Fic Talk > Updates

Drop it like it's hot! Or... Updates from Dee. :o)

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nicksgal:

--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on December 12, 2020, 12:41:12 PM ---I'm glad you're back and writing again!  Sometimes a good long break is needed to get the creative juices flowing again and discover your passion for it again.  And sometimes discipline is needed to get you going again.  I am most productive when I'm on the "force yourself to sit down and write something every day" plan.  Like you said, some days I only write 5 words, and other days I write 2,005, but hey, you never know until you try.  I'm glad it's been going well for you!

--- End quote ---

I'm glad I'm back too, I just wish I had come back when it was still a little busier here. I miss chatting about writing. Discipline is what I need in my life for sure, otherwise I get distracted by work or inconsequentia l things like The Office reruns. I agree, if you make a conscious effort to do anything, you'll end up with something. My main concern was that six month writer's block I'd had during the initial write because I would have a five word day and go "I hate this," and then not open it again for a week. So this time, I made sure to say, "You're busy, things are going on, and you just wanted to write something down. Good job for writing something."

Right now I'm on a strict editing schedule, so we'll see what happens, haha.

FrickingKaos:

--- Quote from: nicksgal on December 12, 2020, 07:39:47 PM ---Aw, Delphina! I'm excited to hear that! I didn't think it was anyone favorite but mine, especially after this long, haha. Let me know what you think!

I enjoyed typing up that little author chat, so I'm planning on writing one for every update. So I hope you'll enjoy some nice background thoughts/behind the scenes chat on it all.

--- End quote ---

I have to read the updated version with the revisions to chapters 1-10 but I read and reread this story many times over time. It's definitely on my favorites list for sure.

nicksgal:
So many warm fuzzies. I'm the emoji surrounded by hearts. But, oh man! I will do my best not to disappoint!

nicksgal:
I really enjoyed giving a little chat last week on why writing/why now/why PNecklace (doesn't quite roll off the tongue like PBox, but it's what I've always called it), so I think I'll chat about a couple things before outlining updates for the week from now on. Today I wanted to talk about two things (one for PBox and one for PNecklace): Why Introduce Howie So Early? and Song Arcs. Let's start with Howie because he's great.

In the early days of my career as a fanfic writer, I leaned hard into that old cliche that "Howie appears in chapter seven or something, finally, and then doesn't appear until the end again" because as a young writer, I didn't know what to do with him. Also, Nick existed.

So, when I started writing PBox, I had a few shaky details on the aspects of the Boys I wanted to draw their archetypes/roles/powers from (I'm a hardcore plantser, more on those two things once AJ has been introduced in the edits), but I also wanted to make a conscious effort to give Howie something important to do. I thought, well he's Sweet D. always taking care of people, so "The Good King" seemed like the perfect role for him. He gets introduced as a "voice in a carriage," but I always felt like he was out and about that day checking on his citizens and their day-to-day goings on. At least until Nick and Minako crashed into the capital screaming, "We're here to interrupt you with the plot, Howie!!!"

To be fair, I did sideline Howie for a hot second in favor of some nice moments between two other characters... Not Nick and Minako, at least not them at Howie's expense. If you've read the story, you know the two characters. If you haven't, but know enough about my Boys bonding moments leanings, then you can probably guess. And if you're just not sure at all, these next few edited chapters are those chapters, so you'll find out soon! But, at the time, I felt like sidelining Howie for a moment was justified because he's obviously very busy what with ruling a whole country, but could still pop up when a "drop everything" moment arrived for the group/plot. And he still came back to the story before I introduced AJ at all, so that's a win for Howie too. In the years of developing the story, I eventually pinpointed a plot-related reason for his absence, but you'll just have to wait and see what that is! (Team No PNecklace spoilers!)

And some fun images from last week's updates (see hardcore plantser above):

Nick at the beginning of the story

Our gal pal, Minako

Howie in his Kingly robes

Our buddy Nick at the start of PNecklace

nicksgal:
Now song arcs and the updates... Obviously there's some plot arcs in the story: "gotta catch 'em all" is the beginning of PBox (not a Pokemon fan, but love a relevant reference joke), the middle is "the journey to the box," and the end is "battle royal: tournament style." But I also like the emotive feeling of connecting lyrics and music within elements of the story.

You'll notice in the first chapter of PNecklace that "Incomplete" is running through the narrative (and through most of PBox as well) because it's always been a big part of the story for me. When I first started writing this story and had the initial idea, it was about three months after Never Gone was released (after the concert), because before the concert, I was full in on creating another story as a comic to give to Nick at the show -- given the timeline, you might recognize that story as the also delightfully epic, but unfinished Gobosei (which there are potential musings of new chapters from forever ago, but it's no where near as fleshed out as PNecklace in a "this will probably be completed in the next year, maybe two" sense). Anyway, first hearing "Incomplete" had struck me with the thought that "This is what it felt like to be a Backstreet Boys fan during their hiatus post-Black and Blue." Of course I'm glad they took the break for their mental and physical health, creativity, etcetera and it's not even the longest break between new music for them now, but it felt like forever back then, especially when we only had MySpace for social media or weren't constantly connected to technology. The major thoughts and feelings that I'd had during that hiatus were: the worry at seeing Justin get really successful as a solo act and bringing "the end" to 90s boybands, the worry that something you really enjoyed that was ubiquitous was suddenly quiet, and the worry that if anyone's solo stuff went really well like Justin's, would BSB be like Justin and NSYNC or would they be like the Wu Tang Clan? (It's such a stupid movie, but I love so many moments of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping", especially that gem near the end.) As it turns out: They're the Wu Tang Clan or Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but they're all Tom Petty. (Hahahahaha.)

I've always found something really beautiful about the lyrics for "Incomplete" and then the added visual imagery of the video with everything on fire, but then it wanes and burns out into this calm and tranquil greenery with Kevin and a piano. I loved that, the wild, elemental forces of nature blending into the calm of music. With all those background thoughts, it kind of ran rampant through the story. What makes someone feel "Incomplete"? A thing, a person, their own experiences?

I think there's something really powerful about imbuing the essence and feeling of music into written works, especially when as BSB fanfic writers, a lot of our experience with our source characters/material is song. If you're reading along with my edits, Nick at the beginning of PBox is very "Help Me"esque. He and Minako are very "Who Needs the World"ish/"I Got You"ish with each other. The end of the story is littered with "Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely" imagery. I'm not sure if these things are spoilers? It's an old story, but maybe it's old enough that some people reading this are reading it for the first time (if you think these are spoilers, please say so and I'll be more vague). I'm sure you're curious, what song imagery or arcs are in PNecklace besides "Incomplete"? You may have noticed some "Permanent Stain" vibes in the first chapter as well, but otherwise you'll have to wait and see!


Please find updates as follows (links included):

Pandora's Box on Absolute Chaos (with shiny updated chapters 11-20)

Chapter Two of Pandora's Necklace on Absolute Chaos

Pandora's Box on AO3 (now has the first 20 chapters available if you only want to read fully updated chapters)

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