Writing Wednesday

I need to update my WIPs list because I know there's a few more on there than what I currently have listed. I hate having so many unfinished stories on my plate, but alas, it seems like my MO. There used to be a time when I hardly finished anything. I still feel like I start more things than I finish.

Currently, I have 5 stories on my AO3 account that are unfinished:

In Deep

After coming out to his parents, Baylee finds himself kicked out and on his own. He takes to selling himself on the street. When a lucrative opportunity comes his way, he takes it, not realizing the consequences.

Let it Be Me

After Brian's divorce, he met and fell in love. The relationship was "different." People didn't understand. Now after months of the media making things up, Brian and his girlfriend, Bec, and her partner, Alyx, are talking about their relationship to hopefully do some damage control and help people understand. Bec is just trying to take the heat away from Brian.

I'll Never Break Your Heart

Brian answers a call from a telemarketer at his family's home in Kentucky. This starts the whirlwind of a relationship between him and an aspiring radio DJ. Only Brian's past comes back to haunt them both.

Imogene

Brian is in charge of finding the groupie for the tour. The girl he finds is everything they want. As things progress though, Brian finds he has feelings for the girl, one of the things they aren't supposed to do. Could this jeopardize his marriage and everything he has going for him?

Untitled (BSB/CSI Crossover)

Phi Mulligan has a rare night off from the crime lab. She uses her time to go see her favorite group, the Backstreet Boys. While deciding to blow her forthcoming paycheck at the high stakes tables, Brian Littrell sits down next to her. After about an hour of playing, both their phones go off at the same time. Phi is called to the very hotel/casino she is standing in. Only then does she realize that Brian's wife, Leighanne, is the Vic and the are there to find the killer. With Grissom and Greg's help, Phi sets off on an investigation that will challenge her beliefs in the band and her place at the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

I think I may have a poll or something and let you guys pick which one I should finish in July, the next CampNaNo excursion. But then again, that also depends upon my mood. I've taken a few days off of writing, just to kind of let it rest for a bit, see what happens. Maybe I've been pushing myself too hard... I don't know. I just feel like I hit a dry spell.

Camp Nano: Final Update

Title: Finding Control
Total Words: 62,532
Total Chapters: 24

This book has been amazing to write! I'm so sad to see it end. But it was one of those things that it does need to have an ending. And by participating in Camp NaNo this year, I was able to figure that out. That was my main goal, not so much the word count. And once I figured that out and then realized how close I was to it actually being done, the goal became to finish the story. And I'm pleased to say that it is finished.

It has been such an amazing experience jumping out of my comfort zone in so many ways. Working on this erotic novel that pushed the boundaries of what I normally write. Not only was it a second-gen MC, but that MC's evolution throughout this book too. And the OCs in it as well were just amazing!

That being said, I won Camp NaNo this year. Now, granted it wasn't as big a task as NaNoWriMo was this year, but I really feel that this Camp experience was all-encompassing. I increased my goal with a week left and STILL managed to meet my new goal. I managed to find direction for this story AND I was able to finish it!

Wanna read it: find it here!

Camp NaNo: Update 4

Title: Finding Control
Words Added: 19,526
Chapters Uploaded: 1

So, I upped my goal to 20,000 words. Why? Well, as I said in the beginning, this Camp NaNo wasn't about the word count. It's always been about finding a direction for this story. With that direction now found, the new "goal" is to finish this story. It's so close! And when I finished the previous chapter at 14k words added, I knew I had more than 1k in words till this story finished. So I decided to up my goal, figuring 6k would be good. And in doing that, yeah, it makes sense. After the last chapter, I was at 17k, so 3k away from my 20k goal. The last chapter can easily be 3k in words!

In fact, as I write this, I am less than 500 words from reaching my goal of 20k! I KNOW this story isn't going to finish in 500 words or less, so I'm happy to keep writing on it after I reach the goal, likely sometime today. I'm hoping to actually be DONE with this story by Friday.

In saying that I'm almost done with this story is actually kinda sad. I have really enjoyed writing this one. It is SO different from anything I've ever written. And it's done SO WELL on AO3 too!

Camp NaNo: Update 3

Title: Finding Control
Words Added: 13,148
Chapters Uploaded: 1

So the biggest thing this week is yes, I added words. Yes, I am like 2k away from my 15k goal, but this story is gonna go beyond that 15k goal, which I knew from the get-go. It was never about the word count. Instead, it was about the story. And the best thing is, I know now that this story is about 3 chapters away from being done! YAY!

What a journey this story has been. It started with a photo and well, I never thought it would take the turn that it did or that it would turn out as good as it has. I can really say that I love this story and I will be sad when it's over.

Camp NaNo: Update No. 2!

Title: Finding Control
Words Added: 10,170
Chapters Uploaded: 2

This week has been awesome in the way of word count! And on top of that, this story HAS a direction AND an idea of an ending! I'm hoping to actually finish this story this month! If that happens, I might find something else to work on. But OMG, this seems like it is becoming my new favorite story I've written! I so love how involved ALL the characters are in it. The two main OCs are dynamic and work SO well within the story.

I'm hoping next week will be as fruitful. Like I said, I'm not so worried about the word count in this one. So if it winds up being more than 15k until his story is finished, I'm fine with that. And I honestly think I can finish this one! I'm hoping to finish it this month!

Camp NaNo: Update!

Title: Finding Control
Words Added: 3,666
Word Goal: 15,000, which is 500 words per day.

Since I am writing this before today's writing session, I am on track. This feels good. I wasn't sure if the word goal was going to be a good one or not, but it seems to be helping move the story along. I did manage to finish chapter 18 and get it posted. I'm now working in chapter 19.

I think the greatest thing that has come out of this week is I think I know where this story is headed. I think this is Baylee's coming out story. Not that I believe in coming out because, well, there's really no reason to. But it seems important to Baylee. So that's what I'm going with.

Surprisingly, I'm not having a difficult time writing this right now. I thought I would, but it seems to be coming fairly easily right now. I know that may change. I'm already starting to feel a slump coming on, which kinda sucks. I'm hoping I can push through this.

Wanna read the latest chapter? Click here.

Camp NaNo: Project Announcemet

Today is the first day of April. That means that Camp NaNo starts! I wasn't planning on doing Camp this year, but a friend poked me in a group chat and I looked into it.

Last November, I actually won NaNoWriMo. It was the first time in about 15 years! (Here's the fic I won with DNA of a Backstreet Boy.) It was an amazing feeling to actually win! I'm still in awe that I did! And the story was essentially complete too!

So that fic was totally started specifically for November. For Camp this time I'm looking at working on a fic I've already started. I'm already 40k into it but it's not about the word count. This story is more about the story itself.

Anyway, this particular story started with a photo:

After a ton of research, I found that this particular photo was from one of their cruises. The theme was "50 Shades of Leather and Lace." Believe it or not, there's NOT a lot out there from this particular night. I think things went a little TOO crazy for the guys!

Anyway, after a little persuasion from my muse, I started a story that had no title and no direction. As I started writing on it, it became something so much more than that one photo! Yes, the story pushed me way out of my comfort zone, but honestly, I'm loving it! The only issue is that I'm not sure where this story is going now! It's one of those stories that COULD go on forever! But it's gonna need to end at some point! I'm hoping that the idea of working on it for Camp is going to force me to find an ending! Anyway, now that you know where this story came from, let me actually introduce you to it!

Genre(s): Fanfic, Erotic, LGBT+

Summary: Brian Littrell is leading a double life. When he's home, he routinely spends time at The Domain, a fetish club on the outskirts of town. His wife is aware of his "alone time," but his son is not. When Baylee finds out where his father spends his time, he begins to question his own desires. Would this club give him the control he feels he lacks in his life?

While he's there, he meets Devon Long, another submissive of his dominant. Their relationship begins under their dominant's watchful eye but quickly escalates. Could this other young man help Baylee find more than just what he thought he was looking for? Will he experience the freedom that comes from finding control?

Goal: 15k words, but like I said, it's not about the words, it's about the story.

This is a WIP (Work in Progress), so if you'd like to read what I have so far, click here.

WIPWednesday Character Intro

I know this is a week late. I totally forgot about it last week. There may be another post a little later today.

I don't remember what my initial introduction was for this story. But I know I like this introduction of my MC. It took me a bit to think of it.

Phineas Mulligan sat alone at the high stakes blackjack table at the Mandalay Bay. She had split her hand a

while ago and yet continued to play two hands. The five thousand dollars in chips that sat before her stayed put and only varied slightly as she played a hundred on each hand. It was her night off and payday was in about four days. She had been to a concert earlier and because she was a night owl by habit and because she worked the graveyard shift, she didn’t feel like going home. Instead, she felt the need to sit at the table and play cards just to kill time before she left. Her long dark hair was up in a ponytail and the tee shirt she wore was from the concert. As she sat there, her eyes on the cards, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Tipping her head slightly towards the person who had tapped her, she mumbled, “Hm?”

“Mind if he plays next to you?”

Phineas lifted her eyes to the dealer slowly and then turned them towards the man off her left shoulder. He was slightly taller than six feet, dark skin, a tee shirt stretched taught against his muscles. His hair was cropped short against his scalp. “Free country,” she commented dropping her eyes back to her cards.

The muscular man leaned down and said closer to her ear, “You clean?”

The phrase caught her off guard. Phineas lifted her eyes back to the man beside her. She caught a glimpse of the man standing behind him; auburn hair, head slightly tipped forward and down. She recognized him instantly as Brian Littrell from the group Backstreet Boys. They had played earlier; she had been at their concert. They obviously didn’t have anywhere to be anytime soon if they were staying over in Vegas. Things now made sense to her. Of course, his personal bodyguard would ask questions and be hanging around too. “I work for the Las Vegas crime lab,” she replied carefully. “He’s probably safer with me than he is with you.” This statement must have placated the man because he nodded curtly and took a step back. He said something to Brian and then stepped away.

“Name’s Phi,” she said as a way of introduction and then folded on the hand she had off to her right. Brian sat down beside her and she ignored him as she finished her one hand in front of her and looked at the dealer. “Tanya, you think he’s ready to play with the high rollers here?”

The dealer, Tanya, in her dress shirt and vest looked at Phi as she slid over her winnings. “Are you going to quit playing games at my table?”

Phi glanced at Brian and saw him chuckle. “Oh, it’s on, honey.” Tanya had obviously caught on to Phi’s strategy of keeping her money close.

My Revise And Revive Novel

This month I am taking on a challenge put on by Keri over at Grey Matter Margarita. Not only that it is also WriYe's Resurrection April and it's CampNaNo!

Here's a little backstory:

In case you forgot or don't know, I lost everything in the Camp Fire. (See this post, in which I mention it briefly.) And when I say everything, I mean everything. Fortunately for me and my writing, most of it was either cloud-based or backed up in my email. In going through my old WIPs on the WriYe boards, I found a fic I REALLY wanted to work on. Problem: it was lost in the ashes. So I've been digging through my email and found that I actually submitted some of my writing for "verification" on the WriYe boards. Most of it I didn't encrypt so I just snagged it straight away. I've got a few "Phoenix Fics" I'm working on now and a few that I've completely redone and finished. See, I call them "Phoneix Fics" because they are truly rising from the ashes to become new again.

Anyway, I found this CSI/BSB fic idea in the WIPs list that I totally adored. Unfortunately, it was gone! So I started digging around in the boards and an old blog I used to keep to see if I had written on it at any time during my WriYe ventures. I found that I did in 2010. So I dug around in my verification files and found it! But it was encrypted! So I started the decryption process, hoping I had done simple letter-to-letter encryption and I had! The problem was that when I decrypted it, it was pretty difficult to read in places due to the find-replace feature. That and because I had obviously started this fic at some point, the whole beginning made ZERO sense. Remember, I got this from a verification file, so I only had the words I had written during that verification period in the file. So, yes, I was missing HUGE chunks. Another thing about this verification file that I found was that there was also an outline to this story I used in the verification as well. Granted it's only ten scenes, but it's a starting point. I think it will wind up being about two to three chapters worth.

So this is my Resurrection April fic and it happens to be the one I'm working on for CampNaNo. The reason I chose this as my revise and revive novel is that I'm going back and watching CSI again from the beginning and I know there is some major revision needed in the scenes I have written. But otherwise, I'm looking to write about 30,000 words this story, so that's 1,000 words a day for 30 days. I'm not sure I can do it, especially since for March I've only written like half of that and have been averaging about 100 words a day. But hopefully, with a "new" story, I'll be able to actually get some words in.

Here's my official description:

Phi Mulligan has a rare night off from the crime lab. She uses her time to go see her favorite group, the Backstreet Boys. While deciding to blow her forthcoming paycheck at the high stakes tables, Brian Littrell sits down next to her. After about an hour of playing, both their phones go off at the same time. Phi is called to the very hotel/casino she is standing in. Only then does she realize that Brian's wife Leighanne is the vic and they are there to find the killer. With Grissom and Greg's help, Phi sets off on an investigation that will challenge her beliefs in the band and her place at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. This takes place in 2005, between seasons 5 and 6 of CSI.

March Goals

So I figured I should probably do a goals post for this blog. I'm not entirely sure all that I'm going to put on it, but okay, here goes nothing:

1. Finish watching "The X-Files" Season 10. This HAS to get done this month, or else I have to wait until it is released on DVD. It actually has to get done before my daughter's birthday. That's when all the episodes disappear from OnDemand.

Currently: 2/6 watched

2. Read. I'm currently reading Deck Z. I've been reading it for a while. I just need to actually finish it! Plus it's a library book, so it will eventually need to be returned to the library. I HATE that I have to "abandon" books because they are due, but sometimes that happens.

3. Post here a little more regularly. Yeah, I haven't posted a whole lot in February, okay, once. I really want to change that. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to post about at this moment, but finishing season 10 would help, that's for sure!

4. Keep up with my Bullet Journal. Yes, I have started Bullet Journaling. I actually like it! It allows me to keep everything all in one place! I hope to post about it soon!

5. Reread and prep for Camp! I signed up to do CampNaNoWriMo for April. I have no idea why. Maybe because I REALLY would like to finish SOMETHING! I'm going to be working on my NaNo from 2014 and hopefully finishing it.

That's about it for here, I think.