Hit the 75% mark (second iteration outline) in in that bright and bitter dawn
Began picking at the first iteration of Invader of Stars outline; currently making research plan
Writing:
(it might not seem like a whole lot, but it's more than I've written consistently in a while and that is a-ok with me)
250 words on a Durgetash (Baldur's Gate 3) fic
2.4k on a Captive Prince fic
1k in short character sketches for ITBABD
Other:
Miscellaneous admin tasks, including migrating material off of gdocs and into LibreOffice/Ellipsus
Looked over a contract for a large project to be signed next month!
Finally posted a WIP intro for ITBABD
Participated in a panel on planning/pantsing for the @duckprintspress Patreon (and had a GREAT time, highly recommend becoming a patron so you too can have a great time)
2024 has been a weird year for me, writing-wise. I've written...very little. Embarrassingly little, actually.
However!
I finished up with my most stressful and time-consuming projects near the end of October, and that weight has been slowly easing. I feel better about moving forward with actual writing again. Moreover, I've spent a lot of the year refilling my creative well. I've been doing a LOT of reading, which I haven't done in ages, and really sitting down to check in with myself about my process.
Turns out, I'm less of a pantser than I thought! Sitting down and plotting in that bright and bitter dawn (as well as chatting shop with some publishing friends about their own processes) has really forced me to look at how I approach original work vs fanwork (but also, short stories vs novel-length work).
I'm hoping to finish a lot of my other miscellaneous stuff in the first week of December (and I have a bunch of beta reading to do for a Trigun zine). Ideally by the new year, I will have:
Completed second iteration outline of ITBABD
Completed Invader of Stars outline entirely; sent off for approval
Completed and published that damn BG3 fic that I've been picking at for OVER A YEAR
Completed and published the Captive Prince fic
Hit the 75% mark on my own submission for that Trigun zine
Themes: grief; abuse and recovery; self-acceptance
Tropes: myths and magic; politics and diplomacy; prejudice; hurt/comfort; death and mourning; physical and emotional trauma; physical abuse; angst with a happy ending; messy relationships; childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers; mutual pining; forced proximity; found family; wide variety of queer relationships/characters
The Very Very Very Basic Bullet Points:
Mysterious disappearance of Sylas Merrick, soldier and second son of a prominent border lord
Unexpected lordship of Oren Freyn after his sister, scion of House Freyn, is killed
Crafty plotting and illegal magical contact between countries (anti-magic Avetri and pro-magic Riisch)
Glorious and unexpected reappearance of Sylas Merrick Kestrasson, Mage
Political prisoner Oren Freyn learns that maybe mages aren't all bad
Political prisoner Oren Freyn remembers how to be Oren Freyn, friend and lover
Oren pushed to (and past) the limits of his endurance as he watches Riisch prepare for war with Avetri
Oren returns to Avetri; fails to convince everyone (including himself) that he's ready to fight against Riisch
Oren discovers that there is an upper limit to how much he can and will take; becomes Oren Freyn, Mage, in the midst of a particularly pitched battle and proceeds to have a breakdown about becoming what he's spent so long hating
Oren Freyn, Mage, makes his way back to Sylas, allies with Riisch, and helps change the world
Major Players (links to individual posts to be added as they're made)
Important Relationships: Sylas (love interest, past best friend and almost lover); Kerra (wife through arranged - and not really wanted - marriage); Jagoda (eventual bestie and instigator of the Plot To Help Sylas/Oren Fall In Love)
Sylas Merrick Kestrasson
Age: 29
Gender/Sexuality: cis man but open to experimentation, pansexual, can (and does) fall in love with anyone
Role: Protagonist 2
From: Avetri, northernmost border territory
Important Relationships: Oren (love interest, past best friend and almost lover); Inzali (father of her children, best friend turned lover turned QPR); Jagoda (bros [affectionate]); Arion (bros [derogatory, hateful])
Important Relationships: Oren (wife through arranged marriage); Arion (admiration turned lust turned horror, one-sided); Inzali (friend and mentor after the final battle)
Arion Merrick
Age: 35
Gender/Sexuality: cis man, not aromantic not asexual but a secret third thing (so filled with rage he can't conceive of the concepts)
Role: Antagonist 2
From: Avetri, northernmost border territory
Important Relationships: Sylas (brother [hates him])
Important Relationships: Jagoda (husband); Sylas (mother of his children, best friend turned lover turned QPR); Kerra (friend and mentor after the final battle)
Jagoda Tammen
Age: 35
Gender/Sexuality: trans man, bisexual/biromantic disaster
Role: Support 2
From: Baneston, Riischan city famous for its mercenaries
Important Relationships: Inzali (husband); Sylas (metamour, bro [affectionate])
