kryptaria

I've been going through a rough time: my PTSD, self-doubt, and anxiety are all feeding into each other, virtually guaranteeing that I haven't been able to write a damn thing lately. And by "lately" I mean "for the last century or so." At least, that's how it feels.

We talked a while back about what makes a good beta, and Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant (whose books are FANTASTIC and you should read them all right now) posted something that's very relevant:

https://twitter.com/seananmcguire/status/1104176615720869888

This exact same thing happened to me.

An editor at Sourcebooks Casablanca ended up reading a couple of my fics -- Northwest Passage and The Shattered Marque. She loved them and offered me a two-book contract to rewrite Northwest Passage as original het, with a sequel...

And then she went to a different publisher.

The editor who inherited me was a TERRIBLE fit. I never would've signed with her, and she never would've made me an offer. But she's apparently a great editor... for other writers.

It's the same thing with betas, especially when an author decides to branch out into a new fandom or style. Sometimes a beta who's great for, say, Supernatural angst will be terrible for Leverage crack. And that's okay.

I find myself in the position of having to tell someone who's probably a great beta that they're just not a good fit for one of the stories I'm writing, and it's really, really awkward. But Seanan McGuire's thread is what opened my eyes to that realization, so credit to her for maybe, just maybe, helping me take the first step of remember that my writing doesn't actually suck after all...

How are you all doing?

 We're now at 32,105 words in beta! Have a sneak preview, because it's fun writing Merlin and Morgana as friends, not enemies:

Hope you all had a safe, fun new year! We took Bucky and Xena on a hike to the beach, where Bucky learned waves are not to be trusted and Xena learned sand is awesome for digging. They also got muddy. So muddy. You have no idea how muddy*.

I also wrote a bit about what I carry in my day-to-day go-bag, as a service dog handler. Read about it on Twitter. https://twitter.com/JordanSBrock/status/1080282948744687616

On the fandom front, A Midwinter Prince is over 25,000 words! I'm working on chapter 9 now, and I'm probably 1/3 of the way through the story. It's a modern paranormal royal AU (Merlin/Arthur) based on Netflix's A Christmas Prince.

Wish me luck getting through the next paragraph! Once I can get this scene kicked off, I'll hopefully be able to wrap chapter 9 (tomorrow?) and get started on chapter 10. I really want to get this finished ASAP so I can get back to the giant, still-untitled, still-needs-a-britpick epic crossover.

What are you all up to these days?

* This is only the first coat of mud, which he got on the way to the beach. The hike back to the parking lot added a full second layer, halfway up his body.

Happy Midwinter!

Due to Hurricane Xena, I'm behind on all my writing. My intent had been to post this fic today, but since I'm behind, I want to give you all a sneak preview of chapter 1. The alternative is to post yet another WIP to AO3, and that never goes well.

Title: A Midwinter Prince
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: Teen (possibly Mature for language)
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur, Lance/Gwen, Morgana/Leon, Gwaine flirts with everyone because Gwaine
Warnings: None
Tags: Modern AU, Magic is known, Journalist AU, Royalty

Summary: It's not easy to break into journalism, even with a degree. Trapped on the copy desk editing other people's lousy writing, Merlin finally sees a light at the end of the tunnel. His boss wants a reporter in Camelot for Prince Arthur's twenty-fifth birthday, when the Playboy Prince has to either take the throne or abdicate.

When the Prince skips out of his press conference, Merlin is faced with the prospect of going back to London empty-handed. But a stubborn mindset, a journalist's instincts, and a whole lot of magic go a long way, especially when Merlin finds an unlocked, unguarded side door. It's not his fault that the first person he runs across hears his London accent and assumes he's Princess Morgana's new tutor... is it?

Author's notes: Have you seen A Christmas Prince on Netflix? No? Go make yourself some hot cocoa, wrap up in a fuzzy blanket, ignore the plot holes, and enjoy! (Don't bother with the sequel.)

-----

Forgive any formatting issues. I'm still finding my way around Dreamwidth.


( Read more... )