3 years, 57 chapters, 161k words. And now it’s done.
To celebrate, I’m doing a giveaway for a free physical copy! To enter, just be sure to follow me and reblog this post between now and July 31, 2017. Come August 1st, I’ll nab one of those neat-o random generator things to pick one lucky reader, and I will ship that beastie any-dang-where!
I just want to thank everyone who kept on reading and kept on encouraging me with kudos and comments and random moments on here and twitter (and a few, notably, at 221bcon!)... You guys have made this journey happen. Thank you so much.
Aaaand, if you haven’t read any of it yet, you can get started right here!
Have you ever sat down to start writing, only to find that the awesome Coffee Shop AU you had in mind now completely escapes you? Have you ever tried it with original fiction (which, for many fic writers is WAY worse)?
Here’s the thing. You don’t have to do this alone. I’ve got a system to you help you with that pesky plot (that I have lifted from my betters, and want to share with as many people as possible)!
Where Do I Start?
So, let’s say you’ve got a great little plot bunny in your head. In the picture above, I fiddled around with a Teenlock AU as an example. A lot of times, I’ll ramble on in a text doc or on paper, just to find a few bullet points I like. Usually it looks like this, by the time it’s done:
Okay, so like, Sherlock is a high-schooler and he’s been assigned a thing in English class with John (because TROPES. AND OVERUSED PLOT LINES IN YA! THAT ALWAYS INVOLVE AN ENGLISH CLASS GROUP PROJECT! I am supes original fuck yeah.).
Anyway, they do this project and then there’s UST and maybe AWKWARD PINING and plenty of ANGST to feed my soul. it’s gonna have a happy ending but Who knows wtf happens.
(Can I find a way to make them make out under the bleachers at some point because seriously i have needs yo)
As you can see, this is a really refined, nuanced summary, yeah? A lot of times, for real stories, I’ll also talk about images or moments I’d like to include, but have no set spot for, much like that bit about the bleachers.
SO NOW IT’S TIME FOR DEM STICKY-NOTES!
Now, I normally do these with actual sticky-notes on my kitchen wall. There’s something incredibly useful to me about the physical action of being able to write with pen and sharpie, to peel and stick and move the notes around the way I need. But! I know that sometimes people can’t do that, and for the purposes of this little thing, I can’t either. If you’re interested, I did this at Linoit.com.
If you look at the things, my columns are set up to reflect the acts in a 5-Act Story Structure. Some prefer the 3-Act Structure, but I really like having as much visible structure to follow through as possible.
(Click on the pictures in order to see the stickies in more detail.)
The first picture gives the basic structure, with the most common sort of example being that of a fantasy, etc, to explain each act. The second goes into a little more detail specifically for romances, since that’s what many fic writers are essentially writing.
(A little further explanation of some stuff!)
ANYWAY.
So, once you get your act columns done, you start filing them in with stuff.
Now, keep in mind, these aren’t chapters, or even scenes. These are purely plot points. Some people go really hardcore and break it down to chapters or even scenes, but I tend to not do that. I use the thing more like a set of hastily-scrawled directions taking you to your friend’s house based on passing landmarks. Breaking it down to chapters and scenes would be more like giving a set of directions with street names. As you can see, road trips with me are AN ADVENTURE.
Okay, what now?
Well, after that, I put it into a spreadsheet (I use ‘sheets’ on google drive) in order to keep everything. That way I can take the sticky-notes off my walls so that my company never has to come home and see stuff like, “Then S sees J’s monster dong and wanks 5-EVA” (which... yes. I’ve done that, lol.)
I know some of you beautiful people have talked before about wishing fanfic authors were publishing their own stuff, or else that you want to see more representation in media. With those things in mind, I want to tell you about my independent work, The Under-London Series.
So far, I’ve written two novellas and a novel, the latter of which follows Eden Davies, a sixteen year-old transwoman as she navigates life in the fairy city of Under-London. You’ll find action, magic, monsters, and a seven-foot bird-guy who really likes Beyonce.
In two more days, I’ll be kicking off the next novel in the series, which continues with Eden as she races against the clock to stop a war between two fairy mounds. You can follow chapter-by-chapter (just like a WIP fanfic!) for as little as a dollar.
In fact, we’re having a milestone drive...
If I can get to $150/month, new perks will be unlocked for subscribers, AND you’ll be part of a community that supports independent artists! You’ll be making dreams come true.
If that’s not your scene, check it out for free on the newly-revamped Under-London.com.
The free site is still posting chapters to catch up to when the newest chapter drop for free, so you’ll get a new chapter every few days through the month of march, all those novellas and first novel, leading up to our brand-new story, THE BATTLE FOR UNDER-LONDON. If free is your jam, be sure to hit that subscribe button. <3
Check out a cheap-as-free sneak peek for the latest novel on My Patreon!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
John Watson may be playing dirty, but Sherlock is determined to win...
Written for the Come At Once (if convenient) 24-Hour Porn Challenge over on livejournal, where participants take turns tagging one another and leaving a prompt, to be filled within 24 hours of the tag. Any pairing in any Sherlock Holmes ‘verse.
I was tagged by @beltainefaerie with the prompt, “Oh, really?”
Hey friends! If you haven’t already heard about it, I run a site over at Under-London.com, where I’m always working on new serialized novel chapters, cheap as free.
Thing is, it’s hard to keep up the bills, doing this as my day job. That’s why I need your help!
Joining up on my patreon would not only give you the fuzzy satisfaction of helping out a fellow artist & tumblrite, but a handful of awesome perks. But even for $1, one whole dollar, you can be part of our community!
Helladope Rewards Like:
Immediate access to chapters one full month before they go up on the site
Downloadable PDFs of chapters/entire works before the finish product goes to ebook
Acknowledgements at the ends of completed works (who doesn’t like seeing their name in print?)
Monthly access to a secret blog
AND MORE!
Just $1 can get you started--and if you can’t, that’s okay! You can still enjoy the free thing over at under-london.com.
