Out of the dark

I know I've been dark for the past few months and I apologize about that. However, I'm going to make a point to get better at posting here. And there are a couple of reasons why:

First off, I've been working on my original writing and I've made a pact with myself. I'm going to publish a novel by my next birthday (which is in October). So that's exciting. It's going to be a lot of work, and I'll need your support.

Secondly, and this ties in to the other reason, I have the most exciting news of my entire life. I'm going to be a guest writer on The Roundtable Podcast. For those of you who do not know, The Roundtable Podcast is a weekly podcast for writers. With the help of an esteemed published writer, two hosts brainstorm a guest writer's story, giving ideas and critiques to make the story better. It's my favorite podcast and I had entered to become a guest writer on a whim, never thinking that it would actually happen. A few weeks later, Dave Robison (one of the hosts) contacted me and offered me a guest spot.

To say I was excited would be an understatement. I believe I described myself as peeing y pants in excitement. And I still am.

We're recording the episode on January 5th, giving me plenty of time to get my act together and get an outline started. I already know what I'm offering and I'm really excited about it. In fact, I'll give you a little preview:

In a world where humans and witches live together in a precarious treaty, a young, morally ambiguous girl embraces her powers as a witch and rises to become a great and terrible villain to protect herself from the human and witch plots to destroy each other.

Very, very much a work in progress, but I'm in love with the idea of exploring what makes a villain a villain.

This is such a wonderful opportunity for my writing career. I can't wait to see what ideas I can glean from the experience. And I can't wait to share this story with you all. I have some ideas in mid for you guys. I hope you stick around for me.

(You can check out The Roundtable Podcast at roundtablepodcast.com or on iTunes.) (You can also follow me on Twitter via @sarbrook.)

Also, as a bad news post-script, Crossing Timestreams is on hiatus for a while. I need to work on something I can sell. I do intend to go back to it, but I need to do this. Writing is the only career path I am passionate enough to fight for. I hope you understand.

New Story!

A collaboration between Writless and myself!!!  Check it out.  We've been working on it FOREVER!


http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8159937/1/The_Hollow_Man

Totally Certifiable

Well. I have given it a lot of thought.

I don't want Crossing Timestreams to end. Yet. Because I love Lily so much and, honestly, there just isn't enough explained to end it anytime soon. So I'm gonna be doing this for a while longer yet.

Because...I'm turning it into a trilogy.

Yup. This story is ending soon and another one will begin. Because... well, because I want to make the Big Thing hurt even more. So I'm putting it off for what will probably, honestly, and realistically be another year. I'm going to take my time with it. I'm going to make it good. And I'm going to allow myself to write other things as well. Updates will probably stay around once a week or so, because I am adding another story soon with my best internet friend Writless (COMING SOON!), and I want to make sure I have time to breathe.

But I like this decision. I can delve into Season 5 and Lily's relationship with Amy and Rory. I can postpone the oncoming (SPOILER!) hurt that's about to happen. I can really evolve Lily's relationship with the Doctor.

And I have a super sweet idea for Season 5 that will make it fun for me to write as well.

So, as much as I really want to write the Big Thing now, it's going to wait. And the wait will make it that much more emotional.

Q&A Time!

So, I had an interesting question from a reviewer named Virginia I.

Question: How long did it take you to think of and plan this plot out? I've been trying to keep track of it in my head but ya'kno wibbly wobbly time stuff makes teh brain melt.


Initially? The plot took about a week of actual writing. And by writing, I mean choosing what episodes to use. I've made some notes along the way, but for the most part, I just follow the episodes and remember where I'm going.

But for the most part, the plot for Lily has been ongoing. I don't like outlines that are A-Z, because it stifles me and makes me feel like I've already written the story. I honestly didn't decide what was going on with Lily until "Stuck In Time" and REALLY didn't know everything about her until "Twilight." It's nice to discover her along with everyone else.

I knew a few things about her. I wanted her to be important, I wanted there to be something happening that will tie things together (anyone remember the disappearing Ood and Eterziel?), and I wanted to come up with a way to keep River, while still giving Lily and the Doctor a relationship.

Some other things that haven't happened yet came to me last week, actually. It made me squeal when I thought of it. Because I haven't made someone disappear in a while. So SPOILER someone's going to disappear before the end of "A Good Man Goes To Journey's End." And, at some point kinda soon, someone else is going to come back.

A Big Thing will be happening in the next couple episodes that will put a damper on things and twist everything completely around. It makes me sad to do it, but it has to be done. That's all I'm saying.

Anyway, I think that answers the question. Anyone else?

I think I like causing myself pain.

I say that, because I spent half of last night with a new story rolling around my head. A story involving a brand new OC with absolutely no ties to the "real world" or to anything in the past seasons.

This would be a tricky one. Completely original episodes. Twelve episodes long. Seeing the eyes through an OC who knows nothing about the universe.

I blame it on Pinterest.

Because it was on there, that I found this image:



And it made me think. And thinking is dangerous, that's for damn sure. And I started to see her. On a train... in the subway... with a sketchbook... sketching an interesting man she sees sitting just down the lane from her... then it's her stop... she's unknowingly following the man (really, they're just heading in the same direction)... and that's it. Nothing all that interesting.

Until that night. When she goes to sleep. And wakes up somewhere completely different.

I dunno... should I do it?

Almost done?

So, first off, I'm sick. I'm home with a wicked cough and a very very blahhhhhh feeling. But I managed to whip together an update, so go me. I've been working on that section for a few days, so it's nice to move on. Considering I can usually write a chapter in a night, that was a long time for me.

Secondly, I plan only (at most) two more sections of this section. Then there's some nice fluffy thing and an original episode and then things completely flip around in a "Holy shit! What the hell is this bitch doing?" kinda way and then... well, time to get down to business at ending this sucker.

Let's just say...mistakes are made. And we learn how River and Lily came together and what that means for the future. And, more immediately, what Lily does with the knowledge of River inside her and how it effects her in the past. It's all very complicated and I don't really have it completely sorted, so it's kinda like I'm on the journey with the reader.

But for now... Now I'm going back to bed.

Ch-ch-ch-CHANGES!

Well, a little change anyway. I'm making a change to the last chapter I posted. I decided I didn't like how I worded some things between Lily and Amy, so I'm going to fix it. Lily's slowly starting to become a bit Mary Sue for my taste, so I need to fix it. Keep an eye out!

EDIT: Never mind. No changes. I read it again and realized that it makes sense... silly me!!!

Downtime

I've bitten off more than I can chew. I know it's been over a month or so, but I need more time. I'm sorry. I made this too long for me to handle right now. I will get back to this story, I swear. I just need more time to step away and clear my head for a bit.

And now for something completely different

Ok, this is an original story I've been working on... well, actually, I haven't worked on it since I started Crossing Timestreams. But I want some outside opinions about it. (And I'm working on the description, so bare with it.)

This is what I have so far. Keep in mind it's a rough draft and I'm not married to any of it. I just want some opinions and to see what makes sense and what doesn't. So, please, I want constructive criticism.

Am I crazy? Why, yes, I am, thank you!

I'm about to attempt something that could be really awesome or really terrible...

I'm going to mash two (technically three as one is a two parter...) episodes together that have nothing to do with each other. It could be really cool if it works. It could be catastrophic if it doesn't.

Ok, well, the episodes DO have SOMETHING to do with each other. They both have huge moments of revelation. They both have the Doctor fighting something very big. They both have the Doctor's past and present coming together.

This is going to be hard. I already know it. I have to sift through three episodes (remember, one is a two parter that I'm treating as one whole episode), I have to make to cohesive, and I have to move Lily's plot forward. With one of them, I've had that planned all along. With the other... I'm going to discover it along with you. I'm nervous, but excited.

Oh, forget it. I'm just going to tell you what to two episodes are. It'll be your perk for reading my blog. I'm mashing up "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End" with "A Good Man Goes To War." Two different battles. Two different Doctors.

If Lily survives this, it will be a miracle...

Grr!

Ff.net being a pain. Is anyone able to open up Chapter 42?!?!

(I find it ironic that the Answer to the Question is being annoying. That reminds me... If the answer to Doctor Who? is 42, I will be very upset. And the laugh.)