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.

WIP Wednesday: In Deep

This WIP Wednesday, I wanna talk about the current project on my plate. It's a new thing. It's deep and dark and way out there for me. It is very much gay erotica. And by that I mean the story is told essentially through the sex.

I've never done a story like this before. Yeah, I've written erotic stuff and some of it was pretty hardcore (like "Finding Control"), but not something like this. And like everything else I currently write, it's fanfiction!

Title: In Deep

Summary: 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.

Currently Updated To: Chapter 3

So, yeah, um... Baylee, prostitution, gay... Can we get further from reality here????

I don't see this being as long as the last few I've written. I'd say it's likely a third of the way finished. Wanna read it? Click here.

WIP Wednesday

Thought I'd actually introduce this tag a little bit. So this is "WIP Wednesday" or "Work in Progress Wednesday". Last month I used it to talk about Camp NaNo because it was a giant Work in Progress. Last week, I used it to talk about finishing one of my major WIPs, "Sire." This week, I thought I'd just talk about it in general.

Seen, until recently, I haven't been able to finish my stories. Yeah, sometimes I'd finish short ones, but when it came to longer ones, I'd have these MASSIVE stories and never finish them. I think part of that is because I never really had a "tribe." Yeah, sure I've had writer friends over the years. I've done lots of different things: message boards, chatrooms, etc to keep those relationships going. But eventually, I guess I just didn't feel supported. Why? Well, I primarily write fanfiction. I don't know why. I just enjoy it. And whereas some people write fanfiction based off of books, movies or television shows, I write fanfic based off of real people. I don't know why I enjoy this so much, but I do. I thought I was the only person who was still writing in this fandom because, well, you couldn't really find fanfic anymore. Sure, FanFiction.net is still around, but a very long time ago, they dropped the RPF from their archives.

It wasn't until someone posted in the Backstreet Boys Official Group asking if anyone still wrote fanfiction did I find my tribe. This person, now friend, started a whole group because I literally jumped up and down and said that I still wrote fanfic! The group has since expanded beyond fanfic, but I'm still writing! AND I'm still being encouraged by a group of people whom I gladly call my friends. It's only because of them that I was able to actually finish and win NaNo 2019. It's only because of them that I was able to finish and win Camp NaNo last month. It's only because of them that I was able to finally finish my novel from NaNo 2018. It's also because of them that I found a way to share my fanfic with others.

And alas, this tribe of mine also helps me work on new ideas. I've got one now. I'm not going to share much about it yet because it has no title and I really don't have a direction for it yet. I have posted the first chapter, but I really don't know much about it yet. But it is another one that is out of my comfort zone. It's going to be amazing I feel. I can't wait to keep working on it and share it with you as I complete it, because now, with my tribe, I don't worry about not finishing things. I work to finish them. I'm looking at some of my old WIPs and seeing if/how I can work on finishing those as well. It's actually a really good feeling. I hope as I work on more WIPs to be able to bring them to WIP Wednesday either as nearly completed or finally finished fics!

What to know what I'm working on? Click here to see my "Works in Progress."

Sire: The NaNo 2018 Project

Back in September/October of 2018, I had an idea. It started with this video:

There was also this idea I had way back in the day where Howie was the leader of a vampire clan. (Think Kindred: The Embraced.) So I thought, why not combine the two ideas. Major difference: I had to have Kevin in this fic! Similarities: red eyes, Day Walkers, Gentri and that was about it. Beyond that, the story was my own.

I had an idea about how I thought it would go. November started and I took off on this 50k word adventure! It was the first time I had written BSB fanfic in years! By the end of the first week, I was three days ahead in my word count. The CD lived in my car. I listened to the song constantly! Words were flowing out of me! But then, the fire happened. I didn't write for three days, and when I did write, it was strange. I could sometimes get words and sometimes couldn't. I chalked it up to stress and kept pushing through. I managed to get to 30k in my story. I took that as a win with all that had happened. On top of that, that was about what I averaged for these events.

But when I went back and reread what I had written in the remaining weeks of November going into December, I realized the story had changed drastically. No longer was the plot I had started with the plot that it was following. Instead, it had become a subplot to something darker and more sinister. I went with it. It seemed to help.

I got stuck around a year ago in chapter 17, the climax of the story. I didn't want it to be told entirely from the main character's point of view. Plus, it just needed to be done right. So instead I worked on chapter 18. I figured knowing what was going to happen after would help drive what happened in that chapter. Almost six months later, I finished that dreaded piece. It then became ending this story. I had parts written. I dabbled in it. But I guess part of me didn't want to finish it yet. This was the story that had gotten me through the fire. Finally, in January of this year, I finished chapter 19. I knew then that it was all downhill from there. The last two parts were practically written.

But alas, another project had taken my interest. So I put it on the back burner. I got pressure to finish it from all over. But it just wasn't coming. Finally, after I finished the one project that had taken my interest, I decided to come back to "Sire." And guess what? It practically finished itself! I worked on it for two days and in both those two days, I managed to finish chapter 20 and the epilogue! In the timespan of a week, I had finished TWO monster stories! So here are the deets on this story:

Title: Sire
Final Word Count: 81,492
Summary: Howie is the leader of a clan of Day Walkers, half-human, half-vampires who are tasked with enforcing vampire law in Las Vegas. His clan is composed of his adviser, Kevin; his tracker, Nick; his messenger, Alex; and Brian, his new pet. They've been together for twenty-five years and things are just now coming to light. Having taken Brian as his pet, Howie is beginning to realize just how broken he is. He also realizes that Brian needs to reclaim his power over his past. But there are demons in the way; demons that seem to be coming back to haunt them. As the lawbreakers, or Gentri, seem to be growing in numbers, the leader of the vampires, Carson, is growing impatient with his Day Walker clans. He orders more clans to be brought in to help with the problem. One of the new clans, however, has ties to Brian that threatens to undo all the work Howie has done with him.

Want to read it? Read 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.