Alien Invasion fic has just broken 90,000 words. It is now as long as RR&R.

There is still 1/3 of the outline left to go.

From: [identity profile] kijikun.livejournal.com


Holy hell, THAT is long. Almost two Nano runs.

From: [identity profile] pandanoai.livejournal.com


oh wow. *applauds*

i've been trying to postpone reading it until it was finished... but i really don't think i have good enough willpower for that. in fact i KNOW i don't.

yep. this clinches it. i'm starting this monster as my own b-day gift to me :P

From: [identity profile] elspethdixon.livejournal.com


Feel free to wait until it's finished if you want! *grins* I'll probably still be catching up with comments on Moth at that point.

From: [identity profile] crimsonquills.livejournal.com


O.O

Wow.

Being in the middle of evil!Tony, I have so much more understanding of what it means to be writing something that long. Yikes. And, as a reader, also YAY!. *g*

From: [identity profile] elspethdixon.livejournal.com



You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to Evil!Tony, too *grins*

I think we started writing this back in October. My hope is that we can finish in time to participate in the big bang -- if we can get another 10,000 words/ 2 chapters written by the time the sign-up deadline is due, we ought to be able to fit a 20,000 big bang fic in and still get alien!fic finished without any huge gaps in posting time.

Usually, we average around 500 words a day, but with this fic, I think we've been clocking closer to 800. Then again, I think it's also easier when you have a co-writer to help motivate you. Lots of practice at writing long fic also helps (I do much better when I have someone to make me write and also do half the work and be my built-in fic cheerleader). Once upon a time I wrote very slowly, only when inspiration struck, and generally only did one long fic per fandom. I doubt my total fic output for PotC was over 200 pages, and that's in over a year in the fandom - and I think at this point we're closing on over 1,000 pages of Steve/Tony fic over the past two years. That's, like, two-thirds of War & Peace.

From: [identity profile] crimsonquills.livejournal.com


My hope is that we can finish in time to participate in the big bang

I'm in exactly the same boat. I really want to participate in the big bang, but I don't want to use the last 20,000 words of Evil!Tony as my story, even though it would be allowed. I want to start writing it and proceed along with the group, you know? Not to mention that it's unreasonably to expect a beta to be able to edit 84,000 words in one month, which is what the big bang allows.

In theory, if I finish Evil!Tony by March 31 (a target for which I am still on schedule, even having set it in early January--yay!), I would only need to write 328 words per day to make 20,000, which should be no problem.

But at the same time, I'm not sure if it's a good idea for me to go from a truly epic fic that will have eaten more than a year of my life straight to a moderate epic fic that will eat three months. I have shorter fics in progress that it'd be nice to finish!

But...big bang would be fun. And I kind of want to steal my favorite parts of your Dresden Files/Avengers bunny and spin a new bunny out of it. And big bang would be the perfect excuse to write that fic. *g*

Lots of practice at writing long fic also helps

This is a very good point that I hadn't thought of before. I would guess that I write one fic over 10,000 words per year. And I've only ever written two or three over 30,000 words (I think). My original novel attempts were all longer, of course (usually 80,000 to 100,000 words), but I've been blocked on those for more than two years now. So I haven't got much practice at maintaining this kind of pace/focus.

I think at this point we're closing on over 1,000 pages of Steve/Tony fic over the past two years. That's, like, two-thirds of War & Peace.

This is so cool. *grins* And have I mentioned lately how fortunate Steve/Tony fandom is to have you and [livejournal.com profile] seanchai? It's so rare for small fandoms to have any truly long stories at all! You guys spoil us. <3

From: [identity profile] elspethdixon.livejournal.com


I really want to participate in the big bang, but I don't want to use the last 20,000 words of Evil!Tony as my story, even though it would be allowed. I want to start writing it and proceed along with the group, you know?

Yeah, exactly. We were initially going to do Reassembled (RR&R 4) after we finished alien fic, or possibly the next real classicverse story (i.e. one with a plot, instead of just holiday fluff), but RR&R 4 is going to be another epic, way longer than 20,000 words, and doing a story in an ongoing series would feel like cheating. We've been kind of poking at a bunny for a steampunk AU, solely in order to whore ourselves out for art of the Avengers in Victorian clothing (also, Steve as a Civil War soldier, Hank as a Victorian mad scientist, Tony in steampunk armor, and imaginary Victorian illnesses caused by emotional trauma!), but I don't know if When the Lights Go On Again will be complete in time for that.

In theory, if I finish Evil!Tony by March 31 (a target for which I am still on schedule, even having set it in early January--yay!), I would only need to write 328 words per day to make 20,000, which should be no problem.

Yay! Honestly, that math makes the prospect of getting aliens fic finished in time to do a big bang fic sound plausible, because we can definately do 300-400 words a day (ideally, if we can get around 700-800 words a day done between now and the end of March, we can have 80 more pages done by then, and that ought to take us to the end of the aliens fic and let us cravenly beg the intarwebs for steampunk art).

I kind of want to steal my favorite parts of your Dresden Files/Avengers bunny and spin a new bunny out of it. And big bang would be the perfect excuse to write that fic. *g*

Is there any form of bribe I can offer to encourage this? *is hopeful*

I would guess that I write one fic over 10,000 words per year. And I've only ever written two or three over 30,000 words (I think).

My longest-ever fic prior to RR&R was around 50,000 words, with the rest somewhere in the 10,000-25,000 range (and, of course, the one-shots and ficlets and things I wrote for New Years Resolutions and so on). Having a co-writer *really* makes me write faster, and write more.

It's so rare for small fandoms to have any truly long stories at all! You guys spoil us. <3

Honestly, we're still amazed and thrilled that we actually have a fandom to write for (and love it, so much, because God, being a comics fan would suck right now if canon was all we had). I've gone from being able to count the number of Steve/Tony fics on the internet on one hand to not being able to keep up with reviewing every fic on the comm anymore, because there's something (or several somethings) posted *every day*.

I was spoiled for long stories by starting out in HP fandom, with copious amounts of lurking in Magnificent Seven - both places where long fics were common. I didn't realize how rare long fic could be in smaller fandoms until OotP drove me out of HP and into the wide world of smaller and less juggernaut-like fandoms (also, I learned to my sorrow that in most fandoms, you're not guaranteed to find fic for absolutely every imaginable pairing in the book/series/film, plus pairings you don't want to imagine - the saddest was the mailing-list centric fandom for the Lonesome Dove tv series, which didn't have any slash at all, just het and gen).

From: [identity profile] crimsonquills.livejournal.com


We were initially going to do Reassembled (RR&R 4) after we finished alien fic, or possibly the next real classicverse story (i.e. one with a plot, instead of just holiday fluff), but RR&R 4 is going to be another epic, way longer than 20,000 words, and doing a story in an ongoing series would feel like cheating.

I'm looking forward to both of those, so part of me is conflicted at the idea that the big bang might mean that they're delayed a bit...but I like everything you write, and if the big bang idea turns out to be a first time story (my favorite slash subgenre), it would totally be worth it. *g*

We've been kind of poking at a bunny for a steampunk AU

Oooh. I would be totally fascinated to see that done. And it would make for totally awesome art!

Honestly, that math makes the prospect of getting aliens fic finished in time to do a big bang fic sound plausible

I always find the math encouraging, even when I've set my daily word quota too high. I always think I can make it. *g*

I kind of want to steal my favorite parts of your Dresden Files/Avengers bunny and spin a new bunny out of it. And big bang would be the perfect excuse to write that fic. *g*

Is there any form of bribe I can offer to encourage this? *is hopeful*


Yours and [livejournal.com profile] seanchai's time in the form of help working out a plot that would make everything I want to do possible? *g* Badgering someone for art involving Harry, Marcone, Tony, and Steve? ... *remembers that part of the point of a big bang is that artists are assigned, so everyone gets art* Ooooooooooo. Oh, that would be awesome. Oh, I'm so tempted now. But, but, Evil!Tony! *is behind right now* If I write 2,400 words today I'll be back on track. *wry*

Honestly, we're still amazed and thrilled that we actually have a fandom to write for (and love it, so much, because God, being a comics fan would suck right now if canon was all we had).

If it wasn't for fandom, I suspect I would never have become an Avengers (etc.) comics fan at all, honestly. I came in after Steve was already dead. Which on the one hand saved me from the pain of that moment, but means that I've never gotten to experience a time when the comics I was reading had happy characters. Normally I wouldn't get within ten feet of a fandom with canon like that.

I didn't realize how rare long fic could be in smaller fandoms until OotP drove me out of HP and into the wide world of smaller and less juggernaut-like fandoms (also, I learned to my sorrow that in most fandoms, you're not guaranteed to find fic for absolutely every imaginable pairing in the book/series/film, plus pairings you don't want to imagine - the saddest was the mailing-list centric fandom for the Lonesome Dove tv series, which didn't have any slash at all, just het and gen).

*nods* I think it's easier on those of us who started in small fandoms (or just when fandom was small in general...it was just 10 years ago, but I still remember when I knew almost every person in slash fandom by name, and recognized 90% of the folks every time I moved into a new fandom). You start deprived and get to enjoy the wealth when you land in a big, productive fandom. *g*

From: [identity profile] ouri.livejournal.com


Seriously impressive wordcount! ...and I'm looking forward to the next chapter. ^_^

Augh I want to pet Irkalla but she would KEEL ME DED!!!

From: [identity profile] elspethdixon.livejournal.com


Irkalla would be too dignified to kill you - but Mamitu would probably eviscerate you with her tail.

And... I've just realized that we never decided what Argonian fur felt like - it's short, and always some shade of red or reddish brown, but I don't think we ever decided texture. Clearly, we erred in providing all the details necessary for people to mentally envision Argonian/human pr0n (or Irkalla/Nergal hate!sex).

From: [identity profile] ouri.livejournal.com


Er. Must admit, I wasn't quite thinking "interspecies relations" so much as the way the household felines always want comfort pettin's.

(Also, I occasionally slip and think of Nergal as Nermal (http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/2240968.jpg).)

From: [identity profile] elspethdixon.livejournal.com


Oh God, I'm going to think of him as Nermal too, now. Evil!Nermal in a steampunk-influenced space!Nazi uniform.

From: [identity profile] elspethdixon.livejournal.com


It's not so much trauma as it is death by evil cuteness.

Art would still be awesome, though *grins*

From: [identity profile] seshat-maat.livejournal.com


Wow. That is amazing. And the words so far have been very well-written words, which makes it even more awesome.
.

Profile

elspethdixon: (Default)
elspethdixon

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags