Writing, and a few other bits and pieces

[regshoe]

I have kept up my writing, more or less. My current WIP is a Kidnapped f/f genderswap AU, and is currently 32 notebook pages long, so somewhere around 16,000 words, and getting near the end of the draft—just a few loose ends to clear up now. It's definitely a wobbly first draft, but I'm pleased with it on the whole. (It was a good idea! I keep saying I want f/f with the dynamics of my favourite m/m pairings, and, well, this is one way to get it, and it is indeed pretty great.)

I've been re-reading the book, keeping pace with myself as I wrote the AU and also collecting material to make a timeline. I've just finished the re-read and the provisional result for the timeline is: Robert Louis Stevenson definitely could not count. There are five exact calendar dates in this book; would you like to guess how many of them don't contradict either each other or other information we're given about the timeline?

Answer:

One! 27th June 1751, the date of the shipwreck. ETA: I spoke too soon! I've now started putting the timeline together; this date doesn't definitely contradict anything else, but there are approximate details that are difficult to reconcile with it. More to follow...

Between this, the David's age thing and the certainly deliberate wrong historical year, I'm beginning to think he did it all on purpose.

I've also finished a short Jill fic, a crossover with E. W. Hornung's Peccavi, but it came out kind of weird, I decided to put it on one side for a while and since then have been distracted by the Kidnapped fic. Perhaps I'll go back to it in between drafts.

If it runs on a similar schedule to last year, raremaleslashex nominations will be opening in a few weeks. I've been contemplating making a tentative step back into exchanges, and I think this would be an especially good one right now. Anyone else in my fandoms thinking of signing up? (I was thinking Kidnapped book and play, Armadale, The Red House Mystery, Raffles—goodness, Raffles/Bunny is almost ineligible; a good opportunity for Raffles/Mackenzie or other rarepairs—perhaps other Jacobite stuff...)

Isobel McArthur's Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of)—her most successful work to date, and a major precursor to Kidnapped—is touring locations in England this autumn. I'll see how I feel closer to the time, I think, but it's a cool opportunity!

Comments

[muccamukk]

Oh good, I'm glad someone's doing the f/f version!

I think he just didn't care about the timeline. It's always driven me batty to try work out the specifics, so honestly I've just pinned it to the actual murder date and guesstimated times, but that's probably not that consistent either.

I'm probably not doing exchanges right now, but it'd be nice to see some sign ups. I keep looking at the HeartAttackExchange page.

[regshoe]

The thing is, it's definitely not the actual murder date (the month is wrong as well as the year), so what is it, then??? My brain just has to know, and thus we end up in these tangles.

I am definitely not a fast or fearless enough writer for Heart Attack :D

[muccamukk]

Oh yeah, the book flat out doesn't seem to care when stuff happened in history, or when stuff happened elsewhere in the book! So I tend to use the historical murder date (including the year) as an anchor, since otherwise my brain ties itself in a bowline trying to figure it out.

[regshoe]

Ah, I see! Yeah, that's fair. I am certainly experiencing a bit of a bowline trying to work it all out now (although I hadn't actually noticed any of the inconsistencies apart from the historical murder and David's age before this!).

[luzula]

Excited to hear about the Kidnapped f/f genderswap AU, and that you're pleased with your draft! I'm looking forward to eventually reading it. \o/

I don't know Peccavi, but more Jill fic is always welcome.

Alas, I don't think I'll be signing up for any exchanges right now--I'm moving from my apartment at the end of May, and generally feeling stressed out and having a lot to do.

[regshoe]

Oh, good :)

One of the tricky things about the Peccavi/Jill fic is that it's a really obscure crossover that spoils the endings of both books (though I think you could read without knowing both if you didn't mind spoilers), so, er, the readership is likely to be limited. But I will probably post it in some form eventually!

That's very fair! Moving is a very stressful time, but I hope everything goes well and with a minimum of stress <3

[luzula]

Ha, yes, it is indeed an obscure crossover! I’d read it, anyway; I suppose I'd be fine with being spoiled for the other book.