Beth Winter

I did Nanowrimo before - in 2003 and 2005, winning both times. Both contributed a lot to my momentum for writing for the years after that, and I think after the past two years (which were mostly due to work-stress), I'm due for another boost.

This time my project is science-fiction (trust me, I'm just as surprised). I won't bore people with the whole unedited lot, but I may end up posting some lj-cut excerpts if I'm proud of them.

And the characters may seem... familiar to some people.

(Musumeyaku. I need suggestions for musumeyaku with strong personalities, because my chosen brand of fighting style calls for equal numbers of otokoyaku and musumeyaku, and I suck at ogling recalling musumeyaku. It's been on my to-do list for ages, but now I need it for the plot.)

Working title: Starfall, Moonfall.

Phantom of the Opera season opener was on Saturday. The Phantom has clearly been working out, which means he's now of the proper Phantom shape, but leaves his trousers hanging like sacks over his legs :> The Amazing Vampire Raoul got carnations with a card with vampire fangs drawn on it, which he promptly displayed to the rest of the cast. Ooops. Should have drawn a smaller card ;)

I'm also trying very, very hard to kickstart my x2009 story. I hope this meme helps me get my creativity on, if I have any takers *bats eyelashes*

The Hypothetical AU Meme: Take any one of the fandoms you know I write in (or think I should), and give me a type of AU (space opera AU, pirate AU, superhero AU, Ancient Rome, etc). I will then explain what story from your chosen fandom I would write for your chosen type of AU.

Sometimes, life makes me feel like stabbing someone in the gut. Since that would be unprofessional, instead I have to withstand the same sensation from my own body as it gives under the stress.

At times like these, I find it calming to think that nothing lasts forever, and that I always have writing to turn to. I've been worried over the past year or so, as my creative output all but dried up and I could not even get the motivation to write on request. I'm amazingly grateful to penknife and mireille719 for lgbtfest, which dealt with my fears nicely.

There's nothing like finding that a fresh issue to explore and toy with (and one that has interested me for half a lifetime - genderqueerness and gender identity). And most of all, there is nothing like writing stories for an audience that is 100% disparate from my LJ acquaintances - and getting positive reviews. It makes me believe that I can go somewhere with my writing; that apart from style, I have substance, original characters and emotional arcs.

(Plot will be the next thing I'll work on. I promise :P)

I missed two deadlines for this fic, but got it in just under the wire once I stopped fighting the characters about its direction:

Marching Orders - Discworld, Polly and Maladicta - The next war, and where they take it

(3,000 words, 2 days. Yes, I've still got it.)

The gendertwist story for imaginarybeasts is kicking my arse. Therefore, I swiped this writers' survey off caraloup:

( Watch me ramble )

*looks at Yuletide assignment and kind of falls over* At least I didn't get fyrie. And I do have a challenge like I wanted.

EDIT: Huh. Looks like everyone will get a rematch, which is a pity - I liked that request :/

( Dear Yuletide Santa, as to my own requests.... )

In conclusion: Dear Yuletide Santa. I wish you luck. You may need it ;)

I saw Dnevnoy Dozor, the sequel to Night Watch, today. I liked the original movie for its slightly mad take on urban fantasy, Russian-punk style, even if the plot could use work, and I like the original books (completely different from the movies).

Day Watch left me reeling. It's - post-modern is probably the wrong word, but it's a mad ride of tropes and plots and postcard-like scenes that stay with you. Fate and inescapability and escape. Lots of emphasis on father-son issues, and two of the main characters (Olga and Anton) body-switching and the actors having such complete fun with it. They must have spent ages studying each other's body language, because Olga in a male body was to die for.

It's such a decadent, oneiric movie, and at the same time the plot is tight. Every moment pushes the action forward. Visually, it's stunning - less elf-punk grime and more New Russian shine, and effects are gorgeous in their simplicity. Let's just say that for the four million (USD) total this film cost, they blew up Moscow, got Tamerlane to invade Samarkand, and filmed the best ending to a truck chicken-fight ever. If you asked me to name a budget figure for the effects alone, I'd say forty million and wouldn't be surprised at twice that.

So yes, recommended, especially if you want to see the East-West divide in action, mentality-wise - it's such a Russian movie. And I think it woke up certain characters of mine, which is good, because it's been ages since I wrote Flowers of the Frost.

ibarw is on again, and after the recent kerfuffle (or does anyone remember it in the wake of the Boldthrough?), I've been thinking along the same lines.

One issue I often see in racism discussions is the Europe/America divide. Racism in America is something special, yes, but I think it's mostly because of how much it's been fought against and for, there. I wonder if it wasn't for the better: if Americans aren't perfect, at least they have the instinct to respond to an accusation of racism with "No, I'm not." Too often in Poland, the response is "So what?"

( European take )

(As an aside, I've also been thinking about the issue of writing about race or other discrimination from the point of view of a character with a cultural background and ideas different from my own. Would anybody be interested in reading something like that?)

In case you were wondering, the first two episodes of Heroes made me laugh lots. Since they're showing 2 per week, I should be caught up with the rest of you soon.

rkold is an absolute angel. I am looking forward to boggling my workmates with Original Takarazuka Goodies. "Who is that?" "A Heian-era prince who's sleeping with the mother of his reincarnated father. As played by a girl :D"

But the point of this post: Miss Snark has announced her retirement from her blog.

I must say hers is the best blog I've read for authors looking to be published. She gives a great insight on the industry, the agents, everything. After reading her for the past year I now know much more about how to go about being published. If anyone else is serious about seeing their names on covers of Actual Paper Books, I have to recommend this blog. And now, since there's no telling how long it'll stay up...

I'll be acquiring a fyrie this evening for a week, so LJ presence will be sporadical (though I'm planning to post some backlogged fic). Still, I thought I might as well ramble now:

( Yes, it's that thing about characters of colour,and also me being confused )

And on that note, I'm going back to writing about a mad and repressed Austrian crown prince being molested by a graphomaniac vampire. Peace, all.

For etrangere: Unfinished Business. Same warnings as the original - semi-graphic slash.

( How to wrestle with characters and write scenes you really, really don't want to )