.

I love the new shower curtain, but nothing is up yet because I decided I am going to paint first.  I just haven't gotten paint yet.  It's been a busy weekend!

That's why I hate textured paint also, lol. Hubs loves it and looks at me like I'm crazy every time I say, "but it's terrible for hanging things!" lol! See, I've broken many a wall with them, so I'd rather patch a hole at this point. I blame the wall more than me.

What color did you decide to go with? And I get it, holiday weekends are always busy.

LOL Another great question!  Cause you're right, I'm sure there are times when they perform on autopilot, especially those songs when they're just backup singers.

I feel like they'd never admit it though? lol I wonder who's on autopilot the most.