Writers' block-ish

[sholio]

Writing SGA is not easy for me right now. Tonight I wrote a plotless team snippet for the Gen Battle as a warm-up exercise, and then struggled with my sticksandsnark fic for a while. I got quite a bit written (actually, it may be finished, unless I decide to go ahead and try to write a sex scene; I'm not sure whether its usefulness to the story would be offset by my general suckiness at writing non-creepy sex).

But ... I have to push for every paragraph. I'm not sure how hard to push, either; I miss the days when I had a head full of fanfic ideas, but I really do want to devote a lot of attention to my original writing this year, and it's easier if my original fic doesn't have to duke it out with fanfic for limited brainspace. *ponders* I think the only reason why I'm still in SGA fandom at all right now is because of the social side of the fandom; usually, when I feel the way about a show that I do about SGA these days, I'm no longer interested in writing or seeking out fic. But ... over the last three(!) years, it's become such a habit to seek out SGA fic whenever I'm online -- and every time I check my f'list, there are fresh things to read. It's hard to just stop, and I think that the constant presence of fic and meta is very gently boomeranging me back into the fandom. I'm feeling a lot warmer towards the show and characters, and more inclined to read fic for them without wanting them all to drop dead, than I was a month ago. I'm not reviewing very much because, due to my general gloomy mood regarding the show, it's really rare for me to like a story without major caveats right now, and therefore it's hard to come up with things to say that aren't the sort of WTF? reviews that always really puzzle me when other people leave them ("I liked w, but hated x, y, z" type reviews -- nobody needs that). But my feelings on the show are quite a bit warmer now than they were at the turn of the year, even though it's still a bit of a slog when it comes to writing for it.

Comments

[naye]

I'm so glad to hear you're getting away from that really bad place, where none of us wanted to be (or wanted you to be)! ♥

I'm experiencing something similar myself - I've got an idea for a whole fic! It probably won't be very long, but there's plot and everything (well, you know - h/c, at least *g*), and it's SGA! Because I really do love Rodney and John and Teyla and Ronon, and apparently when I'm looking to write anything, anything at all, they're still the first ones to pop into my mind. ♥

[sholio]

Yay for you! :D

I'm not really sure why I'm trying so hard to get these people back into my head when I really ought to be writing original fiction that I can sell! But it makes me sad to be hating on them. I was just recently reading a fairly long h/c fic that I could tell that I should be enjoying; instead, though, I just found Rodney so irritating that I wished the author would kill him off. XD I don't think it was how he was written in specific; I think it was just him ... being Rodney. I ended up writing a few cathartic little ficlets, in which he died horribly and messily in various ways, and then pretending it was fic-canon as I went on reading the story. This is very sad ... and I mean the "pathetic" kind of sad. That's been kind of par for the course with me lately, though.

[astridv.livejournal.com]

What Naye said... I'm so glad that you don't feel quite as gloomy about the show any more. And, really glad that you're writing SGA fic still... again... *clings in a totally non-pathetic way*

It's hard to just stop, and I think that the constant presence of fic and meta is very gently boomeranging me back into the fandom.

Mental note: post as many fic recs as possible. :)

[sholio]

*laughs* Well, we'll see how it goes! A lot of the shiny has worn off, and I doubt if I'll get back to a major squee place with the show, but I'd just settle for liking them.

[ticiathethief.livejournal.com]

If it helps, whenever I'm feeling like I need a pick me up, I read your fic. :)

Especially Cold Comforts, if I need a quick smile (Awww, John and Rodney! and COOOOLD! and John free climbs with KNIVES! Squeeeee!)

or, if I'm in the mood for a nice long story, Running on Empty always gives me that nice "*gasp* I can't believe that just happened!" feeling, followed by "Yay! They're ok!"

Follow the Sun to the Ends of the World was the first SGA fic I've ever read and the first fic I read more than once. I've found so many great stories by others because you made me want to read more SGA fic.

So, thank you, and please keep writing. :)

[sholio]

Awww, thank you so much! ^_^ This fandom has the very best people in it. ♥

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

When you start losing your love for a show and its characters, that's when you need to take a break. Which you seemed to have done by exploring other fandoms for other shows and working on original short stories. I know the break forced on me during the move helped a lot.;) That and the series finale, I can't explain why :/

You should also look into finding meta that points out the positives in the show rather than the negatives. I'd almost ended up hating on the show myself because I was reading so many negative entries about it. Staying away from that stuff helped... after a while. I know it's interesting, and that people sometimes have a point, but that much negativity really gets to you after a while, tainting the way you view a show.

I hope you're able to rediscover your love for SGA - and I'm not just saying that because it would suck to lose a writer like you ;). No one should end up hating a show they'd initially loved for so long and that at one time had made them happy.

[sholio]

I do think that taking a break, and thinking about other things, fanning on other things, helped a lot. I'm still not really ready to dive back in, and may never be, but dabbling is working nicely for me right now.

The thing is, I think that most of the negative commentary on the show is, objectively, quite correct. But, while I like analyzing shows and breaking down their flaws, I think I really hit a point where the fandom's focus on the flaws, to the exclusion of all else, was too much for me; I couldn't go ahead and fan on the show because it was impossible to see past the flaws to the fannable aspects of the show.

[perspi.livejournal.com]

I must also say YAY to your warmishness to SGA--and YAY fandom! Because I really enjoy your fic, and your fandomness, and that's entirely selfish of me but oh, well. *g*

I have to get a few free moments to wrestle with my SticksandSnark piece, too.

But, I don't want you to feel like you have to push to write fic! Especially because you have some awesome original writing ideas (Ship! Ahem.).

And I don't exactly know how to end this comment, so. *hugs* *runs away*

[sholio]

Awww, thank you. :) (For the comments on the original fic too! ♥)

I'm happy to be feeling warmer towards the show. I don't like disliking them. And your stories are full of warm team fuzzies; I would hate to not be able to enjoy them.