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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

The it's a loooong story thread version 2.0 - announcement 7/30 - pg6 - blue

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by spiritgurl, Jun 19, 2005.

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  1. spiritgurl

    spiritgurl Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2003
    Have one of those Energizer plot bunnies that just keeps going, and going and going, and going? 8-} You're not alone! It can be tough getting through those extrodinarily loooong Star Wars stories so if you need a bit of moral support, help with your fic, or just chat with fellow epic writers you're in the right place! :D

    In version 2.0 of this thread, Cantador is going to be leading some workshops and topic discussion and I will be doing an "Epic of the Month" feature, starting in July. If you would like to suggest an author's story (not your own) for Epic of the Month, please drop me a PM.

    spiritgurl




    [color=darkblue][b][u][hl=skyblue]RELATED LINKS[/hl][/u][/b][/color]

    [ul]
    [li][link=http://boards.theforce.net/Fan_Fiction_Resource/b10304/16669485/?846]Old "It's a looooong story" thread[/link][/li]

    [li][link=http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=17184530&replies=8]The "It's a loooong story" index[/link] This thread includes illustrious members of the "100,000 Word Club" and "Epic Recommendations".[/li]
    [/ul]

    [hr]

    [b][u][color=darkblue][hl=skyblue]EPIC OF THE MONTH LISTING[/hl][/color][/u][/b]

    [ul]

    [li][b]August 2005:[/b] [link=http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/15836193/p1]Spirit Warriors of Angharad [/link] by [b]Ophelia[/b] (see page 6)[/li]

    [li][b]July 2005:[/b] [link=http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=18585522]The Power Play Trilogy - Part 1: The Fool Who Follows [/link] by [b]Sebulba2179[/b] (see page 2) [/li]


    [/ul]
     
  2. Sebulba2179

    Sebulba2179 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2002
    I'm a-signin' on. :D After seven or eight chapters, I'm just now about to get my latest fic into second gear. And overdrive is still a long time coming. ;)
     
  3. spiritgurl

    spiritgurl Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2003
    Hey Sebulba2179

    I wish I could even get the engine started again on mine. I've been busy and sidetracked with other stuff for months and haven't been able to get back to the story, and then when I finally have some time writer's block seems to have set in. :_| :_| :_| It's so frustrating and I feel so bad for my readers to have kept them waiting this long.

    sg
     
  4. dianethx

    dianethx Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2002
    I finally posted after 3 months. I did have an excuse of real life but I felt terrible making my readers wait so long. Hopefully, that will change. :(
     
  5. Sebulba2179

    Sebulba2179 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Well, I know how you both feel - I've moved twice in the past year, so a fanfic that should have taken only a few months to rewrite took more than a year. I'm pretty well settled in now, so the only trouble, aside from DWB, is that I've been working on the railroad all the live-long day and am extremely lucky to get a few hours' writing time. At least DRL hasn't tried too hard to foil me out of those the way he used to (knock on wood).
     
  6. DCWiz00

    DCWiz00 Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 29, 2004
    I'm right there with you. I came back after six months out of the country ready to keep going on my story, but now I'm busy (again [face_frustrated] :mad: ) with work and trying to rewrite the chapters I just wrote. Someday I'll actually make regular posts again, but between working 15 hours a day six days a week, and constantly rethinking my posts I'm not sure when that will be.
     
  7. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    I haven't been away too much, but I just finished an epic that took me over a year to complete, and wasn't supposed to take me that long.
     
  8. Sebulba2179

    Sebulba2179 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Believe me, you did pretty well - it usually takes me that long to write a novella, let alone an epic. :p This monster that I've created now will probably take twice as long to finish.
     
  9. poor yorick

    poor yorick Ex-Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Jun 25, 2002
    I hope to be done with my epic within about a month. My problem is that DRL keeps getting in the way, as do silly things I've volunteered to do for TFN. I'm not even going to reiterate all the stuff I need to get done in the next couple of weeks. It scares me. It also scares me that I have so little time, and yet I spend so much of it on my stupid fanfic novel. I probably need therapy, but don't have time to go. :p
     
  10. PadmeLeiaJaina

    PadmeLeiaJaina Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    May 23, 2002
    I'm finally winding down on my current epic that's only taken me over a year and a half to write. I'm going to crank out a short story to get myself geared up for beginning part 2 of my trilogy. Hopefully life won't interrupt me so much so this one won't take so long to write.
     
  11. RK_Striker_JK_5

    RK_Striker_JK_5 Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Jul 2, 2003
    I've been working on Three New Sailor Senshi continuously since August 25, 2002. I shall finish it this year!
     
  12. Rose_Skywalker

    Rose_Skywalker Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 17, 2002


    Checking in! :D I finished my first Novel (felt like an epic) in April, and have now started the hopefully shorter sequel.
     
  13. Sebulba2179

    Sebulba2179 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Hopefully shorter, eh? Heh heh...More often than not, I find that a story will do whatever it damn well pleases, and before you know it, its length is beyond your control. [face_devil]
     
  14. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000
    Ah! You must have posted whilst I was gone, diane. Now I'm going to get to catch up with Betrayal here soon as well :D Excellent.

    Of course, I keep telling myself I'm about to jump back in to writing my series... but I've been home almost a week now and haven't posted a new part [face_worried] And for the record, I probably won't be done for another few years or so :p

    -sj loves kevin spacey
     
  15. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    Believe me, you did pretty well - it usually takes me that long to write a novella, let alone an epic. This monster that I've created now will probably take twice as long to finish.


    Eek!! Lol I don't know if its actually an epic--its really long for a board story and because of enthusiastic readers it got to 200 + pages, but it was only a bit over 120,000 words. So not epic-length in the real world, just here.

    How long are you planning on making your story?
     
  16. Arin_Atona

    Arin_Atona Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 10, 2004
    *pokes head into thread*

    Present!

    And still writing this monster :p
     
  17. Darth_Tim

    Darth_Tim Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 26, 2002
    I've decided to get my AU prequel eps going again too. This way, when they are finally done, they won't be haunting me anymore...heh.

    -Tim
     
  18. Sebulba2179

    Sebulba2179 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Three parts, and each part will probably be novel length. Yeah, it'll probably take me a couple of years at least. ;) Tim, buddy, you want to talk about haunting...
     
  19. DarkDroid

    DarkDroid Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2004
    Good to know I'm not the only one suffering. :p ;)

    I'm currently writing a monster of a story... 46 000 words and I'm only half way through Chapter 4. [face_tired] I see no sign of it slowing down, either.

    My last epic didn't go all too well. 95 000 words and then I stopped writing it... Now it only serves as a stepping stone towards developing the plot for my current story.
     
  20. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002

    Eek!! I can't imagine setting myself up for that kind of torture. I promised a sequel trilogy, but each story shouldn't be more than 100,000 words . . .
     
  21. Cantador

    Cantador Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Hey, everyone. I hope to have a few things together in the next couple days, as Liz mentioned.

    Been a very busy week. Haven't had time to update The Green Hand Rebellion in an embarrassingly long time. But I'm hoping that turns around by tomorrow.

    At any rate, just thought I'd say hello. Good to see all of you.
     
  22. dianethx

    dianethx Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2002
    How much longer is mine going to be? It's at 190 pages now :eek: and I figure another 100 pages and I should be done with it forever and ever![face_dancing]
     
  23. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000
    You know, it's an amazing phenomenon... but I think the more an author hates their story (at least the process of writing it), the more wonderful the story is for the readers. It's some strange cosmic inverse proportion. Because if an author is working so hard on it that she wants to beat her brains out every day and it will just never end, it's probably a fantastic story :p


    -sj loves kevin spacey
     
  24. Mjsullivan

    Mjsullivan Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 8, 2003
    Hiya all! Just checking in - late as usual!

    Its funny, you never realise just how many people are going through the same epic-writing torture as you are until you pop into this thread! Gluttons for punishment, all of us :p I used to tell myself I had no time for reading other epics if I ever wanted to get mine finished, but now I find that reading takes up more of my time anyway - I can't wait to get my teeth into some of the 'epic of the month's :D

    Oh, and congratulations to all of you who had your fics nominated for 'best epic' in the awards! For sheer volume of effort, you deserve it :D
     
  25. Cantador

    Cantador Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Sorry for the delay all. Been a busy month.

    The way we've decided to run the workshop is this. Every few weeks, a new writer, who must have at least one ongoing epic, will be given the floor with a set of topics relating to problems in her or his own work, using examples from it and receiving constructive criticism and suggestions from the group. Everyone is encouraged to use this opportunity to read the workshopper's epic(s), but this is a forum for discussion and improvement, not just for plugging. Also, individual difficulties are only a starting point. Let the issues they raise carry you where they will.

    Workshoppers will be chosen on a first come, first serve basis. If you're in need of help or have a tricky subject you'd like to raise, PM me with the details and the time frame you expect you'll need (no more than two weeks, as we want to give everyone a turn).

    In addition to the formal workshops, Liz and I will be choosing a more general topic for discussion toward the end of every month. Everyone is welcome (and encouraged) to suggest ideas, and what we're hoping is that each new discussion will be led by a new writer, time allowing, whose topic was chosen for the month, through prompts and designing a challenge and selecting its winner.

    For this first round, I've chosen what I think is the cornerstone of any epic: World Creation, starting with History. Do you imagine your histories, of planets, wars, ships, species, before you begin or as you go? Do you write them down or hold them in your head? What impact do those histories have on your story?

    Feel free to bring up anything else that comes to mind. If this works, I'll post a challenge at the end of the first week that will run until the end of the last, and will hopefully be helped by ideas, debates, bloody brawls and so on that arise from the topic.

    Just a note. All free-form discussion from the old thread is still allowed and encouraged. We're just looking to add the workshops and topic discussion, not to eliminate the casual chatting and venting. If there are any suggestions, by all means post them here or PM either me or Liz.
     
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