#idea index

[ahiddenpath]

Idea Index

OKAY SO recently I’ve been vomiting ideas, trying to find one interesting enough to stick.  I collected them below the cut, mixed in with some writing news and dithering over my Nanowrimo2019 project.

Ideas

-Tales of REM

-AU collection, “Sea of Bottles” (name not finalized)

-Eimi in Tri, “Tri: Integrity Lens” (name not finalized)

-Virtual Write-Ins

-Fanfic “audio book”

-Splitting Four Years into Underclassmen and Upperclassmen

I don’t think I’ve mentioned that last one, but one of my thoughts for handling Four Years was to wrap up some issues with a short sophomore year, then split the Chosen’s junior/senior years into a new fic.  In the Upperclassmen sequel, the Chosen live together in a house rented to them by Mimi’s father, as seen in The Ouija Board.  The tone of the story will be a bit different at that point, since the worst of the interpersonal drama will have resolved.

This is my way of creating an “end point” for some of the heavier story lines (the Shauna thing, meeting Amy’s parents) and shifting the overall tone of the story to something a bit more playful.  The kids will have learned a lot by then, and are ready to slip into a calmer (but still ridiculous and heartfelt) state.

-A drabble collection with an entry for each Chosen

I haven’t explained this one, but it’s basically...  Okay so @a-v-e-z-a has a The Chosen as Parents series, where the Chosen are depicted caring for their first infant.  I figured that, if I did a drabble collection based on a theme like this, I could post the completed collection as a oneshot.

-Eimi meets Koushiro in a canon setting

I actually wrote about 1,200 words for this in a sitting recently.  It’s a cute (and blessedly short) story of an adult Koushiro meeting Eimi at work in a canon setting (ie, Eimi is not a Chosen and only knows Jyou because they attended the same university as undergrads).  My concern with this idea is that I will reveal ideas about human/digimon politics that might be best reserved for Our Digital World, the forthcoming sequel to Growing Up with You.

Hidden, what’s with all of these ideas?!

If you’ve been following me for a few years (thank you!!!), then you know that I used to just... sort of... plow through writing.  But my life and my mental health started... changing?  Becoming harder?  Around late 2017.  These days, I find it difficult- almost impossible- to do things that used to be so easy and fun.

My plan was to write Tri: Integrity Lens (the name isn’t finalized, please do let me know if you have ideas) for Nanowrimo, but I’ve been struggling to even... watch the movies to make the outline.  But I desperately want to participate (and win) Nanowrimo, hopefully without it being a slog or a chore.  But for the first time, I feel as though I’m setting myself up for failure, given my recent state of mental health.

And I think that’s why I keep going, ‘HEY GUYZ I HAZ AN IDEA!!!!!,’ all the dang time.  I’m trying to find something exciting enough to encourage me to actually... start writing again.

But I’m wondering if I should be prioritizing a simple and flexible project over an exciting one.  I know I said I’d write the Tri story, but...  Hear me out.  Here’s my new plan.

Since I have the first two chapters outlined for Tri: Integrity Lens, I’ll write them.  Then, I will switch to writing oneshots, either for Tales of REM or Sea of Bottles.  The advantage of these short stories is that they are less demanding than my usual fare, and I can pick whichever tale fits my mood that day.  Basically, if I’m bored/frustrated/stuck/feel pressured, no problem!  Write this story, instead!

After Nanowrimo, I’m hoping to then write one chapter of Tri: Integrity Lens every 3-6 weeks.  That gives me plenty of time to watch the movies for reference without wanting to throw a fit (I know this is strange, but I don’t seem to enjoy TV/movies as a medium, at least not comparatively, although I generally like comedies well enough).

Tri: Integrity Lens will NOT be posted at all until it’s completed and edited.  (After seeing how tight and intentional After August is compared to my other stories, I want to use this method more often).  However, any Tales of REM/Sea of Bottles stories will go up right away after post Nanowrimo editing, since they are stand alone.  I might do one update every other week as long as I have material, so that something is being posted.

I am planning to at least try a virtual write-in during Nanowrimo.  Depending on how well it goes, I might make it a regular thing.  It’s no pressure; if no one shows or no one particularly likes it, well, I’ll spend a scheduled period furiously writing, which is still a win.  Makin’ a date with myself, awwww yeeeeahhh.

Currently, I am working on the last chapter of After August, and I hope to have it posted before Nanowrimo begins on November 1st.  I’ve really already said everything I want to say in this story, so now I just have to tie the bow.

Uh...  Any thoughts?  Comments?  What sounds interesting to you?  I really don’t know what I’m doing at this point.  I just want to find a way to make writing and Nanowrimo seem less intimidating.

I hope you’re all doing well with your projects!

[fantasticpiratebanana]

This book on graphic design is not really my cup of tea, as I prefer my advice being detailed but simple to understand and to the point. However, I do love the quality of advice Jim Krause gives, and of course, the way it’s presented visually (obviously, he’s a graphic designer). I give this book a 6 out 10 stars. 

[newstfionline]

Get More Out of the Books You Read With an Idea Index

Tori Reid, Lifehacker, Oct. 24, 2014

Trying to remember what we love about a book will leave us forgetting some of the best parts, and when we go back to try to find them, we definitely don’t remember which pages to look for. Use an Idea Index to be more effective: list the important ideas and quotes, and the page number they’re on, right in the front of the book.

Professional blogger and avid reader Maria Popova uses the Idea Index, which eliminates the guesswork of referring back to important passages of a book. Study Hacks Blog explains how the method works:

As Popova reads, she creates an index at the front of the book that lists its most interesting ideas.

Every time she encounters a passage relevant to one of these ideas she adds the page to the relevant line in the index. If it’s a new idea, she creates a new line for it.

As she reads more, the index grows.

Here’s what’s great about this idea index method: When you pick up a book read long ago, you can quickly recall what it has to offer by glancing at the index. Then, if you want to grab some quotes about one of these ideas, the index tells you exactly where to look (no more reading every annotation).

If you have trouble with productive note-taking, or remembering all of the best parts of a book, try the Idea Index. Use it for notating good quotations and passages, as well as ideas the book might have inspired in you.