przed: (bodie psycho by snarkyllama)
przed ([personal profile] przed) wrote2011-10-14 11:55 pm

A Few Good Things

Things have been busy all 'round lately, and I've been seriously MIA, with no time to even contemplate reading any of the Pros Big Bang stories yet, but couple of good things have happened in the last couple of days.

My Big Bang story is done! Final-ish word count: 44, 246. (I'm going to do one last edit of the bastard, so there will no doubt be words pruned and words added, but it should stay pretty close to that.) Yay! (This is going to free up a lot of time, since every waking moment in the last couple of weeks that wasn't spent at work, or with the little girl was going into this.)

I had a migraine start yesterday. And the Relpax I finally got a prescription for got rid of it completely. Like, way better than any meds I've ever tried. Yay! (Thanks to those who recommended it a little while ago. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed it continues to be effective.)

I found out at the last minute that Gidon Kremer, one of my fave classical violinists, was doing a concert tonight and scored a ticket. He and the other two members of his trio played one piece by Bach, one by Shostakovich, and three hard core modernist works, and it was brilliant. I really need to go to more classical concerts. (The concert was at the Royal Conservatory, which is about five minutes' walk from my office and a twenty minute subway ride from our house, and is just a brilliant concert space, so I really should start taking advantage of it.)

[identity profile] draycevixen.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 05:03 am (UTC)(link)

Fantastic news about the BB. I know you were worried for a while, but look at you, sailing home and with a couple of weeks to still manage a leisurely edit. *twirls you*

Also, great news about the Relpax and how lovely to have got that ticket.

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Worried might be an understatement. There was definite panic of the "I'm never going to finish this, aiiieeeeee!" variety floating about, even though I've never blown a deadline I've committed to. (There's always a first time, yeah?) But now I'm relieved with a capital R.

Of course, having the time for a liesurely edit is a double-edged sword. I'm going to need to fight the desire to constantly tweak the damn thing. Once through, and then the devil can take the hindmost.

Relpax is not a miracle cure--it took over night to knock the migraine back completely--but it left me with no echo pain, which is a first for me in twenty-odd years of migraines.

[identity profile] sc-fossil.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 10:47 am (UTC)(link)
Yay for your BB and music you enjoy. And no migraine. That's always good news!

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay for all that! There is much relief all round.

[identity profile] halotolerant.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm so glad you've got a better migraine med! *g* And yay for nearly!finished Big Bang - it's a good feeling *g* The world is going to love it ♥

With my fingers itching to type, I've started a new Take That fic, a longish one, and I've noticed my writing approach has changed since doing the Big Bangs - I've done a roughroughrough draft of this first, then re-drafted, and just finished an outline, rather than launch into the first scene and then run out of steam, which has previously been a problem. Of course, I also feel more awake than I have in months, which helps *g*

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
The new migraine med isn't a total miracle cure--it took overnight for the pain to disappear completely--but it left me with no echo pain, which is unusual and awesome. Usually I've got an echo of the migraine left for two or three days that can be triggered into another migraine.

Hooray for you starting a new Take That fic! Double hooray for it being a longish one. Interesting that your approach has changed. I find my writing is in constant evolution. Back when I was writing for zines and writing looong all the time, I'd always do a really detailed outline first and then skip around and work on whatever scene took my fancy. These days, I do a very simple outline and then start at the beginning and go through linearly until the end. Which can be frustrating, because I find I hit more false starts now. (I had to rip back 10,000 words of the BB story twice because I realized I was going in the wrong direction.) But one the positive side, sometimes it's easier to tap into the rush of discovery with the story when things aren't totally nailed down and you've got room for something surprising to happen.

Fantastic that you're feeling more awake. I assume that's the copious quantities of rest you're now getting? Here's hoping you keep feeling that way and you're in fantastic shape for the operation. (Crikey, that's coming up quickly, isn't it?)

[identity profile] halotolerant.livejournal.com 2011-10-16 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Miracle cures are few and far between, but something that produces a significant benefit is wonderful *hugs*

My old approach was just to write, starting at the first scene, always full, proper sentences. Now I'm more inclined to have an idea of what I want to have at the centre, then try and think where the hell the plot will go before thinking where I start, then starting with a vague destination in mind but a kind of idea what's happening, revising along the way and carrying on writing notes when I run out of steam to write the full thing, kind of sending out foundations for each new paragraph ahead of myself. That's the method that enabled me to finish the Big Bangs. That said, I had to rewrite and restructure a lot of my Pros Big Bang halfway through - I hadn't looked at it for a while, then put it on my Kindle, read it, and just thought 'this has no pace at all' which was when I kind of entered life-or-death struggle with it - I think I beat it in the end though *g*

So much rest! \o/ And lots of iron/vitamins. And yup, it's really soon now (10 days and counting - eeeep!)

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2011-10-17 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
It's somewhat comforting to know I wasn't the only one who had to restructure their Big Bang. BTW, I've loaded your story onto my iPod today, and will be starting it as soon as I get the final edit on my story done. Yay!

So you like your Kindle, then? (I'm trying to decide between a Kindle and a Kobo at the moment.)

[identity profile] halotolerant.livejournal.com 2011-10-18 01:47 pm (UTC)(link)
I love Kindle - I like the liquid paper rather than a backlit screen because it stops the glare making your eyes sore, I find it works quickly and easily and it will take .mobi, .doc and .docx files and it's very light. I have the case with the light attachment - I think you do need a case of some kind.

[identity profile] saintvic.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
\o/ \o/ for finishing the BB story, for the relpax working, and for the ticket. All fabulous things.

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
\o/ \o/ indeed. *g*

Now I've just got to find time to read some BB stories. :-/

[identity profile] nsandik.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
So glad to see you posting again! Your BB story is only 6,000 words short of an official novel-length work! Yes, I can understand why you have been MIA. :-) I'm trying to complete a novel by the end of October. I've got 14k words so far, and most of the plot outlined, but my characters keep throwing new surprises into the mix! LOL

Enjoy the concert! And congrats on the medications! Yeah, baby.

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2011-10-15 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
This is the second longest thing I've ever written. (I did another Pros piece that was 75,000-ish words, so well into actual novel territory. And it took yearssssss.)

Good luck getting your next novel done. By the end of the month. Yikes! Here's hoping your characters don't throw you too many more curve balls. (They will do that, won't they?)

[identity profile] norfolkdumpling.livejournal.com 2011-10-16 11:36 am (UTC)(link)
Yay Big Bang and other good things!

I'm really glad you've found something that works for your migraines too. *squishes you*

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2011-10-16 12:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Getting the BB done is a huge relief. (I'm sure you know the feeling. *g*)

I've got my fingers crossed the new meds continue to work. Not getting flattened by a migraine every month would be awesome.

[identity profile] soundofthesurf.livejournal.com 2011-10-16 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to your Pros big bang! \o/ (Well, maybe you have, since I've told you quite a few times...:D )

And also \o/ to new wonderful meds and fantastic concert! You truly deserve the benefit of both muchly! *high-fives you*
I wish I went to classical concerts more often, as well as going to the theatre. A kingdom for more time! *g* (But doesn't my icon just fit perfectly here? Awwww, TT is such a general fandom, isn't it??)

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2011-10-17 03:32 am (UTC)(link)
I've only got 9,000 words to do the final edit on. Yay!

A kingdom for more time, definitely. And yes, that's a brilliant icon for this post. Awww, Gary and his piano. TT is definitely a fandom for any mood. *g*