The year started off so promising! Kate and I pushed ourselves into New Years morning even though I had a throbbing headache, and later that day we finished CP3. I promised a website for it and started the illustrations in March. I did so much drawing and it felt fantastic, but then I realized I needed to get a move on with my actual writing. I took a break that lasted months -- almost a year -- and it was eating away at me. So in the summer, I did a lot of Phantom of the Opera research and I got myself super prepared for NaNoWrimo. The time came and I was on top of it for about a week and a half when I was ambushed with schoolwork. Finals, oral presentations, papers, reading assignments that took me all night... On top of that, I had to figure out how to move out of my apartment before Winter Break because my roommate was being horrible to me for no reason. I used the break as a time to heal, I went to California, and I saw my Hatter, and Alice, and Jack Skellington, and princesses at Disneyland, as well as my awesome family. I found myself stirred with inspiration in the mean time, for film-making, for film-studying, for Nosferatu, for acting. That's what I did, and I guess I'm not so sorry because I know December 31 isn't a deadline for my creativity. I still have all the opportunity in the world to do whatever I want. If I'm going to be totally honest, though, I'm not that excited to write the following:
Here's what I accomplished in 2011:
1.) I wrote 63 pages of He's There. >< I'm not impressed by this at all, but it's better that I at least acknowledge what I did do. And, while I wasn't writing a whole lot, I did get everything figured out. I read The Phantom of the Opera twice, I put in the details of that book that I wanted to, and I admitted I had failed with some of my chapters, so I rewrote them. I feel good about the story when I didn't at the end of 2010.
2.) I made the Crystal Palace 3 website! And not only that, I created 10 new illustrations for it, and a poster. It's as legit as CP2 and, even if nobody visits, it's ready to be shown to the next person who cares, and who matters.
3.) Kate and I started Crystal Palace 4. Finallyyyy. Two years after I ambitiously predicted we would (July 2009), before I understood Kate's writing motivation record. But all things come eventually, and we started off with a great part one.
That's all I did. :/
I was about to write that I had better be careful what I put as resolutions now because I know this year will be busy too, if not busier and more intense as I work into my Film degree, but that's just not my style. I was talking to my mom about this. She was of the persuasion that you should always set reasonable goals; only set the goal you know you can reach. I said I disagreed - that for me the best way to do it was to give myself a full platter of ambitions, more like a table, actually, of tasty looking foods, and I can pick whatever I want when I go looking for something to eat.
I also thought aloud that sometimes, when you set a high goal, you don't make it, but you get further than where you may have been if you only shot for "reasonable".
That's why I like to give myself too many goals every year. I like that I have a choice. You can fill this cup, or this cup, or this cup. So~ I'm going to start listing resolutions. Or, should I call them... suggestions.
He's There
Seriously, Jennifer. You should be able to finish it once the plot snowballs. Start soon. Start this term. Then you can take a break if you want to.
I also want to get new website stuff for this. I'm devising a new enter page and I want more illustrations. I want to incorporate music (most likely My Brightest Diamond songs) on the site too.
Crystal Palace 4
I hope we get much done of this now that everything else is behind us. I also want a better writing strategy. I'm thinking we should meet once a week and, instead of finishing an entire part, we can do as much as we're inspired to, and then plan for what comes next, giving ourselves a week to think of ideas. If we can keep ourselves excited and believe that what we next do will be funny, then the meetings should happen. I don't want to pressure her, I just think structure would keep her from drifting away from me and making it so I have to request, randomly, that we write.
Adventures in Wonderland
Oh... Not a thing got done for this show this year. No website, no fanfictions. I always had it in my heart, but my friends from the fandom were disappearing, there weren't many new episodes, and I was discouraged by the idea that I'd write something I couldn't share. The fandom was/is so much about sharing to me that I was never inspired when the sharing, from all ends, stopped. I hope this year that things will pick up somehow. I'd like to write a complete fanfic again! I want to finish the website, even if Melissa isn't a part of it.
Nosferatu
There should be fanfiction for this! I know it sounds ridiculous, but I've been having ideas. Writing ideas and film ideas. I knew something was going to happen with it somehow, and now the universe is gradually revealing the "somehow" to me and I'm really excited about having something new to be creative about. I can't decide yet what I'm going to do, but my ideas thus far are the following:
1. Rewriting the movie in my own words and with more elaborated, amusing dialogue. I got the idea from Kate's hilarious rewrites of Hansel & Gratel, and Rapunzel.
2. Writing a spin-off about Count Orlok spending more time in Wisborg than he did in the movie, and using it to try seducing Ellen, despite Hutter's discomfort. The idea came about when I heard N'Sync's "Tearin' Up My Heart" and since then I've just gone nuts with it and laugh about the possibilities all the time. I don't even ship Orlok/Ellen or anything, I just think that his attempts to make her attracted to him, blatantly in front of her husband, is funny.
3. Writing a story about meeting Orlok personally, with a Twilight sort of structure, obviously satirical and filled with suggestions that actual vampires are gross and can't possibly fall in love with anybody.
One more thing!
Vampire Santa
I'm not going to say anything about this. You can all be surprised if I decide to do it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lastly, of course, planning for any other of my projects is always an option. Tilly & Jo, Unknown Color, etc etc... I'm even thinking something needs to be done about Huggle the Puppet. I also started a comic called The Phantom Couple. That was fun! Maybe there's room for these too.
Kay,
There's my obligatory post.
♥, Jennifer
darlingdeathbird
02 January 2012 @ 03:18 pm
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23 January 2011 @ 04:40 pm
It's January 23 and I feel like making a general update, just to get out where I am and what I expect myself to be doing in the next month.
And might I say - January was a total FLOP! I've been the Queen of Lazy and I don't even know why. I was much more interested in reading books, watching Hey Arnold, and eating cookies and ice cream during my free time rather than actually write or draw something of significance. I'm proud of myself for reading a book (a long one at that), though. It's something I'd like to do more often and luckily I now have a stack of books thanks to Christmas. (I'll even be reviewing A Rose in Winter in due time. ;D)
Anyway, ah yes. My stories.
HE'S THERE
You all know I'm fucking stuck on this bastard. XD I've come to the conclusion that I need a longer time away from this than I thought. It's been over a year now that I've both sped and trudged through the chapters, and I even took a 2 month break, but I feel so incompetent at this point that I think, once again, I need to work on my individual chapter plans. I mean, understand them TO A T. O_O
I also got an interesting suggestion from a friend to try scripting the chapters before I write them, to make sure their flow is sensible. I've never done it before, and I don't know if it'll help me, but I'm going to test it out. I'm desperate and disappointed that I'm stuck where I am, especially since this is supposed to be a deeper more interesting part of the story. I don't know how I could find myself in such a quagmire! Is the heaviness of everything making me second-guess myself? Is adding some type of complexity and suspense to this making my brain think it can't handle it and instead just shut down?
I think it's that as well as some strange lack of enthusiasm. Perhaps I've just been dealing with the idea for too long and need to exhaust my brain with something else. I've long known my brain works that way, I was just being stubborn! If I intend to finish it this year, I've gotta be working on it frequently for at least six months. There's wiggle room, I know. I simply have to be conscious of how long I let myself rest.
CRYSTAL PALACE 3
Naturally, since it's done, we've nothing to write, and I haven't heard from Kate since the day we finished it together, Jan. 1st. HOWEVER. I'm finding myself in the mood to do the illustrations. It's rather neat that I would feel that way, since I haven't wanted to draw for it in a while. And while it's true that I've utterly BEATEN a dead horse on Deviant Art trying to get people to visit our community through sketches of the characters, I still would like to put some work into its presentation. Not for publicity's sake, just for myself and Kate. I have to keep reminding myself that CP2 was in the exact same position where there wasn't anyone who would ever really care I made the website, but I had a fire of inspiration lit under my butt for months with that whole thing and don't regret it at all.
I don't think I will worry about revising the script in the slightest until I get website plans started or into action. Because we have no audience, there's no sense of urgency, which is a little bittersweet, but whatever.
TRYING TUESDAY
Although I started it like early December and then ignored it, I actually wrote more a few days ago. I'm having the hardest time thinking of a good, strong beginning so I can finally post a first part here. The place where I started writing and really getting into it is what I'd consider part two, so it's killing me that I can't show a damn thing! All I can say is that Mel's new episode Take the Bunny and Run was some good inspiration since Rabbit was experiencing something to make him grateful for his less-than-perfect life. OMG and I can't wait to draw the poster for this when it's time to share. It's (naturally) going to imitate the cover of the Freaky Friday DVD, with Rabbit (in Hare's body) looking all condescending and Hare (in Rabbit's body) looking douchey with a feather duster or something.
Actually, it's quite interesting. So far I've done a lot of third-person narrative as Rabbit and I guess I never realized I perceived him as seeing everything with such a stuck-up eye. I know the bunny-tension between him and Hare is there in canon, but he's been especially prickly so far. ;) Well, he has been driving him crazy and he just found out they've switched bodies. He has a right to prickliness. They'll learn the soft spots of each other as things progress.
TILLY & JO
Why do I mention this if I haven't been writing it? Well, I don't know! It's just been on my mind. Probably because it will be my project after He's There, and my brain is escaping from He's There and not being able to write for it, therefore it apparently sorta thinks that T&J is right around the corner when it sure as hell isn't.
But shit - I'm entertaining myself with the fact that I could tell this story in three points of view. It comes from my once hearing someone write that the narrating character should be the one whose perspective is most important and interesting. Of course! But with this type of story, it was rather important that the most interesting perspectives be out of reach and instead learned about. At least, I thought. That idea will still be respected because Gina will narrate the first third, but then it'll switch to Tilly's, and we can learn through her about what's going on in her head and what she's learning from Gina and teaching her, and at the same time have a much clearer understanding of Jo. But then the last part comes along and Jo is the official narrator. He picks up things when the climax is hitting and ends the story.
Why do I want to do this? It seems to have promise in it. I also think Jo is a lot smarter and insightful than he was originally going to be given credit for. I think he's the most like a writer out of the three of them and would have surprising remarks to make about the situation. He's also (technically) the first person to give up his grounded life to stay with Tilly, which is kind of what she asks of Gina. It won't happen, but that's why contrast is cool. :) Enough spoiling. I'll get to it, I really will...
NEW STORY ♥
Am I shitting you? Is this for rizzle? It actually is. I, Jennifer, have conceived a brand spankin' new idea for a YA story. Unfortunately, I can't yet go into a thing about it. It has a few characters, a song or two, and some themes, but at the moment not everyone has even their full name, so it's too early to spill my thoughts onto here. I'll tell you a few things not to expect, though.
☆ Phantoms.
☆ A whole lot of romance.
☆ A dark theme.
☆ A lot of girl characters.
lol. Yeah, just thought I'd throw that out there. I don't tackle the same kind of story twice. At least, not yet. (but I'm young) I plan to write an entry about it when the time seems right, so just wait. :)
................................................................................................................
Okay, now it's time to write down some goals for February to keep my lazy ass on track.
I'm obviously taking a breather (again) from novel writing, I've got application stuff for UO to go over, so fitting to me for the time being is to:
1. Do CP3 illustrations.
-- Akira against the back table at the bar mitzvah next to the bird cage, grimacing over Cosmo's ascent to the microphone to reveal their affair.
-- Akira's fists upon the hapless 'mummy' at the hospital as Cosmo slides the curtain away from his side of the room, eyebrow raised.
-- Kate, Cosmo, Akira and I out at the "Dorsia" restaurant.
2. Finish Trying Tuesday
3. Draw TT a poster!
4. Draw the Tweedles profile and work on the AIW site pages w/ Mel.
Okay, good enough. Ciao. Adios. Jyaamatane. :D
And might I say - January was a total FLOP! I've been the Queen of Lazy and I don't even know why. I was much more interested in reading books, watching Hey Arnold, and eating cookies and ice cream during my free time rather than actually write or draw something of significance. I'm proud of myself for reading a book (a long one at that), though. It's something I'd like to do more often and luckily I now have a stack of books thanks to Christmas. (I'll even be reviewing A Rose in Winter in due time. ;D)
Anyway, ah yes. My stories.
HE'S THERE
You all know I'm fucking stuck on this bastard. XD I've come to the conclusion that I need a longer time away from this than I thought. It's been over a year now that I've both sped and trudged through the chapters, and I even took a 2 month break, but I feel so incompetent at this point that I think, once again, I need to work on my individual chapter plans. I mean, understand them TO A T. O_O
I also got an interesting suggestion from a friend to try scripting the chapters before I write them, to make sure their flow is sensible. I've never done it before, and I don't know if it'll help me, but I'm going to test it out. I'm desperate and disappointed that I'm stuck where I am, especially since this is supposed to be a deeper more interesting part of the story. I don't know how I could find myself in such a quagmire! Is the heaviness of everything making me second-guess myself? Is adding some type of complexity and suspense to this making my brain think it can't handle it and instead just shut down?
I think it's that as well as some strange lack of enthusiasm. Perhaps I've just been dealing with the idea for too long and need to exhaust my brain with something else. I've long known my brain works that way, I was just being stubborn! If I intend to finish it this year, I've gotta be working on it frequently for at least six months. There's wiggle room, I know. I simply have to be conscious of how long I let myself rest.
CRYSTAL PALACE 3
Naturally, since it's done, we've nothing to write, and I haven't heard from Kate since the day we finished it together, Jan. 1st. HOWEVER. I'm finding myself in the mood to do the illustrations. It's rather neat that I would feel that way, since I haven't wanted to draw for it in a while. And while it's true that I've utterly BEATEN a dead horse on Deviant Art trying to get people to visit our community through sketches of the characters, I still would like to put some work into its presentation. Not for publicity's sake, just for myself and Kate. I have to keep reminding myself that CP2 was in the exact same position where there wasn't anyone who would ever really care I made the website, but I had a fire of inspiration lit under my butt for months with that whole thing and don't regret it at all.
I don't think I will worry about revising the script in the slightest until I get website plans started or into action. Because we have no audience, there's no sense of urgency, which is a little bittersweet, but whatever.
TRYING TUESDAY
Although I started it like early December and then ignored it, I actually wrote more a few days ago. I'm having the hardest time thinking of a good, strong beginning so I can finally post a first part here. The place where I started writing and really getting into it is what I'd consider part two, so it's killing me that I can't show a damn thing! All I can say is that Mel's new episode Take the Bunny and Run was some good inspiration since Rabbit was experiencing something to make him grateful for his less-than-perfect life. OMG and I can't wait to draw the poster for this when it's time to share. It's (naturally) going to imitate the cover of the Freaky Friday DVD, with Rabbit (in Hare's body) looking all condescending and Hare (in Rabbit's body) looking douchey with a feather duster or something.
Actually, it's quite interesting. So far I've done a lot of third-person narrative as Rabbit and I guess I never realized I perceived him as seeing everything with such a stuck-up eye. I know the bunny-tension between him and Hare is there in canon, but he's been especially prickly so far. ;) Well, he has been driving him crazy and he just found out they've switched bodies. He has a right to prickliness. They'll learn the soft spots of each other as things progress.
TILLY & JO
Why do I mention this if I haven't been writing it? Well, I don't know! It's just been on my mind. Probably because it will be my project after He's There, and my brain is escaping from He's There and not being able to write for it, therefore it apparently sorta thinks that T&J is right around the corner when it sure as hell isn't.
But shit - I'm entertaining myself with the fact that I could tell this story in three points of view. It comes from my once hearing someone write that the narrating character should be the one whose perspective is most important and interesting. Of course! But with this type of story, it was rather important that the most interesting perspectives be out of reach and instead learned about. At least, I thought. That idea will still be respected because Gina will narrate the first third, but then it'll switch to Tilly's, and we can learn through her about what's going on in her head and what she's learning from Gina and teaching her, and at the same time have a much clearer understanding of Jo. But then the last part comes along and Jo is the official narrator. He picks up things when the climax is hitting and ends the story.
Why do I want to do this? It seems to have promise in it. I also think Jo is a lot smarter and insightful than he was originally going to be given credit for. I think he's the most like a writer out of the three of them and would have surprising remarks to make about the situation. He's also (technically) the first person to give up his grounded life to stay with Tilly, which is kind of what she asks of Gina. It won't happen, but that's why contrast is cool. :) Enough spoiling. I'll get to it, I really will...
NEW STORY ♥
Am I shitting you? Is this for rizzle? It actually is. I, Jennifer, have conceived a brand spankin' new idea for a YA story. Unfortunately, I can't yet go into a thing about it. It has a few characters, a song or two, and some themes, but at the moment not everyone has even their full name, so it's too early to spill my thoughts onto here. I'll tell you a few things not to expect, though.
☆ Phantoms.
☆ A whole lot of romance.
☆ A dark theme.
☆ A lot of girl characters.
lol. Yeah, just thought I'd throw that out there. I don't tackle the same kind of story twice. At least, not yet. (but I'm young) I plan to write an entry about it when the time seems right, so just wait. :)
Okay, now it's time to write down some goals for February to keep my lazy ass on track.
I'm obviously taking a breather (again) from novel writing, I've got application stuff for UO to go over, so fitting to me for the time being is to:
1. Do CP3 illustrations.
-- Akira against the back table at the bar mitzvah next to the bird cage, grimacing over Cosmo's ascent to the microphone to reveal their affair.
-- Akira's fists upon the hapless 'mummy' at the hospital as Cosmo slides the curtain away from his side of the room, eyebrow raised.
-- Kate, Cosmo, Akira and I out at the "Dorsia" restaurant.
2. Finish Trying Tuesday
3. Draw TT a poster!
4. Draw the Tweedles profile and work on the AIW site pages w/ Mel.
Okay, good enough. Ciao. Adios. Jyaamatane. :D
Current Mood: 
hungry
hungry02 January 2011 @ 02:19 pm
Another year has passed by, and here comes another chance for me to boast about my accomplishments. XD I think this was a pretty good writing year, except for NaNoWriMo. I was really disappointed with that, but I also have to think about what got done when it wasn't November. I was even writing chapters (two great ones) in summer while (surprise for everyone who doesn't know me personally) I was having some of the worst times with my dad and he was on the verge of moving out. Luckily, he did and the house became a very tranquil place for me to work afterward.
Anyway! It's tradition since last year not to go through goals I made in January in checklist fashion; only to write what I accomplished.
2011 ASPIRATIONS
HE'S THERE
2011 really should be the last year of my work on this. :/ I conclude that thought with a less than happy emoticon because it's been my best friend for almost four years and it will be strange to move on from it. I know I've got 17 chapters to go, but I imagine it will begin to snowball. When it's done, I plan to take a little break and then start revising, hopefully with help of my readers and beta, and the Creative Writing department at my future university.
US AGAINST THE WORLD
I can honestly say I'm playing it cool this year since I'll be diving into my real education in film this year and probably will have a lot of school things to balance. Aside to He's There, I just wanna do my fanfictions, ya know? :) Have something light-hearted in my life. I won't give myself pressure to have UATW finished, as it's turned out to be a more complicated project than I thought, but I hope I return to it and fall in love with it again. It was so much fun. It's the only AIW thing that's just been put on hold and that's just not fair.
CRYSTAL PALACE 3
Really needs lots of lovely illustrations. Many of the ones I have on the community are from 2008. They're good, but I think I can do better, and so many of the later scenes have no drawings at all! I'm going to have to find out how I want to illustrate it though - if I want to play it safe with pencil lines and digital coloring or remain faithful to the fully Disney style I had in the beginning. It's just when I drew for it in the past, I was using a desktop computer with a reputable mouse. I haven't attempted digital lines on my laptop, even with a plug-in mouse, for surely a year or more.
CP3 also is destined for its own website. I almost considered not building one, seeing as hardly anyone has ever visited the one I made for CP2, but then I remembered that it's little to do with that. I simply love to make websites for my stories. Whoever comes every blue moon is in for a treat, and they are my portfolio. It might even be much more relevant when I get to university and have classes and teachers where my work would come up and I'd need a way to show them. SO YES, IN A NUTSHELL, CP3 WILL BE DESIGNED A WEBSITE. :D
On the side to those more important things, I've decided that post-He's There, Tilly & Jo will be my novel of choice. It was fighting for its chance against Wooden Light (which I may rename Unknown Color), but I remembered that WL/UC is a freaking AMBITIOUS project. If I thought HT was trouble, ohohohoho. WL would need so much more prep and I'm very emotionally invested. I thought I would like to feel a little less weight on my shoulders and T&J is definitely going to be a shorter story with less seriousness. SOOO....
TILLY & JO
When I've come far enough along with revising He's There, I'm going to enter this project at the very base. I'm developing the characters as if they were new (but don't worry, besides Gina, what you know of them will be retained). I'm actually going to spend a lot of time time-lining and filling out Tilly and Jo's lives. I even considered splitting the story into their three POV's, where I could pick who would be the most effective telling the story at that point. Now that I've got a feel for this whole novel-writing business, I want to show what I've learned and blow some socks off. After characters, I'll spend a while trying to understand why I'm telling this story instead of just heading off without direction. With HT, it was very clear what the conflict and message was, and with T&J, it isn't. I really can't guarantee even a chapter of this story will be done by December 31st, 2011, but it will have fleshed out.
CRYSTAL PALACE 4
I said last year I wasn't picky about what got done and I'm really not. Especially since I don't know how the series will continue. I didn't have a particularly sunshine-and-rainbows experience working with Kate on CP3 because of her noncommittal attitude and unreliability, but she takes interest, still. I've made known that I won't tolerate less than fair conduct as co-writers in the future. I really look forward to CP4, though. We have a rousing plot set up that features everyone dealing with trouble. It will be an interesting character study for Cosmo who I've always had a special place for but had little opportunity to write about.
That is going to be the end of the list. I'm open to plot-bunnies throughout the year and I hope I act on them. I also hope I finish the short story I began in November called Trying Tuesday. The holidays got in my way with that one, but it shall be done! Wooden Light is not on this list, and it won't be written for, but I hope too that I can expand on it a little.
And that is that. :)
Anyway! It's tradition since last year not to go through goals I made in January in checklist fashion; only to write what I accomplished.
1.) I wrote something like 90-100 pages of He's There. I almost got halfway into Part 2. I also illustrated a little and really shaped out the rest of the plot in my head.
2.) I single-handedly, in a week and a half, wrote a 41-page Adventures in Wonderland short story, called A Hatter's Obligation. It was absolutely adorable and really helped me explore some characters.
3.) I wrote a 10pg Adventures in Wonderland one-shot called That Time of Year. Much fun.
4.) I did 3 more chapters of Us Against the World?
5.) Most importantly, Kate and I wrote 90pgs of Crystal Palace 3 and finished it. Yesterday.
Okay, a little smaller list than last year; I didn't do any websites, but there's more writing. ;)
2011 ASPIRATIONS
HE'S THERE2011 really should be the last year of my work on this. :/ I conclude that thought with a less than happy emoticon because it's been my best friend for almost four years and it will be strange to move on from it. I know I've got 17 chapters to go, but I imagine it will begin to snowball. When it's done, I plan to take a little break and then start revising, hopefully with help of my readers and beta, and the Creative Writing department at my future university.
US AGAINST THE WORLDI can honestly say I'm playing it cool this year since I'll be diving into my real education in film this year and probably will have a lot of school things to balance. Aside to He's There, I just wanna do my fanfictions, ya know? :) Have something light-hearted in my life. I won't give myself pressure to have UATW finished, as it's turned out to be a more complicated project than I thought, but I hope I return to it and fall in love with it again. It was so much fun. It's the only AIW thing that's just been put on hold and that's just not fair.
CRYSTAL PALACE 3Really needs lots of lovely illustrations. Many of the ones I have on the community are from 2008. They're good, but I think I can do better, and so many of the later scenes have no drawings at all! I'm going to have to find out how I want to illustrate it though - if I want to play it safe with pencil lines and digital coloring or remain faithful to the fully Disney style I had in the beginning. It's just when I drew for it in the past, I was using a desktop computer with a reputable mouse. I haven't attempted digital lines on my laptop, even with a plug-in mouse, for surely a year or more.
CP3 also is destined for its own website. I almost considered not building one, seeing as hardly anyone has ever visited the one I made for CP2, but then I remembered that it's little to do with that. I simply love to make websites for my stories. Whoever comes every blue moon is in for a treat, and they are my portfolio. It might even be much more relevant when I get to university and have classes and teachers where my work would come up and I'd need a way to show them. SO YES, IN A NUTSHELL, CP3 WILL BE DESIGNED A WEBSITE. :D
On the side to those more important things, I've decided that post-He's There, Tilly & Jo will be my novel of choice. It was fighting for its chance against Wooden Light (which I may rename Unknown Color), but I remembered that WL/UC is a freaking AMBITIOUS project. If I thought HT was trouble, ohohohoho. WL would need so much more prep and I'm very emotionally invested. I thought I would like to feel a little less weight on my shoulders and T&J is definitely going to be a shorter story with less seriousness. SOOO....
TILLY & JOWhen I've come far enough along with revising He's There, I'm going to enter this project at the very base. I'm developing the characters as if they were new (but don't worry, besides Gina, what you know of them will be retained). I'm actually going to spend a lot of time time-lining and filling out Tilly and Jo's lives. I even considered splitting the story into their three POV's, where I could pick who would be the most effective telling the story at that point. Now that I've got a feel for this whole novel-writing business, I want to show what I've learned and blow some socks off. After characters, I'll spend a while trying to understand why I'm telling this story instead of just heading off without direction. With HT, it was very clear what the conflict and message was, and with T&J, it isn't. I really can't guarantee even a chapter of this story will be done by December 31st, 2011, but it will have fleshed out.
CRYSTAL PALACE 4I said last year I wasn't picky about what got done and I'm really not. Especially since I don't know how the series will continue. I didn't have a particularly sunshine-and-rainbows experience working with Kate on CP3 because of her noncommittal attitude and unreliability, but she takes interest, still. I've made known that I won't tolerate less than fair conduct as co-writers in the future. I really look forward to CP4, though. We have a rousing plot set up that features everyone dealing with trouble. It will be an interesting character study for Cosmo who I've always had a special place for but had little opportunity to write about.
That is going to be the end of the list. I'm open to plot-bunnies throughout the year and I hope I act on them. I also hope I finish the short story I began in November called Trying Tuesday. The holidays got in my way with that one, but it shall be done! Wooden Light is not on this list, and it won't be written for, but I hope too that I can expand on it a little.
And that is that. :)