nnozomi | stray ends and yuzu

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stray ends and yuzu

Daily life: Yuzu bath season! Lovely hot bath with lovely citrus-fragrant yuzu floating in it.
Also I got my hair cut--bangs in my eyes can be a headache factor--and enjoyed myself as usual grumbling with the salon lady about politics. She is maybe late fifties, with bright red-purple hair, the middle one in three generations of single mothers, very kind and fiercely liberal; I keep telling her she should run for office herself, and I wish she would.

Music: The Met streamed Götterdämmerung (if I have the umlauts right) and I've been illicitly keeping the tab open to listen to it a whole lot. As a Jew I have some guilt over liking Wagner; it's not fair that the music is so incredibly good.

Books: Well, reading. I've always had good fortune at Yuletide and this year was no exception, with two lovely fics, "Also in the Act of Reaching" (A Memory Called Empire), a post-canon moment with nuance and warmth and uncertainty and language feels, and "True Love's (Gen) Kiss" (Lost Tomb Reboot), a delightful scene in which the Iron Triangle are not in need of boundaries and Liu Sang is so done. Other than these two I've just been reading around the edges of the collection and haven't gotten very far into it yet.

Chinese: Duolingo made me write the English for 雨伞, and I read it out loud to myself for practice, first "usan," the Japanese reading, and then correcting myself to the Chinese "yusan"; so naturally when I started typing the answer, it came out "yumbrella."

Writing: With Yuletide out of the way I've been trying to make a start on the next volume of my novel thing (the first one is still in beta reading and getting on with the next will make me be more motivated...). I have about a dozen threads to juggle and only a very generalized idea indeed of what the plot wants to be, so this is going to take some outlining work before I can even start writing, but it's nice to be back at it. Do other people do it this way? I can't outline everything because there's a lot I only figure out by writing my way into it, but I can't just write without any outline at all because I only meander uselessly. One gets the impression that most people are one way or the other...

Be safe and well.

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Do other people do it this way? I can't outline everything because there's a lot I only figure out by writing my way into it, but I can't just write without any outline at all because I only meander uselessly. One gets the impression that most people are one way or the other...

I guess I'm still sort of new at writing novel-length things, but I sort of halfway outline? For this one, I started with a collection of bullet point of plot points, and followed it fairly well at first. But now, at 60K, I've started to diverge from it...

The plot is a romance, though, so it's not like I don't know where I'm going! Although it's a complicated poly romance, so it's a lot to juggle.

"Halfway outline" is a good phrase for it--your process sounds sort of like mine, except I diverge sooner. "complicated poly romance" sounds tricky, but fun to work on (and to read).

Hee, actually I diverged earlier as well, when I think about it!

It can be more fun that way, if more unnerving ;)

Gotta love what language brain comes up with - "yumbrella" is wonderful.

"language brain" exactly. It all made sense to some part of my mind!

Omg, thanks for linking your LTR gift, that really brightened up my morning :D

I got lucky! ;)

I had somehow forgotten about Yuletide! Spending Christmas alone in lockdown meant it was just like any other day, it hardly feels like the holidays are here.

My outlines tend to start as bullet point sentences that eventually evolve into short paragraphs before I can start actually writing. I have a bad memory all around (depression induced memory loss is a daily battle for me) so I like making sure I write down in advance as much as possible. The upside of taking so much time and energy just for the outline means that even if a story doesn't get written right away I can just go back to it years later and still know what I wanted to do with it.

Yes, here Christmas sort of happens but the big deal is New Year's, and I have work over the holiday anyway, so it's hard to keep straight the holiday days from the ordinary ones. Still, Yuletide is a fun distraction.

even if a story doesn't get written right away I can just go back to it years later and still know what I wanted to do with it.
This is great! I should do this more; I know there are various possible story ideas that have slipped away from me because I either never wrote them down or just assumed that if I wrote down a couple of hints I'd remember the rest...
(Once I get into short paragraphs in outlining I tend to start arguing with myself, a good sign that I should just shut up and let the characters talk :) )

Best wishes of the season!

I use outlines to...organize what's already there? Usually that will tell me what is missing and what I need to write to find out. When I'm further in I start making scene lists for chapters and sequence lists for sections, and rearranging them as needed. Then when a scene or sequence is done I highlight it in green. It's v. satisfying to see an all-green outline at the end!

2020 has largely sucked as far as that kind of progress is concerned, but now that the winter solstice has come, I'm into my favorite creative season, so I hope to play some catch-up on the current project.

Thank you! Best wishes likewise.

Your outlining sounds a little like mine, but considerably more organized.
when a scene or sequence is done I highlight it in green. It's v. satisfying to see an all-green outline at the end!
Ah! I did this at the end of my novel thing, only using red text for everything I hadn't written yet and changing it to black once I had, so it was nice to see the red gradually disappear...

Looking forward to your work upcoming, too.

first "usan," the Japanese reading, and then correcting myself to the Chinese "yusan"; so naturally when I started typing the answer, it came out "yumbrella."

Hee! That's brilliant. :D

Do other people do it this way? I can't outline everything because there's a lot I only figure out by writing my way into it, but I can't just write without any outline at all because I only meander uselessly.

For anything longer than a single scene, absolutely. But for me the most important thing is to know how I want a story to end. Nothing helps if I con't have a clear goal to write towards - I always end up meandering even with an outline until it clarifies itself in my mind.

But for me the most important thing is to know how I want a story to end.
Interesting! It's possible that I actually work kind of the opposite way--I know about the events I want to happen during the story, but I can't always see what the end is going to be until I've gotten into the writing and figured out what's going on thematically. (Possibly even more in fic than in original work, maybe because there's already a more solid framework for events...?).

That's fascinating! The ending or the climax and the basic theme is almost always what comes first for me. When it doesn't I don't seem to know what to do with it. *g*

That's fascinating to me too! (Also, excellent icon ;) ) I sometimes have a particular climactic scene I want to write, but I often don't figure out exactly how it's going to work, or what's going to be thematically significant, until I'm well into the writing. I love it that we all work so differently.

Also I got my hair cut--bangs in my eyes can be a headache factor--and enjoyed myself as usual grumbling with the salon lady about politics. She is maybe late fifties, with bright red-purple hair, the middle one in three generations of single mothers, very kind and fiercely liberal; I keep telling her she should run for office herself, and I wish she would.

Wow. Most Japanese people I know are not really into politics. I mean to the extent about grumbling about a particular policy or a particular politician... but I got the idea from them that the main parties are really not all that dissimilar and the attitude is 'to hell with both of them'. I certainly don't know anyone who might at all qualify as an activist, even to a minimal level. (Except the shouty guys at train stations, but I don't know them, thank god.)

Götterdämmerung... you know, we seem to have a lot of musical taste in common, but I have this huuuuuge gap between the early Romantics and... Queen, essentially, where I don't like any of the music at all, while you seem to be able to appreciate almost anything! I'm envious! Of Wagner I like Lohengrin and Tannhäuser, and I'd probably like Der Fliegende Holländer if I ever listened to it. But even the early Ring stuff has long passages where I just... can't, and by the time you get to Tristan und Isolde I don't last through Act 1. Is it Tristan or Götterdämmerung which starts with those three women screeching dissonantly? Wait they were Norns so must have been the latter. Anyway, that scarred me for life.

I always liked German mythology (I have views on the Nibelungenlied) so I tried, so, so hard too listen to all that but... ouch. No.

Thank you for the vocab: I only knew 傘　かさ　at this point. :)

Wow. Most Japanese people I know are not really into politics.... I certainly don't know anyone who might at all qualify as an activist, even to a minimal level.
Yes, the hair salon lady tends to agree with me on the principle that most politicians here are untrustworthy simply by virtue of having become politicians in the first place, so yeah, your impression is correct. (I do know a couple of left-wing activist types from grad school and from spending time in Kamagasaki, but they are exceptions.)

while you seem to be able to appreciate almost anything! I'm envious!
Huh! I think of myself as quite fussy musically--I guess I would say that there is something I like in almost all genres (with some popular music exceptions, honestly), but also a lot I don't or can't be bothered with. Most of my musical taste comes wholesale from my father, for good or ill.
I was thinking as I listened to Götterdämmerung that, while the singing is fine, really the orchestra has all the best stuff and it would be just about as good if it were a four-hour symphony...you might enjoy it more that way ;)

かさ is really all you need in Japanese, I've never heard anybody say 雨傘 --maybe pronounced あまがさ to distinguish it from 日傘, but not often! Japanese and Chinese cross wires a lot in my brain...

雨傘 --maybe pronounced あまがさ to distinguish it from 日傘

Ah, I have heard あまがさ... in songs, I think!

Sounds likely! I was wrong about the うさん reading really, getting completely confused among the languages :)

"True Love's (Gen) Kiss" (Lost Tomb Reboot), a delightful scene in which the Iron Triangle are not in need of boundaries and Liu Sang is so done.

I adored that fic. *^^*

It's lovely! :)

Yuzu bath season! Lovely hot bath with lovely citrus-fragrant yuzu floating in it.

Ooh, that sounds amazing!

so naturally when I started typing the answer, it came out "yumbrella."

Hee! (It is a Chinese loan word in Korean? 우산.)

Do other people do it this way? I can't outline everything because there's a lot I only figure out by writing my way into it, but I can't just write without any outline at all because I only meander uselessly.

I generally have a starting point and a vague idea, and I see where it takes me. I think that's much easier with fanfic, where the characters are already established, than in original fic. :-)

Be safe and well.

You too!

Yuzu baths are indeed amazing! I don't think it has to be yuzu, though, you could do it with tangerines or lemons or any other citrus fruit (except, you know, maybe a grapefruit or a pomelo), when winter comes around in your hemisphere again.

우산, definitely a Chinese loan word! Talking with solo above reminded me that it's really not pronounced that way in Japanese, but the characters are the same. Handy across languages.

I generally have a starting point and a vague idea, and I see where it takes me. I think that's much easier with fanfic, where the characters are already established, than in original fic. :-)
Interesting! In some ways I think it is easier in fanfic, in some ways not, because the existing characters can serve as both a support framework and a constraint, if that makes sense. It's fun either way :)

♡

I'd never heard of Yuzu. Sounds relaxing!

(if I have the umlauts right)

:) you do.

so naturally when I started typing the answer, it came out "yumbrella."

LOLOL!

(the first one is still in beta reading)

I didn't get very far yet. Three chapters in. (I like it a lot so far, but I need more tiiiime!) Standing offer: just let me know if you want back whatever I've got up to that point, in case I'm taking too long for you. <3 But I am still at it, and hoping to make better progress this month.

Glad to know the umlauts were right ;)
(German is actually fairly high up on my list of "languages I really would like to learn," and I've done some messing around on Duolingo with it in the past, but it doesn't come very naturally to me....).

Standing offer: just let me know if you want back whatever I've got up to that point, in case I'm taking too long for you. <3 But I am still at it, and hoping to make better progress this month.
You're very kind to read it at all! Absolutely no hurry, I know you are juggling a whole lot of more important stuff. Let's say if you are likely to need to put it aside for several months or longer, maybe send me what you have at that point, and otherwise just take your time <3

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