This is a post about the Creation Process of my post-canon Weilan Lives fic Keep On Going, my entry for the 520 Days Reverse Exchange. I went through all five stages of grief (metaphorically) when writing this, and it diverged from my usual writing process so much, I figured I might as well document it. Big shout-out to my beta, ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ishipallthings, for helping me work out these issues and pointing out where the seams were too visible in the end result.
When I received my 520 Days Reverse Exchange assignment, I was very excited to see it was the lovelyelenothar. I felt secure in knowing her tastes, and where they overlapped with mine, which was confirmed by her requests. Academic shenanigans and Shen Wei's students, Shen Wei being in his element at the university, his relationship with his students/other professors were what I ultimately ended up focussing on.
However, my initial plotting was very vague, which is very unlike my usual Plotter's approach. I tried to cram as many of the requests into the idea as I could, so I tried to figure out a way to bring in time travel fix-it with Shen Wei being the one travelling, accidental marriage or fake dating and possibly alternate Dixing biology into one cohesive idea. While I *adore* time travel, it was the first to go, but I clung to the fix-it part and turned it into a post-canon fix-it set at the university.
Obscure treaty clauses causing trouble was another flavour that I'd offered, and it was something Elenothar jumped on excitedly in her requests, asking for worldbuilding re: how the treaty works in the first place and how it affects Shen Wei in particular (an idea we were both amused to notice made it into her 520 days fic, too. Talk about interest overlap!) double bonus if the whole thing gives the Haixing ministry a headache and Zhao Yunlan a chance to be his clever self. This is what ultimately gave rise to ZYL flitting in and out of the ministry, politicking all over the place in the background of the story.
( Read more... )
All in all, I prefer having a more firm outline, even if only in my head. I don't always write down notes, but I at the very least have milestone scenes, and the lack of knowing where I would end up definitely contributed in my having to edit and rewrite a bunch of times. However, it was a fun way of exploring the direct aftermath of post-canon and Shen Wei's situation, which I doubt I would have considered doing in a more planned format. So thank youelenothar for giving me those prompts! And thank you to the mods of the 520 Days Reverse Exchange for providing this opportunity <3
Okay, I'm done rambling 😂 if any of you read through that whole block, first of all, conratulations, and second of all, thank you <3
ishipallthings, for helping me work out these issues and pointing out where the seams were too visible in the end result.Initial Brainstorming Phase
When I received my 520 Days Reverse Exchange assignment, I was very excited to see it was the lovely
elenothar. I felt secure in knowing her tastes, and where they overlapped with mine, which was confirmed by her requests. Academic shenanigans and Shen Wei's students, Shen Wei being in his element at the university, his relationship with his students/other professors were what I ultimately ended up focussing on.However, my initial plotting was very vague, which is very unlike my usual Plotter's approach. I tried to cram as many of the requests into the idea as I could, so I tried to figure out a way to bring in time travel fix-it with Shen Wei being the one travelling, accidental marriage or fake dating and possibly alternate Dixing biology into one cohesive idea. While I *adore* time travel, it was the first to go, but I clung to the fix-it part and turned it into a post-canon fix-it set at the university.
Obscure treaty clauses causing trouble was another flavour that I'd offered, and it was something Elenothar jumped on excitedly in her requests, asking for worldbuilding re: how the treaty works in the first place and how it affects Shen Wei in particular (an idea we were both amused to notice made it into her 520 days fic, too. Talk about interest overlap!) double bonus if the whole thing gives the Haixing ministry a headache and Zhao Yunlan a chance to be his clever self. This is what ultimately gave rise to ZYL flitting in and out of the ministry, politicking all over the place in the background of the story.
( Read more... )
Final Thoughts
All in all, I prefer having a more firm outline, even if only in my head. I don't always write down notes, but I at the very least have milestone scenes, and the lack of knowing where I would end up definitely contributed in my having to edit and rewrite a bunch of times. However, it was a fun way of exploring the direct aftermath of post-canon and Shen Wei's situation, which I doubt I would have considered doing in a more planned format. So thank you
elenothar for giving me those prompts! And thank you to the mods of the 520 Days Reverse Exchange for providing this opportunity <3Okay, I'm done rambling 😂 if any of you read through that whole block, first of all, conratulations, and second of all, thank you <3
