On actually finishing something I started

[huinare]

I recently finished the ~114,000 word thing that started my Tolkienverse madness, and I spent a good deal of today re-parsing the chapters in a more sensible and digestible manner. This involved getting to think of significant (and, where possible, double-edged) subtitles for certain chronologically contiguous sections that have been teased out into separate chapters. I love naming things (rather like the first men/elves/beings/whatever of many myths).

I was kind of surprised when I ended a chapter last week and suddenly was visited with the realization: "Hey. This s*** is finished."

Ostensibly. Some stuff at the beginning no longer makes sense and it will require a lot of tweaking, particularly of characters who evolved along the way. Plus it's the first of a projected three thingies. x__x

It needs a title. x____x

Comments

[alphien.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! That's quite the massive undertaking. How long did it take you?

And hooray for editing—that's always my favorite part. I usually get too wrapped up and spend months tweaking a few paragraphs. Though, because I'm intensely curious to read this particular project, I hope it won't take so long in your case. (You do intend to post it somewhere online, right?)

[huinare.livejournal.com]

Thanks. ^_^ Technically I started it four years ago; but, due to a very long period where it wasn't even on my radar because of Stuff going on in life, it's more accurate to say I spent about two years on it.

I can get very particular about editing, too.

And yes, it would be a reasonable fit for SWG, though since it's been with me so long I'm somewhat reluctant to put it anywhere. I have this sense of not wanting to let a favorite pet out, lest it wander into the street. I've been gauging the reactions to my characters and themes though, and am starting to get comfortable in the community, so Epic Fic is Epic will probably see the light of day eventually.

[alphien.livejournal.com]

Well, good luck with the piece, whatever you decide to do with it!

[bunn.livejournal.com]

114000 words! Wow! Congratulations!

Clever titles are hard :-/ I usually end up wussing out and just doing boring descriptive ones.

[huinare.livejournal.com]

I never meant it to be that long. My challenge is always keeping things short. XD

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Oh don't! I am quite capable of spending several hours writing researching and rewriting a handful of paragraphs (and then deleting the bloody things): I aspire so much to being able to just fling stuff down and then refine it later?

Is this the thing I vaguely recollect you mentioning before, with Draugluin in it?

[huinare.livejournal.com]

I guess we all have our writerly crosses to bear.

I tend to let ideas germinate in my head for a very long time, then manically fling them into the word processor when the time is ripe, and usually repeat or elaborate too much on stuff. A large part of my editing is eliminating the tendency to repeat the same thoughts over and over in different words.

Good memory. Nope, though the Draugluin narrative actually was a spinoff of sorts. That one is still in progress, though shaping up to be much shorter. The morbidly curious might find it at my Sil Writers' Guild page though of course there is never pressure for anyone to subject themselves to my madness since we're all busy people here. =D