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[RokofAges75]

Does PBox not count? I'm guessing it doesn't count for being the obvious answer, lol.

Uhhhh... You know what. I'll bite and pick something else. Of my old stories that are up, I think I would write a new version of that Romeo & Juliet battle of the bands story (because, it is not good by my current standards). Then, the sequel would be inspired by some other Shakespeare play... Since the Romeo & Juliet inspiration ended happily, I think I'd take a comedy and make it dark. Twelfth Night is my favorite, let's go with that.

Anyone else?

I like that idea!  The battle of the bands is a fun twist on R&J, and it would be cool to turn it into a series of stories inspired by Shakespeare.

As mentioned, I'm considering a sequel for My Brother's Keeper, but it's definitely too early to make a decision on that right now.  Ideas have just been floating around in my brain, but I haven't written anything down.

Other than a fourth pandaskunk story, the one that's probably most likely to happen at some point is a short story sequel to SAMS.  I've been lowkey wanting to do one of those for a few years.  I was going to write it for the DNA challenge we talked about doing here, and then none of us did it LOL.  I guess it's a sign of how well my novel-writing has been going since DNA came out that I haven't wanted to stop working on my other projects long enough to spend a few days writing a short story.

[nicksgal]

It feels so weird to not write on History anymore. But I'm working on Take Me Home now. I want to figure some things out like how I was going to end it because I don't remember lol. The last time I updated that story was in January of 2019. So it's been a minute. I am determined to try to finish it though because the story itself is pretty interesting.

I bet! You've been working on it for the past few months! You're already two stories completed this year! I'm pretty sure you're "heating up" as they say in beer pong. You've totally got this!

In regards to re-figuring out your ending (because I've been there trying to reconstruct a story I did not remember the initial plan for), I have some spitballing based on what you'd said about it before that doesn't need a response, but could be helpful? Ignore if it isn't:

I don't want to give a whole lot away but the premise is Nick wakes up one day with no memories and is told he's been through something, and as the story goes on he gets bits and pieces. He and Brian are the main characters.

So I guess first, how far away do you envision the ending? Does it feel close or far away still?

If the basic premise is "Nick's been through a thing" and lost his memories because of it (again, just me filling in the gaps based on your summary and my background knowledge on memory/speculative fiction tropes), then he gets them back as the story goes... I guess what happens when he gets his memories back? Is this quest what's driving the action? Would having them back make him do something that would solve the larger conflict in the narrative? And if the memory quest isn't important, then what's driving him into the action/conflict?

And then I guess, how would Brian being involved change what Nick's doing? Are Brian's things in harmony or opposition to what Nick's doing?

Again, spitballing with no context and a dangerous amount of knowledge on both memory and speculative fiction tropes, lol. If any of those questions helped, I can ask additional spitballing questions. These are just the first few "the end is nigh" ones that come to mind.

[nicksgal]

Absolutely you earned it!  I know what you mean about the adrenaline washing away, though; it's a weird feeling.  You feel accomplished, but also kind of empty, like, "Now what?"  Good thing you have 9 days to come up with a new project for Camp Nano... no pressure!


We'll hold you to it!  You'll be glad you stuck with it if it can take you all the way to the point of posting something new.


Yes!!  Go us!

Exactly. And the slight dread of getting excited about a new thing. I'll figure out whatever it is in the next nine days. Or actively not figure it out, lol.

You're probably right. Then I won't be mired by my unfinished works and long hiatuses anymore.

Edited to add: Alright! I'm at least caught up to posts from today and/or in the wee hours of this morning! I'm calling this a success as I crawl into bed, lol.

[RokofAges75]

When I get in the zone and have no distractions, I am a typing machine! I was excited that it happened two weekends in a row.

Those weekends are the best!  It's rare for them to happen twice in a row though.  When I have a really good writing day, the next day almost always sucks - especially if it involves me staying up until crazy hours and then not getting enough sleep.

But it's a diagram that put things into perspective for you. Plus I loved your other blueprint, so I hope you add this one to your site at least. Woot woot! Finished another chapter! (Time is off for me and has no meaning since I have been slowly catching up on posts from last week, lol.) Hope Nick's POV chapter is going well! Now that I'm almost done catching up, I'll be better prepared to figure out how everyone's writing is going in real time.

LOL!  Yeah... not going on my site.  Nick's chapter is going okay.  I finished the first scene today.  Have not started the second scene yet.  I probably need to take a nice, long break from being on the computer and come back to it later.

Aww, I teared up a little at his Father's Day post. I get it. I also tend to keep a "this is just fiction" block up, but those moments where it feels real and nuanced are usually what get me too. I think the last time I teared up a bit, and usually when I do, is if I take inspiration from a scene from real life. There's an upcoming chapter of PNecklace where I definitely did cry a little since I borrowed the vibe of the scene from a conversation I'd had recently (though not exact words, of course).

I'm more likely to make myself laugh with my writing than cry, to be honest.

I teared up at his post too, especially given what I had just posted here about my writing.  Aww, Kevin...  It's definitely those times when fiction intersects with reality that get to me.  But I'm the same way; I make myself laugh a lot more.

LOL! Yes! The confusion to shock to horror. *chef kiss* Can we agree to leave Baylee ones out of the lineup though? I'd much rather watch him be horrified about Frick&Frack than anything to do with his son.

You're right, he probably would! Especially when the slash aspect is only a piece of the story and you haven't added any of the tags that Brian would be enjoying horrified by. OMG! LMFAO! I must have missed that one. Howie! Why would you bring that up in an interview?! Of course the other Boys would mock you!

Agreed, no Baylee!!!  That is totally different.  Let's keep the slash just among the Boys.

Hehe, I love linking this interview: https://youtu.be/doq6lpBY6xk?t=595  The part I referred to starts at 9:55.  So funny!

Alright, it will be a novel... eventually.

Yay!

70,000 is right on target! And you're right, I think especially for RPF stories, AUs wouldn't be entirely tedious to rewrite as OF. The problem I'm having currently is that it's like dropping stones in a pond. You know when there are major things that have to change, so you change them. But then that changes other things and it just ripples through. Then it puts PNecklace in a weird spot because I'll think "Oh man, that's totally going to be important in PDemons, so it probably needs to come up in PNecklace since it didn't originally come up in PBox (as a fanfic anyway)." It's... fun. That's part of why I'm only five and a half chapters in (well that and finishing PNecklace of course), but then I keep going back and rethinking my opening chapter. Like Nick was kind of info-dumpy and he feels like the least likely to be an info-dumper, so... more hacking and slashing is imminent, I suppose. There's probably a lot more I could cut, I just don't see what it is yet.

Yeah, it's one I really could just use Find & Replace on to change the characters' names, and voila!  No longer fanfic!  Obviously it would need some other editing to bring it up to published novel quality, but at least I wouldn't have to rewrite most of it to make it work.

It's like The Butterfly Effect!  Change one tiny thing, and you end up having to change more.

That's a challenge with sequels - how to catch up the reader and remind them of what's already happened without info-dumping.  It's better if you can work the information in more gradually and naturally, but you also don't want the reader to be completely confused at the beginning.  It seems like children's series are pretty formulaic in that they start with a scene, then do the info dump towards the end of Chapter 1 or beginning of Chapter 2.  Not sure about YA; it's been a while since I've read or reread any YA series, so I don't remember if they follow that same formula or avoid the info dump since they're written for older readers.

Obviously! lol! Is this a forum thread or a shared google sheets? What would we do with all these epithets once we've penned them to paper?

A shared Google Sheet would be more organized and easy to keep track of.  I dunno... keep it around as a reminder of what not to write in a fanfic LOL.

I'm pretty sure I tore my groin this year... of all the ridiculous injuries... lol!

Ow!  Were you trying to do the splits? LOL

[RokofAges75]

In regards to re-figuring out your ending (because I've been there trying to reconstruct a story I did not remember the initial plan for), I have some spitballing based on what you'd said about it before that doesn't need a response, but could be helpful? Ignore if it isn't:


So I guess first, how far away do you envision the ending? Does it feel close or far away still?

If the basic premise is "Nick's been through a thing" and lost his memories because of it (again, just me filling in the gaps based on your summary and my background knowledge on memory/speculative fiction tropes), then he gets them back as the story goes... I guess what happens when he gets his memories back? Is this quest what's driving the action? Would having them back make him do something that would solve the larger conflict in the narrative? And if the memory quest isn't important, than what's driving him into the action/conflict?

And then I guess, how would Brian being involved change what Nick's doing? Are Brian's things in harmony or opposition to what Nick's doing?

Again, spitballing with no context and a dangerous amount of knowledge on both memory and speculative fiction tropes, lol. If any of those questions helped, I can ask additional spitballing questions. These are just the first few "the end is nigh" ones that come to mind.

Just popping in to say you are a great writing coach, Dee!  These seem like helpful questions.  If I ever get around to working seriously on Guilty Roads again, I know who to come to for plotting advice.

[nicksgal]

Haha, I love that thread!

I don't use a lot of symbolism and that sort of stuff that gets analyzed in English class, but when I do, I like when it gets noticed.  I do use a fair amount of foreshadowing, which doesn't usually get mentioned in feedback from people who are reading for the first time because they wouldn't necessarily know it's foreshadowing.  But I hope it would be recognized and appreciated on rereads.

I would get a kick out of them overanalyzing the little Easter eggs I throw in for my own amusement and making them seem deeper than they really are.  "Why did she name the doctor the German word for 'platypus'?  Was that meant to represent the enigma of rare cancers, or was it a commentary on how xenophobic Americans view foreigners as strange and unusual?"  No, I actually had just been discussing platypuses with Rose and thought it was funny.

I know, right? I laughed so hard.

You do foreshadow a lot. It's pretty subtle, but every now and then I've gotten an inkling and been proud for nailing it. I can't think of a specific example off hand (also spoilers) except for your shark leg-eating dreams from Broken, lol.

Yes! Those are for sure things that would get over analyzed! Like all the Pixar ones do. I feel like most things like that, things that are just in there for fun are the ones analyzed to death. Please have them discuss the meaning of Pandaskunks. That's all I want for Christmas, lol. I feel like there's a modern author (I can't remember who or what about, clearly) that said something like "Please stop analyzing x. I just liked it. That's it." lol

I can't think of deep things in any of the others off hand. But in PBox, I'm very true to my main theme "there's always hope." Time and time again, as long as the characters are hoping and believing, they get rewarded. I did a fun thing in PBox that I don't think anyone's ever pointed out to me. Even though I didn't say, I did know what Nick's powers would be fairly early on and constantly described him in words that could evoke that imagery. It's fun knowing it's there, but no one's ever really mentioned it.

All great points.  Plantsing is the best of both worlds because then you have a rough path to follow, with the freedom to divert from it and forge a different path to your planned destination - or maybe a different one!  It's okay to change your mind in the middle or even at the end, as long as it makes sense.  Like you said, ideally you would stay true to the plot and characters at the same time.  But yeah, if you can get a character to plausibly do something they normally wouldn't do and then hate themselves for it, thus becoming a more believably flawed character, even better!

Yeah, that's definitely part of why I consider myself a plantser over a pantser or a planner, but my planning tends to be me free writing ideas rather than anything linear. If it seems like it could be important, I'll write it down. Or, I think I've mentioned several times that I enjoy asking myself questions including "tell me why" several times like the Boys, philosophy professors, and 4-year-olds, lol. (Anyone else get that meme a lot from their friends or is it just me?) Usually I'll figure it out as long as I have a Point A and a Point Z... or eventually, at least.

I do that so much to Nick in PBox. He hates it. I am slowly forcing him to become a better person, lol.

Yeah, I agree, it would be fun to combine the reading challenge with the Fanfic of the Month feature we used to do and discuss stories we want to revisit or read for the first time.  Then we could have some of those deeper, English-class style discussions without worrying about spoilers.

Sweet! Who wants to pick the first story?

Haha, I don't correct spelling on the forum.  We all have times when we type too fast too late at night and make mistakes.

Ugh, I know. But I did it again in my questions to Tracy post too and I was so mad at myself, lol!

Yep, I agree.  It would be nice to be able to see a breakdown of hits per chapter on AO3.  I have no idea if the hits on AC are actually even real readers or just spambots.  If yours is usually in the 0-2 range for your most recent chapter, that gives me hope that more of mine are actual readers than what I thought, but who knows.   It just always seems like the site is dead, but without the review option, it's hard to tell.

I'm looking at my chapter stats on AC now, and yeah, it's interesting how some of those random chapters spike it.  Sometimes they are chapters where something big happened that maybe readers would want to revisit, but other times they seem totally random.  The same thing happens on my site where certain chapters or posts seem to get a lot of clicks and/or spam comments.  I don't know if it's because they had certain words that made them come up in search results or what.  I noticed my third pandaskunk story that I posted early last year has more "reads" per chapter than my last three serious stories, which definitely does not match with the very minimal amount of feedback I got for it compared to what I've gotten for my dramas.  Not sure what to make of that, but I take it all with a grain of salt because I know the site has a big spam problem.

It would be hard with the way they do it though, so I get it. Yeah, if they were even in the teens in the first week for a new chapter, I would definitely figure they were mostly spam bots. But 0-2 feels like real people. I have 5 this past week, so I've been pretending that suddenly a bunch of people wanted to read. 

I've found that on a whole, AC is hard to find. I don't know about your site, but I've definitely tried searching for exact lines of my stories and AC never comes up. So it's unfortunate that the spam has found it somehow. Silent readers prefer comedy? lol Not sure! I think a grain of salt is probably best, then you're not wondering why twenty people (or 200 people) don't want to connect with you somewhere for something.

[nicksgal]

Wow!  Good for you!  Take it from me, WADDing is more frustrating than fun LOL.  Sometimes it's a necessary evil in order to come up with new ideas, but I'd much rather just write consistently on one story.

I mean same. I guess it was less annoyance and more that I was looking forward to perusing a few ideas and seeing what might stick rather than just waking up and being like "PDemons!" But, I guess that means the end of PNecklace really stuck with me. So if nothing else, I know that's a project that I can definitely pursue for the next one or that I should be able to quickly pick back up if I do something else first.

I did look over Gobosei and found myself skimming the chapters that are posted rather than reading, but reading the ones I hadn't posted. Not sure if this is because I've read them so many times or what, but I definitely found some places to edit -- including where it starts and probably the female character's name, because I definitely kept reading "Minako" in my head, so I've got to get away from M names, lol. So that's where we are there.

No new news for Nick is Brian's guardian angel.

I know what happens next in snail, I just haven't committed anything new to paper yet.

I did wake up at midnight with this strong urge to write my other idea though. The "Nick avoids being the main character" one and got about 250 words added for the beginning, but then got stuck deciding between two equally funny options that would steer the first bit of the story and also got hung up on a detail y'all might know the answer to. Maybe y'all can help me!

So the basic no spoilers premise of "Nick avoids being the main character" is that joke I made a while ago about Nick getting a chance to be everyone else's stereotypes in fanfics in addition to actively, well... avoiding being the main character. It's meant to be a bit of a love letter and humorous subversion to our old fanfic cliches. And I decided a good place to start it, just as an inciting incident to give Nick the power to "avoid being the main character," would be a nice love triangle. My initial gut was to pick AJ, because then they could have a conversation where AJ's trying to be focused and Nick makes dirty jokes while he tries on hats in the background at some point (hilarious). But then yesterday I thought "It could be equally hilarious if the love triangle was with Howie. And while Howie's trying to be focused on their conversation, Nick just sleeps, then disappears for a while... or tries to anyway" (also hilarious). So, I don't know. Am I supremely wrong on either of these being funny? Is one more funny than the other?

And then I got hung up on... they have dress rehearsals for their tours before they go, I assume... with full costumes, effects, etcetera? But I can't find them talking about any of it... except for the residency. Where do they set up this dress rehearsal? My impromptu "no research" gut instinct thought empty airplane hanger, because renting out a stadium or arena seems cost prohibitive to not let anyone in. Anyone know for certain? Or remember somewhere they discuss this?

So... this could be my next project. I've got pretty much everything figured out except what to do with Howie or AJ if they're not in this love triangle.

[nicksgal]

It's usually about every other week, depending on how fast the grass is growing.  It's been really dry here lately, so I probably won't have to mow this week.  I only have a push mower since my yard's not that big, and its blade could use a sharpening, so in reality, it probably wouldn't do much damage to a body LOL.

We don't have a lawn, but my friends that do always talk about how relatively low maintenance they are because of our water restrictions. I assumed the opposite, since cuts from dull knives hurt worse than cuts from sharp ones? lol. But maybe it takes more effort with a dull knife? I guess if anything, it would be more likely to give the body an infection which could eventually lead to death... If slow death is more your thing, lol. I'm not planning any murders, I swear! lol

Ooh, good point, I forgot to include the comic on my list of things he has written!  He really is quite diverse in his creative endeavors, and aside from acting, he's good at everything he does!  (And he's still entertaining to watch as an actor, even if he won't be winning any serious acting awards LOL.)

LOL! Not a good actor?! Was your life not forever changed by the "bridge bit" in The Hollow? Superb acting. (I'm kidding, it was obviously not written for the laugh I give it every time, lol.)

Do you find you use your writing time more productively when you limit it that way, like only writing an hour per day?  Now that it's summer, I can get more written in a day where I don't have anywhere I have to be, but I waste so much time getting distracting while I'm "writing."  Today I "wrote" in bed for like 4 hours, and I finished the scene I was on, but I only wrote 900 some words.  That is really not much for 4 hours.  But I know it's because I'd write a sentence or maybe even a few sentences and then open a new tab to look something up or watch a YouTube video or check Twitter or whatever while I "thought of what to write next."  When the words are flowing, I'm more focused, but when they're not, this is why I write so slowly LOL.

Hmmm... It depends? If I limit the writing time, I tend not to get distracted by research things or get stuck on word choice because I'm just trying to write in that time (and then I can go back and fix anything later.) But, no, they're not usually my high word count writing times. Those are typically when I have inspiration and nothing else to do in a day. If I can sit and write for a few hours, I'll probably get between 1000 and 2000 words if I'm starting in the morning. I'll usually call it a good day if I get around 1000 words in. 2000 is a great day and anything above that is an exceptional day.

[nicksgal]

I like that idea!  The battle of the bands is a fun twist on R&J, and it would be cool to turn it into a series of stories inspired by Shakespeare.

I feel like BSB Richard III would just drag and drag... lol! But you're right, could be cool. If I could ever stand to look at the original version for longer than five seconds... ha!

As mentioned, I'm considering a sequel for My Brother's Keeper, but it's definitely too early to make a decision on that right now.  Ideas have just been floating around in my brain, but I haven't written anything down.

Other than a fourth pandaskunk story, the one that's probably most likely to happen at some point is a short story sequel to SAMS.  I've been lowkey wanting to do one of those for a few years.  I was going to write it for the DNA challenge we talked about doing here, and then none of us did it LOL.  I guess it's a sign of how well my novel-writing has been going since DNA came out that I haven't wanted to stop working on my other projects long enough to spend a few days writing a short story.

I remember. Keep floating ideas. I'm always team sequel if the story warrants it or was always planned in multiple parts.

It's interesting that you've had so many sequel ideas you've wanted to explore. I think it's great to have so many stories worth continuing. LOL! Don't you love when everyone talks about something and then no one does it. So funny.

It's good that your novel projects have been going well. Don't stop on them to write a short story!

[nicksgal]

Those weekends are the best!  It's rare for them to happen twice in a row though.  When I have a really good writing day, the next day almost always sucks - especially if it involves me staying up until crazy hours and then not getting enough sleep.

I guess technically there was a weekend in between them where I was not productive, but I didn't really have time to write, so I'm calling it a toss up. I typically do have dips after my prolific days, but I would say that Wednesdays are typically my biggest dip unless I haven't finished editing the chapter I'm supposed to post (then my Wednesdays are higher). During this last goal section, I was pretty good about keeping a semi-consistent sleep schedule. I did not during NaNo though, but I'd say that I straddled the 2000 words line more than having extreme dips like I have since. I'm not sure if that's because I've been interacting with y'all more and not in a writing bubble or because being in the fresh new beginning was more exciting than being in the middle or the end. Or that I'd only spent a month or so working on the same project fairly consistently instead of six months. If I don't sleep, I am a wreck, lol!

I think if you're on an extended vacation, it's both okay to have crazy writing days and slumps or spread it out so there's less slumps. Wherever your muse takes you, really.

LOL!  Yeah... not going on my site.  Nick's chapter is going okay.  I finished the first scene today.  Have not started the second scene yet.  I probably need to take a nice, long break from being on the computer and come back to it later.

Alas! I'll have to imagine it to appreciate it. Yay, first scene done! I hope you did take a nice, long break. You've been working hard and deserve a break too.

I teared up at his post too, especially given what I had just posted here about my writing.  Aww, Kevin...  It's definitely those times when fiction intersects with reality that get to me.  But I'm the same way; I make myself laugh a lot more.

Yeah, when fiction ends up mirroring reality like that, it doubly gets me for sure from a fandom perspective. I'm sure the timing of it was quite surreal. I just cry at everything (even that stupid Budweiser commercial where the dog and horse reunite after several years), so it's weird that my writing doesn't make my cry as much. But then, I always trend toward dark over sad, so that might be part of it. Meanwhile, I will put any stupid joke in that pops in my head and laugh the whole time.

Agreed, no Baylee!!!  That is totally different.  Let's keep the slash just among the Boys.

Hehe, I love linking this interview: https://youtu.be/doq6lpBY6xk?t=595  The part I referred to starts at 9:55.  So funny!

Yes; the one time to follow Mare's rule that Backstreet Boys fanfic focuses on the Boys to a T.

OMG! How did I miss this?! LMFAO! Howie! He totally deserved that! Also, I watched the whole thing and why are we still letting Nick say "conversate"? Nick... "conversate" is not a word...

I'm dying that Nick can't remember how old he was when they were recording IWITW. Nick, you were not 16. SOMH and QPG were probably right though.

Yeah, it's one I really could just use Find & Replace on to change the characters' names, and voila!  No longer fanfic!  Obviously it would need some other editing to bring it up to published novel quality, but at least I wouldn't have to rewrite most of it to make it work.

Just remember to find and replace the nicknames too! That's what will get you, lol. Unless they don't have any because it's an AU.

Could be fun to try if you ever get that itch.

It's like The Butterfly Effect!  Change one tiny thing, and you end up having to change more.

That's a challenge with sequels - how to catch up the reader and remind them of what's already happened without info-dumping.  It's better if you can work the information in more gradually and naturally, but you also don't want the reader to be completely confused at the beginning.  It seems like children's series are pretty formulaic in that they start with a scene, then do the info dump towards the end of Chapter 1 or beginning of Chapter 2.  Not sure about YA; it's been a while since I've read or reread any YA series, so I don't remember if they follow that same formula or avoid the info dump since they're written for older readers.

Ugh... It really is... It really is...

I just had them reminisce in PNecklace, easy because half of them missed the end. The beginning of PBox, Nick definitely did an info dump about some of the lore things to bring the reader in, but it's probably too info dumpy, thus making it boring instead of intriguing. Oh well, that's what a major edit is for, right? I also haven't read YA in a while and I probably should for research purposes. I think it's probably more repetitive in Middle Grade stories, especially if they're in a series.

A shared Google Sheet would be more organized and easy to keep track of.  I dunno... keep it around as a reminder of what not to write in a fanfic LOL.

Do we need this reminder? lol I think if an epithet is in dialogue, it's okay. Or maybe in a first person narrative. If the characters know a character's name, they should use it. If we're using it as the narrators after we've revealed the characters' names, then that's where is gets bad.

Also when the epithets are overly long and ridiculous like "The one who recorded a solo album with Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block,' lol.

Ow!  Were you trying to do the splits? LOL

So much more less wholesome! lol To be honest, it probably wouldn't have happened if I was flexible enough to do the splits, lmao!

[nicksgal]

Just popping in to say you are a great writing coach, Dee!  These seem like helpful questions.  If I ever get around to working seriously on Guilty Roads again, I know who to come to for plotting advice.

Aw, thanks. This is how I let myself work through things when I'm really truly stuck or trying to come up with new ideas at any point. I think questions are good because saying "I don't know" usually means that whatever you're trying to figure out is either too broad or too far away from where you're at. The smaller the question, the easier I tend to find it. It's like they say, the devil is in the details. This isn't to say that the question can't get too small too quickly, but that's easy to notice to if I'm getting too far ahead of myself.

I am happy to throw random questions at you with minimal context, but no direct involvement, lol. I'll do this for anyone anytime if it's useful.

Edited to Add: And now I am fully caught up! Sorry for staycationing and having a post-end of story tired hangover type thing, lol.

[RokofAges75]

You do foreshadow a lot. It's pretty subtle, but every now and then I've gotten an inkling and been proud for nailing it. I can't think of a specific example off hand (also spoilers) except for your shark leg-eating dreams from Broken, lol.

Yes! Those are for sure things that would get over analyzed! Like all the Pixar ones do. I feel like most things like that, things that are just in there for fun are the ones analyzed to death. Please have them discuss the meaning of Pandaskunks. That's all I want for Christmas, lol. I feel like there's a modern author (I can't remember who or what about, clearly) that said something like "Please stop analyzing x. I just liked it. That's it." lol

I can't think of deep things in any of the others off hand. But in PBox, I'm very true to my main theme "there's always hope." Time and time again, as long as the characters are hoping and believing, they get rewarded. I did a fun thing in PBox that I don't think anyone's ever pointed out to me. Even though I didn't say, I did know what Nick's powers would be fairly early on and constantly described him in words that could evoke that imagery. It's fun knowing it's there, but no one's ever really mentioned it.

LOL Broken is the one story where I intentionally tried to use the type of literary devices that could be discussed in English class (because I was taking AP English at the time), but my attempts are so clunky, they would just be laughed at.  Like the shark dream.  Foreshadowing, definitely, but a bit obvious.  I think I've gotten slightly more subtle over the years.  The Road to Bethlehem had a lot of foreshadowing in the beginning with the description of the Trump house they passed on the drive up, the conversation about how dangerous the mountains are while they're the Christmas tree farm, and at least one mention of how they had no cell service in the mountains.

LOL I myself would like to know the hidden meaning of the flying pandaskunks in that video.  But maybe the artist just really liked pandas with long, fluffy tails.  I bet that happens a lot.  Not everything's meant to be deep and symbolic.

You do seem big on sticking to your theme.  If/when I ever get around to reading PBox in its entirety, I'll have to see if I can figure out Nick's power based on his descriptions.

Sweet! Who wants to pick the first story?

I guess we should find out who else wants to do this besides us.

I've found that on a whole, AC is hard to find. I don't know about your site, but I've definitely tried searching for exact lines of my stories and AC never comes up. So it's unfortunate that the spam has found it somehow. Silent readers prefer comedy? lol Not sure! I think a grain of salt is probably best, then you're not wondering why twenty people (or 200 people) don't want to connect with you somewhere for something.

AC is hard to find.  I just Googled for Backstreet Boys fanfiction, and it didn't come up on the first page of results, no matter what variation I used (fan fiction, fanfic, etc.).  That's too bad.  But the spambots will find and exploit any site with weakness.  For as few visitors as my site gets, I'll log in and have like 50 spam comments to delete from my spam queue.  Thankfully, I have a good plugin that filters them out so they don't ever show up on the actual site, but it's still annoying.  I noticed a significant increase in them last year after I did the blogs for my 20th anniversary.  I called them "Wayback Wednesday" blogs, and I think those key words are what got the posts noticed by spammers because the spam comments are almost always on one of those.

[nicksgal]

LOL Broken is the one story where I intentionally tried to use the type of literary devices that could be discussed in English class (because I was taking AP English at the time), but my attempts are so clunky, they would just be laughed at.  Like the shark dream.  Foreshadowing, definitely, but a bit obvious.  I think I've gotten slightly more subtle over the years.  The Road to Bethlehem had a lot of foreshadowing in the beginning with the description of the Trump house they passed on the drive up, the conversation about how dangerous the mountains are while they're the Christmas tree farm, and at least one mention of how they had no cell service in the mountains.

LOL I myself would like to know the hidden meaning of the flying pandaskunks in that video.  But maybe the artist just really liked pandas with long, fluffy tails.  I bet that happens a lot.  Not everything's meant to be deep and symbolic.

You do seem big on sticking to your theme.  If/when I ever get around to reading PBox in its entirety, I'll have to see if I can figure out Nick's power based on his descriptions.

Probably the same reason PBox is so true to its theme. Darn you over-analyzing High School English classes, lol! Even if they were clunky, they helped you practice and make them more subtle as time went on. The Trump house I didn't catch on to, but the mountains and the cell service I knew were going to be big things later, but no clear ideas on why.

Who are we to say that elves don't ride pandas that need longer tails to keep warm? Santa has all the reindeer busy, lol.

I wish you luck, if/when.

I guess we should find out who else wants to do this besides us.

Stop putting logic in me trying to jumpstart this, lol. If no one else speaks up, Tracy did just finish reading Why I'd Do It All Again; I'm sure she'd discuss it with us if we (re)read it.

AC is hard to find.  I just Googled for Backstreet Boys fanfiction, and it didn't come up on the first page of results, no matter what variation I used (fan fiction, fanfic, etc.).  That's too bad.  But the spambots will find and exploit any site with weakness.  For as few visitors as my site gets, I'll log in and have like 50 spam comments to delete from my spam queue.  Thankfully, I have a good plugin that filters them out so they don't ever show up on the actual site, but it's still annoying.  I noticed a significant increase in them last year after I did the blogs for my 20th anniversary.  I called them "Wayback Wednesday" blogs, and I think those key words are what got the posts noticed by spammers because the spam comments are almost always on one of those.

I don't think it even comes up if you google "Absolute Chaos." I think Ash made it that way intentionally once upon a time, because I feel like we've all discussed that it's hard to find at one point way back when.

Really glad that the spam comments only get to you and not published in full. It would be unfortunate to see so much spam as you host, let alone for anyone else to see it too. I wonder what about "Wayback Wednesday" attracted the spammers? The alliteration? (I get it, because I love that.) The "Wayback" like the "Wayback Machine"? The weekly blogs increasing the traffic? I'm at a loss.

[RokofAges75]

I mean same. I guess it was less annoyance and more that I was looking forward to perusing a few ideas and seeing what might stick rather than just waking up and being like "PDemons!" But, I guess that means the end of PNecklace really stuck with me. So if nothing else, I know that's a project that I can definitely pursue for the next one or that I should be able to quickly pick back up if I do something else first.

I did look over Gobosei and found myself skimming the chapters that are posted rather than reading, but reading the ones I hadn't posted. Not sure if this is because I've read them so many times or what, but I definitely found some places to edit -- including where it starts and probably the female character's name, because I definitely kept reading "Minako" in my head, so I've got to get away from M names, lol. So that's where we are there.

No new news for Nick is Brian's guardian angel.

I know what happens next in snail, I just haven't committed anything new to paper yet.

I hear you.  It is fun to feel like you have the flexibility to write whatever you want without flaking out on your other projects, but it's frustrating when you hop from story to story and nothing sticks.  So if PDemons is calling to you, go with it!

I'm glad you looked over Gobosei and found some places worth editing.  LOL I did the same thing with my two Nick cancer stories, gave the female character a C name.  That was not an intentional choice; I just thought those names fit best.

I did wake up at midnight with this strong urge to write my other idea though. The "Nick avoids being the main character" one and got about 250 words added for the beginning, but then got stuck deciding between two equally funny options that would steer the first bit of the story and also got hung up on a detail y'all might know the answer to. Maybe y'all can help me!

So the basic no spoilers premise of "Nick avoids being the main character" is that joke I made a while ago about Nick getting a chance to be everyone else's stereotypes in fanfics in addition to actively, well... avoiding being the main character. It's meant to be a bit of a love letter and humorous subversion to our old fanfic cliches. And I decided a good place to start it, just as an inciting incident to give Nick the power to "avoid being the main character," would be a nice love triangle. My initial gut was to pick AJ, because then they could have a conversation where AJ's trying to be focused and Nick makes dirty jokes while he tries on hats in the background at some point (hilarious). But then yesterday I thought "It could be equally hilarious if the love triangle was with Howie. And while Howie's trying to be focused on their conversation, Nick just sleeps, then disappears for a while... or tries to anyway" (also hilarious). So, I don't know. Am I supremely wrong on either of these being funny? Is one more funny than the other?

And then I got hung up on... they have dress rehearsals for their tours before they go, I assume... with full costumes, effects, etcetera? But I can't find them talking about any of it... except for the residency. Where do they set up this dress rehearsal? My impromptu "no research" gut instinct thought empty airplane hanger, because renting out a stadium or arena seems cost prohibitive to not let anyone in. Anyone know for certain? Or remember somewhere they discuss this?

So... this could be my next project. I've got pretty much everything figured out except what to do with Howie or AJ if they're not in this love triangle.

I love this idea!  I think the AJ version works better for that scene because then the conversation wouldn't be totally one-sided like it would if Nick were sleeping in the background.  He can still participate, just in a distracted way as he's trying on hats.  I think you'd get more out of the joke that way.  You could have Nick pull a Howie and sleep through something important later in the story.  That said, I think it would be funnier with Howie as the love interest/chosen one because there just aren't that many Howie romances - fewer than AJ, I'm sure.  That, or Howie could be the one everything bad happens to.

I have wondered the same thing about their tour rehearsals.  I tried researching it once and wasn't able to find specifics for the Boys either, but it sounds like they would rent some sort of rehearsal space big enough to run through the whole show.  I found an article about Beyonce renting out a stadium in Tampa to rehearse for her tour a week before it started in Miami: https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/music/beyonc233-preps-for-her-formation-tour-with-rehearsals-in-tampa/2274355/  There also seem to be places that are specifically rehearsal studios, not actual concert venues.  Here's an article about those that names some specific ones in different cities: https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/rise-large-scale-rehearsal-studio  I'm assuming these would be more affordable and practical than renting out an entire stadium.

[RokofAges75]

We don't have a lawn, but my friends that do always talk about how relatively low maintenance they are because of our water restrictions. I assumed the opposite, since cuts from dull knives hurt worse than cuts from sharp ones? lol. But maybe it takes more effort with a dull knife? I guess if anything, it would be more likely to give the body an infection which could eventually lead to death... If slow death is more your thing, lol. I'm not planning any murders, I swear! lol

LOL!  I don't think Nick has been killed by a lawn mower yet in 1000 Ways if you wanna add that idea to your list of things to write.

LOL! Not a good actor?! Was your life not forever changed by the "bridge bit" in The Hollow? Superb acting. (I'm kidding, it was obviously not written for the laugh I give it every time, lol.)

LMAO Best scene in the entire movie!  Here it is if anyone else feels compelled to watch it now: https://youtu.be/09sBVx2jQ28?t=386  I do think he was a bit better in Dead 7, so at least he's improving?

Hmmm... It depends? If I limit the writing time, I tend not to get distracted by research things or get stuck on word choice because I'm just trying to write in that time (and then I can go back and fix anything later.) But, no, they're not usually my high word count writing times. Those are typically when I have inspiration and nothing else to do in a day. If I can sit and write for a few hours, I'll probably get between 1000 and 2000 words if I'm starting in the morning. I'll usually call it a good day if I get around 1000 words in. 2000 is a great day and anything above that is an exceptional day.

Same.  I seem to be most productive when I'm writing a scene that has a lot of dialogue and nothing I need to look up.  Those are the times where I can write for long periods of time without getting distracted and churn out 1,000+ words easily.  It's the scenes that are more descriptive or require research that I get the most distracted writing.