Road to Edoras Author's Notes

[dreamflower]

I don't usually post lengthy Author's Notes at the end of a story, but in the case of this story, which kept my readers dangling at one point for a year, I felt some explanations were in order.

Road to Edoras Author's Notes

Comments

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for writing these long, involving stories! I'm really happy to be a part of and to embark on this journey with the hobbits! :)

[dreamflower]

I'm really happy you stuck with it, and also for all the help you were with those last three chapters! (((hugs)))

[elandulin.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm a little weird; I've always loved author's notes, from the first time I ever ran across any, when I was about 18 and John Steinbeck's "Journal of a Novel--the East of Eden Letters" was published. (I may not have the title entirely right there.) Watching the process is absolutely fascinating to me, and knowing where a writer "was" at certain times in that process is like a little gift. I really enjoyed reading your notes--and I'm going to set aside some time every day to go back and read this story properly. I've read it in bits and starts, because my own process has been so severely disrupted over the past year and a half or so, and I've really admired it, but you deserve more comment than that, so I'll go back now and do it right!

How do the other "finish it" sites work? Is this something worth looking into? I assume you get comments and such as you go?

[dreamflower]

Well, I am glad you liked the notes; they are not something I often indulge in. I suppose I'd always felt that my blatherings about the way I wrote would not be of much interest to anyone else. I hope that you do enjoy R2E when you get to read it properly.

Well, "Finishathon" is just a once a year thing. But the ficfinishing community does a "round" every month. You commit to a chapter, or a few chapters, or a story if it's a short one. Someone volunteers to be a "first reader"-- basically a cheerleader, not a beta--*if* you want one. Every day a post with some tips and techniques is posted, and you can comment to it with your progress (or lack of it) for the day, and people will comment and cheer you on. During the "active" part of the round, the community is closed to outsiders, so no one can just come barging in. I know it was of immense help to me in getting those last three chapters done.

Write or Die: Dr. Wicked's Writing Lab is a website, and more of a gimmick than anything else. But I did find that when I was procrastinating or when I just needed a shove to get started, I go there--the race against the clock sort of "primed the pump" so to speak. But not everyone likes to write against a deadline, whereas I seem to do better when I have one.