Status.

[snitchnipped]

Hello all you peoples in LJ land!

I'm procrastinating from writing, even though today is a good day to do so. It's cool outside, overcast, I have the full day off from work (the first in nearly two weeks) and most importantly...internet!

On the writing front... at first, and I cannot lie, I was a tad disappointed by the NBB extension. Deadlines! Must need deadlines! But the past two weeks, I've been locked in a dark, internetless box full of distractions left and right. And though I'm in supervisory mode and can check out to write as needed, it just didn't happen. So, in short... yay, extension! THANK GOODNESS!

Things have eased up a bit this week, so daytimes are again available to tap-tap-tap away on my little keyboard. And I really do want to finish this first pass of the story by the end of the month. However, my story keeps inching longer and longer... I've been "12K more to go!" for the past 3K words, it seems! Blrgh.

I've had a few back-and-forths off-and-on with wingedflight21 about NBB Special Extended Edition Appendices and Extras and Whatnots. I've collected a bit of information that I would love to share with readers, but am unsure what the best way of doing so would be!

snacky had mentioned a Commenting Challenge of some sort after the fact, which sounds like a lot of fun... but with my story already being kinda longish, and not everyone's cup of tea, I'm not sure anyone would have much interest in one. Don't get me wrong, I could talk for HOURS about the NBB, but have a fear of boring people to death!

But I'm still trying to think of a best way to present some supplement material I would like released at the same time my story is posted. I have a map which would make things incredibly useful for readers. There are a couple of songs in the story, one of which I fully composed on Noteflight that I'd like to share. And a chart or two, too... then again, I have no idea what an artist would want to do with it either, so maybe it all could be integrated together? Who knows! I'm anxious to get to the stage of working with an artist, actually!

In other news.... because of its length and somewhat complicated-ness of plot threads, I am interested in bringing in a second beta (thanks to lady_songsmith for being my first!) There are just a few listed on the official sign-up, and it seems like a lot already have a plateful of beta-ing to do, so I don't want to pressure anyone into taking another on. Let alone a 60K one.

I'm particularly interested in someone strong at plot logic and thread tracking, and to tell me of there are enough laughs and cries sprinkled throughout. I'm thinking the story will end up to be T+, borderline M, but nothing explicit. Anyone out there interested? Maybe an exchange of services?

OK. Enough... I need to get writing...

Comments

[wingedflight21.livejournal.com]

From what you've said about all your "extras," I think I agree that a commentary wouldn't quite be the right way to go so much as appendices or the like. And I'm actually thinking the same about mine - the question is, with so much extra stuff, how to release it? As a series of LJ posts? Compiled as a pdf? (Although that wouldn't work so well for your song.) I even considered creating a side-tumblr because it would support the media types pretty well, but that is harder to leave feedback for people who don't have tumblrs of their own.

If you want, I wouldn't mind beta-ing your fic! I'm only doing one other so it shouldn't be a problem. And - actually, I've been thinking I should get a second as well, and if you think you'd have enough time to beta in exchange would you be able to? (If not, I totally understand. Writing such a long thing takes a huge amount of time!)

[snitchnipped.livejournal.com]

I think I'm going to do a mix. As per rth's suggestion below, I'm going to embed a few things in the initial LJ posting (and subsequent AO3 entry, as well). The map, the song... these happen to the things I want the readers to think of as part of the story, that they cannot do without.

But I do also have a few other things, notes and research, that probably will just end up in a post on my LJ. Supplemental material that I can prepare ahead of time and just post when the NBB is released. Maybe tag a link from ff.net and such.

And then the extra stuff, maybe a little commentary and my organizational charts... well, I may post, I may not. Those will be more about the process and less about the story. Those will probably end up being a separate LJ entry, posted long after the fact, I think. This should work, no?

And yes! I'd love to exchange beta services! Reading your beta sign-up entry, there may be *one* chapter which is borderline that you may want to skip (kinda smutty, more comic relief than anything, will definitely put some people off, though.) But it's not essential to the plot.

Hooray! I'll keep you updated on my progress... and feel free to throw anything at me whenever. I'm OK with getting it in pieces or all at once. Whatever you'd like!

[wingedflight21.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, I think that idea works well for the extras. It would actually be pretty neat to have that stuff embeded into the story, actually. I hadn't realized you could do that on A03, either. Neat! And then to have two separate posts, one for supplemental and one for process organizes it pretty well.

And awesome! It shouldn't be a problem if there's one chapter of that stuff. I really only mentioned it on the beta post because I didn't want to do a fic that is /all/ or /most/ smut etc. But if it's only one chapter, only borderline - pfft, you say it's comic relief and I came /this close/ to sticking a comic relief chapter of that sort into my own story. So that should be just fine.

And sounds good. I /think/ I'll still be a bit before sending anything off to you for opinion - I'm doing this weird thing where I'm going through and editing everything I wrote in November before I write the last third (don't ask me why, I don't really know why) and so I may shoot some stuff off to you once I'm finished that phase for opinion. And same goes for anything you want to send off - I'm good for however you want me to look at it. :)

[autumnia]

I love reading the "extras" that come with a story should an author want to share them with the reader. Maybe you should try rthstewart's method of posting that stuff here, either in one long post with cut tags to mark different things or post them as multiple posts. It's easier this way so those who aren't interested in reading them can skip over it, rather than include everything as author's/end notes in your story.

As for betas, if you can't find anyone else, I can try to help you with that; the only other person I've volunteered to beta for has been Ruth.

[snitchnipped.livejournal.com]

Oh good! I enjoy it, too, but I don't want to put out a big information dump when I post the story...

I think I'm going to do the multiple post route. One with the supplemental research which I would highly encourage others to read, and another for just vanity reasons... my organizational charts, maybe deleted scenes, the like...

And thank you for the offer! I may just take you up on it! I'm trying hard to not make this story simple (if that makes any sense)... I have a list of 20 or so themes, from major to minor, that I'm attempting to weave throughout and I may need the extra eyes to help track them! I'll keep you posted! :)

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I would think that a series of LJ posts and commentary might make the most sense. I'm just flounderin now myself, having written 5,000 words as I try to figure out where to begin one part of it and now, finally, after 3 days wasted, have begun. Sigh.

I am very, very excited for your NBB. I loved Dichotomy and have every hope for this one. You know, if you have a map, these are going to be posted in LJ so you could easily embed the map in the story for LJ and Ao3. You can't do that for ff.net of course, but could provide a link. I've got a couple of maps and a glossary myself. if there are maps or charts that can be embedded, I would definitely do that in the story itself!

[snitchnipped.livejournal.com]

I'ma goin' to reply to you first, because you suggested an idea that I thought of as well not long after posting. Why not just embed them? OF COURSE.

Not everything, of course, but the map for sure, perhaps the song (if it's not too jarring to the flow of the story). I've always loved it when books would have a peek of an illustration. The door to Moria comes to mind. I remember flipping through books as a child to see if any such thing would await in pages to come...

Of course, now I'll want a little thing for each chapter, but maybe this is something I could work out with the artist? Now I'm getting excited!

And I didn't know you could embed in A03! That's good to hear... Thanks, rth!