girlyswot

I just wrote a 1500 word scene which would be the prologue for a fun Regency romance that I think I could write 50,000 words of in November. So I'm going to sign up tomorrow...

Maybe.

What else do I have to do in November? 2 major papers (neither started at all). 1 revised paper (not too much to do on this). Read another 30 or so books for the reading course. Teach 3 hours a week and do related grading and preparation. Prepare for 3 exams in early December. Thanksgiving. Various commitments at church. Make some Christmas presents. Write my Yuletide fic.

Hmm.

I think I'd better think it out again.

I've come to the conclusion that I can only write when I'm happy, rested and have plenty of spare time.

Right now I'm not really any of those things.  I've tried attempting short challenge pieces, I've written and instantly deleted some opening scenes for the original story, I've even attempted Charlie-goodness - all to no avail.  I simply don't have words in me at the moment.

And I think that's okay.  It won't be a permanent state of affairs, I shouldn't think.  I've plenty of other things to do and I'm still reading lots.  There are no WIP's hanging over my head nor any other kind of deadline.

Maybe in a few weeks I'll be gripped by a bunny again.  Or knowing me, the instant I click to publish this post.  ;)

*looks round sheepishly*

Oh yes, I've been reading those spoilers/leaks/scans...

No, you're getting nothing from me.  Promise.

I think I've mentioned before that knowing what's going to happen doesn't affect my enjoyment of a book, except perhaps to relieve some of the initial scramble-to-get-through-it-as-quickly-as-possible-to-find-out-what-happens tension.  So I won't have to worry about that this time.  

Unless the spoilers are fake.

But here is an interesting thing I've noticed about people's response to the leaks.  A number of comments are about how these aren't 'JKR's style'.  Now, I haven't read the whole thing (too lazy) but what I have read strikes me as exactly JKR's style.  Which got me to wondering about the effect of having read fanfiction on one's actual reading of the book.

I wasn't in the fandom before HBP so I've never had this experience before.  How do the rest of you deal with it?  Do you get so used to thinking of the HP world in the style of your favourite fanfics that JKR's style seems jarring?  Do you long for stmargaretsHarry and Ginny, or for rhetoretician's?  Do you start to find JKR's writing childish compared to some of the more 'adult' fics you might have read?  Or do you find that actually, her writing does stand up to the test and sweep you away compared to the amateur things you've become used to?  Can you still spot 'JKR's style' amidst all the competing voices?

At last I can say I'm a Sugar Quill author!  I've been lurking around there for somewhere between eighteen months and two years and now, finally, I have a story up.

Thanks to 

amamama for nominating me, and to tdu000for the beta and everyone else just for being lovely.

It's Long Love's Day, btw, so most of you have already read it.  I hope to start publishing The Squib there soon.